Great post, OP !!
Reading some of these responses to your topic, the entire "Noah" story keeps popping up in my mind - that and the fact that today's society is,
sadly, making this way too easy for satan.
satan is the author of confusion - he has succeeded as long as he creates a shred of doubt in a person's mind about Jesus and the Bible.
I don't know where this March 16 date is coming from, but that date, or 2012, will not be the "end" of our world. We still have to go through the
seven year (or 3.5) tribulation yet.
With that said, I do believe that this planet is now steady traveling into the end days - how long that will take depends on prophecy being fulfilled
- and too, the three generation time lines.
The Bible gives three - a 40 year, a 70 year, and a 120 year. We've long passed the 40 year - the 70 year will put us at 2018 - the 120 would put us
at 2068.
At best, I am thinking, at a maximum, Earth has maybe about 58 years left although I don't like "date setting".
The increase (frequency and magnitude both) of earthquakes is certainly one of the major signs of the end days. The collapse of our govt is another.
Future food famines, increased apathy (scroll thru any given "Christian" ATS thread for proof of this one) - wars and rumors of wars, erratic
weather and increased weather activity, scoffers, the one world system being brought in, increased threats/attacks on Israel, etc.
Most of the "real" preachers (not the prosperity ones), are all talking about this very issue in their sermons - where their sermons used to say
"One day Jesus will return" or "One day we'll be in the end days....." - now, they are saying "We are IN the end days" and "The end days are
here".
God is definitely trying to get our attention I do believe. The one thing in the Bible that I kept saying how I couldn't imagine ever happening in
our nation, would appear to now be a soon arriving reality - the beheading of Christians for their beliefs. I used to think "The Usa doesn't do
those types of things, only the third world countries do that".
BUT look around, read the headlines - the people that do this type of thing are slowly relocating here. Their "religion" starts with an "M" and
ends with an "m". Given the pacifying, by our leaders, of these people in our nation, it is now not difficult at all to see this happening in the
distant future.
Satan has been planning this for thousands of years - if you just started jotting down the key events over the years, it's not hard to see the subtle
pattern that has now emerged - society dubs it "moral decline" - and satan is behind it all. From society's slow, but certain, acceptance of
adultery, abortion, homosexuality, murder, corruption in every area of govt from city leaders on up, removing God out of our schools and out of
society, etc.
Perry Stone is an excellent prophecy teacher and for about the past year he has been talking about things coming "full circle" - starting with Rome
- and ending up as we are seeing things today. It's all coming back full circle i.e. history is now repeating itself. So it wouldn't surprise me
if it all ends like it began. The only difference this time will be is the battle is already won - we just have to get through the details, that's
all. Right now satan is a dead man walking. After Jesus returns, all evil will be "sand blasted" from this planet - literally.
And the biggest prophecy, for me anyhow - is the part about how there will be more entering at the wide gate (hell) than the narrow (Heaven). But
given people's scoffing, and attitude towards God and His Bible, although sad, it's crystal clear that this is being fulfilled before our eyes. From
what I can tell, satan has just about succeeded in convincing people, especially this last generation, that they have a choice of "gods" or a choice
of "creators" or to just not believe in one at all.
And yeah, it makes me sad because I know there are a lot of really good hearted people out there that have bought into this lie - and because of that,
they could very well trade their eternal salvation for eternal damnation.
[edit on 15-3-2010 by nomorecruelty]