Jesus is coming back! The Bible tells us that the world has an appointment with destiny. Christ taught the disciples that He would return to earth at the end of the age. He said there would be an end and in Matthew 24:14, He laid out the signs that would indicate civilization was nearing the end of an epoch.
He issued this warning: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginnings of birth pains.” (Matthew 24:6-8).
Continuing in verses 9 through 14, we read, “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death and you will be hated by all nations because of me.” Today there are more Christians being persecuted that at any other time in history. In verse 10 Jesus says, “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
Because of the increase in wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Atheism is on the rise and the religion of Islam has become the nemesis of the Christian church in many areas of the world. Today’s culture is quick to judge, willing to hate and is unforgiving when it comes to anything not perceived as inclusive or accepting. Just try speaking out in defense of the unborn and watch the accusations fly.
When we scan the horizon of current events we are indeed witnessing the most profound, the most concentrated and the most frequent intensity of signs predicted by Jesus that would precede His second coming ever since His ascension. We are living in a time when the birth pains are increasing in frequency and intensity more than at any other time in history. They are all converging on this generation.
Our Redemption Is Drawing Near!
Jesus said, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28). Today, our redemption is drawing near! We hear of wars daily in our newsfeed. Israel continues to be a hotbed of controversy and is the epicenter of prophetic fulfillment. The nations listed in the thirty eighth chapter of Ezekiel are aligning against her politically, militarily, philosophically and religiously.
Jesus said this would be the case. Luke 21:24 quotes Jesus teaching that, “Jerusalem would be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Today we are witnessing Israel taking back control of Jerusalem. Israel’s very existence today is miraculous evidence of prophetic fulfillment.
How the Jewish people could remain an identifiable ethnic group and be restored to their homeland 1900 years after being dispersed among the nations is profoundly remarkable and nothing less than the supernatural power of God. The fact that Israel is thriving as a nation again should be a wake-up call the the Christian church today. Every believer must seriously contemplate the sheer improbability of the Jews being back in Israel due to man’s orchestrated efforts alone.
No other nation in the history of nations has accomplished anything like this. History demonstrates that any people who settle willingly or unwillingly in a new country will lose their national identity after five to seven generations and be completely assimilated into their new culture.
This has not been the case with the Jews. Not only are the Jews back in their ancient homeland, but their language, culture, ethnicity and religion all remain intact.
The prophet Isaiah states in the 66th chapter and verse 8, “Who has ever heard of such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.” This was fulfilled in 1948 when Israel became a nation once again and Jews flocked from around the globe to take up residence there.
And Jesus warned about false teachings. In Matthew 24:23-24 we read, “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or, ‘There he is!,’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Pray for discernment and know your Bibles.
Today, we are surrounded by false Christs and false gospels. The pseudo Christian religions of the Latter Day Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Progressive Christianity, and the Prosperity Gospel have all become prevalent in this culture. We have life coaches instead of pastors and they preach whatever the itching ears of their congregants want to hear, just as Paul predicted (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
They preach Jesus but not the Jesus of the Holy Bible. They preach a false Jesus and make Him out to be far less than He says He is in the Bible. Muslims teach about a Jesus that wasn’t divine and escaped the cross. The pope claims we all serve the same god. Don’t be fooled! Jesus said in Matthew 24:4-5, “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, claiming, “I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”
Did you know that today there are no fewer than eight men around the world who claim to be Jesus, from a taxi driver in Zambia to a Siberian policeman, to the Brazilian astrologer Inri Christo who has followers around the world. Jesus said, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” (Matthew 7:15).
Jesus Is coming!
Over and over again in the New Testament, we are told that Jesus is coming again.The gospels teach that Jesus will return to judge the world. That He is the Bridegroom and His church is the bride. When the Bridegroom returns, will He find that His bride has been faithful?
In John 14:2-3, Jesus says, “In My Father’s house there are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will com back and take you to be with Me that you may be where I am.”
The writer of Hebrews declares, “so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.” (Hebrews 9:28). He is coming again!
Luke tells us in Acts 1:9-11 that Jesus ascended to heaven in a cloud. And as the disciples were watching Him go, suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”
The apostle Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 11:26 the manner in which communion ought to be administered, which is read in every church at one time or another when we share the bread and wine. “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”
And James advises in James 5:7, “Be patient, then brothers, until the Lord’s coming.”
The book of Revelation contains the words of Jesus given to John including Revelation 3:11, “I am coming soon.”; Revelation 1:7, “Look, He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him.”; and Revelation 20:12, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.”
No one knows the day or the hour but we have been given the signs to indicate the age which will witness the return of Christ. Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come, until the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.”
Today The Majority Of Mankind Is Rebellious
Our generation is witnessing the greatest rebellion against God in the history of humanity. Between the rise of secular humanism, moral relativism and the apostate church there has never been a greater falling away from the Christian faith than the current materialistic culture, that is enamoured with the worship of self. The majority of mankind is rebellious and unrepentant.
Many churches want the Bible to be rewritten to be more reflective of today’s morality. They want a savior that is more inclusive of sinful lifestyles and tolerant of other beliefs. But Jesus is exclusively the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him! (John 14:6).
Society is full of those who mock believers, claiming that God doesn’t exist. Even this is a sign the Bible tells us indicates the return of Jesus is imminent. 2 Peter 3:3-10 reveals, “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this “coming” He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgement and destruction of ungodly men.
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.”
Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.” (Matthew 24:35). And the prophet Isaiah wrote, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8). God does not change and His moral standard does not change. But all of these signs the Bible speaks of convey the imminence of Christ’s return. And when the dominoes begin to fall, destruction will come suddenly just as it did in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:36-39).
Matthew 24:14 tells us, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Today the New Testament has been translated into roughly half of the over 7,000 languages spoken in the world. Television, radio and the internet have made it possible for the gospel message to reach nearly every corner the globe. This was not possible even 100 years ago.
The King is coming! Are you ready? Are you prepared to meet your maker? “‘Look, He is coming with the clouds,’ and ‘every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him’; and all the peoples of the earth ‘will mourn because of Him.’ So it shall be! Amen” (Revelation 1:7).
