The term “end of the age” refers to the final days of man’s rule over the earth before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ returns to rule the earth. How can we know if we are the generation who will witness the end of the age?
Here’s a bible verse that people who doubt that we can know this general time of the end of the age like to quote.
But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
Matthew 24:36
It’s true that it’s widely known among both believers and non-believers alike that no one knows the day or the hour that the Son of God will return to put down the kingdoms of man and rule the earth for a thousand years (Revelation 20:6). However, Jesus warned us to watch so that we would know when that time is near so that we can be diligent and increase our efforts to be ready for the Lord’s return and to warn others to be ready as well.
What seems to escape so many people (at least the ones I’ve talked to) is that when they quote Matthew 24:36 they seem to disregard the fact that a day and an hour is a very small amount of time. That might seem like a Duh statement, but consider this: If we’re really serious about being ready for the Lord’s return, the question we should be asking ourselves is “can I know the general time of Christ’s return?”. To answer that question, let’s turn once again to Jesus’ parable of the fig tree.
Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place”.
Matthew 24:32-34
The parable of the fig tree should give us assurance that we can know the general time of His return. Jesus gave the disciples many signs to watch for so that we might not be caught unaware and unprepared. Friends, we are the generation who are witnessing all of the signs that are written down for us in Matthew 24:3-14.
- Many people will claim to be Christ.
- You will hear of wars and rumors of wars.
- Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. In other words, there will be wars.
- There will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
Jesus said that these are just the beginning of sorrows. Another translation says beginning of birth pangs. Either way, it means that things are going to get even worse than this before Christ returns. But wait, there’s more.
- Believers will be persecuted and killed.
- All nations will hate believers because they follow Jesus.
- Many will betray one another.
- False prophets will rise up and deceive many.
- Lawlessness will abound.
- The love of many will grow cold.
- The gospel of Jesus Christ will be preached throughout the whole world.
I could provide plenty of proof that we’re seeing every one of these signs today. But I don’t think it’s really necessary for me to elaborate on them here because even unbelievers can see that these things are happening.
But you might say that many of these things have been happening for centuries. We’ve always had wars and famines and so on. Well that’s true. But remember that Jesus also said that all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs (Matthew 24:8). As you know, birth pangs increase in frequency and intensity just before giving birth. So, what Jesus was saying is that the occurrences of these signs are going to increase in frequency and intensity until the very moment of his return to the earth.
If you want exhaustive evidence that we’re seeing these signs in the world today, I recommend you check out Pastor Billy Crone’s video series, The Final Countdown.
God bless,
Daniel
Jesus4Evers.com 