In His
teaching about end times,
Jesus tells us repeatedly to “watch and pray”.
But what are we supposed to be watching, exactly?
And what are we praying about?
How do we obey this instruction?
WE HAVEN’T BEEN HERE BEFORE
It certainly does feel a bit apocalyptic.
Corona was an earth-shaking episode, and now people are struggling to make ends meet as inflation spirals out of control.
Many have lost loved ones, others have lost jobs and businesses. But disasters of global proportions have come and gone throughout history—what’s so different now?
A couple of things. Firstly, the formation of the state of Israel in 1948 and the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 meant that the imminent return of Jesus is more realistic than ever.
Not only has
Israel been regathered physically,
but we’re also
SEEING many Jewish people
receive Jesus as their Messiah
in numbers not known since the first century.
Israel had to be reestablished and
Jerusalem had to be in Jewish hands before
key prophetic pieces could
fall into place.
We are living in the generation that has seen these critical events
come to pass.
Secondly, the pandemic pulled back the proverbial curtain,
showing we’re in a new digital era where we can be
tracked and monitored like never before.
Israel was the first of many nations to impose tight restrictions with digital health passes, and even though these measures have been eased in some countries, the sudden removal of access to healthcare, travel, and even to our own bank accounts is no longer unimaginable.
Indeed, the freezing of funds and restriction of travel has been happening around the globe. It should be said that just because we could theoretically be tightly controlled by the-powers-that-be, doesn’t mean that we
necessarily will be,
but the infrastructure for global governance and
control exists in a way it never has before.
It’s time
to start paying attention.
And essentially, that’s what Jesus means by “watch and pray”.
We need to be astute observers
of what is happening,
so that we can
discern
how far along we are in the prophetic timeline.
We need the two-lens vision of a pair of binoculars to
keep an eye on the Bible
and current events at the same time.
You might have noticed that there’s a fair amount
of deception going on, just as the
Bible warned would happen.
We need to be discerning about "who" and "what"
we believe.
God KNOWS PERFECTLY WELL
who is lying and who is telling the
TRUTH
so ask Him to help you as you look out at the world
to
SEE
where we are.
One place we can be sure to find truth is the Bible.
Praise God
for the Bible.
We have it all laid out there for us, in black and white.
WHAT ARE THE “END TIMES”?
“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3)
The very first thing
that Jesus said when His
disciples asked Him this was,
"See that you are not led astray”
The end times will be full of deception. Jesus said we’ll hear of wars and rumors of wars, but not to be afraid,
but that they must come along with earthquakes, famines and pestilences.
These things are all happening today, but they have been happening for centuries. “
All these are but the beginning of the
birth pains
According to Jesus, war, natural disasters and disease
are to be expected but are not, critically, the end.
They are merely the beginning of the end.
This idea of pregnancy and birth is such a helpful
picture for us.
Something has been set in motion that will come
to
fruition—and it
will be long-awaited and wonderful!
This is something that many
who get afraid seem to forget:
the pains of labor
are just a prelude
for the
most amazing and wonderful
delight
you can imagine!
We will finally see Jesus face to face!
As contractions increase in frequency and severity,
so these painful things will also increase,
but they have been happening for millennia.
Indeed, the “end days” can be said to have started
that weekend when Jesus died
and rose again
(see Hebrews 1:2).
We are, technically, living in the end times,
but I think we can all agree
that He has
not yet returned in glory.
Some things have come to pass already but
others have not.
WHAT ARE WE STILL WAITING FOR?
Here are some of the key points Jesus gave us to look out for:
1. This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations (Matthew 24:14)
We don’t have
long to go on this,
but we have not yet completed the
Great Commission.
2. When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Matthew 24:15-16)
God’s temple
has been violated before in history,
but we’re told that the Man of Lawlessness comes,
as he’s described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3,
he will take his seat in the temple.
This means there will be a temple
in Jerusalem.
3. There will be great tribulation,
such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved.
But for the sake of the elect
those days will be cut short.
(Matthew 24:21-22)
There have been many severe times of persecution,
but none on the scale described here,
that almost threatened to wipe out the entire human race.
4. As the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be
the coming of the Son of Man
(Matthew 24:27)
We are waiting for Jesus to appear in glory!
Every eye will SEE Him!
5. The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its LIGHT,
and the STARS will FALL from heaven,
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
(Matthew 24:29)
There have been some fascinating celestial anomalies in recent years,
and even times of darkness back in biblical times,
but nothing quite like this has happened yet.
6. Then will appear in heaven the SIGN of the SON of MAN, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great GLORY.
And he will send out his angels
with a LOUD trumpet CALL,
and they will gather his elect from the four winds,
from one end of heaven to the other.
(Matthew 24:30-31)
And what of the one who took
God’s place in the TEMPLE?
The Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8).
Jesus will destroy His enemies and set up
His kingdom rule from Jerusalem.
YES!
This is what we are waiting for!
The LAST shofar,
the ultimate
resurrection
and gathering of the saints,
the glorious appearance of
King JESUS
teaching about end times,
Jesus tells us repeatedly to “watch and pray”.
But what are we supposed to be watching, exactly?
And what are we praying about?
How do we obey this instruction?
WE HAVEN’T BEEN HERE BEFORE
It certainly does feel a bit apocalyptic.
Corona was an earth-shaking episode, and now people are struggling to make ends meet as inflation spirals out of control.
Many have lost loved ones, others have lost jobs and businesses. But disasters of global proportions have come and gone throughout history—what’s so different now?
A couple of things. Firstly, the formation of the state of Israel in 1948 and the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 meant that the imminent return of Jesus is more realistic than ever.
Not only has
Israel been regathered physically,
but we’re also
SEEING many Jewish people
receive Jesus as their Messiah
in numbers not known since the first century.
Israel had to be reestablished and
Jerusalem had to be in Jewish hands before
key prophetic pieces could
fall into place.
We are living in the generation that has seen these critical events
come to pass.
Secondly, the pandemic pulled back the proverbial curtain,
showing we’re in a new digital era where we can be
tracked and monitored like never before.
Israel was the first of many nations to impose tight restrictions with digital health passes, and even though these measures have been eased in some countries, the sudden removal of access to healthcare, travel, and even to our own bank accounts is no longer unimaginable.
Indeed, the freezing of funds and restriction of travel has been happening around the globe. It should be said that just because we could theoretically be tightly controlled by the-powers-that-be, doesn’t mean that we
necessarily will be,
but the infrastructure for global governance and
control exists in a way it never has before.
It’s time
to start paying attention.
And essentially, that’s what Jesus means by “watch and pray”.
We need to be astute observers
of what is happening,
so that we can
discern
how far along we are in the prophetic timeline.
We need the two-lens vision of a pair of binoculars to
keep an eye on the Bible
and current events at the same time.
You might have noticed that there’s a fair amount
of deception going on, just as the
Bible warned would happen.
We need to be discerning about "who" and "what"
we believe.
God KNOWS PERFECTLY WELL
who is lying and who is telling the
TRUTH
so ask Him to help you as you look out at the world
to
SEE
where we are.
One place we can be sure to find truth is the Bible.
Praise God
for the Bible.
We have it all laid out there for us, in black and white.
WHAT ARE THE “END TIMES”?
“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3)
The very first thing
that Jesus said when His
disciples asked Him this was,
"See that you are not led astray”
The end times will be full of deception. Jesus said we’ll hear of wars and rumors of wars, but not to be afraid,
but that they must come along with earthquakes, famines and pestilences.
These things are all happening today, but they have been happening for centuries. “
All these are but the beginning of the
birth pains
According to Jesus, war, natural disasters and disease
are to be expected but are not, critically, the end.
They are merely the beginning of the end.
This idea of pregnancy and birth is such a helpful
picture for us.
Something has been set in motion that will come
to
fruition—and it
will be long-awaited and wonderful!
This is something that many
who get afraid seem to forget:
the pains of labor
are just a prelude
for the
most amazing and wonderful
delight
you can imagine!
We will finally see Jesus face to face!
As contractions increase in frequency and severity,
so these painful things will also increase,
but they have been happening for millennia.
Indeed, the “end days” can be said to have started
that weekend when Jesus died
and rose again
(see Hebrews 1:2).
We are, technically, living in the end times,
but I think we can all agree
that He has
not yet returned in glory.
Some things have come to pass already but
others have not.
WHAT ARE WE STILL WAITING FOR?
Here are some of the key points Jesus gave us to look out for:
1. This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations (Matthew 24:14)
We don’t have
long to go on this,
but we have not yet completed the
Great Commission.
2. When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Matthew 24:15-16)
God’s temple
has been violated before in history,
but we’re told that the Man of Lawlessness comes,
as he’s described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3,
he will take his seat in the temple.
This means there will be a temple
in Jerusalem.
3. There will be great tribulation,
such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved.
But for the sake of the elect
those days will be cut short.
(Matthew 24:21-22)
There have been many severe times of persecution,
but none on the scale described here,
that almost threatened to wipe out the entire human race.
4. As the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be
the coming of the Son of Man
(Matthew 24:27)
We are waiting for Jesus to appear in glory!
Every eye will SEE Him!
5. The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its LIGHT,
and the STARS will FALL from heaven,
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
(Matthew 24:29)
There have been some fascinating celestial anomalies in recent years,
and even times of darkness back in biblical times,
but nothing quite like this has happened yet.
6. Then will appear in heaven the SIGN of the SON of MAN, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great GLORY.
And he will send out his angels
with a LOUD trumpet CALL,
and they will gather his elect from the four winds,
from one end of heaven to the other.
(Matthew 24:30-31)
And what of the one who took
God’s place in the TEMPLE?
The Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8).
Jesus will destroy His enemies and set up
His kingdom rule from Jerusalem.
YES!
This is what we are waiting for!
The LAST shofar,
the ultimate
resurrection
and gathering of the saints,
the glorious appearance of
King JESUS
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