Hello everyone,
Today I will be writing about some of the signs that Jesus is coming soon and will elaborate on what we can learn, personally, from some of these signs. I have decided to blog about what it will be like when Jesus comes again next week, as I have discovered that I have a lot to say on some of the signs that Jesus is coming soon today.
In Matthew 24, we can read Jesus’ answer to His disciples when they asked Him what the signs of His coming and of the end of the world would be (Matthew 24:3).
I recommend reading Matthew 24:4-14, and in this blog post, I will be focusing on verses 6-12.
” And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and they shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many.
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold ” Matthew 24:6-12 (KJV).
I know that these verses are quite a downer, but I want to assure you that I will end this blog post on a positive and encouraging note.
If we just look at the news, we can quickly see that there is indeed much political and social distress in the world and that there are also many natural disasters that occur in our world.
Currently, we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic – which is a pestilence. This pandemic is indeed a very tragic and difficult ordeal, but we can take courage in the midst of this experience from knowing that it is a sign that Jesus is coming soon.
Although persecution in its fullest sense has not yet come to the USA, where I live, it eventually will. In the meantime, there are many people, throughout the world who are currently experiencing bitter, overt persecution. These people have found what I call ” the gold in God “: something so wonderful that they would rather suffer anything for Jesus’ sake than live a comfortable life apart from Him.
I have been greatly blessed by a ministry called “The Voice of the Martyrs”. This ministry supports Jesus’ persecuted followers throughout the world. I recommend that you all check out their website -which I hope and pray will inspire you all as it has me.
It is good for all of us to examine ourselves and see if we ourselves happen to have a persecuting spirit in our hearts. God hates sin, but He loves sinners. If this wasn’t true, why would He send the prophet Jonah to rebuke a heathen nation for their sins, but then decide not to punish them when they repented (to read this story, look at the small Old Testament book of Jonah)? If this wasn’t true, why would God, after expressing His deep disapproval for their sins, chase after His people with such longing and so much mercy (Hosea 2)? If this wasn’t true, why could His people say this while returning to Him?:
“Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth” Hosea 6:1-3 (KJV).
Lastly, if this wasn’t true, why did Jesus Himself demonstrate His love for sinners and His hatred of sin when He said to the woman caught in adultery, “…Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?… Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” John 8:10-11 (KJV)
If any of us have a spirit of hating sin and sinners, instead of hating sin and loving sinners, we can know that we must cry out to God and ask Him to transform our hearts. If we cry out to Him, He will not reject us. He will not cast us away (John 6:37). God is loving and forgiving. He is extremely merciful and He LONGS to help us (Micah 7:18-19). We must overcome this attitude because it is un-christlike. This is an attitude that can lead to evil actions against others.
For example, while homosexuality is unbiblical (Leviticus 18:22-23; Leviticus 20:13; Deuteronomy 22:5 and Romans 1:24-27), a loving Christian, while never condoning or promoting the LGBTQ lifestyles, will never indulge in verbal or physical abuse towards homosexual individuals. Homosexual people are people and God requires us to treat all people with respect. If a homosexual person is hungry or thirsty, a Christian person should give them food or water. If a homosexual person is being accosted, a Christian person should call the police.
“Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” Romans 13:10 (KJV).
There is so much rest in our hearts when God has weeded the persecuting spirit out of us and replaced it with a pure, clean love for sinners along with a hatred for sin. We can’t hate sin and love sinners at the same time on our own. Only God can help us to do this, and He will do this for all who are willing for Him to do so in their hearts (Psalm 51:10-12).
Moving on….throughout the years, many people have claimed to be God. Please don’t be deceived by them. Jesus has already told us the that there would be false christs in the end times.
Another thing that Jesus said was a sign of the end is also very significant for us today:
” And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” Matthew 24:12 (KJV).
Have we become cynical because of all of the badness in our world? Do we assume that every homeless person we meet is a drug addict? Or do we, while still being cautious, refrain from indulging in a scornful attitude and instead cultivate a compassionate and non-judgmental attitude towards them? (And we should absolutely ask God to give us a spirit of compassion, pity and love towards drug addicts). Do we immediately think “that’s racist!” when a person who is not of our race treats us unkindly? I am not here to justify racism or just plain unkindness- neither of which are right, but not all unkindnesses done to us by people from races other than our own are motivated by racism. Thinking that this is so only adds more trauma to our lives and may make it difficult for us to think objectively in our interactions with many people. Do we fear all people of certain religions because of the actions of some of the people from those same religions? What about people from certain countries? Do we allow past hurts and betrayals to cause us to become rough and rude towards, and distrustful of, all people? Might we be causing ourselves to miss out on new opportunities to love and be loved?
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” 1 John 4:18 (KJV).
When we are fearful of and/or prejudiced towards other people, we can know that we have not yet experienced God’s love as we are privileged to. If your heart is wounded and raw from the hurts you have experienced, please come to our loving God, because ““He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 (KJV). I want to encourage you to read the Gospels and see what a tender loving Jesus wants to have a loving, loyal, intimate relationship with you! There is so much security to be found in a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. If you are a deeply prejudiced and hateful person who wants to change but isn’t sure how to, God wants to help you too. God changed the deeply prejudiced and hateful Pharisee, Saul, into the loving, fatherly apostle, Paul (Acts 9 and 1 Timothy 1:13-16). He both longs to help you and can help you too! (John 6:37; Ezekiel 36:26).
“But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall” Malachi 4:2 (KJV).
In closing, the badness that we see in our world is a sure sign that Jesus is coming soon. Let us seek God and make sure that we are not a part of all of the badness of the world. Please know that evil starts in the mind.
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” Proverbs 2:23 (KJV).
“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things” Matthew 12:35 (KJV).
Let us keep our eyes on Jesus and fill our minds with the Bible, His Word.
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” 1 Peter 1:23 (KJV).
Jesus can and will help all who are willing to become kind, loving, unselfish, moral, just and fair people.
Blessings and courage!
Photo credit: https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/jesus-reaching-out-gm182707450-12497376
Learn and Grow 4ever 