SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Look up, His coming is at the door.
Signs of Nature
Oh, my goodness! There are just so many signs that demonstrate the Lord's soon return.
Take the signs of nature for one. Luke 21:11 says, "there will be great earthquakes in varies places, plagues and famines, there will be terror and great signs from heaven." We know that as the time approaches for Jesus to come back, Matthew 24:8 says it will be like birth pains. The labor pains get stronger and closer together and faster as the baby is about to come. With the signs of nature, natural disasters the world has always experienced because it is a fallen and cursed world, but the disasters of the last days will come more frequent and intense. They will get stronger and cause more devastation.
It used to be years and not merely months between natural disasters, but now it seems like every week we hear about another natural disaster. As a matter of fact, I'm reading here some of Dr. Reagan's research, that between October of 1991 and 2004, nine of the ten largest insurance natural disasters happened. Five of the costliest hurricanes in history. And, three of the four largest tornado swarms occurred.
In Texas we are having the worst drought ever. If you go out to Lake Lavon you can literally walk across where it once was because there's almost no water left in it.
In other parts of the world they are having historical flooding. Bangkok is pretty much under water.
We are having earthquakes all over the planet in strange areas like Washington D.C. and Oklahoma where we don't usually experience them.
Natural disasters are probably the number one most attention getting sign that the Lord is returning. Most people will acknowledge and realize, "Hey, wait, something must be going on!" When you see the news the reporters will say, "This disaster was an act of God," or the insurance company will claim, "An act of God." Disasters cause the secular world to admit there is a God.
Sign of Society
The second sign I'd bring up is the sign of society. Second Timothy 3:1-4 says, "Realize that in the last days difficult times will come, for men will be lovers of self, money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient, ungrateful, malicious gossip, irreconcilable, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless…" The list goes on and on. Society will return to being like the days of Noah. Before Noah and the Ark, society was so bad that God decided that He just had to do something about them because they were just so evil. When society becomes like that again, and today it very much is that evil, that is a sign we can point to. That is the sign of society.
Spiritual Signs
There are positive and negative spiritual signs. For one, the Gospel will spread across the entire planet. But, Matthew 24 tells us it will also be a time with lots of false Christs, lots of cults, and lots of people being confused doctrinally.
I think of the Church of Laodicea, that last end time Church Revelation 3 talks about. It says the Church will grow apathetic, and clearly we are seeing the Church fall into that apathy today. The end time Church thinks it's wealthy with its big church buildings and big budgets, but spiritually we are just falling apart. We are just drinking the milk of the Word all the time, but not the meat of the Word of the Lord.
Sign of World Politics
The fourth sign I would bring up is the sign of world politics. Matthew 24:6-7 says we will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars, for nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. In the Twentieth Century we saw two of the worst world wars in history. More people died in the last hundred years of war than all the prior wars combined.
Clearly the world is gearing up for yet another major world war. World War III could very well be what the Bible talks about concerning the Antichrist conquering and in the process destroying much of the world.
Sign of Technology
We talked about the signs of technology a little earlier, like how Luke 21:26 says that, "Men will faint from fear over the expectations of things which are coming upon the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken." And, clearly today we have the technology to see all that is going on in the world and so put those prophetic pieces together.
Sign of Israel
Zechariah 12:3 tells us that, "And it shall come about in the day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it."
Signs of Nature
Oh, my goodness! There are just so many signs that demonstrate the Lord's soon return.
Take the signs of nature for one. Luke 21:11 says, "there will be great earthquakes in varies places, plagues and famines, there will be terror and great signs from heaven." We know that as the time approaches for Jesus to come back, Matthew 24:8 says it will be like birth pains. The labor pains get stronger and closer together and faster as the baby is about to come. With the signs of nature, natural disasters the world has always experienced because it is a fallen and cursed world, but the disasters of the last days will come more frequent and intense. They will get stronger and cause more devastation.
It used to be years and not merely months between natural disasters, but now it seems like every week we hear about another natural disaster. As a matter of fact, I'm reading here some of Dr. Reagan's research, that between October of 1991 and 2004, nine of the ten largest insurance natural disasters happened. Five of the costliest hurricanes in history. And, three of the four largest tornado swarms occurred.
In Texas we are having the worst drought ever. If you go out to Lake Lavon you can literally walk across where it once was because there's almost no water left in it.
In other parts of the world they are having historical flooding. Bangkok is pretty much under water.
We are having earthquakes all over the planet in strange areas like Washington D.C. and Oklahoma where we don't usually experience them.
Natural disasters are probably the number one most attention getting sign that the Lord is returning. Most people will acknowledge and realize, "Hey, wait, something must be going on!" When you see the news the reporters will say, "This disaster was an act of God," or the insurance company will claim, "An act of God." Disasters cause the secular world to admit there is a God.
Sign of Society
The second sign I'd bring up is the sign of society. Second Timothy 3:1-4 says, "Realize that in the last days difficult times will come, for men will be lovers of self, money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient, ungrateful, malicious gossip, irreconcilable, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless…" The list goes on and on. Society will return to being like the days of Noah. Before Noah and the Ark, society was so bad that God decided that He just had to do something about them because they were just so evil. When society becomes like that again, and today it very much is that evil, that is a sign we can point to. That is the sign of society.
Spiritual Signs
There are positive and negative spiritual signs. For one, the Gospel will spread across the entire planet. But, Matthew 24 tells us it will also be a time with lots of false Christs, lots of cults, and lots of people being confused doctrinally.
I think of the Church of Laodicea, that last end time Church Revelation 3 talks about. It says the Church will grow apathetic, and clearly we are seeing the Church fall into that apathy today. The end time Church thinks it's wealthy with its big church buildings and big budgets, but spiritually we are just falling apart. We are just drinking the milk of the Word all the time, but not the meat of the Word of the Lord.
Sign of World Politics
The fourth sign I would bring up is the sign of world politics. Matthew 24:6-7 says we will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars, for nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. In the Twentieth Century we saw two of the worst world wars in history. More people died in the last hundred years of war than all the prior wars combined.
Clearly the world is gearing up for yet another major world war. World War III could very well be what the Bible talks about concerning the Antichrist conquering and in the process destroying much of the world.
Sign of Technology
We talked about the signs of technology a little earlier, like how Luke 21:26 says that, "Men will faint from fear over the expectations of things which are coming upon the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken." And, clearly today we have the technology to see all that is going on in the world and so put those prophetic pieces together.
Sign of Israel
Zechariah 12:3 tells us that, "And it shall come about in the day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it."
Clearly most of the world is against Israel today, and will continue to be even more hostile during the Tribulation. The reasons have to be Satanic because how can anyone hate one tiny little country like Israel that much? Israel's return as a nation and the conflict around her is a major, major sign indicating the Lord is coming back really soon.
Those are the six major sign categories.
What nation or people group that has ever been dispersed across the entire planet for 1,900 years and then comes back together to reform their own country again? It just doesn't happen!
Through the Jews, God gave us the Bible. God has given us the Messiah through the Jews. God has given the promise of the mystery of the Church through the Jews. Israel return to nationhood should make us all think, "Hey, wait a minute, this isn't just a historical aberration. God must be telling us something."
When we have Bible verses that talk about Israel like in Zechariah 12 and also in 14 which talk about Israel being a stumbling block to the world and every nation that goes against it will be dashed to pieces, we should look around and see if the nations are stumbling over Israel. Certainly every nation that has gone against Israel like the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, you name it, even America which is getting so crippled the more we interfere with Israel and just not leave it alone but be supportive, the more our economy is falling apart. We can look at Canada and Germany right now which are the two countries that are somewhat supportive of Israel, and see their economies are thriving. So, clearly the Lord loves those who bless Israel (Gen. 12:1-3).
God has given Israel certain promises concerning their return, and we need to understand that. So, yes, Israel is not a historical aberration. It grieves me when I hear Christians even friends whom I respect say Israel doesn't matter. They say that because they are also the same people who don't care about Bible prophecy whatsoever.
Those are the six major sign categories.
What nation or people group that has ever been dispersed across the entire planet for 1,900 years and then comes back together to reform their own country again? It just doesn't happen!
Through the Jews, God gave us the Bible. God has given us the Messiah through the Jews. God has given the promise of the mystery of the Church through the Jews. Israel return to nationhood should make us all think, "Hey, wait a minute, this isn't just a historical aberration. God must be telling us something."
When we have Bible verses that talk about Israel like in Zechariah 12 and also in 14 which talk about Israel being a stumbling block to the world and every nation that goes against it will be dashed to pieces, we should look around and see if the nations are stumbling over Israel. Certainly every nation that has gone against Israel like the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, you name it, even America which is getting so crippled the more we interfere with Israel and just not leave it alone but be supportive, the more our economy is falling apart. We can look at Canada and Germany right now which are the two countries that are somewhat supportive of Israel, and see their economies are thriving. So, clearly the Lord loves those who bless Israel (Gen. 12:1-3).
God has given Israel certain promises concerning their return, and we need to understand that. So, yes, Israel is not a historical aberration. It grieves me when I hear Christians even friends whom I respect say Israel doesn't matter. They say that because they are also the same people who don't care about Bible prophecy whatsoever.
They want the Church to conquer the world for Christ, even though the Church was never meant to conquer the world for Christ. Christ is meant to conquer the world for Christ.
Israel has a future and it has a purpose, and therefore it is the number one sign of the end times. Watching it is like watching God's stopwatch counting down until His return.
Watching the news and reading the reports lately is fascinating and scary, especially about Iran getting the nuclear bomb. There's Hezbollah's 40,000 missiles pointed at Israel and the ones shot in daily from Gaza. Egypt and the whole Arab Spring proves the Muslim world is becoming more radical in their hatred of Israel. The coming deadline that there is just three months left before Israel will have to do something like attack Iran to stop them from going nuclear. If that happens Iran will activate Syria, Hezbollah, Lebanon, and Gaza in attacking Israel back. And so, we are looking at a potential major world war that will start in the Middle East. But, we know with the prophecies in Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38-39 that these things need to happen before Christ returns to make a believing remnant turn to Jesus Christ.
As scary as Bible prophecy can be, we know in the long run that there's hope and a future in Jesus' and the victory that follows. Sure, we have to get through some of the scary parts first, but frankly I believe that the Rapture of the Church will happen long before we see Israel really get into it like say the events of Ezekiel 38-39.
Israel has a future and it has a purpose, and therefore it is the number one sign of the end times. Watching it is like watching God's stopwatch counting down until His return.
Watching the news and reading the reports lately is fascinating and scary, especially about Iran getting the nuclear bomb. There's Hezbollah's 40,000 missiles pointed at Israel and the ones shot in daily from Gaza. Egypt and the whole Arab Spring proves the Muslim world is becoming more radical in their hatred of Israel. The coming deadline that there is just three months left before Israel will have to do something like attack Iran to stop them from going nuclear. If that happens Iran will activate Syria, Hezbollah, Lebanon, and Gaza in attacking Israel back. And so, we are looking at a potential major world war that will start in the Middle East. But, we know with the prophecies in Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38-39 that these things need to happen before Christ returns to make a believing remnant turn to Jesus Christ.
As scary as Bible prophecy can be, we know in the long run that there's hope and a future in Jesus' and the victory that follows. Sure, we have to get through some of the scary parts first, but frankly I believe that the Rapture of the Church will happen long before we see Israel really get into it like say the events of Ezekiel 38-39.
I AGREE!
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