Signs of the Time

Biblical predictions of the end of the world and the return of Jesus. We are living in these times.

Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Mark 13:4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?

Luke 21:7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?

The disciples asked Jesus this question because He told them that there shall not be one stone left upon another that shall not be thrown down in the temple. As of today the only stones remaining upon one another at the temple is the Wailing Wall.

There have been many predictions since Jesus’s time about when the world will end. There have been many that have actually set dates. We hear of these people all the time. Every generation has heard of at least one end time prophecy and seen it not come to pass during their lifetime. These people are not people of God so why do others still follow them? It is because they themselves do not learn about the truths in their bible. They take another man’s word and follow it. If they would stop following man and let God lead them, they would know truth and see why those times predicted were false. They would know why the next prediction is false. These false predictions have led others, believers and non-believers, to think that the end predicted by Christ will not happen. At least not in their lifetime.

The number one way we can tell if a prediction is false is if it has a certain date. God never gave us a certain date. He gave us signs to watch for. Events that will happen. These events will let us know how close He is to returning. Just like we know spring time is getting near. The leaves start budding, the flowers start blooming. Just because your March calendar says it’s the first day of spring doesn’t mean it won’t snow in April. Even though the ground may be covered in snow, the trees and flowers still show us spring is close by. Date setting is an error. So, what are the signs He has given us and are they actually being fulfilled?

1) Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Our knowledge has increased greatly since Daniel’s time and we definitely run to and fro.

2) 2 Timothy 3:1-7 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

These passages pictures our society today with perfection. And there is that knowledge word again. While many of these types of people have been around since the beginning of time, we can all agree it wasn’t as bad as it is today and I think we can all agree that it’s not going to get any better. In fact, it’s only going to get worse.

Our knowledge has increased with great speed. Isn’t it funny how before the 1900s things moved kinda slow in the knowledge area. Sure we were making new discoveries and inventions every day but, we didn’t know what to do with those discoveries. Once we did our knowledge sky rocketed and now we are constantly learning new ways to improve those discoveries. Let’s focus on that knowledge for a moment.

Planes, trains, and automobiles. These things have made running to and fro quite easy. Electricity and the light bulb. Indoor plumbing. Communication by telegraph, postal service, telephone, mobile phone, the internet. Radio, television and the computer. These inventions have paved the way to the end. We will see how later.

3) 2 Peter 3:3-4 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

This is what happens when people try to predict a certain date.

4) Matthew 24:6-8 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

The news every day speaks of wars in other countries and kingdoms. In America there are war of nation against nation. Racial and religious wars are every where in this country. Those are nations or nationalities. We hear of the homeless, the jobless, the sick. Donations for food and necessities are in demand. New diseases and sickness are found daily. Diseases that doctors and scientist don’t know how they started or where they came from. And sadly, do not know how to cure. Earthquakes in divers, or many different places.

These things have always taken place. The difference is that now they are coming closer together. They are growing in numbers and strength. And I personally don’t buy the whole “Earthquakes seem to have increased because the equipment used has become better at detecting them.” or “they seem to have increased because we have the internet to hear about more of them now.” From what I have noticed, they have increased within the last five years. Not just in the number but, in the strength as well. It use to be an average of one or two 7 mag or higher yearly. Now there are more. They are even hitting places of rarity.

5) Matthew 24:10-12 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Lawsuits now a days are the norm. Suing over petty things for a quick gain of money and exposure. Suing because we don’t want to take responsibly for our own actions. Coffee is hot and everyone knows that. Watch where you walk is common sense. You break into my home and you may get shot. Don’t sue because of your stupidity.

Matthew 24:4-5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

This goes along with the false prophets. There are a lot of people out there that actually call themselves Jesus Christ. What’s more unbelievable is that they have followers that actually believe them. False prophets are also those that predict a certain date of the end. These have increased over the years. God said not to follow them if what they say does not come to pass. Yet people will continue to follow them and believe everything they say.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_claimed_to_be_Jesus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events

Matthew 24:23-26 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

These people are deceiving many. Not just the ones that follow them but, mainly the ones that do not and every time a false prediction happens these people fall farther and farther away believing that it will never happen.

6) 1 Timothy 4:1-3 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

Vegetarianism was foretold to be a major influence during the end times.

7) Luke 23:29-30 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.

Abortions come to mind with this passage. Women who do not want children so they get rid of them. Why does this say abortion to me? The fact that they want the mountains and hills to fall on them and cover them. They are ashamed and trying to hide from God.

Revelation 6:15-17  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

All these things above have gone on for centuries. What makes this generation different from the others?

8) Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

The Holy Scriptures of the bible are translated in thousands of languages. Every where you go you hear of Christ and salvation. Roadside signs, people standing in line at the store, books, magazines. Every where you go you can hear the Gospel. The internet preaches the gospel all over the world. Jesus said that was a main sign that the end is here. This was not possible just a few decades ago. We are at the threshold of something big.

9) Zechariah 14:12And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

This is a picture of nuclear warfare. Something that could not have been thought of back in Zechariah’s time nor in the time the bible was completed, nor in the time that the King James bible was published. But yet, there it is in black and white. Back when the bible was being translated, can you imagine what the translators were thinking about this passage? What about Zechariah himself? I’m sure it was hard to understand how such an event could take place but, now we all know how it can happen.

10) Matthew 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Before television, cell phone cameras, and the internet how would it be possible for every eye to see Jesus coming in the clouds? With the communication technology of today it is very possible.

11) Matthew 24:37-39 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Luke 17:26-30 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

These verses speak of the world going on as usual. The people did not believe the impending judgement about to hit them. What is interesting is that these particular events were the ones chosen to describe the time of Jesus returning. During both of these events sin was at an all time high. Sexual immorality was the biggest sin. Homosexuality, rape, and adultery. Now a days it seems to be cool to do these things and homosexuality should be accepted and tolerated. There is a reason so many are “coming out of the closet” and fighting for equality.

12) Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah speak of Israel being brought back from other nations and regaining their kingdom. In 1949 they were declared a nation and given boundaries of land. In 1967 they gained back control of Jerusalem through the Six Day War. Prophecy fulfilled.

The fig tree in the bible is often referred to as Israel.

Matthew 24:32-34 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Mark 13:28-30 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.

It is believed by many that these passages mean that the generation that sees Israel become a nation again (or come back or “bud”) is the generation of Christ’s return. Some dispute the fig tree as being Israel because of Luke 21:29-32 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Notice that Luke speaks of “all the trees”.  Well, let’s step back for a moment and put all these verses together. Yes, Jesus was telling them that they know when summer is near so just as easy they should know His coming is near because He has given so many signs to watch for. Now, if Israel was the fig tree, her becoming a nation again would be a sign. Therefore wouldn’t the other signs be considered trees as well. You could read Luke like this: Behold Israel, when she is a nation again and when all the other signs come to pass, know Christ’s return is near. The generation that sees all these signs happen is the generation that will witness the second coming of Christ. There are a lot of stories in the bible that have duel meanings. Much like Christ’s parables. Those who do not seek truth see a mere representation of summer’s beginning. To those who seek the truth see that plus the ultimate meaning behind the parable. Every single one of Christ’s parables have an ultimate meaning. Why wouldn’t the Fig Tree Parable as well?

Matthew 13:10-13 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

So, the generation that witnesses Israel becoming a nation again will be the generation that witnesses the return of Jesus. Israel officially became a nation in 1949. Regained control of Jerusalem in 1967. There are still signs that await fulfillment.

13) Matthew 24:15-18 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

Daniel 12:9-13 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

There will be a great falling away, or apostasy. Many will turn from the one true God, many will turn from their religion all together. That is already happening. Satan is working towards a one world religion in which he is the one worshiped. This oneness, or unity, or co-exist, however you wish to call it. All religions lead to the same God. Nonsense!! Or is it? It does all lead to the same god if you fall away from the one true God. The antichrist is where those roads will lead you. It’s not too far away, you know. One world government, one world religion. God and your freedoms, constitutional rights, slowly being striped away from you. That is also happening right now. The final stage is being set up for the antichrist.

There is also the East Gate prophecy:

Ezekiel 44:1-3 Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. Then said the Lord unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.

The East Gate of Jerusalem was and is reserved for Jesus, the prince.  It is to remain shut up until He returns. God made sure it stayed shut until then.

Wikipedia information:

“The Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (Muslim) sealed off the Golden Gate in 1541. While this may have been purely for defensive reasons, in Jewish tradition, this is the gate through which the Messiah will enter Jerusalem and it is suggested that Suleiman the Magnificent sealed off the Golden Gate to prevent the Messiah’s entrance. The Muslims also built a cemetery in front of the gate, in the belief that the precursor to the Messiah, Elijah, would not be able to pass through the Golden Gate and thus the Messiah would not come. This belief was based upon two premises. First, according to Islamic teaching Elijah is a descendant of Aaron,^[3] making him a priest or kohen. Secondly, that Jewish priests are not permitted to enter a cemetery. This second premise is not wholly correct because a kohen is permitted to enter a cemetery in which primarily non-Jews are buried such as the one outside the Golden Gate.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_%28Jerusalem%29

Besides the blood moons, darkened sun, and stars falling, we still have several signs to see fulfilled. Do not let anyone deceive you into thinking any other way. We are close but, the exact time is not known and will not be known until it happens.

John 5:43 I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.