Signs In Our Times? Introduction

Signs In Our Times?

Regardless of which news source you frequent, it is clear that there is no shortage of current events up for discussion. With everything going on in the world today, I am frequently asked if I believe that we are living in the last days, as spoken of in the Bible, and whether or not the “rapture”, also spoken of in the Bible, may be very close.

First – no one knows the actual day or hour of the rapture. Jesus tells us this very clearly in Matthew 24:36. That said, it is critical that we understand the signs of the age. Jesus commands us repeatedly to watch and be ready. (Matthew 25:1-13, Mark 13:35-37, Matthew 16:2-3, Luke 12:56). The apostle Paul also states this concept clearly.

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-4 (NIV, emphasis mine.)

So the short answer is this: I cannot tell you when the rapture and the 7-year tribulation will be, but there are many signs to suggest that we are very close!

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, there are over 400 prophecies in the Bible about the first coming of Christ as a baby in Bethlehem, all of which were literally fulfilled to the letter in the man of Jesus Christ. There are over 1,000 prophecies about his physical return to earth, and I see no reason not to take these literally as well. To do anything else doesn’t make logical sense. But what signs should we be looking for that might indicate that we are close?

As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Matthew 24:3 (NET)

In response to this question from his disciples, Jesus went on to describe events that would happen before the “end of the age” in Matthew 24. He described the last days in terms of “birth pains”. In other words, like labor pains, certain events would increase in frequency and intensity as a signal that the seven-year tribulation was at hand. (For a discussion of the tribulation, please see the article “How Will the World End?”)

But what does that look like?

We can find several clues to the things we could expect if the return of our Lord was near. First, we need to understand that the Bible uses several different phrases to describe the seven-year period that we will refer to as the “Tribulation”, including the Day of the Lord, the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, the Great Day of His Wrath, and the Seventieth Week of Daniel. These all refer to the same seven-year period of intense upheaval that will precede the physical return of Christ to this earth. There are also several words that are used to describe the “rapture” of the church that precedes this time, including “catching up” and “gathering”. It should be noted that Jesus does not physically return to earth at this time, but instead calls believers to meet him in the clouds. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:50-52). (For a full discussion of the Rapture, please see the article “Vanishing People?”)

What would we expect to see in the days immediately preceding the Rapture and the Tribulation? I think we would expect to not only see the “signs of the last days” recorded in the Bible but also a “setting of the stage” for the people and events prophesied in the book of Revelation.

In this series, we will take a look at several key indicators that would suggest that we are very close to the end of the age. We will review historical events, geo-political factors, social issues, and more that line up perfectly with the Bible’s predictions of the last days.

Throughout this series, we should be asking one very important question: how should we be living our lives?

Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.

And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.

And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.

You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.
2 Peter 3:11-18 (NLT)

Resources

“Prophecy Update | April 2022 | Signs of the Times” teaching by Pastor Brett Maedor.

Songs of Victory

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Royalty-free images from Videoblocks.com

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