Jesus Talks About The End

“Then the end will come” — Jesus (Matthew 24:14z NIV).

You can be sure of one thing: The end will come: “The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed” (Daniel 9:26z NIV). This verse leads up to that evil person who, “will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him” (Daniel 9:27b NIV). Jesus referred to this verse specifically as, “spoken of through the prophet Daniel,” when He talked about the end that is coming (Ref. Matthew 24:15). Therefore no one needs to doubt the truthfulness of the fact that the end is coming.

There is no escape. The only thing you can do is put your trust in Jesus and be prepared.

And to leave us in no doubt about the time of the end Jesus gave many signs that would precede His coming and the end of the age.

1.He talked much about deceptions. Many would come claiming, “I am the Christ.” If you look at today’s world, you will find any number of persons who have a huge following. They make big claims and have a huge following. And many of such “gurus” mix the teachings of Christ along with their own philosophies.
Surely the end is near and it will come quickly!

2. Jesus talked about wars and rumors of wars. The 20th century saw two of the bloodiest wars in all history, World Wars I and II. Many other wars were also fought. Even today, in the 21st century there is war. Jesus pointed out that such things must happen and added, “but the end is still to come.” Jesus pointed out that nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. Do you not see these things happening?
Surely the end is near and it will come quickly!

3. Jesus talked about famines. Even when the world is busy developing better grain and other bio-tech food products, many parts of the world are going to experience famines. This is going to be a sad reality. Some foreshadows of famines were witnessed last century, but greater famines are going to come in various places.
Surely the end is near and it will come quickly!

4. Can you hear it? The rumbling within the heart of the earth! Have you felt it sway underneath you? The frightening helplessness as you feel A Giant Pair of Hands rock you to and fro. Those who have felt it know that there are many things beyond man’s control.

Yes, Jesus talked about earthquakes. The world only notes the big earthquakes. But many many are the quakes that are registered almost every week between 4 and 6.5 in the Richter Scale. And the earth is reeling under the birth pains of the beginning of the end. Just know the reality of the words of Prophet Isaiah who wrote these words some 2700 years ago: “The foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is thoroughly shaken. The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls-never to rise again” (Isaiah 24:18z to 20 NIV). Another passage of similar nature was written by Prophet Jeremiah another hundred years later (Jeremiah 4:23 to 28).

Though many will not understand there are spiritual truths behind earthquakes too. That has been mentioned in the verse above: “the guilt of its rebellion.” What does it mean? It talks, among other things, sexual immorality and the shedding of innocent blood on the earth.
Surely the end is near and it will come quickly!

5. Jesus talked about signs in the sun, moon and stars. He said that: “Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken” (Luke 21:26 NIV). The world is yet to see these things happen, but it will surely take place. The sun is going to be darkened, the moon will fail to give light and even stars will fall from the sky (Ref. Matthew 24:29, Mark 13:24). Man’s attempt to conquer Space will not prevent these things from happening.
Surely the end is near and it will come quickly!

6. Did Jesus talk anything about floods and tsunamis? Oh, yes, He did. Read what He said: “On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and the tossing of the sea” (Luke 21:25b NIV). Though God said that He will not destroy this earth by a flood (Genesis 9:15), though He said that He has established the sand as an everlasting barrier that the waves of the sea cannot cross (Jeremiah 5:22b), still the world will be troubled by the flooding waters and tidal waves from the sea. Global warming may just add fuel to the fire.
Surely the end is near and it will come quickly!

7. Jesus talked about persecutions. It is pointed out that around the world, Christians are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus. Jesus had predicted this: “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me” (Matthew 24:9 NIV). He added that many will turn away from the faith and betray and hate each other during these times. He further pointed out that because wickedness will increase, the love of most people will grow cold. Only those who stand firm to the end will be saved. It is good to reflect on the question Jesus asked: “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8b NIV).
Surely the end is near and it will come quickly!

8. Another sign that Jesus gave to show that the end is to come is the preaching of the gospel. This is important. Jesus said: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14 NIV). It is known that with the fast growth of modern technology and travel facilities, it is possible to reach the whole world with the preaching of the gospel. The fulfillment of this is sure since Revelation unveils the future to us in this fashion: “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that on one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language,[author’s emphasis] standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9 NIV). The 21st century will definitely witness the entire world hearing the gospel. And then the end will come.
Surely the end is near and it will come quickly!

9. Jesus talked about the geographical significance of Jerusalem in connection with the end. He said: “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near” (Luke 21:20 NIV). After describing this desolation, He also said: “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles [non-Jews] until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24b NIV). What happened in A.D. 70 was the destruction of Jerusalem. What happened in 1948 after almost 19 centuries was that the land of Israel was restored to the Jewish people. Now Jerusalem is their capital. These happened not by accident, but as predicted by Jesus. And Jerusalem awaits the day Jesus, the Son of David, will rule from there. 
Surely the end is near and it will come quickly!

Conclusion
Jesus challenged us with a lesson from nature. He asked us to look at the fig tree and all the trees (Luke 21:29). When we see it sprout, He said, it is easily discernible that the summer is near. So He challenged us to be aware that when the above said things happen, we should know that the end is near.

Jesus also warned us to be careful: “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and theanxieties of life,[author’s emphasis] and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap” (Luke 21:34 NIV). Jesus, on another occasion pointed out that the worries of this life choke God’s word that is sown in the heart (Ref. Mark 4:19). So, a Christian should be careful that the routine business of life prevent him from watching out for the Coming of Jesus Christ.

Jesus further said that these things will come upon the whole earth. No part of the earth will be exempt: “For it will come upon ALL those who live on the face of the WHOLE earth” (Luke 21:35 NIV).[author’s emphasis]
According to Jesus, the message is “Repent or Perish.” (Ref. Luke 13:1 to 4).

Surely the end is near and it will come quickly!

“Behold, I am coming soon!” — Jesus (Ref. Revelation 22:7, 12, 20).


Footnote 1. The Bible teaches that if a nation continues in sexual immorality the land will vomit its inhabitants out.

We live during a time when all kinds of sexual immorality abound in the world. The Bible condemns incestuous and adulterous relationships, homosexuality and also sex with animals. All these are practiced today in very increasing measure.

The Bible says: “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral” (Hebrews 13:4 NIV).

Leviticus, chapters 18 and 20 gives a long list of unlawful sexual relations. At the end of it God says: “Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants..[bold].And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you”[/bold] (Leviticus 18:24,25,28 NIV). [author’s emphasis]This truth is again repeated in Leviticus 20:22,23.

So earthquakes in a Biblical sense is one of God’s method of vomiting out the inhabitants of the earth as they sin by wrong sexual practices.

Footnote 2. There is another reason for God’s judgment. That is bloodshed.

Though we may not understand fully, earth cannot tolerate blood that is shed on it. It somehow affects the earth deeply. One sure reason for this is man was formed out of the dust of the ground.

The first murder took place on earth when Adam’s son Cain killed his own brother Abel. Then God said to Cain: What have you done?[bold] Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.[/bold] [author’s emphasis]Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth” (Genesis 4:10–12 NIV).

There is great bloodshed in the world today. Wars and other communal riots and religious persecution have killed millions. Some Christian leaders point out another kind of murder that is killing millions every year. Abortion that is done deliberately is that killer.

The Bible tells us that God knows each one of us even when we are in our mother’s womb. We have a identity in God’s eyes even then; even from the very moment of conception.

“For you [God] created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb…My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place; When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body” (Psalm 139:13,15,16 NIV).

In another passage, God says: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5 NIV).

So when deliberate abortion (one exception could be when it is done to save the life of the mother) is done it is equivalent to murder.

When Cain murdered Abel, God said: [bold] Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground[/bold][author’s emphasis]. Today, God would say: “ Listen to the cry of millions of unborn children murdered in the wombs of their mothers!”

God will judge all this. One example occurs in the history of Israel. There was a wicked king called Manasseh (who lived around 650 B.C.). He filled Jerusalem with innocent blood. Many years later foreign armies attacked that land. The reason is given as:

“Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord’s command, in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, [bold]including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was NOT willing to forgive”[/bold][author’s emphasis] (2 Kings 24:3,4 NIV).

Therefore, judgment will fall on the nations for all the murders they have done; especially the shedding of innocent blood.

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