It seems lately that all the chaos, plagues and biblical signs are producing more interest in the end times and curiosity about where we are in the biblical timeline. In Matthew 24, Jesus’s disciples also had questions concerning the end times and the timing of the Lord’s return. Matthew 24:1-3 says:
1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” 3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
We know from history, that the first part of the prophecy that Jesus told them about; the destruction of the Jewish temple (not one stone will be left upon another) came to pass in 70 A. D., when Jerusalem was attacked and destroyed.
In verses 4-8 Jesus shares the signs that He called the “beginning of sorrows” or “birth pangs”. They are as follows:
- False Christs or Messiahs/Deception
- Wars and rumors of wars
- Nation will rise against nation (ethnos against ethnos) and Kingdom against Kingdom
- Famines
- Pestilences
- Earthquakes in various places
Most of these signs or “birth pangs” have been going on since the time of Christ (or even before) and most women who have had a child know that when birth pangs or contractions are far apart and not very intense this is an indicator that they have a while to go before the baby will arrive, but when the birth pangs become very frequent and intense, it means that she is getting ready to give birth. That is what Jesus was saying about these signs; the closer we get to the end of time and His returning, the more frequent and intense these signs will become.
Jesus explained that as we get closer to the end of time there will be more and more false christs or Messiahs, until the anti-christ arrives on the scene. There will be wars and rumors of wars. Nation or ethnos (where we get the word ethnic or race from) will rise against ethnos. This is something that is greatly increasing in America now and in other countries; racial tensions and divides, which could lead to a civil war (I have heard a couple of reputable prophets say that the Lord showed them this is going to happen), but they said that the affects of it could be lessened through our prayers.
I have heard many reports of famines and food shortages going on all around the world right now and it seems to be increasing. There are food lines in America (people in their vehicles) miles long, just as the Lord showed Heidi Baker. There is a terrible plague of locusts right now going on in Africa and India; the worst they said in 100 years and, of course, we all know about covid-19 and other types of flu viruses and diseases. Also earthquakes have been increasing by leaps and bounds.
According to nbcnews.com, there has been a Worldwide Surge in ‘Great’ Earthquakes seen in the past 10 years. According to a 2014 report to the Geological Society of America in Vancouver, British Columbia, the number of great earthquakes has nearly tripled in the last decade. The report goes on to say that “between 2004 and 2014, 18 earthquakes with magnitudes of 8.0 or more rattled subduction zones around the globe. That’s an increase of 265% over the average rate of the previous 100 years, which saw 71 great quakes and that’s not counting all the smaller quakes. Earthquaketrack.com reports that the United States has had 116 earthquakes in the last 24 hours (M 1.5 or greater), 837 quakes in the last 7 days, 4,344 in the last 30 days and 43,340 in the last 365 days.
Next, Jesus talks about the tribulation period, which I will talk more about later, but in vs. 14 Jesus says the last thing that must happen before the end comes is “that this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
The invention of satellites has greatly increased the spread of the gospel being preached all over the world in our lifetime, and has enabled Christian television broadcasters like CBN and TBN to reach into just about every country in the world. They have been able to translate the gospel message into just about every language known to man, but there are still some unreached people groups left to reach.
I have heard Pat Robertson (The 700 Club) and others say that they have had many Muslims contact their studios in other countries, saying that after watching one of their Christian shows, they had a dream where Jesus appeared to them and they had either already accepted Him or they were calling to ask how to be saved. Praise the Lord! The harvest is coming in, but there is still much work to be done. Lord help us to be led by your Holy Spirit in doing our part. God bless you all.
In Christ –Kelly Rowe
A Deeper Walk 