Signs of the Times.
Num_14:11 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will
this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all
the signs which I have shewed among them?
Signs.
We all want them,
don't we? We long for signs to point the way to us. In fact many of us take some of our moments
of good fortune and call them signs of even better things to come, or
pessimistically we utter a low 'uh oh',
because things are going too good that must mean it's a sign of something
really bad to come.
We like when other
people give us signs, especially if we are looking for a romantic connection.
We'll look for hints (signs) that someone likes us.
We look for signs in
a lot of ways. In our jobs we'll look
for signs that things are looking good for a promotion. We'll note signs that
aren't so favorable and then we'll let those signs guide our behavior, hoping to
turn things around. When we ignore the
signs all around us we end up in a lot more trouble than we would have, had we
paid attention to the signs.
Some people who end
up getting divorced lament their inability to realize that something was wrong
in their relationship. Some say it was
completely out of the blue, they never suspected their spouse was unhappy. But those same people, once they've had time
to really think it through, realize that there were a lot of signs, they just
didn't pay attention to them. Very, very
rarely do divorces happen to those who are completely blissful in their
marriages. Communication lines get closed off along the way and sometimes
things go on that way for so long it seems like things are NORMAL for your
marriage so of course you say you didn't realize things were bad because you
accepted the bad as being normal for your marriage.
Signs.
The Hebrews as an
entire race of people were enslaved by the Egyptians for 400 years. They longed
to be free from their slavery and when their freedom came it wasn't by the hand
of man. They didn't have an army fighting for them on one side while another
army fought against their freedom on the other. There was no great revolt, no
power struggle, no usurping the dictatorship of the Pharaohs and replacing it
with a new régime. The Hebrews were given a deliverer. This deliverer went to
the Pharaoh and told him to free the Hebrews. Of course that didn't work, the
Pharaoh had no incentive to listen, no reason to release his slave labor which
provided for so much of the work all around them. The Pharaoh had NO desire
whatsoever to free his Hebrew slaves. So, the
Pharaoh had to be encouraged and encouraged he was by God working
through Moses to bring all manner of punishments down on Pharaoh for not
listening. Those punishments were meant as SIGNS, revealing the POWER of God
for the Hebrews. The punishments would hurt ONLY the Egyptians and not the
Hebrews, a sure sign that the Hebrews were being supernaturally protected by an
invisible force beyond the full comprehension of humanity. God, a living,
breathing God who truly interacted with His people was showing those people
that He was FOR them.
Sign after sign,
after sign, after sign was given. The
Hebrew people began to believe that God truly wanted their freedom and in that
freedom He wanted their utmost happiness.
By the time God was done revealing His power to the people - both
Egyptian and Hebrew- they were eager to part ways.
Freed from slavery
by God to become true people of God.
Yet, that whole
generation of adults freed would end up dying in the wilderness before reaching
the promised land because they were very quick to forget the signs they'd
received from God and selfishly only desired their own happiness. Their selfishness was appalling and God
couldn't let any of them into the promised land.
Today we want signs.
The signs are all
around us and yet so many of us simply ignore them in favor of keeping our
lives unaffected by anything that might call us to make any real decided action
outside of our normal routines.
Read the following--
Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the
disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be?
and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take
heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am
Christ; and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of
wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but
the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and
earthquakes, in divers places.
Mat 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be
afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my
name's sake.
Mat 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall
betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Mat 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall
deceive many.
Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love
of many shall wax cold.
Mat 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the
same shall be saved.
Mat 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.
Mat 24:15 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:)
Mat 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into
the mountains:
Mat 24:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come
down to take any thing out of his house:
Mat 24:18 Neither let him which is in the field return
back to take his clothes.
Mat 24:19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to
them that give suck in those days!
Mat 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the
winter, neither on the sabbath day:
Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as
was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Mat 24:22 And except those days should be shortened,
there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be
shortened.
Mat 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here
is Christ, or there; believe it not.
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and
false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it
were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Mat 24:25 Behold, I have told you before.
Mat 24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold,
he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers;
believe it not.
Mat 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east,
and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will
the eagles be gathered together.
Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those
days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the
stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of
man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall
see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great
sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four
winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Mat 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his
branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Mat 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these
things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall
not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my
words shall not pass away.
Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no,
not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also
the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood
they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day
that Noe entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took
them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall
be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the
one shall be taken, and the other left.
Mat 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour
your Lord doth come.
Mat 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the
house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and
would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an
hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Mat 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom
his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Mat 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when
he cometh shall find so doing.
Mat 24:47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him
ruler over all his goods.
Mat 24:48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his
heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
Mat 24:49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants,
and to eat and drink with the drunken;
Mat 24:50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day
when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
Mat 24:51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him
his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened
unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the
bridegroom.
Mat 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were
foolish.
Mat 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and
took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with
their lamps.
Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all
slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold,
the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed
their lamps.
Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us
of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest
there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy
for yourselves.
Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom
came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door
was shut.
Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins,
saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto
you, I know you not.
Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day
nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Mat 25:14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man
travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto
them his goods.
Mat 25:15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another
two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and
straightway took his journey.
Mat 25:16 Then he that had received the five talents
went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
Mat 25:17 And likewise he that had received two, he
also gained other two.
Mat 25:18 But he that had received one went and digged
in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
Mat 25:19 After a long time the lord of those servants
cometh, and reckoneth with them.
Mat 25:20 And so he that had received five talents came
and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five
talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good
and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make
thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Mat 25:22 He also that had received two talents came
and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two
other talents beside them.
Mat 25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and
faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee
ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Mat 25:24 Then he which had received the one talent
came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou
hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
Mat 25:25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent
in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
Mat 25:26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou
wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and
gather where I have not strawed:
Mat 25:27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money
to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with
usury.
Mat 25:28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give
it unto him which hath ten talents.
Mat 25:29 For unto every one that hath shall be given,
and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away
even that which he hath.
Mat 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into
outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory,
and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his
glory:
Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations:
and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep
from the goats:
Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand,
but the goats on the left.
Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his
right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world:
Mat 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I
was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye
visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying,
Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee
drink?
Mat 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee
in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and
came unto thee?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them,
Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of
these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Mat 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left
hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil
and his angels:
Mat 25:42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat:
I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
Mat 25:43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in:
naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Mat 25:44 Then shall they also answer him, saying,
Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or
sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Mat 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I
say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it
not to me.
Mat 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting
punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Mat 26:1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished
all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
Mat 26:2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of
the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
Jesus ended His
discourse on …'and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the
world? ' with this PREDICTION- After the passover He would be betrayed and
crucified.
DID IT COME TO PASS?
Was He betrayed and crucified after the passover He spoke of?
YES.
So will ALL He spoke
come to pass as well?
YES.
Most Christians have
NO trouble believing that Jesus was betrayed and crucified.
Most Jewish people,
most Moslems, most people of all religions do not doubt that Christ was
betrayed and crucified. They might dispute a lot of things, but His famous
betrayal and crucifixion isn't often disputed- even by those who believe He
wasn't God's Son. They know this man they believe might have been a prophet, or
at the least a visionary revolutionary struggling to make the world a better
place was murdered, it's history.
Jesus predicted His
death, so why don't we take Him seriously
when it comes to all the other things He told us?
He wants us to watch
for the SIGNS.
And you can argue
that every subsequent generation has believed and not experienced the 'end of
the world' or Jesus' second coming, and
you'd be correct. Our God is LONGSUFFERING.
To our God a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day. Our
God is NOT A LIAR! He has made a
prediction, a promise and it will ALL come to pass.
There are plenty of
signs for us and Satan is fighting to keep us from noticing any of them.
Go ahead, reread the
verses above, in fact do so several times.
By the grace of God
we'll talk more about them tomorrow, before picking up with - 'The Cost of
Discipleship' once again.
In HIS LOVE!
