Next door neighbor was diagnosed with breast cancer last week. She's young, has young children at home, fairly healthy. It can strike anyone. Another neighbor mentioned that it seems breast cancer and all forms of cancer seem to be so much more common now. Scientifically I don't know if that's true, but it does seem that way. But we shouldn't be surprised.

The Bible is emphatic in Revelation and a bit in a couple of the Old Testament books that years building to the end times will be wrought with human strife, wars, rise in natural calamities and illness. One could argue we've seen many more natural disasters in the last decade. That could be a product of better news coverage, better communication abilities in outlying areas, or the truth. I read an article yesterday from a locally respected Christian apologist crediting the devil for natural disasters. The biblical evidence he gave was quite convincing including passages in Job where God gave Satan power over the weather to create the disasters that took Job's family, servants and cattle away.

Some argue the perceived global warming is evidence of movement to the end times. Technically, every second is a movement to the end times, but global warming could be part and parcel a signal that the end is coming.

Wars may be less violent and prevalent now than they used to be, but they certainly hold the potential now to be more catastrophic--especially in a short period of time--whereas wars in the past took many battles to arrive at astronomical counts of casualties.

I think the lesson this teaches us if any is not to forget the end times are coming and we are to be prepared. If Jesus comes back tonight, is he taking you or leaving you behind? And be praying that if the times are coming soon, that through your life either directly or indirectly, yo are bringing others to be saved by Him. May God come, and may he be injust enough to take me despite all my weaknesses.