Luke 21 says there will be wars, earthquakes, famines, and rebellions; nation will be raised up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. "When these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near," verse 28 says.
So, given the war in Israel, is it time? Author and evangelist Ray Comfort, founder of Living Waters, says the short answer is it is impossible to know, but it is certainly getting closer.
"When I look around at what's happening, I can see everything lining up," he tells AFN. "The Middle East is volatile, as the Bible says it will be in the last days. Jerusalem's a burdensome stone for all nations (Zechariah 12:3). Men's hearts are failing them for fear of that which is coming upon the earth (Luke 21:26)."
To Comfort, that means only one thing: It is time to get busy.
"One Bible verse that we tend to forget [tells] a sign of the times just before Christ comes," the evangelist notes, referencing Matthew 24:14. "Jesus said, 'The gospel will be preached to all nations, then shall the end come.' So, let's hasten the coming of Christ by obeying the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) and taking the gospel to every person."
So, believers should pray for the cataclysmic battle and the death and destruction that come with it?
"It's a 'come quickly, Lord Jesus. Please hold off until my loved ones come to Christ,'" Comfort says. "So, there is that tension that we all have."
As for those who have never been good at sharing the gospel, he has some advice.
"It's so important to make sure our tone is right. We really want to show the unsaved that we care for them — that we're not religious, but we've found everlasting life, and all we want to do is share it with them," Comfort concludes.
Living Waters seeks to train the members of Christ's Body in the principles of biblical evangelism and to provide them with practical tools to proclaim the gospel.
