Another Look at the Signs of the Times

Matthew 16:1-4 (ESV) (Please read the whole chapter)

1.And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3. And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.

Every now and then we have to take stock of where we are on Gods prophetic calendar. It is necessary for us to reflect on what God has said. We need to remember what we’ve heard from the pulpits, what we’ve heard from all the preachers and teachers, but more importantly, what we read in our own Bible. Our own Bible study is the most important of all because we have faith in God and what He has said in his word. Because we have read it for ourselves and we know He said it. Should we do this, it will renew our sense of urgency about the lateness of the hour for planet Earth as we know it.

If what I’m about to write about is true, and I believe it is, then we are closer to the end of “the age” than we know. The signs of the time God told us about in His word are upon us. All we have to do is read the Bible to find out about it. We will then know how close the end is. The signs of the time that God put in the Bible is to help us understand what He is doing, so we can get in this fight with Him not against Him. God knows the end from the beginning Isaiah 46:10. 

Isaiah 46:10 (KJV) (Please read the whole chapter)

10. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

So it is important for us to know what Bible prophecy is all about and the study of it. God gave us these prophecies so that we can know what He is doing in the world at any moment of time. Since He knows the end from the beginning, we can also know what his prophetic time calendar is and where we are on it. We just need to study Bible prophecy and understand it. This will help us understand the signs of the times that we live in.

I believe it’s our duty as Christian to help the people of Earth and our brothers and sisters in this minefield of spiritual activity. So we can see the lost come to Jesus, because the time is so short we have to be about our Father’s business and that is salvation of souls.

It’s up to us, with the Holy Spirits help, to rightly divide the word of truth. That means keeping everything in its proper context so we know what it really says.

The church was birthed on the day of Pentecost, we read about that in the book of acts chapter 2:1-4 here’s what it says.

 Acts 2:1-4 (KJV) (Please read the whole chapter)

 1. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The church came into being on that day of Pentecost a few weeks after Jesus was resurrected from the dead. This was the beginning of the new covenant that God had prophesied about in Jeremiah 31:31 and echoed in Hebrews 8:8.

Jeremiah 31:31 (KJV) (Please read the whole chapter) 

31. the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Hebrews 8:8 (KJV) (Please read the whole chapter)

8. finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

This being true, that the new covenant started after Jesus rose from the dead, would mean that the four Gospels are part of the Old Testament. Keeping context this would mean that Matthew 24, 25 Mark 13 and Luke 21 are old testament and are speaking to the Jewish people. The olivet discourse is about the Jews.

A lot of Christians want to put the church in these chapters to try and prove the rapture of the church. But if it’s talking about the Jewish people, it cannot be talking about the church. There a few verses there that are talking about people being taken away, but this is not the church or the rapture. I have written other articles concerning these issues.

The mystery of the ages spoken of in Ephesians 3:1-7 spoken of by Paul was taught to him by Jesus Himself. It’s about the church coming into being. And the church has now been here for over 2000 years. But the prophecies that were still unfulfilled about Israel are going to be fulfilled. 

The greatest of these signs is Israel becoming a nation again, this happened on May 14, 1948.(Isaiah 66:8) This is one of the greatest signs of the “signs of the time” of our day that we could ever see. Israel is once again a nation. For 2000 years Israel was not a nation and the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. But in Matthew 24 Jesus said that the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet would take place in the temple. So one day soon, Israel will build a temple so that prophecy can be fulfilled. Which will be another sign of the end days.

Isaiah 43:5-7 says that God will call all his people home to the land of Israel. They will come in unbelief but Ezekiel 36 and 37 says that God will revive them. When considering these verses it’s easy to disprove the “replacement theology” that some in the church believe in. Quite simply “replacement theology” is the church replaced Israel in the economy of God. And this kind of thinking is purely unbiblical.

Isaiah 43:5-7 (KJV) (Please read the whole chapter)

5. Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

6. I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

7. Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

The regathering of the Jews to Israel is another sign of the times that cannot be refuted. God is showing once again, He knows the end from the beginning. By bringing the Jews home to their land, this is a sign we cannot ignore. The Jews going home to Israel is a BIG sign of the times.

Two more prophecies about Israel is in Zachariah 12 and the other one is in Joel 3

Zachariah 12:1-3 (KJV) (Please read the whole chapter)

1.The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

2.Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

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.

Joel 3:1-2 (KJV) (Please read the whole chapter)

1.For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,

2. I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

Zachariah 12:1-3 says all the nations of the world that come against Jerusalem will be crushed. And in Joel 3:1-2 it says those that “part the land of Israel” will be judged severely. Have you ever heard of “the two state solution”? That is what God calls dividing His land. Those that are trying this will be judged. These also are signs that are afoot in our day that God prophesied about over 2000 years ago. 

A few other signs we could point to, would be the wars going on, but of course, the ones in the Bible are speaking about the nations around Israel for the most part. Famines, earthquakes, pestilence, and other things like that. We could say these have been going on for millennia and that is true, but the frequency is increasing faster and faster. 

These are signs that we could point to, but we want to stick to the Bible and what it says. When the Bible gives chapter and verse for something happening in the world, then we know that that is a true sign from God, that He knows the end from the beginning like Isaiah 46 says. Another chapter and verses, I’d like to draw your attention to is 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (KJV) (Please read the whole chapter)

1. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3. Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4. Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof:

If we are unable to see our world in these verses then we have a big problem. Because all of these are signs of the days in which we are living. And it’s going to get worse and worse as time goes on. So the signs are everywhere. I want to mention one more sign and we find that in 1 Timothy 4:1-3.

1 Timothy 4:1-3 (KJV) (Please read the whole chapter)

1. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2. Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

3. Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

It’s very sad, but a lot of churches have fallen into this deception from the devil. They have departed from the faith and they’ve given heed to seducing spirits. And the only way we can combat this is but getting into the word ourselves and finding others that preach the unadulterated full council of God.

Unfortunately, it is a very large list of things some churches are teaching their congregation that are not biblical. Any church that accepts sin and tells the people it’s “OK your only human” is wrong and you should leave it immediately and not look back. God is a Holy God and he does not wink at sin and He will judge it on you or on Jesus at the cross. It’s your choice. Choose Jesus on the cross because your sin will condemn you if you don’t.

It is our duty as a Christian to tell people the truth, and show them the “signs of the times” that are in the Bible, and that we are living in that time so that they might understand also. We must contend for the faith and rightly divide the word of truth because the time is short. All the “signs” we have shown you here are showing you that the time is short. There are many other things that I could write about in this article about the signs of the times, but surely you need something to look into yourself in your own Bible. So please read your own Bible. It is very important.

We have seen that the end days or becoming shorter and shorter by all the signs that we’ve shown from the Bible. The urgency of the hour will not wait on us. Are we in or are we out? Your choice, choose wisely.

FEAR NOT, WE HAVE THIS HOPE

Romans 8:18-23 (ESV) (Please read the whole chapter)

18. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21. that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.