Understanding Bible Prophecy Series (2 of 7)

Signs of the End of the World

Mark Finley presents a perspective on how Jesus’ prophecies in Matthew 24 might apply to today’s world.

Some years ago, 16-year-old Sean Sellers and a companion entered a convenience store in Oklahoma City and opened fire on Robert Bowers, the 35-year-old clerk minding the store.

Sean described the murder in these words: “I squeezed the trigger and heard him scream. I hit him . . . I squeezed the trigger again, and the bullet entered through his heart and through his lungs. Blood was completely splattered on the opposite wall and he hit the ground. Then we walked out. We didn’t take any money. We didn’t take any merchandise. We just took the life of an innocent man for Satan.” A friend said that Sellers admitted he wanted “to see what it felt like” to kill somebody.

Did that story shock you? Probably not. Because if you’ve been reading your own daily newspaper, you’re probably beyond being shocked by the evil that men and women are capable of doing. When did evil become so common that we are no longer shocked?

Long ago, Jesus sat on a hillside with His disciples and predicted such a time as this. Later, the disciples asked Jesus privately, “What will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3*).

In response, Jesus outlined the signs that would precede His second coming. Here is something amazing. When we compare Jesus’ prediction in Matthew 24 with the predictions in the book of Revelation, they provide an incredibly accurate picture of our day. Jesus seems to have been speaking about events of our time—signs in nature, in society, and in knowledge.

And today, these signs are being played out in the headlines splashed across our daily newspapers. Let’s examine each of these signs individually.

signs in the world of nature
Jesus turns His attention to the natural world: “There will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7).

Do we see famines today? North Korea is experiencing a famine of extraordinary proportions. Look to Sub-Saharan Africa. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation reports nearly 10 million people are in need of emergency food.

Experts estimate that for more than a billion people in the world today, about a sixth of the world’s population, chronic hunger is an ever-present part of daily life. Ten thousand people a day, or more than 3.5 million people per year, die of starvation.

“There will be famines and pestilences,” Jesus said. “Pestilences” are diseases affecting crops, livestock or human beings and can be caused by nature or by human carelessness.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that an estimated 50,000 to 120,000 premature deaths are associated with exposure to air pollutants in the United States. Australians suffer likewise with among the highest rates of asthmatic and bronchial problems. Disease-causing bacteria are developing resistance to antibiotics, and new diseases are appearing for which science has not found a cure.

Jesus said there would be earthquakes in the last days. Today we have 4000 seismograph stations in the world that record 12,000 to 14,000 earthquakes per year—that’s approximately 35 earthquakes per day. The “big one” is on its way, scientists tell us, and all these are preliminary to the dramatic earth-shaking events at the coming of our Lord.

signs in the world of social life
No signs are more obvious or inescapable than those in the social world.
Jesus plainly predicted: “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark” (Matthew 24:37, 38).

And what was life like in Noah’s day? Moral values fell through the basement, marriage vows were broken, divorce was common, the social and moral fabric of society in Noah’s day disintegrated. Standards that were once the norm, God’s standards, were no longer accepted.
What about the moral fabric of society in the 21st century? Living together outside of marriage is commonplace and widely accepted. Now more than 30 per cent of all births in America are to unmarried women. The marriage rate has fallen nearly 30 per cent since 1970, and the divorce rate has increased about 40 per cent. Truth is considered relative; morality is an individual preference; right and wrong are no longer absolutes. The resulting violence is sweeping our nation. Jesus must come soon, or we will destroy our culture through immorality and violence.

signs in the world of knowledge
Every time you boot up your computer, you fulfil a prophecy in Daniel: “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” (Daniel 12:4). This verse suggests that both knowledge about the prophecies of Daniel and knowledge in general would increase.

Knowledge has never before increased as fast as it does today. It is estimated that 80 per cent of all the scientists who have ever lived are alive today. The scientific material they produce every 24 hours would take one person a lifetime to read.

And not only is knowledge increasing exponentially, the accessibility of that knowledge is phenomenal. If you wanted to know something years ago, you had to go to a public library and spend hours of research. Today, knowledge is accessible at the click of a mouse.

Daniel’s prophecy that “knowledge will increase” is speaking especially of the knowledge of God’s words, the truth about Jesus and His soon return. The Bible predicts a powerful worldwide spiritual revival before the coming of Jesus: “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

Before the coming of Jesus, unprecedented doors of opportunity for the proclamation of the gospel will open around the world. I have seen these prophecies fulfilled before my eyes.

Imagine Russian Army trucks delivering 20,000 Bibles to the Kremlin Palace Congress Hall for thousands to study the truths of God’s Word.

Imagine preaching throughout the former Communist countries. Recently, I conducted a series of gospel meetings in Bucharest, Romania, in the former Congress Hall of Communism. These meetings were sent by satellite to more than 200,000 people.

Millions of Africans are coming to Jesus. I have personally witnessed thousands sitting in torrential downpours eagerly absorbing God’s Word.

In India, scores of former Hindus are turning to God’s Word. I recently watched as more than 1000 were baptised in Madras, India.

From the islands of the sea to the crowded metropolitan areas, God is on the move. The prophetic signs of Jesus’ soon return are being fulfilled all around us.

Is there anything in your life that would keep you from being ready for His soon return? Jesus longs to save you. He longs to have you live together with Him forever.

This is no ordinary time. God’s final call is going out all over this planet. Millions around the world are responding. This is the time to prepare for His soon return. Why not fully commit your life to Him, right now?

the second coming of Christ
The second coming of Christ is the blessed hope of the church, the grand climax of the gospel. The Saviour’s coming will be literal, personal, visible, and worldwide. The almost complete fulfilment of most lines of prophecy, together with the present condition of the world, indicates that Christ’s coming is imminent. The time of that event has not been revealed, and we are therefore exhorted to be ready at all times.

*All Bible quotations are from the New King James Version.