The Signs of Jesus’ Return (Matthew 24:3-9 )
The Signs of Jesus’ Return (Matthew 24:3-9 )
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.
5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.
6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
1. In today’s scripture, Jesus had foretold the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem and so the disciples ask him when this will happen. Jesus then tells them of the signs that will let them know when these events will take place.
2. Humanity is heading toward the end of times and Jesus’ return. The Bible promises Jesus’ Second Coming 1,518 times, almost twice as often as the prediction of Jesus’ birth. Today’s sermon will look into the 10 signs the Bible tells us will mark the beginning of the end.
A) False Messiahs
There are countless different religions, but there are a lot of cults branching from Christianity. Some criticize Christianity because of this fact, but it is because Christianity is truth so many distort it.
Matthew 24:5 says, “For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.” Just as it was predicted, there are over 300 people who claim to be the returned Messiah. 80 of these people exist in South Korea alone including Sun-myoung Moon of the Unification Church, Myeong-suk Jeong of JMS, and Sahng-hong Ahn of the Witnesses of Jesus Church of God. These are all signs of the end.
B) The Revival of the Chosen
IsraelAs Jesus speaks of his own second coming, he says in Matthew 24:32-33, “32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.”
The fig tree symbolizes Israel and its twigs growing tender symbolize its revival. Hence, the revival of Israel marks the coming of Jesus. Israel gained its independence on May 14, 1948. From this we can expect Jesus’ Second Coming to be very near. Israel is the only nation in the world to have disappeared and then be raised up again after 1700 years.
Matthew 24:34 says, “34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” If we consider a “generation” to be roughly 100 years then we can see just how close we are to Jesus’ return.
C) The Gospel Will Be Preached to the Whole World
Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
This generation is incredibly close to spreading the gospel to the whole world. It was calculated in 2005 that if the gospel continues to spread at this rate, we will have preached to the world by 2030.
D) Sexual Sins
1. Sins of sex reflect ones spiritual condition because in the past, God-less generations became increasingly lecherous and sexually corrupt. The Bible also links lust to idolatry. 2 Timothy chapter 3 also identifies the desire for pleasure as one of the signs of the end.
2. Leviticus 18:22 says this about homosexuality: “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.” The world is beginning to accept homosexuality as the norm. This shows us we are near the end.
Korea has always been incredibly conservative about this topic, but recently these walls have been crumbling. Gay rights movements, awareness campaigns on college campuses, and overall social acceptance have been increasing.
A gay student was elected to be the student body president at Seoul University last year. Statistics from 2007 show that over 1 million Koreans identified themselves as homosexuals.
Historically, God’s judgment struck when homosexuality was growing and common. It happened with Sodom and Gomorrah and with the Roman Empire. But these cases were contained in one region. The case today is worldwide, meaning Jesus’ return is close.
E) Corruption of Faith
Luke 18: 8 says, “I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” This passage is telling us that very few will keep their faith as the end nears.
1) Some will abandon faith and follow demons.
1 Timothy 4:1 tells us, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
Around 10 million people seek out fortune-tellers every year, and this number increases by 10% each year. The number of Christians is also decreasing by 3-4% each year. The most surprising thing is that about 30% of the people seeking fortune-tellers are Christians. God’s Words are coming true: more and more people are turning away from faith and seeking the deceptions of demons.
2) People accept that there is more than on way to salvation.
More and more people are saying there is more than one way to salvation. Jesus clearly tells us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
But many pastors and professors are saying otherwise. More and more pastors even preach that Buddhism can give you salvation. People believe Jesus is simply one of the many ways to salvation. Some even say that you can be saved without Jesus and just goodness and good works can save you.
F) Signs in Nature
It is also foretold that just before Jesus’ Second Coming, there will be great natural disasters and changes.
1) Global Climate Change
The cycle of abnormal warm and cold ocean waters near the equator known as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (El Niño during warm and La Niña during cold) has affected floods and droughts, mountain fires and hurricanes.
Industrial development has increase carbon dioxide production, speeding the process of global warming, destroying the ozone layer, melting the polar ice caps and increasing sea levels.
The cyclone that struck Myanmar on May 2, 2008 hit 24 million victims and killed 200,000. This winter has also brought uncharacteristic storms and typhoons. Each year new records are being set, meaning these storms are getting more violent and fatal.
2) Famine and Earthquakes
Matthew 24:7 tells us, “There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” Last year California went through a drought, making it illegal to water plants or wash your car. The price of produce increased.
Earthquakes are also becoming increasingly frequent. There was a total of 153 earthquakes in the 16th century; 378 in the 17th; 640 in the 18th; and 2,119 in the 19th. The 20th century saw a total of over 20,000 earthquakes.
The tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2004 was a result of an earthquake and killed 300,000 people. The earthquake in China of May 2008 killed over 70,000 people. The 7.8 earthquake in Nepal last April killed 8,400.
G) Disease and Epidemics
Luke 21:11 says, “11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.” The epidemic that struck David’s generation killed 70,000. Today’s contagious diseases are much more dangerous and fatal.
The bird flu raised egg prices by 50-60%. In Korea alone the bird flu killed 108 people by April 2009 and if the disease had spread it was predicted to kill anywhere between 2-7.4 million people.
Other epidemics and diseases that struck fear were mad cow disease, SARS, MERS, and the zika virus. These diseases terrified people, destroyed millions of livestock, and shook the political and economic foundation of entire nations.
H) Heavenly Bodies Will Be Shaken
Matthew 24: 29 tells us, “Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”
As the end nears, all these things will come true. The ozone is slowly being destroyed, the sun is growing colder, and we hear more warnings about dangerous collisions with meteors.
Ever since the first nuclear testing in 1945, there have been a total of 2,400 nuclear tests conducted. So many tests have resulted in radiation readings 6 times more than that of nature, leading to increased cases of cancer and mercury poisoning.
I) The Revival of the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church and grown weak and powerless during the Renaissance, but since then it has slowly gained power. Think of the Pope’s speech at the UN and its response last year. Our own president and other leaders of the world praised him. The Catholic Chruch will continue to rise and gain power through world leaders and with that they will end up with a voice in politics.
J) War
Matthew 24:7 says, “7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” This is foretelling the constant and many wars that will litter the world.
Today’s world sees no day without war. War and terrorism attacks nations around the world every day. The numbers of deaths and refugees are constantly increasing. The UN and even the “world’s police”, the USA, are powerless. Nuclear weapons threaten to wipe out the earth with a single button. Russia and China are strengthening their military each day. It is only a matter of time before we see the end.
The world today is playing out just as Jesus said it would. It is time for us to wake up and be alert. We must be aware. Don’t you hear him coming closer? His Second Coming is near. Ask yourself: Are you ready to joyfully meet Jesus?
Translated by ye-bin,Choi