03/10/2016
6 Signs of the Last Days: share, like and comment.
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Here are six signs that we’re living in the last days, just prior to Christ’s return.
1 Many Will Come in His Name
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One of the signs that occur prior to Jesus’ return is that “many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray” (Matthew 24:5). Maybe it’s me, but it seems there are more false teachers and preachers today who proclaim a different gospel than God requires than there ever used to be when I was a boy. Rarely do you hear Jesus’ gospel preached anymore. How often do you hear repentance and faith mentioned (Mark 1:15)? It’s interesting that Jesus said “many” and not “a few” will be led astray. Does this mean false teachers will have the largest audiences? Not in all cases; but in “many” of them, yes. Jesus mentions “many” again where He says, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord.’” But Jesus tells these same “many,” “Depart from me, for I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21-23)!
2 Lovers of Self
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One of the signs the Apostle Paul gave about the end times is that it’s going to be harder and harder to be a Christian. Paul writes, “That in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:1-4). Does this describe the society in which you live? Do many where you live feel a sense of “entitlement” or that something’s owed them?”
3 Increased Martyrdom
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Jesus gives another sign of the end of the age when He says, “They will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9). Voice of the Martyrs researchers discovered that the number of Christians who were martyred between the year 2000 and 2010 was about one million. That works out to be about 100,000 martyred every year. That single decade had more martyrs than in the previous 2,000 years!
4 Increasing Lawlessness
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The latest news is that one of the largest U.S. cities recently recorded 500 homicides, and that was only halfway through the year! Is it any wonder that Jesus warned that “lawlessness will be increased” (Matthew 24:12) and “many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another” (Matthew 24:10). Gone are the days when you could take a walk in any part of town and in just about any city. It was like that when I was a boy. Today we live in a society where there are places that even the police don’t go.
5 Lovers of Money
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We need money to survive; but when money becomes a root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10) and, as James wrote, deprives some of their fair day’s wages, that is an evil thing before God. When more and more men and women become lovers of money (I wonder what the percentage is now), you can see one of the signs of the end of the age, as the Apostle Paul wrote that “people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud” (2 Timothy 3:2). James rebukes the rich in writing, “Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts” (James 5:4).
6 Man-made and Natural Calamities
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A sixth sign, which is to occur prior to Jesus’ return, is both man-made and natural: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7). Even though these are only “the beginning of the birth pains” (Matthew 24:8), there certainly seems to be an increase in hurricanes, floods, droughts, fires, earthquakes, famines, and disease. We are also witnessing increasing tensions between nations. Is that also a sign we’re living in the last days?
Conclusion
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Of course, there are many more than just these six signs. You can probably think of others. If so, please leave us a comment with the Scripture. When you see these signs begin to intensify, it could be that we really are living in the last days, although the church has always lived that way, with the expectation of His return at any moment. They have believed this for the last 2,000 years, so we don’t know when that time is. All we must do is seek the lost and tell them they must be saved today while it’s still called “today” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
May God richly bless you,
source : Pastor Jack Wellman
