We are continuing our teaching on Living in the End Times. All of time since the first appearance of Jesus and His return is the end times, the last age, the Age of Grace, the season when the gospel of Jesus is being proclaimed across the earth. And although we will not know the exact day or hour of His return, our Lord wants us to be discerning, aware, alert. So He has much to say regarding the characteristics of the end times.
Jesus said, Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him (Matt. 24:23). The Lord also warned, See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them. (Luke 21:8).
There have always been false prophets and false messiahs, even in the first century. Therefore Peter warns the church, There will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies ( 2 Peter 2:1).
The Apostle John warns the church, Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour (I John 2:18). All of time since the sacrifice, resurrection and ascension of Jesus is the last hour, the final age. John says that during this era there have been many false messiahs but as history moves toward its conclusion, these counterfeit misleaders will increase and the final days of the end time will be characterized by even worse deception.
Again Jesus warns us, For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect (Matt. 24:24).
Jesus performed miracles, signs and wonders. So have His true followers. But false messiahs and false prophets also bring their lying signs and wonders. When Moses confronted Pharaoh with miraculous signs, the Egyptian magicians also performed a limited number of miracles (Exodus 7:11,22 and 8:7). But they were unable to prevent the destruction of Egyptian power or the liberation of the Hebrew people. Hitler brought the miracle of economic recovery to a Germany that had been devastated by the Treaty of Versailles and by hyper-inflation. But ultimately, he brought devastation and death.
Paul speaks of the Antichrist as, The one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved (2 Thes. 2:9,10). The Antichrist will be accompanied by a false prophet who, performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men (Rev. 13:13). This is the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image (Rev. 19:20). John speaks of demonic spirits that will go out in those last days, performing signs (Rev. 16:14).
Jesus said, Many will say to me on that day (the day when God concludes history, establishes His kingdom on earth and Jesus holds all people accountable for their choices in this life), ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’ (Matt. 7:22,23)
There have always been false workers of false miracles and in the end time, the miracles performed by false leaders will be so believable that even the elect (the redeemed, God’s chosen people) will be tempted to believe their deception. But though there may be momentary deception or confusion, we will not be ultimately or finally deceived. God will preserve us. Jesus, speaking of Himself as the Good Shepherd, said, The sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers” (Jn. 10:4,5). And Jesus said, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (Jn.10:27).
Referring to the Holy Spirit who would soon be poured out on the church at Pentecost, Jesus said, But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth (John 16:13). Paul reminds us, For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God (Rom. 8:14). The Holy Spirit who indwells the redeemed guides us into all the truth necessary to navigate the Lord’s purpose in our lives.
In the hours before the cross, Jesus prayed one final prayer for His followers. He prayed that the Father would keep them from the evil one (John 17:15). God has always answered and will continue to answer that prayer. There have always been false prophets and as we approach the end there will be a multiplying of false prophets and false miracles, lying signs and wonders. However, we can be certain that the Lord will preserve His true followers from damning deception.
Continuing in Matthew 24 Jesus said, Behold, I have told you in advance. So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them (Matt. 24:25,26).
Who will be deceived by the false signs and lying wonders? Paul says it is those who did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved (2 Thes. 2:10). Who will be preserved? Those who love the truth.
The Lord promised through David the Psalmist, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will guide you with My eye upon you (Psalm 32:8). The Lord has given to the church pastor-teachers who instruct and build up the church (Eph. 4:11,12). God guides us as we read His Word and allow skilled, Godly teachers to instruct us. God guides us as we pray and open our hearts to the still, small voice of the Spirit. God guides us as we ask for wisdom, But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:5).
God guides us as we commit ourselves to His holy church and allow fellow believers to speak truth into our lives. God guides us as we ask Him to purify our hearts, as we live and obey what we understand of His truth.
The Holy Spirit abiding in us will take the Scriptures, our prayers, the loving voices of faithful fellow believers, and will lead us into all the truth necessary to live the life God has purposed for us. In discussing the presence of the antichrist spirit, John said, But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know (I John 2:20). That anointing is the indwellng presence of the Holy Spirit. In every age, and especially as history draws toward its conclusion, we will value the presence of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, as He gives us discernment and wisdom and as He preserves us from destructive deception. Those who love the truth will be preserved by the truth.
Jesus continues, For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be (Matt. 24:27). The end of time includes not only the multiplying of evil, the outpouring of the wrath of God and the great end time harvest of souls for the kingdom of God. These are only a prelude to the Great Event at the end of the Great Tribulation, the end of the End Times — the return of Jesus Christ to earth.
The return of Christ will not be hidden. John tells us that every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him (Rev 1:7). His return will be visible to all the tribes of the earth. His identity will require no secret formulas or hidden knowledge to unmask. He will be seen and identified as clearly as lightning is seen. His return will be sudden, unexpected, accompanied by signs in the heavens and as visually spectacular as a world wide flash of lightning. In the midst of history’s darkest hour, God will still be sovereign, working out His purposes in His timing. The same Creator who began history will conclude history because He is Lord of history.
Jesus continues, But immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken (Matt. 24:29).
Immediately after the tribulation of those days, that is, at the conclusion of the Great Tribulation which featured the final uprising of rebellion against God, the final outpouring of divine wrath on rebellious humanity and a final summons to salvation, The powers of the heavens will be shaken. In the Revelation, John saw, The stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind (Rev. 6:13).
The return of Jesus, and the time immediately prior to His return, will be marked by cataclysmic signs in the sky, a shaking of the lights and the powers in the heavenlies, stars falling from their places and even the light of the sun will be reduced. Again, the Apostle John speaks of this, The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way (Rev. 8:12.
Isaiah prophesied this, Behold, the day of the Lord is coming … For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light (Isa. 13:9a,10). Joel also prophesied this (Joel 2:30,31) and Peter quoted Joel’s prophecy in his first sermon (Acts 2:19,20). Notice that not only the heavenly bodies are shaken but also the powers of the heavens will be shaken — the laws of physics which govern those heavenly bodies are shaken.
We know that Jesus upholds all things by the word of His power (Hebr. 1:3). All the universe is held in place by the continuous sustaining power of Christ, the laws and forces that govern creation function by the continues exertion of His will. When He withdraws His power, all of creation begins to unravel, to disintegrate. This will not be an expression of a universe spiraling out of control. It will be a purposeful act of God revealing divine authority ruling over the final moments of human history and over creation itself.
It’s as though creation cannot contain the reentry of its Creator, the One by whom, for whom and through whom all things were created, in whom all things hold together (Colossians 1:16,17). The light of sun, stars and moon pales as the Light of the world passes close by.
And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory (Matt. 24:30).
Jesus says that, The sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. For centuries Bible commentators have debated the sign of the Son of Man. Many believe it will be the cross, whether formed by a convergence of heavenly bodies or by a supernatural act of God. It seems more likely that the sign will be Jesus Himself, for all these signs will precede His appearing.
Whatever the sign, it will be clearly seen and, All the tribes of the earth will mourn for they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. The unredeemed who survive the final outpouring of wrath will mourn the judgment that has finally come upon them. Surviving Jews in particular will mourn the Messiah for whom they had waited for so many centuries, whom they put to death when He first appeared. For many, whose hearts have been hardened by sin, this mourning will express a final rejection of the Lord. They will call to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb’ (Rev. 6:16).
However, this mourning may also indicate an attitude of repentance in some hearts. It may be that, as Jesus appears in the heavens, the hearts of those who have not been finally and unredeemably hardened will be pierced and men and women will turn to the Lord. This may apply especially to Israel.
Zechariah prophesied: I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn … In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity (Zech. 12:10,13:1).
The Lord, through the prophet Jeremiah, had rightly accused Israel of forsaking Him, the fountain of living waters (Jere. 2:13). But Zechariah prophesied that there is a day coming when this same God who once was forsaken will pour out the Spirit of grace and of supplication, drawing Israel to the waters of salvation. The Lord will then open a fountain of grace for the nation that had for so long rejected grace. In that day the desire of their Messiah will be fulfilled who said, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink (John 7:37).
This outpouring of grace began in the first century as Jesus preached throughout Galilee and Judea and people repented and believed. It has continued as the apostles went forth proclaiming the Gospel of grace and as the church has preached through the centuries. Jews and Gentiles have knelt and have drunk from the fountain of grace. Notice that this fountain is for sin and impurity. All who turn from their sin and believe in Jesus Messiah are drinking at the fountain of grace and are forgiven of sin, declared to be righteous, cleansed of all impurity.
This fountain of grace has flowed for centuries but Zechariah’s prophecy also refers to a final harvest among the Jews in the days closely preceding or possibly at the return of Christ. There will be a great outpouring of repentance and grace in Israel. Jesus will be so real to many, it will be as though they are looking on Him whom they have pierced. The result will be a massive harvest and a multitude of believers entering the thousand year reign of Christ.
However we interpret this sign in the heavens, Jesus will appear in clouds of glory. Even as He ascended from the Mount of Olives wrapped in the shekinah glory of God (Acts 1:9), so He will return. Centuries ago, John prophesied this event, Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen (Rev. 1:7).
We can imagine a theatrical scenario like this: the lights of heaven dim, as a stage is bathed in darkness, then the first light of the cross, then Jesus Himself appears in the glory of God.
Jesus will return not only in glory but also with power (Matt. 24:30). This power will be demonstrated in the destruction of the Babylonian world system, the binding of Satan, the raising of the righteous dead, the establishing of His glorious rule on the earth and the restoration of the earth. No more convulsions of nature, no more war and injustice. No more disharmony in nature, And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them (Isa. 11:6).
By the power of the Lord, the earth will bring forth abundant fruit, And in that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah will flow with water; and a spring will go out from the house of the Lord to water the valley of acacias (Joel 3:18).
The earth will produce so abundantly that, The plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows seed (Amos 9:13). Before the last harvest can be fully reaped, the next harvest is being planted.
By the power of the Lord the topography of the earth will be restored to something approximating its original form, And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found (16:20). By the power of the Lord every aspect of the curse will be removed, Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the Arabah (desert) (Isa. 35:6).
In that day a great trumpet will sound and there will be a gathering together of the redeemed from one end of the sky to the other (Matt. 24:31), gathering those saints who have gone to be with the Lord together with those who are still alive on earth. That trumpet announces the end of history and the beginning of the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ on earth. All who died in faith and all who are alive in faith on that day will meet Him, And so we will be with the Lord forever (I Thes. 4:17).
We are living in the last days and moving toward the end of the last days. The end may be soon. It may be a hundred years from now. But as we move toward that day, we are commanded to passionately proclaim the Good News of grace and patiently await the return of our Lord.
The prophet Daniel saw that day: I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed (Daniel 7:13,14).