End times

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tdickensheets

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SIGNS OF DECEPTION​

One of the major signs of the end times is deception. The Bible warns us of false prophets who will say they are the Messiah. They will also claim they have answers for all the problems of the world. Jesus gives us very specific warnings that speak to our generation now, referenced in Matthew 24. In this passage, Jesus mentions the false prophets who will use wonders to deceive us. These false prophets can include people in government, elected officials and other leaders. We must guard ourselves and be on the lookout for these deceivers. We are also told in the Bible these aren’t ordinary men. In the last days, many will cry out for leaders, and they will turn to these false prophets who claim to have the answers.

HUNGER AND FAMINE​

Another significant sign of the end times is famine and hunger. These are some of the biggest issues plaguing our world right now, and many people are trying to figure out if this is a sign we are entering the end times. According to key statistics, 11 percent of the world’s population is hungry. That means 805 million people are undernourished daily. While we are blessed with a large and fertile planet, millions of people are going hungry each day.

NATURAL DISASTERS​

When natural disasters take place, many people are concerned that they are pointing to the end times. Some of these recent events and disasters include record-breaking heatwaves not only in America and in Europe. People have also cited devastating earthquakes and wildfires that have taken out whole communities. This has come against the backdrop of political tension, which has only left people more fearful.

THE SPREAD OF NEW DISEASES​

Revelation 6:5-8 warns that our world will be rocked by new diseases and subsequent plagues in the end times. Luke 21:11 also cautions that there will be pestilences in various places and fearful events in the last days. Many people have wondered if the COVID-19 pandemic is one of the new diseases the Bible speaks of. Some believe that the pestilences that Jesus referenced will be fulfilled in the first three and a half years of the Tribulation period that comes after the rapture.

WAR​

We are told in scripture that there will be disputes among nations. Scripture warns us that a big sign of Jesus’ ultimate return is discord and war among groups of people. This is another sign many people are wondering about is occurring right now. The Book of Revelation references a period called the Tribulation. During this period, we are told there will be a great deal of war. This war will appear to have no end. The Bible also tells us that as we enter the end times, including national battles, conflicts at the border and race wars.

RUMORS OF WAR​

In addition to listing war as a sign of the end times, Jesus also mentions rumors of war. Many people think that Jesus is simply warning us of war in the last days, but Jesus is really instructing us to not allow rumors of war to concern or alarm us because “the end is not yet.” Jesus was doing the same thing when He spoke of false Christs in Matthew 24:5. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:8 that “all these are the beginning of the birth pains.”

SIGNS IN THE HEAVENS​

God references numerous heavenly signs that point to the end times. The 6th Seal of Revelation goes into great detail about the signs in the heavens which haven’t been witnesses since creation. One of the biggest passages that reference these signs is Revelation 6:12-14. This passage says, “When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.” While many believe these are signs of despair, they are indeed signs of hope.

PERSECUTION​

One of the signs of the end times many people don’t talk about is persecution. During the final days, there will be a rise in the persecution of Christians. We will also see hatred and betrayal increase. In Matthew 24, right before Jesus references the rise of false prophets, He warns the disciples, “Then you will be arrested, persecuted and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from Me and betray and hate each other.” This is why we must be disciplined in our prayer lives.

LAWLESSNESS​

Jesus prophesied in the final days that there would be lawlessness. Many people think the lawlessness associated with the end times is as simple as people disobeying the 10 Commandments. It goes much deeper than this. Remember, Jesus was a big proponent of God’s law. Not only was His life governed by the law, but He also taught people to obey the law. In Second Thessalonians 2:8-9, Paul uses the word lawless to reference the most powerful false religious teacher in the last days. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, Jesus warns us that God will reject those who practice lawlessness.

JESUS​

The most significant sign of the end times is Jesus. In Acts 1, the risen Lord spoke his parting instructions to his followers. They asked the Lord, “Is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” While the disciples didn’t fully understand Jesus’ full purpose, they were filled with the hope that He would act victoriously and decisively on their behalf. Jesus’ response serves as a reminder that while we will not be privy to the exact day and moment of Jesus’ ultimate return, we will not be oblivious to the signs that the day is close.
While the world appears to get darker, and we face more spiritual warfare than ever before, we have real hope through Jesus Christ. He defeated death and remained victorious. We can have the same victory when we put our total faith in our Lord and Savior. When we trust in the words of Jesus and the prophets, we can be better prepared for what’s to come.
 

tdickensheets

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False Bible teachers would be money hungry. They would be smooth talkers, have many followers, and slur the Christian faith (2 Peter 2:1-3)

2. Homosexuality would be increasingly evident at the end of the age (2 Timothy 3:3)

3. Earthquakes would be in diverse places (Matthew 24:7)

4. Stress would be part of living (2 Timothy 3:1)

5. Many wars would erupt (Matthew 24:6)

6. People would forsake the Ten Commandments as a moral code, committing adultery, stealing, lying, and killing (Matthew 24:12)

7. There would be a cold religious system, in denying God's power (2 Timothy 3:5)

8. Men would substitute fantasy in place of Christian truth (2 Timothy 4:4). This is so evident at Christmas when the birth of the Savior is lost behind the myth of Santa Claus.

9. Deadly diseases would be prevalent (Matthew 24:7). The worldwide increase in AIDS deaths is almost inestimable. Over 160,000 Americans die of cancer each year.

10. The fact that God once flooded the earth (the Noahic flood) would be denied (2 Peter 3:5-6). There is a mass of fossil evidence to prove this fact, yet it is flatly ignored by the scientific world because of its uncanny implication.
11. The institution of marriage would be forsaken by many (1 Timothy 4:3)

12. There would be an increase in famines (Matthew 24:7)

13. Increase in vegetarianism would increase (1 Timothy 4:3-4)

14. There would be a cry for peace (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

15. The possession of Jerusalem would be at the center of international turmoil (Zechariah 12:3)

16. Knowledge would increase (Daniel 12:4)

17. There would be hypocrites within the Church (Matthew 13:25-30)

18. There would be an increase of religious cults/false teachers (Matthew 24:11 & 24)

19. The future would seem fearful to many (Luke 21:26)

20. Humanity would become materialistic (2 Timothy 3:4)

21. There would be many involved in travel (Daniel 12:4)

22. The Christian Gospel would be preached as a warning to all nations (Matthew 24:14)

23. Jesus said Christians would be hated "for His name's sake" (Matthew 24:9)

24: 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; 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. (Luke 21:25-26).

25: Youth would become rebellious. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy (2 Timothy 3:2)

26: Men would mock the warning signs of the end of the age saying, "for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." (2 Peter 3:4). The Bible even reveals their motivation, they love lust (verse 3). They fail to understand that a day to the Lord is as a thousand years to us. God is not subject to the time that He created. He can flick through time as we flick through the pages of a history book. The reason He seems to be silent, is because He is patiently waiting, not willing that any perish, but that all come to repentance. http://www.bibleprobe.com/end-time-signs.htm
 
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tdickensheets

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The abundance of natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, landslides, tornadoes, cyclones, floods, etc. in diverse places is a sign of the end time. SCRIPTURE: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. Matthew 24:7
 

tdickensheets

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“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:7-8).
But how close is the end of the world, really? Closer than you might think. First, it’s important to understand that we have been living in the last days for centuries now. When Peter addresses the crowd on the day the Holy Spirit birthed the church, he used as explanation a prophecy from the Old Testament and stated that we are now in the last days, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people” (Acts 2:17). So if we’ve technically been in the last days for the past 2000 years of human history, why has God tarried so long? Look to the Old Testament story of Israel for explanation. God warned the Israelites for hundreds of years about the coming judgment on them as a nation, but He allowed them ample time to repent and change their ways. Ultimately, judgment came at the hands of foreign nations. So when God is warning judgment not just on a nation but on an entire planet and species, it makes sense that God would allow mankind ample time to repent and change our ways, even if that is thousands of years.
But just because God has delayed this long, we should not delude ourselves into thinking the end of the world is far off in the distant future. When the disciples asked Jesus about the end of the age in Matthew 24, here are five signs Jesus gave them that are being fulfilled today.
 

tdickensheets

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5 Reasons We Are Living in the Last Days
By Nathan Jones
Nathan Jones: In Matthew 24:36, Jesus said concerning the timing of His return, “But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven nor the Son, but the Father alone.” So, how then can we know we are truly living in the last days?
Allen Parr of the YouTube channel The BEAT has five good reasons why we are living in the last days. He’s joined us to share those five reasons.
1. People are going to turn away from Christianity and to a lie.
Allen Parr:
One of the main prophecies that the Bible talks about concerning the last days’ prophesies that people are going to turn away from Christianity and adopt a lie. Look at 1 Timothy 4:1 where it talks about how the Spirit expressively says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith. We are seeing a lot of that happening in our culture right now. People are deconstructing our Judeo-Christian society. Obviously, this isn’t some phenomenon that has just been happening as of late, for we’ve long seen a progression towards this end, but the end goal of Humanism supplanting Christianity in our culture has pretty much been reached. And so, I think that is just one of the signs that we are living in the end times.
2. Christians settling for watered-down Christianity.
Allen Parr:
Once again, 2 Timothy says, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.” Paul warned that in the end times the people would gather around them teachers who tickle their ears with feel-good platitudes. So many churches today have been getting away from teaching directly from the Bible. They don’t use the Bible that much, and the Bible seems to be coming under greater and greater attack. So few Christians go to Sunday School anymore. Many Christians are not biblically literate which fuels this ongoing movement away from sound theology to just religious-sounding entertainment, and so this becomes one of the signs of the end times.
3. The moral decay of our society.
Allen Parr:
This third sign which shows that we are living in the last days affects the entire world; it’s worldwide, it’s not just here in our Western culture. Go back to 2 Timothy 3 which says: “That in the last days these things will come. Men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemous…” On and on Paul goes providing this long laundry list of the sinful characteristics which will define society in the last days.
Just look at our world today and you’ll have to admit that our society is morally decaying. We have this glorification of same-sex marriages and LGBTQ+ pride. The moral decay consuming our society has accelerated more it seems than it’s ever been in world history.
Nathan Jones: Men are calling evil good and good evil. Evil is celebrated while good is looked down upon as a vice. And, if you are not actively participating in promoting the evil then you are canceled by the Woke mob. Evil is flourishing in our day!
Allen Parr: Christians are called haters, bigots, homophobes, and many false accusations like that. And, it’s a global phenomenon. Evil is celebrated — in…your…face! It’s almost forced upon you as the new normal. And so, that’s why this decay provides another example as to why we are living in the last days.
4. Wars, rumors of wars, and a world devoid of peace.
One of the signs that Jesus provided in Matthew 24 concerns wars and rumors of wars. Basically, the Lord foretold a world devoid of peace. Jesus said, “You will hear of wars, and rumors of wars, see that you are not troubled for all of these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Once again, we see a lot of this happening, certainly in our day. Of course, today is not the only time there have ever been wars in the history of the world, but it seems to be leveling up a bit more, particularly when you look at things that are happening in Africa and the Middle East related to all of these different tribal wars.
5. An increase in false prophets.
Nathan Jones:
An increase in false christs and false prophets was Jesus’ number one sign that would point to his soon return, right?
Allen Parr: Absolutely. He said, “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” So many people today are calling themselves prophets; it’s like the big thing now. People are claiming to have been given a prophetic word. They say: “God told me this” or “God told me that.”
Even people who aren’t even trying to be prophets among Christians are saying, “God showed me this in a dream” or “God gave me this word for you.” All of these mini false prophets are running around in addition to all of the huge TV personalities that are always claiming, “God said this” or “God said that.” An increase in false prophets stands out as a major sign that we are living in the end times.
Nathan Jones: I visited Watchman Fellowship’s website, a cult-watching ministry. They report that there are some 1,200 different religious organizations in the United States and 500 cults. Catch that — 500 cults! That includes the big ones such as the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Luke 21, Matthew 24, and Mark 13 stand out as excellent passages for what the Bible has to say about the signs of the end times. Jesus provided ten signs in each passage. Allen, you covered five of them. For those who want to read the rest of the list, go to these passages to learn about the other signs of the end times.
Remember what the Lord said in 1 John 2:28, “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He [Jesus] appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed about Him at His coming.” Jesus is coming soon. So, are you abiding in Him? The signs of the end times are happening all over the place, just as the Bible prophesied. God wants your to know that Jesus is coming back.
So, you have to ask yourself: Am I ready? Allen, how can someone be ready for the Lord’s return?
Allen Parr: We have to prepare ourselves. Jesus told us the Parable of the Talents, emphasizing how important it is that we’re using our gifts and talents to serve the Lord, and not just waiting time. We also have to make sure that we are preparing ourselves by living holy lives.
And, most importantly, we as Christians need to be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have in Jesus. There are a lot of skeptics — a lot of unbelievers — so we have to make sure that as Christians we prepare ourselves to be able to be ready to give an answer or a defense for the hope that we have. We want people to live in Heaven with us. We don’t want them to miss out on eternal life.
Nathan Jones: We hope that you have surrendered to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior so you can be ready for His soon return.
 
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tdickensheets

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SIGNS OF THE END TIMES​

Jesus defined the end times as the period when human survival would again be on the line (Matthew 24:21-22). (Read more about what the Bible says about the end times in our article “End-Time Prophecy.”)
In this same prophecy, Jesus also listed many other signs to watch:
  • Religious deception (verses 4-5).
  • Wars and rumors of war (verses 6-7).
  • Famines (verse 7).
  • Pestilences (disease epidemics and pandemics, verse 7).
  • Earthquakes (verse 7).
  • Persecution of followers of Christ, including attacks from within the Church (verses 9-10).
  • Lawlessness (verse 12). This means “the rejection of the law, or will, of God and the substitution of the will of self” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words)—an apt description of our age.
  • The gospel of the Kingdom will be preached (verse 14).
  • Jerusalem will be surrounded with armies and the “abomination of desolation” will be set up (verse 15; Luke 21:20; see the article “Abomination of Desolation” for more details).
 

tdickensheets

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The Last Days?
"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come." (2 Timothy 3:1)
The great debate continues in some circles about the biblical phrase "the last days." Many connect it to the Great Tribulation period described in Revelation (7:14). Some Bible commentaries apply it to the final days before the Lord returns to end sin forever in the universe. I agree.
Some believe the last days began 2,000 years ago on the day of Pentecost, believing that Joel's prophecy was fulfilled and that Peter verifies it in his sermon in Acts 2:14-21, where he quotes Joel 2:28-32 word for word. Next, they cite Peter's statement that the Lord Jesus "was manifest in these last times for you" (1 Peter 1:20) as proof.
Then, as if to show there could be no doubt, the apostle John is quoted saying: "Little children, it is the last hour" (1 John 2:18). However, the apostles couldn't understand Daniel's "end time prophecies" because God told Daniel:
"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." (Dan 12:4). Two thousand years later, we now know we are living in "The Last Days!" Why? Because the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation have been revealed!
Today, Paul's warning to Timothy that "perilous times" would mark the last days is relevant. The Greek term translated as "perilous" is "chalepos." It means "hard to bear." Other Bible versions translate the term as "difficult times."
The verses that follow our text contain a list of the kinds of people and "peril" of the last days that will bring stress to those who strive to live godly lives.
There are more warnings: "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy" (1 Tim 4:1-2), and we see it everywhere.
No wonder we are told: "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Tim 3:12). Paul asked the Romans, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" (Rom 8:35).
Our solid relationship with Christ, my friends, will preserve us to the end (Rom 8:38-39). It takes time to develop that relationship, and time is running out!
 

tdickensheets

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Though Christ warned that no one but the Father knows the exact day and hour of His return, Scripture provides us with myriad signs that illustrate the time is drawing nearer. Here are five key signs of the end times that are making waves right now.
1. "Endless" drought burns forests like kindling
The ongoing California drought has killed more than 12 million trees in its San Bernardino National Forest to date. The danger is compounded by rampant bark beetle infestations and wildfires, both of which take advantage of the trees' water deprivation
"It is almost certain that millions more trees will die over the course of the upcoming summer as the drought situation continues and becomes ever more long term," biologist Jeffrey Moore, acting regional aerial survey program manager for the U.S. Forest Service, told the Los Angeles Times.
Now four years into the deadly drought, California has approved unprecedented water usage restrictions on businesses, government agencies, and individuals, in a desperate effort to conserve the state's increasingly limited water. But with more than 93 percent of the state experiencing severe, extreme or exceptional drought as measured by the U.S. Drought Monitor, the situation looks dire indeed.
"This is the drought of the century, with greater impact than anything our parents and grandparents experienced," said Felicia Marcus, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, in a statement.
2. Bird flu outbreak the next step toward a new plague?
Although the burgeoning Ebola epidemic has largely been brought under control (for now), another highly pathogenic virus is just starting to rampage through the American heartland.
The H5 strain of avian flu has infected upward of 20 million birds at dozens of commercial sites from Iowa to Idaho, from California to Arkansas. Though the poultry and egg industry is taking steps to prevent any of the infected birds from entering our food supply, one can only imagine the potential devastation that could be wreaked should some of these infections slip through—potentially triggering the long-feared jump to a strain of the virus inherently infectious to humans.
https://www.charismanews.com/.../49561-5-signs-of-the-end...
 

tdickensheets

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Matthew 24:47 tells us, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” This passage comes from the Gospel of Matthew, and it is Jesus’ very words of the future. The passage of Matthew 24:47 comes from the Olivet Discourse that Jesus gave on the Mount of Olives.
Contained within the Olivet Discourse, Jesus talks about the destruction of the Temple, the future, and the End Times. The section of the Olivet Discourse that we will be focusing on is when Jesus says, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:47).

MEANING AND WARNING​

When the Lord tells us this vital truth, he is referring to the time before His coming. No one will know at what time Jesus will come — only the Father knows.
When Jesus says that it will be the same as it was in the days of Noah before His coming, He is referring to the fact that the world will be just as wicked and evil as it was during the time of Noah.
It also refers to the truth that people will be living as though nothing major is about to happen — they will be getting married and celebrating as if the Lord isn’t about to return for His second coming.
This truth is shown in the following passages as Jesus tells us, “For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:38-39).
 

tdickensheets

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Lawlessness Will Abound: a Sign of End Times
As many of you know, I have an article posted on Signs of End Times, where I discuss the various signs of the end times that Jesus described in the book of Matthew, Luke and Mark – wars and rumors of wars, pestilences,famines, earthquakes in various place. See “Are We in the End Times” for more on end times events.
I have just added a new article on “Lawless: a Sign of the End Times”. It discusses how over the last few months, across America, and around the world, we seem to be entering into a state of “lawlessness”. Indeed, some cities and counties are:
* De-funding their police departments
* Disbanding law enforcement
* Declaring their communities “lawless”
Its hardly believable, but it is coming true. Make no mistake. Jesus described “Lawlessness” as one of the signs of the end times. Paul also discusses this as one of the end times signs. Hear the words of Jesus as he mentions this fact in His message about end times events:
Matthew 24:12: “And because lawlessness will abound,
the love of many will grow cold”
The the New Testament, the writer Paul – moved by the Holy Spirit – describes in 2 The 7-9 a “mystery of lawlessness” that is already at work in the world:
* 2 Th 7: “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.”
* 2 Th 8: “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming”.
* 2 Th 9: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
This “mystery” of lawlessness is the force of evil, working through financiers, governors, mayors, and other politicians. There is a demonic force at work behind all of this – – the hijacking of the Covid-19 virus to create a pandemic of fear, the destruction of economies around the world to remove security and life support from millions, and now the violent protests designed to flame the fires of hatred among people.
This is the work of the evil one, pure and simple. As Jesus said, he is a liar and the father of lies. He is the destroyer, and wants to rule the world through the power of an “anti-Christ” – a one-world ruler. He knows that his time is short, and that the Messiah Jesus is coming and will one day consume him with the “breathe of His mouth”.