Signs that the Final Judgment is Upon Us?
What signs will there be of Jesus’ second coming and the judgment? Are there signs God tells us to look for which will tip us off? Many think so. For example, some say that the establishment of the modern state of Israel is a sign. They might also say that the problems in the Middle East today is a sign. Others also say that the formation of the European Common Market is a sign. Some even say that the bar codes that relay the price of an item through a scanner at the store is a sign.
But Jesus tells us that there will be no sign. It is true, however, that Jesus did tell His disciples that there would be signs that would foretell the fall of Jerusalem. He told them that Jerusalem would be torn down (Matt. 24:1,2). It was. He said this would fulfill what the prophet Daniel had spoken centuries before (Matt. 24:15-16). It did. He said that this destruction and turmoil would take place during the disciples’ own lifetimes (Matt. 24:34). It did, in 69-70 A.D.
Some people have confused those signs of the destruction of Jerusalem as being signs of the second coming. But Jesus taught that His disciples were to always be prepared for the hour of His return. The New Testament reveals that it will be sudden, that the trumpets of the angels will announce it as it is happening; that the faithful in Christ will rise to meet Him in the air, and that the heavens and earth will melt with intense heat. From this we all shall proceed to judgment and then into eternity (see 1 Cor. 15:50-57; 1 Thess. 4:13-18 and 2 Pet. 3:10-13). None of us should wait for some sign to become what we already ought to be.
By Jon W. Quinn The Final Page
