Two Big Signs of The End Times

Even though Jesus told the disciples that no man knows the day or the hour that marks the return of Jesus to the earth, He says there will be signs to look for.  Prophetic scriptures speak of earthquakes in various places, an increase in wickedness, wars, and rumors of wars, and more.  It is clear that the crisis in Israel points to the soon return of Jesus as does the nearing of every language and tribe on earth hearing the gospel.  Luke 17 gives us two “mega signs” to look for concerning the second coming.  These two signs revolve around two Old Testament characters; Noah and Lot.

In verses 22-26, Jesus speaks about the culture and environment of the world when He returns.  He says, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the day of the Son of Man”.  A few verses later Jesus says, “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot……Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed”.  Let’s look at what the known world had in common in the days of these two men.

• IT WAS BUSINESS AS USUAL:  God could have sent an ominous sign to warn the people of the destruction of Sodom and Gemorrah as well as the flooding of the world.  He could have had a mighty angel blow a trumpet to warn of the impending doom.  He could have brought forth a mighty downpour of rain to wake up the people in Noah’s day or He could have hurled a few flaming meteorites, striking the outskirts of Sodom and Gemorrah.  Instead, He used His prophets, Noah and Abraham.  They were God’s mouthpiece then and God is still using His prophetic people today to foretell future events coming to the earth.

• THESE WERE CULTURES THAT TESTED GOD TO THE LIMIT WITH THEIR EVIL THOUGHTS AND CONDUCT:  We are fortunate to have a very merciful and patient God who gives people time to repent and turn from their evil ways.  Today we live in a world that is largely pushing God out of their governments, schools, and culture.  They are creating a spiritual void that Satan will gladly fill.   Genesis 18:20-21 reveals that the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah were “great, and their sin was very grave”.  This got God’s attention and He examined them to see if judgment was warranted.  So also, in Noah’s time we read in Genesis 6:5- The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.   In both of these scenarios, man’s wickedness finally brought the consequences of supernatural destruction and judgment.

For believers, the good news is that in the midst of destruction, God protects His righteous ones.  Both Lot and Noah’s family were saved.  This will also be the case when judgments and mass destruction comes to the earth in the days ahead.

• WHAT WAS GOOD WAS BEING CALLED EVIL AND WHAT WAS EVIL WAS BEING CALLED GOOD:    One of the biggest problems the cultures of Lot and Noah faced was that the people had lost the distinction between tolerance and permissiveness.  The people shouted at both Lot and Noah, “Who are you to judge us”?   And so we look at the worldly cultures of today and see that the majority of people think they are being tolerant when they are really being permissive.  We are finding ourselves, more and more, having to choose between what is popular and what is righteous. 

There is no doubt that we are living in the last of the last days.  Scripture calls this “latter times”.  There are three groups of people among us:  those who are uncertain/ those who are in need of a cleansing from our culture/ those who need to become a voice.  God is for His people and will surely prove Himself faithful to protect, provide, and deliver us as future calamities take place on earth.