24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
In light of the recent events in Myanmar and China and in the Mid-West let us not forget that we will see an increase of this type of stuff as the Lord's return nears. Be ready, for the time that you think that He won't come, then He will come. And now little children abide in Him that when He shall appear we may have confidence.
Three part question: 1. Tell us when? 2. What will be the sign of Your coming? 3. What will be the sign of the end of the age? 1. The first sign Jesus gives is anti-Christ and false prophets. (Vs 5) "For many will come in my name and say, "I am the Christ" and will deceive many. The Greek work anti-christos means both "against Christ" and "instead of Christ" at the same time. What makes somebody an anti-christ is not how conspicuously different they are from Christ; but is in how they play the role as "functional equivalent" to Christ. The word "Christ" is not a name, but a title "christ" means, "the anointed one." An anti-christ is one who claims or insinuates that he is himself "a special one," and that the is able to impart to you the same saving benefits that you may receive from Jesus Christ. He does not have to claim that he is, himself, the historical Jesus, and if he denounced or denied Jesus openly he would not be able to deceive the very elect. To be an anti-christ does not mean that one has to express open hostility towards Christ. An anti-christ is an impostor-savior; one who puts himself in the place of Jesus by claiming or by insinuating that loyalty to him will guarantee your salvation. Just in my life-time alone I can think of 3 well publicized "anti-christ." The Rev. Jim Jones "The People’s Temple" 1978 David Koresh "Branch Davidians" 1993 Marshall Applewhite "Heaven’s Gate" 1997 You can also say religious groups or cults that deny the deity of Jesus Christ. I Jn 4:1-3 2. "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars." (vs. 6) As of early 2005: Afghanistan, Algeria, Burundi, Columbia, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Ivory Coast, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Phillippines, Russia, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, United States. Most of these wars/conflicts are: Religious, Ethnic, Terrorists, or Political. Rumors of war persist: Impending war with Iran, Syria, and North Korea. 3. Nation will rise against Nation Kingdom against Kingdom The Radical Kingdom of Islam is at war with the Kingdom of the West. Ideologies are at war here in the United States and abroad: Conservative versus Liberal 4. Famines 1984-85 Ethiopia 1997 North Korean famine 2003 Sudan/Darfur 2005 Malawi 2006 Horn of Africa It is interesting to note that war and famine also go together. Also another interesting observation is the changing weather patterns in the world. 5. Pestilence According to the Center of Disease Control there are 49 diseases that are considered emerging or reemerging infectious diseases many of them are now drug resistant. Some newer ones: SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) West Nile Virus Asian Bird Flu Influenza Different strains Older Ones making a comeback Polio, Hepatitis C, Meningitis, Yellow Fever, Plague, Small Pox, Malaira Hiv/Aids As of 2004 over 1 million Americans had HIV or Aids that knew about it. Africa has a new Aids case of 550-1,0000 per million people. 6. Earthquakes In recent years our attention has be called to Major Earthquakes around the world. 3/28 2005 1,313 Fatalities Northern Sumantra Indonesia. 10/08 2005 80,361 Fatalities Pakistan 2004 12/26 283,106 Fatalities West coast of Northern Sumantra 2003 12/26 SE Iran 31,000 dead 2001 1/26 India 20,023 dead 1999 9/20 Taiwan 2,297 dead There are literally thousands of earthquakes each year. Although the number of quakes is constant there is a definite increase in fatalities. "All of these are the beginning of sorrows" The Great Tribulation! Jesus is coming back! Get Ready! |
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