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The Signs Of Christ's Coming

By Stuart Pattico

© 2006 Stuart Pattico.  All rights reserved.  No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without permission from the author.

Jesus promised that He is coming again.  If we ask for directions to town, we may be given the name of certain buildings as reference points, so that we know we are near our destination and heading in the right direction. Even so, the Lord has given us certain signs so that we know His coming is near. 

Several of these signs have already begun to appear.  In this short article, we will briefly examine some of these signs, which highlight the nearness of Jesus' return.

Sign: Worldwide Outpouring of God’s Spirit

On the day of Pentecost, after Jesus went back to the Father, a prophecy of Joel began to be fulfilled:

”1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4)

Peter explained this experience to the crowds who heard by quoting the prophet Joel:

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17)

As the years progressed, eventually, a lot of the church stopped experiencing the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the sing of speaking in tongues, believing such things had passed away. This changed when in 1906, the Azusa Street Revival happened and many again began to experience the Spirit in this way.  Pentecostalism then spread throughout the world. There are now over 500,000,000 Pentecostal / charismatic believers throughout the world, fulfilling the prophecy of Joel.

Sign: Gospel Preached in Every Nation

“14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

The above diagram is from Operation World.  The blue areas in the above map are those areas where Christianity is the majority religion (at least in name!) and reflects how wide spread the preaching of the gospel is.  However, there is still work to be done.  The Greek word for ‘nations’ in Matthew 24:14 is ‘ethnos’, which mean ‘ethnic group’.  Every ethnic group in the world must have the gospel preached to them before the end comes.  The below shows some figures of the unevangelized population at the time of this writing.

1	India	344,000,000
2	China	262,000,000
3	Pakistan	144,000,000
4	Indonesia	68,600,000
5	Iran	48,700,000
6	Thailand	34,100,000
7	Algeria	32,900,000
8	Morocco	30,900,000
9	Bangladesh	30,000,000
10	Afghanistan	26,000,000

(The above chart is from Operation World)

Sign: The Return of Jews to the Land of Israel

Jesus foretold that Jerusalem would be left desolate, the Jewish temple would be destroyed, and that the Jews would be scattered throughout the world (Luke 21:5-6,20-24). This was fulfilled in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its temple

The Bible also says that the Jews will return to Israel before Jesus returns:

“For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.” (Ezekiel 36:24)

The first Jewish settlement came to Palestine In 1879. By 1914 there were 40 Jewish settlements. By 1925, Jews were immigrating to Palestine at over 10,000 a year. On 14thMay 1948, Israel became an independent nation.

This was an important fulfillment of prophecy because when Jesus comes again, He will stand the Mount of Olives to defend Jerusalem from the surrounding armies (see Zechariah 14:2-4).  Right now there is great hatred towards the Jews in Israel’s surrounding nations.  This reminds us of Ezekiel's prophecy:

25 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob. 26 And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God.”’” (Ezekiel 28:25-26)

Sign: Great International Wars

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24:6-7)

Below is a list of some of the wars of last (20^th) century:

•French Indochina

•Mexican Revolution

•Spanish Civil War

•French-Algerian War

•Afghanistan

•Russo-Japanese War

•Riffian War

•First Sudanese Civil War

•Russo-Polish War

•Biafran War

•Second World War

•First World War

•Korean War

•Chinese Civil War

•Vietnam War

•Iran-Iraq War

•Russian Civil War

•Chinese Civil War

•Chaco War

•Abyssinian War

•Gulf War

At the time of writing, there are 38-armed conflicts in 28 countries.

Sign: Famine and Disease

“And there will be famines, pestilences…” (Matthew 24:7)

Today, every minute, 23 children die from hunger. 1 in 7 people are malnourished.

Approximately 2.8 million people died from AIDS in 2005.  More than 25 million people have died from AIDS since 1981.

Hospital deaths due to infections from drug-resistant bacteria have increased 7-fold in the last 12 years. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Sign: Increase in Earthquakes

“There will be… earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24:7-8)

Since 1990, the number of earthquakes has steadily increased. According to the US Geological Survey, there were almost twice as many earthquakes in 2004 than in 1990.

“…nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.” (Luke 21:25)

Scientists have recorded 1,043 tsunamis in the 20th century. The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 caused more devastation than the previous 20th tsunamis combined.

Sign: Decline in Moral and Ethical Standards, Combined with Outward Religion

“1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

 “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12)

The above to quotations from the Bible are an accurate description of society today!

Sign: Religious Deceivers

“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24)

These false ministers can be detected by their behavior and also by what they say:

“To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it Is because there is no light in them.” (Isaiah 8:20 )

These false ministers will also make merchandise (money) of the people of God through deceptive words:

 “1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will make merchandise of you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.” (2 Peter 2:1-3)

Sign: Hatred Towards Christians

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.” (Matthew 24:9)

It is estimated that in the 20^th century, more Christians died for their faith than in the previous 19 centuries combined.

James Dobson wrote:

“More than an estimated 160,000 believers were martyred in 1996, and countless others were subjected to unimaginable horrors. And the persecution appears to be escalating exponentially.”

One Christian dies for their faith every 3 minutes (source: Revival Times). According to the World Evangelical Alliance, over 200 million Christians in at least 60 countries are denied fundamental human rights solely because of their faith.  Persecution is particularly strong in China, Sudan, and many Moslem countries.

Here are some examples of persecution that happens in Machilipatnam, India:

• Pastors’ houses are burned
• Their wives raped
• Christian children not allowed into schools

Sign: Technology for the Mark of the Beast 

The Bible predicts that before Jesus returns, there will be an evil world ruler, who is commonly refered to as the antichrist.  Under the leadership of the antichrist, all people, regardless of social status, will be forced to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads.  Without this mark, people will not be able to buy or to sell.  This “mark” is known as the mark of the beast, and is described in Revelation 13:16-18.  Today, the technology for such a mark exists.  For example, in a recent report on Dutch Television on Thursday, 7th October 2004 the reporter said:

“No more a wallet on a night out but paying with a implanted chip under the skin. That was yesterday night for the first time possible in the Baja Beach Club of Rotterdam. People who are willing to do so, can have a chip implanted in the upper arm. The chip is your entrance, your admission ticket to the VIP-deck and your method of payment. The first customers got their chip implanted yesterday evening.”

For more information about the return of Jesus and the end times, please purchase Stuart Pattico's book, End Times: Are You Prepared? by clicking here.