The Lord didn’t leave us clueless as to the expectation
of His return. He very clearly detailed
what to expect as that time draws near.
One of the most well known teachings on this subject is known as “The
Olivet Discourse,” and was recorded in three of the gospels.
Matthew 24:3–12 “And as he sat upon
the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us,
when shall these things be? and what
shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take
heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am
Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars:
see that ye be not troubled: for all
these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall
rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines,
and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then
shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be
hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and
shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets
shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love
of many shall wax cold.”
Mark 13:5–8 “And Jesus answering
them began to say, Take heed lest any
man deceive you: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And
when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the
end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers
places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.”
Luke 21:8–11 “And he said, Take heed
that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near:
go ye not therefore after them. But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions,
be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. Then said he unto
them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great
earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and
fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.”
In summary, there will be:
·
False Christs
·
Wars and rumors of wars
·
Racial wars
·
Wars between nations
·
Famines
·
Pestilences/diseases
·
Earthquakes
And all of these signs are
said to compare to the “beginning of sorrows,” a reference to birth pains. In other words, they will increase in frequency
and intensity. The evidence throughout
the world speaks for itself.
2
Timothy 3:1–5 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural
affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of
those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than
lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof….”
These
signs speak to the character and morals of the peoples living in the last days. They include:
·
Selfishness
·
Greed
·
Arrogance
·
Speaking with slander and disrespect against God; e.g., using
His name in vain
·
Disobedient children
·
Lack of gratitude
·
Wickedness (as defined by God’s word)
·
Unnatural attitudes toward parents, children, etc.
·
Empty words of promise (It used to be that a man’s word
was sufficient guarantee, but that is certainly no longer the expectation.)
·
People who lie and make false accusations against others
towards their own purposes
·
Lack of self-control
·
Uncontrolled aggression, violent behavior
·
Despising those that live according to the truth of God’s
word
·
Betrayal of friends, the willingness to violate one’s
confidence—again towards one’s own purposes
·
Acting rashly; acting before thinking
·
Self-conceit
And now
we reach the key point: “lovers of
pleasures more than lovers of God”
And
sadly, this list concludes by identifying those who “profess” to be Christians,
but their actions deny their profession.
These people deny the power of God to
save souls and change lives. This is
the most discouraging aspect of the “church” today. It is the most telling trait on this list in
my opinion regarding the “last days.”
The “church” today is in the process of “emerging” and morphing into the
ecumenical church of end times. The word
of God is being misused and abused. The predominant
focus of most churches is more on social functions and humanitarian work without
regard to spreading the gospel or discipling believers. The practices of mysticism are being
incorporated into worship. Tolerance and
unity among faiths are being promoted in disregard of the exclusive truth of
scripture.
John
14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Matthew
7:13–14 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the
way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and
few there be that find it.”
The power of God is being disregarded for the power
of men and evil spirits. Many popular
“Christian” books promote the wisdom of the author—not the wisdom of God as
revealed in scripture. Others present
God and/or spiritual teaching according to their own imagination and desires
rather than as instructed or described in scripture. Many
“new age” beliefs are being promoted and marketed in writings openly
identified as revelations from spirit guides.
Visions of the Virgin Mary and mysterious phenomena are identified as
“from God” when it is obvious that they are contrary to scripture and,
therefore, are occurring according to the powers of the “god of this
world”—Satan.
2 Peter
3:3–4 “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers,
walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming?
for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the
creation.”
Peter
warns us that in the last days there will be many that make fun of those of us
looking forward to the return of Jesus.
They live with complete disregard to the morals of scripture seeking
only to fulfill their fleshly desires.
Their reasoning: Everything is
going along the same way it always has, implying that there is no reason to
think things are going to change.
I have
to add one more scripture from the prophet Zechariah.
Zechariah 12:3 “And in that day will
I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves
with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered
together against it.”
The
headlines daily scream the ongoing fulfillment of this prophecy.
I am
ever looking up and echoing the words of the Apostle John—“Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)
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