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In our previous lesson, we learned that God the Father is willing to accept Jesus’ sinless life in place of our stained life thus giving us hope in a future life. A glimpse of that future life was recorded along with a promise. John 14:1-3 "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also."

The return of Jesus Christ is an exciting subject and one that must be studied carefully. In the Bible, God reveals what it will be like living in the last days, which includes a great battle called Armageddon. Over the years, preachers have picked dates for the return of Jesus and when they failed to come to pass, it created doubt in the Bible and even in the Christian religion as a whole. Many sincere Christians have thus become complacent in regards to this subject, which is exactly what Satan wants. With prayerful and open minds, let us enter into this important study and answer the perplexing question: Are we living on the Eve of Armageddon?

Now since Jesus "cannot lie" (Titus 1:2), we can believe that the Father and the Son are preparing our future homes. I can hardly wait to see the mansion that is prepared for me. How about you? But is there another witness on the subject to validate that there will be a second coming?

Acts 1:9-11 "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." As sure as Jesus left this earth is as sure that He will return. Even two heavenly messengers confirmed it. So according to a "Thus Saith the Lord," the Lord says He will be back, and as Christians, it is the foundation of the Christian faith to believe it.

According to Matthew 24:35-36 "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." That is perfectly clear. Mark 13:31-32 says basically the same thing. "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." Jesus told us that He did not even know. So how could a mere mortal?

For the past three lessons, we have touched on Bible books such as Daniel, Revelation, and others that touch on prophecy. You may be even sharing these things with others. You may also have encountered people telling you that you should not be studying such things. Is this true?

Luke 11:28 "But he said, Yea rather, blessed [are] they that hear the word of God, and keep it." Is prophecy part of the Word of God? Sure it is. We are blessed when we hear it and keep it, meaning by listening to it but not keeping it, we are not blessed. Likewise, a blessing is not given upon those that do not want to hear it.

Revelation 1:3 "Blessed [is] he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time [is] at hand." Even right in the beginning of this prophetic book, a blessing is pronounced, but notice the conditions. One must read, hear; AND keep those things that are written, which plainly put means to follow a "Thus Saith the Lord!"

Revelation 22:7 "Behold, I come quickly: blessed [is] he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book." Like two bookends, this prophetic book is surrounded by blessings. But notice the prevailing condition -- we must be willing to keep what is written. It is not just for head knowledge.

So we should now have confidence that God has given us full approval to be studying the prophecies, even those regarding Christ’s return.

Matthew 24:32-33 "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors." He specifically told us that we would be able to discern the signs just as easily as when we see buds in spring bursting forth, we know that summer is soon.

1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." Just as a thief catches one by surprise, Jesus warns us that we should not be in darkness, that is, hiding our eyes from the subject, else His appearing will be that of total surprise. And if we are caught by surprise, we will be lost.

Luke 12:40 "Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not." Again, He tells us to be prepared.

Luke 21:34 "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares." Now we can see why many are scoffing at the possible soon return of Christ. They are drunk with the cares of this world. What does this world have to offer that is not better in the next? Amen? Let us not be caught desiring things of this world over eternity with Jesus.

Revelation 16:15 "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." God pronounces a blessing upon those watching for the second coming. Praise the Lord!

2 Peter 3:12 "Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?" We are specifically told to be looking forward to the second coming.

As we can see, Jesus clearly told us that we should prepare ourselves and be ready always. So let us continue our study and be prepared.

To answer this, let us look at the first coming. Well, the Pharisees and Sadducees were feeding the people theories based on man’s teachings. The people listened intently, hook, line, and sinker. They figured that the Pharisees and Sadducees were well educated and must know what they were talking about, hence, people were not studying their scriptures (the Old Testament).

Some thought the coming of the Messiah was just a fable and that it was false hope especially regarding the subject of the resurrection. Matthew 22:23 "The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection."

Many were saying, "Nobody knows when He’s coming."

False stories were abounding. One story pictured Jesus as a mighty warrior, which would defeat the Romans and set up Israel as a world empire. Even the disciples had a hard time shaking this false theory. Luke 19:11 "And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear."

At the same time, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight" (Matthew 3:3) appeared on the scene.

It sounds a lot like today. Many consider the second coming a false hope of Christians especially those who believe in evolution. We will just end up as worm food they say.

Many are saying nobody knows when He will come.

False reports of the second coming are even abounding of which we will touch upon in future lessons.

Unfortunately, the primary thing that is being repeated from history is that many are not studying their scriptures (the Bible) for themselves. They are just being fed by preachers and accepting every word -- hook, line, and sinker.

While these things are prevailing, there are voices that are crying out "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand [near]" (Matthew 3:2). And just as many did not accept John the Baptist’s message concerning Jesus and were lost, many toady are following the same way and yet they think they are saved.

Let us look at a few statistics about not reading the Bible.

• 351 out of 1,373 high school students have never heard of the Ten Commandments. That is 26% of the student body. No wonder kids get their girlfriends pregnant, disobey their parents, and often times use foul language.
• 8 out of 9 students could not name 3 Old Testament prophets. That is alarming. Daniel, Jeremiah, and Isaiah should just leap to the mind.
• 10 out of 18 could not name 3 of Christ’s disciples. Matthew, John, and Peter are the first three that should easily be called to mind.
• 7% could not name an Old Testament book. That is appalling when movies even use the name of one in their script -- Genesis being the most popular.

We need to study daily for ourselves because a denomination title will not guarantee heaven. Each of us must give an account to God on a personal basis. He is not going to ask what our denomination is, then pull a reference book off the shelf and judge us out of it. He will judge us out of His book. Have we followed a "Thus Saith the Lord" or not?

With that in mind, let us now look at the signs and determine for ourselves if we are truly living on the Eve of Armageddon.

Matthew 24:3-4 "And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you." We are not the only ones who want to know the last day events, however, notice the caution provided about this subject. Do not let any human, including myself, deceive you. That includes friends, family, and even your own preacher no matter how sincere they are. Some say though, "Oh, I have known my preacher for 15, 20, or more years." That is very dangerous if we allow anything but the Word of God to judge a message being preached. Satan is not stupid. He does not care if it takes 70 years to finally deceive a soul. He is not going to blatantly tell us lies. He mingles much truth with his deceptions. In fact, he mixes so much truth that it is nearly impossible to distinguish the lie. Did you know that rat poisoning is 95% good food? Only by studying for ourselves on a daily basis without preconceived ideas will we be able to withstand all of his fiery darts of deception.

Let us look at the signs referred to in Matthew 24:5,11,23-24, "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect." In the last days, there would be an increase in false Christs and false prophets especially showing great signs and wonders. Sure, there have always been false Christs and prophets over the centuries, but Jesus is telling us of a day where it would be very prevalent. In this century, there has been an explosion of false Christs and prophets. There was Jim Jones, David Koresh, and many others. There was some guy from India proclaiming to be Christ who came to the Houston Astro Dome and packed it with devout Christians. There is even the small types such as the man that left a suicide note claiming to be Jesus who killed his two children and then himself. The suicide note stated that he was sending his children home to be with the Father and it was signed, Jesus Christ.

In the spring of 1996, the Harrisburg Patriot News ran a story about some guy in Indiana, Pennsylvania whose trailer door had the image of Christ on it. Many people were flocking to it.

But there are more signs as in Matthew 24:6-8, "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these [are] the beginning of sorrows."

These verses are loaded. Let us first focus on "wars and rumors of wars." Have you heard of anything like this lately? Every week there is a new skirmish around the world while today we live under the continued threat of nuclear annihilation. Peace treaties are failing left and right.

Here are some statistics on wars:

• $180 billion each year is spent on weaponry.
• There have been more conflicts in the 1900’s than all other centuries put together.
• 2 world wars in just this century.
• 80 million have lost their lives in conflicts since World War II.

How about "famines"?

• 4 out of 5 babies are born into famine.
• In India, over 700 million of the 800 million people do not have enough food to eat.
• 90% of the nations do not produce enough food to feed themselves.
• 40,000 die daily from starvation.

"And there shall be pestilences!" According to Webster’s dictionary, a pestilence is "a contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating." How about TB vaccines losing their effectiveness, Aids, and Emboli? To just name a few.

Now let us look at "earthquakes in diverse places." This is where the skeptics state that we have better equipment now to detect earthquakes. Well, even if we would factor in an amount of error, notice these startling statistics:

• From 1800 to 1850, there were 561 earthquakes.
• From 1850 to 1900, there were 1,577. That is a 300% jump. But it gets better.
• From 1900 to 1950, there were 17,470 earthquakes. That is an over 1000% increase.
• From 1950 to 1976 (notice it is only 26 years of data), there were 108,163 earthquakes.

According to CNN on October 19, 1995, there were 9,000 earthquakes in Japan alone for the month of September. In California for the same month, there were 5,000. That is 14,000 just in one month.

Let us look only at major earthquakes just in this century alone seeing that Jesus gave the prediction without any electronic equipment required making the sensing of the diverse earthquakes able to be noticed without such devices. These are those that measure 6.0 or greater on the Richter scale, which is provided by the Global Volcanism Network, Smithsonian Institutions; WE Geological Survey, Department of Interior; and World Almanac Research supplied the data.

• In 1900 to 1909, there were only 3.
• From 1910 to 1919, there were 2.
• In the 1920’s, there were only 3.
• In the 1930’s, there were 7.
• In the 1940’s, there were only 3.
• In the 1950’s, there were only 5.
• In the 1960’s, there were 7.
• In the 1970’s, there were 20.
• In the 1980’s, there were 12, which is still double digit.
• From 1990 to 1994, which is only five years, there have been 34. It is time to get excited. What do you say?

The following is the same data but just in graphical form.

Now after covering earthquakes, pestilences, and wars, did you notice some key words in the verse? "All these [are] the beginning of sorrows." That explains why these statistics have been fulfilled for some time now and still no second coming. It was to mark the beginning of sorrows and not the end. The end concludes with plagues and other such things that we will get into later. So do not let skeptics get you down about Bible prophecy when they say, "We’ve always had earthquakes..." Reply with "Praise the Lord, we’re no longer at the beginning of sorrows!"

The next sign we will take a look at is recorded in Matthew 24:12-13, "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Rarely heard of before but now frequently occurring, is that of parents killing children, such as Susan Smith, and children killing parents, such as the Menendez brothers. These are to be the closest love bonds on earth and yet, they have grown cold. Additionally, in the 1960’s everybody in the town knew everyone’s name. In the 1970’s people only knew those on the same street. In the 1980’s they knew only their closest neighbors. In the 1990’s, do you know who lives next door?

One of the most exciting signs is recorded in Matthew 24:14, "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." This is one of the irrefutable signs, for we are so close to this being completely fulfilled. This prophecy definitely points to our time as being the last days. There is a Bible in 97% of the languages of the world. Computers and the internet as well as satellite and radio are used to take the Word around the world. The end is all that we are waiting for. Praise the Lord we are going home soon!

The next sign is a comparison. Matthew 24:37-39 "But as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 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, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." In the days of Noah, did the people know that a flood was going to destroy the world? Sure! Noah was preaching for 120 years while building the ark. Why did the people miss the boat then? Because they were "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage." They were so caught up in the every day living that the final day caught them by surprise.

What were the days of Noah like? Genesis 6:5,11 "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence." It sounds like today’s news. Just when the most horrendous crime has been reported, it is soon topped by another story. The boys who dropped a youngster from the top floor of an abandoned building simply because the youngster would not steal candy was bad enough, but that pales compared to what happened at that Colorado high school in 1999 where fifteen were left dead.

Looking at other statistics, there are more churchgoers than ever, AND yet, more crime than ever.

According to Uniform Crime Reports of the FBI, in the US: There is a murder every 20 minutes, a rape every 5 minutes, a robbery every 46 seconds, a burglary every 10 seconds, a motor vehicle theft every 19 seconds, 35% of people have had their car stolen, there are 30 thousand suicides each year, 60% steal from work, 29% shoplift, and 27% deal drugs.

In 1960 there were 3.4 million major crimes. In 1974, 10 million. Today, 60% of Americans are victimized at least once by violent crimes.

Another comparison is found in Luke 17:28-30, "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed [them] all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." What was Sodom known for? Sexual permissiveness is the polite way of explaining it. The prevailing sins of those cities were sodomy, homosexuality, lesbianism, and sexual immorality as a whole. We are not only like it, but we have even exceeded it where it is being pushed in all media forms and even from Congress and the White House.

33% of married Americans have had at least 1 affair. Each year Venereal disease increases by 72%. 1 in 5 children lose their virginity before age 13. Illegitimacy has increased by 300%.

AIDS is now common among homosexuals and heterosexuals. Worldwide 55% are heterosexuals, 16% are bisexuals, 15% are homosexuals, and 7% are IV drug users. If 93% of people with AIDS would have followed the loving Father’s guidelines contained in His Word, they could have avoided such a disease. But we must sympathize with those that contact it by no fault of their own. 5% are by blood transfusions. 2% are unknown sources.

What is the United States number one in? BELIEF IN GOD. Praise the Lord! But we are also number one in murder, abortion, illegitimacy, violent crime, teenage pregnancy, illegal drug use, and marriage and divorce.

With all these things happening, it makes way for the next sign. Luke 21:26 "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." Heart attacks were seldom heard of before the 1900’s but now it is the leading killer. Over 40 billion aspirin per year is consumed in the United States just to deal with life’s pressures.

But with the advancement of technology, people have grown complacent event to the point of fulfilling another sign. 2 Peter 3:3-9 "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [they were] from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." It is true that scoffers are actually fulfilling prophecy, but seriously, why has Jesus not yet come? Because the Father does not wish any to perish. There will come a day though, when He will have to say, "It is done!" I cannot imagine God being able to put up with this world much longer.

Another series of signs are found in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." "Lovers of their ownselves"? The 1980’s was nicknamed the "Me" generation.

"Without natural affection"? This includes the relations not only between men with men and women with women but outside the human race such as Madonna and her perversion. Her number one selling book contains photos of her with a dog.

In 1918, 1 out of 33 marriages ended in divorce. Today, 1 in 2. There are over 5 million alcoholics. Count all the churches, synagogues, temples, and religious meeting places, taverns exceed them by 213,955. Pornography is a $5 billion a year business.

Are there people who look and act Godly but deny the power of God? A Protestant clergy poll by sociologist Jeffrey Hadden was taken of which 7,441 responded to the following questions:

After reading such a pole, no wonder something is wrong in Christian America, and why we ourselves need to trust the Bible and the Bible alone. From this, we can barely trust our own preachers. But some argue that they know their preachers really well. My friends, the Apostles thought they knew Judas really well and look what happened. We must diligently be checking our preachers against the Word of God and choosing the Word over erring humans.

Another exciting sign is found in Daniel 12:9, 4, "And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words [are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end. But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, [even] to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." The book of Daniel would be sealed until the time of the end. Today the book of Daniel is wide open and is well understood. When did that occur? When knowledge increased! That occurred at the turn of the century when we had such a knowledge explosion. All the knowledge up to the 1800’s could have been recorded in about 100,000 pages. Today, it is not measurable.

At the same time, many ran to and fro. What does that mean? Well, the mode of transportation in Daniel’s time was the same through the mid 1800’s that of horse and buggy. Then the steam ship, railroad, and then the first automobiles were introduced. Now we have planes and subways. Clearly then, we are living in the time of the end.

But that is over a hundred years ago! How can we say we are living in the time of the end? Just as Jesus said, Matthew 24:37 "But as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Noah preached 120 years before the flood came. Praise the Lord that we are on the closing end.

In non-Biblical terms, we know the end is near...

Clearly the signs are pointing to our day and age. This earth cannot take much more. It has been well depleted of its resources. No one knows the day or hour, but we can sense the nearness. If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.

You may not be totally convinced that we are living in the last days. Just remember though, you do not know if you will make it home alive.

Revelation 6:14-16 "And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb." This group waited too long to surrender to Jesus. They thought they had a little more time. Many probably thought that it would not happen in their lifetime.

But I am glad to share with you the other group. One that I pray we will all be in on that day. Isaiah 25:9 "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this [is] our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is] the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." These are the ones that were looking for that day. These are the ones that were diligently studying the Word every day. These are the ones that overcame the things of this world. These are the ones that wanted to follow a "Thus Saith the Lord" because they knew Jesus was coming back for those that hear His voice and follow Him. John 10:27-28 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand." This is the heaviest verse in the Bible. It means that we cannot blame our parents for the way we turned out; we cannot blame society; we cannot blame circumstances; we only have ourselves. Follow the Word of God for it leads unto eternal life.

May God bless you and keep you in the days ahead.¤