Signs of the End Times
Most of this lecture comes from sections of two amazing books. The first is called "World Aflame" by Billy Graham and the second is called "The Bible Has The Answer" by Henry M. Morris and Martin E. Clark.
According to Jesus, there is no way we can predict the definite time of His coming and of the end of this present age. But Jesus expects us to be aware of and even commands us to recognize when His coming is near. (Answers p333-334) Jesus told His disciples that there were signs throughout the Scriptures of His return. They knew that the Old Testament Scriptures were filled with the signs of His first coming and that these Scriptures had prophesied accurately the details of that coming hundreds of years before Jesus was born. (WA p197) Jesus said there would be a future generation with certain characteristics to indicate that the end is near. During this generation all the signs of His coming will converge. Those who are true Christians will be able to read the signs and warn others as Noah did. Today it would seem that those signs are indeed converging for the first time since Christ ascended into heaven. (WA p198)
So what are some of these signs? Compare the following to Matthew Ch. 24 in the Bible.
1st is, a general decline in morality. As stated earlier, our society is experiencing a drastic decline in morals. Billy Graham noted that "The world is on a moral binge such as was not known even in the days of Rome. We have at our fingertips every pleasure that man is capable of enjoying, and man has abused every gift God ever gave him, including sex, until he no longer finds joy and satisfaction in them. (WA p200)
The 2nd sign is, a wide-spread decline in religious faith and an infiltration of false teachers and leaders into Christian churches. Jesus said "many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many." Billy Graham says that this all seems to point to a time of wide-spread hypocrisy when multitudes of people will be herded into the church without having had a personal experience with Jesus Christ. The Bible will be under attack."(WA p200-201) There are many false religions today. Make sure your leaders follow the teachings of the Holy Bible and keep God’s words in proper context.
The 3rd sign is that there will be a prevalence of a naturalistic evolutionary philosophy in science and the coming of scoffers. II Peter chapter 3 verses 3 & 4 state that "There shall come in the last days - scoffers, saying ... all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." Today’s society accepts the idea of uniformitarianism, which is the foundation of the theory of evolution and means that the findings in nature in the present explain the conditions of nature in the past. This is where the idea came from that it took millions of years to form the multi-striated rock layers around the world. Therefore there is no room for catastrophic events to have occurred such as the world-wide flood which would have quickly caused these rock layers.
The 4th sign is that there will be an increase in lawlessness and a rebellious attitude of most of the younger generation. II Timothy chapter 3 verses 1 - 3 says "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, (and) without natural affection." (WA p202) We live in a very selfish society today. There is little respect for others. No wonder we have such a high rate of divorce and broken homes. Family values are at an all time low.
The 5th sign is, a growing conflict between the rich and the poor. While millions of people starve to death, other millions will grow to be very rich. I Timothy 6:10 warns us that "the love of money is the root of all evil." All over the world we see countless people living in substandard conditions in poverty-stricken areas while others in prosperous, wealthy nations live lavish lifestyles.
The 6th sign of the approaching end times is development of an apostate world church and the rapid rise of anti-Christian leaders and philosophers to prepare for the coming of a world totalitarian anti-Christian government with a World Dictator. For this dictator to be effective, all people groups will have to be united. In order to unify all societies, world leaders will set up a world government and a single world leader will emerge. This world leader will be the antichrist. We are already seeing today trends and efforts to develop a world-wide common language, common currency, common government and even a common religion without Jesus. With today’s communication technology, antichrist will be able to quickly and effectively reach and control the entire world.
The 7th sign is the increase of world wars. According to the Bible, wars will become more widespread affecting everyone, more devastating, and more frequent than ever before. War today has become high tech, the most highly developed of all sciences. We have perfected our weapons but failed to perfect the men who use them. (WA p205) With the availability of weapons of mass destruction around the world today, the chance of a world war affecting everyone is very likely. Although the world today desperately longs for peace and constantly talks about peace, the Prince of Peace - Jesus Christ, is never consulted about peace. (WA p206-207)
The 8th sign is the widespread fear and confusion regarding the world’s future. (Answers p335) Billy Graham paraphrased Jesus by saying that He said the generation before His return would be under severe pressure from every point of view and there would be no apparent way out. As men contemplate the future, He said, they will be not only afraid, they will be terrified.
The 9th sign is the drastic growth of knowledge and travel. Daniel 12:4 states that "even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." It was not until this generation that Daniel’s words could have possibly been understood. For the first time since the Scriptures were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we can understand many parts of them in the light of current world events. Daniel was surely talking about our generation - the age of speed and travel and knowledge. (WA p205-206) The rate that human knowledge is doubling has increased exponentially over the past few generations.
The 10th sign is the preaching of the gospel to every nation of the world. Although only a small part of the world’s people will ever turn to Christ, it is necessary that some from all nations at least hear the gospel. Jesus said in Matthew 24:14 that "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Answers p336) Modern travel is allowing the distribution of Bibles world-wide now, and because of modern travel and communication through tapes, CD’s, books, radio, TV, faxes and the internet, it is possible that the prophecy of Matthew 24:14 is being fulfilled in our generation for the first time. (WA p210)
The 11th sign is the widespread persecution of Christians. More Christians are being persecuted around the world today than ever before. Many Christians are treated harshly, imprisoned, and even killed today just for their dedication to their faith in Jesus. The more our societies grow in anti-Christian sentiment, the more we will see our persecution.
The 12th sign is the restoration of Israel as a nation, and the return of Jerusalem to the Jews. There will be turmoil in the Middle East.(Answers p336-338)
Another sign is the intensification of earthquakes and similar physical catastrophes. (Answers p337-338) In the book of Revelation chapters 4 - 18 it describes many weather related catastrophes which indicate that the earth will become completely unpredictable. (Weather & the Bible p147) Also changes in weather patterns will make it difficult to discern between seasons.
These are only a few of the signs given in Scriptures to alert believers (in Jesus) that "the day is approaching." (Hebrews 10:25) All such signs are being fulfilled today, some more intensively today than ever in the past. (Answers p336) Even apart from the Scriptures, the imminent danger of nuclear extermination, the population explosion, the approaching poisoning of our water and air supplies, and the general deterioration of the entire social and physical environment indicate that the world in its present form cannot survive much longer. There is surely no hope apart from Christ. (Answers p336) For the Christian, all is not hopeless unless his affections are centered on the things of this world. If you have been living a life dedicated to God, laying up treasures in heaven, with your affections on things above, then you have no cause for despair and discouragement. (WA p210)
Billy Graham also noted, "To one who accepts the Biblical account, it is exciting to pick up a newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other hand and to watch the almost daily fulfillment of prophetic events. Man is precisely what the Bible says he is. Human nature is behaving exactly as the Bible said it would. The course of human events is flowing just as Christ predicted it would." "The Christian is not to be disturbed by the chaos, violence, strife, bloodshed, and threat of war that fill the pages of our daily newspapers. We know that these things are the consequences of man’s sin and greed. If anything else were happening, we would doubt the Bible. Every day we see a thousand evidences of the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. Every day as I read my newspaper I say: ‘The Bible is true’."
