SIGNS OF THE TIMES"And There shall be signs ... upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity ...... Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth." Luke 21v25-26.The Apostle Peter wrote:
How true is this prophesy that Peter made so long ago! Today so few look for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed the vast majority, if the matter is mentioned adopt exactly the same attitude described by Peter. They scoff at the idea, and talk as if there is no evidence at all to support a belief that the return of Jesus may be very near at hand. How wrong they are! The Bible not only tells us about the second coming of Jesus to the earth, it gives many signs that will herald his coming. Many of these signs we see happening in the world today. Signs which clearly show that his return is immanent. The Jews at the time of the birth of Jesus ignored and misunderstood the signs in their day and this present world is doing exactly the same thing prior to his second coming. These signs can be referred to as 'signs of the times and it is the purpose of this page to discus these signs and draw attention to just some of them. GROUNDS FOR FAITHWe read in the Bible:
However this does not mean that God expects us to have a 'blind faith as some wrongly imagine, far from it. God is well aware that human beings find it easier to believe what we see, rather than believe by faith, and accordingly helps us in many ways to overcome our natural unbelief. Great signs and wonders were given in the past to help people to believe in God and to believe and trust his word. Many times we read that prophets were enabled by God to perform miracles or give signs to draw attention to their prophesy, to convince people of the truth of the message they spoke and to prove that they had indeed been sent by God. Thus Samuel called upon God to make it thunder and rain, Isaiah was enabled by God to cause the shadow to go back ten degrees on the sun dial and the greatest example of all lies in the many miraculous signs that Jesus himself performed to prove that he was indeed the Son of God. These signs and miracles then were to enable people to judge whether or not the message was from God. Sometimes the message given related to a time in the future and in such cases the Lord God enabled people to believe by a sign or miracle , or by a partial fulfillment of the prophesy in their day. By these means then people were encourages to believe in the existence of God, his overruling power and purpose with this earth. To understand and accept his determination to fulfill all that he has promised. THE FIRST AND SECOND ADVENT OF CHRISTSigns were given in the past which caused men and women to look for the first coming of Christ, and to believe that God would raise up a son, who would redeem men from sin and death. In the same way there are many signs given in scripture that refer to the second coming of Christ. These signs are given to confirm belief and faith in Gods word about Christ's return and the setting up of Gods Kingdom on earth.The purpose of Christ's coming is to establish and reign over Gods Kingdom. His work is to overturn all the kingdoms of men, to rid the world of all its wickedness and to fill the earth with Gods glory. This world is full of human misery and despair, man just does not have the answers nor the ability to resolve the worlds problems. What this world needs is wise, strong, just government and only Jesus Christ can provide this. Indeed the hope of all true Christians, is to look forward to that day of Christ's reign as King over all the earth. They know that indeed:
When God decides to do something at a set time then that event comes to pass with perfect exactness. God however has not revealed an exact time of what is termed in scripture as his 'appointed day:
Jesus therefore instructed his followers to watch for it. To enable them to this he gave clear indications of the conditions that would herald the day of his return. We can read of one such occasion when Jesus sat on the Mt of Olives and his disciples came to him privately asking:
We shall now then briefly consider the signs given by Jesus together with signs given in other parts of the Bible. THE JEWISH SIGNOne of the most important prophesies made by Jesus concerns the Jews and the city of Jerusalem. He first spoke about the city being destroyed, its people taken captive and being scattered throughout all nations. Jesus said:
In fulfillment of this prophesy the Romans besieged and took the city in AD70. Over a million Jews lost their lives and the remainder were scattered abroad. The land of Palestine, was after the times of the Romans, occupied by a succession of invaders and conquerors. First the Arabs 637 - 1072, Seljuks 1072 - 1096, Crusaders 1099 - 1291, Marmelukes 1291 - 1517, Ottoman Turks 1517 - 1917. Then came at last the time for Gentile dominion to recede from Gods land, as the word 'until spoken by Jesus indicates. The book of Revelation, which reveals the last message of Jesus to his followers, in language of symbol and sign, speaks of the 'drying up of 'the great river Euphrates in preparation for the final development in Gods plan. - [Rev 16v12] The Ottoman empire which had held dominion over the Middle East including Palestine for 400yrs and through whose territory the great river Euphrates flowed, was to decline and be removed. The fulfillment of this prophecy is now a matter of history. After losing its empire Turkey then lost control of Gods land in 1917, when they were driven out during the first World war and Britain set up a 'national home for the Jews THE VALLEY OF DRY BONESThe restoration of the Jews to their own land was foretold by God through the prophet Ezekiel 600yrs before Christ. We read in Ezekiel 37 that he was shown a valley of dry bones "These bone" he was told "are the whole house of Israel: Behold they say our bones are dried and our hope is lost." [Ezekiel 37v11] This was the condition of Israel for many long centuries, but the prophet was shown that this situation would not continue forever. Ezekiel was told to prophesy upon the bones saying:
The prophet did as he was commanded, and he saw a great transformation take place. The bones came together, they formed completed skeletons, sinews and flesh then came upon them, skin covered them, breath came into them and they lived, standing up on their feet [Ezek 37-10]. What did it all mean? We are left in no doubt as to the answer:
Now, what does this have to do with the second coming of Christ? Well the answer is twofold. Firstly it is clearly stated, that the restoration of the Jews to their own land will be followed by the setting up of Gods Kingdom on earth:
Secondly, this national restoration positively fixes the time of events spoken of in Ezekiel chapter 38 . These will be discussed later and involve direct divine intervention in human affairs. THE FIG TREE SIGNReturning to Luke 21, we see the restoration of Israel is again mentioned in symbol when Jesus:
The fig tree was, and still is today, a symbol of the nation of Israel. The prophet Joel wrote:
The prophet Jeremiah likened the nation to good and bad figs, and at that time they were so bad God said:
The 'evil fig state of Israel continued, but God had decreed:
In 1917 with the removal of the Turks, the people who had previously had no home, a stateless nation, returned back to their homeland. However the continuous strife between Jew and Arab made the task of Britain as 'caretaker too difficult and the mandate for Palestine was given up on the 15th May 1948. A state of Israel was immediately proclaimed and today millions of Jews can testify to the fulfillment of Gods promise to return them back to their own land. The 'fig tree nation is 'shooting forth just as Jesus said it would. Thus the revival of Israel is a clear sign that Jesus will soon return, just as he has promised, and set up the Kingdom of God. Of this there is no doubt. Now the revival of the Israeli 'fig tree was to coincide with the 'shooting forth of all the trees. This symbolizes well the national liberation and independence movements of this era. Recent history shows the revival of many countries to independence and the restoration of many countries long integrated with others. These activities and the general global unrest that characterizes our times, will contribute towards the inevitable world crises, in which God will intervene and bring all the world to obey his command. INVASION FROM THE NORTH: THE ARABS AND ISRAELThe Middle East is the hub or geographical center of the world. Thus the emergence of Israel not only as a nation, but as a world power, has aroused the interest and indeed hostility of many nations. Chief amongst these of course are Israel's immediate neighbors the Arabs nations who dispute ownership of the land. Also involved are Britain, America and Russia who all have strategic interest in the area. Arab hostility crystallized in 1948 and Israel was invaded by the combined armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Saudi Arabia with the intent of 'inflicting a war of extermination and a momentous massacre - Azzan Paha, Secretary General Arab League [B.B.C 155/48] Although the Israeli's were heavily outnumbered and outgunned the invading forces were defeated, and the conflict ended in the signing of a general Armistice.During 1950-1956 Israel suffered many war like acts from Egypt and eventually in reply the Israeli army invaded the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula on 29th Oct '56. The Egyptians were heavily defeated and but for Russian intervention the operation would have extended as far as Cairo. The next conflict arose in June 1967 following several years of constant attack upon Israel by her neighbors. Israel crossed into Sinai and during the 'Six Day War Israel won a complete victory. At this time she also extended her frontiers as far as Jordan and Jerusalem after a period of 2,000 years once again belonged to Israel. The Arabs and Egyptians lost a whole army and its equipment in the Sinai sand dunes. All these events show the hand of God overruling events to bring about his purpose. The Jewish occupation of Jerusalem is of great significance to Bible students. It indicates that the period of which Christ spoke of when the city would be 'trodden down of the gentiles is almost completed and will soon make way for 'the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets. [Acts 3v21] Despite recent efforts to bring all parties involved to the negotiating table and bring a lasting settlement and peace to the region the Middle east remains a highly volatile region and a threat to world peace. This situation is one that has long been expected by students of Gods word. A DEVELOPING INFLUENCE LEADING TO ARMAGEDDONThe Bible clearly reveals that God is controlling the nations and world events according to his plan. Events that will move forward to the 'war of Armageddon and the time when God will openly intervene in human affairs. In recent years there has been a growing feeling among thoughtful people that world events are indeed moving forward to a crisis point that will be of such magnitude, as to be totally beyond mans ability to control or overcome. Man is moving toward a point of no return in the damage he is doing to his environment, violence in society is rapidly on the increase, distrust and hatred between nations grows, wars increase, fired by the increase in fundamentalist movements, and the disparity between rich and poor nations increases. Only divine intervention can save humanity from destroying itself.Russia until the 20th century had been a weak state. The revolution in 1917 changed the course and outlook of the nation and a superpower was born. Throughout the time of the Soviet Union support was given by Russia to the Arabs whilst being opposed to Israel. Jews were not allowed to emigrate to Israel and indeed many faced imprisonment and hardship. The old Soviet Union has now gone but many of the ex Soviet states particularly in the south are Moslem and fundamentally opposed to Israel. The Bible speaks of a confederacy of nations to the north of Israel who will invade the land seeking to destroy the nation. This state of affairs was prophesied long before the birth of Christ. With so much having already been fulfilled, we can expect the rest also to come to pass in the near future. Following the description in Ezekiel ch 37 of Israel's revival the prophet says: "The word of the Lord came unto me saying, Son of man, set thy face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him." Ezekiel 38v1 It is thought by many Rosh, Meshech and Tubal refer to Russia and parts of the ex Soviet Union, certainly they lie to the north of Israel. Now various dictionaries and authorities identify Rosh as referring to Russia, one example is taken from Russian literature: 'In The 6th Century A.D. different tribes began to form alliances headed by the most powerful princes. It was thus that the first state associations arose among the east Slaves. The center of one of these unions was the tribe of Ros or Rus. The name of this tribe was later extended to all the eastern Slavs who began to be called Russians and the territory in which they lived, Russian land or Rus" ['USSR Russian Federation - Novosti Press Agency, Moscow p12] The ancient maps of the world identify Meshech and Tubal as territories that still lie within Russia and the CIS. Now with regard to Magog, we read in Genesis that the nations descending from Magog lived settled in ancient Sythia. This is roughly the territory lying between the rivers Don in Russia and the Danube in Germany. We read of a great confederacy of nations that will come against Israel in the last days:
We get some idea of the nations contained within the confederacy from Ezekiel 38v5-6
And
So then we see that the invader that will come from the north in relation to Israel with the intent of destroying the nation and taking the land for themselves. These invading nations will be opposed by another group of powers styled "Sheba, Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof." Ezekiel 38v13 It is not to difficult to gain some idea of who these nations are. Tarshish refers to a trading nation. The ancient ships of Tarshish traded with India, Gibraltar, Cyprus and Britain. This and the description of Tarshish as being a merchant and maritime power point to Britain and the Commonwealth. Britain is still one of the largest trading nations of the world and the Lion has long been an emblem of this country. Britain is an 'old country, the young 'lions representing the English speaking nations. America in particular is a 'young nation grown up and long independent of the 'mother country. America also is a trading and maritime power. Sheba and Dedan lie in what is now much of Saudi Arabia so maybe we get some idea of the nations involved in these two opposing groups who will begin to commence the battle of 'Armageddon [Revelation 16v14-16.] Whilst we cannot be sure of exact events to take place we know a 'third world war will take place centred around Israel. We know some of the nations involved. What is certain is the outcome! HOW GOD WILL INTERVENEIsrael will be invaded, the prophet Zechariah speaks of the city of Jerusalem saying half the city would be taken:
All will appear to be over for Israel, the northern invader will appear invincible and no one able to help. But we know from scripture Israel will not be utterly destroyed an hitherto; as far as the nations are concerned; unknown power will intervene. God will openly intervene at last in world affairs, for the salvation of his people. Not for their sakes but with the objective of bringing to pass all he has promised to their ancestors and setting up his Kingdom on earth. Daniel tells us:
The name Michael means 'who like God and refers to Jesus who was 'like unto his father. He is the only man who can save God's people in this time of very great trouble. No one can overcome divine power or frustrate Gods will therefore opposition to Gods Son will be futile. Zechariah goes on to say:
The invaders will be utterly defeated by the power of God as Ezekiel says:
Mans apparent strength of arms is but puny against the might of Gods armory:
and "This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. On that day men will be stricken by the LORD with great panic. Each man will seize the hand of another, and they will attack each other." Zechariah 14v12. Jewish reaction to their unexpected saviour whom their fathers 'despised and rejected is described by the prophet Zechariah:
The supremacy and omnipotence of God will be unquestionable in the day when Jesus returns to this earth. Not the 'gentle Jesus, but as the 'King of Glory, 'strong and mighty in battle Palm 24v7-10. In that day:
Jesus will 'grind the resisting nations into dust and in their place establish Gods Kingdom here on earth. This will certainly happen just as Daniel foretold - Daniel 2v34,35,44. The divine advice to all the nations is:
WAR AND PEACEWar with all its evil consequences is another sign of the 'last days. World leaders call for peace, indeed in recent months great efforts for peace have been made in the Middle East and other area's of the world, but to no avail. Peace treaties hailed and a breakthrough now show signs of fraying, many troubles still persist, terrorism continues and talk of war is revived. Throughout the world new trouble spots constantly appear. There is no lasting peace. Why? Well, it may come as a surprise to some, but divine revelation states that this will be the case, it proclaims war is inevitable:
Following both world wars people hoped and believed that nations would develop into a state of mutual respect for each other, that good will and diplomacy would eventually lead to an 'idealistic one world. The united nations was born and people hoped for lasting peace. The reality is that war and preparations for war, continued and will continue upon an even greater scale, bringing poverty and hardship to millions. The United Nations Organization is incapable of solving the problem of war and strife. Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia alone attest to that fact, let alone Iraq and the Middle East. Man cannot resolve his problems, because he cannot overcome his own basic nature. Man leaves out of account the one necessary requirement for peace. 'Righteousness is the prerequisite of peace and as this is a quality neglected and scorned, it comes as no surprise to see that the history of mankind shows the exact opposite to peace and tranquility. The word of God declares:
The words of Isaiah sum the situation up well:
When Gods judgement are in the earth men will learn to live in righteousness and peace. This explains why it is that all efforts by political and religious movements fail to bring about the much needed world reformation, which so many do earnestly desire. World statesmen put their trust in diplomacy, summit conferences and ideals based upon the belief of a 'universal brotherhood of man. Peace can and will only come, at the time God has appointed. The time when he shall send his Son 'the Prince of Peace [Isa 9v6] to set up his Kingdom on earth. Sadly the vast majority of people have turned their backs on God, and consequently upon his word the Bible. The result is that the good influence of the scriptures is virtually non existent. Truly as scripture says "The whole world lieth in wickedness" [1 John 5v19] and spiritual darkness. This situation is a sign in itself of the nearness of Christ's return. WORLD UNRESTJesus told his disciples that in the day of his return:
The Greek word here translated 'perplexity literally means 'without a passage out. This is accurately describes the situation in the world today. World leaders trying to grapple with ever growing and fearful problems, but can see no way out of the impasse. Jesus spoke of the "sea and the waves roaring" and Isaiah wrote "The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt" Isaiah 57v20. This so accurately describes the turbulence and unrest in society today, the ever increasing violence and disregard for law and order. Many small groups fighting for their own viewpoint to be heard yet unwilling to listen to alternative views. There always has been strife and disorder in the past, but today it is an ever growing and worldwide condition. The daily world scene is one of riots, violence, religious and racial troubles, increasing crime, terrorism and war. Society worldwide has never been so turbulent. It is when such conditions prevail that Jesus will return for he says:
'AS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH'Jesus also compared the conditions prevailing in the world prior to his return with the conditions in the days of Noah. Jesus said:
We read that this time was characterized by increasing Godlessness and violence in society. The description of Noah's world fitly describes ours. The flood came upon the ancient world because God would not permit that generation to perpetuate their wickedness. In the same way God has set a limit upon this generation because of mankind's increasing wickedness in his sight. This world will be terminated, not by water, but by the return of Jesus Christ and the "great day of God almighty." A day to remove once and for all the kingdoms of men and replace them with the Kingdom of God. NEGLECT OF GODS WORDThe majority of people today have no religion and no respect for Gods word. We clearly live in a time as Amos spoke of, when there is a "famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord". Amos 8v11.The rejection of divine guidance and regulation by the mind of Christ, allows men and women to follow the unrestrained desires of their own without any restraint or guidance as to what is right or wrong. Men and women seek after and assert their own 'rights, often at the expense of others. Each seeks their own standard of moral right and wrong, with the resulting chaos that it brings. Even those who profess some belief in the Bible seek to adulterate Gods word by making it 'politically correct or reject parts of the Bible they consider 'old fashioned or not suitable for our day. In other words they set themselves up as judge and jury over Gods word. God will not hold man guiltless for this, but will judge them for their blasphemy. Jesus plainly tells us:
The word is full of these things today, the unrestrained attitudes of mankind leading to so much inhumanity and grief and this decadent position is exactly as was foretold by God:
How accurately these words describe the situation in society today. A not very flattering description of the depths to which men have gone by rejecting the moral guidance of the scriptures and seeking their own ways. This description explains why people are so unconcerned and blind to the fact of the return of Jesus Christ. Men have neither time nor taste for religion. Indeed to accept that they have a Creator is abhorrent to them. The Gods of modern man are the possessions and pleasures that dominate their lives. This degeneration will continue and worsen until Jesus returns and compels the world to change its ways. AN UNMISTAKABLE PATTERNThe 'signs of the times present an unmistakable pattern of the shape of things to come. The preliminaries for Gods intervention are almost completed and Jesus is at the door, ready to take the world by surprise. Will you be ready?WHO MAY ABIDE HIS COMINGSeeing the signs and knowing what they mean, begs the questions, can we remain unmoved by them and afford to ignore them? We can join the majority of mankind rushing down the precipice of self destruction, by foolishly closing our minds to these signs that are so clear in the world about us. To such the return of Jesus will indeed be 'like a thief in the night.Alternatively we can take note of the signs and take heed of the warning before it is to late. Jesus said:
Instead of being disheartened by the state of the world we can look up and see the great need for redemption. The means of redemption has been provided by God through Jesus Christ our redeemer. We can be wise and seek sanctuary in the 'ark of Gods providing. In other words Jesus Christ. The people of Noah's day were swept away by the flood, only Noah and his family survived safe in the ark provided by God. Take refuge in Christ now, before the 'great day of God Almighty' engulfs this wicked world. It is important that we treat this subject with respect and give it the importance it deserves for it involves matters of life and death - our life and destiny. The Bible offers hope of eternal life, not as we know it now, but life to serve God in the world as he intended it to be from the beginning. A Kingdom where Christ will reign in righteousness and peace, in a literal Kingdom to come on this earth. The wise will reach this conclusion:
It is for each one of us to individually decide if we desire to:
There is so much in life that is a source of trouble, sorrow and distress, but so much we can look forward to in the Kingdom when all these things will be gone. |
