Signs of the second coming of Christ
Mt. 24:32-35 (NIV) 32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs become tender and its leaves bud, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you will know that it is near, at the door. 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
INTRODUCTION
This message about the times that will be present before the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ
A. For example, God warned the world before sending the flood: the ark was the sign.
B. Before the Lord delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He sent ten plagues on the Egyptians…the plagues were the signs.
C. Before sending the Israelites into captivity in Babylon, he sent Elijah and Elisha, their miracles became signs.
D. Before sending his Son to be born of a virgin, he set a star in the heavens, the star was one of the signs.
E. Just as Jesus’ first coming was preceded by signs, His second coming will be preceded by signs.
signals.
There will be signs in the world that will correspond to the signs in the word. Jesus said: “When these signs begin to appear, look up because your redemption is near.” We are living in the time when Jesus is going to return. There are several important signs that I want to share with you. I also want to give you some facts and what Heaven will be like for you and me.
I. THE POPULATION EXPLOSION
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 they did not know until the flood came and took them all away, So also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
A. The Lord said it would be like the days of Noah when He returns. In Noah’s time they married and were given in marriage.
1. There was a population explosion at the time. God had told Adam and Eve to fill the earth (Genesis 1:27), but he said nothing about
overfill it.
B. Ecologists and sociologists are concerned that the earth will soon be overpopulated.
It is interesting that history reveals a population of 1 billion people from the time of Adam to the year 1830.
One hundred years later, in the year 1930, there were 2 billion people on earth. From 1930 to 1960, a period of thirty years, the world population stood at 3 billion people. Fifteen years later, in 1975, the population
totaled 4 billion people. Eleven years later, in 1986, the figure rose to 5,000 million people. Eight years later, in
1994, there were 6 billion people. By the end of the decade, there were more than 6 billion people. Today,
we approach almost 7 billion people in the world.
1. In China, for example, the law states that each family is only allowed to have one child. To disobey is to invite accusation and even
persecution.
2. Extreme populations are named as the cause of serious economic and sociological problems, such as unemployment, delinquency,
robbery, violence, hunger and famine.
C. Jesus said that before His coming it would be like the Day of Noah.
D. Just as there was a population explosion then, there will be a population explosion just before the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
II. A PROGRESSION OF KNOWLEDGE
A) The Progress of Knowledge — The mental sign is seen first in the progress of knowledge.
1. Man’s knowledge doubles in less than 6 years.
a. By the time many medical students graduate, much of their previous training is already outdated
b. Printed material doubles in less than 15 years
B) Technology, for example, has developed the laser beam, a concentration of energy in a point of light. It is now used in various
forms of surgeries, sometimes without the need for incisions.
.
B) The pressure on the hearts of men –
Matthew 24:21-22 (NIV) 21 For then there will be great distress, (TROUBLE) unparalleled from the beginning of the world until now—and
never be equal again. 22 “If those days had not been shortened, no one would survive, but for love
because of the elect, those days will be shortened.
1. The mental signal is not only found in the learning of knowledge, it is also found in the pressure on the hearts of men.
2. The Lord said there would be trouble (problems of the nations and perplexities. Perplexity means there is no way out.
3. What an image of today’s people who feel pressured by external stimuli.
4. They see no hope for the future.
5. They see no way out of debts, problems, difficulties or marital tensions.
6. Men’s hearts fail them due to fear (stress, tensions, struggles and the sins of life).
There are now computers that can assimilate the 850,000 words of the Bible five times a second.
Computer chips, no bigger than a little finger nail, can store millions of pieces of information.
There is a calculator that can do more than 1 million calculations in a second. And who would? There was
thought in the late 1970s that we could send a spacecraft 35 million miles away to Mars that would be
controlled in Houston? This is the technological sophistication of the age in which In Daniel 12:4,
the prophet et announced that travel and knowledge would increase in the last days.
III. OBSERVE THE MORAL SIGN
Matthew 24:37-38 (NIV)
37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, the people were
eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark;
Jesus said there will be a Sign of explosion of people,
Sign of tremendous advances in knowledge and sign
of great wickedness, just before His return.
A. He referred to the time of His return as the days of Noah (Genesis 6:5),
1. When men’s thoughts were continually evil and God judged the world because of man’s evil thought patterns.
B. What are the outward things today that man’s thoughts tell you? “As is the thought of a man in his heart, so is he”
C. What men read and watch today for entertainment says something about the morality of our society.
1. What used to be found in America’s back alleys is now paraded down our main streets.
2. What was once sacred is now sacrilege and the butt of jokes.
3. What used to annoy and embarrass us is now considered entertainment.
4. What used to amaze us now amuses us.
5. Our value system has been warped and twisted.
6. However, it shouldn’t surprise us that Jesus said there would be moral decline and decay in our society before He returns.
IV. A MIRACULOUS SIGN
Jesus said that the times before His second coming would include a sign of population explosion of people, a sign of advancement in knowledge, a sign of morality(/sub) and a miraculous sign.
Matthew 24:32-34 (NIV) 32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs become tender and its leaves sprout, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you will know that it is near, at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have taken place.
A. This prophecy refers to Israel.
1. He reminds us to keep our eyes on the fig tree. When it starts to bloom you know the end is near.
2. Israel had been extinct as a nation for over 1,900 years, ever since Titus and the Roman legions entered Jerusalem in AD 70 and nearly annihilated the Jewish people, forcing them to flee their own country.
3. The people were sacrificed and Israel died as a nation that day.
4. But she was born again in one day. Isaiah predicted it would happen. On May 14, 1948, Israel became a nation again. David Ben Gurion signed the Declaration of Independence.
5. Jesus said that when the fig tree sprouts, the kingdom is near.
B. Much has been said about the
generation watching this.
1. Look with me at verse 32. He says, “Assuredly, I say to you
that this generation will not pass away until all is
compliment. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words
not pass.”
2. In recent years, many people have taught that a generation is 35 years old, 40 years old or whatever, but I believe we are in the time frame of the Coming of the Lord!!
3. There is only one race that has always been here since the earliest records of history, the Hebrew race, and it still exists today.
4. Jesus confirmed that there would be calamity, chaos, war, affliction, bloodshed and battles, but this race will not pass away until all is fulfilled.
5. Looking at his disciples, Jesus was saying: “Have hope, Israel will not cease to exist. This race, the Hebrew race, will not cease to exist.” And he has continued to live to this day.
It is the sign, a miraculous sign, that Israel is here today. Although there are wars and rumors of war in the Middle East, Israel and the Hebrew race are here to stay as a sign of the times before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION
Before His coming, Jesus said that there would be certain signs that would foretell the times and seasons of His return. He spoke of the Population sign, the Great Learning sign, the moral sign, and the miracle sign: the birth of the nation of Israel that is here to stay. We are living in the times before the return of our Lord. If you know Jesus as Savior, you can have hope and rejoice. If you are not yet a believer, he allows the Holy Spirit to convict you of your sins. Now, put your faith and trust in Jesus as he repents and asks you to be his Savior and Lord, before it is eternally too late.
A) Biblical Facts about Heaven: Read the following facts about Heaven.
1. Heaven is being prepared by Christ Himself. You
You will find this in John 14:3.
2. It is only for those who have been born again.
John 3:3
3. It is described as a glorious city like pure gold and clear glass. Revelation 21:11-18
4. The name of this city is New Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:2
5. It is in the shape of a cube with the length, width, and height being equal. Revelation 21:16
6. Its size is 12,000 furlongs, approximately 14,000 miles in length, width, and height. Revelation 21:16
7. The city rests on twelve layers of foundation stones, with each layer encrusted with different precious gems. Revelation 21:19-20
8. Each foundation is inscribed with the
name of one of the twelve apostles.
Revelation 21:14
9. The wall that surrounds the city is pure jasper
. Revelation 21:18
10. The height of the wall is approximately
216 feet. Revelation 21:17
11. The wall has twelve gates, three on each
from all four sides. Apocalypse…