Signs From the Bible
Have you ever considered that what we are experiencing nowadays is representative of the signs of the Last Days? There is rampant anger expressed everywhere, and people are quickly infuriated. Have you noticed the fiercely destructive forms of lawlessness raising their ugly heads throughout America and the world? We all know that all this is not “normal,” but is it a sign that things are rapidly progressing toward what the Bible calls the Last Day?
And talk about touchy people, you could even say some become enraged at the drop of a hat. All that anger and heartache cannot be blamed on the mandated COVID confinements or the lingering effects of the derivative viruses. Yes, in today’s antagonistic, keep everybody masked and separate political environment, many people are thinking we are living within the last days. Maybe yes—maybe no. But we get closer and closer each day, don't we?
What other signs can be found from the beginning to the end of the Bible? Two of God's intriguing characteristics are; He gives us repeated evidence, through signs and miracles, that He is there with us, with His people. And occasionally, He chooses to reveal what will happen in the future. His words are recorded in the Bible for the benefit of the Believers and the unbelievers to dwell upon.
Most likely, He had very specific reasons for offering the limited enlightenments of the signs of the end times. Within His glorious fairness, everybody is encouraged to accept Him, and Jesus, via their own free will. The prophecies of the end times give accounts of what will happen at the end of this earth's history. Those accounts include the rapture of the church, wherein all believers are removed from the earth, the tribulation, seven years of almost insurmountable anguish as God judges the sin of humanity, and the millennial kingdom which begins shortly after the end of the tribulation. But the Bible also gives guidance as to the timing of the rapture and the tribulation. When God's will is fulfilled, then Christ will reign as King on the New Earth.
Across the pages of Exodus and the Book of Numbers, a series of God's signs were witnessed. The first sign the Pharaoh was shown was revealed in Exodus 7:10. Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. After forcing everyone except the Jews themselves to suffer the effects of the Ten Plagues, the Lord encouraged Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave their bondage in Egypt and go to worship Him in the wilderness. Two of the Pharaoh's magicians imitate the same miraculous feat by turning their rods into serpents. Later, Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods so Moses revealed God's powers as the most formidable.
My point here is, even the adversaries of God can produce false signs. Don't allow them to sway you.
Later, the fleeing people were eyewitnesses to more of God's miraculous wonders.
An angel of God and a pillar of cloud and fire guided and protected the multitude (Exodus 13:21-22; 14:19). Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. (Exodus 14:21-29). God took off the wheels of chariots so that they drove with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.” The army was drowned in the sea (Exodus 14:25-31). The bitter waters of Marah were made sweet and drinkable (Exodus 15:23-25). Manna rained from heaven six days a week. The wind brings the quail to provide meat (Exodus 16:4,13-18 & Numbers 11:31). Water spouted up from a rock (Exodus 17:5-6). God permitted the raised hand of Moses, holding a rod, to allow the Israelites to prevail over Amalek (Exodus 17:9-13). God spoke from the mount at Sinai (Exodus 19:2-6; 16-21). Miriam's rebellion and a white as snow leprosy (Numbers 12:5-10). The ground opened and swallowed Korah (Numbers 16:25-35) The budding rod of Aaron sprouted, which produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. (Numbers 17:8). More water flowed from a rock and was a sin of Moses (Numbers 20:10-12). The bronze snake on a pole to be viewed and heal all who were snake bit (Numbers 21:4-9)
The signs and prophecies regarding the rapture do not tell us when all this happens Nor do they give us any singularly specific sign to watch for. In fact, in Matthew 24:36, Jesus admitted, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” Although signs, like the re-establishment of Israel, and the coming tribulation will occur after the rapture (taking up) of believers.
The rapture of the church— prophesied in 1 Thessalonian. 4:16-17— precedes the 7 yr. tribulation prophesied in Revelation 6:-19. Although there is some division in the body of Christ, even if the word “rapture” should be used, as it didn't appear in Christian writings and is not mentioned in the Bible. However, Scripture is very clear that the rapture comes first.
There will be no warning sign that the rapture will begin on “X” day. The relevant biblical references tell us to eagerly and devoutly await Christ's ultimate return. (Matthew 24:33; 1 Corinthians 1:7; Philippians 3:20-21)
It is no coincidence that the first warning Jesus gives about “the sign of His coming and the end of the age at the last days” is, “Take heed that no one deceives you.” (Matthew 24:3-4) In fact, warnings about deception are frequent hither and yon within His Olivet Prophecy. (verses 4-5, 11, 23-26, 48) The times near the end will be times filled with falsehood and deceit.
One nervous church lady remarked that when Trump was elected, he called his presidential limousine “The Beast.” Not wanting to delve into any political argument of no worldly value, her peers hesitated to say, that back in 2015, Obama's presidential limo was first called “The Beast” by his Secret Service agents.
Just because two presidents rode in a limo nicknamed the beast is not a true sign that we are living in the last days. But I am sure many present-day circumstances indicate we are heading deeper and deeper into the events described by Revelation. Is there any doubt that our society is currently crumbling away? And the things our elected leaders of the 2020 presidential cycle are not only anti-Christian, but they are also pro-Satan. Isiah warned us that everyone will fight against his brother, and every one against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. Mathew 10:21 (ESV) warns “Brothers will turn against their own brothers and hand them over to be killed. Fathers will hand over their own children to be killed. Children will fight against their own parents and will have them killed.”
How truly reflective today are the words Jesus spoke two thousand years ago. He said, “And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.” Matthew 24:10
Notice the verse said, “many shall be offended.” We all know many people are frequently annoyed and easily agitated these days? People become displeased, upset, or downright angry by minor words or everyday things. People are killed over differing opinions weekly, if not daily. That makes me wonder what in the world is going to happen to us as a nation, if not the world?
Differences in opinions on defining religious theologies are causing major strife among friends and enemies alike. Relatives have been known to seethe in hatred or actually throw fists at those that disagree with their positions on gender identifications, party politics, or sexuality choices. They become so upset they want to do actual harm.
The signs of increasing turmoil are all around us. Look at the hate flowing from Trudeau's Canadian government over the peacefully protesting truckers. Trudeau is sinfully vindictive. He labels them terrorists and wants to incarcerate them or see them suffer financially just because they are fed up with Canada's COVID mask and vaccination mandates. Many of which have already been proven of little preventative use or totally ineffective. Their government is suppressing free speech and differing opinions, which is downright oppressing and wrong. Confrontations like this and the equally despicable burning, looting, and killing going on in America's cities were not as normal as they are now, until recently. The protester's small minds believe you have no right to pursue your own values of liberty and happiness if you disagree with them. In times past, we just didn't have so much unconstrained anger or have so many people exercising so many disarranged, unchristian, values.
But lately, if you have a different view—your friends might detest you and your boss might give you a “pink slip” for some more or less innocent remarks you may have tweeted years ago. People reading your Constitutionally-guaranteed remarks might boycott your business, your Church, or even threaten you with bodily harm. Cruelly vicious persons live in tormented, self-afflicted, wounds that affect others nearby. If this rampant hate and ill-treatments are not signs of the beast, I can not imagine what could be clearer or more obvious.
Is the devil grabbing more and more people lately? That's certainly true and his taste for devouring more and more souls is ravenously ferocious. But doesn't the greatest harm befall the offending person? Proverbs 11:17 of Scripture says, “The merciful man does good for his own soul, But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.” While the “Haters” are taking shortcuts to hell, the Peacekeepers are on the pathway to heaven's gates.
In John 15, Jesus warned the disciples to continue to stay true and peaceful. Verses 9-27 provide assurance by telling us, “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no more than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled, which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”
Yes, we all should know, a wise person should overlook any offense, and that would gain marks of strength and integrity. Scripture says, “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”
So, put all hate aside and consider some of God's words on signs. Sometimes signs are easily misinterpreted, misunderstood, or misrepresented. As an example, here is a Bible verse some purports to lend credence to astrology and signs from the stars. Genesis 1:14, Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years.
Folks this does not support Astrology as a belief, its meaning refers to the signs of the individual seasons. Not divining future events from the signs associated with your celestial birthday. In fact, Isaiah 44:25 illustrates it is God “Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness, Who confirms the word of His servant, And performs the counsel of His messengers; Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’ To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built.”
Those were true signs, true messages that in and of themselves gave evidence to what God's prophets had spoken. Now, a true sign from God was when Exodus 4:9 reported: And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”
Exodus, wherein the plague we described, the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him.”
Central questions within Deuteronomy 4:33-35 ask, “You people heard God speaking to you from a fire, and you are still alive. Has that ever happened to anyone else? No! Has any other god ever tried to go and take a people for himself from inside another nation? No! But you yourselves have seen everything that the Lord your God did for you. He showed you his power and strength. You saw the troubles that tested the people. You saw miracles and wonders. You saw war and the terrible things that happened. The Lord showed you all this so that you would know that he is God. There is no other god like him.”
I ask you, what signs are we being shown today? Are we in a time as described by Psalm 74:9? “We do not see our signs. There is no longer any prophet. Nor is there any among us who knows how long.”
Now if there ever was a man who understood God's signs, it was Daniel as he described in chapter 4, verse 3, “How great are His signs, And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation.”
In chapter 6, Daniel recorded, “He (God) delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.” Yes, saving Daniel from being devoured by the lions was certainly a sign. As were the God-given powers displayed in the Book of Daniel. There, we were introduced to three young men who defied King Nebuchadnezzar after he had built a huge image built as a symbol of his power and glory. The king commanded that his people bow down and worship this image whenever they heard a musical herald. Those who disobeyed the order would be thrown into an immense, blazing furnace. Yet, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego held fast to their belief in God even when threatened with a coeval fiery death. There was a fourth man likened to a Son of God. Some scholars say this man was Christ, some say it was Daniel. Whatever their inspirational faith serves as a sign of God's care and concern for those who do not question their faith or who must face up to hardships for their beliefs.
Exodus relates to the tribes questioning Moses about what God had told him. So Moses, speaking to the Lord asked, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say, for they may say, “The Lord has not appeared to you.’” And the Lord said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’ And Moses said, ‘A staff.’ Then God said, ‘Throw it on the ground.’ So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. But the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail’ – so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand – ‘that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.’ And the Lord furthermore said to him, ‘Now put your hand into your bosom’ So he put his hand into his bosom and when he took it out, behold his hand was leprous like snow. Then He said, ‘Put your hand into your bosom again.’ So he put his hand into his bosom again; and was restored like the rest of his flesh. ‘And it shall come about that if they will not believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe the witness of the last sign But it shall be that if they heed what you say, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.’”
Oh, that we could see such distinctive signs today. Of course, the clearest instruction on signs is found in the New Testament, from Jesus, when some of the followers were talking to Him about the Temple. They said, “This is a beautiful Temple, built with the best stones. Look at the many good gifts that have been offered to God.”
But Jesus said, “The time will come when all that you see here will be destroyed. Every stone of these buildings will be thrown down to the ground. Not one stone will be left on another.”
They asked, “Teacher, when will these things happen? What will show us that it is time for these things to happen?”
Jesus said, “Be careful! Don’t be fooled. Many people will come using my name. They will say, ‘I am the Messiah’ and ‘The right time has come!’ But don’t follow them. When you hear about wars and riots, don’t be afraid. These things must happen first. Then the end will come later.”
Then Jesus said to them, “Nations will fight against other nations. Kingdoms will fight against other kingdoms. There will be great earthquakes, sicknesses, and other bad things in many places. In some places, there will be no food for the people to eat. Terrible things will happen, and amazing things will come from heaven to warn people.”
“But before all these things happen, people will arrest you and do bad things to you. They will judge you in their synagogues and put you in jail. You will be forced to stand before kings and governors. They will do all these things to you because you follow me. But this will give you an opportunity to tell about me. Decide now not to worry about what you will say. I will give you the wisdom to say things that none of your enemies can answer. Even your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends will turn against you. They will have some of you killed. Everyone will hate you because you follow me. But none of these things can really harm you. You will save yourselves by continuing strong in your faith through all these things.”
“You will see armies all around Jerusalem. Then you will know that the time for its destruction has come. The people in Judea at that time should run away to the mountains. The people in Jerusalem must leave quickly. If you are near the city, don’t go in! The prophets wrote many things about the time when God will punish his people. The time I am talking about is when all these things must happen. During that time it will be hard for women who are pregnant or have small babies, because very bad times will come to this land. God will be angry with these people. Some of the people will be killed by soldiers. Others will be made prisoners and taken to all the different countries. The holy city of Jerusalem will be under the control of foreigners until their time is completed.”
“Amazing things will happen to the sun, moon, and stars. And people all over the earth will be upset and confused by the noise of the sea and its crashing waves. They will be afraid and worried about what will happen to the world. Everything in the sky will be changed. Then people will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to happen, stand up tall and don’t be afraid. Know that it is almost time for God to free you!”
Then Jesus told this story: “Look at all the trees. The fig tree is a good example. When it turns green, you know that summer is very near. In the same way, when you see all these things happening, you will know that God’s kingdom is very near.”
Next came the verse from Jesus that has perplexed many of his disciples and followers: “So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. ”
“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day comes on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.”
The best answer I can offer is that Jesus was assuring us that these things He identified will happen while some of the people of this generation are still living, I believe that “this generation” refers to the time of all Christians.
Christ uses the Fig Tree parable (verses 29-33) to give clarity regarding His warnings in the previous verses. The “these things” he previously mentioned (several times) refers to the question asked in verse 7 and Jesus' subsequent answer in verses 8-28. “These things” are the events foretold to happen as the end nears. In the parable, Christ's perspective states we should anticipate the unfolding of the previously described events.
What fig tree caretaker would spend significant time each day scrutinizing his fruit tree to see if it started to bud? That would raise the fig tree to the central point of his day? Of course, no one would. Yes, any owner of a tree orchard would be concerned about the level of the tree's health, and their progression through the annual cycles of nature's growth, fruitfulness, and inactiveness, but these matters would not require an all-consuming effort.
The parable explains that prophecy should be applied to what we see happening in the world, but we should not allow divination to become our primary focus. With the fig-tree analogy, Jesus illustrated the balanced view we should have toward prophecy. We should not be over-attentive, but aware of what is taking place around us in today's sinister, evil-infested world.
Humankind has rebelled against God since the Garden of Eden. Inspired by Satan, the evil, ungodly, people of this world seem to be ramping up for one final push to dethrone the Creator.
Psalm 2:1-3 paints a picture of evil human nature that is reflected in today's more modern world. “Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.”
Some make spiritually dangerous mistakes—of ignoring the lesson of the signs that are laid out in our Bibles. To be aware is a spiritual responsibility that should be taken seriously by every Christian. We must keep in mind the words of Jesus about the last days, as reported in Matthew 24, which bear repeating here,“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”
God's guidance from Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NKJV) reads, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
The most glorious sign to come is foretold in Luke 21:25-27 ESV, “Amazing things will happen to the sun, moon, and stars. And people all over the earth will be upset and confused by the noise of the sea and its crashing waves. They will be afraid and worried about what will happen to the world. Everything in the sky will be changed. Then people will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."
Amen! The End.
