Matthew 24:3 NKJV — Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
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Sometimes we just miss the obvious. Driving down the open road with the mp3 player on, the kids on their tablets and your spouse listening to a book on the kindle. All of a sudden you miss that one sign that tells you’ “this is where get off” and just like that your lost. Forget looking at a map. No one carries them anymore. Well, it’s time to figure out this GPS thing.
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Signs are important. They tell us what to do, where to go and what to be prepared for but do we really pay attention to them? Over the past 50 to 60 years it seems that we’ve been living in confusing and perilous times. So, what time is it? Are we in the end times and if we are did we miss a sign? Before Jesus was to fulfill what He was destined to do the disciples asked Him what would be the sign of the end of the age and He gave them the answer;
Matthew 24:4-6 NKJV — And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
The disciples also wanted to know when Jesus would return. As we read on in Matthew 24 Jesus gives us another sign;
Courtesy of AP
Matthew 24:7-8 NKJV — “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. “All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Courtesy of AP
Surely we have seen this. World War I and II, Vietnam and Afghanistan. Earthquakes in Japan, Peru and in Alaska but does that mean that His return is just over the horizon? Can we know when Jesus is coming back? No one knows the day or the hour of His return;
Mark 13:32-33 NKJV — “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.
We might not know the exact time but we do have the ability to be aware of the season. What we seek is found in the Holy Scriptures. Those signs include (but are not limited to): the rebirth of Israel as a nation;
Jeremiah 23:7-8 NKJV — “Therefore, behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “that they shall no longer say, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ “but, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell in their own land.”
The Jewish people in control of Jerusalem;
Luke 21:24-28 NKJV — “And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; “men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
A marked increase in travel and knowledge;
Daniel 12:4 NKJV — “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
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Centuries ago, Jesus and the prophets pointed to dozens of signs just like these but we should take a moment and focus on one of those signs. It’s a sign so obvious, people take it for granted. It may even be the most important sign. Yet, while it’s in full view of every man, woman, and child on earth, most people still ignore it. Hard to believe isn’t it? But it’s true. One of the foremost signs of the Second Coming is either ignored or dismissed by almost everyone in the world.
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So what is this sign? It’s the Gospel. That’s right. The spread of the Gospel is the most overlooked sign of the Second Coming. When Jesus was asked, “When will the end come? And what will be the signs of your coming?” He said;
Matthew 24:14 NKJV — “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
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Our generation is on the verge of fulfilling this sign. Right now, through satellites, TV and live streaming on the internet, the Gospel is being preached in every nation on earth. Yet, it’s the number one most overlooked sign. The world, and even many Christians, take it for granted. Technology partially explains the recent explosion of the Gospel. Print books, ebooks, websites, television, radio, and more take the Gospel to millions on a daily basis but is technology solely responsible? Technology alone will not make a message go global. So what will? The power of the message. God is the one behind the spread of the Gospel.
Isaiah 55:9-11 NKJV — “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
How many others have tried to spread a different message and failed? The Gospel has spread because it’s the Word of God. The Bible says the Word of God always produces seed for the sower. It will accomplish all God wants it to and prosper everywhere He sends it. No one should take this for granted. After all, the global spread of the Gospel is nothing less than a miracle. When Jesus told His disciples that the Gospel would “be preached in all the world” His followers didn’t even understand what “in all the world” was. Perhaps they had heard of India and China, but Japan, Australia, North and South America?
All these places were unknown to the disciples. No one at the time knew how large the world was or even how many nations existed. The idea of reaching them all was unimaginable. Yet Jesus knew. As God in the flesh, He knew how big the world was and He said the global spread of the Gospel would be a sign of His return. Today, the Gospel circles the globe on a daily basis. Missionaries take it to the most remote corners of the world. Radio and television transmit the Word of God into nations hostile to Christianity, and the Internet brings the Gospel to everyone with an electronic device. Yet, despite all this, the spread of the Gospel goes largely unnoticed. Jesus said this would be a sign of His return.
Luke 17:26-30 NKJV — “And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: “They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; “but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. “Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
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We live day to day looking for a sign but when we find the right one we find it hard to believe. We must pray that the Lord will give us the wisdom to seek His guidance so that we will be ready for His return. We must remember the lesson from the people in Noah’s day. They did not believe a flood was coming but the flood did come, and so will Jesus.
Revelation 22:20 NKJV — He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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