Why I Believe Jesus is Coming Soon
When is the rapture going to happen? When is Jesus coming
back to catch his church out of this world? These are questions that every
generation since the original apostles has asked. We do not have a direct
answer because Jesus said that no man would know the day or the hour when he
would come back (Matthew 24:36). But he did promise to come back. Although he
didn’t tell us when it would happen, he did give us some signs to look for that
would tell us that his coming was near. The greatest explanation of the signs
of his coming is detailed for us in Matthew chapter 24. I’d like to explain
from looking at these scriptures why I believe the return of the Lord for his
church is a soon coming event.
What are some of the signs of his coming? Let’s examine a
few of them one by one.
False Christ’s and
False Anointings
Matthew 5: 5 – For
Many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many.
5:11 – And many false
prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
The word Christ in this verse is the Greek word “Christos”
which means the anointed one. Many have taken this to mean that the last days
would be marked by people claiming to be Jesus. Now doubt, there have been
people claiming to be Jesus reincarnated and other such nonsense but I believe
there is another meaning here as well.
Jesus was letting us know that there would be many in the
last days with “false anointings” claiming to be of God when they were not
anointed of Him. In the last few years we have seen the rise of mega churches
like never before in the history of our world. On any given Sunday tens of
thousands of people sit in a building to hear a man tell them how to be a
better person. There is no mention of repentance or the need for God’s mercy.
Often the preaching is all about how God wants to bless them with whatever they
want. It is all about how to be a better person through positive thinking. It
is the age old humanistic doctrine that man is his own God and controls his own
destiny.
Recently, a pastor’s wife made headlines in the news when
she admonished her congregation that worship was not about God but about the
individual. Her basic message was (and continues to be) that whatever makes me
happy makes God happy. This seems to echo what Paul warned about in Romans 1:25
when he said that “they would worship the creation more than the creator.” This
idol worship and comes from the lips of teachers with false anointing. Surely,
the scripture that warns us of false anointings
is being fulfilled before our every eyes.
Nation Against Nation
Verse 7 – For Nation
shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom
The New Testament word for nation is “ethnos” which means
ethnic groups. It is not talking about nations such as Germany and France but
about people groups that are divided by culture, language, etc. Although the world
has been troubled by such things since
the tower of Babel, there is a difference in this generation. We have seen the
rise of racial strife in this country in the last few years in a way that we
have not seen it in a long time, if ever. There is so much controversy about
things like hate crime legislation and the like. There are court challenges
about whether affirmative action is reverse discrimination. It seems like every
time we look at the news there are more people protesting in the street about a
real or believed grievance because of race. The tension is certainly high.
These things are not accidental. Our Lord warned us that the
days just before his coming would be marked with this war of ethnos against
ethnos. We as the church of the living God must not fall prey to this spirit of
strife that exists in the world. We will see it increase as we get closer to
the coming of the Lord. We must be on guard to make sure that spirit of strife
does not get into our hearts. God has made of one blood all nations of men
(Acts 17:26) and we must love everyone, no matter the color of his skin, as we
love our own cultural group.
Famines, Pestilences,
and Earthquakes
Verse 7 - There shall
be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places.
We have seen a rise in natural disasters in the last few
years such as the world has never seen. From tsunamis and typhoons to hurricanes and tornadoes the destruction
has been horrific. The Ebola virus that is sweeping across Africa has made its
way to the United States. Where once these viruses might have been confined to
a certain area, air travel makes it easy for a pestilence to be world wide in a
matter of months.
The Bible tells us in Romans 8:22 that “all of creation is
groaning together.” Even the earth itself knows that man is out of sink with
God’s word. The result is that even the earth itself is in anguish over
mankind’s sin. Surely, the natural disasters that we have seen are not
accidental. Jesus said that they would be a sign that his coming is soon.
The Gospel Shall be
Preached in all the World
Matthew 24:14 – And
this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness
unto all nations and then shall the end come.
Although the disciples did their very best to preach the
gospel to all the world, their world was limited. They had Roman roads that
connected them to all the known and reachable parts of the world but this was
not “all the world.” They had a common Greek language that made it easy to
preach in many places but it was by no means universal. The gospel was preached
throughout the Roman Empire but we know that most of the world was then unknown
to the disciples.
It is only with the advent of modern technology that such a
feat could even hope to be attained. We live in a world that is smaller every
day. I have seen grass huts in the mountains of Belize, Central America with
satellite antennas atop them powered by solar energy. These people have access
to news from around the world even though they may be one or two days’ journey
from the nearest town of any size. This was certainly not possible in any era
before this one. There are tribes in the
Amazon that were previously unreachable that now have access to technology and
modern medicine. The gospel goes around the world every day through television,
radio, and the internet in a matter of moments. Many of our services are live
streamed; people in countries that are hostile to the gospel are able to access
services from the safety of their own homes. Surely, this is the generation
when the gospel has been preached in all the world and to every ethnic group.
The Rise of the
Spirit of Anti-Christ
Daniel 11:37 - 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.
Matthew 25:15 – 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.)
Jesus final point in this list of end time signs was about
the anti-Christ. This man that the Bible calls the man of sin and son of
perdition is someone the church has wondered about for centuries. He is a man
that will exalt himself above all that is called God and will even claim to be
God. He will deceive the Jews into thinking that he is the answer to all of
their problems and then will turn on them and lead the world against them. He
will be evil incarnate in a human body. But how will we know him?
Many have speculated about this man’s identity and have
wondered if certain individuals were the “one.” There have been many evil men
who have been of the spirit of the anti-Christ and yet were not the “one”. We
can see the anti-Christ spirit in men throughout history such as Napoleon
Bonaparte, Joseph Stalin, and especially Adolph Hitler. Yet the end has not
come and the church is still in the world. John tells us in I John 2:18 that in
his day there were “many anti-Christ” because the spirit of the anti-Christ was
already in the world. Yet the Bible does identify one man who will rise above
all the others and be the ultimate anti-Christ, the embodiment of all that is
evil. But how will we know him?
I believe the scripture gives us several clues as to his
identity and how we will know the hour in which the anti-Christ will arise in
Daniel 11:37. Let’s examine them -
1.
He will not regard the God of his fathers …
We live in a day where more people who were
traditionally religious have espoused atheism than ever before. The great
cathedrals of Europe sit empty because so many have walked away from
Christianity. Neither is this turning away from God relegated only to the
Christians. It is said that anywhere from 70 to 80% of the people of Israel
today do not believe in God. They are not a religious society but a secular
society.
It is hard for American Christians to
grasp, but the Jewish people at large are not looking for a religious figure in
their messiah. They are looking for a person who is secular that they believe
will make peace between all religious groups. The anti-Christ will claim to be
just that at first. He will not come espousing the God of his fathers but will
come in an age when his people are secular. If there was ever a day for that to
happen, it is now.
2. He will not regard the desire of women.
In the last few years we have seen the rise of two movements
in the world, both of the anti-Biblical. One is Islam and the other is the homosexual
agenda. It is not an accident that the spirit of sexual perversion and
homosexuality has risen our world as the spirit of Islam has risen. While there
are some who for their own agendas want to portray Islam as being
anti-homosexual, it is not so. Islam is known to be a religion that has not
respect for woman and teaches sexual perversion. Many men in the Muslim world
are bisexual. Without being grotesque, allow me to say this. It is considered
acceptable behavior for men in that part of the world to have sex with another
man. As Islam has spread throughout Europe and the United States so has
acceptance of homosexual behavior. People who just a few years ago would have
preached against homosexuality are now trying to find reasons why it is
acceptable Biblically. It has never been
accepted Biblically and will never be.
This fulfills the prophecy that he would not regard the
desire of women. While the religion that does not respect women is spreading
throughout the world, the issue of homosexuality has become a global outcry.
This is no accident; the same spirit is behind both – the spirit of the anti-Christ.
Neither is the verse relegated to the Muslims. The largest
Jewish movement in the United States today is the reformed movement. They are
also one the biggest supporters of homosexual rights. The number one place in
the Middle East for homosexuals to go and find a partner is Tel Aviv, Israel.
Indeed the scripture is being fulfilled before our very eyes that the Jews do
not regard the God of their fathers or the desire of women.
But why now? It has
been so long.
The apostle Peter tells us that one day is with the Lord as
a thousand years and a thousand years as one day (II Peter 3:8). He continues on
to tell us what this verse means. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise
… but is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish. Because of God’s
longsuffering it would be easy to believe that God’s judgment is not going to
fall on this world. But we can be assured that God’s judgment is going to come
on this world.
Just as it was in the days of Noah, it will be when the Lord
comes back to take his church out of this world. Those in Noah’s day scoffed at
Noah’s preaching. They had never seen rain and did not heed Noah’s warning of
impending judgment. They were marrying and giving in marriage and knew not
until the flood came and took them all away that it was very real. Jesus said
it would be the same when he came again (Matthew 24:37.)
The people in Noah’s day were so caught up with their own
lives they didn’t have time to listen to the man of God. In our world we are so
caught up with our own lives that we can ignore the chaos around us.
Our nation and our world are in trouble. People are afraid
as they have never been afraid before. The things that are going on in the Middle
East seem almost beyond comprehension. Our nation teeters on the brink of
financial ruin yet many heedlessly plunge themselves into even greater debt
trying to have the latest toys that they think will make them happy. Our
economy is on the verge of collapse and yet it would be easy to try to pretend
it is not happening.
Babylon is fallen
Several years ago as I was praying I saw a giant eagle high
up in the sky with its wings all folded together as if it were dead and it was
falling fast toward the earth. I heard a voice say three times, “It has been
decided, America has fallen.” While I love this country as much as anyone else,
we cannot think that we can escape the judgment of God. We have always had a
feeling in this country of being God’s chosen and elite. Indeed, it was at one
time taught that God had replaced Israel with America, although this is in no
way Biblical.
The book of Revelation contains a prophecy against the
wicked city of Babylon in chapter 18. It talks about how the merchants of the
entire world did trade with this city and loved her because she made them rich.
They committed every abomination with her. She is known as the mother of
Harlots. While I would not say that this prophecy is a literal prophecy of
America, surely we can gain some insight from this chapter.
Babylon is the ancient city (remains in modern day Iraq)
which stands for everything evil. It is more than just an ancient empire but it
is the spirit that it represents that God hates. In scripture it represents all
that is ungodly, namely the worship of pleasure and self-gratification, no
matter how evil. Surely this same spirit is present in modern day American
through Hollywood and all of its evils.
This prophecy also says that the nations of the earth wailed
because of the collapse of this Babylon. Although there is much anti-American
sentiment in the world, truly America has made the world rich. We have been the
benefactors of almost every poor country there is. We have intervened in
countless wars. We have been known as the land of the free and any one in any
poor country in the world would gladly trade places with any American.
I have heard people who live abroad compare the American
passport to the Roman Citizenship of the Bible times. Indeed to have American
citizenship is the coveted prize of much of the world. Yet America is deeply in
debt and any of us can recognize that we could easily fall from our coveted
place as the benefactor of the world in a moment. Are we the Babylon that the
Bible speaks about? I will not be so bold as to say that. Yet I will say that
we should take heed that we don’t think we are indestructible. There is trouble
coming on this world and the only safe place is knowing that we are right with
God. Surely, we are living in the last days when Jesus is about to come and
take his church out of this world. This is not the time for the church to be
caught up in the world but for us to be diligent about God’s business. We need
to be more prayerful than we have ever been before.
Do we need to be afraid? To borrow the Biblical terminology,
God forbid! For God has not given us the Spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7). Indeed
Jesus told us that when we see these things begin to happen we should look up
for our redemption draws nigh (Luke 21:28). It is a time for us to be aware
that this world is not our home. God has blessed us and we are more prosperous
than we have ever been. But we cannot let our blessings become our downfall. We
must realize that this world is not our home. God help us to be mindful of the
times we live in and to long for the day of Jesus return. For surely he is
coming soon!
