It has been nearly two thousand years since our Lord ascended up into heaven.  Ten days later, the Holy Spirit descended down upon the Earth.  In this interim, we have had the Comforter with us.  For that third person of the Trinity first came upon the disciples on the Day of Pentecost.  But importantly, immediately after Jesus soared away, the disciples were informed by heavenly messengers that he would physically return to our planet once again.

And when he had spoken these things (that the Holy Spirit would come upon them.), while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.  And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel:  Which also said, you men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven?  This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come (back) in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven. Acts 1:9-11 (italics added)

This is the “hope” that we believers in Jesus Christ hold.  That our wonderful Risen Lord will return again in power and great glory to rule and reign upon our Earth.

Jesus had much to say about this future day while he was present with us during his First Advent.  In a book about parables and teachings of the Great Physician, we must include his words on this very important topic.  For as John has taught, it is the hope of the Lord’s return that purifies us while we wait for him, (1 John 3:2-3).

We learned in our last chapter that Jesus powerfully prophesied that the Temple would be destroyed secondary to the collective unbelief in, & rejection of our Lord by the Jews.  The disciples wrongly concluded that this prophecy was talking about the End Times.  That it was talking about the onset of the Kingdom Age for which they were so hopefully looking.  Hence, they asked the following question;

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, tell us, when shall; these things be?  And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and the end of the world?  And Jesus answered and said unto them… Matthew 24:3-4a (italics added)

Pay attention!  The Prophet is about to foretell the future to his men.  He is ready to give the answer to the question we all want to know.  When will things be made right?  When is thy Kingdom to come & thy will to be done?  Spoiler alert…the sign is in the parable of the Fig Tree.  Jesus will speak to that momentarily.  But first, there will be birth pangs!

Take heed that no man deceive you.  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Matthew 24:4-5

The implication is that believers & seekers will be deceived by false messiahs.  Indeed, this has happened.  Billions follow the errant teachings of Mohammed, Buddha & Hinduism.  Not only religious leaders, but secular false Christs have led men astray.  Men such as Hitler, Jim Jones, Charles Manson and many many others have collectively duped us by their pseudo righteousness!  Jesus says, don’t fall for it.  In a moment he will tell his men how to discern the real from the imitation.  Another spoiler alert… His return will be like lightning!  No doubt, no wonder.  It will be obvious!

And when you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars:  See that you be not troubled:  For all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:  And there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in various places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows. Matthew 24:6-8

Luke adds that in addition to this list of birth pangs, there will all be signs in the sun, moon & stars and that the seas and the waves will roar, (Luke 21:25).

This is huge!  These three little verses have described very accurately the last two thousand years.  Jesus said that the time leading up to his return would be like the beginning of sorrows.  Of course, sorrows are another term for what we know as labor pains or birth pangs.  And just like birth pangs, they will start out infrequently and far apart, but as the day of the delivery approaches, that is, as the day of our Lord’s return nears, they will become more and more frequent and intense. This is indeed what has happened over the past two millennia in each of these categories of distress which our Lord called out.  

First, wars have gone from local and regional conflicts to world-wide conflagrations.  In the future, as the day approaches, I can’t help but think that the nuclear option will be in play as part of this prophecy of increasing labor pains.

Famines have always been part of the curse upon mankind ever since God told Adam that the earth would no longer bring forth fruit in abundance.  But as time has marched forward, we see Jesus’ words about hunger reach epic proportions.  One-third of the souls living on our planet go to bed without proper nutrition. Hundreds die every day from starvation.  Indeed, famine has taken on a labor-like rhythm.

I write this chapter in 2020 in the midst of the painful pang of Corona virus.  This is but another of the many pestilences, many pandemics if you will, which our world has endured.  Again, there have always been diseases which have ravaged mankind.  Leprosy, the bubonic plague, small pox, cholera, TB, typhoid, malaria and Spanish flu as notable sporadic sorrows of the past two thousand years.  But in the last generation or so the pangs are getting closer.  Polio, HIV, Herpes, HPV, Ebola, West Nile virus, H1N1, Swine & Avian flu, Zika and now Covid 19.  If the Lord tarries we can expect further global pandemics to wreak havoc just as the Prophet foretold.  One of the plagues during the World’s time of true labor, the time we understand to be described in the Book of Revelation, is that men who take the Mark of the Beast will suffer grievous boils as a result of that poor choice, (Revelation 16:2).  To my reading that likely is some sort of infectious or toxic reaction to the implanted mark itself.

Next, we come to the shaking of the Earth.  Quakes have always been part of life for mankind.  In the Bible, earthquakes seem to be supernaturally timed to bookmark dramatic events the Almighty wanted to emphasize.  We remember the earth quaking as he prepared to audibly speak the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel, (Exodus 19:18).  Later, when Jonathan and his armorbearer stepped out in faith against the Philistine garrison, the earth trembled as they defeated the numerically greater enemy.  Of course, the most significant set of earthquakes of all time occurred in Jerusalem the hour that our Lord died upon the Cross for the sins of all mankind and then again three days later as an aftershock rolled away the stone!  But as awesome as these earthquakes were, they did not occur very often in Biblical times.  Not so for our day today.  Scientists tell us that over the past one hundred years we have seen a logarithmic increase in activity of the earth’s crust.  Both minor tremblers as a result of increased fracking, but also many large and devastating upsets have been endured.  San Francisco, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Istanbul, Japan, Alaska, Indonesia and other large population centers have been hit with this pang of which Jesus spoke.  In the future it would not surprise me that the San Andreas or Cascadia faults will clash leading to death and destruction unlike we have ever seen.  Again, from the Revelation, it would appear that a great Earthquake, the culmination of this prophecy, will occur which will move every mountain and island out of its place, (Revelation 6:12-14).

Lastly, Luke added in his account of Jesus’ words, that there will be labor-like signs in the moon and the stars and the sea will roar.  The Bible tells us that “the heavens declare the glory of the Lord & the firmament shows his handiwork, (Psalm 19:1).  Indeed, God has placed his very word in the stars for all to see.  The Magi understood this to be true as they travelled to worship the King based upon the signs in the sky they had observed which announced his arrival.  Joshua spoke to the Sun and God caused the day to be extended so he could defeat his enemies, (Joshua 10:12-14).   But once again, something new is happening in the sky.  Blood moons, super conjunctions, comets and meteor showers appear almost nightly in the sky.  Of course, these signs too, will increase as the day draws near.  As for the oceans raging, 2020 was a banner year for hurricanes in the Atlantic basin.  There were so many tempests that the entire alphabet was required in naming them, but that was still not enough, so the Greek system was also employed.  In addition to storms, we have witnessed the labor pains of tsunamis in the Indian & Pacific Oceans leading to death and destruction on a scale never before experienced.  It is noted that the tsunami which occurred from the Indonesian Earthquake of 2004 was the largest natural disaster in the history of our World. 

Indeed, our Planet is experiencing false labor just as Jesus said it would.  Paul summed up this concept well when he said; “For we know that the whole creation groans & travails in pain together until now,” (Romans 8:22).

Then they shall deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you:  And you shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. Matthew 24:9

Persecutions await the evangelist speaking of the Lord.  When I witness the Lord to people, I don’t want to make the mistake of telling them everything will be wonderful in their lives.  Clearly, Jesus taught that the World and its system will be at odds with his Kingdom and his followers.  No, one must always factor in eternity when making a decision for the Lord.  The future choice is clear.  Misery or majesty!  Present comfort with future destruction, or present discomfort with future glory!  But, even in our discomfort, he is with us giving us peace in the midst of the storm; “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace.  In the world you shall have tribulation:  But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world,” (John 16:33).

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. Matthew 24:10

This is important.  John Bevere in his book “The Bait of Satan” has rightly preached that “offenses” are being used greatly by our Enemy to bring us down.  Jesus said that offenses would be on the increase as time marched forward.  What is an offense?  Simply put, an offense is anything that we are counting upon which does not come to pass.  It is an unexpected action or event.  Your spouse giving you a hard time for something seemingly trivial, your car breaking down on the way to work, your back going out lifting a suitcase, the flight to Hawaii being rescheduled at the last moment…and on and on.  When the unexpected occurs, and I am not ready for it, I will be offended.  And when people are the cause of an offense, then betrayal & hatred are the result.  And betrayal doesn’t have to be a Benedict Arnold or a Judas Iscariot.  Simply put, betrayal is to choose yourself over another.  And hatred doesn’t have to be active distain towards a person.  To be loveless toward another is a form of hatred in God’s economy.  

Now for the good part.  The way to keep Jesus’ prophecy from coming true for you… Expect the unexpected!  Don’t count on life being perfect, smooth and / or regulated.  Don’t let distractions bother you.  Rather, look to them as opportunities for personal growth as well as occasions to help others.  Lastly, don’t expect people to always be there for you, do the correct thing or act in a way that you desire.  If you remember this, and put it into use, you will not be an “end-times” causality to offenses, to the bait of Satan. 

And many false prophets shall rise, and deceive many. Matthew 24:11

Aware as we are, that we live in a day of fake news, many are still taken captive and deceived by false prophets.  Earlier we learned there will be false Christs, those who say they are the “anointed ones.”  False prophets are a bit more subtle, but still very dangerous.  A false prophet speaks with authority, as if what he or she is saying is true, only it’s not!  Our World has many false prophets on the scene today.  The entertainment industry especially is a breeding ground for such false prophetic activity.

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Matthew 24:12-13

In a moment we will learn that Jesus will liken the last days to the days of Noah.  In Genesis 6, speaking of Noah’s day, the Bible states in verse five that “the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”  Unfortunately, this verse could easily describe large pockets of our world today.  Thus, we see also another clue to the loveless state of the last days.  Besides “offenses,” the abundant sin running rampant will cause many to lose their love for God & fellow mankind.

Along with this warning about the end times, Jesus gives an important directive.  Endure!  “Never give up.”  You can say that three times as Winston Churchill famously did, if you like.  Claim God’s promises, know he is in control, even when things look bad, and you will be saved.  In this case the word for saved is “ozzo.”  This word implies, not only eternal life, but salvation in all aspects of this life.  Saved from unforgiveness, from lust, from anger, from envy from worry, etc.

Ok, thus far Jesus has spoken of how the days of the end will look as time marches towards its culmination.  A series of non-specific occurrences and behaviors, if you will.  Next, we come to a specific event that when it occurs will signal that the birth is soon to occur.  An event so familiar to the Jews that it needed no further exposition from Jesus.  And importantly, it is an event which our Lord links to the time of Great Tribulation.

When you shall therefore see the abomination of desolation, spoken by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand):  Then let them which be in Judea flee to the mountains:  Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house:  Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.  And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!  But pray you that your flight be not in winter, neither on the sabbath day:  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Matthew 24:15-21

When this was spoken, the abomination of desolation had occurred relatively recently in the history of the Jews.  They were aware of what the Lord was saying.  The Greek ruler, Antiochus Epiphanies, to the horror of the Jews of his day, desecrated the Temple by slaughtering pigs in the Holy of Holies.  Jesus is saying that something like that will again occur signaling the onset of the Great Tribulation.  A day so bad for the Jews, that if they do not immediately flee from Judea, they will not escape.  Zechariah adds insight to Jesus words, stating that when this prophesied event occurs, only one-third of the Jews will make it to safety, (Zechariah 13:8-9).

So, we see that with the abomination of desolation occurring, Jesus has moved his teaching of the end-times from the days leading up to his return, the pre-tribulation era of the last two thousand years, to the very time of the end.  A short seven-year time frame known as the Tribulation by the New Testament writers but understood to the Jews as the day of Jacob’s Trouble (Jeremiah 30:4-7).

Continuing on with this future day;

And except these days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved:  But for the elect’s sake these days shall be shortened. Matthew 24:22

The Tribulation will be a time of great discomfort.  The Revelation teaches that a charismatic World leader will figuratively ride in on a white horse pronouncing peace at a time when the World is ripe for a one-world government.  We understand this one to be the Antichrist.  Riding in with him though will be the other three horsemen of the Apocalypse, that of War, Famine & Death.  Continuing on in John’s vision of this time, there will be plagues and judgements which will make problems the World has experienced thus far seem trivial in comparison.  But God will use this time of hardship, this time of Jacob’s Trouble, to bring his elect, both Jews and Gentiles to a place of saving grace.  The Bible states that a multitude, too numerous to count, will stand before the throne having come out of the Tribulation and clothed in white, (Revelation 7:1-14).

Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders: Insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.  Behold, I have told you before (it happens). Matthew 24:23-25 (parenthesis added)

False Christs and false prophet appearances will crescendo from our present day to the time of Jacob’s Trouble with the arrival of the Antichrist and the False Prophet.  This unholy trinity, under the control of Satan, will have power to astound the fooled of the world with apparent signs and wonders.  Again, from Zechariah, we learn that the idol shepherd (Zechariah’s identification of the Antichrist) will have an apparent mortal wound from which he will recover. This will amaze the World which will interpret this wonder as an “evident” resurrection, (Zechariah 11:17).  John reveals that the False Prophet will have power to call down fire from the sky to deceive men & women.  This sign will cause them to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed, (Revelation 13:12-13).  Jesus, is loving telling us not to fall for these tricks.  Once again, he is foretelling the future as only God is able.  You may also remember from an earlier chapter, that Jesus told us not to be too impressed by miracles, by signs and wonders, for Satan himself can appear as an angel of light.  No, the teacher told us to judge for identification by looking at the fruit produced by the wonder-worker.  In the case of the Beast & the False Prophet, the fruit will be most foul! 

Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth:  Behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.  For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be…Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:  And then shall all of the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Matthew 24:26-27, 29-30

As was pointed out in the beginning of this chapter, Jesus’ return will be obvious to all. No private audiences will be made available.  When the Lord returns, all will see.  On the night our Lord was betrayed he told the High Priest, Caiaphas, that he indeed was the Messiah and that he would one day see him (the Son of Man) sitting on the right hand of power & coming in the clouds of heaven, (Matthew 26:64). Zechariah prophesied that when the Lord returns the entire world will mourn asking “where did you get those wounds?”  To that Jesus will reply “I received them in the house of my friends,” (Zechariah 13:6).

Next, after speaking of the days of false labor followed by the days of true labor, the Prophet will now answer his disciple’s initial question.  He is now going to tell of the sign which will identify the season of his return and of the end of the age.  It is a sign, which we will note in our day today has already come to pass!

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when his branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is nigh:  So likewise you, when you shall see these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Matthew 24:32-33

His return is even at the door!  For this parable is speaking of the nation of Israel.  In the Bible, whenever a fig tree, vine or olive tree is mentioned, an application to the children of Israel is always present.  In this case, looking at the Fig Tree, we understand that Israel has endured a period of winter, so to speak, over the past nineteen hundred years.  In 70 AD the people were dispersed and the Promised Land was left to lie fallow, becoming irrelevant to the World.  Israel was that frozen tree which during the winter appears to have died.  But then a miracle occurred!  Israel was born in one day.

Hear the word of the Lord, you that tremble at his word…A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that renders recompense to his enemies.  Before she travailed, she brought forth; Before her pains came, she was delivered...Who has heard such a thing?  Who has seen such things?  Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day?  Or a nation be born at once?  For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth… Isaiah 66:5-8

These four questions of the Almighty were indeed answered on May 14th 1948!  On that day Israel was re-born.  The valley of dry bones took shape (Ezekiel 37).  By the pen of the United Nations, Israel once again became a sovereign nation.  After the long winter, the Fig Tree has budded and brought forth leaves.  No, the summer fruit is not yet on the tree as the nation does not recognize Jesus as their King, but indeed, the sign that Jesus’ disciples were seeking has occurred.  The Fig Tree has put forth leaves.  Israel has been reborn.  The sign the disciples requested marking the nearness of the Lord’s return has occurred.  This should give all believers pause.  We are living in the last days!  In the days immediately prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  We don’t know the day or the hour (Matthew 24:36), but we can know the season.  Spring has come.  Look up dear believer, your redemption and the redemption of the World draws nigh!

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Summary:

1. Immediately after Jesus ascended up into Heaven, we believers were told by God’s angels that he would return.

2. The sign Jesus’ disciples were seeking concerning his Coming & the End of the World is found in the Parable of the Fig Tree.

3. Jesus said much would happen prior to his return.  Wars, birth pangs & persecutions.

4. False messiahs & false prophets will arise.  The first will say “follow me,” the latter “listen to me.”  Beware of both!  You can know a tree by its fruit.

5. The Abomination of Desolation (a World leader desecrating the Temple), spoken by Daniel the prophet, will signal the onset of the Great Tribulation.

For Further Study:

1. What happens in the hearts of men & women who are thinking about & longing for the return of the Lord?  See 1 John 3:2-3

2. Why are famines, pestilences, earthquakes & oceans raging compared to birth pangs?

3. What is an offense?  How are they a sign of the End Times? How do you protect against being offended? See Matthew 24:10, 12-13.

4. What should you immediately think of when a fig tree is mentioned in the Bible?  What happened on May 14th, 1948?  In June of 1967?