Signs Of The Second Coming Of Jesus
10-26-2011 Vol. 5 Part 12
Psalms 49:1-9 NKJV To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, Both low and high, Rich and poor together. My mouth shall speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding. I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp. Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me? Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches, None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him—For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever—That he should continue to live eternally, And not see the Pit. Father we praise your name, we give you all the glory. Jesus we ask that you open our ears, mind, and heart to the signs of your second coming. Reveal to each of us what we are lacking so we can be made worthy to spend eternity with you. In Jesus name we pray! Amen!
Olivet Discourse Review Matthew Chapters 24 and 25
When the apostles ask Jesus about the end times, Jesus not only told them what to watch for, but also deep spiritual things to ponder and act upon while they wait. Chapters 24 & 25 gave the apostles and us a complete answer. This answer that Jesus gave is also echoed in Revelation. The prophets of the Old Testament also refer to the end of times, so you have to believe the end will come at some point in time, and only God knows when that time will happen. If you want to believe this world will never end, then that is your prerogative. God did give us a will to choose how to live our life and what to believe, but some day we will have to answer to our life style and what we believe in here on earth, and if we don’t believe in what Jesus did for us on the cross, then eternity will be Hell.
In chapter 24 Jesus gives us a list of what signs we can listen and watch for. The events that will take place leading up to the Rapture and seven year Tribulation. These events (wars, famine, earthquakes, floods, disease, pestilence, etc.) will become more noticeable, frequent, and intensify as the time draws nearer. Like the birth pangs of a woman when it is time for the little one to be born. When God says it is time the Rapture will take place which will kick off the seven year Tribulation. Then the Antichrist, a one world government leader, will set up a seven year covenant with Israel to restore the Jewish sacrifices. Halfway through that agreement, the Antichrist will break it, install himself as the figure to be worshiped, and begin the most severe persecution of the Jews ever. The abomination that causes desolation will be the moment when the Antichrist breaks his covenant with the Jewish people. The Jews will reject the Antichrist, and 144,000 Jews will become Born Again evangelists, preaching the good news of the kingdom to lost souls on earth. Some will accept the truth, but those who do will suffer severe persecution. At the end of the seven years, Christ will return in glory to begin a thousand year reign of righteousness on earth.
There are 9 signs listed in chapter 24 that we are to watch for and they are:
- Deception-verse 5; There will be many false preachers and teachers teaching manmade doctrine. It will be a time of; if it makes your flesh feel good, do it. "Many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many."
- Dissension-verse 6 & 7; There will be wars and rumors of wars between countries and kingdoms.
- Devastation-verse 7; There will be famines and diseases following the warfare.
- Disaster-verse 7; There will be more and greater earthquakes and pestilences in the corrupt world.
- Death-verse 9; It will be a time of persecution and death. "They will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake."
- . Disloyalty-verse 10; It will be a time of confusion, because no one will know who to trust. “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.”
- Delusion-verse 11; It will be a time of many false religions. "Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many." One of the characteristics of the end times is false religion. It will be a movement of a new age of belief which will not be in the Bible. It will be what Revelation calls "sorceries," which literally means "drug abuse." The growing drug culture will be part of the delusion Satan uses to destroy lives.
- Defection-verse 12; It will be a time of sinful lifestyles. A time when the Bible is regarded as just a book. A time when the love of many for Jesus will fade away. There will be many who claim to be Christians; but because of the intensity of the persecution, they will deny Jesus to save their life.
- Declaration-verse 14; It will be a time of great evangelism and great preaching. The Gospel will be preached in all the world; then the end will come.
All of these signs are happening today. Just watch the news and you could start a daily journal on what is happening around the world.
In the second half of chapter 24, Jesus describes in great detail the troubles that will occur during the last half of the Tribulation. After three and one-half years of relative peace, the Antichrist will usher in the time of Jacob's trouble by presenting himself in the temple to be worshiped. In verse 15, Jesus refers to this and even points the reader to the prophet Daniel, who offers more detail on the matter. Then in verses 16 through 22, the Lord instructs people to beware during that time, warning that "there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time." Satan will send his agents to root out both believers and Jews, and will instruct them to make false claims about the appearance of the Messiah in an attempt to fool the elect. In verses 26 through 28, Jesus reminds His followers not to be fooled by these actions, and then in the next few verses explains that His coming will be clear to all people. There will be no hiding out when Jesus returns. The Son of Man will come on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory, sending His angels ahead of Him with a mighty trumpet blast. Everyone who has survived that most difficult of times will see Him.
Finally, Jesus tells the story of the fig tree as an illustration of all these signs. We can tell summer is close when the trees put forth there leaves, and we can tell the end times are near when the events that Jesus warns us about are happening. Future events cast their shadows before them. The events that will be full blown in the tribulation period are going to begin to appear before the seven year Tribulation begins. There will be signs for us to observe, and we as Christian should be vigilant in these signs of Jesus return. Don't fail to see the signs. Many Christians aren't looking, and they don't understand how the Bible can be a wonderful interpreter of today's news. If we read what God says and compare it with what the newspaper says, we begin to see the leaves on the fig tree.
Up until verse 36 Jesus has been telling us about world events that will take place, but beginning in verse 36, Jesus starts telling stories about people. He tells us what the people will be doing. They will be carrying on their daily lifestyles as they always do. Life will be their normal routine and not paying attention to the signs. First He tells the story of Noah, saying, "As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." The purpose of that story is to help us understand that the whole world will be carrying on normally, just as they were in Noah's day. Nobody saw the significance of the ark that Noah was building until it was raining and the door was shut, and no one will see the significance of the world events until evil is reigning and the Lord returns to shut the evil out of heaven. Jesus is warning us not to fall asleep in the world.
Jesus goes on in verse 47 about being watchful and not get lulled into thinking we have plenty of time before Jesus returns. The story is about the wise and faithful servant. "Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of." In other words, don't fool yourself into thinking that Jesus is not going to return. It's easy to forget about His return and maybe think He will never come back, but He will come back because He said He will. And His return is a lot closer now than it used to be.
Starting with verse 1 of chapter 25, Jesus tells us some parables on what we are to be doing while we wait for his return. He begins with the story of the wise and foolish virgins. The five wise virgins had prepared their lamps with oil for the midnight wedding celebration and so were able to participate in it. The five foolish virgins failed to prepare and missed the festivities. So be prepared, always be ready and watch for the Jesus return.
Next in verse 14 Jesus tells us about a wealthy man who traveled to a far country, leaving his goods in the hands of three trusted servants. That story reminds us that, as stewards, what we have is what Jesus has entrusted to us. We own nothing, it all belongs to God, and He is letting us use it for His purposes. He wants us to manage it well while He is gone, for one day He is coming back and will demand an accounting. The issue is not how much talent God has entrusted to you, but what you do with the talent you have. The Lord told this story because He expects His followers to be resourceful people, investing their time, talent, and treasure for the purposes of God.
Starting with verse 31, his final parable, Jesus tells of separating the sheep and the goats. The purpose of this story is to tell us how the Tribulation will end. During those difficult days, a person who has come to know Christ as Savior will take his life in his hands to help feed or care for a believer of Jesus. His actions will reveal the authenticity of his faith. God's people will care for one another. They will offer food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, shelter to the homeless, clothing to the naked, encouragement to the sick, and friendship to those in prison. In doing so, they will put their own lives in danger. Many will refuse to help due to fear, and in so doing will reveal that they don't really believe in Jesus and who He says He is. On that last day, they will cry to the Lord, "Didn't we claim to know You?" And the Lord will answer, "I never knew you." The love of God's people will be the evidence of their faith in Jesus. Faith without action is dead faith. Christ is calling us to be right and to act right toward others.
Basically what these two chapters are all about is that you need to accept Jesus as your Saviour and make sure He is in charge of your life, pay attention to worldly events, and be prepared and ready for Jesus returns. This doesn’t just mean for his second coming, but also for today. If you suddenly die with a heart attack, auto accident, a fall, or whatever. ARE YOU GOING TO HEAVEN OR HELL? That is the question you need to ask yourself today and not put it off for another second. You can get a taste of Heaven when you submit and commit your life to Jesus. Do it now! Tell Jesus you are a sinner, you are sorry for your sins, ask him to forgive your sins, tell him you are turning your back on your sinful lifestyle and you are going to live for Him from this day forward, and that you want Him to come into your heart and rule and reign your life until the day you see him in Heaven.
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God!
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth,
Unless you are Born Again, you cannot enter into Heaven, the Kingdom of God."
Bill
Last Week’s Trivia: Was the Queen of Sheba saved?
Answer: Based on the following verse, I would say yes she was, but only God knows for sure. Matthew 12:42 NKJV The queen of the South (Queen of Sheba) will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. You can read about her visit to Solomon in 1 Kings_10:1-13. She was seeking something, but didn’t know what. After listening to Solomon’s she gave praise and worship to God and went home with a totally different perspective on what life is all about.
This week’s Trivia: Where in the Bible can we find Paul rebuking Peter, and why?
