Scripture: Mark 13 v 19 - 26: "For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory."
The Greek word for apocalypse is 'apokalupsis', which means to uncover or reveal. The definition of it from the Oxford English Dictionary is an event involving destruction or damage on a catastrophic scale.
Watching the fires sweeping across Los Angeles with zero containment, meaning totally out of control, wiping out thousands of homes, businesses, hospitals, schools, places of worship, while the Santa Ana wind blows at 160kph is shocking. They say it is apocalyptic. The worst ever fire. 30000 acres have been wiped out. The LA Mayor had cut funding to the fire department and this resulted in the water in the tenders running out at 3am.
There have been big earthquakes in Nepal, Ethiopia, El Salvador and Chile since 2025 started so for many it has not been a very happy New year. There is heavy snowfall in Saudi Arabia for the second year running. There are floods in many places. Severe cold, snow and rain in Britain. If these are the curtain raisers to the tribulation I shudder to think what the actual event will be like.
Jesus calls the curtain raisers for the end time tribulation, "the beginning of sorrows". This period began with the First World War which was immediately followed by the pandemic of Spanish Flu which killed another 18 million people across Europe. Right in the midst of all that the Tsar of Russia was overthrown and Communism took his place.
The next apocalyptic event was the 2nd World War, with its extermination camps in Germany, Austria and Poland. This resulted in the Israelis getting back their God-given homeland, which caused the Arab nations huge bitterness and hatred. And a continuous onslaught on the land of Israel to this day.
There have been other wars, Korea, Vietnam, all over Africa. Now it's Russia invading Ukraine, and Israel retaliating against the October 7 massacre. There has been Apartheid, and its sorrows. There has been universal anti-Semitism, Myanmar, xenophobia, the migrants fleeing Syria, ISIS, and other extremists who are now ramming trucks into crowds to kill the innocent. There has been Columbine and other school massacres, senseless behaviour that scars nations.
In this century more earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, unprecedented tsunamis, superstorms, asteroids, comets and bloodmoons, fulfilling scripture and escalating the arrival of the tribulation, the Rapture of believers, and finally Armageddon plus the second coming of Jesus. All these shocking, fearful events are leading up to the glorious re-appearance of Jesus Christ on Earth.
The war in the heavenlies that spilled over onto Earth from time to time, will now be in its most traumatic season and Earth's inhabitants will face the brunt of it. Jesus urges us to not be deceived, not follow blindly those with a different agenda, but ensure our salvation is in line with His Word.
If we check over our lives we should see the milestones that shaped the direction of our lives. It may be a physical or mental challenge, such as blindness, deafness or autism. A challenge that needs all hands on deck to subdue it and triumph over it.
We may be facing a deadly disease like HIV/AIDS, heart problems, diabetes or cancer. These can be a stone that crushes you or a stepping stone to a stronger, more determined, winner. We can choose to let our particular burden beat us, or we can grow our faith to overcome it.
We may be poor and homeless, but look at the life of Jesus. He had nothing and had nowhere to lay His head. He was a King who laid aside His crown to be born in a stable, to live a humble life, teaching others about His Kingdom, and how to find it.
Everything about Jesus was apocalyptic. His truth against the falseness of the Pharisees and scribes. It led to His arrest and cruel death. An earthquake and a 3 hour eclipse of the Sun, heralded the time of His death, which potentially saved the whole world. If we believe He is the Son of God, and change our lives to show we mean it.
We need to be small 'apocalypses' in the lives of those we can reach. We don't have much time left to do the long, slow approach to the matter of eternal life or the gruesome alternative. Think of pulling victims out of burning buildings in Los Angeles today. That is what salvation is like now. It's emergency rescue time, hot extraction, bringing them out of darkness to light.
So it is over to you, the reader, to believe and receive. To check your standing with the King of Kings, and in your own life do what He wants you to do.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, the end is nigh! We long to be with You and all our loved ones gathered around Your Throne. Lord we face many challenges no matter where we live, or our circumstances. Thank You for guiding, protecting, encouraging and comforting us along the way. Help us over these upcoming rough spots and show us how to help others. In Jesus' name. Amen.