While signs of the end times like natural disasters, wars, and godlessness are increasing, Jesus warned that these things alone do not indicate his imminent return. The Bible prophecies that the last days will feature false teachers, a revived Israel, and global upheaval. However, no one knows the exact timing; followers are instead called to watch, pray, and discern through studying Scripture. Maintaining faith and readiness is key until Christ's coming.

1. Signs of the End Times – 7th
March 2017
“Don’tlet anyonedeceive you inany way, for that daywill not come until the rebellionoccurs andthe
man oflawlessnessisrevealed, the mandoomed to destruction.”(2Thessalonians2:3).
Earthquakes,tsunamis,wildfires,tornadoes, massanimalsdying.These thingsare justa fractionof the
destroyingforcesragingthroughoutourworld.Nature isn'tthe onlythinggoingwronginourworld
today.Everythingelse seemstobe goinghorriblywrongtoo.War,terrorism, economictrouble,increase
insin and Godlessness.Confusionandstrife reignseverywhere inthisworldtoday. Itseemstousthat
God iswithdrawingHisSpiritfromthe earthreadyforthe lastdaysand Satan isgainingmore and more
control. The worldisin such a messthese daysthatevennonreligiouspeopleare startingtothinkwhat
isgoingon and whatwill become of all this.Whyare all these thingshappeninginourday?The answer
can onlybe foundthrougha source that the majorityof people have forgottenabout... THE BIBLE!
Whenyoustudy the Word of God you will see thatthese thingswere prophesiedtohappenalongtime
ago. It isthenthat the mysterybeginstounfoldandoureyesbegintoopenas to whythisworldisin
such a terrible state.
We can getan understandingwhenwe readfromMatthew 24 whichgivesussome importantcluesfor
discerningthe approachof the endtimes: “ Formanywill come in my name, claiming,‘Iam the
Messiah,’andwill deceive many. 6
Youwill hear of wars andrumors of wars, but see to it that you are
not alarmed.Such thingsmust happen,butthe end isstill to come. 7
Nationwill riseagainstnation,
and kingdomagainstkingdom.There will be faminesandearthquakes invariousplaces. 8
All these are
the beginningofbirth pains.”(Matthew24:5–8).
Some interpreters wrongfully pointtoeveryearthquake,everypolitical upheaval,andeveryattackon
Israel as a sure signthat the endtimesare rapidlyapproaching.Whilethe eventsmaysignal the
approach of the last days,theyare not necessarilyindicatorsthatthe endtimeshave arrived!The
apostle Paul warnedthatthe lastdays wouldbringa markedincrease infalse teaching. We canlearn
thisfrom1 Timothy 4:1 “The Spiritclearly saysthat in later times some will abandonthe faithand
followdeceivingspiritsandthingstaught by demons.” The lastdays are describedas“periloustimes”
because of the increasinglyevil characterof manand people whoactively“oppose the truth” aswe can
learnfrom2 Timothy3:1–7, “But mark this: There will be terrible times inthe lastdays. 2
Peoplewill be
lovers ofthemselves, loversof money, boastful,proud,abusive,disobedienttotheir parents,
ungrateful,unholy, 3
withoutlove,unforgiving,slanderous,withoutself-control,brutal,notloversof
the good, 4
treacherous, rash, conceited,lovers ofpleasure rather than lovers ofGod— 5
havinga form
of godlinessbutdenyingits power. Have nothingto do withsuch people.6
Theyare the kind whoworm
their way into homesand gaincontrol over gulliblewomen,who are loadeddown with sinsandare
swayed by all kindsof evil desires, 7
alwayslearningbut never able to come to a knowledge ofthe
truth.”
Otherpossible signswouldinclude arebuildingof aJewishtemple inJerusalem,increasedhostility
towardIsrael,andadvancestowarda one-worldgovernment.The mostprominentsignof the end
times,however,isthe nationof Israel.In1948, Israel wasrecognizedasa sovereignstate,essentiallyfor
the firsttime since AD70…after almost2000 years. God promised Abrahamthathisposteritywould
have Canaan as “an everlastingpossession” aswe can read from Genesis17:8, “The whole landof

2. Canaan,where you nowreside as a foreigner, I will give as aneverlastingpossessionto you andyour
descendantsafter you; and I will be their God.”
We can alsolearnthat inthe bible the bookof Ezekiel prophesiedaphysical andspiritual resuscitation
of Israel.We can learnfrom Ezekiel 37:25-27, “They will livein the land I gave to my servant Jacob,the
landwhere your ancestorslived.They andtheir childrenandtheir children’schildrenwill live there
forever, and Davidmy servant will be their princeforever. 26
Iwill make a covenantof peace with
them; it will be aneverlastingcovenant. I will establishthem andincrease their numbers, andI will
put my sanctuaryamongthem forever. 27
Mydwellingplacewill be withthem; I will be their God,and
they will be my people. 28
Then the nationswill know that I the LORD make Israel holy,when my
sanctuaryis amongthem forever.”HavingIsrael asa nationinitsownland isimportantinlightof end-
timesprophecybecause of Israel’sprominence ineschatology asstatedin Daniel 10:14, “NowI have
come to explainto you what will happento your peoplein the future, for the visionconcerns a time
yet to come.”
We can onlyknowwhatis tocome butNOT whenitis to come.We can obtaina goodunderstanding
whenwe readMatthew24. WhenHis disciplesask Jesusaboutthe endtimeswe canlearnfrom
Matthew 24:3-8, “As Jesuswas sittingon the Mount of Olives,the disciplescameto him privately.
“Tell us,” they said,“whenwill this happen,andwhat will be the signofyour comingand of the end of
the age?”4
Jesusanswered: “Watchoutthat no one deceives you. 5
Formany will come in my name,
claiming, ‘Iam the Messiah,’andwill deceive many. 6
Youwill hear of wars and rumorsof wars, but
see to it that youare not alarmed.Such thingsmusthappen,but the end isstill to come. 7
Nationwill
rise againstnation,andkingdomagainstkingdom.There will be faminesandearthquakesin various
places.8
All these are the beginningofbirthpains.”
Jesushasavailed usthese signs andtherefore we canbe wise anddiscerninginregardtothe
expectationof the endtimes. Jesuswarnsusthatwe shouldnot,interpretanyof these singularevents
as a clear indicationof the soonarrival of the endtimes. We can getfurtherunderstandingfrom
Matthew 24:17-25, “Let no one on the housetopgo down to take anythingout ofthe house. 18
Let no
one in the fieldgo back to get their cloak. 19
How dreadful it will be in thosedays for pregnantwomen
and nursingmothers! 20
Praythat your flightwill not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21
For then
there will be great distress, unequaledfromthe beginningofthe worlduntil now—andnever to be
equaledagain.22
“Ifthosedayshad notbeen cut short,no one wouldsurvive, but forthe sake of the
elect those days will be shortened. 23
At that time ifanyone saysto you, ‘Look,here is the Messiah!’or,
‘There he is!’do not believe it. 24
Forfalsemessiahsand falseprophets will appearand perform great
signsand wondersto deceive, if possible,even the elect. 25
See, I have told youahead of time.”
Therefore throughthe Bible, Godhasgivenusenoughinformation thatwe canbe prepared,andthatis
whatwe are calledto be as our hearts:“He who testifiesto these thingssays, “Yes,I am coming
soon.”Amen.Come,Lord Jesus.” (Revelation22:20).