Why I Believe Jesus is Coming Soon

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!