Abundant Grace Fellowship
When You See Things
By
Pastor J.D. Link
I
would encourage you to read Luke 21:5-36 carefully. For further
understanding, we will also reference Matt. 24 and Mark 13. We
must remember that Jesus is answering two different questions in
these accounts. In Mt. 24:3, The disciples ask Him: 1.
When will the Temple be destroyed? 2. What are the signs of Your
coming and the end of the age? Jesus answers both questions; so some
of the things He says refers to the 70 A.D. destruction
of Jerusalem,
and some of them refer to the end times. This is not uncommon
in the Bible, since we see Peter quote Joel on the day
of Pentecost,
and he clearly refers to part of Joel’s prophecy as being fulfilled
right then (Act 2:16-18), and the other part on the great
Day of The Lord (vs.
19-20, yet future). Jesus also does this in Lk 4:16-21, when he
quotes Isaiah 61:1-2. He intentionally leaves out the part that says,
“The day
of vengeance of
our God”, because that was a future event - separate from the rest
of the passage. So let’s look at what things will precede the
coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
In
Lk 21:9-11, Jesus says there will be wars, commotions, & rumors
of wars; Ethnicity will rise against ethnicity, and kingdom against
kingdom; earthquakes, famines, plagues; fearful sights and great
signs in the heavens. These are the birth pains, or
contractions, that lead up to the return of the Son
of God. Contractions get
more intense and closer together as the delivery draws closer.
So are the signs of the times. Jesus said when you begin to see
these things, to look up - for your redemption (deliverance) draws
near. Notice, when you begin, or start, to see these things,
you better be looking up - it’s getting close.
Are
we in the last days? Well, yes and maybe. Yes, the entire
church age is considered the last days, so we’ve been in them for
almost 2,000 years. We might be, and I believe likely are, in
the end times, or “last” of the last days; because the signs of
the times are greatly increasing. One such example is
earthquakes. They have greatly increased in strength and
frequency in the last ten years. From 1800 to 1900, there were
approx. 31 earthquakes 7.0 or higher. From 1901 to 2000,
there were 222 quakes 7.0 or higher. In the last 10 years
alone, there have been 160+ major quakes 7.0 or greater.
Coincidence or contractions?
It
is true that famines, earthquakes, plagues, wars, rumors of wars,
etc., have been around for thousands of years. However, it is
the increase and intensity that gives us clues to the times we are
in. The Bible says no man knows the day or the hour of
the return
of Christ,
but that we would know the signs of the times. Some other signs
are: 1. The
Gospel would
be preached in all the world (Mt 24:14). 2. Increased
wickedness (Mt 24:12, 2Tim 3:1-5) 3. Mockery of the return of
Christ (2Pt 3:3-4, Jud 18-19) 4. Return of Israel to the
promised Land (happened in 1948, Ezk 20:34,
Isa 43:5-6) 5. Increased turmoil in the Middle East (Ezk
38:1-6) 6. Global government, economy, & universal religion
(Rev 13 & 17). It’s quite obvious that these things have
already happened, or are presently happening. Coincidence or
contractions?
Alright,
so let’s say we are in the last of the last days: What are we
supposed to do? First off, we are not to be terrified (Lk 21:9,
Isa 41:10, 2Tim 1:7). If you are right with Jesus, your heart
should not fail for fear (Lk 21:26,
Jn 14:1). We should be wise as serpents, yet gentle as doves.
We should be sober. We should be keeping watch. We should
be praying without ceasing. We should be about our Father’s
business. We should forsake our sinfulness and turn to Christ
and serve Him. (Mt 24:42-51, Mk 13:32-37, Lk 21:34-36).
Asdisciples
of Jesus Christ,
we should be looking up (Lk 21:28,
Titus 2:13, Heb 9:28)! The return of our Lord is eminent!
These words should bring comfort (1Thess 4:18)! Hope! Joy!
Peace! To be absent from the body is to be present with The
Lord! Come Lord quickly! (Rev22:20)
Are you ready?