The Sign Of Christ’s Return

Jesus had made it clear that most of the signs that have been touted as indicating the end of the world are in fact only signs that there are consequences for sin.   The disciples had asked “…what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world,” in Matthew 24:3.  In Matthew 24:15-22, Jesus described a specific sign the Christians should be looking for. 

“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:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.  And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 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.” 

Jesus said that when Christians saw the fulfilment of the prophecy in Daniel 9:27, they would know it was the end.  “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”  Daniel 11:36-38 gives more detail as to what this abomination will entail.  “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.  Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.  But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.” 

Halfway through the Tribulation period, the Antichrist will turn on Israel in a deliberate effort to destroy those who worship God, both Jews and Christians.  As Jesus warned, there will be trouble like the world has never seen, and especially in Israel.  It will make the Holocaust seem easy by comparison, and if God did not limit its duration, no one would survive, but God will limit it for his people’s sake.  When that time comes, the Christians are not to worry about being left behind. 

Matthew 24:23-28 tells us, “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.  Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” 

When we hear about people gathering to meet the Lord in certain place, we should not believe it because charlatans and false teachers will use such gatherings to rip off people, even using fake miracles to convince them.  When the Tribulation is over, there will be tremendous changes in the natural world, and Christ will separate out his children from the wicked, as Matthew 24:29-31 describes. 

“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, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” 

Jesus is the creator of the world and God in the flesh.  It would be pretty arrogant to conclude that what he says about the Second Coming and the End of Time are wrong.