I believe your pastor's words to be wise ones. There are always signs but it does little good to ruminate on when it's coming. And the people I've observed that are convinced we're in the end times are usually reduced to inaction other than prayer.
Prayer of course is critically important, but God gave us the gift of our bodies, our mouths, our minds and our free will. He gave us these gifts to be used to spread good and to fight evil.
And I agree with you LB, I believe the vast majority of people are good at heart and do not mean to do evil. It's that tiny fraction of a % that lies and schemes to pit us against one another and this is something that I find to be agonizing on a personal and spiritual level. This planet could be so GOOD if people were left to their own decisions. Most people (flawed as we all are) are good and we should focus our energy on spreading good deeds and words rather than worrying about The End.
As to the OP's post, I believe this showdown to be one of the most critical in humanity's history. Whether it's the showdown to end all showdowns, I won't pretend to know.
I believe your pastor's words to be wise ones. There are always signs but it does little good to ruminate on when it's coming. And the people I've observed that are convinced we're in the end times I usually reduced to inaction other than prayer.
Prayer of course is critically important, but God gave us the gift of our bodies, our mouths, our minds and our free will. He gave us these gifts to be used to spread good and to fight evil.
And I agree with you LB, I believe the vast majority of people are good at heart and do not mean to do evil. It's that tiny fraction of a % that lies and schemes to pit us against one another and this is something that I find to be agonizing on a personal and spiritual level. This planet could be so GOOD if people were left to their own decisions. Most people (flawed as we all are) are good and we should focus our energy on spreading good deeds and words rather than worrying about The End.
As to the OP's post, I believe this showdown to be one of the most critical in humanity's history. Whether it's the showdown to end all showdowns, I won't pretend to know.