The Signs of CHRIST's Return

 

The Signs of CHRIST’s Return

 

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?” JESUS answered, “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name saying, ‘I am the CHRIST,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars ee that you are not troubled for all these things must come to pass but the end is not yet. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. Then many will be offended will betray one another and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many because lawlessness will abound and the love of many will grow cold. He who endures to the end will be saved. This gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the world as a witness to all the nations and then the end will come.

 

When you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house and let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. Then there will be great tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time or ever will be again. Unless those days were shortened no flesh would be saved but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you ‘Look, here is the CHRIST!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it for false CHRISTs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive if possible even the elect, see I have told you beforehand.

 

So if they say to you, ‘Look He is in the desert!’ do not go out or ‘Look He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. As the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the carcass is there the eagles will be gathered together.

 

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory. He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of Heaven to the other.

 

Learn this parable from the fig tree, ‘When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves you know that summer is near.’ So you also when you see all these things know that it is near – at the doors! Truly I say to you this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away but My Words will by no means pass away. No one knows of that day and hour not even the angels of heaven but only My Father. As in the days of Noah so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man, for as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark and did not know until the flood came and took them all away. So will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field, one will be taken and the other left two women will be grinding at the mill, one will be taken and the other left. Watch for you do not know what hour your LORD is coming know this that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. So then you be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

 

Who then is a faithful and wise servant whom his master made ruler over his household to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. If that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunkards the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

 Then the Kingdom of Heaven shall be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were wise and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom was delayed they all slumbered and slept. At midnight a cry was heard, ‘Attention

the bridegroom is coming go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps and the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil for our lamps are going out.’ The wise answered, ‘No lest there should not be enough for us and you rather go to those who sell and buy for yourselves.’ While they went to buy the bridegroom came and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came saying, ‘LORD, LORD, open to us!’ He answered, ‘Truly I do not know you.’ Watch for you do not know the day or the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

 

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man traveling to a far country who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two and to another one, to each according to his own ability and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents. Likewise he who had received two gained two more. He who had received one went and dug in the ground and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents came and brought five more talents saying, ‘Lord you delivered to me five talents look I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done good and faithful servant you were faithful over a few things I will make you ruler over many things, enter into the joy of your lord.’ He who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord you delivered to me two talents look I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, “Well done good and faithful servant you have been faithful over a few things I will make you ruler over many things, enter into the joy of your lord.’ Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord I knew you to be a hard man reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look there you have what is yours.’ His lord answered him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has more will be given and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have even what he has will be taken away and cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

 

When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the holy angels with Him then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep on His right hand but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come you blessed of My Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘LORD when did we see You hungry and feed You or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick or in prison and come to You?’ The King will answer them, ‘Truthfully I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren you did it to Me.’

 

Then He will say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me you cursed into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels for I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they will answer Him, ‘LORD when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into ever-lasting punishment but the righteous into eternal life.

 

But take heed so that your hearts are not weighted down with carousing, drunkenness and the cares of this life or that day will come on you unexpectedly. It will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. So watch and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man.”

 

Matthew 24, 25; Mark 13; Luke 21:7-36; Revelation 22:6-20