We are in amazing times that are full of Signs that show we are very near the return of the Lord. The trouble is we have been brought up with these Signs all our lives and don’t think they are all that special. The world is full of ‘wonders’ since the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s. With the harnessing of steam, oil, electricity and now the sun, the world has been flooded with amazing inventions that were unimaginable in previous generations. Things beyond their wildest dreams like horseless carriages, flying machines and electric light bulbs just to name a few. The bible says that this is what will happen just before the Lord returns. The question is. “Do we see these ‘Signs’? If so what should be our reasonable response?
Over the last 200 years there has been a lot said in the Church about the 2nd Coming of the Lord. This is a good thing, because for hundreds of years in the 'Dark Ages', the Church was told very little about this awesome coming event. During that time the Church was asleep, and they weren't on their toes prepared and waiting for the Lord's Coming.
Even today there are Churches that are not taught about the Lord's Return and the people are also asleep, unprepared, like those 5 Foolish Virgins in Matthew 25. There are many people today who scoff about this End time teaching, and say that it has been spoken about now for so long and it hasn't happened yet, and never will. Look at 2 Peter 3:3-10. The Lord assures us in this chapter that His Return will surely come to pass, just as the Flood came thousands of years earlier, as judgment upon a sinful world.
“Watch therefore, for you don't know in what hour your Lord comes.” Matthew 24:42
It tells us here in Matthew 24 that we must be “watchful” for the Lord’s Return. This word “Watch” is “Agrupneo” in Greek, and means to be “Alert and intent upon a thing.” Like a Guard on guard duty. He would stand upon the walls of the city and look at the horizon continually, to see if there were any “signs” that would show if the enemy was approaching, like clouds of dust on the horizon from approaching chariots or camp fires at night. We are to be like these guards, looking to see if there are any ‘Signs’ to show that the Lord is coming back. The Bible tells us that we don’t know exactly when He’s coming, but we will know THE SEASON of the Lord’s Return.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.“ Matthew 24:36
“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” Thessalonians 5:1-2.
We don't know the day or the hour, but are not to be ignorant of "The Season" of the Lord's Return. When you see new growth in God's creation, you know it's the season of Spring, (These are "Signs" of Spring), or when the leaves fall from the trees, you know it’s the season of Autumn. ("Signs" of Autumn). So it is in the season of the Lord's Return, for when you see certain things happening in the world then His coming is surely near. There are many ‘Signs’ to show His soon return.
But just to know when something is going to happen, is not enough. Especially when it is as life changing and as final, as the Lord's Return. You need to respond to the "Signs", and do something about them.
When the Lord was about to send the Flood on a sinful world He gave "Signs" to warn that generation, and was hoping people would respond. There were 3 Signs that I can see in the word that God gave to that generation.
1. God had allowed a man called "Methuselah" to keep living on and on as a "SIGN", until he was 969 years old. Genesis 5:27. His name means that "When I die shall be the breaking forth of the waters." (Schofield’s Bible) The breaking forth of the waters was The Flood and the year Methuselah died was the year of the Flood.
2. Another "SIGN" was the persistent preaching of Noah for over 100 years, through his word and deeds (The building of the Ark), regardless of public opinion. Imagine preaching for 10 years and having no converts, what about 100 years? He'd have to be a "SIGN".
3. Another great "SIGN" was the gathering of all the animals 2 X 2 into the ark. What a miracle to get every creature in there on his or her own accord, with no herding or netting?
When Jesus came the first time, God in His mercy gave a powerful SIGN to the people in Israel and the surrounding regions. It was the "Sign" of A STAR. Everyone saw the Star but not everyone did anything about it. King Herod saw it and the Pharisees too, and also the Shepherds etc., but no one in Israel knew what it meant. Only the Wise Men who came from far away understood the sign and responded to it. We are fast approaching the 2nd Coming of the Lord, and God in His mercy has given us "SIGNS" that are powerful warnings to this generation. Many of them have been with us now for 200 years. We have got so used to them though that we don't "see" them anymore, or understand their meaning. They are so familiar to us that we have become indifferent to them. They are just ‘white noise’.
When I first went to Africa from New Zealand 50 odd years ago, I was amazed by what I saw, with all the different sights over there. But soon the novelty wore off, as I had seen it all so often before. “Oh there is another rhino or another giraffe.” So is it with many of the "Signs" that are with us today, we are indifferent to them. They have just become’ white noise.’ I’d like us to consider these verses in Joel 2:30
WONDERS IN THE HEAVENS
“I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, fire, and pillars of smoke.” (Joel 2:30)
Imagine what it must have been like for the Prophet Joel to see into the future over 2300 years ago? The things that he saw would have been mind boggling for someone from his day. What he saw in the Spirit would have been beyond supernatural and would have seemed only to be the miraculous hand of God. There was nothing like these wonders back then, yet we now take it all for granted.
I don’t know what is still to happen in the heavens, but I can see that there are many ‘Wonders’ already with us and have been now for the last 100-200 years. All these wonders are signs to show that we are near the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. We are brought up with them and don’t see them as anything important, or as SIGNS that we have come to the time of the end.
We need to remember that for thousands of years man had tried to fly, and failed, because the Lord was saving this feat for the "Time of the End," Daniel 12:4. Man was powerless to rise up into the heavens except with a hot air balloon in the 1700s and it had been this way for 5000 years.
For a Prophet to see what we see all the time in the heavens would indeed be a wonder to him. “How can these things be?” Look at all the ‘wonders’ that we see every day in the heavens, in the form of air and space travel. Thousands of ‘heavier than air’ machines are in the skies every day, along with drones and rockets. There are now thousands of satellites that monitor the weather over the whole planet, and others that beam down TV signals and Radio communications to earth. All this has only been since the early 1900s and now in the space of 100 odd years we are landing drones on Mars.
1903 AD Man began to fly
1912 AD Man used planes in warfare
1941 AD The first Jet Aircraft
1957 AD Sputnik was sent into space
1957 AD Dogs were sent into space
1961 AD Man was sent into space
1969 AD Man landed on the moon
1971 AD Manned Space Station
1981 AD The Space Shuttle flew into space
2012 AD Curiosity Rover lands on Mars
WONDERS ON THE EARTH…
“I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, fire, and pillars of smoke.” Joel 2:30
Again for a Prophet like Joel to see what we see every day on this earth, would be a real ‘wonder’ to him. Consider the wonders that have appeared on the earth since the 1800s. Telephones have only been with us since 1877AD and radios weren’t invented until 1890AD. Television came in 1951AD and so many other amazing things have since been invented. From automobiles to computers, movies, the internet, mobile phones, microwaves and Mp3s just to name a few.
Did you realise that it was only since 1921AD that only 12% of British homes had electric lights? The world is now full of amazing wonders, for we are in that time where knowledge will increase. It’s a sign that Jesus will soon return. It’s the Time of the End mentioned in Daniel 12:4.