“O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” -Matthew 16:3B.
When we consider the last of the Last Days before Jesus' return, this is doubtless the second most important time in history; the first being the ministry of Jesus to die for our sins on the cross. God wants us to know the time, and historically, He will warn His people about what is to come, like with Abraham in Genesis 18:17-19, or when He used in Acts 11:28 to prophesy;
“And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Cæsar.”
You've no doubt heard the phrase that Jesus' return will come “as a thief in the night”, but many have taken these words to mean that we can't know anything about the time of the Lord's coming; yet this wouldn't make sense in light of our Savior's earnest instruction to watch for this time, because we wouldn't be able to positively recognize it when it came. No, God's Word shows Christian believers that they will know the season of the end, just not the SPECIFIC day & hour of Jesus' return. The following verses clarify that “thief in the night” description, and that diligent watching is the key;
“If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” -from Revelation 3:3. Bold type added for emphasis.
“2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night...4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” -1 Thessalonians 5:2,4-6. Bold type added to emphasize.
Furthermore, it's sadly ironic that Jesus also directly told us we'd know the season just before saying that we wouldn't know the specific day & hour in Matthew 24:32-36. Brethren, we need ALL of God's Word, don't we (Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4)?
Jesus' disciples came to Him PRIVATELY and asked Him about the end of the world, and His coming in Matthew 24:3, and He showed them what conditions His disciples would see at that time in verses 4-31; culminating with these verses in Matthew 24:33&34 that read;
“33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”
First, the word “know” is emphasized here to affirm that watchful Christians won't be taken off guard by Jesus' return. The second point is when He declares that when it's in the generation witnessing these signs that ALL will be fulfilled; in other words, there will be no kind of repentant revival that's going to turn away God's judgment!
Yet some have claimed this time has already passed; that Jesus was talking about those first disciples with Him; but scripture disproves that claim twice, in the following passages;
“6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” -Acts 1:6,7.
In other words, that end time period didn't pertain to them.
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 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. 3 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...”
These veres from 2 Thesssalonians 2:1-3 also serve to reassure early believers that Jesus' return wasn't near (a time of terrible trouble Matthew 24:21), and I added the bold type to emphasize this.
But at the same time Paul reassured the Thessalonians that the end wasn't near, he told them in the next few verses what held those times back; things that had to happen before those end times came;
“3 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; 4 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. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.” Bold type is added.
And now having seen this Falling Away (from God), we wait for that man of sin to be revealed before the whole world, for he will exalt himself above all other gods, claiming that he is God. Then since we know we're waiting for this False Messiah to take the throne, we also know that he'll reign for about 3½ years (Revelation 13:5); whom the Lord will overthrow on the SAME DAY He rescues His followers. Now we know the Lord won't come tomorrow, but we'll know when the countdown starts.
“29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” -Luke 17;29,30. Bold type added to emphasize.
So the Lord's given us a sequence of events by which we'll know a close approximation of when He returns, probably to within a few months. Yet if we know that we're waiting now for that evil world ruler to appear (most of the world will love him), are there any signs that might tell us when we get close to that time? Jesus' account of the end times seems to tell us that the start of this last tribulation period will be marked by wars, and rumors of wars. Jesus told us that the wars would be “the beginning of sorrows” in Matthew 24:6-8, Mark 13:7,8, and Luke 21:9,10. Even now we see wars boiling over in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Yet I have seen by watching, and through my studies not only Biblical signs of the times, but that a third global conflict has been planned by a number of secretive organizations; and it will be in the aftermath of this war that a one-world government will eventually be set up; with the Imposter Jesus finally taking charge, and posing as the returning messiah for ALL religions, declaring that He's come to save the world from destroying itself.
Perhaps you can perceive the DANGER that comes with expecting a pretrib rapture, because although this view is very popular, it's Biblically unsound; and from this mistaken expectation of Jesus' return, many will embrace the False Christ who comes in His place; bringing about a kind of separating the sheep and goats within the body of Christ; and there's a scriptural correlation seems to confirm this idea...
Most people know the 3 digit number of Jesus' imposter is 666, as shown in Revelation 13:18; but that number ALSO appears through chapter and verse in the gospel of John (who also wrote Revelation), showing up as 6:66. This verse is referring to Jesus' disciples when it says;
“From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.”
Couldn't this verse connection be warning of a time when many believers would be deceived into following the False Christ?
We're no match for the deceptions our enemy has “up his sleeve,” unless we're solidly grounded in God's Holy Word. Please don't think yourself above the devil's devices, but continually examine yourself spiritually to be sure you're in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5), for the Bible warns that;
“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;” - 1 Timothy 4:1.
“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” -2 Timothy 3:13.
Our key to overcoming, then, rests in the promises of God's Word, and in continuing to watch. Let's be sure to be diligent in both, that in time we may inherit the promises (Hebrews 10:35,36)!
“2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” -John 14:2,3.
“35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; 36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. 37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he
shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.” -Luke 12:35-38.
I have done a number of short end times teaching videos on YouTube. Here is a link to the playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX9xGZR3jn7RIW6hwOG_Sqp_Hv87RtNww.
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