And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Matthew 24:14
In Matthew 24:3, the Disciples asked Jesus,
“What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
What a question, one we still wonder about two thousand years later.
Jesus responded by providing the Disciples with several signs that would indicate His return is near. Jesus explained,
- Many would deceive in the name of Jesus.
- There would be wars and rumors of them.
- There would be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in different places.
Jesus said, those were just the beginning of sorrows. Just the initial signs.
He continues…
- Christians would be hated for the name of Jesus Christ.
- Betrayal and hatred would become common.
- False prophets and deceivers would abound.
- Evilness would increase and love would dissipate.
We have had these sort of signs for hundreds of years, if not more. However, the one sign that stands out is the increase in hatred and hostility toward our fellow man. Not to mention, the hatred for Christians which continues to increase, especially in first world nations.
Today, we continue to see more and more people turn away from Christianity. Our faith continues to become vilified by the world. So the signs Jesus warned us of have come to pass, and continue to increase with intensity.
However, there is one sign that is extremely timely and pressing. A sign that we typically lose sight of, but a sign that is the most important of them all.
It’s contained within the opening verse, let’s have it again.
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Matthew 24:14
Simply stated, God’s word must be shared with the entire world, and then Jesus will return.
Jesus was telling us, we have to go to work for Him. The reason? God wants everyone to hear His Word, God wants everyone to be saved, (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9). Therefore, we must share the Bible with everyone near and far away. This in fact, has also been accomplished.
The Bible has been translated into over 700 different languages. Then we have the internet which expands Christianity across the globe. Not to mention, the Christian missionaries we have all over the world sharing the Gospel with even the tiniest remote villages.
It would seem, the return of Jesus is not far away.
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Yet,
But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
Mark 13:32
No man, no Angel, neither Jesus Christ Himself knows His own Return.
Only our Father knows.
We can rest assured, all the signs are in place.
Luke 21:29
And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
Jesus was telling us to observe “the fig tree and all the trees.”
Observe…
Luke 21:30
When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
When trees leaf, then we know it’s summer, which means, fall harvest is near. Jesus was telling us, we could observe the signs of His return just as we observe nature itself. The signs would be that clear to us.
Luke 21:31
So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
When we see the signs come to pass, as we observe nature, then we can rest assured the Kingdom of God is near.
Luke 21:32
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
When Jesus said, “generation”, He was not speaking about a specific amount of time. Jesus was speaking about the “generation” of people who witnessed the signs He already mentioned. The fulfillment of Scripture would come upon the people who witnessed the signs.
This is evident by looking up the meaning of the word “generation” here, which is nearly always used in the context of “the persons” who belong to a time period, not any specific period of time.
So while we do not know the ‘day or hour’ of the return of Jesus. We can be confident that prophecy continues to come to pass. This validates Scripture, our beliefs, and provides us with confidence that we can always count on God’s Word to be true.
Jesus will return someday, just be patient, and continue to share the Gospel with the world as He instructed.