The Second Coming Of Jesus

Luke 21: 25-28

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Jesus told His disciples what to look for when the He was ready to return to set up His kingdom on earth.  One of the things that He spoke of was the signs in the moons and stars.  The following news release caught my attention.

There is a rare and special celestial occurrence that will be happening just after sunset on June 30, 2015.  On June 30th, 2015, the same conjunction that happened when Jesus was born, known as the “star of Bethlehem” will happen AGAIN in the night sky. The two planets, Venus and Jupiter will spend eight evenings within 2° of each other from June 27th through July 4th.  Astronomers refer to a close celestial pair-up like this as a conjunction.  This rare conjunction/pairing of Jupiter and Venus coming this close to each other so that they appear to be on top of one another has not happened like this since the birth of Jesus.

This is an extremely rare occurrence that should not be overlooked.  This event alone surely does not mean that the return of Jesus is imminent, but it certainly does come in line with the many other prophetic signs that are falling into place.

Here are six areas of activity that are considered to be signs of the coming of the end of the age of the church and the beginning of the reign of Jesus Christ on earth.

The Signs of Nature

Jesus spoke of the birth pangs in the earth that will increase in frequency and intensity as His return approaches.  A quick study of the historic records and a little attention to the evening news will reveal the increase in frequency and intensity of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions across the globe.  In fact, there has been an increasing intensity in all of our natural calamities.  Not to be overlooked is the return of diseases thought to be eradicated and the widespread evidence of growing famine across the globe.  Its as if God is shaking the earth to alert us to the coming of His Son.

The Signs of Society

Jesus said that when He returned the nature of society would be like the times of Noah.  We do not know a great deal about the times of Noah, but what we do know is that it was a time of such great immorality and violence that God sent a flood to cover the earth.  All it takes to confirm how far our society has fallen is to watch some of the old TV shows and then compare them to the immorality and violence passed off in every episode of today's television programming.

The Spiritual Signs

Jesus taught of the falling away of the church and rise of false teachers in the end times.  It is sad to watch mainstream religious denominations abandon biblical principles and the salvation message in order to proclaim what tickles the ears of their audience.  All kinds of myths, heresies and gross apostasy are running rampant.  On top of this, we see the dramatic rise in Satanism and a fascination with the occult. 

On the other hand, there are positive spiritual signs.  The Gospel is being brought to all corners of the world in thousands of languages.  The number of new Christians in the Middle East, India and China is staggering.  Evidence of a global outpouring of the Spirit that Jesus foretold about the end of the church age is reaching across the world.

The Signs of Technology

In Daniel chapter 12, we are taught that the end times will be marked by an explosion in knowledge and transportation.  Both have increased exponentially this century.  According to several sources, human knowledge is currently doubling every 12 months, but that will accelerate to every 12 hours once the full potential of the internet is built out.  We entered this century on horse back.  Today you can buy yourself a ride on a spaceship. 

The Signs of World Politics

End time prophecy foretells the coming of a one world government and a one world currency.  It is easy to see that we are only a couple of world-wide calamities from that scenario unfolding.

The Signs of Israel

The final category for signs of the return of Jesus concerns Israel.  The signs concerning Israel are more important than all the rest.  While the other categories provide strong indications of the second coming of Jesus Christ, there is ample room for speculation.  When it comes to Israel there is no room for speculation.  What is prophesied has come to fruition in our lifetime.  Here are seven key fulfillments of prophesy:

1. The regathering of the Jews in their land - began in the early 1900's.
2. The re-establishment of the state of Israel - May 14, 1948.
3. The reclamation of the land - a wasteland has become land of milk and honey once again.
4. The revival of the Hebrew language - abandoned through ages, Hebrew is now the official language of Israel.
5. The resurgence of the military - Israel's military force dominates the Middle East.  Israel is one of the top military forces in the world.
6. The world comes together against Israel - with the U.S. moving away from Israel, Israel stands alone.
7. The re-occupation of Jerusalem - June 7, 1967

The signs of nature, the signs of society, the spiritual signs, the signs of technology, the signs of world politics and the signs of Israel all point to the soon return of Jesus Christ.   God is shouting, "My Son is coming soon."  Are you ready?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your mercy.  We thank You for providing the way, the truth and the life that is Your Son, Jesus.  We thank You for preparing our hearts to receive the Blessed Hope that is Your Son.  We thank You for providing the signs of the return of Your Son to rule and reign on this earth.  We pray that Your Holy Spirit leads us into surrender to our coming King.  We ask all these things in the name of the Great King Over All the Earth, Jesus Christ.