The signs of the second coming of Christ

[Jma]

The Signs of His Coming
by Michael G. Mickey

One of the biggest mysteries in the Bible concerns the timing of
Jesus
Christ's return to earth. Although the Bible tells us no one knows
the
hour nor the day when the Lord will return, the Bible is filled with
many indicators or conditions we can use to assess how close we may
be
to the season of His return.

The signs are as follows:

The Gospel will be preached in all the world before the physical
return of Jesus Christ to the earth occurs at Armageddon, although
exhaustive efforts are presently underway to accomplish this:
Matthew 24:14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in
all
the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end
come.
There will be a mixture of believers and false believers within the
Church body:

Matthew 13:24-30: Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The
kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his
field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the
wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and
brought
forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the
householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed
in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An
enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that
we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up
the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow
together
until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the
reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles
to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

There will be scoffers:
The Bible tells us one of the key signs of the end times will be
people doubting the return of Christ will ever happen.
2nd Peter 3:3-4: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the
last
days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is
the
promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things
continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
Humanity will be able to cross the globe rapidly and science will be
advancing:

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.
Perilous times will come for mankind:

2nd Timothy 3:1: This know also, that in the last days perilous times
shall come.

Mankind will deny God once flooded the earth:
2nd Peter 3:5-6: For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the
word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of
the
water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being
overflowed with water, perished:

The earth will be swimming in a sea of violence:
As it was in the days of Noah (Luke 17:26), so it shall be at the
end.
How was the earth in Noah's time?
Look no further than Genesis 6:11: The earth also was corrupt before
God, and the earth was filled with violence.

There will be warfare all over the globe:
Mark 13:8: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom:

Mankind will have the capability to destroy all life on the planet:
Unique to our generation, this prophecy could not have been fulfilled
prior to the invention of weapons of mass destruction such as the
nuclear bomb.

Matthew 24: 22: And except those days should be
shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake
those days shall be shortened.
Deadly diseases will be rampant:

Matthew 24:7: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and
earthquakes, in divers places.

Famines will be common:

Matthew 24:7: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and
earthquakes, in divers places.

Earthquakes will be occurring globally:

Matthew 24:7: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and
earthquakes, in divers places.

There will be violent weather:

Luke 21:25- 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;

Children will be disobedient and rebellious:
2nd Timothy 3:2: For men shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy,

Christians and Jews will be hated for their faith in and connection
with Christ:

Luke 21:17: And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.

Mankind will be in a state of moral, spiritual decay:
2nd Timothy 3:2-5: For men shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of
God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from
such turn away.

Religious cults will flourish:
2nd Peter 2:1: But there were false prophets also among the people,
even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall
bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them,
and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

There will be progress made toward a global government:
The European Union, the revived Roman Empire, is alive today and
moving steadily toward the fulfillment of this prophecy as seen in
Daniel 7: 23: "The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon
earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the
whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces." The
Antichrist who will lead this world government will be a leader from
the European Union as seen in Daniel 9:26. He will be of the people
who destroyed the city of Jerusalem and its sanctuary in AD 70, the
Romans.

The world will be desperately seeking peace:
1st Thessalonians 5:3: 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.

Global means of communication will exist:
We know this because the book of Revelation teaches us the entire
world will see several events. This is unique to our generation as
only recently in mankind's history have these technologies been
present.
Revelation 11:9: And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and
nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall
not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

In the last days, fallen angels will mingle with mankind:
I know this one is going to be controversial, but there is a
scriptural basis for this, as seen in Luke 17:26: And as it was in
the
days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
A careful examination of what was going on in Noah's day seems to
suggest fallen angels were somehow mingling with mankind.
Genesis 6:4: There were giants in the earth in those days; and also
after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men,
and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were
of old, men of renown.
If so, one of God's motives in destroying mankind at the flood may
have been Satan and his fallen angels, in an attempt to save
themselves from His judgment, were trying to taint the bloodline that
would lead to the birth of Christ.
We find Noah was spared from destruction for three reasons as seen in
Genesis 6:9. They are as follows:
1) Noah was a just man.
2) Noah was perfect in his generations (note this reference to his
bloodline being pure).
3) Noah walked with God.
There is potentially more to the numerous UFO sightings and alien
abduction stories in the news today than we have ever imagined!

Israel will exist as a nation in the latter days:
Read Ezekiel 37:1-14 to see this prophecy, which was fulfilled in
1948.
Israel's birth as a nation will have happened in one day:
Fulfilled on May 14, 1948 as seen in Isaiah 66:8: "Who hath heard
such
a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring
forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once?"
Israel will be in possession of Jerusalem (has been since 1967):
This happened as a result of the Six-Day War in 1967. The capture of
Jerusalem was critical from a prophetic standpoint as the Antichrist
will someday enter a rebuilt Holy Temple that will be standing in
Jerusalem at the midpoint of the Tribulation Period where he will
declare himself to be God. This event, referred to by most as the
abomination of desolation, is documented in Daniel 9:27 and Matthew
24:15.

Israel will be surrounded on every side by enemies:
Psalms 83:4: They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being
a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
The possession of Jerusalem will be the source of international
conflict:
Is this happening today or what? It's a HUGE sign to us! Zechariah
12:3: And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for
all
people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces,
though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

Christians will be lukewarm in their faith:
In Christ's address to the seven churches, He says in Revelation
3:15:
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou
wert cold or hot.

Many will claim to be Christ:
Matthew 24:5: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ;
and
shall deceive many.
False Christs and false prophets will be very effective in the art of
deception:

Matthew 24:24: For there shall arise false Christs, and false
prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if
it
were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
There will be signs in the heavens:

Luke 21:25: 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;

Mockers will abound because those who live according to their own
desires love to mock those who try to live theirs in a manner
pleasing
to God.

Jude 1:18: How that they told you there should be mockers in the last
time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

Idolatry will be common:
Revelation 9:20: And the rest of the men which were not killed by
these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they
should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass,
and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

Many Christians and church doctrines will depart from the faith:
1st Timothy 4:1: Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the
latter
times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils;

Mankind's state of rebellion will be so great, the coming of Christ
will catch them completely off-guard:
Luke 21:35: For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on
the
face of the whole earth.

Homosexuality will be flaunted:
Leviticus 20:13: "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a
woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely
be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."

This is also spoken of in Luke 17:28- 30: "Likewise also as it was in
the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold,
they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of
Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them
all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is
revealed."
Although homosexuality is an abomination in the eyes of God, all sin
is! I bring up this point because many Christians treat homosexuality
as if it is the most unforgivable sin of all. Jesus Christ forgives
all sins and we, His followers, should be reaching out to these
people
with love in our hearts that they might be saved! Homosexuality is
not
an unpardonable sin any more than any other sin is!

Many will rejoice in their unrighteousness:
2nd Thessalonians 2: 12: "That they all might be damned who believed
not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
These people, according to 2nd Thessalonians 2:11, will be subject to
believing the lie the Antichrist will present to the world in the
aftermath of the Rapture of the Church, leading many of them to
eternal damnation. God will allow them to be deceived, it seems, as a
reward for their bold defiance of Him. What a frightening thought!

Aliyah will be taking place:
What is Aliyah? Aliyah is the Hebrew word used to describe the
physical return of the Jewish people, the children of Israel, to
their
ancient Promised Land, Zion, from abroad.
In Scripture, God promised He would bring the Jews (descendants of
Abraham) back to their Promised Land from all the nations of the
world
where He had scattered them! It is happening even as you read these
words.

Ezekiel 36:24: For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather
you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

39. There will be signs Earth's environment is in trouble:
Romans 8:21-23: Because the creature itself also shall be delivered
from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and
travaileth in pain together until now. And not only [they], but
ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we
ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, [to wit],
the redemption of our body.

40. Technology will exist capable of tracking the world's population,
finances.

Revelation 13:16-17: And he causeth all, both small and great, rich
and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in
their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had
the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

41. The capability will exist for an army of 200 million soldiers to
be formed:
In Revelation 9:16, John sees a specific number of
soldiers/"horsemen"
preparing for or entering into war: And the number of the army of the
horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number
of
them.
Estimates of the total human population of Earth during Christ's day
typically vary between 100 to 400 million people. In 2004, the CIA
determined China had an estimated 208,143,352 in its population alone
fit for military service. As of 2006, that number had risen to
281,240,272 men fit for military service.

42. Drug use will be rampant:
Revelation 9:21: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their
sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
The original Greek for the word 'sorceries' is pharmakeia {far-mak-
i'-
ah}. It means the use of or the administering of drugs OR sorcery,
magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by
it.

43. Evil men, seducers and deceivers will get worse and worse. (2nd
Timothy 3:13)
One doesn't have to think too hard to realize this prophecy is being
dramatically fulfilled in our times. Upon reading this, close your
eyes for a moment and think of how many people you know (or have
heard
of from reputable sources) who seem to be evil to the core!
Similarly,
think of how many people you know who have fallen victim to frauds
and
scams perpetrated by seducers (deceivers/imposters). The world today
seems full of these types with no letup in sight.

44. There will be wars and rumours of war.
Matthew 24:6: 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.
It seems that for every international conflict that exists at a given
moment in our present time, there is potential for another to
manifest
itself as well. It's as though our world is about to blow apart at
the
seams!

45. When we begin to collectively see the signs listed above,
Christ's
return is near!
Luke 21:28: And when these things BEGIN to come to pass, then look
up,
and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Isa.9
[6] For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace.

[7] Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no
end,
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to
establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for
ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

For Christ's own words about His Second Coming: Please read Matthew
24, Mark 13 and Luke 21