Never in all the annals of history have ecclesiastics, statesmen, men in government, heads of industry, labor leaders and the rich been so-cross-questioned, criticized and exposed as now at the bar of public judgment. Notwithstanding their determined effort to avoid the examination, they are obliged to endure the trial. Watergate, Agnew and exposed manipulations by the multi-nation oil interests, are but a few examples. The most significant thing about Watergate is not that it took place (corruption is as old as human history), but that it could not be covered up. Try as they would, it could not be hidden. Why? We are living in the time that the hidden things of darkness will be made manifest. Even a totalitarian state like Russia is powerless to prevent exposure as evidenced by the Solzhenitsyn affair. His expose gained worldwide coverage. Further exposures resulted in the overthrow of the communist empire. These world-wide exposures of corruption are another proof that we are at the time of our Lord's return and the end of the world.

Infidelity is rampant from university to pulpit. In the professed church of Christ the Word of God is no longer the standard of faith, the guide of life. Human philosophies are theories are taking its place. Even heathen vagaries are flourishing in places formerly beyond their pale. A survey taken among delegates to the National Council of Churches revealed that over one third could not state they had a firm belief in God; thirty-one per cent could not say there is life after death; sixty-two per cent did not believe miracles happened as the Bible says they did; seventy-seven per cent did not believe the devil actually exists; and eighty-seven per cent rejected the Bible concept of inherited sin. Our day is in such marked contrast with the past that church historians speak of it as the post-Christian era. This world-wide scarcity of faith means the Son of man has come. Signs of the Last Days "In the last days will come time of trouble. Men will love nothing but money and self [affluence and materialism]; no gratitude, no piety, implacable in their hatreds, scandalmongers, intemperate and fierce [drug addiction and senseless violence], despisers of those that are good, traitors...lovers of pleasure rather that lovers of God, men who hold an outward form of religion, but are a standing denial of its reality." 2 Timothy 3:1-5 N.E.B., K.J.V. These verses read like Twentieth Century headlines. A further word about one of these signs: "Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." This has been remarkably fulfilled in a prevalent philosophy of today. "Hedonism," the philosophy that the end and object of life is pleasure, is not new. But today, for the first time, it has received general acceptance throughout the world. The various conditions predicted in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 are further proof that we are in the "last days" of this "present evil world."

Capital and Labor Strife

Throughout the Christian Age, economically speaking, there have been basically two classes: the "haves" and the "have-nots." A large middle class is a peculiarity of our era and locates us in the Day of the Lord. For centuries, the wealthy have been aligned with church and state in the exploitation of the masses. We are in the "Day of the Lord" spoken of by Zephaniah. To recompense the exploitations of the past, the returned Lord has prepared a sacrifice from the avaricious accumulations of the wealthy. And the guests (masses) have been invited to share. This economic leveling has resulted in the large middle class of our day. Demonstrations, riots the struggles between capital and labor, racial majorities and minorities will progressively get worse in the day of the Lord's presence until they end in complete anarchy. Already, anarchy is just below the surface-ready to burst forth at the slightest provocation. While the Lord is balancing the scales of justice for the past wrongs of the vested interest class, the exploited class by their unjustified demands and violence reveal that they have nothing better to offer. Because their ideologies are honey-combed with selfishness and deprivation, they will accomplish but one thing: the destruction of our social order. The events that Zephaniah foretells take place during the Day of the Lord. The magnitude of the prophecy rules out a 24-hour day-or a shorter period of time. The masses are invited to share the economic excess of the wealthy and time is required to reveal the deceit and violence of the exploited as they rebel against the status quo. The whole revolutionary trend of our day, with its periodic violent eruptions, is another sign that the Lord has returned.

Wars and War Preparations

Joel 3:1 identifies the events of this chapter as occurring during the regathering of Israel. As already seen, the regathering of Israel is a proof of Christ's presence, therefore, in the days of Israel's return (Joel 3:1), the wars and intensified was preparations are further signs of Christ's presence. A phenomenon of our era is the two World Wars affecting every corner of the globe. By 1980, civilian breeder reactors in forty countries will turn out, as a by-product, enough plutonium to make 5,000 nuclear bombs a year. Sociologist Andreski, the noted expert on wars, writes, "Our own century has so far been much more warlike then its predecessor." Time magazine (March 9, 1970) in concurring, observes that 100,000,000 have died in wars since the being of the 20th century, while only 3,845,000 died in the 19th century. The premium is on nuclear armaments. Wars and intensified war preparations are another proof of the return of Christ.

"Let the Weak Say I Am Strong"

The previous scripture in Joel 3:10 reveals that during the intensity of war and war preparations, the weak nations say, "I am strong." For centuries the weaker nations placated and satisfied the whims of the stronger nations in fear of the consequences. This has changed in our day. In the United Nations, the weaker powers stand up to the great powers, verbally assailing and influencing them as never before. The bar of world opinion and power politics limit the harassment of weaker nations by major powers. The greatest power in the world today, the United States, has bitterly experienced the "weak" saying, "I am strong." In the war against North Korea and again in the conflict with North Vietnam, the United States was unable to wage total war for fear of the consequences of world opinion. With hat in hand, the United States gradually withdrew from Vietnam, hoping not to lose too much face in an impossible situation. The strangle hold of the small oil-rich nations on the economies of the great world powers is another fulfillment of this sign. The weak nations saying, "I am strong," is still another proof that Christ has returned.

"Peace and Safety"

"The Day of the Lord" is marked by fearful nations crying for peace in conferences, but to no avail. The trouble comes upon them in spasms, as "travail upon a woman with child." In 1907 a world court was set up at the Hague, Netherlands, to arbitrate international disputes. War was outlawed. "Peace and safety" were assured. Then World War I shook the world with an impact unprecedented in history as a whole world order began to crumble. In 1938 Neville Chamberlain "appeased" Hitler with part of Czechoslovakia and returned to England pronouncing, "peace in our times." Shortly after, the nations were embroiled in World War II. Since the end of World War II, no previous generation has witnessed such a frenzy of peace-efforts, both on the United Nations level and nation-to-nation negotiations. Yet, war and sudden destruction continued to erupt as in Korea, Vietnam, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, etc. The Cold War ended with the fall of the Soviet Union. No longer was there rivalry between two super-powers, the United States and the Soviet Union. Seemingly, the world would now have peace. Then smalls wars like Desert Storm and the Yugoslavian ethnic wars broke out. The scriptures also indicate that Russia will again become a power to reckon with. The unprecedented peace efforts prove the presence of Christ.

Unprecedented Trouble

This unprecedented trouble is a sign of Christ parousia (presence, not coming). Watchful Christians discern Christ is invisibly present during this "great tribulation." Therefore it cannot apply to a seven-year period between "a secret rapture" and his visible return. [See detailed discussion on the "seven-year tribulation" theory, Appendix B.] Historians agree we are in such an era of unprecedented trouble. For example: Looking back from the vantage point of the present we see that the outbreak of World War I ushered in a twentieth-century 'Time of Trouble' from which our civilization has by no means yet emerged. Directly or indirectly all the convulsions of the last half century stem back to 1914 and Sarajevo: the two World Wars, the Bolshevik Revolution, the rise and fall of Hitler, the continuing turmoil in the Far and Near East, the power-struggle between the Communist world and our own -Edmond Taylor, The Fall of the Dynasties, Doubleday, N.Y., 1963, p. 16. We have seen that twentieth century wars have cost the lives of 100 million, but unprecedented wars are only one aspect of this great tribulation. Tribulation as a result of Christ's presence is everywhere. it has never been so widespread and intense.

Population Explosion: Before 1650 A.D. the population doubled every 1,000 years; it doubled in 1850 (200 years later); doubled again in 1930 (only 80 years later); and doubled again in 1965 (only 35 years later). In 1990 the world population was 5.5 billion. By 2000 A.D. it will increase by one billion. Up to 15 million people die of starvation annually. There are 30 million refugees and 100 million homeless. Each day 40,000 babies die of starvation in Third World countries while Americans spend over $900 million yearly feeding dogs and cats.

Pollution: The U.S. has 5% of the world's population, but annually disposes of 290 million tons of toxic waste, uses 26% of the world's oil, release 26% of the world's nitrogen oxides, produces 22% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. Solid wastes, radio-active and toxic chemical wastes are contaminating our rivers, lakes and oceans. Air pollutants from car exhaust and industry spawn disease. Deaths from respiratory disease doubles every five years. Skin cancer caused by the depletion of the ozone layer is rapidly increasing. Acid rain is destroying our forests, which in turn will produce "global warming." This "greenhouse effect" could melt polar ice caps causing oceans to rise and wipe out hundreds of thousands of miles of densely populated coastal lands (affecting 2 billion people). Also, it would dramatically increase temperature variations. This would trigger life-threatening droughts and heat waves turning "breadbasket farmland" (like our Midwest) into barren desert. Severe food shortages would result. Time is running out, according to Lester R. Brown, president of the highly respected WORLDWATCH INSTITUTE. "Preceding generations have always been concerned about the future, but ours is the first to be faced with decisions that will determine whether the earth our children inherit will be inhabitable." Scientists are now concerned that the population explosion could hasten and increase the effect of Global warming. (New York Times, Jan. 18, 1990). Drastic climate changes resulting in economic disaster in many nations could trigger wars for survival.

Crime and Violence continue to spiral. Automatic weapons are readily available to the "kid" on the street. An estimated 100,000 guns are taken into American schools daily. In large cities, students are scanned for weapons upon entering school and the halls are patrolled by armed police. There is an upsurge in the most violent types of crime by teens of all races, classes and life-styles. Once muggers robbed a person and ran off. Now they beat, violate or murder them. There were over 2200 homicides in New York City during 1990. Also, every 2½ weeks a child was murdered in New York by a parent. Over three million wives are battered each year in the U.S.

Drugs: We are losing the drug war because the huge profits are too corrupting. In 1989 the major U.S. chemical companies sold 18.5 million pounds of chemicals to "front companies" in South America who in turn sold these chemicals to drug cartels. There are 2.2 million hard-core drug users in the United States. While 1 out of 40 persons in New York City is hard-core, nationally 1 out of 100 are hard-core users. The number of casual users is substantially higher. Is it any wonder the crime rate is spiraling? Seventy percent of New York City's drug users are affluent. One thousand drug addicted babies are born every day.

Economic chaos: The U.S. entered the 1990's with a staggering debt of over $3 trillion and a perilous foreign trade imbalance; the S & L Associations on the verge of complete collapse; the commercial banks in serious trouble; insurance companies failing; 1300 companies claiming bankruptcy per week. The nineties witnessed the bankruptcy of many corporate giants. In 1983, the U.S. was the world's largest creditor nation. By 1990 it became the biggest debtor nation (C. Fred Bergsten, head of the INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS, 1990). Weekly monitoring shows the U.S. debt has swelled to over $4 trillion. Many economists predict it will soon top $5 trillion. No longer are we the unchallenged economic power of the world. Out of the 2,500 Savings and Loan Associations, over 1,000 needed to be bailed out. It is more than a fiasco of high risk loans and mismanagement. S & L heads have swindled astronomical sums. Government regulators are accused of hiding facts to avert election issues. Indeed, our generation IS experiencing a "Time of Trouble such as never was since there was a nation." This unprecedented trouble is a sign that Christ's coming is not imminent but he already is here.

In Amos' prophecy the fleeing man represents the world's experiences in this dark "time of trouble." At the dawning of our era, Great Britain ruled the most expansive empire on earth. The lion in this prophecy, Britain's national symbol, appropriately illustrated the mighty nation that devoured (colonized) weaker nations. Colonialism's suffocating grasping led to the world's fleeing to another form of government. The man in Amos 5:20 escaped the lion only to meet the bear-a form of government diametrically opposed to the grasping greed of colonialism-communism! The former Soviet Union, the "bear" of Amos' prophecy, offered man another hope for safety in this time of trouble. Communism's failure to rescue man was underscored by its precipitous fall. The nations are now seeking another hope of security-nationalism. Entering the "house" of nationalism has been anything but comfortable for the world. Bosnia, Serbia, Germany and other nations now seeking safety in nationalism are suffering civil war, economic malaise, the rise of new "hate groups" and other ills. While in the supposed security of ultra-nationalism (will church and state reunite?) the people place their hand on the wall. Seeking rest in the supporting structure of human government will result in being bitten by the serpent. That old Serpent, the Devil and Satan, which once deceived the nations that they were Christ's Kingdom (Revelation 12:9) will bite them again. Then the nations will feel the rebuke of Jehovah in the great time of trouble. Nations on the run is one of the signs of the "day of the Lord," the day of Christ's presence. There are many additional signs that prove Christ as already returned, but the ones we have considered are more that adequate to establish a point. "What shall be the signs of thy parousia [presence]?" The fact that we have seen these signs fulfilled in our day proves we are living in the period of Christ's secret presence-the period before "every eye shall see him."

Why Some Christians Are Unaware

Luke 21:34-36 warns that when Christ returns some Christians are unaware of His presence. this "Day" comes as a snare upon two kinds of Christians. some are overcharged with the cares of this life; others neglect the Word and Spirit of God to follow leaders who misguide them. Study Luke 21:34-36. Remember that this chapter is speaking of signs of Christ's second presence and notice how watching Christians are aware when the day of the Lord comes upon them; whereas the world and negligent Christians are not. Our Lord says, "Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you [Christians] unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them [the world] that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch [watch yourselves and also the word of prophecy] ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." The phrase "that ye may be accounted worthy to escape" in verse 36 of the King James Version is a poor translation. compare the following translations: Revised Standard Version, "praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place." Rotherham, "making supplication that ye may gain full vigour to escape all these things that are about to be coming to pass." New English Bible, "praying at all times for strength to pass safely through all these imminent troubles." These translations indicate that the thought of the Greek* is that watching and praying Christians will receive the strength to pass through the tousles during the early period of that "day." Note that the church is still on the earth. Strength is not necessary for an experience from which the Lord removes you, but the Lord gives strength to endure the dangers Christians must encounter in the tribulation. However, negligent Christians are ensnared by these dangers. Note well the implications of this scripture. Faithful Christians are here during part of the tribulation period, but are sustained by the strength of the Lord.