Sings of the End of Days, signs of the return of Jesus Christ

Jesus gave us a multitude of signs not only for the Jews but also for the gentiles. One of His most famous lectures about that is in Matthew 24.

Matthew 24

³ 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?”

Verse 3 says again that Jesus's return is also the end of the age.

⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 

This is already going on, in this day and age there many many false churches which say I AM THE WAY - while the only way is through the Word of Jesus Christ alone. But many churches have other agenda's. Do most common is money. They just want to draw a crowd. And they bend the Word of God to please the world. Because the Word of God is offensive to the World. This is now more then ever that the Truth of the Gospel is being attacked from every direction. So this is a definite sign that we can confirm.

⁶ 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 fact that most people in the time of Jesus could only hear if there was a war that they were in or that it was close by. But multiple wars and rumors of wars? That is something else. Implicitly this references to another time where people have a lot of access to information around the world. Which can contribute to troubled hearts. In the previous century there were about 150 wars! And in this century we are not quite doing any better. But those who believe in Jesus and who have been reborn, have received the peace of Christ. We are not troubled by these events.

⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Notice here that Jesus again speaks on a global scale. And we see all around the world the effects of this prediction in an alarmingly increasing rate. Some say it's the weather. But notice that the prediction is not just looking into the future, it is part of a redemption plan. Meaning God is in control of every step of the way.

⁹ “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 

This reference is the prosecution of Jews. Jews will be hated by all nations, God setup Israel to be stumbling block for all nations. (Which is also a prediction for this time). That is what is going on right now. The war against the Hamas Terrorists is not only that God used the evil they posses against Israel. But also to setup Israel for a stumbling block for the World. God uses gentiles/Muslims to put this in full effect.

¹⁰ And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

For the first part of this sentence "many will be offended" can be found nowadays very strongly with the people who control the media. Many of the share the common distorted worldviews that do not include Christ. It seems when people who are interviewed talk about Christ, then it is later on edited out. Seems to be happening a lot in sports interviews. Also there is a falling away concerning the tablets of God that He gave to Moses. These were symbolically smashed to the ground recently with the message that it is offensive and no longer acceptable for the worldly man. They cooked up a new set of 10 commandments. 

The second part of this sentence about betraying and hate, happens a lot when pagans see within their families someone turning to Jesus Christ that they are banned from the family or worse, mistreated or even killed for the name of the Lord. A strong example you see of this among Muslims, there is no tolerance there at all. They kill. 

¹¹ Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

This sentence you must read in the broadest sense as deception is all around us. Jesus is not just talking false Churches hare that are now around in abundance but also false prophets that want you to believe in aliens and all other sorts of idolatry. All that God hates that takes the attention away from God. Peoples obsessions are idolatrous to God. Except if the obsession is with Him. 

Today, especially on social media and YouTube people are lie like there is no tomorrow. They lie about the news itself they bring, and on YouTube especially they show pictures of what they want to tell you about and nothing of it returns in their video's. It's a lure to get more views. And people seem to already except it as normal. (What?!)

¹² And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

Well, if anything describes this time like no other, it is the generation born close to and in this new century, these people and kids are cold to the bone. Kids murder other kids. They lack good upbringing by their parents who are lazy in doing their upbringing properly. There is lots of infidelity, broken homes, and many will turn cold and become evil to the core. 

All of it is because the parents of these kids already rebel against God. So the kids totally miss out in a Godly upbringing and doctrine. Then everyone stays with their father the devil and they will not repent. Also in these days governments are doing a bad job in legalizing drugs and stealing, abortion and the poison of woke people who destroy the very fabric of a stable family. 

On top of that, the generations of today have a lot to cope with all the temptations around them. A lot of them are strangers to social life because they are all day behind their computer playing blood-spattering games. They don't want to work or don't see the need. All is going down hill. 

So that's what you get. But be sure, the turning away of God is re-payed in judgement by God. Try reading Romans 1, and you'll see the exact order of God's judgement of the United States. 

¹³ But he who endures to the end shall be saved. ¹⁴ 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.

Isn't this great, only in this time news can get to anywhere in the world. As a counter measure to all distractions the Good News is available almost everywhere at the touch of a button. So the gospel will be preached in EVERY nation, even those of which are most unlikely. God will see to that. 

¹⁵ “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), ¹⁶ “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. ¹⁸ And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. ¹⁹ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. ²² And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

Now here we have a very import piece, because here we several events or signs that we need to keep track of. When Jesus speaks here of the "abomination of desolation" he means the man of sin, a world leader which Satan controls. In Daniel 9:27 you will find this text. Besides that we have several signs here that we want to list because the will surface in other texts too, that then may provide more context. It is important that know from prophet Daniel that the man of sin will make a covenant with Israel for seven years, we presume for protection. But he will break that covenant himself halfway when Israel is blissfully unaware and will be taken completely by surprise. So that means if the protection is gone, an attack is close at hand. Because why flee otherwise?

To make sure that we can back track these signs when the covenant is broken I'll code them with FC = False Covenant.

Signs of the breaking of the covenant:

• FC00 - The man of sin stands in the holy place
• FC01 - let those in Judea flee into the mountains
• FC02 - let those who are on the house tops not go down to take anything out of his house (why would they be on the house tops?)
• FC03 - let those who are in the field not go back to get his clothes
• FC04 - but wow to those who are pregnant or who are nurturing babies in those days!
• FC05 - For then there shall be great tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be...

²³ “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you beforehand.

The man of sin will have many many followers and he has a false prophet and beside them there already many false prophets around. The man of sin's trade is deception. The man of sin wants worship to prove to God that people want him more than God. In the time described we get to see great signs an wonders to deceive. Then Jesus says also the elect will be tempted, but there is small chance of that happening because of foreknowledge of the antichrist. 

²⁶ “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ²⁸ For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

Here Christ is showing that his coming will not come unnoticed. So if you did not notice anything, then it do not listen to those who prey on you. If you are without knowledge and not repented then the eagles gather. 

²⁹ “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His ^[d]elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The signs after the tribulation are now (coded AT = After Tribulation):

• AT00 - Sun will be darkened
• AT01 - The moon will NOT give its light
• AT02 - The starts will fall from heaven
• AT03 - The powers of the heavens will be shaken
• AT04 - The Son of Man will appear in heaven...
• AT05 - He will send His angels with a great trumpet sound (= the Trumpet of God?)
• AT06 - Angels will gather the elect

³² “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So you also, when you see all these things, know that ^[e]it is near—at the doors! ³⁴ Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Here is a very very important message from our Lord. He says here that if you can confirm these signs, then you are in the last generation. Because after event/sign AT06 there will be no more generations to follow this generation. Because this Heaven and Earth will pass away to make place for the new Heaven and new Earth where Christs rules with an iron rod. 

³⁶ “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. ³⁷ But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸ For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴² Watch therefore, for you do not know what ^[g]hour your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known what ^[h]hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Beginning or End of the great tribulation?

The base question here, is what is meant by Jesus's return or coming in relation to the day and hour nobody knows.

So is the at the beginning or the end of the great tribulation? 

• First of all. The reference of "that Day" has never been used for when Jesus Christ will set foot on Earth, this has always been the Great Day of our Lord, which is at / around the start of the (Great?) Tribulation. I am being careful here, because there is a distinction between tribulation (for some churches) and the great tribulation - and that is not investigated yet.
• Then a comparison is made with the flood, that, except for Noah and his family, everyone else was totally unaware that the flood was coming and wrath was upon them. And that is the same situation with when the Day of the Lord comes, which also comes with wrath. Only the saints will know, and those maybe who know or have been told but not repented. Like Noah told people also. I do not think that after angels preached the Gospel from Heaven over the earth in the great tribulation, that people will be surprised when Jesus Christs sets foot on earth. There is no element of surprise here. Furthermore Noah is saved by the Arc, and the saints will be saved by the rapture.
• What Jesus does not mention unfortunately here is that He will be visible to all flesh in the great tribulation, read the sixth seal. Because when that happens, to all flesh will be clear that Christ has come. See Revelation 6:16-17. That would be when the wrath starts. 

Also the disciples asked 2 questions. These are not one and the same:  "your coming"  is not equal to "the end of the age".

1. What is the sign of your coming? And...
2. The end of the age?

Clearly these are separate events. And they are for real. As Christ's face will be seen over the whole world at the Sixth seal. There is a period that all people around the world would have seen Christ, now that is an arrival, and our Lord does not have to set His foot on land for that. All will agree, He has come! The signs that prelude the coming of Christ need to be checked thoroughly to make sure that the puzzle fits. We should look for the darkened Sun and the blood Moon as these are the first signs mentioned at the Sixth seal. Notice that this differs from the darkened Sun and the Moon will not give her shine. Which is the sign when Christ sets foot on Earth.

Conclusion for now

For the reference "But of that day..." , Matthew 24:36, I lean to the side that this refers to the coming of Christ at the start... most likely the Sixth seal. We have no indication precisely where we could place the rapture. But as we are not appointed to wrath, the rapture should be before Wrath starts. 

⁴⁵ “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. ⁴⁷ Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. ⁴⁸ But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ ⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, ⁵⁰ the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, ⁵¹ and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In these final verses of the great sermon on the mount Jesus says that everyone should persevere, and be faithful to the Lord. As those who are faithful obey Him. And the faithful, the righteous, will be appointed as rulers and the wicked will be thrown into the lake of fire. 

Main conclusion

Looking at the signs that Jesus gave us from Matthew 24 we can only conclude that we are indeed in the end-days. All the signs are there. But Jesus said that these are the beginning of sorrows. One of the major next signs is the coming of the man of sin. Not sure yet - as we have not reached the full range of this study yet, if we are going to be seeing the abomination of desolation or not. Meaning, are we raptured before the man of sin is on the world stage or around the time the great tribulation starts.

If we see the man of sin, the true Christians know the countdown. But question remains when will he be revealed. It is not said anywhere that the antichrist is revealed when he sets up the covenant for Israel. So at least we need to look for the covenant with many (not all) that " protects"  Israel for seven years. Then we have arrived in the last week (= 7 years) of Daniel.

Further Study

Sixth seal signs.