15/12/2022
SIGNS OF JESUS RETURN.
As for exactly when Jesus Christ will return, the Bible tells us that no man may know the day or the hour (Matthew 24:36). However, we are also told that when certain signs appear, we will know that it is imminent, that it is “at the doors” (verse 33).
Regarding this end-time prophecy, Jesus told His disciples (and us today) that in the time leading up to His second coming (verses 3-7) there would be:
Religious deception.
Wars.
Famines.
Pestilences.
Earthquakes.
Since these events have been ongoing problems of mankind, Jesus referred to them as the “beginning of sorrows” (verse 8). In the time leading up to Christ’s return, these events will increase in intensity.
Then Jesus listed these signs:
False prophets will arise to deceive many (verse 5).
Many of God’s people will be hated, hunted and killed (verse 9).
Lawlessness shall abound (verse 12).
And even as these tragic sorrows intensify, “this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come” (verse 14).
The gospel of the Kingdom must be preached
Jesus tells us that the gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the end times. It is the good news that Jesus is going to return to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. This is the message Jesus preached when He lived on earth as a human.
Mark documents this, writing: “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14-15).
After the first century, those who taught and believed the gospel of the Kingdom were severely persecuted. Many gave their lives for their adherence to Christ’s teaching. Today this gospel is again being taught by a small group of faithful people.
Other key components of the end time include the “great tribulation” (Daniel 12:7; Revelation 12:14; Matthew 24:21-22) and the Day of the Lord , which includes the return of Jesus Christ to rule the earth.