Signs of the Last Days
There are several passages that speak about the conditions that will prevail during the last days and especially shortly before the return of the Lord in the rapture of the Saints and His return to the earth as He sets His feet down on Mt. Zion.
A lot of people are looking for signs that reflect what the future will be like. It is one thing to be able to discern what tomorrow’s weather will be like, and quite another to discern the spiritual signs of the times.
Matthew 16:1-4 - The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
The Bible does gives us some indications of what the world will be like just before Christ returns to the earth at the rapture of the saints.
Matthew 24:37-41 states, “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
Genesis 6 records that during the days of Noah, there was a great compromising of God’s people with the people of this world and with the sin of this world.
All people began to live with little regard for God, His ways, His Word, or His holiness. They began to do what they wanted to do, or what fit in with their society.
The Bible states they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, buying and selling, building and developing, etc. There is nothing wrong with doing all these things, but they become wrong when God is left out.
This is what has happened in our society today. People are continually eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, buying and selling, building and developing with little regard to God. Actually, if God is mentioned in polite society, it is because there is some local or national tragedy and people pray that God will fix it. There is little thought today the local and national tragedies our nation faces is the natural consequence of forgetting about God. It is as if people expect God to be there when they have troubles, trials and problems, but when all those problems are fixed God must go back to wherever He was and leave us alone until the next time we need something fixed.
Luke 17:28-30 gives signs of the last days as it was in the days of Lot. “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”
There was a great compromising of Lot who was a saved man with the exceeding great sinners of this world. Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom when the two angels entered the city at the close of day. Lot sitting in the gate of Sodom shows that Lot was one of the city fathers, one of those that had a say in the rule of the city. Lot had no Godly influence at all. He had so compromised Godly standards by moving his dear, precious wife and children into these wicked cities of the plain that he lost all his Godly influence over his wife, his children, his sons in law, and the people of the city. Lot has lived in such an ungodly manner that he even went so deep into sinfulness as to willingly offer his two daughters to be abused by the homosexuals in the city.
II Tim. 3:1-7 - This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
I. When are the last days? I John 2:18 - Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
From the time of Christ some 2,000 years ago until this present time.
We are now living in the last of the last days.
II. Signs of the perilous times. One thing Satan has to do is to get rid of all Christianity and replace it with his own form of religion and worship - Daniel 7:25 - And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
lovers of their own selves - The “me” generation has arrived! What’s in it for me? No thought for the welfare of others, but only of ones own self.
covetous - Wanting that thing that someone else possesses. The thought behind covetous is a dissatisfaction with what one possesses.
boasters - A braggart. Their possessions reflect what kind of character they are and what they consider important.
proud - They think they are more important than others. They picture themselves as above others, which are below them in spiritual, social, economic and intellectual standards.
blasphemers - They are against those that are around them, whether these are people or gods. They are impious (irreverent, ungodly, profane) and loudly complain against anybody and anything that doesn’t suit them. They are completely filled with bias and refuse to give any quarter to any person.
disobedient to parents - They will not allow their parents to persuade them to any good work. They are a law unto themselves and will not listen to their parents. Toward their parents, they are unyielding, obstinate, perverse, stubborn, inflexible, and contrary. To their friends, they are exactly the opposite.
unthankful - They are thankless, and ungrateful. They do not notice any good that others do for them, but take their goodness and expect more and more.
unholy - They are wicked. This is on top of retaining their form of godliness, which has lost all power to them.
without natural affection - Their hearts are hard toward those less fortunate than themselves. This is not spiritual affection, but the natural affection displayed by the human spirit. This natural affection for things right and good is lost.
trucebreakers - They readily break all kind of agreements. In days gone by, a handshake sealed a verbal agreement. Both parties would take a loss rather than go back on their words. Today, signed contracts have very small print which takes away all that the large print gives. Then both parties try to get out of doing what they have agreed, yet try to get the other party to do what they agree to.
false accusers - They are slanderers, taking Satan’s place in accusing the brothers, Rev. 12:10.
incontinent - They are powerless to control their emotions. No self-control.
fierce - They are a savage people, not caring about the welfare of others, or how much they are hurt, as long as the all important “me” is satisfied.
despisers of those that are good - They are hostile to virtue of any kind. They love evil and hate the good.
traitors - This is a giving forward into the hands of the enemy. Even if they know they are playing into the hands of the enemy, that is okay if the all important “me” is satisfied. Their future is doomed, but that is okay as long as there is contentment in the present.
heady - They are rashly (wastefully) falling forward, or headlong, to destruction.
highminded - They are inflated with self-conceit, lifted up with pride. The smoke of their destruction is all around them, but they cannot see their own soon coming destruction.
lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God - This simply means that if they had their choice between pleasure and God, they would choose pleasure. Everything in their life boils down to satisfying the flesh and ignoring God. They make continual allowances to satisfy their body, but make no allowances to satisfy their soul.
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts - They have retained their religion, but it is powerless. Their religion has no force in their lives, even though they retain all the appearance or structure of worship.
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth - The more they learn, the farther away they get from God. Their religion doesn’t teach them about God, but about humanistic, fleshly religion, which has nothing at all to do with God and His service.