Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” (Matt 24:3)
We have all asked that question, believers and non-believers alike. People are concerned about the end of the world. People are worried about the Mayan Calendar and Dec. 21, 2012. Will we be destroyed by a solar flare? Will the earth be pulled apart by some astrological alignment between us, the sun, and the center of the galaxy? Is there a mystery planet heading for earth that is being blocked by the sun and will crash into our world? Even the disciples wanted answers. Do you want some answers about this subject?
Last week we looked at being the bride of Christ. We followed the steps of being chosen, of accepting his offer, of believing in the marriage contract (the Bible) and waiting for his return to take us to the bridal chamber. That is where we remain, in the waiting period.
Jesus told us “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.” (Matt 24:36) However, He did give us eight things to alert us to his return.
1) Life will be normal “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People did not realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. (Matt 24:37-39)
So what was the like in Noah’s time? “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.” (Gen 6:5)
Can we deny that this is a growing concern in our world? Man’s capability for wickedness knows no boundaries. We have acts of terrorism around the world. There has become a total disregard for human life from the tables of abortionist to mass shootings almost weekly. Yet people continue to live their life devoid of any knowledge the sin around them. They continue to feast and party as if all is well.
“But Noah found favor with the Lord. This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.” (Gen 6:8-9) Noah represents the Body of Christ. We have found favor with the Lord through his Son. We are considered righteous and blameless, walking in close fellowship with God through the sacrifice of Jesus.
Thus, the Church and the world exist together. We preach a gospel of love with a warning of coming judgment while the world ignores our pleas, as it was in the day of Noah.
2) There will be many cults
“Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.” (Matt 24:4-5)
A cult is defined as a religion or religious sect generally considered being extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.
Often these leaders will portray themselves as a form of Christ by having an exclusive means of knowing the “truth” by a supernatural revelation. Therefore, they are always right. There is no accountability to a higher authority. They will not tolerate being questioned or criticized.
They hold secret any financial disclosures. Followers are controlled through unreasonable fear of impending catastrophes and evil conspiracies. They are caused to feel not good enough.
If a follower leaves, they are held in high disregard.
Most of these religions concentrate on works as opposed to grace. Three cults that are listed as main line religions have become some of the fastest growing denominations in the US.
3) There will be wars.
“Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matt 24:7) This is nothing new. There have always been wars and always will be.
In 1648, the most devastating war known to man ended. It was called the Thirty Years’ War. The Thirty Years War is one of the great conflicts of early modern European history. It consisted of a series of declared and undeclared wars, which raged through the years 1618-1648 throughout central Europe. Cautious estimates say that about 7 million lives were lost.
When we come to modern times, we find that World War 1 cost the lives of 20 million people in just 4 years. Twenty-one years later World War 2 began resulting in the loss of 62 million lives.
Perhaps his statement of warfare was not about the numbers but about the severity of the wars increasing. Today at least 35 nations have nuclear weapons. Warheads can reach any part of the globe within 30 minutes. There is enough nuclear explosives stock piled to equal 300 pounds of TNT for every man, woman and child on Earth. In addition, if all were launched simultaneously the explosion would equal 1,350,000 Hiroshima size bombs.
4) “There will be famines” (Matt 24:7b)
Eritrea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have the highest proportion of undernourished people, with 75 and 74 percent, respectively, of their populations being calorie deficient. India, Yemen, and Timor-Leste, have the highest prevalence of underweight children (a measure of malnutrition) of more than 40 percent. In Sierra Leone and Angola, more than one-fourth of all children die before the age of five, with child mortality rates of 27 and 26 percent, respectively.
Right now in this country, a record-breaking drought is leading to a famine like condition. It is so dry that parts of the Mississippi River that were once three miles wide have been reduced to one third of a mile.
In an article by the BBC “Farmers in the northern plains of the United States say they are facing a crisis as serious as the droughts and depression of the 1930s. Droughts, floods, pests and disease have hit crops, at the same time as grain prices have collapsed. The U.S. government has set aside $1 billion in emergency aid for the region, but there are fears that this may be too little and too late.
Farmers who envisioned a whole lifetime in agriculture are selling land and farming equipment, often at a fraction of the prices they were expecting. Only the largest commercial farming operations have a hope of weathering the crisis, with smaller farmers being forced out of business, and many are still likely to face debts even after selling.
There are fears that a whole generation will be turned away from farming, in a region which was once among the most fertile on earth: "In 10 years we are not going to have any farmlands because the young ones will be gone, and we'll just have one vast wasteland out there," said one farmer. Such anxieties about the future have led to counseling sessions being set up to deal with the depression, the stress-related diseases, and the talk of suicide among the usually stoical farming folk.
"This is just as bad as the 1930s depression," said one farmer, recalling a time when the combination of drought and the worldwide economic depression saw farmers leaving the land en masse.”
5) “Earthquakes in many parts of the world.” (Matt 24:7b)
Are Earthquakes Really on the Increase?
We continue to be asked by many people throughout the world if earthquakes are on the increase. Although it may seem that we are having more earthquakes, earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater have remained constant.
A partial explanation may lie in the fact that in the last twenty years, we have definitely had an increase in the number of earthquakes we have been able to locate each year. This is because of the tremendous increase in the number of seismograph stations in the world and the many improvements in global communications.
In 1931, there were about 350 stations operating in the world; today, there are more than 8,000 stations and the data now comes in rapidly from these stations by electronic mail, internet and satellite. This increase in the number of stations and the more timely receipt of data has allowed us and other seismological centers to locate earthquakes more rapidly and to locate many small earthquakes, which were undetected in earlier years.
The National Earthquake Information Center now locates about 20,000 earthquakes each year or approximately 50 per day. In addition, because of the improvements in communications and the increased interest in the environment and natural disasters, the public now learns about more earthquakes.
This is indeed a tremendous increase in earthquakes for Jesus’ audience.
6) There will be persecution
“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. (Matt 24:9)
“In more than 40 nations around the world today Christians are being persecuted for their faith. In some of these nations, it is illegal to own a Bible, to share your faith Christ, change your faith or teach your children about Jesus. Those who boldly follow Christ—in spite of government edict or radical opposition—can face harassment, arrest, torture and even death.” Voice of the Martyrs. It is estimated that 105 thousand Christians are killed every year. Twenty six million have been killed in the last 100 years. Many more have been tortured, imprisoned or enslaved.
We cannot begin to understand the price that is being paid throughout the world to worship Jesus. I wonder if we would pay such a price.
7) Sin will abound.
Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. (Matt 24:12)
Just look at the Ten Commandments to chart man’s fall into sin. We are commanded not to have any other God but we worship our pleasures, our jobs, even our families above him. We are commanded not to make an image of anything in the heavens, earth or sea. Yet we will bow our knee to the image of the cross or a statue of a saint in total disregard of what He commanded. We misuse his name as a curse word or in a flippant remark without considering the holiness of that name. We have allowed Sunday to become another day of shopping or chores rather than a day to rest in his presence. We forget the needs of our parents as they age and move on with our lives leaving them often with hopeful hearts of a visit not realizing the disrespect our actions show. We murder with our tongues. We lust with our eyes. We take small things that no one will miss and do not realize we are stealing. We lie about and to each other and call them harmless “little white lies.” We desire what is not ours and scheme of how we can capture them.
In addition, we are not bothered by what we see or what we do because we have become seared. I fear the love of many have grown cold.
8) Lastly we are the generation.
“Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. I tell you the truth; this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.” (Matt 24:32-34)
In the Bible, the nation of Israel is often pictured as a fig tree. Jesus says by looking at the beginning life on the fig tree you know summer is coming. In the same way when you see all the things discussed today being evident, you can be assured his return is near. In addition, a certain generation would be alive when these things happened.
If Israel is the fig tree, it was about to be chopped down. In 72 AD, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple ending the nation of Israel. However, on May 14, 1948 Israel once again became a nation following the adoption of a resolution by the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Therefore, the generation that would see the beginning of the new Nation of Israel, the fig tree, would know that the Son’s return is right at the door.
So the next question is “How long is a generation”?
“Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty.”
(Psalm 90:10)
Many people live way past eighty so I do not think that this is a reference to an actual age, but rather to a generation. In addition, if so could it mean that the generation alive between 1948 and 2018 will be the generation to see the return of Jesus. Could we indeed have only six more years at the most to wait on our bridegroom?
Am I prophesying the return of Jesus in 2018? No. However, I want you to be prepared. As I said last week, he can come at any time. You need to realize that the time is near. He is right at the door.
