The Last Things --
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Introduction:
Signs serve such purposes as imparting information and giving a warning ahead of time. Thus road signs and looking into the sky to see what kind of weather may be coming are an important, practical part of our lives.
Jesus knew the value of signs as well. When the Pharisees and Sadducees tested Jesus by asking him for a sign, he told them, “When evening has come, you say, ‘Fair weather,’ for the sky is red; and early in the morning you say, ‘Stormy weather today,’ for the sky is red and overcast. To be sure, you know how to distinguish the appearance of the sky, and yet you cannot distinguish the signs of the times.” (Matthew 16:2,3) The signs of the times to which Jesus referred were his miracles and preaching. These should have told the Pharisees and the Sadducees who he was.
Focus:
Jesus has given us various signs for interpreting our times. Our aim in this Bible study is to learn what these signs are, to discover whether we can see them today, to discern what time it is now, to observe for what reasons Jesus gave us these signs, and to learn what we can draw spiritually from them.
Searching the Scriptures:
Section 1.
Both Jesus, and his apostles who wrote the New Testament, have given us the promise of Jesus' second coming in glory. In this first section you can read a sampling of this promise that Jesus and then his disciples gave.
Section 2.
The preceding passages were only a sampling of the many that make the promise of Jesus' second coming in glory. Based on the number of such passages, it is evident that the second coming of Jesus was a lively expectation within the early apostolic church. That lively expectation gave the early Christians a blessed hope, a confidence, in Jesus' coming in glory to bring them their eternal salvation, as the next two verses indicate.
Section 3.
Jesus will return in glory to bring us our eternal salvation at the end of time. The following verses from Matthew 24 and 1 Corinthians 15 teach us this.
As you read Matthew 24:3, 14, 29, 30 below, note that the disciples asked when the things pertaining to the destruction of Jerusalem would take place and what the sign of Jesus' coming would be and of the end of the world. In the minds of the disciples those two events of the destruction of Jerusalem and of Jesus' coming at the end of the world were connected. Note, too, that Jesus answered them accordingly by first giving them the general signs of his coming and of the end of the world in verses 4 to 14. Then He said the end would come, which would begin with the destruction of Jerusalem. The destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 was a prelude to the coming destruction of the world millennia later when Jesus would come. It is clear that his coming in glory would be in connection with the destruction of this world.
As you read 1 Corinthians 15:22-24, note that Jesus will come in connection with his raising his believers from the dead, at which time the end will come.
Section 4. There are different classifications of signs that point to Jesus' coming.
The first classification of signs are signs within the church on earth. Those signs are:
a. The coming of false Christs, false prophets and teachers, who are little antichrists
The second classification of signs are signs within society. Those signs are:
a. Wars, rumors of wars, one nationality or race against another creating racial unrest, one country with its government against another
The third classification of signs are signs within nature. Those signs are:
Earthquakes, famines, plagues and disease, eclipses, falling stars and meteor showers; storms of all kinds which cause the roaring and tossing of the seas--hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons, cyclones, floods.
The fourth classification of signs are the specific signs, which are:
a. Satan's short period of release to deceive the nations and to attack the church with his false teachings
Section 5. Have these signs all been fulfilled?
In this Bible study the signs have been classified according to the signs within the church, society, nature, and the specific signs. The signs within the church, society and nature are general and former signs. The specific signs are latter signs at the end. The specific and latter signs take place as the day of judgment draws nearer but in different intervals of time so no definite date can be ascertained.
All the signs within the church, society, and nature have been fulfilled in kind.
In Matthew 24:29,30, which are printed above, we saw that Jesus tells us immediately after the signs in the church, society, and nature have been fulfilled, the universe will be destroyed and he will appear. These general, former signs have been fulfilled in kind. Christ has not yet appeared and the end has not yet come, however. This indicates that while all these general, former signs have been fulfilled in kind, they have not yet been fulfilled in number. We have not yet seen the total number of wars and rumors of wars, famines, and pestilences, or of the rest of these general, former signs.
The preaching of the gospel in all the world is one of the signs that must be fulfilled before Christ comes at the end. This, too, has been fulfilled. It began to be fulfilled by the apostles and has continued to be fulfilled by the church since then, as the following verses reveal.
Section 6.
We humans will experience these signs as terrible tribulations that bring pain and suffering to body, soul, and mind, and cause distress, anguish and fear. The following verses make this clear.
Section 7.
Because of the terrible nature of the general, former signs in the church, society, and nature, they are abnormalities and disturbances contrary to what the state of things should be like as God created them to be in the beginning.
8. The signs serve a purpose.
They are portends foretelling the coming of the end of the world as Martin Luther saw them to be. He is quoted by August Pieper (Christian Dogmatics, Vol.III, p.517) as having written: “Heaven and earth creak and crack like an old house ready to crash and collapse and act in every way as though they divined that the world is soon to come to an end and that The Day is close at hand.”
We know Jesus' love for us. He proved that with his sacrificial death for us on the cross. Let's look at his giving of these signs from the standpoint of his love for us. When we do, we see that the signs serve:
Section 9.
A mass conversion of the Jews is not a sign of the end as some claim. There will be no mass conversion of the nation of Israel just before the end.
Those who believe there will be a mass conversion of the Jews just before the end point to Romans 11,25,26 as their proof text.
Those who contend for a mass conversion of the Jewish nation before the end understand Romans 11:25 to say the nation of Israel will remain spiritually hardened in unbelief until the time all the Gentiles who will be brought to faith and saved are brought into the church. When all the Gentiles are converted a change will then take place in the nation of Israel. Accordingly they read the opening words of Romans 11:26 as “And then” all Israel will be saved.
These advocates of a mass conversion of the nation of Israel fail to see that Romans 11:25 says, “a hardening in part has happened in Israel.” The verse does not say all of Israel has experienced a spiritual hardening of heart, but only a part of Israel has become spiritually hardened. The others are not hardened in unbelief but have, or will, come to faith in Jesus. As Romans 11:5 also states: “In the same way, then, in the present period of time there has come to be a remnant according to an election of grace.”
The contenders for a mass conversion of Israel take the term Israel in Romans 11:25,26 to mean the physical descendants of the Jewish nation. They fail to see that Paul made a distinction between those who were the physical descendants of the Jewish nation and those who made up the true spiritual Israel of God. It is this true spiritual Israel whom Paul means in Romans 11:25,26. In Romans 11:1-5 Paul discussed the people of Israel who were saved. The Israel of which Paul said were saved were some of the Jews, a remnant, consisting of those whom God foreknew and chose by grace for salvation. They were the elect among the Jewish nation.
Paul clearly distinguished between the physical descendants of Israel and the true, spiritual, elect of Israel in Romans 9. He stated that not all the physical descendants of the Israelite nation are Israel, the people of God. He said not all Israel is Israel. Only those who believed God's promise, as Abraham did, are the true Israelites. As you read Romans 9:1-8 below, take special note of Romans 9:6-8.
The advocates for a mass conversion of the Jews misunderstand the meaning of the word “until” in Romans 11:25. Contrary to what they think, the word “until” does not necessarily mean that part of the Jews will remain spiritually hardened through the entire time the elect among the Gentiles are being gathered into the church of believers and then the situation will change when there will be no more spiritually hardened, unbelieving Jews, so that in the end all Israel will be saved. “Until” in this verse does not mean this condition of hardening exists up to a point, then changes, any more than it means in the Greek of 2 Samuel 6:23 that Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no child until her death but that she then bore children after she died.
Those contending for a mass conversion of the Jews also misread the opening words of Romans 11:26 as “And then”. They see the Jews remaining hardened in unbelief until all the elect of the Gentiles are gathered in, at which time a change will come over the Jews, “and then” all Israel, the physical descendants of the Jews, will be saved. The words “And then”, however, literally mean in the original Greek “and so”, and, “in this way or manner.”
What Romans 11:25,26 are saying is: Only part of the nation of Israel is hardened in unbelief, not all of the Jews are so hardened. Throughout the time the elect among the Gentiles are coming into the church of believers, there will be those among the Jews who will refuse to believe. Other Jews who are the elect of God and who are not among the hardened of Israel will also be gathered into the church of believers right up to the end of time when all the elect among the Gentiles will have been converted. And so, in this way and manner, all Israel, the true spiritual Israel of both Jews and Gentiles who were elected by grace, will be saved. It should be noted that some have advocated that "all Israel" refers to the spiritual Israel of those Jews who were elected by grace. This is also a scriptural possibility. In either case, "all Israel," surely does not mean all the physical descendants of the Jews.
Applying the Scriptures:
1. Reread Titus 2:13 and Hebrews 9:28 below. We have learned what the signs pointing to Jesus' coming are. We have also learned that we can see those signs now and that they have been fulfilled in kind. On the basis of these passages what kind of a spirit prevailed in the early church and what does it indicate our spirit as Christians will be today?
2. In what ways are you able to see these following signs within the church today?
3. Seeing the above signs within the church and within the religions and cults in the world, what spiritual lessons should we now draw with regard to them on the basis of the following passages?
4. As far as the signs within the church, what do they mean to you and to your spiritual life and faith?
5. In what ways are you able to see these followint signs within society?
6. Seeing these signs within society, what spiritual advice can we draw from our Lord based on the following passages?
7. What do these signs within society mean to you and to your faith and spiritual life?
8 Are we able to see these following signs in nature? Where? When?
9. What do seeing these signs within nature mean to you and your faith and spiritual life?
10. What can we expect conditions for us Christians to be like during the short period of time Satan is unleashed before the end?
11. In your opinion during the short time of the devil's unleashing, what might we expect with regard to the occult, black arts, wickedness, demonic activities, angelic appearances and sightings of demons? And how do you think we will feel about these things at the time?
12. We discussed whether we could see the fulfillment of the general signs and their purpose. Would you say that some of these signs are so striking and so easily recognizable that even the unbelievers should be able to note from many of them that the end of the world and the return of Christ are impending?
13. The abnormalities of the signs were discussed in this study. Would you say people's failure to recognize these abnormalities as signs of Christ's coming and the end of the world is a result of a spiritual dullness? Should these unnatural and abnormal signs, which are considered natural and normal, not strike us all?
14. What do the nature of the signs mean to you and your faith and spiritual life now, knowing they are abnormalities that you hear or see constantly?
15. Having studied the signs, in your opinion what time is it in the world now?
Signs serve such purposes as imparting information and giving a warning ahead of time. Thus road signs and looking into the sky to see what kind of weather may be coming are an important, practical part of our lives.
Jesus knew the value of signs as well. When the Pharisees and Sadducees tested Jesus by asking him for a sign, he told them, “When evening has come, you say, ‘Fair weather,’ for the sky is red; and early in the morning you say, ‘Stormy weather today,’ for the sky is red and overcast. To be sure, you know how to distinguish the appearance of the sky, and yet you cannot distinguish the signs of the times.” (Matthew 16:2,3) The signs of the times to which Jesus referred were his miracles and preaching. These should have told the Pharisees and the Sadducees who he was.
Focus:
Jesus has given us various signs for interpreting our times. Our aim in this Bible study is to learn what these signs are, to discover whether we can see them today, to discern what time it is now, to observe for what reasons Jesus gave us these signs, and to learn what we can draw spiritually from them.
Searching the Scriptures:
Section 1.
Both Jesus, and his apostles who wrote the New Testament, have given us the promise of Jesus' second coming in glory. In this first section you can read a sampling of this promise that Jesus and then his disciples gave.
- Matthew 24:3 Then while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us when will these things take place, and what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
- Matthew 24:27 For just as the lightning flashes from the east and shines as far as the west, in the same way the coming of the Son of Man will be.
- Matthew 24:37 For just as the days of Noah were, in the same way the coming of the Son of Man will be.
- Matthew 25:31 Now when the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, at that time he will sit on his throne of glory.
- Acts 1:11 . . . they also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, in this same way will come just as you have seen him going into heaven.”
- 1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death, until he comes.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:19 For who is our hope or joy or crown in which we can boast in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not indeed you?
- Hebrews 9:28 . . . in the same way also Christ, having been offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time apart from sin to those who eagerly await him for salvation.
Section 2.
The preceding passages were only a sampling of the many that make the promise of Jesus' second coming in glory. Based on the number of such passages, it is evident that the second coming of Jesus was a lively expectation within the early apostolic church. That lively expectation gave the early Christians a blessed hope, a confidence, in Jesus' coming in glory to bring them their eternal salvation, as the next two verses indicate.
- Titus 2:13 . . . while waiting for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, . . .
- Hebrews 9:28 . . . . . . in the same way also Christ, having been offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time apart from sin to those who eagerly await him for salvation.
Section 3.
Jesus will return in glory to bring us our eternal salvation at the end of time. The following verses from Matthew 24 and 1 Corinthians 15 teach us this.
As you read Matthew 24:3, 14, 29, 30 below, note that the disciples asked when the things pertaining to the destruction of Jerusalem would take place and what the sign of Jesus' coming would be and of the end of the world. In the minds of the disciples those two events of the destruction of Jerusalem and of Jesus' coming at the end of the world were connected. Note, too, that Jesus answered them accordingly by first giving them the general signs of his coming and of the end of the world in verses 4 to 14. Then He said the end would come, which would begin with the destruction of Jerusalem. The destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 was a prelude to the coming destruction of the world millennia later when Jesus would come. It is clear that his coming in glory would be in connection with the destruction of this world.
- Matthew 24:3 Now while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of your coming and the end of the world?” 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. 29 Now immediately after the tribulation of those days, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL FROM HEAVEN, AND THE POWERS OF THE HEAVENS WILL BE SHAKEN. 30 And at that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the nations of the earth will mourn. And they will see the SON OF MAN COMING UPON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.
As you read 1 Corinthians 15:22-24, note that Jesus will come in connection with his raising his believers from the dead, at which time the end will come.
- 1 Corinthians 15:22-24 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order; Christ the first-fruits, afterwards those who are Christ’s at his coming, 24 then the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God and the Father, when he has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
Section 4. There are different classifications of signs that point to Jesus' coming.
The first classification of signs are signs within the church on earth. Those signs are:
a. The coming of false Christs, false prophets and teachers, who are little antichrists
- Matthew 24:4 And he answered and said to them, “See to it that no one deceives you.”
- Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets will arise and will deceive many.
- Matthew 24:4 And he answered and said to them, “See to it that no one deceives you.”
- Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets will arise and will deceive many.
- 1 Timothy 4:1-3 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will desert the faith, following deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars, who have been seared in their own conscience as with a red-hot branding iron, 3 forbidding people to marry, and demanding them to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and have come to know the truth.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:9 . . . namely, whose coming is in accordance with the working of Satan in all power and miraculous signs and lying wonders.
- Matthew 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear, and they will perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
- 1 John 4:1-3 Beloved, keep from believing every spirit, but keep testing the spirits to learn whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you come to know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. 3 But every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now is already in the world.
- 2 John 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
- 1 John 2:18 Children, it is the last hour, and just as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. From this fact we know from experience that it is the last hour.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 Now we ask you, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, 2 that you not become easily shaken from your understanding and continue to be alarmed neither by a spirit nor by a message nor by a letter as though coming through us, that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Do not let anyone deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of eternal destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself over every so-called god or object of worship, with the result that he sits down in the temple of God, proclaiming himself that he is God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I used to tell you these things? 6 And you know what is holding him back now, in order that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only the one who is holding it back will do so until he shall get out of the way. 8 And at that time the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of his mouth and do away with at the appearance of his coming, 9 whose coming is in accordance with the working of Satan in all power and miraculous signs and lying wonders 10 and in association with all deception of wickedness for those who are perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth so that they may be saved. 11 And for this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, 12 in order that all who did not believe in the truth but delighted in the wickedness may be judged.
- Matthew 24:9 Then they will deliver you into oppression and will kill you, and you will go on being hated by all nations because of my name.
- Mark 13:9-13 As for you, keep watching out for yourselves; they will hand you over to the local councils and you will be beaten in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings on account of me for a testimony to them. 10 “And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11 “And whenever they lead you away and hand you over, keep from worrying beforehand about what you will say, but go on saying whatever may be given to you in that hour, for you yourselves are not the ones speaking but the Holy Spirit is speaking. 12 “And brother will betray brother to death and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and put them to death; 13 “and you will go on being hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end, this one will be saved.
- Matthew 24:10 And then many will fall away and will betray one another and will hate one another.
- Mark 13:12,13 And brother will betray brother to death and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and put them to death. 13 and you will go on being hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end, this one will be saved.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 Now we ask you, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, 2 that you not become easily shaken from your understanding and continue to be alarmed neither by a spirit nor by a message nor by a letter as though coming through us, that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Do not let anyone deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of eternal destruction, . . .
- Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
- 2 Peter 3:3, 4 . . . realizing this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mockery, conducting themselves according to their own evil desires 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers passed away, all things remain as they were from the beginning of creation!.”
The second classification of signs are signs within society. Those signs are:
a. Wars, rumors of wars, one nationality or race against another creating racial unrest, one country with its government against another
- Matthew 24:6 And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see to it you are not frightened; for these things must happen, but it is not yet the end. 7 “For nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, . . .
- Luke 21:9 But when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not occur immediately.
- Matthew 24:12 And because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold.
- Luke 17:20-30 Now, after he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come in a visual manner, 21 “nor will they say, ‘Behold, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For the kingdom of God is within you.” 22 And he said to the disciples, “Days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and yet you will not see him. 23 “And they will say to you, ‘Behold, there he is!’ or, ‘Behold, here he is!’ Do not leave and run after them. 24 “For just as the lightning, when it fla shes out of one part of the sky, flashes into the other part of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in his day. 25 “But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 “And just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man; 27 “they were customarily eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 “It was the same as happened in the days of Lot; they were customarily eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building; 29 “but on that day Lot went out from Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 “It will be in just the same way on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.”
The third classification of signs are signs within nature. Those signs are:
Earthquakes, famines, plagues and disease, eclipses, falling stars and meteor showers; storms of all kinds which cause the roaring and tossing of the seas--hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons, cyclones, floods.
- Luke 21:11 and there will not only be violent earthquakes, but also famines and plagues in various places, and there will be both terrible events and great signs from heaven.
- Luke 21:25,26 And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth nations will be in anguish, being perplexed over the roaring of the sea and waves, 26 “while people stop breathing because of fright and the expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
The fourth classification of signs are the specific signs, which are:
a. Satan's short period of release to deceive the nations and to attack the church with his false teachings
- Revelation 20:1-3 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and cast him into the abyss and locked and sealed it over him, in order that he may not deceive the nations any more until the thousand yea s come to an end. After these things he must be released for a short time.
- Revelation 20:7-9 And when the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and he will go out to deceive the nations that are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the battle; whose number is like the sand of the seashore. 9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and they surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down out of heaven and devoured them.
- Joel 2:30, 31 And I will give wonders in the heavens and on the earth, Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned to darkness, And the moon to blood, Before the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.
- Matthew 24:29, 30 Now immediately after the tribulation of those days, ‘THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL FROM THE SKY, AND THE POWERS OF THE HEAVENS WILL BE SHAKEN.’ 30 “And at that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and at that time all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
- Mark 13:24-26 But during those days after that tribulation, ‘THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, 25 ‘THE STARS WILL BE FALLING OUT OF THE SKY, AND THE POWERS IN THE HEAVENS WILL BE SHAKEN.’ 26 “And at that time people will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
- Revelation 6:12-17 And I looked when he opened the sixth seal, and a violent earthquake occurred, and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of heaven fell to the earth, like a fig tree drops its summer figs while being shaken by a strong wind, 14 and the heaven was split like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved from their places. 15 And the kings of the earth and the great men and the military commanders and the rich and the mighty and every slave and every free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 and they keep on saying to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 “because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
- 2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, on which day the heavens will pass away with a crackling crash; moreover, the elements will be dissolved by being burned intensely, and the earth and the works of men in it will be burned up.
- Genesis 8:22 “While all the days of the earth continue, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will never cease.”
Section 5. Have these signs all been fulfilled?
In this Bible study the signs have been classified according to the signs within the church, society, nature, and the specific signs. The signs within the church, society and nature are general and former signs. The specific signs are latter signs at the end. The specific and latter signs take place as the day of judgment draws nearer but in different intervals of time so no definite date can be ascertained.
All the signs within the church, society, and nature have been fulfilled in kind.
In Matthew 24:29,30, which are printed above, we saw that Jesus tells us immediately after the signs in the church, society, and nature have been fulfilled, the universe will be destroyed and he will appear. These general, former signs have been fulfilled in kind. Christ has not yet appeared and the end has not yet come, however. This indicates that while all these general, former signs have been fulfilled in kind, they have not yet been fulfilled in number. We have not yet seen the total number of wars and rumors of wars, famines, and pestilences, or of the rest of these general, former signs.
The preaching of the gospel in all the world is one of the signs that must be fulfilled before Christ comes at the end. This, too, has been fulfilled. It began to be fulfilled by the apostles and has continued to be fulfilled by the church since then, as the following verses reveal.
- Romans 1:8 First, to be sure, I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ on account of all of you, that your faith is proclaimed in the whole world.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.
- Acts 19:10 He continued to do this for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
- 1 Timothy 3:16 And confessedly great is the mystery of godliness: Who was revealed in flesh, Was declared righteous in spirit, Was seen by angels, Was preached in nations, Was believed in the world, Was taken up in glory.
Section 6.
We humans will experience these signs as terrible tribulations that bring pain and suffering to body, soul, and mind, and cause distress, anguish and fear. The following verses make this clear.
- Matthew 24:6-8 And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see to it you are not frightened; for these things must happen, but it is not yet the end. 7 “For nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places; 8 “Now all these things are the beginning of birth-pains.
- Matthew 24:21,22,29 21 “for at that time there will be a great tribulation such as has not occurred from the beginning of the world until the present nor will ever occur. 22 “And if those days had not been curtailed, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be curtailed. 29Now immediately after the tribulation of those days, ‘THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL FROM THE SKY, AND THE POWERS OF THE HEAVENS WILL BE SHAKEN.
- Revelation 7:14 “And he said to me, “These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
- 2 Timothy 3:1 Now always realize this, that in the last days there will be times that are hard to bear.
Section 7.
Because of the terrible nature of the general, former signs in the church, society, and nature, they are abnormalities and disturbances contrary to what the state of things should be like as God created them to be in the beginning.
8. The signs serve a purpose.
They are portends foretelling the coming of the end of the world as Martin Luther saw them to be. He is quoted by August Pieper (Christian Dogmatics, Vol.III, p.517) as having written: “Heaven and earth creak and crack like an old house ready to crash and collapse and act in every way as though they divined that the world is soon to come to an end and that The Day is close at hand.”
We know Jesus' love for us. He proved that with his sacrificial death for us on the cross. Let's look at his giving of these signs from the standpoint of his love for us. When we do, we see that the signs serve:
- To forewarn us of the tribulations and evils which were coming, so we would be prepared for them when they occurred.
- To prevent us from falling into undue fear and worry when we see them occurring.
- To keep us from carnal security as a result of our thinking the day of judgment is far away.
- To give us courage and boldness in standing firm in the Christian faith as we see these signs declaring the end is near, so we do not give in to fear and timidity in standing up for Christ and the gospel.
- To confirm our hope and confidence that he is coming very soon to bring us our eternal salvation in heaven.
- To alert us that his coming is at hand. To confirm and verify his Word is true. What he has told us is coming to pass, so we can be sure all his promises will come to pass as well.
Section 9.
A mass conversion of the Jews is not a sign of the end as some claim. There will be no mass conversion of the nation of Israel just before the end.
Those who believe there will be a mass conversion of the Jews just before the end point to Romans 11,25,26 as their proof text.
- Romans 11:25,26 For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you may not imagine yourselves to be wise, that a hardening in part has happened in Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this manner all Israel will be saved; as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL TURN UNGODLINESS AWAY FROM JACOB.”
Those who contend for a mass conversion of the Jewish nation before the end understand Romans 11:25 to say the nation of Israel will remain spiritually hardened in unbelief until the time all the Gentiles who will be brought to faith and saved are brought into the church. When all the Gentiles are converted a change will then take place in the nation of Israel. Accordingly they read the opening words of Romans 11:26 as “And then” all Israel will be saved.
These advocates of a mass conversion of the nation of Israel fail to see that Romans 11:25 says, “a hardening in part has happened in Israel.” The verse does not say all of Israel has experienced a spiritual hardening of heart, but only a part of Israel has become spiritually hardened. The others are not hardened in unbelief but have, or will, come to faith in Jesus. As Romans 11:5 also states: “In the same way, then, in the present period of time there has come to be a remnant according to an election of grace.”
The contenders for a mass conversion of Israel take the term Israel in Romans 11:25,26 to mean the physical descendants of the Jewish nation. They fail to see that Paul made a distinction between those who were the physical descendants of the Jewish nation and those who made up the true spiritual Israel of God. It is this true spiritual Israel whom Paul means in Romans 11:25,26. In Romans 11:1-5 Paul discussed the people of Israel who were saved. The Israel of which Paul said were saved were some of the Jews, a remnant, consisting of those whom God foreknew and chose by grace for salvation. They were the elect among the Jewish nation.
- Romans 11:1-5 I say, then, God did not reject his people, did he? God forbid! For I myself am also an Israelite, from the descendants of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people whom he foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah? How he pleads with God against Israel: 3 “Lord, THEY HAVE KILLED YOUR PROPHETS, TORN DOWN YOUR ALTARS, AND I AM THHE ONLY ONE LEFT, AND THEY ARE SEEKING MY LIFE!” 4 But what does the divine response say to him? “I HAVE RESERVED for myself SEVEN THOUSAND MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL.” 5 In the same way, then, in the present period of time there has come to be a remnant according to an election of grace.
Paul clearly distinguished between the physical descendants of Israel and the true, spiritual, elect of Israel in Romans 9. He stated that not all the physical descendants of the Israelite nation are Israel, the people of God. He said not all Israel is Israel. Only those who believed God's promise, as Abraham did, are the true Israelites. As you read Romans 9:1-8 below, take special note of Romans 9:6-8.
- Romans 9:1-8 I am speaking the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience is bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. 3 Yes, I myself could wish to be accursed from Christ in place of my brothers of my fellow-countrymen according to the flesh, 4 such ones as are Israelites, to whom belong the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the law and the temple worship and the promises, 5 whose are the patriarchs, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh; who is over all, God blessed forever more. Amen. 6 But it is by no means as if the word of God has failed. For not all who have descended from Israel are Israel; 7 nor are they all children because they are descendants of Abraham, rather “IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.” 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of promise are considered as descendants.
The advocates for a mass conversion of the Jews misunderstand the meaning of the word “until” in Romans 11:25. Contrary to what they think, the word “until” does not necessarily mean that part of the Jews will remain spiritually hardened through the entire time the elect among the Gentiles are being gathered into the church of believers and then the situation will change when there will be no more spiritually hardened, unbelieving Jews, so that in the end all Israel will be saved. “Until” in this verse does not mean this condition of hardening exists up to a point, then changes, any more than it means in the Greek of 2 Samuel 6:23 that Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no child until her death but that she then bore children after she died.
Those contending for a mass conversion of the Jews also misread the opening words of Romans 11:26 as “And then”. They see the Jews remaining hardened in unbelief until all the elect of the Gentiles are gathered in, at which time a change will come over the Jews, “and then” all Israel, the physical descendants of the Jews, will be saved. The words “And then”, however, literally mean in the original Greek “and so”, and, “in this way or manner.”
What Romans 11:25,26 are saying is: Only part of the nation of Israel is hardened in unbelief, not all of the Jews are so hardened. Throughout the time the elect among the Gentiles are coming into the church of believers, there will be those among the Jews who will refuse to believe. Other Jews who are the elect of God and who are not among the hardened of Israel will also be gathered into the church of believers right up to the end of time when all the elect among the Gentiles will have been converted. And so, in this way and manner, all Israel, the true spiritual Israel of both Jews and Gentiles who were elected by grace, will be saved. It should be noted that some have advocated that "all Israel" refers to the spiritual Israel of those Jews who were elected by grace. This is also a scriptural possibility. In either case, "all Israel," surely does not mean all the physical descendants of the Jews.
Applying the Scriptures:
1. Reread Titus 2:13 and Hebrews 9:28 below. We have learned what the signs pointing to Jesus' coming are. We have also learned that we can see those signs now and that they have been fulfilled in kind. On the basis of these passages what kind of a spirit prevailed in the early church and what does it indicate our spirit as Christians will be today?
- Titus 2:13: “. . . while waiting for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, . . .”
- Hebrews 9:28: “. . . in the same way also Christ, having been offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time apart from sin to those who eagerly await him for salvation.”
2. In what ways are you able to see these following signs within the church today?
- False Christs and false prophets?
- The little antichrists?
- False religions, churches, sects, and cults?
- False doctrines and teachings within the visible church?
- Lying wonders, miracles, and signs?
- The Great Antichrist?
- The persecution of the church?
- The apostasy or falling away within the church?
- The preaching of the gospel throughout the world?
- Scoffers who ridicule the coming of Christ and the end?
3. Seeing the above signs within the church and within the religions and cults in the world, what spiritual lessons should we now draw with regard to them on the basis of the following passages?
- Matthew 24:4: And he answered and said to them, “See to it that no one deceives you.”
- Romans 16:17: Now I urge you, brothers, to keep looking out for those who go on making divisions and snares into error contrary to the doctrine that you indeed have learned, and keep turning away from them.
- 2 John 9-11: Everyone who goes ahead and does not remain in the teaching of Christ does not have God; the one who remains in the teaching, this person has both the Father and the Son. 10 If someone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, keep from receiving him into your house and resist saying to him, “Glad to see you!” 11 For the one who says to him, “Glad to see you!” makes himself a partner in his wicked works.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:1,2: Now we ask you, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, 2 that you not become easily shaken from your understanding and continue to be alarmed neither by a spirit nor by a message nor by a letter as though coming through us, that the day of the Lord has come.
4. As far as the signs within the church, what do they mean to you and to your spiritual life and faith?
5. In what ways are you able to see these followint signs within society?
- Wars?
- Rumors of wars?
- Nationality and ethnic heritage against nationality and ethnic heritage?
- One country and its government against another country and its government?
- Revolutions?
- An increase of wickedness
- An increase of lovelessness?
6. Seeing these signs within society, what spiritual advice can we draw from our Lord based on the following passages?
- Matthew 24:6-8,13: “And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see to it you are not frightened; for these things must happen, but it is not yet the end. 7 “For nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places; 8 “Now all these things are the beginning of birth-pains. . . 13 Now the one who endures to the end, this one will be saved.”
- Luke 21:9: “But when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not occur immediately.”
7. What do these signs within society mean to you and to your faith and spiritual life?
8 Are we able to see these following signs in nature? Where? When?
- Earthquakes?
- Famines?
- Plagues and pestilence and disease?
- Eclipses?
- Falling stars and meteors?
- Storms--hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, severe thunderstorms?
- Floods?
9. What do seeing these signs within nature mean to you and your faith and spiritual life?
10. What can we expect conditions for us Christians to be like during the short period of time Satan is unleashed before the end?
11. In your opinion during the short time of the devil's unleashing, what might we expect with regard to the occult, black arts, wickedness, demonic activities, angelic appearances and sightings of demons? And how do you think we will feel about these things at the time?
12. We discussed whether we could see the fulfillment of the general signs and their purpose. Would you say that some of these signs are so striking and so easily recognizable that even the unbelievers should be able to note from many of them that the end of the world and the return of Christ are impending?
13. The abnormalities of the signs were discussed in this study. Would you say people's failure to recognize these abnormalities as signs of Christ's coming and the end of the world is a result of a spiritual dullness? Should these unnatural and abnormal signs, which are considered natural and normal, not strike us all?
14. What do the nature of the signs mean to you and your faith and spiritual life now, knowing they are abnormalities that you hear or see constantly?
15. Having studied the signs, in your opinion what time is it in the world now?