There are many amazing, fulfilled prophecies in the Bible that prove it is God’s Word. We have covered only a few of them in my two previous blog posts. There are more prophecies yet to be fulfilled, several of them being signs of Christ’s return, which is the subject of this blog post.
In Matthew chapter 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, we find what is referred to as the Olivet discourse because Jesus was answering a question asked by His disciples regarding when will be the end of the age, i.e., the end of world. That is a question humanity has likely wondered for centuries, probably even more so now with the advent of much more powerful and technical weapons which we will touch on below.
I will reference Matthew’s account in this blog post because it is the more extensive.
A Quick Note on Preterism
First, we should briefly state what Preterism is, whether partial or full, because even though it is not the majority view among American denominations, or in the world, it is worth a mention because some still hold to it.
Preterism is essentially the belief that all or most biblical prophecies concerning the end times have already been fulfilled, especially in AD 70 when the Romans attacked and destroyed Jerusalem. It rejects the physical return of Christ, the tribulation, the resurrection, and the final judgment. It interprets the book of Revelation symbolically.
Preterists typically identify Nero as the Anti-Christ, and when Jerusalem was destroyed believe God excommunicated His people, and the church has now replaced Israel in God’s plan. It’s called Replacement theology and not biblical at all.
A close read of Jesus’ words in Matthew 24 shows these are prophetic events that had not yet occurred at the time He spoke them. For example, in Matthew 24:21-22, Jesus stated, “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again. “And if those days had not been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” (emphasis mine)
It’s clear according to historical records, even from the first century writings of Flavious Josephus, who was a Jewish scholar and historian that was granted Roman citizenship, that about 1.2 million Jews were killed and the rest scattered during the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70.
Has there been greater tribulation since that time? Unfortunately, yes.
The Nazis under Hitler were estimated to have been responsible for approximately 7 million concentration camp deaths, mostly Jews, and Stalin is believed to have responsible for between 30 and 40 million deaths during the purges and famines of the 1920s and 1930s.
Scholars believe that Mao Zedong of China in some way was involved in the deaths of perhaps as many as 60 million people.
When the world covers genocides, they usually fail to mention King Leopold II of Belgium who was Sovereign of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908 and responsible for the deaths of an estimated 10 to 15 million Congolese people.
Those atrocities and genocides obviously had not occurred at the time Jesus spoke this prophecy, and as hard as it to imagine, or we even want to think about, we know that according to Jesus’ words there is something worse than these events coming.
The Worst Is Yet to Come (The Time of Jacob’s Trouble)
In Jeremiah 30:7, it’s called the “time of Jacob’s (Israel) trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” It is the view of some scholars that this corresponds to the seven-year tribulation period of the end times.
Notice that Matthew 24:22 states, “And if those days had not been cut short, no life would have been saved;…”. This verse could not have possibly been fulfilled in AD 70, because it records, “if those days had not been cut short, no flesh (life) will survive.”
Jesus seems to clearly have stated that there is a time coming when there will be weapons on earth so powerful and terrifying that they could wipe out all flesh. That was not possible centuries ago with the weapons they had then, not even with the weapons they had during World War II between 1939 and 1945 because technology now is much more advanced.
One World Order?
Revelation 13 records that a beast (often referred to as the Antichrist) will arise who will control the world for a brief time in the future. All banking and commerce will be subject to his rule. If his mark is not taken, people will die. That was not possible until the technology of our generation, because it requires computers, advanced communication systems, GPS satellites, and more.
The world is being united because of technology. Multinational corporations are uniting the world. In Genesis 11:1-9, is the account of God confounding and confusing the people’s languages and scattering them over the earth, after they built a city (Babel; modern day Babylon in Iraq) and tower, v. 8-9.
God confused their languages. He said that was needed because whatever man imaged, he would be able to do, v. 6, and the imagination of man’s heart is only evil continually (Genesis 6:5; 8:21).
Many people think the solution to end conflict and wars, etc., is to unite the world as one and have us all speak one language. They want to have everyone speak one language and with computers it can now be done. It’s the world’s attempt to undo the Babel effect.
The Lockheed Corporate has used the concept of the Babel effect in its advertising to suggest that its technological advancements are helping to unite people by overcoming language barriers, which contrasts with the biblical account of the tower of Babel in Genesis 11.
IBM has also developed technologies aimed at overcoming language barriers to enhance global communication and collaboration. In an International edition of the Wall Street Journal, September 27, 1999, there was a special insert from IBM which showed a picture of the Tower of Babel in their advertisement with modern skyscrapers coming out of it.
Jesus’ disciples appeared surprised at His comment in Matthew 24:2 in response to their pointing out how magnificent the temple was, because after they walked just a few minutes across to the Mount of Olives they asked Him about the timing of the end of the world.
Related: Fulfilled Prophecies About Jesus and Israel Prove the Bible is True
The Destruction of the Temple and the End of the Age
Apparently, Daniel 9 didn’t come to their mind because there we find where the angel Gabriel spoke to Daniel that the Messiah after He came would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey and then be crucified. Daniel 9:26 specifically records that an army will come and destroy the city and the Temple.
It was recorded for us that after the Messiah came, not only would He be rejected, but Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed. Jesus was saying that Jerusalem and the temple were going to be destroyed and it occurred in AD 70, approximately 20 years after Jesus gave this prophecy. We need to recognize that God’s timing is not anything like ours.
So, we find in Matthew 24:3, the disciples asking Jesus a question which is three-fold, but it appears to them to be one event. They ask, when will this happen, what will be the sign of His coming, and the end of the age, i.e., world.
The Sign of Apostasy
Jesus begins to answer, not necessarily in that order. He tells them there will be signs, lots of signs, and He gives them some in Matthew 24:6-7, ones that we hear the most often quoted, “wars and rumors of wars ……nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom, … famines and earthquakes in various places.” But before He stated those things we are most familiar with, He said in verse 4, “See to it that no one misleads (deceives) you.”
This is the same thing the Holy Spirit inspired the apostle Paul to write to the church at Thessalonica regarding the events preceding the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in 2 Thessalonians 2:3:
“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first, …” (emphasis mine)
The great sign is the first one He gives, which is apostasy. The word apostasy from the Greek word Apostasia means “a defection, a revolt”, used in the New Testament for religious apostasy. In other words, don’t let anyone make you think that if you see other things, such as many “coming” to Christ (revival) that will be the major sign (there will be those “coming” to Christ, but there will also be a significant number falling away). Jesus is warning about apostasy, the falling away coming first. He warns about that three times in Matthew 24, in addition to verse 4, also in verses 11 and 24.
In verse 11, He says “many false prophets will rise up and mislead (deceive) many” (emphasis mine). Then in verse 24 He says, “for false christs and false prophets and will provide great signs and wonders, so as to mislead (deceive), if possible, even the elect.” (emphasis mine)
Jesus is saying there will be great signs and wonders in the last days, but some of it will be from false “christs” and false prophets. The distinguishing elements to detect false “representatives” is in what they teach, i.e., their doctrine. If it is not clearly biblical and in line with the solid foundational truths in scripture, it is false (this will be presented further below).
The word nation in verse 7 is ethnos in the Greek and means ethnic group. There will be ethnic groups against ethnic groups. On one hand, we have peace initiatives in the world trying to make peace. But on the other hand, we have ethnic group against ethnic group just as Jesus foretold.
Opposition and Deception In the Last Days
In 2 Timothy 3:8, which the Holy Spirit spoke through Paul, it tells us what the opposition to the truth will be in the last days, ”just Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, worthless in regard to the faith.” (emphasis mine)
Jannes and Jambres were magicians and they copied what Moses and Aaron did through the power of Satan up to a point.
This is saying that some of the opposition to the truth in the last days will come from “miracle” workers, not just those from the obvious false belief systems and teaching outside the church, but also from within.
Notice what the Holy Spirit reveals in Matthew 7:22-23, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; LEAVE ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’” (emphasis mine)
Jesus says these are professing Christians. These are not atheists or agnostics.
So, in Jude 1:4, where it says, “For certain people have crept in unnoticed, …”, (emphasis mine). It’s not saying they sneaked in through the educational systems, “higher” or otherwise or other media. No, it says they crept in through the church.
We are also informed of this by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through Paul in his final words to the saints at Ephesus in Acts 20:29-30, “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them.” (emphasis mine)
Jesus Is the Only Way?
Jesus had the audacity to say, and the scriptures declare, that in the last days when the world is looking for a ruler, the person who will come forth and claim to be the one to lead them will call himself the Christ, not Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Napoleon or someone else. He will claim to be Jesus the Christ (Messiah).
Think about that for a moment. Of all the names of the most powerful and world impacting leaders in history, in the last days, the one name that will emerge and be used to draw the world will be the name Christ. That is a staggering prophecy. The man Christ Jesus, who was God in the flesh, (John 1:1, 14, 1 Timothy 3:16 and others), was an ex-carpenter, became an itinerate preacher for three years, never went to college, never wrote a book or held a public office.
He never commanded an army or any military group. He never traveled more than 200 miles from his birthplace or accomplished any of the things the world usually associates with greatness. Yet nineteen centuries have come and gone and today He is the central figure of humanity.
Conclusion: Signs of Christ’s Return (Matthew 24)
There is much more that can be submitted about this topic, but space doesn’t allow.
So, what does it all come down to?
It all comes down to the Gospel (good news), that Jesus came to earth as God in the flesh and sacrificed His life on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of all humanity and He is the only way to be redeemed back to God the Father. I realize there is a lot of push back and disagreement with that statement because as we see in the world many people believe differently and think it is very narrow-minded and dogmatic of Christians, maybe even mean and nasty to say that Jesus is the only way to the Father.
Well, either Jesus was speaking the truth in John 14:6 when He said, “I am The way, The truth, and The life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (emphasis mine). Or He lied. Those are the only two choices we have. If anyone can come to the Father any other way, for instance, on their own so-called “merit” or “goodness” it would be a slap in the face to Jesus.
The Holy Spirit through Paul said, “Therefore, since we know the fear (reverence) of the Lord, we persuade people (to be reconciled to Him) (2 Corinthians 5:11).
People who think we should just focus on God and all the things every religion agrees with, completely miss the point because first of all Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship (and that is not a play on words).
Second, the major belief systems or religions if you use that term, don’t agree on much of anything, who God is, and certainly not on who Jesus is.
So, what is the issue and why is this so important?
The issue is the eternal destiny of souls! The Gospel. Paul began his epistle to the Galatians in chapter 1 by anathematizing (accursed) those who preach a false gospel (our next blog postwill likely be about what is a false gospel).
Romans 1:16 makes it clear, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, …” (emphasis mine)
It is only through believing the gospel that you get saved! If you have a false gospel you are lost! That is what the Holy Bible clearly teaches. We see how serious this is by the truth recorded in the event of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26, Mark 14 and Luke 22).
Luke 22:44 says, “And being in agony, He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood (hematidrosis), falling down upon the ground.” (emphasis mine)
Why? Because He was afraid of going to the cross? No.
He wept because He was going to have to become the sin offering, be made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). He pleaded with His Father that if it were possible to bring humanity back into right relationship (redeemed) with Him any other way, do it, but there was no other way. If the Father lets anyone in another way except through Jesus, it totally undermines the integrity of God and His Word.
God says what He means and means what He says. He is a loving Heavenly Father and He will not go back upon His promise of redemption nor His promise of condemnation. There is no other way. There is much willful lack of recognition and understanding about this but there shouldn’t be. It seems to stem from a resistance to being held accountable to the only Almighty God, Creator of the universe. It is a fulfillment of the very prophecies that Jesus gave.
