Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
v. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
v. 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Christ says here very precisely that nothing unusual will be happening in the world when He returns, no great tribulation, to worldwide economic collapse, nothing out of the ordinary will led up to His return.
Hi Kat, I have to disagree with you here but also agree in a way because whats "unusual" will vary from person to person..
Christ didnt say nothing unusual would be happening in the world when He returns. In the days of Noah people were carrying on as if nothing unusual was happening, true. But that doesnt mean nothing unusual was happening. It says that the world was utterly corrupt, and all the world was filled with evil. BUT, as you pointed out, people were carrying on as if nothing was wrong. Marrying, eating/drinking, etc.
Im sure you are familiar with the boiling frog theory. Drop a frog into a pot of boiling water and the frog will immediately jump out because it senses the danger. But put some frogs in a pot of room temperature water and heat it up very slowly and the frogs will stay there until the water boils and they die because they dont feel anything unusual happening to the water temperature.
Consider this, I have children who have never known an America that hasnt been at war. They know no other reality. Even to those of us who have lived most of our lives in an America that wasnt at war, the water has been boiling or increasing temperature for so long that we, at times, dont notice, consider or care about it.
Whether or not a financial collapse of the world economy or a 3rd world war or both are in our near future, and whether or not those events usher in His return, you can be certain that a lot of people, maybe even MOST people will not care as long as it doesnt directly effect them. Why? Becaue the love of many has grown cold in my opinion. As long as they dont cut the power to our reality TV and take away our fast food or tell us to stop sleeping around... no one will stop to consider what is happening to someone else in some other part of the world.
I mentioned in another thread that in 2012 alone the US spent over 700 Billion Dollars on destroying other countries and destroying other peoples lives. Drone bombing innocent civilians and babies. By the UN's own estimates it would only cost about 30 Billion a year to eliminate world hunger from this planet. This statistic should make people want to vommit BUT instead people are carrying on, marrying, eating/drinking as in the days of Noah.
On a side note: Albert Einstein was quoted as saying something like
"I dont know with what kind of weapons a 3rd world war will be fought... but I know that the 4th world war will be fought using sticks and stones." When I think about the likelyhood of a 3rd world war in our future, I consider that it will most likely be a nuclear war and that if Christ doesnt return and cut those days short than no flesh would be saved.. (I know theres a verse for that but you'll have to forgive me.. Im a lazy man
) OR it could be a quick, decisive war followed by better days.. I dunno no one does.
Kat you did say in your post that you believe Christs return
could be near yes? If I may ask, what are the reasons you believe this?