SIGNS OF CHRIST'S SECOND COMING

MATTHEW 24:1

A. THE THREEFOLD QUESTION OF THE DISCIPLES
  1. "When shall these things be?"
  2. "What shall be the sign of thy coming?"
  3. "And of the end of the world?" Matt. 24:3
B. OUR LORD'S ANSWER
  1. What He did not do:
    1. He did not brush aside their questions.
    2. He did not tell them that it is not important for them to know the sign of His coming.
  2. What He did do in consequence of their questions:
    1. He emphasized the importance of paying close attention to the signs of the times, particularly the sign of His coming and the end of the world - Luke 21:34, 35; Matt. 24:33-35
    2. He speaks out against those who ignore the signs of the times - Matt. 16:1-3; Luke 19:44
  3. The apostles warn us to take heed to the signs foretelling the nearness of the coming of our Lord's return, and the end of the world:
    1. Paul warns us against indifference - 1 Thess. 5:1-6; Rom. 13:11-14
    2. James, too, warns us of the last days - Jas. 5:1-9
    3. So does Peter warn us of conditions in the last days - 2 Pet. 3:1-13
  4. Some of the signs of our Lord's second coming:
    1. Worldwide deception - Matt. 24:4, 5, 24
    2. The apostles, too, warn against being mislead by the errors of the last days - 2 Thess. 2:1-7, 9-11; 2 Cor. 11:13, 14; 2 Pet. 3:1-4; Jude 24-26
    3. Signs among the nations -
      1. Wars and rumors of war
      2. Distress among the nations
      3. Moral breakdown in society. Compare Mi. 7:5, 6 with Luke 17:26-30; 2 Tim. 3:1-9; 1 Tim. 4:1-3
    4. Signs in nature: There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars - Luke 21:26; Amos 8:9; Acts 2:19, 20; Rev. 6:13. Earthquakes in divers places - Matt. 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11. It must be noted that all these heavenly phenomena have taken place and are no longer in the future.
C. WHAT THESE THINGS MEAN:
  1. To God's children:
    1. They are signals of the nearness of the coming of the Lord - Matt. 24:32, 33, 42; 1 Thess. 5:1-3
    2. They admonish us to be ready for the coming of the Lord - Matt. 24:42-44
    3. They urge us to share our faith with others as quickly as possible.
    4. We are to put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light - Eph. 6:10-18; Rom. 13:11-14
    5. It means that we must secure purity from all defilement - 1 John 3:1-3
    6. We must be clothed with the garment of salvation. Compare Rev. 3:14-17 with chapter 16:15; 19:7, 8
  2. To the world:
    1. The world will ignore the signs of our Lord's return - 1 Thess. 5:1-6; Luke 21:34, 35; 2 Pet. 3:1-13
    2. But those signs indicate plainly that long- suffering of the Lord has reached its final limits - 1 Pet. 3:1-9
    3. That soon the Lord will leave the throne of mercy, put on the garment of vengeance against those who have rejected His mercy and despised sacrifice - Luke 14:14-28; 17:26, 27
  3. Finally: The fulfillment of the predictions of our Lord's return has been consummated. It means that God's people are to look up with hope and confidence because the time of their deliverance is drawing near. What a wonderful experience it will be when the shout of deliverance will come from the open graves, the prisons, and the hiding places, where God's people are sheltered during the storm!


Design © John Bryant 2011