Biblical Signs of Christ's coming, and of the End of the World - Part 1

Added: 11.11.2010
Views: 466100x
Topics: Sign of the times over, the second coming of Jesus Christ

Tisk

Today, most of us have the feeling that something is happening in the world, something is different than it was before. There is more violence, more disasters, more fear and threats. A large number of families split up, children are disobedient to their parents and have no respect for old people. There is an increase in terrible diseases and hunger in contrast to revelry and frivolous wasting of food and finance. People are selfish and are interested only in themselves, regardless of others. Today, nature is so devastated that the scientists predict the Earth cannot endure that for a long time. The climate changes, huge quantities of plant and animal species disappear and our sun is starting to burn more and more. Floods in different parts of the world are more frequent than ever. However, the Bible predicts that all. Biblical signs that have to fulfill before Jesus Christ's coming are clearly being fulfilled right before our eyes.

2nd Timothy 3:1-5 - 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, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Jesus Christ was asked by His disciples a direct question concerning the signs of His second coming and the end of the world. Then, three evangelists recorded, what Jesus said in this regard. We can find these signs listed in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, in the book of Revelation, and in the book of Daniel and others. In the above mentioned chapters, Christ predicted, at the same time, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. It is necessary to distinguish the text speaking about Jerusalem from those speaking about the end of the world.

Mark 13:32-33 - But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

The fact that only the Father knows the day of Christ's glorious return does not mean we should ignore this event. No way!!! Nobody can predict the exact day and hour (as a fixed date) of His coming. Yet, we can clearly distinguish the “time” of His coming (as a particular period), basing on many prophesized “signs”. One of the reasons of Christian belief, are the predicted and fulfilling signs of Christ's coming. Just as the Pharisees could recognize the signs in their times, Jesus expects us to recognize the signs of His imminent return.

Signs of the Second Coming can be divided into two groups – signs in the nature and signs in the community.

GROUP 1 – SIGNS IN NATURE - prophecies have begun to fulfill in the days immediately after the great tribulation

THERE SHALL BE GREAT TRIBULATION - Matthew 24:21 - For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Matthew 24:15,21 - "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) - (we shall study this issue in other prophecies). For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Religious people began to be persecuted, but the tribulation peaked only during the medieval dark ages, when the pagan Church and its Inquisition persecuted believers from 538 to 1798, for the entire 1260 years. At the end of these years, after that tribulation, several of the predicted signs appeared.

Great earthquake - Revelation 6:12 - And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

On the 1st of November 1755, there occurred a massive, devastating earthquake accompanied by a tsunami. Though commonly known as the earthquake of Lisbon, it extended to the greater part of Europe, Africa, and America. It was felt in Greenland, in the West Indies, in the island of Madeira, in Norway and Sweden, Great Britain and Ireland. It pervaded an extent of not less than four million square miles.

Lisbon earthquake brought huge material losses and casualties, but it also had a great impact on people's minds. It came at the onset of "Enlightenment and the Age of Reason”, when people opposed to God and therefore it was seen as a manifestation of God's wrath and prophetic sign of the end. The spiritual dimension of this event left a deeper mark on people, than physical damage. People returned to the Bible and to the study of prophecies.

At Lisbon “a sound of thunder was heard underground, and immediately afterwards a violent shock threw down the greater part of that city. In the course of about six minutes sixty thousand persons perished. The sea first retired, and laid the bar dry; it then rolled in, rising fifty feet or more above its ordinary level.” “Among other extraordinary events related to have occurred at Lisbon during the catastrophe, was the subsidence of a new quay, built entirely of marble, at an immense expense. A great concourse of people had collected there for safety, as a spot where they might be beyond the reach of falling ruins; but suddenly the quay sank down with all the people on it, and not one of the dead bodies ever floated to the surface.” (Sir Charles Lyell, Principles of Geology, p. 495)

““The shock” of the earthquake “was instantly followed by the fall of every church and convent, almost all the large public buildings, and more than one fourth of the houses. In about two hours after the shock, fires broke out in different quarters, and raged with such violence for the space of nearly three days, that the city was completely desolated. The earthquake happened on a holyday, when the churches and convents were full of people, very few of whom escaped.” (Encyclopedia Americana, art. “Lisbon”).

And certainly there is no doubt that the number of earthquakes in recent years increases dramatically worldwide. We came to the point when we are already not able to perceive it. Statistics are astonishing.

The sun will be darkened - Matthew 24:29 - "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened.”

On the 19th of May, 1780, occurred a special solar eclipse, known as "New England's Dark Day." “Almost, if not altogether alone, as the most mysterious and as yet unexplained phenomenon of its kind, ... stands the dark day of May 19, 1780,—a most unaccountable darkening of the whole visible heavens and atmosphere in New England.” (RM Devens, Our First Century, p. 89)

Samuel Williams of Harvard reported that "this extraordinary darkness came on between the hours of 10 and 11 A. M. and continued till the middle of the next night." "Fear, anxiety, and awe gradually filled the minds of the people. Women stood at the door, looking out upon the dark landscape; men returned from their labor in the fields; the carpenter left his tools, the blacksmith his forge, the tradesman his counter. Schools were dismissed, and tremblingly the children fled homeward. Travelers put up at the nearest farmhouse. ‘What is coming?’ queried every lip and heart. It seemed as if a hurricane was about to dash across the land, or as if it was the day of the consummation of all things."

MOON will not give its light - Mark 13:24 - "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, ...”

After the great dark day, according to many witnesses, there was almost a full moon, but the darkness lasted until midnight, and the moon had the appearance of blood.

Revelation 6:12 - And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

“Nor was the darkness of the night less uncommon and terrifying than that of the day; notwithstanding there was almost a full moon, no object was discernible but by the help of some artificial light, which, when seen from the neighboring houses and other places at a distance, appeared through a kind of Egyptian darkness which seemed almost impervious to the rays.” (Isaiah Thomas, Massachusetts Spy; or, American Oracle of Liberty, vol. 10, No. 472 (May 25, 1780))

Said an eyewitness of the scene: “I could not help conceiving at the time, that if every luminous body in the universe had been shrouded in impenetrable shades, or struck out of existence, the darkness could not have been more complete.” (Letter by Dr. Samuel Tenney, of Exeter, New Hampshire, December, 1785 (in Massachusetts Historical Society Collections, 1792, 1st series, vol. 1, p. 97))

THE STARS will fall from heaven - Matthew 24:29 - " Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven…

On the 13 of November, 1833, there was the most extensive meteoric shower which has ever been recorded. It was estimated that a single observer could see an average of 60,000 meteors per hour. This phenomenon was seen from Canada to Mexico and from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.

An eyewitness described the event as follows: "There was scarcely a space in the firmament which was not filled at every instant with these falling stars; still at times they would shower down in groups -- calling to mind the 'fig tree, casting her untimely figs when shaken by a mighty wind.” (American Journal of Science and Arts, 1834, str. 385) Many thought that the end of the world was coming…

Revelation 6:13 - And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

The  roaring and tossing of the sea - Luke 21:25 - "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring”

This prophecy fulfilled, and is still fulfilling. Today, almost everyone knows, what tsunami is. On the 24th of August 1883, there was a massive eruption of the volcano at Krakatoa. A black cloud of ash ascended to a height of 27 km. The eruption caused four tsunamis which are believed to have been over 30 meters high. Secondary waves were recorded on tidal gauges as far away as the English Channel. The sound of the eruption was so loud that it was heard thousands of kilometers far – e.g. as far as Mauritius and the nordwest coast of Australia. The explosion and tsunami killed more than 36,000 people, 165 towns and villages were completely destroyed and other 132 seriousky damaged.

On the 26th of December 2004 a very strong earthquake that occurred in the Indian Ocean triggered a tsunami that reached height of up to thirty meters. This large wave hit the tourist resorts and areas in many states. Estimated number of lives lost varies. According to CTK (Czech News Agengy), 228,000 people were killed and millions more were thrown into poverty.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, scientists registered a total of 1096 tsunamis since 1900.

Powers of heaven shall be shaken - Luke 21:26 - Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Revelation 6:14 - And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

This prophecy has yet to meet its fulfillment. As we can see, the end of time is approaching. Why do we think Jesus Christ will come soon? There are many other prophecies concerning our society that are meeting fulfillment only in our days. The 20th century was completely different from the previous ones and we shall discuss these signs in Part 2. There are more prophecies dealing with the conditions of the world before the coming of Jesus Christ.

Sun Scorches people with fire - Revelation 16:8 - And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

There's no doubt that the sun burns more and more. Sun's rays are increasingly sharper and almost everyone knows about the concept of global warming. We almost cannot stand in the sun without protective creams and sunglasses. Predictions of scientists are not rosy. They expect a strong increase in solar activity.

According to NASA, the Earth is threatened by a solar activity that will occur in 2013. It shall cause a huge solar storm able to eliminate communication and navigation satellites, and also electric power distribution systems, transport and bank systems, and also personal electronic devices such as computers or mobile phones.

Affected environment - Isaiah 24:5 - The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

The fact that the Earth is defiled is striking. The Earth is tired of people's predatory behavior. Each region of the Earth is affected and unless Jesus Christ comes soon, the Earth will not endure any longer. Whether the sea, or the atmosphere, the ecosystem, the land, everything has been affected and has been suffering especially in the last century.

Earthquakes in various places - Matthew 24:7 - and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

Today, I think, it is clear to everyone that the number of earthquakes and natural disasters has become incommensurately higher than ever. There have always been disasters. But they have never been so numerous and in such a scale.

U.S. Geological Suvrvey stated that since 1990 the total number of earthquakes recorded by scientists all around the world has been constantly increasing. Yet the ways of measurement have been the same since then. In 2004, there was a total of 31,201 earthquakes, which is almost twice as much as in 1990. As known, earthquakes in 2004 caused 284,012 casualties.

Matthew 24:33-34 - So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Matthew 24:44,48-51 – Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. ….  But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

What kind of servants are we? The ones, who are waiting for, or those, who are benumbed and do not perceive the word of Christ?

It is not excluded that signs in the nature will occur once again.