09/06/2026
Wesley's message for today, September 6, 2026, taken from Matthew 24:1 - 8, 32 - 39: "Signs of the Times, Is thy Appearing Near?"
What shall be the sign of thy appearing?
Many people have repeated this question in the last 2000 years. Matthew chapter 24 gives us signs of Christ's appearing. Do they describe conditions in our time? Some have chosen to sensationalize with presumptuous predictions concerning our Lord's appearing; they all have been wrong.
Matthew 24:1 - 8, 32 - 39
1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
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?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
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.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
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:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
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,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
The generation that sees the sign of the fig tree fulfilled, shall see the signs fulfilled in their entirety with the personal appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds of glory.
Let us consider some of the signs this morning.
I. Wars and rumors of wars.
Wars have been evident throughout the history of the world. In our time, war is far more deadly. We have weapons of immense power that can destroy entire cities and all their populations. Weapons that can reach across continents in a matter of minutes.
1 Thessalonians 5:1 – 3: 1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
There is a strong desire and a passion for peace; especially in the Middle East. There have been times when peace seemed within our grasp, times when a lasting peace seemed promising. Just like the calm before the storm. When Jesus appears to rapture the church, then 7 years of troublesome times, as the Earth has never seen, will begin.
There are wars and rumors of wars.
II. The travail of nature.
Famines all over the third world nations, brought about by floods, droughts and huge swarms of insects. Severe storms that cause mass destruction and loss of life.
Earthquakes have always been around, but they seem more prevalent today and more powerful.
A tsunami in Southeast Asia caused by a powerful earthquake out in the ocean. Hundreds of thousands of lives lost. Huge areas of land were totally destroyed.
Huge wildfires every year in our country.
Seasons don't seem to be as defined as they used to be.
There is the travail of nature.
III. Moral decay.
Just like the days of Noah before the flood, men were living like there was no God.
There seems to be a lack of morals everywhere we turn, sadly even within the church.
Adultery, fornication, homosexuality, excessive obsession with sexuality.
2 Timothy 3:1 – 5: 1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Men and women, lovers of themselves. Disloyal to each other, not loving their children, leading to broken homes and unwanted children.
Too many living for the pleasure of the moment. Turning to drugs and alcohol.
We see an alarming increase in the violence of humanity. A modern-day S***m and Gomorrah.
There is moral decay.
IV. Scientific progress.
In the last 100 years man has advanced by leaps and bounds in science and technology:
• We've gone from horse and buggy to automobile, to supersonic jet aircraft.
• We can travel into outer space with rocket powered space vehicles.
• Satellites and cell phones, computers and all manner of electronics.
• All kinds of medicine, open heart surgery, artificial joints, thousands of new medical procedures.
Daniel 12:4: But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
It was impossible to understand the significance of these prophecies in Daniel’s own day, but God indicated that at the time of the end many would seek to understand these predictions and be able to do so.
There is scientific progress.
V. Distress of nations.
Luke 21:25 – 26: 25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
A perfect portrait of present-day frustrations, both nationally and internationally.
There seems to be pressure from every side, nowhere to turn.
The rebirth of the European Union – the revived Roman empire.
The growing military capability of China, nuclear and technical.
Iran and North Korea have become legitimate threats to the world.
The constant unrest and instability in the Middle East.
There is distress of nations.
VI. The rebirth of Israel.
Perhaps the most forceful and dramatic sign is the restoration of the Jews to their homeland.
Deuteronomy 28:64: And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
There is now no country where the Jew is unknown. No continent; Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America and North America.
They are a people of all the world.
They have been dispersed and persecuted for thousands of years, seems they have lived in constant fear, yet they still survive.
There has been a constant effort to eradicate the Jews:
• 70 AD – One million killed.
• 135 AD – Six hundred thousand killed.
• World War II Germany - Six million killed.
In 1948, Israel again became recognized as a nation.
Jews began to return to the homeland.
Isaiah 11:12: And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
God has brought them back, they are back to stay. God will take care of Israel.
Amos 9:14 – 15: 14 And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the w**e thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 15 And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.
God will make Israel productive, fruitful and secure. When Israel is finally restored, she will never again be destroyed.
There is the rebirth of Israel.
Signs of the times, is thy appearing near?
Come, Lord Jesus.
