SIGNS OF HIS COMING

OBSERVING THE TIMES

Matthew 24:36-39
INTRODUCTION: The Bible gives us many signs that will precede Christs return. We have examined four major signs
which are: (1) Return of the Jews to the Promised Land, (2) Israels rebirth as a nation, (3) the revived Roman Empire, (4)
the apostasy of the church. While there are many other signs, we shall look at some that are very apparent today.
Dr. Linus Pauling, winner of Nobel Prizes in 1954 and 1963, stated that he believes the greatest catastrophe in the world is
approaching. This looming catastrophe might well result in a world war which could destroy civilization and spell the end
of the human race. Or, it might take the form of mass starvation among a world population that has been doubling every 35
years. Civilization might end because of the collapse of the systems on which it depends; or the end of civilization might
result from weather changes induced by governments to improve the yield of crops.
I. INCREASES IN THE WORLD
1. INCREASE IN MORAL CORRUPTION.
a. DAYS OF NOAH.
You have to look no further than Genesis 6:11 to learn why God destroyed the earth by the flood: The earth also was
corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
During Noah's time, the earth was filled with violence and almost all of mankind had corrupted their ways. (Matthew
24:37) (Genesis 6:5-13). The 20th century was the bloodiest in all of recorded human history!
b. DAYS OF LOT.
We are living in a day when perversion is being practiced by many around the world, taught in our schools as acceptable,
and even forced upon people who disagree. Homosexuality has the approval of many politicians and religious leaders
today.
Leviticus 20:13: "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination:
they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."
This is also spoken of in Luke 17:28- 30: "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought,
they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from
heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed."
EU Approves Resolution to Force Homosexual Marriage Acceptance in All Member States
A resolution has been passed at the European Union that proposes to standardize among all member states the legal status
of same-sex relationships.
2. INCREASE IN TRAVEL
Daniel 12:4: But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and
fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches,
they shall run like the lightnings. Nahum 2:4
"In 1900 only 4,192 passenger cars (and no trucks or buses) were built in the United States."
"There are over 600 million motor vehicles in the world today. If present trends continue, the number of cars on Earth will
double in the next 30 years."
3. INCREASE OF KNOWLEDGE
Daniel 12:4: But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and
fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
It has been said that over 90% of all the scientists and inventors who were ever born are alive today. Just pause awhile
and consider this amazing fact. It means that an enormous increase in knowledge has taken place in our generation, proving
yet again that we are living in the "time of the end." In 1991, knowledge doubled every 10 years. Now it doubles every 22
months.
4. INCREASE IN DRUGS
Revelation 9:21: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

The original Greek for the word 'sorceries' is pharmakeia {far-mak-i'-ah}. It means the use of or the administering of drugs
OR sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it.
5. INCREASE IN SCOFFERS
The Bible tells us one of the key signs of the end times will be people doubting the return of Christ will ever happen. 2nd
Peter 3:3-4: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying,
Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of
the creation.
6. INCREASE IN TECHNOLOGY
We know this because the book of Revelation teaches us that the entire world will see several events. This is unique to our
generation as only recently in mankind's history have these technologies been present. Technology has increase so that
scans may be able to foretell a persons intention. Today technology can determine your DNA makeup. We are seeing
embryonic stem cells used in many ways. Cloning of animals has already taken place.

a. Global communication.
Revelation 11:9: And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and
an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

b. Global tracing.
Revelation 13:16-17: And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in
their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name
of the beast, or the number of his name.
Roanoke Times: June 10, 2008: Worlds fastest computer is unveiled:
The Roadrunner does in a day what would take 6 billion people 46 years to do on their laptops.
It has roughly the computing power of 100,000 of todays most powerful laptops stacked 1.5 miles high.
It performed 1,000 trillion calculations per second in a sustained exercise.
The computer is a speed demon. It will allow us to solve tremendous problems.
Roanoke Times: Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2002
Fla. firm wants governments blessing on imbedded human ID chip
Its another sign that Sept 11 has thrust security into realm with uncharted possibilitiesand privacy concerns.
Roanoke Times: Mexico steps up security with microchips:
The countrys top investigators began receiving chip implants in their arms in November in order to get access to restricted
areas.
The attorney general and 160 people in his office have been implanted with the microchips. The implant cost the taxpayers
$150.00 for each rice grain-sized chip.
Scott Silverman, Applied Digital Solutions chief executive, said each of his companys implantable chips has a special
identification number that would foil an impostor.
In addition to the chips sold to the Mexican government, more than 1,000 Mexicans have implanted them for medical
reasons.
7. INCREASE IN WAR.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye 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. Matthew 24:6-7
Jesus prophesied a world filled with wars, rumors of wars, and terrorism prior to His return to Earth. In Jesus' teaching, the
Greek word ethnos has been poorly translated as "nation." A better translation is "ethnic group" or "people." This term
accurately describes terrorist groups small groups of people with, at best, only loose connection with any recognized
national government.
Since World War II, there has not been a single day free of international war, civil war, or terrorism somewhere in
the world.

The shift from interstate to civil war is perhaps the most significant change that has occurred in the last century. Of course
civil wars have always existed, but only recently have they become the dominant type of war.
8. INCREASE IN FAMINES.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:7: and there shall be famines. The population of the world is predicted to reach 7 billion by the
year 2011 and 9 billion by 2050. With the increase of population come wars, famines, and pestilences. The stage for these
judgments is now set.
"The most popular grade of Thailand rice sold for $198 a ton, five years ago and $323 a ton a year ago. In April 2008, the
price hit $1,000. Increases are even greater on local markets in Haiti, the market price of a 50 kilo bag of rice doubled in
one week at the end of March 2008. These increases are catastrophic for the 2.6 billion people around the world who live
on less than US $2 a day and spend 60% to 80% of their incomes on food. Hundreds of millions cannot afford to eat"
These hikes are contributing in a very real sense to "eliminating the poor" through "starvation deaths". In the words of
Henry Kissinger, "Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control the people."
9. INCREASE IN PESTILENCES.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:7 that there would be pestilences. We hear of the increasing concerns from the medical field
about pandemics. They worry over H1N1, Aids, bird flue and cancer. Viral epidemics can sweep the Earth with amazing
speed (influenza epidemics, for example). HIV (the AIDS virus) has infected millions of persons in a few years. There is
global concern over the spread of a deadly virus such as the Ebola virus.
10. INCREASE IN EARTHQUAKES.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:7 that there would be earthquakes. It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable
earthquakes in the world each year. 100,000 of these can be felt and 100 of them cause damage.
11. INCREASE IN SIGNS.
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with
perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring. Luke 21:25
Following Hurricane Katrina, comedian Jay Leno listed several natural disasters that had recently struck America and then
mused, Maybe this isnt such a good time to be taking God out of the Pledge of Allegiance!
We all remember the terrible Tusnami that hit South Asia and officially killed 155,000. Others have said the numbers are
closer to 300,000.
This quake/wave disaster is being called: The Worst Disaster in History, The Most Expensive Disaster in History, The
Largest Relief Effort in History. U.N. Secretary-General called it an unprecedented global catastrophe. Newsweek even
labeled it, A cataclysm of Biblical proportions.
II. INTEREST OF THE WORLD
a. WORLD PEACE.
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child;
and they shall not escape. (1 Thess.5:3)
President Carter, Ford, Reagan, Clinton, the two Bushes, and Obama have worked to bring peace in this world.

In an article Obama wrote for the July/August 2007 issue of Foreign Affairs magazine, he revealed that his first
priority as president after ending the war in Iraq will be to bring peace to the Middle East. In the article,
titled Renewing American Leadership , Obama said:
For more than three decades, Israelis, Palestinians, Arab leaders, and the rest of the world have looked to
America to lead the effort to build the road to a lasting peace. In recent years, they have all too often looked in
vain. Sustained American leadership for peace and security will require patient effort and the personal
commitment of the president of the United States. That is a commitment I will make.
3

b. WORLD GOVERNMENT.
Revelation 18 describes the one world government that will be led by the Antichrist and empowered by Satan.
Kissinger: Obama primed to create 'New World Order'
According to Henry Kissinger, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former secretary of state under President Nixon, conflicts
across the globe and an international respect for Barack Obama have created the perfect setting for the establishment of "a
New World Order."
Kissinger made the remark in an interview with CNBC after Erin Burnett asked him what international conflict would
define the Obama administration's foreign policy. Kissinger said: "The president-elect is coming into office at a moment
when there is upheaval in many parts of the world simultaneously," Kissinger responded. "You have India, Pakistan; you
have the jihadist movement. So he can't really say there is one problem, that it's the most important one. But he can give
new impetus to American foreign policy partly because the reception of him is so extraordinary around the world. His task
will be to develop an overall strategy for America in this period when, really, a new world order can be created. It's a great
opportunity, it isn't just a crisis."
The phrase 'new world order' traces back at least as far as 1940, when author H.G. Wells used it as the title of a book about
a socialist, unified, one-world government. The phrase has also been linked to American presidents, including Woodrow
Wilson, whose work on establishing the League of Nations pioneered the concept of international government bodies, and
to the first President Bush, who used it in a 1989 speech.
First President Bush said: "A new partnership of nations has begun, and we stand today at a unique and extraordinary
moment," said Bush before a joint session of Congress. "Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective a new world
order can emerge: A new era in which the nations of the world, east and west, north and south, can prosper and live in
harmony."
Mikhail Gorbachev was the first world leader to come out publicly with talk of a "new world order," and he did so nearly
two years before George Bush caught the vision. In his historic address to the United Nations on December 7, 1988, the
Soviet Prime Minister made this dogmatic and even prophetic statement: "Further global progress is now possible only
through a quest for universal consensus in the movement towards a new world order."

At the news conference with Gorbachev following their historic meeting, President Bush declared optimistically:
"If the nations of the world, acting together, continue as they have been we will set in place the cornerstone
of an international order more peaceful than any that we have known."
In a statement to the United Nations Business Council in September 1994, David Rockefeller said, "We are on
the verge of a global transformation. All we need is the right major crisis and the nations will accept the
new world order."
"There is a need for a new world order," Kissinger told PBS interviewer Charlie Rose last year. "I think that at the end of
this administration, with all its turmoil, and at the beginning of the next, we might actually witness the creation of a new
order because people looking in the abyss, even in the Islamic world, have to conclude that at some point, ordered
expectations must return under a different system."
The phrase "New World Order" causes alarm for many Americans, particularly those concerned about an international
governing body trumping U.S. sovereignty or those that interpret biblical prophecy to foretell the establishment of a oneworld government as key to the rise of the Antichrist. Conspiracy theorists, too, have latched on to the phrase, concerned
that powerful financial or government figures are secretly plotting to rule the world.

And Obama said the creation of international law enforced by the United Nations is the key to fighting
global threats like terrorism and climate change. In response to a questionnaire sent to him by the United Nations
Association of the USA, Obama said:
It [achieving the United States goals] means recognizing international law as an asset that serves great and small alike.

In his book, The Audacity of Hope, Obama wrote, "When the world's sole superpower willingly restrains its
power and abides by internationally agreed-upon standards of conduct, it sends a message that these rules are
worth following."
4

Roanoke Times: Wednesday July 8, 2009:

Pope issues document proposing new financial order guided by ethics
The Pope wrote: There is urgent need for a true world political authority that can manage the global economy,
guarantee the environment is protected, ensure world peace and bring about food security for the poor, he wrote.
c. WORLD RELIGION.
Someone has said: The plans to achieve the New World Order require a Universal Religion." The false church is
revealed in Revelation 17 riding the back of the world government. In the days of Tribulation, the church and state will be
wed together for awhile. The Antichrist will use the church to gain his power and influence among the people of the world.
The formation of this harlot church is in the making today. Religions of the world are working together to find common
ground to unite.
The foundation for this ecumenical trend has been laid and built upon over many years. We saw the beginning of
institutional ecumenism in the 1960's, with The World Council of Churches, mostly liberal mainline Protestant
denominations who denied such essential doctrines as the inerrancy of Scripture and a literal, bodily resurrection of Christ.
For years, Evangelicals distanced themselves from this institutional ecumenism because of the unsound theology of the
groups involved.
Today, however, that spirit of compromise has invaded Evangelicalism. The more recent Catholic-Evangelical accord is an
example of such compromise. In this accord, Evangelicals compromised essential doctrines such as justification by faith
alone and the sufficiency of Scripture in order to unite with Roman Catholics on issues such as abortion and school prayer.
President Obama: When I read the Bible, I do so with the belief that it is not a static text but the Living Word and that I
must be continually open to new revelations whether they come from a lesbian friend or a doctor opposed to abortion.
I am rooted in the Christian tradition, but I believe there are many paths to the same place and that is a belief that there is a
higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people.

U.N. plans to bring together 1,000 world religious leaders

By Larry Witham, THE WASHINGTON TIMES, July 14, 2000

Major steps have already been taken to establish a unified world religion. In June of 1997 over 200 delegates
from religious groups all over the world gathered at Stanford University to begin drafting a charter for an
international interfaith institution to be called The Organization of United Religions.2
The meeting was convened and presided over by Reverend William Swing, the Episcopal Bishop of San
Francisco. Since 1993 he has been traveling worldwide to set up a network of religious leaders interested in a one
world religious organization.
III. INFLUENCE OF ISRAEL
a. Jerusalem will be the source of international conflict:
Zechariah 12:3: And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it
shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
b. Israel will be the center of end time events.
LESSONS FOR LIFE:
1. The signs are before us. Jesus said watch and be ready.
2. Many believers will foolishly continue on in their apathy and indifference. They shall be ashamed at His appearing.
3. Many unbelievers will die in their sins without Christ and will spend eternity in hell. Are you saved or lost?