After lashing out His final words against the Pharisees and the religious system that enslaved the people instead of setting them free, Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives, where He gave His disciples a glimpse of how things would end. Jesus really wasn’t giving a revelation of the final days of the earth, but rather of the church age. I can picture them looking down upon Jerusalem (from on top of the mountain) at this time, with Jesus knowing that the difficulty they have had with Rome up to this point would be nothing compared to what was coming for them. The disciples were intrigued by Jesus’ statement about the end of the religious system there and sought more details.
Jesus emphasized two things: the end of all things would be imminent, so live as though He would be returning today. The other is that you will see signs, but the end is not there just yet, so prepare for a long marathon. Remember that Abraham was given promises that weren’t fulfilled for 2000 years. It has been 2000 years since Christ was here on earth. That doesn’t mean there won’t be another 2000 years or whatnot. I can say that every generation has thought Jesus would return in their lifetimes, and it definitely looks closer today than it has ever been before. And in reality, it is closer today than ever before, but it still may be a while off. I will also say that whatever happens in or to the US might be completely irrelevant to end-times prophecy. Many believers in Europe may have thought the same thing about their nations as Christianity gave way to Communism or now to Islam and left-wing liberalism. So, what did Jesus actually say about the end times?
Jesus spoke about natural disasters. There would be earthquakes and disasters on the increase. Earthquakes have been going on ever since the Flood, but it hasn’t been until the last 150 years that we’ve kept track of them worldwide. So far, there have been five recorded 9.0 quakes or stronger. One in Chile, one in Russia, and one in Alaska in the 1950s and 60s. But the other two have happened since the 20th century: one in Indonesia in 2004 and the one in Japan in 2010. These quakes would increase in frequency and in intensity, and earthquakes are a common natural phenomenon during the Seal, Trumpet, and Bowl judgements of Revelation. But earthquakes aren’t the only natural disaster accounted for here, and as I am writing this, Texas was recently hit by severe flooding. All these things should remind us that the day of Jesus’ return is coming soon.
Jesus spoke about wars and rumors of wars. The 20th and 21st centuries have seen more wars than all over centuries combined. And the wars have gotten uglier and uglier as our weaponry has improved and our morals have gone down. While a proper declaration of war really hasn’t taken place since WWII, military operations have been at an all-time high, and instead, we have this spy game type thing of operation after operation, but no formal war has actually been declared. But violence has spiked, and it hasn’t capped yet. The US was the safest nation for 200 years, but now it is hard to find towns where you can actually leave your doors unlocked without worries.
Jesus also gave a warning about false Christs. These would come in droves. And Jesus was not talking about anyone who claimed to be the Messiah. I’ve seen and encountered a few such people, and they are either on drugs or demonically influenced. But that’s just the big scale. There have been many false Christs and false Jesuses, and the most frequently seen one is the Jesus that is a figment of one’s imagination – a “Jesus” that contorts and fits any mold we make for him and does what we like, hates what we hate, and looks a lot like us. And just as the Golden Calf was called “Jehovah,” there are a lot of false gods that are given the name of the True God out there. These are gods whom people deem to be powerful, but do not have sovereignty. Therefore, they cannot be a god if they are subject to human will. We must be diligent and vigilant, always on guard, because the deception is only getting stronger and stronger.
But after all these things, the second coming will be swift and sudden. After a long time of doing normal routines, Jesus will come with such speed that there will be no time to get things ready. It will be like a thief in the night. He doesn’t come unless he knows your guard is down. Jesus is not going to come when anyone thinks He is going to come. If some guy tries to put a date on things, don’t believe him. If another says Jesus is a long way coming, don’t believe him. There is urgency in this message, and if there were no urgency in Christ’s return, evangelism would not happen, and Christians would be sitting around, just being comfortable while the world burns. But there is urgency, and “today” is the day for salvation because there may not be another. At the same time, there is a delay in His coming. Jesus is waiting for all those who could be saved to be saved before closing the door.
The status of Jesus’ coming is going to be like Noah’s Flood. People will be going about their regular lives with no care or regard for God, when it will suddenly hit. Now, in Noah’s time, some finally listened and realized that Noah might be right, but they would have sought to save themselves in their own way. They perished, too. But the majority will not have a clue until the time of, and then it will be too late. Only this time, there is no physical ark to bang on the door. When Jesus comes, judgment day will come, the believers will be gathered together, and the unbelievers will be scattered. We’ll address that next week as Jesus gives three parables that illustrate what waiting for Him and believing Him looks like and what not believing Him also looks like.
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