#secondcoming — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #secondcoming, aggregated by home.social.
-
The Bible’s prophetic Word about the End Times
So they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?” Luke 21:7
#antichrist #jesus #salvation #SecondComing #SignsOfTheTimes
-
"HIS FILES THEIR WAR YOUR KIDS"
Seen in Nashville this weekend
#fascist #USA #OurPutin #AnotherOrban #PresidentMusk #WhiskeyPete #Kegsbreath #Iran #MiddleEast #war for #oil #ChristoFascism #Armaggedon #SecondComing #bomb #SchoolGirls #GOP #KKK #DEI #DHS #ICE #DBP #concentration #camps #Israel #Palestine #WarCrimes #military #parade #unarmed #ship #sunk #submarine #torpedo #survivors -
"HIS FILES THEIR WAR YOUR KIDS"
Seen in Nashville this weekend
#fascist #USA #OurPutin #AnotherOrban #PresidentMusk #WhiskeyPete #Kegsbreath #Iran #MiddleEast #war for #oil #ChristoFascism #Armaggedon #SecondComing #bomb #SchoolGirls #GOP #KKK #DEI #DHS #ICE #DBP #concentration #camps #Israel #Palestine #WarCrimes #military #parade #unarmed #ship #sunk #submarine #torpedo #survivors -
"HIS FILES THEIR WAR YOUR KIDS"
Seen in Nashville this weekend
#fascist #USA #OurPutin #AnotherOrban #PresidentMusk #WhiskeyPete #Kegsbreath #Iran #MiddleEast #war for #oil #ChristoFascism #Armaggedon #SecondComing #bomb #SchoolGirls #GOP #KKK #DEI #DHS #ICE #DBP #concentration #camps #Israel #Palestine #WarCrimes #military #parade #unarmed #ship #sunk #submarine #torpedo #survivors -
"HIS FILES THEIR WAR YOUR KIDS"
Seen in Nashville this weekend
#fascist #USA #OurPutin #AnotherOrban #PresidentMusk #WhiskeyPete #Kegsbreath #Iran #MiddleEast #war for #oil #ChristoFascism #Armaggedon #SecondComing #bomb #SchoolGirls #GOP #KKK #DEI #DHS #ICE #DBP #concentration #camps #Israel #Palestine #WarCrimes #military #parade #unarmed #ship #sunk #submarine #torpedo #survivors -
"HIS FILES THEIR WAR YOUR KIDS"
Seen in Nashville this weekend
#fascist #USA #OurPutin #AnotherOrban #PresidentMusk #WhiskeyPete #Kegsbreath #Iran #MiddleEast #war for #oil #ChristoFascism #Armaggedon #SecondComing #bomb #SchoolGirls #GOP #KKK #DEI #DHS #ICE #DBP #concentration #camps #Israel #Palestine #WarCrimes #military #parade #unarmed #ship #sunk #submarine #torpedo #survivors -
🎄 Ready to prep your heart for Jesus' return this Advent? Pastor Justin Wixon shares 3 game-changing steps: Look in the mirror (own your sins), look to God (pray & repent), & point others to the Lamb who takes away the world's sins!
#AdventPrep #PrepareYourHeart #JesusIsComing #JohnTheBaptist #RepentAndRejoice #BeholdTheLamb #ChristianHope #AliveinChristChurchLutheran #PastorJustinWixon #MaranaAZ #FaithJourney #SecondComing #MaranaChurch
-
🚨 Dream vacation or eternal nightmare?
Your salvation is NEARER than you think. Time to shine as light in this dark world! ✨ Who's ready for eternal joy?
Watch now: https://zurl.co/5hCwO
#Advent2025 #JesusIsComing #ChurchYear #ChristianHope #SecondComing #PastorJustinWixon #MaranaAZ #LCMS #BibleTruth #FaithJourney #EternalLife
-
Why Didn’t Jesus Finish It All the First Time?
If God is all-powerful, why didn’t Jesus complete everything in His first coming?
Because redemption comes before restoration.
Discover the beauty of God’s plan ➡️ the-bible.net/why-jesus-comes-twice
#BibleTruth #SecondComing #Grace -
Please join us as we talk about the #SecondComing of Jesus. What does that look like for us? https://youtube.com/live/Yaa98ffaqus
-
Freitag, 13. April 2029. Merkt euch dieses Datum! Es wird wild. #JudgmentDay #Apocalypse #Revelation12 #Armageddon #HeIsComing #EndTimes #Rapture #Tribulation #SecondComing #ProphecyFulfilled #SignsInTheHeavens #DayOfTheLord #diesdas youtube.com/shorts/ETz8U...
Apophis am Freitag den 13. • V... -
Join us in-person or online for Sunday School Express -- a 30 minute interactive conversation about what we believe as a church. https://youtube.com/live/ohOUao0AuOU
-
🖌️ An Ottoman Miniature Depicting the Descent of Jesus Christ (pbuh) to Earth, Escorted by Two Angels, in Damascus (Second Coming), 1583 #JesusChrist #SecondComing
-
The dispensations of God in the 2nd Coming of Jesus Messiah
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”
Daniel 9:26-27 -
The Stone Roses - Second Coming - 1994
#Music #AlbumSuggestions #NowPlaying #NowListening
#TheStoneRoses #SecondComing -
No one knows, however, when that day or hour will come — neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son; only the Father knows. Be on watch, be alert, for you do not know when the time will come. It will be like a man who goes away from home on a trip and leaves his servants in charge, after giving to each one his own work to do and after telling the doorkeeper to keep watch. Watch, then, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming — it might be in the evening or at midnight or before dawn or at sunrise. If he comes suddenly, he must not find you asleep. What I say to you, then, I say to all: Watch!
[Περὶ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ἢ τῆς ὥρας οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, οὐδὲ οἱ ἄγγελοι ἐν οὐρανῷ οὐδὲ ὁ υἱός, εἰ μὴ ὁ πατήρ. βλέπετε, ἀγρυπνεῖτε· οὐκ οἴδατε γὰρ πότε ὁ καιρός ἐστιν. ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἀπόδημος ἀφεὶς τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ δοὺς τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἑκάστῳ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ θυρωρῷ ἐνετείλατο ἵνα γρηγορῇ. γρηγορεῖτε οὖν· οὐκ οἴδατε γὰρ πότε ὁ κύριος τῆς οἰκίας ἔρχεται, ἢ ὀψὲ ἢ μεσονύκτιον ἢ ἀλεκτοροφωνίας ἢ πρωΐ, μὴ ἐλθὼν ἐξαίφνης εὕρῃ ὑμᾶς καθεύδοντας. ὃ δὲ ὑμῖν λέγω πᾶσιν λέγω, γρηγορεῖτε.]The Bible (The New Testament) (AD 1st - 2nd C) Christian sacred scripture
Mark 13: 32-37 (Jesus) [GNT (1966)]Sourcing, notes, other translations: wist.info/bible-nt/8324/
#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #bible #jesus #gospelofmark #anticipation #waiting #alertness #endtimes #return #secondcoming #uncertainty #watching
-
Many #Evangelicals See #Israel-#Hamas #War as Part of a #Prophecy
For centuries, the #SecondComing of #Christ has been linked to #bloodshed in the #region.
— #Rightwing #Christians are not #friends of #Israel.
#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #MiddleEast #Israel #Palenstine #Religion #Hate #Bigotry #Homophobia #Transphobia #RightwingDeathCult #ExportingHate #EmptyThePews
-
Many #Evangelicals See #Israel-#Hamas #War as Part of a #Prophecy
For centuries, the #SecondComing of #Christ has been linked to #bloodshed in the #region.
— #Rightwing #Christians are not #friends of #Israel.
#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #MiddleEast #Israel #Palenstine #Religion #Hate #Bigotry #Homophobia #Transphobia #RightwingDeathCult #ExportingHate #EmptyThePews
-
Many #Evangelicals See #Israel-#Hamas #War as Part of a #Prophecy
For centuries, the #SecondComing of #Christ has been linked to #bloodshed in the #region.
— #Rightwing #Christians are not #friends of #Israel.
#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #MiddleEast #Israel #Palenstine #Religion #Hate #Bigotry #Homophobia #Transphobia #RightwingDeathCult #ExportingHate #EmptyThePews
-
Many #Evangelicals See #Israel-#Hamas #War as Part of a #Prophecy
For centuries, the #SecondComing of #Christ has been linked to #bloodshed in the #region.
— #Rightwing #Christians are not #friends of #Israel.
#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #MiddleEast #Israel #Palenstine #Religion #Hate #Bigotry #Homophobia #Transphobia #RightwingDeathCult #ExportingHate #EmptyThePews
-
Many #Evangelicals See #Israel-#Hamas #War as Part of a #Prophecy
For centuries, the #SecondComing of #Christ has been linked to #bloodshed in the #region.
— #Rightwing #Christians are not #friends of #Israel.
#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #MiddleEast #Israel #Palenstine #Religion #Hate #Bigotry #Homophobia #Transphobia #RightwingDeathCult #ExportingHate #EmptyThePews
-
090 - Second Coming #1 Finch Variant (3/31/2010)
The beginning to the concluding story of the 00s "Messiah Trilogy".
Cover by David Finich. Interiors by Craig Kyle, Chris Yost & Finch.
#XMenADay #XMen50 #DavidFinch #Wolverine #Nightcrawler #Colossus #SecondComing
-
📢 new post on The Winged Life !
featuring « Second Coming, » brand new poetry about the ongoing massacre in Palestine, prophecies, and faith…
🔗 · https://poligraf.substack.com/p/second-coming
#writing ✏️ #CreativeWriting #poetry #poems #indie #selfpublish #authors #PoetryLovers #TheWingedLife
#christianity #cross #DivineIntelligence #faith #FreePalestine #genocide #god #humanity #JesusChrist #justice #love #messiah #MiddleEast #Palestine #prophecy #SecondComing #sin #war #warfare
-
This Month in Prophecy – November 24, 2024
Tune in to our latest ‘This month in Prophecy’ talk. The news behind the news and its relevance to Bible prophecy. Subjects covered:
2 Thessalonians 2 – the Antichrist, the strong delusion
Russia / NATO / Ukraine + Israel, Iran and its proxies – WW3
Trump / MAGA and the New World Order
Rising antisemitism and antichristian movement in the west. C of E scandal -
What happens when Jesus returns?
Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. Revelation 19.19-21
#churchleadership #faith #Israel #jesus #jesuschrist #Messiah #salvation #SecondComing
-
Islam & the Second Coming of Jesus
Islam and Christianity both teach that Jesus will come again and that this event will herald the climax of human history. But, according to each of them, what He will do when He comes again is an entirely different story.
-
From reading blogs, the newspapers, emails, listening to podcasts, and talking to lots of people ... I believe that #TimWalz is the #SecondComing of #Christ.
-
http://foritismansnumber.blogspot.com/2024/07/mubi-monday-second-coming-2014.html
An interesting Mubi pick for this week.
#blog #blogger #review #MovieReview #SecondComing #IdrisElba #NadineMarshall #DebbieTuckerGreen #film #filmastodon #mubi #streaming
-
196 - X-Men: Second Coming #2 Finch Variant (7/14/10)
Another Finch cover on the Messiah Trilogy.
Cover by David Finch. Interiors by Carey, Fraction, Wells, Yost, Kyle, Roberson, Ribić, Land & Dodson
-
Orkut’s Founder Is Still Dreaming of a Social Media Utopia https://www.wired.com/story/orkut-founder-social-media-utopia/ #Business/SocialMedia #SecondComing #Business
-
Orkut’s Founder Is Still Dreaming of a Social Media Utopia - In the mid-2000s, Google engineer Orkut Büyükkökten’s self-titled social network briefly ... - https://www.wired.com/story/orkut-founder-social-media-utopia/ #business/socialmedia #secondcoming #business
-
Thinking that our Speaker of the House, the Charlie McCarthy ventriloquist dummy lookalike, and self-professed second coming of Moses, whose real name, if you can believe it, is Mike Johnson, you know, that guy, is really the second coming of Lazarus who has yet to be waked up, cuz you know, woke. That's my theory.
#secondcoming #SpeakeroftheDunce
#GQP -
All hail the second coming… of my coworker Jesus after doing his reserve duty. #SecondComing #SecondHelping
-
These #Evangelicals Are #Cheering the #Gaza #War as the #EndoftheWorld.
Tens of Thousands have #died in the #Israel-#Hamas #conflict. Some #farright #Christian #leaders believe the #bloodshed portends the #secondcoming of #Christ.
#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #Conservatives #Extremism #Fascism #Republicans #Religion #Hate #Bigotry #Violence #Genocide #Discrimination #Homophobia #Transphobia #EmptyThePews #ThePartyOfHate
-
📢 new post on The Winged Life !
featuring « Second Coming, » brand new poetry about the ongoing massacre in Palestine, prophecies, and faith…
🔗 · https://poligraf.substack.com/p/second-coming
#writing ✏️ #CreativeWriting #poetry #poems #indie #selfpublish #authors #PoetryLovers #TheWingedLife
#christianity #cross #DivineIntelligence #faith #FreePalestine #genocide #god #humanity #JesusChrist #justice #love #messiah #MiddleEast #Palestine #prophecy #SecondComing #sin #war #warfare
-
📢 new post on The Winged Life !
featuring « Second Coming, » brand new poetry about the ongoing massacre in Palestine, prophecies, and faith…
🔗 · https://poligraf.substack.com/p/second-coming
#writing ✏️ #CreativeWriting #poetry #poems #indie #selfpublish #authors #PoetryLovers #TheWingedLife
#christianity #cross #DivineIntelligence #faith #FreePalestine #genocide #god #humanity #JesusChrist #justice #love #messiah #MiddleEast #Palestine #prophecy #SecondComing #sin #war #warfare
-
📢 new post on The Winged Life !
featuring « Second Coming, » brand new poetry about the ongoing massacre in Palestine, prophecies, and faith…
🔗 · https://poligraf.substack.com/p/second-coming
#writing ✏️ #CreativeWriting #poetry #poems #indie #selfpublish #authors #PoetryLovers #TheWingedLife
#christianity #cross #DivineIntelligence #faith #FreePalestine #genocide #god #humanity #JesusChrist #justice #love #messiah #MiddleEast #Palestine #prophecy #SecondComing #sin #war #warfare
-
📢 new post on The Winged Life !
featuring « Second Coming, » brand new poetry about the ongoing massacre in Palestine, prophecies, and faith…
🔗 · https://poligraf.substack.com/p/second-coming
#writing ✏️ #CreativeWriting #poetry #poems #indie #selfpublish #authors #PoetryLovers #TheWingedLife
#christianity #cross #DivineIntelligence #faith #FreePalestine #genocide #god #humanity #JesusChrist #justice #love #messiah #MiddleEast #Palestine #prophecy #SecondComing #sin #war #warfare
-
Sign of the Times and the Last Days #2 Wars, natural disasters, famine and false Messiahs
The first thing to understand about the Last Days is that Jesus Christ will return to Earth to establish his Father’s Kingdom. The Bible says so quite plainly.
“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.” (Acts 1:11)
“The Last Days” is the term used to describe the period of time immediately before the actual re-appearance of Jesus. This is why the subject is of such great interest to Christians today.
The “Signs of the Times” are those events, which suggest to us that the return of Christ is imminent. This is a great source of encouragement for Christians and a warning sign to those who have not committed themselves to Christ that their window of opportunity is closing.
The Signs of the Times are detailed particularly in Matthew chapter 24 and the parallel account in Luke. Jesus is talking to his disciples about the destruction of the Temple and they asked him when this would happen. Jesus replied:
“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” (Luke 21:7).
Jesus then proceeded to list a series of signs.
Before we look at the signs, it is necessary to understand that in prophecy, there are often minor as well as major fulfilments. The minor fulfilment, which normally happens soon after the prophecy is given, provides proof that the greater fulfilment will also come to pass. So we need to consider what the minor and major fulfilments are. But first, let’s detail what the signs are, as listed in Luke 21.
- False Christs (Verse 8)
- Wars and Revolutions (Verse 9 & 10)
- Earthquakes (Verse 11)
- Famines (Verse 11)
- Plagues or Pestilences (Verse 11)
- Fearful Events (Verse 11)
- Signs from heaven (Verse 11)
- Persecution of Believers by Authorities(Verse 12)
- Betrayal of Believers by those close to them (Verse 16)
- Believers hated because of Christ (Verse 17)
- Jerusalem surrounded (Verse 20)
- Jews will fall by the sword, be taken prisoner and be dispersed (Verse 24)
- Jerusalem trampled by the Gentiles (non-Jews) until the end of the Gentile times (Verse 24)
- Signs in the sun, moon and stars (Verse 25)
- Nations will be in anguish and perplexity (Verse 25)
- Men will faint from terror (Verse 26)
In verse 27, is describes the return of Jesus. Then in verse 29, Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree, saying that when the leaves come out summer is near. For reference, we will call that sign 17.
The minor fulfilment of Christ’s words concerned the destruction of Jerusalem in ‘AD 70’ by the Roman army. This followed a rebellion by the Jews, which is mentioned in our second sign. The relevance of the signs we have numbered 11, 12, and 13 is immediately obvious, but it also introduces something called the Gentile times, which we need to deal with.
The seventeenth sign, as we have numbered it, is the parable of the fig tree. This tree is a symbol of Israel and appeared on many coins etc. Therefore the renewal of the fig tree symbolises the renewal of Israel. This happened in 1948, when the Jews returned to the land to establish an independent state.
The Times of the Gentiles were ended when Jerusalem ceased to be trampled by non-Jews. This happened in the “Six Day” War of 1967, when Israel expelled Jordan and gained total control of the city.These two events that have taken place in direct fulfilment of Bible prophecy, strongly suggest that we re in the Last Days, but what about the other signs?
It is worth noting that critics of Bible prophecy often argue that these “signs” have always happened; for instance, there have always been wars, there have always been famine, earthquakes, plagues etc. This is true, But Jesus himself says in verse 32
“I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.”
So the major fulfilment will occur when ALL these events happen within a certain timescale. The most likely timescale is 40 years, which is the Bible “definition” of a generation. So when all these things have come to pass, there is a definite time-limit. If, for instance the last sign to be fulfilled was the re-capture of Jerusalem from Gentile hands in 1967, then the latest time Jesus could return in order to fulfil prophecy would be 2007.
David Koresh in a 1987 mug shotJim or James Warren Jones, American religious cult leader at an anti-eviction protest in front of the International Hotel in 1977
This also highlights the problem or trying to guess too accurately the return of Jesus. He himself said that he return will not come with “careful observation” but rather it will come suddenly and unexpectedly as a “thief in the night”.
Lastly, Jesus stated that no-one knew when he would return. Jesus did not know himself. Only God knows.
Again, the minor fulfilment gives us encouragement, because Jesus said the words in approximately CE 33 and the destruction of Jerusalem took place in CE 70, just within the 40 year “limit”.There have been numerous False Messiahs over the centuries. One very recent and prominent one was David Koresh, leader of the Branch Davidian sect who perished in the flames of the Waco siege in Texas, USA, 1993. It seems important to false messiahs that they die, rather than admit the failure of their prophecies. They also prefer to take as many as possible of their followers with them. In March 1997 in San Diego, 39 Heaven’s Gate followers [ led by Marshall Applewhite (1931–1997) and Bonnie Nettles (1927–1985)] poison themselves believing UFO would pick them up. In October 1994 in Switzerland, 48 Solar Temple members found burned in chalets. In November 1978 in Guyana, 914 drink cyanide, led by the Rev. Jim Jones.
We don’t need to think hard about the issue of wars. In the last 50 years, there has been the Korean Wars (1950–1953; 1974-1976; 2010-2013 ), the Falklands War (1982), the Vietnam war (1954–75) and the Gulf War (1990-1991), Second Persian Gulf War or Iraq War (2003–11), Afghanistan War (2001–2014) to name but a very few.
Damaged buildings in Port-au-Prince – 2010 Haiti earthquakeThe study of earthquakes is an interesting one. Obviously, communications are much better than they were 500 years ago and the world is more densely populated, so we hear a lot more about earthquakes than we used to. However, if we just look at the last 30 years, in 1970, there were 4,139 recorded earthquakes, in 1980 there were 7,348 earthquakes, an increase of 77% on ten years before. In 1990 there were 16,612 recorded earthquakes, an increase of 126% over the 1980 figure. In 2000, there were 22,256, an increase of 34% over the 1990 figure. So obviously, something is going on!
Famine in Yemen could become one of worst in living memory, UN saysAgain, there have always been famines. The Bible speaks of them often. But they were always either preceded or followed by prosperous years and in this way, the people could put by a little grain each good year to help them through the bad years. The Genesis story of Joseph and the seven fat and seven thin cows bears this out.
The difference now however is that countries are not recovering. Climate changes and Man’s inhumanity to Man are causing countries such as Ethiopia and Sudan to be permanently short of food, despite all the best efforts of the Western Aid agencies.
There have always been plagues and pestilences, but once more, we see a “cluster” of AIDS, BSE, CJD, Foot and Mouth and ME all been prominent in the last few years.
Signs in the heavens, or in the Sun, Moon and Stars can be taken two ways. The first way is the literal way and there have been numerous astronomical “signs” in recent years, such as comets, meteorites etc. The other possible meaning is the symbolic one, where the “heavens” (often translated the “high places”) represent government and the Sun Moon and Stars represent rulers. Taking this route, there are many situations that could have this prophecy applied to them.
We then have three prophecies concerning the persecution of Christ’s followers, namely Christians. This is one prophecy where the past really does seem to have more examples than the present, although persecution does exist, for instance in China and Islamic nations. Perhaps this is one prophecy where we will see greater fulfilment in the near future.
The persecution of the Jews has been a common pastime in western Europe for over 1,000 years. They were persecuted in England in the Middle Ages and In 1858 Lionel de Rothschild became the first Jewish MP who was permitted to take his seat without taking the oath that involved the words “by the true faith of a Christian” and in 1890 the last of the government posts became open to members of the Jewish faith. Russian pogroms, particularly between 1903 and 1906 saw many Jews killed. And of course, we can never forget the 6 million Jews killed in the Second World War.
We hope it is clear that these prophecies apply to the times we are living in now. This means that the return of Christ is imminent. As Jesus says in Luke 21:27
“At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
And again,
“36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
+
Preceding
The Greatness of the eternal God
The New Testament and Judgement
To be prepared for the Day of Judgment
Living as a believer in Christ
A participation in the body of Christ
Do you believe what Christ’s Apostles taught?
Bible Reading: is it worthwhile?
The importance of Reading the Scriptures
The Bible: is it contradictory?
The Development of Differences
Bible Teaching and Vital Doctrines to Discover
Avoiding friction and distraction in the body of Christ
A participation in the body of Christ
Brothers and sisters in Christ for you
The Christadelphians or “Brethren in Christ”
Video: Introducing the Christadelphian Community
Who has the power of prophecy?
Prophecy concerning Babylon and Israel
Why is the nation of Israel being restored?
The Jews have fulfilled Bible Prophecy
Will There Ever be Peace on Earth?
Sign of the Times and the Last Days #1 The Son of man revealing
+
To be prepared and very well oiled
Signs of the times – “An object of scorn and ridicule”
Signs of the times – “A new order in the Middle East”
Memorizing wonderfully 59 Word of God, the Book and finished work
Next: Sign of the Times and the Last Days #3 Coming events revealed in the prophetic wrings
++
Additional reading
- Date Setting
- Jesus … will come in the same way as you saw him go
- The Rapture Wars
- May we be “ready” when Jesus returns
- Increasing turmoil and fear but a rock to look at and go for
- Afraid to see the man of the heavens opened
- Together tasting a great promise
- The corpus separatum and Mahmoud Abbas
+++
Further related articles
- Are We in Danger of Repeating History
- Is it Just Me, or Does it Seem Like Everything is Going Crazy These Days?
- Getting ready for change…
- it’s a sign of the
- The Last Days Acceleration of Time, pt. 2 by Pastor Kevin E. Johnson
- The Last Days Acceleration of Time, Pt. 3 by Pastor Kevin E. Johnson
- The Last Days Acceleration of Time, Pt. 4 by Pastor Kevin E. Johnson
- Jesus Is Coming Back!
- Great Red Dragon Series #4 – Part 196 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoteric Imagery of Revelation
- A Rising Called For!
- “Warning To Be Heeded”
- Yemen: More than 50,000 children expected to die of starvation and disease by end of year
- Famine in Yemen could become one of worst in living memory, UN says
- Yemen on brink of ‘world’s worst famine in 100 years’ if war continues
Rate this:
#1858 #1890 #1948 #1967 #1978 #1994 #1997 #2007 #70 #AstronomicalSigns #BonnieNettles #BranchDavidianOffshootGroupOfTheDavidianSeventhDayAdventistChurch_ #Christians #ClimateChange #DavidKoresh #Earthquake #Ethiopia #FalseMessiah #Famine #FigTree #GentileTimes #HeavenSGateAmericanUFOReligiousMillenarianReligiousGroup_ #JimJones #LastDays #LionelDeRothschild #Luke21 #Luke211617 #Luke2120 #Luke212426 #Luke212428 #Luke212728 #Luke2129 #Luke2136 #Luke217 #Luke21812 #MarshallApplewhite #Matthew24 #OrdreDuTempleSolaireOTSOrOrderOfTheSolarTemple_ #ParableOfTheFigTree #PersecutionOfGodSPeople #PestilenceS_ #ReturnOfChrist #RussianPogromS_ #SecondComing #SecondComingOfChrist #Sign #SignsInTheHeavens #SignsOfEndtimes #SignsOfTheTimes #SixDayWar1967_ #Sudan #TimesOfTheGentiles #WacoSiege #War
-
Sign of the Times and the Last Days #2 Wars, natural disasters, famine and false Messiahs
The first thing to understand about the Last Days is that Jesus Christ will return to Earth to establish his Father’s Kingdom. The Bible says so quite plainly.
“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.” (Acts 1:11)
“The Last Days” is the term used to describe the period of time immediately before the actual re-appearance of Jesus. This is why the subject is of such great interest to Christians today.
The “Signs of the Times” are those events, which suggest to us that the return of Christ is imminent. This is a great source of encouragement for Christians and a warning sign to those who have not committed themselves to Christ that their window of opportunity is closing.
The Signs of the Times are detailed particularly in Matthew chapter 24 and the parallel account in Luke. Jesus is talking to his disciples about the destruction of the Temple and they asked him when this would happen. Jesus replied:
“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” (Luke 21:7).
Jesus then proceeded to list a series of signs.
Before we look at the signs, it is necessary to understand that in prophecy, there are often minor as well as major fulfilments. The minor fulfilment, which normally happens soon after the prophecy is given, provides proof that the greater fulfilment will also come to pass. So we need to consider what the minor and major fulfilments are. But first, let’s detail what the signs are, as listed in Luke 21.
- False Christs (Verse 8)
- Wars and Revolutions (Verse 9 & 10)
- Earthquakes (Verse 11)
- Famines (Verse 11)
- Plagues or Pestilences (Verse 11)
- Fearful Events (Verse 11)
- Signs from heaven (Verse 11)
- Persecution of Believers by Authorities(Verse 12)
- Betrayal of Believers by those close to them (Verse 16)
- Believers hated because of Christ (Verse 17)
- Jerusalem surrounded (Verse 20)
- Jews will fall by the sword, be taken prisoner and be dispersed (Verse 24)
- Jerusalem trampled by the Gentiles (non-Jews) until the end of the Gentile times (Verse 24)
- Signs in the sun, moon and stars (Verse 25)
- Nations will be in anguish and perplexity (Verse 25)
- Men will faint from terror (Verse 26)
In verse 27, is describes the return of Jesus. Then in verse 29, Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree, saying that when the leaves come out summer is near. For reference, we will call that sign 17.
The minor fulfilment of Christ’s words concerned the destruction of Jerusalem in ‘AD 70’ by the Roman army. This followed a rebellion by the Jews, which is mentioned in our second sign. The relevance of the signs we have numbered 11, 12, and 13 is immediately obvious, but it also introduces something called the Gentile times, which we need to deal with.
The seventeenth sign, as we have numbered it, is the parable of the fig tree. This tree is a symbol of Israel and appeared on many coins etc. Therefore the renewal of the fig tree symbolises the renewal of Israel. This happened in 1948, when the Jews returned to the land to establish an independent state.
The Times of the Gentiles were ended when Jerusalem ceased to be trampled by non-Jews. This happened in the “Six Day” War of 1967, when Israel expelled Jordan and gained total control of the city.These two events that have taken place in direct fulfilment of Bible prophecy, strongly suggest that we re in the Last Days, but what about the other signs?
It is worth noting that critics of Bible prophecy often argue that these “signs” have always happened; for instance, there have always been wars, there have always been famine, earthquakes, plagues etc. This is true, But Jesus himself says in verse 32
“I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.”
So the major fulfilment will occur when ALL these events happen within a certain timescale. The most likely timescale is 40 years, which is the Bible “definition” of a generation. So when all these things have come to pass, there is a definite time-limit. If, for instance the last sign to be fulfilled was the re-capture of Jerusalem from Gentile hands in 1967, then the latest time Jesus could return in order to fulfil prophecy would be 2007.
David Koresh in a 1987 mug shotJim or James Warren Jones, American religious cult leader at an anti-eviction protest in front of the International Hotel in 1977
This also highlights the problem or trying to guess too accurately the return of Jesus. He himself said that he return will not come with “careful observation” but rather it will come suddenly and unexpectedly as a “thief in the night”.
Lastly, Jesus stated that no-one knew when he would return. Jesus did not know himself. Only God knows.
Again, the minor fulfilment gives us encouragement, because Jesus said the words in approximately CE 33 and the destruction of Jerusalem took place in CE 70, just within the 40 year “limit”.There have been numerous False Messiahs over the centuries. One very recent and prominent one was David Koresh, leader of the Branch Davidian sect who perished in the flames of the Waco siege in Texas, USA, 1993. It seems important to false messiahs that they die, rather than admit the failure of their prophecies. They also prefer to take as many as possible of their followers with them. In March 1997 in San Diego, 39 Heaven’s Gate followers [ led by Marshall Applewhite (1931–1997) and Bonnie Nettles (1927–1985)] poison themselves believing UFO would pick them up. In October 1994 in Switzerland, 48 Solar Temple members found burned in chalets. In November 1978 in Guyana, 914 drink cyanide, led by the Rev. Jim Jones.
We don’t need to think hard about the issue of wars. In the last 50 years, there has been the Korean Wars (1950–1953; 1974-1976; 2010-2013 ), the Falklands War (1982), the Vietnam war (1954–75) and the Gulf War (1990-1991), Second Persian Gulf War or Iraq War (2003–11), Afghanistan War (2001–2014) to name but a very few.
Damaged buildings in Port-au-Prince – 2010 Haiti earthquakeThe study of earthquakes is an interesting one. Obviously, communications are much better than they were 500 years ago and the world is more densely populated, so we hear a lot more about earthquakes than we used to. However, if we just look at the last 30 years, in 1970, there were 4,139 recorded earthquakes, in 1980 there were 7,348 earthquakes, an increase of 77% on ten years before. In 1990 there were 16,612 recorded earthquakes, an increase of 126% over the 1980 figure. In 2000, there were 22,256, an increase of 34% over the 1990 figure. So obviously, something is going on!
Famine in Yemen could become one of worst in living memory, UN saysAgain, there have always been famines. The Bible speaks of them often. But they were always either preceded or followed by prosperous years and in this way, the people could put by a little grain each good year to help them through the bad years. The Genesis story of Joseph and the seven fat and seven thin cows bears this out.
The difference now however is that countries are not recovering. Climate changes and Man’s inhumanity to Man are causing countries such as Ethiopia and Sudan to be permanently short of food, despite all the best efforts of the Western Aid agencies.
There have always been plagues and pestilences, but once more, we see a “cluster” of AIDS, BSE, CJD, Foot and Mouth and ME all been prominent in the last few years.
Signs in the heavens, or in the Sun, Moon and Stars can be taken two ways. The first way is the literal way and there have been numerous astronomical “signs” in recent years, such as comets, meteorites etc. The other possible meaning is the symbolic one, where the “heavens” (often translated the “high places”) represent government and the Sun Moon and Stars represent rulers. Taking this route, there are many situations that could have this prophecy applied to them.
We then have three prophecies concerning the persecution of Christ’s followers, namely Christians. This is one prophecy where the past really does seem to have more examples than the present, although persecution does exist, for instance in China and Islamic nations. Perhaps this is one prophecy where we will see greater fulfilment in the near future.
The persecution of the Jews has been a common pastime in western Europe for over 1,000 years. They were persecuted in England in the Middle Ages and In 1858 Lionel de Rothschild became the first Jewish MP who was permitted to take his seat without taking the oath that involved the words “by the true faith of a Christian” and in 1890 the last of the government posts became open to members of the Jewish faith. Russian pogroms, particularly between 1903 and 1906 saw many Jews killed. And of course, we can never forget the 6 million Jews killed in the Second World War.
We hope it is clear that these prophecies apply to the times we are living in now. This means that the return of Christ is imminent. As Jesus says in Luke 21:27
“At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
And again,
“36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
+
Preceding
The Greatness of the eternal God
The New Testament and Judgement
To be prepared for the Day of Judgment
Living as a believer in Christ
A participation in the body of Christ
Do you believe what Christ’s Apostles taught?
Bible Reading: is it worthwhile?
The importance of Reading the Scriptures
The Bible: is it contradictory?
The Development of Differences
Bible Teaching and Vital Doctrines to Discover
Avoiding friction and distraction in the body of Christ
A participation in the body of Christ
Brothers and sisters in Christ for you
The Christadelphians or “Brethren in Christ”
Video: Introducing the Christadelphian Community
Who has the power of prophecy?
Prophecy concerning Babylon and Israel
Why is the nation of Israel being restored?
The Jews have fulfilled Bible Prophecy
Will There Ever be Peace on Earth?
Sign of the Times and the Last Days #1 The Son of man revealing
+
To be prepared and very well oiled
Signs of the times – “An object of scorn and ridicule”
Signs of the times – “A new order in the Middle East”
Memorizing wonderfully 59 Word of God, the Book and finished work
Next: Sign of the Times and the Last Days #3 Coming events revealed in the prophetic wrings
++
Additional reading
- Date Setting
- Jesus … will come in the same way as you saw him go
- The Rapture Wars
- May we be “ready” when Jesus returns
- Increasing turmoil and fear but a rock to look at and go for
- Afraid to see the man of the heavens opened
- Together tasting a great promise
- The corpus separatum and Mahmoud Abbas
+++
Further related articles
- Are We in Danger of Repeating History
- Is it Just Me, or Does it Seem Like Everything is Going Crazy These Days?
- Getting ready for change…
- it’s a sign of the
- The Last Days Acceleration of Time, pt. 2 by Pastor Kevin E. Johnson
- The Last Days Acceleration of Time, Pt. 3 by Pastor Kevin E. Johnson
- The Last Days Acceleration of Time, Pt. 4 by Pastor Kevin E. Johnson
- Jesus Is Coming Back!
- Great Red Dragon Series #4 – Part 196 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoteric Imagery of Revelation
- A Rising Called For!
- “Warning To Be Heeded”
- Yemen: More than 50,000 children expected to die of starvation and disease by end of year
- Famine in Yemen could become one of worst in living memory, UN says
- Yemen on brink of ‘world’s worst famine in 100 years’ if war continues
Rate this:
#1858 #1890 #1948 #1967 #1978 #1994 #1997 #2007 #70 #AstronomicalSigns #BonnieNettles #BranchDavidianOffshootGroupOfTheDavidianSeventhDayAdventistChurch_ #Christians #ClimateChange #DavidKoresh #Earthquake #Ethiopia #FalseMessiah #Famine #FigTree #GentileTimes #HeavenSGateAmericanUFOReligiousMillenarianReligiousGroup_ #JimJones #LastDays #LionelDeRothschild #Luke21 #Luke211617 #Luke2120 #Luke212426 #Luke212428 #Luke212728 #Luke2129 #Luke2136 #Luke217 #Luke21812 #MarshallApplewhite #Matthew24 #OrdreDuTempleSolaireOTSOrOrderOfTheSolarTemple_ #ParableOfTheFigTree #PersecutionOfGodSPeople #PestilenceS_ #ReturnOfChrist #RussianPogromS_ #SecondComing #SecondComingOfChrist #Sign #SignsInTheHeavens #SignsOfEndtimes #SignsOfTheTimes #SixDayWar1967_ #Sudan #TimesOfTheGentiles #WacoSiege #War
-
Sign of the Times and the Last Days #2 Wars, natural disasters, famine and false Messiahs
The first thing to understand about the Last Days is that Jesus Christ will return to Earth to establish his Father’s Kingdom. The Bible says so quite plainly.
“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.” (Acts 1:11)
“The Last Days” is the term used to describe the period of time immediately before the actual re-appearance of Jesus. This is why the subject is of such great interest to Christians today.
The “Signs of the Times” are those events, which suggest to us that the return of Christ is imminent. This is a great source of encouragement for Christians and a warning sign to those who have not committed themselves to Christ that their window of opportunity is closing.
The Signs of the Times are detailed particularly in Matthew chapter 24 and the parallel account in Luke. Jesus is talking to his disciples about the destruction of the Temple and they asked him when this would happen. Jesus replied:
“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” (Luke 21:7).
Jesus then proceeded to list a series of signs.
Before we look at the signs, it is necessary to understand that in prophecy, there are often minor as well as major fulfilments. The minor fulfilment, which normally happens soon after the prophecy is given, provides proof that the greater fulfilment will also come to pass. So we need to consider what the minor and major fulfilments are. But first, let’s detail what the signs are, as listed in Luke 21.
- False Christs (Verse 8)
- Wars and Revolutions (Verse 9 & 10)
- Earthquakes (Verse 11)
- Famines (Verse 11)
- Plagues or Pestilences (Verse 11)
- Fearful Events (Verse 11)
- Signs from heaven (Verse 11)
- Persecution of Believers by Authorities(Verse 12)
- Betrayal of Believers by those close to them (Verse 16)
- Believers hated because of Christ (Verse 17)
- Jerusalem surrounded (Verse 20)
- Jews will fall by the sword, be taken prisoner and be dispersed (Verse 24)
- Jerusalem trampled by the Gentiles (non-Jews) until the end of the Gentile times (Verse 24)
- Signs in the sun, moon and stars (Verse 25)
- Nations will be in anguish and perplexity (Verse 25)
- Men will faint from terror (Verse 26)
In verse 27, is describes the return of Jesus. Then in verse 29, Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree, saying that when the leaves come out summer is near. For reference, we will call that sign 17.
The minor fulfilment of Christ’s words concerned the destruction of Jerusalem in ‘AD 70’ by the Roman army. This followed a rebellion by the Jews, which is mentioned in our second sign. The relevance of the signs we have numbered 11, 12, and 13 is immediately obvious, but it also introduces something called the Gentile times, which we need to deal with.
The seventeenth sign, as we have numbered it, is the parable of the fig tree. This tree is a symbol of Israel and appeared on many coins etc. Therefore the renewal of the fig tree symbolises the renewal of Israel. This happened in 1948, when the Jews returned to the land to establish an independent state.
The Times of the Gentiles were ended when Jerusalem ceased to be trampled by non-Jews. This happened in the “Six Day” War of 1967, when Israel expelled Jordan and gained total control of the city.These two events that have taken place in direct fulfilment of Bible prophecy, strongly suggest that we re in the Last Days, but what about the other signs?
It is worth noting that critics of Bible prophecy often argue that these “signs” have always happened; for instance, there have always been wars, there have always been famine, earthquakes, plagues etc. This is true, But Jesus himself says in verse 32
“I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.”
So the major fulfilment will occur when ALL these events happen within a certain timescale. The most likely timescale is 40 years, which is the Bible “definition” of a generation. So when all these things have come to pass, there is a definite time-limit. If, for instance the last sign to be fulfilled was the re-capture of Jerusalem from Gentile hands in 1967, then the latest time Jesus could return in order to fulfil prophecy would be 2007.
David Koresh in a 1987 mug shotJim or James Warren Jones, American religious cult leader at an anti-eviction protest in front of the International Hotel in 1977
This also highlights the problem or trying to guess too accurately the return of Jesus. He himself said that he return will not come with “careful observation” but rather it will come suddenly and unexpectedly as a “thief in the night”.
Lastly, Jesus stated that no-one knew when he would return. Jesus did not know himself. Only God knows.
Again, the minor fulfilment gives us encouragement, because Jesus said the words in approximately CE 33 and the destruction of Jerusalem took place in CE 70, just within the 40 year “limit”.There have been numerous False Messiahs over the centuries. One very recent and prominent one was David Koresh, leader of the Branch Davidian sect who perished in the flames of the Waco siege in Texas, USA, 1993. It seems important to false messiahs that they die, rather than admit the failure of their prophecies. They also prefer to take as many as possible of their followers with them. In March 1997 in San Diego, 39 Heaven’s Gate followers [ led by Marshall Applewhite (1931–1997) and Bonnie Nettles (1927–1985)] poison themselves believing UFO would pick them up. In October 1994 in Switzerland, 48 Solar Temple members found burned in chalets. In November 1978 in Guyana, 914 drink cyanide, led by the Rev. Jim Jones.
We don’t need to think hard about the issue of wars. In the last 50 years, there has been the Korean Wars (1950–1953; 1974-1976; 2010-2013 ), the Falklands War (1982), the Vietnam war (1954–75) and the Gulf War (1990-1991), Second Persian Gulf War or Iraq War (2003–11), Afghanistan War (2001–2014) to name but a very few.
Damaged buildings in Port-au-Prince – 2010 Haiti earthquakeThe study of earthquakes is an interesting one. Obviously, communications are much better than they were 500 years ago and the world is more densely populated, so we hear a lot more about earthquakes than we used to. However, if we just look at the last 30 years, in 1970, there were 4,139 recorded earthquakes, in 1980 there were 7,348 earthquakes, an increase of 77% on ten years before. In 1990 there were 16,612 recorded earthquakes, an increase of 126% over the 1980 figure. In 2000, there were 22,256, an increase of 34% over the 1990 figure. So obviously, something is going on!
Famine in Yemen could become one of worst in living memory, UN saysAgain, there have always been famines. The Bible speaks of them often. But they were always either preceded or followed by prosperous years and in this way, the people could put by a little grain each good year to help them through the bad years. The Genesis story of Joseph and the seven fat and seven thin cows bears this out.
The difference now however is that countries are not recovering. Climate changes and Man’s inhumanity to Man are causing countries such as Ethiopia and Sudan to be permanently short of food, despite all the best efforts of the Western Aid agencies.
There have always been plagues and pestilences, but once more, we see a “cluster” of AIDS, BSE, CJD, Foot and Mouth and ME all been prominent in the last few years.
Signs in the heavens, or in the Sun, Moon and Stars can be taken two ways. The first way is the literal way and there have been numerous astronomical “signs” in recent years, such as comets, meteorites etc. The other possible meaning is the symbolic one, where the “heavens” (often translated the “high places”) represent government and the Sun Moon and Stars represent rulers. Taking this route, there are many situations that could have this prophecy applied to them.
We then have three prophecies concerning the persecution of Christ’s followers, namely Christians. This is one prophecy where the past really does seem to have more examples than the present, although persecution does exist, for instance in China and Islamic nations. Perhaps this is one prophecy where we will see greater fulfilment in the near future.
The persecution of the Jews has been a common pastime in western Europe for over 1,000 years. They were persecuted in England in the Middle Ages and In 1858 Lionel de Rothschild became the first Jewish MP who was permitted to take his seat without taking the oath that involved the words “by the true faith of a Christian” and in 1890 the last of the government posts became open to members of the Jewish faith. Russian pogroms, particularly between 1903 and 1906 saw many Jews killed. And of course, we can never forget the 6 million Jews killed in the Second World War.
We hope it is clear that these prophecies apply to the times we are living in now. This means that the return of Christ is imminent. As Jesus says in Luke 21:27
“At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
And again,
“36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
+
Preceding
The Greatness of the eternal God
The New Testament and Judgement
To be prepared for the Day of Judgment
Living as a believer in Christ
A participation in the body of Christ
Do you believe what Christ’s Apostles taught?
Bible Reading: is it worthwhile?
The importance of Reading the Scriptures
The Bible: is it contradictory?
The Development of Differences
Bible Teaching and Vital Doctrines to Discover
Avoiding friction and distraction in the body of Christ
A participation in the body of Christ
Brothers and sisters in Christ for you
The Christadelphians or “Brethren in Christ”
Video: Introducing the Christadelphian Community
Who has the power of prophecy?
Prophecy concerning Babylon and Israel
Why is the nation of Israel being restored?
The Jews have fulfilled Bible Prophecy
Will There Ever be Peace on Earth?
Sign of the Times and the Last Days #1 The Son of man revealing
+
To be prepared and very well oiled
Signs of the times – “An object of scorn and ridicule”
Signs of the times – “A new order in the Middle East”
Memorizing wonderfully 59 Word of God, the Book and finished work
Next: Sign of the Times and the Last Days #3 Coming events revealed in the prophetic wrings
++
Additional reading
- Date Setting
- Jesus … will come in the same way as you saw him go
- The Rapture Wars
- May we be “ready” when Jesus returns
- Increasing turmoil and fear but a rock to look at and go for
- Afraid to see the man of the heavens opened
- Together tasting a great promise
- The corpus separatum and Mahmoud Abbas
+++
Further related articles
- Are We in Danger of Repeating History
- Is it Just Me, or Does it Seem Like Everything is Going Crazy These Days?
- Getting ready for change…
- it’s a sign of the
- The Last Days Acceleration of Time, pt. 2 by Pastor Kevin E. Johnson
- The Last Days Acceleration of Time, Pt. 3 by Pastor Kevin E. Johnson
- The Last Days Acceleration of Time, Pt. 4 by Pastor Kevin E. Johnson
- Jesus Is Coming Back!
- Great Red Dragon Series #4 – Part 196 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoteric Imagery of Revelation
- A Rising Called For!
- “Warning To Be Heeded”
- Yemen: More than 50,000 children expected to die of starvation and disease by end of year
- Famine in Yemen could become one of worst in living memory, UN says
- Yemen on brink of ‘world’s worst famine in 100 years’ if war continues
Rate this:
#1858 #1890 #1948 #1967 #1978 #1994 #1997 #2007 #70 #AstronomicalSigns #BonnieNettles #BranchDavidianOffshootGroupOfTheDavidianSeventhDayAdventistChurch_ #Christians #ClimateChange #DavidKoresh #Earthquake #Ethiopia #FalseMessiah #Famine #FigTree #GentileTimes #HeavenSGateAmericanUFOReligiousMillenarianReligiousGroup_ #JimJones #LastDays #LionelDeRothschild #Luke21 #Luke211617 #Luke2120 #Luke212426 #Luke212428 #Luke212728 #Luke2129 #Luke2136 #Luke217 #Luke21812 #MarshallApplewhite #Matthew24 #OrdreDuTempleSolaireOTSOrOrderOfTheSolarTemple_ #ParableOfTheFigTree #PersecutionOfGodSPeople #PestilenceS_ #ReturnOfChrist #RussianPogromS_ #SecondComing #SecondComingOfChrist #Sign #SignsInTheHeavens #SignsOfEndtimes #SignsOfTheTimes #SixDayWar1967_ #Sudan #TimesOfTheGentiles #WacoSiege #War
-
Sign of the Times and the Last Days #2 Wars, natural disasters, famine and false Messiahs
The first thing to understand about the Last Days is that Jesus Christ will return to Earth to establish his Father’s Kingdom. The Bible says so quite plainly.
“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.” (Acts 1:11)
“The Last Days” is the term used to describe the period of time immediately before the actual re-appearance of Jesus. This is why the subject is of such great interest to Christians today.
The “Signs of the Times” are those events, which suggest to us that the return of Christ is imminent. This is a great source of encouragement for Christians and a warning sign to those who have not committed themselves to Christ that their window of opportunity is closing.
The Signs of the Times are detailed particularly in Matthew chapter 24 and the parallel account in Luke. Jesus is talking to his disciples about the destruction of the Temple and they asked him when this would happen. Jesus replied:
“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” (Luke 21:7).
Jesus then proceeded to list a series of signs.
Before we look at the signs, it is necessary to understand that in prophecy, there are often minor as well as major fulfilments. The minor fulfilment, which normally happens soon after the prophecy is given, provides proof that the greater fulfilment will also come to pass. So we need to consider what the minor and major fulfilments are. But first, let’s detail what the signs are, as listed in Luke 21.
- False Christs (Verse 8)
- Wars and Revolutions (Verse 9 & 10)
- Earthquakes (Verse 11)
- Famines (Verse 11)
- Plagues or Pestilences (Verse 11)
- Fearful Events (Verse 11)
- Signs from heaven (Verse 11)
- Persecution of Believers by Authorities(Verse 12)
- Betrayal of Believers by those close to them (Verse 16)
- Believers hated because of Christ (Verse 17)
- Jerusalem surrounded (Verse 20)
- Jews will fall by the sword, be taken prisoner and be dispersed (Verse 24)
- Jerusalem trampled by the Gentiles (non-Jews) until the end of the Gentile times (Verse 24)
- Signs in the sun, moon and stars (Verse 25)
- Nations will be in anguish and perplexity (Verse 25)
- Men will faint from terror (Verse 26)
In verse 27, is describes the return of Jesus. Then in verse 29, Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree, saying that when the leaves come out summer is near. For reference, we will call that sign 17.
The minor fulfilment of Christ’s words concerned the destruction of Jerusalem in ‘AD 70’ by the Roman army. This followed a rebellion by the Jews, which is mentioned in our second sign. The relevance of the signs we have numbered 11, 12, and 13 is immediately obvious, but it also introduces something called the Gentile times, which we need to deal with.
The seventeenth sign, as we have numbered it, is the parable of the fig tree. This tree is a symbol of Israel and appeared on many coins etc. Therefore the renewal of the fig tree symbolises the renewal of Israel. This happened in 1948, when the Jews returned to the land to establish an independent state.
The Times of the Gentiles were ended when Jerusalem ceased to be trampled by non-Jews. This happened in the “Six Day” War of 1967, when Israel expelled Jordan and gained total control of the city.These two events that have taken place in direct fulfilment of Bible prophecy, strongly suggest that we re in the Last Days, but what about the other signs?
It is worth noting that critics of Bible prophecy often argue that these “signs” have always happened; for instance, there have always been wars, there have always been famine, earthquakes, plagues etc. This is true, But Jesus himself says in verse 32
“I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.”
So the major fulfilment will occur when ALL these events happen within a certain timescale. The most likely timescale is 40 years, which is the Bible “definition” of a generation. So when all these things have come to pass, there is a definite time-limit. If, for instance the last sign to be fulfilled was the re-capture of Jerusalem from Gentile hands in 1967, then the latest time Jesus could return in order to fulfil prophecy would be 2007.
David Koresh in a 1987 mug shotJim or James Warren Jones, American religious cult leader at an anti-eviction protest in front of the International Hotel in 1977
This also highlights the problem or trying to guess too accurately the return of Jesus. He himself said that he return will not come with “careful observation” but rather it will come suddenly and unexpectedly as a “thief in the night”.
Lastly, Jesus stated that no-one knew when he would return. Jesus did not know himself. Only God knows.
Again, the minor fulfilment gives us encouragement, because Jesus said the words in approximately CE 33 and the destruction of Jerusalem took place in CE 70, just within the 40 year “limit”.There have been numerous False Messiahs over the centuries. One very recent and prominent one was David Koresh, leader of the Branch Davidian sect who perished in the flames of the Waco siege in Texas, USA, 1993. It seems important to false messiahs that they die, rather than admit the failure of their prophecies. They also prefer to take as many as possible of their followers with them. In March 1997 in San Diego, 39 Heaven’s Gate followers [ led by Marshall Applewhite (1931–1997) and Bonnie Nettles (1927–1985)] poison themselves believing UFO would pick them up. In October 1994 in Switzerland, 48 Solar Temple members found burned in chalets. In November 1978 in Guyana, 914 drink cyanide, led by the Rev. Jim Jones.
We don’t need to think hard about the issue of wars. In the last 50 years, there has been the Korean Wars (1950–1953; 1974-1976; 2010-2013 ), the Falklands War (1982), the Vietnam war (1954–75) and the Gulf War (1990-1991), Second Persian Gulf War or Iraq War (2003–11), Afghanistan War (2001–2014) to name but a very few.
Damaged buildings in Port-au-Prince – 2010 Haiti earthquakeThe study of earthquakes is an interesting one. Obviously, communications are much better than they were 500 years ago and the world is more densely populated, so we hear a lot more about earthquakes than we used to. However, if we just look at the last 30 years, in 1970, there were 4,139 recorded earthquakes, in 1980 there were 7,348 earthquakes, an increase of 77% on ten years before. In 1990 there were 16,612 recorded earthquakes, an increase of 126% over the 1980 figure. In 2000, there were 22,256, an increase of 34% over the 1990 figure. So obviously, something is going on!
Famine in Yemen could become one of worst in living memory, UN saysAgain, there have always been famines. The Bible speaks of them often. But they were always either preceded or followed by prosperous years and in this way, the people could put by a little grain each good year to help them through the bad years. The Genesis story of Joseph and the seven fat and seven thin cows bears this out.
The difference now however is that countries are not recovering. Climate changes and Man’s inhumanity to Man are causing countries such as Ethiopia and Sudan to be permanently short of food, despite all the best efforts of the Western Aid agencies.
There have always been plagues and pestilences, but once more, we see a “cluster” of AIDS, BSE, CJD, Foot and Mouth and ME all been prominent in the last few years.
Signs in the heavens, or in the Sun, Moon and Stars can be taken two ways. The first way is the literal way and there have been numerous astronomical “signs” in recent years, such as comets, meteorites etc. The other possible meaning is the symbolic one, where the “heavens” (often translated the “high places”) represent government and the Sun Moon and Stars represent rulers. Taking this route, there are many situations that could have this prophecy applied to them.
We then have three prophecies concerning the persecution of Christ’s followers, namely Christians. This is one prophecy where the past really does seem to have more examples than the present, although persecution does exist, for instance in China and Islamic nations. Perhaps this is one prophecy where we will see greater fulfilment in the near future.
The persecution of the Jews has been a common pastime in western Europe for over 1,000 years. They were persecuted in England in the Middle Ages and In 1858 Lionel de Rothschild became the first Jewish MP who was permitted to take his seat without taking the oath that involved the words “by the true faith of a Christian” and in 1890 the last of the government posts became open to members of the Jewish faith. Russian pogroms, particularly between 1903 and 1906 saw many Jews killed. And of course, we can never forget the 6 million Jews killed in the Second World War.
We hope it is clear that these prophecies apply to the times we are living in now. This means that the return of Christ is imminent. As Jesus says in Luke 21:27
“At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
And again,
“36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
+
Preceding
The Greatness of the eternal God
The New Testament and Judgement
To be prepared for the Day of Judgment
Living as a believer in Christ
A participation in the body of Christ
Do you believe what Christ’s Apostles taught?
Bible Reading: is it worthwhile?
The importance of Reading the Scriptures
The Bible: is it contradictory?
The Development of Differences
Bible Teaching and Vital Doctrines to Discover
Avoiding friction and distraction in the body of Christ
A participation in the body of Christ
Brothers and sisters in Christ for you
The Christadelphians or “Brethren in Christ”
Video: Introducing the Christadelphian Community
Who has the power of prophecy?
Prophecy concerning Babylon and Israel
Why is the nation of Israel being restored?
The Jews have fulfilled Bible Prophecy
Will There Ever be Peace on Earth?
Sign of the Times and the Last Days #1 The Son of man revealing
+
To be prepared and very well oiled
Signs of the times – “An object of scorn and ridicule”
Signs of the times – “A new order in the Middle East”
Memorizing wonderfully 59 Word of God, the Book and finished work
Next: Sign of the Times and the Last Days #3 Coming events revealed in the prophetic wrings
++
Additional reading
- Date Setting
- Jesus … will come in the same way as you saw him go
- The Rapture Wars
- May we be “ready” when Jesus returns
- Increasing turmoil and fear but a rock to look at and go for
- Afraid to see the man of the heavens opened
- Together tasting a great promise
- The corpus separatum and Mahmoud Abbas
+++
Further related articles
- Are We in Danger of Repeating History
- Is it Just Me, or Does it Seem Like Everything is Going Crazy These Days?
- Getting ready for change…
- it’s a sign of the
- The Last Days Acceleration of Time, pt. 2 by Pastor Kevin E. Johnson
- The Last Days Acceleration of Time, Pt. 3 by Pastor Kevin E. Johnson
- The Last Days Acceleration of Time, Pt. 4 by Pastor Kevin E. Johnson
- Jesus Is Coming Back!
- Great Red Dragon Series #4 – Part 196 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoteric Imagery of Revelation
- A Rising Called For!
- “Warning To Be Heeded”
- Yemen: More than 50,000 children expected to die of starvation and disease by end of year
- Famine in Yemen could become one of worst in living memory, UN says
- Yemen on brink of ‘world’s worst famine in 100 years’ if war continues
Rate this:
#1858 #1890 #1948 #1967 #1978 #1994 #1997 #2007 #70 #AstronomicalSigns #BonnieNettles #BranchDavidianOffshootGroupOfTheDavidianSeventhDayAdventistChurch_ #Christians #ClimateChange #DavidKoresh #Earthquake #Ethiopia #FalseMessiah #Famine #FigTree #GentileTimes #HeavenSGateAmericanUFOReligiousMillenarianReligiousGroup_ #JimJones #LastDays #LionelDeRothschild #Luke21 #Luke211617 #Luke2120 #Luke212426 #Luke212428 #Luke212728 #Luke2129 #Luke2136 #Luke217 #Luke21812 #MarshallApplewhite #Matthew24 #OrdreDuTempleSolaireOTSOrOrderOfTheSolarTemple_ #ParableOfTheFigTree #PersecutionOfGodSPeople #PestilenceS_ #ReturnOfChrist #RussianPogromS_ #SecondComing #SecondComingOfChrist #Sign #SignsInTheHeavens #SignsOfEndtimes #SignsOfTheTimes #SixDayWar1967_ #Sudan #TimesOfTheGentiles #WacoSiege #War
-
All hail the second coming… of my coworker Jesus after doing his reserve duty. #SecondComing #SecondHelping
-
All hail the second coming… of my coworker Jesus after doing his reserve duty. #SecondComing #SecondHelping
-
All hail the second coming… of my coworker Jesus after doing his reserve duty. #SecondComing #SecondHelping
-
All hail the second coming… of my coworker Jesus after doing his reserve duty. #SecondComing #SecondHelping
