INTRODUCTION
A. THE CHANGES IN THE PROPHETIC LANDSCAPE
1. A man who had been preaching Bible prophecy for
over 60 years stood
before a conference similar
to this one.
2. He said, "I began preaching on the signs of His
coming sixty years ago.”
3. “Back then, there were very few signs that you
could actually see.”
4. “Today they are everywhere.”
5. He said, “I’m no longer looking for signs.”
6. He said, “I am listening for sounds!” (Can I
have an Amen!)
B. IT’S NO LONGER NECESSARY TO SEARCH FOR SIGNS
1. We don’t have to look very hard for signs anymore.
2. The signs of His soon return are everywhere.
3. We don’t have to look for signs anymore, we need
to be listening.
4. We need to have our ears open for the trumpet
of the Lord to sound.
5. We need to be listening for the voice of the
archangel that will say to all of
us who know the Lord, “Come
up here!” (Can I have an Amen!)
C. WHAT IS A PROPHETIC SIGN?
1. Nelson’s Bible Dictionary - A sign is that which
points to or represents
something bigger than itself.
2. Signs are meant to identify or validate things.
3. When we refer to the signs of His coming we mean
identifying marks that point
to His coming.
TEXT:
Matt. 16:1-3 (KJV)
1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired
him that he would show them a sign from heaven.
2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will
be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is
red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but
can ye not discern the signs of the times?
I. DISCERN THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
A. WE NEED TO FOLLOW THE SIGNS
1. The last time I went to Springfield, I rode with someone who doesn’t follow signs.
2. We went from NM to Springfield by way of Kansas, then we came back down to
Tulsa, then we went to Springfield.
3. We would have made it much quicker and easier
if we had followed the signs.
4. There are experts who know the signs of the stock
market.
a) They know when the market
is going to go up.
b) They know when the market
is about to go down.
c) These signs tell them
when to buy.
d) They tell them when to
sell.
5. There are some who know the signs to predict
inflation.
6. There are those who know the signs to predict
interest rates.
7. There are those who know the signs to predict
what a house will sale for.
8. There are those who know the signs to predict
who will win elections.
9. But our world is short on those who know the
signs of what God is doing.
(Can I have an Amen!)
B. THE JEWS OF JESUS’ DAY HAD BEEN GIVEN SIGNS
1. Micah gave them a sign.
2. Micah 5:2 prophesied that the Messiah would be
born in Bethlehem.
3. Daniel gave them a sign.
4. Daniel 9:25 prophesied the exact year that the
Messiah would be "cut off."
5. It would happen 483 years after an edict was
issued to rebuild Jerusalem.
6. David gave them a sign.
7. Psalm 22:16 prophesied that the Messiah's hands
and feet would be pierced.
C. THEY SHOULD HAVE READ THE SIGNS
1. They knew the birthplace of the Messiah – Jesus
was born in Bethlehem.
2. They knew the timing of the Messiah
3. The edict that Daniel prophesied of was issued
in 457 BC.
4. 457BC plus 483 brought them up to their current
year.
5. They knew the manner of death of the Messiah
6. The method of execution at the time David wrote
Psalm 22 was stoning.
7. The method of execution in their day was piercing
on a cross.
8. Crucifixion was not even invented by the Romans
until 700 years after David.
9. This is why Jesus said, “…can ye not discern
the signs of the times?”
II. WHAT SIGNS ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
A. THERE ARE NO SIGNS WHICH FORETELL THE RAPTURE
1. TECHNICALLY, there are no signs which foretell
the rapture.
2. You see, the rapture could take place at any
minute.
3. The rapture became imminent when certain warnings of
the NT were written.
4. The rapture could have taken place at any time SINCE the NT was written.
5. Since the rapture is imminent, there is nothing
that had to happen first.
6. This means there WERE no signs and there ARE no signs that must precede it.
7. No signs ever had to be fulfilled before the
rapture.
8. When Paul wrote 1Cor 1:7 "...awaiting eagerly
the revelation of our Lord
Jesus Christ" the
church was already waiting for the imminent return of Christ.
9. Philippians 3:20 "…we eagerly wait for a
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;"
10. Titus 2:13 "...looking for the blessed hope
and the appearing of the
glory of our great God
and Savior, Christ Jesus;"
11. Hebrews 9:28 "...so Christ... shall appear
a second time for salvation
without reference to
sin, to those who eagerly await Him."
12. James 5:7-9 "...the coming of the Lord is
at hand. ...behold, the Judge is
standing right at the
door."
13. 1Cor 16:22 mentions the word "...Maranatha."
a) Maranatha consists of
three Aramaic words
b) "Mar" ("Lord"), "ana"
("our"), and "tha" ("come"),
c) It means "our Lord, come."
d) This term only makes
sense in the context of an imminent return.
14. The rapture of the church could take place at
any moment, it is imminent.
15. For nearly 2000 years the rapture of the church
could have come at any moment.
16. There can be no signs for something that is
imminent event.
17. There is no Biblical scenario for how things
will look when the rapture comes.
18. But, there is a Biblical scenario for how things
will look afterwards.
B. THERE ARE TWO PHASES OF CHRIST’S RETURN
1. Christ shall come FOR His saints, then He shall come WITH His
saints.
2. He will come FOR His saints at the rapture.
a) John 14:3 “And if
I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again
and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
b) 1Cor 15:51-52 “…We
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and
we shall be changed."
c) 1Thess 4:15-17 “…the
dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which remain…”
3. He will come WITH His saints at the end
of Tribulation.
a) Colossians 3:4 "When
Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall
ye also appear with him in glory."
b) 1Thess 3:13 “…the
coming of our Lord… with all his saints.”
c) Jude 14 “Behold, the
Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
4. There will be a UNKNOWN and a KNOWN time of
His return.
5. The rapture is an UNKNOWN time.
a) The rapture is imminent!
b) Matt 24:36 “…of that
day and hour knoweth no man…”
d) Matt 24:42 “…watch
therefore for you know not what hour your
Lord doth come…”
e) Mark 13:33 “…watch
and pray for ye know not when the time is.”
f) The unknown day is the
rapture.
g) We will not know when
the rapture will come.
6. After certain prophetic events there will be
a KNOWN time of His return.
a) It will be so certain
that people will be able to mark their calendar.
b) After certain prophetic
events take place, they’ll know the day.
c) Rev 12 tells us Israel
hides from the Beast for 3 ½ years.
d) Rev 13:5 tells us that
the Beast could only continue 3 ½ years.
e) We know that it is the
Lord Jesus Christ who conquers him.
f) 3 ½ years from
the time the Beast takes over, Christ will come.
g) 3 ½ years from
the time Israel goes into hiding, Christ will come.
h) 7 years after the rapture,
Christ will come.
i) 3 ½ days after
the two witnesses are slain, Christ will come.
j) People who miss the rapture
can mark their calendar for His return.
k) It will be a KNOWN day.
7. You cannot have a KNOWN day and an UNKNOWN day
on the same day.
8. The UNKNOWN and KNOWN day are two separate days.
10. The UNKNOWN day is the rapture.
11. The KNOWN day will occur at the end of the Tribulation.
C. WHICH ONE ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
1. We are obviously looking for the Rapture of the
church.
2. The rapture of the church is the next thing on
the prophetic timeline.
3. Before the Tribulation can come there must be
the rapture.
4. Before the KNOWN day, there must be the UNKNOWN
day.
5. But, there are no signs which were to precede
the rapture.
6. How can we know if it is close?
D. SIGNS OF THE IMPENDING TRIBULATION
1. The Bible gives a clear and vivid picture of
the Tribulation Period.
2. This is the period that comes after the rapture.
3. So, we lay out a model of how things will be
after the Rapture.
4. Based upon that model, we can see whether or
not we are getting close.
5. We can see if God is preparing the world for
the Tribulation.
6. If the stage is being set for the Tribulation
then the rapture is very close.
7. Remember that the Rapture precedes the Tribulation.
8. If the Tribulation is close, that means the rapture
is even closer.
9. At a ball game you know it’s about to start when
the players come on the field.
10. The players for the tribulation are the Jews.
11. For hundreds of years the Jews were outcasts.
12. They had no country of their own.
13. They could not have fulfilled the events of
the Tribulation.
14. But, today they are in their homeland.
15. Coaches line up their players on the field to
start a football game.
16. In like manner, God has lined up the players
for the Tribulation.
17. The players are already out on the field.
18. The rapture is close.
(Can I have a good Amen!)
III.
THE SIGN OF THE FIG TREE - ISRAEL
A. THE NATION OF ISRAEL HAD TO BE RE-ESTABLISHED
1. In many places the Hebrew Scriptures prophesy
that the nation of
Israel will be re-established
before the return of the Messiah.
a) Isaiah 11:10-12
b) Ezekiel 37:1-12
c) Amos 9:13-15
d) Zechariah 12:1-3
2. Jesus emphasized this as a sign in Matthew 24
when He told us to
watch for the rebudding
of the fig tree, which is a symbol of Israel.
3. When that happens, He said, the generation that
sees it "will not
pass away until all these
things [the return of the Lord] take
place" (Matthew 24:34).
B. THE BALFOUR DECLARATION
In 1916, World War I was going badly for England.
She was in a
desperate plight due to shortage of gun powder.
Up until then, gun
powder had been made from nitrates taken from mines
in Chile,
South America. But with German submarines controlling
the sea
lanes, Britain was unable to obtain the raw material
to make it.
At this time, Chaim Weizmann, a Jewish scientist,
discovered how
to make gun powder from nitrogen taken from the
air. Eighty
percent of the air we breathe is nitrogen! This
changed the course
of the war.
In appreciation, the British government, told Dr.
Weizmann to name
his reward. He requested that Palestine be declared
the national
homeland for the Jewish people. Consequently, the
Balfour
declaration was drawn up and signed on
C. THE HOLOCAUST
The Balfour agreement opened the way for the Jews
to return to
their homeland, but not many returned.
World War II brought
the holocaust and the Jews were anxious to have
a home of their
own afterwards.
D. JEWISH INDEPENDENCE DAY
The Nation of Israel made its declaration of Independence
on
May 14, 1948. It became an independent state and
began
running it’s own affairs without British interference.
On the very first day of their independence, all
of Israel's
neighbors declared war against them.
They had to fight them off, and amazingly, they
won this first
war with practically no resources.
There have been several other wars fought and won
by Israel.
They include:
The Suez Canal War of 1956 --
This was started by Egypt
and her allies, but it resulted in
the loss of the whole Sinai
Peninsula and the Suez Canal to
Israel. These were later
given back.
The 6-Day War of 1967
Israel responded quickly
to attack by her neighbors, and
occupied the Golan Heights
and the West Bank. This was
an amazing war! Israelis
destroyed the aircraft of their
hostile neighbors before
they even had time to launch them.
They even knew which planes
of their Arab neighbors were
decoys, and didn't bother
to bomb them.
E. THEY ARE ON THE PLAYING FIELD AND READY FOR ACTION
1. Rev 7:1-9 mentions 144000 Jewish evangelists
during the tribulation.
2. Rev 12 mentions a Sun clothed woman which represents
Israel
3. Israel is a major player during the Tribulation
and she’s ready to play.
IV. THE TECHNOLOGICAL SIGNS
A. MASS FATALITIES
1. According to Christ in Matt. 24:6 war will increase
like birth pains.
2. Matt. 24:22 says if those days weren’t cut short
no one would survive.
3. In a day when men still fought with spears, this
was inconceivable.
4. Isa.13:8 says during the “day of the Lord”
humans would “look
aghast at each other,
their faces aflame.”
5. Isa.13:12 says survivors would be more scarce
than pure gold of ophir.
6. Rev. 9:18 predicts 1/3 of the population will
be destroyed.
7. There was no way such an event could have occurred
before this century.
8. However, there were no weapons of mass destruction
when John
penned Revelation.
B. MASS BROADCASTING
1. Rev.11:7 prophecies the death of the two witnesses.
2. It says the Antichrist will kill them.
3. Rev.11:9 says, the whole world "shall see
their dead bodies.”
4. It says they will see these bodies for 3 ½
days.
5. That was impossible in John’s day.
6. At that time it tooks weeks and months to travel
between nations.
7. How could every nation see this?
8. It was impossible before satellite television.
C. MASSIVE ARMY
1. Rev.9:18 prophecies an army of 200 million soldiers
from the East.
2. During WWII there was less than 50 million soldiers
in the whole war.
3. When John wrote this, there were barely 200 million
people in the world.
4. No one could conceive of having an army that
large.
5. Until the last decade, many thought Rev.9:18
was a misprint.
6. Today, China has an army of 200 million soldiers.
D. MASS CONTROL OF COMMERCE
1. Rev.13-16-17 prophecies a number which will control
commerce.
When John wrote Revelation, this was inconceivable.
3. People bartered and traded much of the time without
money.
4. Most people raised their own food.
5. There was no way to control what people bought,
sold, and earned.
6. In a day when people knew nothing of electricity
or of computers,
it was ludicrous to think
that this could be done with a number.
7. Today, we live in a specialized society.
8. Most people can’t eat without McDonald’s and
Burger King.
9. Most people can’t make their own clothes.
10. Most people can’t build their own shelter.
11. Most can’t stay warm without gas and electricity.
12. Today, most would not survive without public
services.
13. If you were cut off because you didn’t have
a mark, it would be a problem.
14. Today, they could control people with a number.
V. THE SIGNS OF MATTHEW 24 – THE BIRTHPAINS
A. FALSE CHRISTS
1. Matthew 24:11
2. Mark 13:6
3. Luke 21:8
4. 1Tim 4:1
5. There are usually 40,000 cases of "Jerusalem
Syndrome" each year.
6. This is a short-term condition where tourists
are convinced they
are Jesus or some other
biblical figure.
7. We have many examples of false messiahs in our
generation:
Charles Manson
Maharaja Ji
Jim Jones
Sun Myung Moon
The Dalai Lama- Tibet
Lord Maitreya
8. Most of us would not be deceived by these people
9. But thousands of people have obviously been led
astray by them.
B. WARS
1. Matthew 24:6
2. Mark 13:7
3. People throughout history have had to live with
wars and rumors of war.
4. In our generation we have had an almost constant
preoccupation with them.
5. There are always several wars going on at various
places in the world.
6. There have been as many as forty wars at one time
in our lifetime.
7. World War I was called "The War to end all war."
8. It did not end war, it only taught us how to
be more deadly.
9. World War II brought us into the age of nuclear
weapons.
C. FAMINES
1. Matthew 24:7
2. Mark 13:8
3. Luke 21:11
4. The above verses mention famine as a factor characterizing
the end times.
5. North Korea -
3.5 Million people have
starved to death in North Korea.
6. Sudan -
1.3 million people have
died from fighting and famine.
7. Ethiopia -
Drought and a poor harvest
have left 800,000 people in need of famine relief in Ethiopia
8. You can’t turn your TV on without seeing
the pictures of starving children around the world.
D. PLAGUES OR PESTILENCE
1. Luke 21:11
2. Rwanda: Four in five deaths in Rawanda last year
were Aids-related.
3. Hospitals are in fear of the new Superbugs.
4. These are new strains of bacteria which are resistant
to antibiotics.
5. There are new outbreaks of an Ebola virus that
can destroy whole towns.
6. We’ve heard reports of a flesh eating Strep bacteria.
7. There is the ever growing threat of bio-chemical
weapons.
E. EARTHQUAKES
1. Matthew 24:7
2. Mark 13:8
3. Luke 21:11
4. Last year, six major earthquakes claimed 20,000
lives.
5. Nov. 15, 1999 – a quake in Turkey killed 452
6. Sept. 21, 1999 - a quake in Taiwan, killed
over 2,042
7. Aug. 20, 1999 – a quake in Turkey killed over
10,000
8. The World Almanac lists all known earthquakes
of all times.
9. There number of large earthquakes has constantly
increased this century.
10. Before 1900 there was an average 15 or 20 years
between major quakes
11. Now, there are several major quakes every year.
CONCLUSION:
A. WAITING FOR DAD TO COME HOME
1. When I was a young boy, my dad used to come home
at 4 in the afternoon.
There were times when I was happy to see him
and other times when I dreaded it.
Sometimes I would get in trouble with my mother.
She’d say, “You just wait ‘til your dad gets
home.”
Of course, I dreaded seeing his pickup come down
the road on those days.
There were other times that we would be waiting
to do something special together.
I would be anxiously waiting for Dad to come
home.
What you’ve been doing has a lot to do with how
you feel about Christ’s return.
Some of you might be embarrassed if Christ came
tonight.
Some of you aren’t ready.
B. GET READY
1. I want to give you the opportunity to get ready
tonight.
2. Would everyone please bow your heads…
3. Some of the Christians in this room have things
in your
life that you’d like to
get rid of before Jesus comes.
4. There have been times when you've thought, “I
hope Jesus
doesn’t come back right
now.”
5. I’m not trying to point fingers or to hurt your
feelings.
6. I am not against you, we are on the same team.
7. There are some things you’ve been doing that
aren’t productive.
8. You haven’t been serving God the way you know
you
should, and I want to pray
for you tonight.
9. Would you raise your hands if this is your circumstances?
10. (PRAY for God’s cleansing, strength, and direction
for them)
11. There may be others who simply aren’t ready
because you don’t know the Lord!
12 1John 5:13 “These things have I written unto
you that
believe that you might
know that you have eternal life.”
13. How many of you know!
14. How many would like to know?