The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple,
Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will
be the sign when all these things
will be fulfilled?”
5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed
that no one deceives you. 6 For many
will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. 7 But when you
hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such
things must happen, but the
end is not yet. 8 For nation
will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be
earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and
troubles.[a] These are the beginnings of
sorrows.
9 “But watch
out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be
beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought[b] before rulers and kings for My sake, for a
testimony to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the
nations.11 But when
they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand,
or premeditate[c] what you will speak. But whatever is given
you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy
Spirit. 12 Now brother
will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against
parents and cause them to be put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he
who endures to the end shall be saved.
The Great Tribulation
14 “So when you
see the ‘abomination of desolation,’[d] spoken of by
Daniel the prophet,[e] standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let
those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let him who
is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of
his house. 16 And let him
who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 17 But woe to
those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those
days! 18 And pray that your flight may not be in
winter.19 For in those days there will be tribulation, such
as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this
time, nor ever shall be. 20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh
would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the
days.
21 “Then if
anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He
is there!’ do not believe
it. 22 For false
christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if
possible, even the elect. 23 But take heed; see, I have told you all things
beforehand.
The Coming of the Son of Man
24 “But in
those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will
not give its light; 25 the stars of
heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they
will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and
glory. 27 And then He will send His angels, and gather together His
elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part
of heaven.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
28 “Now learn
this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and
puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So you also,
when you see these things happening, know that it[f] is near—at the doors! 30 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means
pass away till all these things take place.31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no
means pass away.
No One Knows the Day or Hour
32 “But of that
day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only
the Father. 33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the
time is.
When The
Beatles sang of “I read the news today oh boy, about a lucky man who made the
grade,” their thoughts and lyrics were far from today’s news and fulfillment of
prophecy. But as we watch the news unfold, and hear of Christian persecution
around the world, we sit and wonder, why is God allowing this to happen? Why is
He waiting? We even see in scripture where it says “come Lord Jesus,” so why is
He waiting? Is this what patience is really all about?
For me I am
glad He didn’t come He didn’t return 40 years ago, as I was still not saved.
Maybe there is something about patience leading to salvation that is valuable to
me. But as we see the prophetic time clock ticking, we realize we may be that
final generation, and we may be caught up in the clouds at any time. And as
Satan sees his time growing short, he too doesn’t know the time or hour, he is
stepping up his plan, but God is still in control. As ISIS warns Christians to
leave Iraq, or be killed, they leave all possessions behind, and many flee to
Israel, again prophetic. Read the above, sound like the news today? Except it
was spoken over 2000 years ago by Jesus himself. So it is fair if asked “what
time is it?” to answer “soon and very soon,” for we don’t know the time, but it
could be today. The scoffers will continue to scoff, again prophesied, given
another chance to repent. But for those of us saved, our commission grows even
more important, as every day could be the last. And we all have family,
friends, co-workers, or people we ride with who still aren’t saved. Sorry, Sir
Paul, but it isn’t the lucky man who made the grade, but the repentant sinner
who came to Christ. And the news today still cries out to us.
But Jesus
also warns that these things are only the beginning of trouble, it will be real
bad without Christians. So if you blame us for all the world’s ills, without us
who will you blame? Who will you turn to? Turn now, there is still time, today
is truly the day of salvation for many, why not you? Take heed....kings and
kingdoms will all pass away, only Jesus will remain. And all those whom He
calls His own. You have been warned by God, and told about it in His word and
by His ambassadors on earth-Christians. Be the gospel to someone today, share
Jesus. Use words when needed, but share His love. He is coming soon, sooner
than the heathen would like. Not new news to us who believe. Come to Christ
today. And now for the news.....the gospel. Good news.
Maranatha.
love with
compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com