SIGNS
OF THE TIMES
November 2005 article by David Thompson
Experts inform us that earthquakes are
occurring more frequently. Ten months
ago we witnessed the ravages of the great tsunami following an undersea
earthquake along the coastline of southern Asia. There was devastation to
both property and life - the great power of nature’s wave sweeping all before
it. In the early days of October of this
year an earthquake occurred in the region of Kashmir registering 7.7 on the
Richter scale. Again we witnessed in
this mountainous region the great loss of life and damage to all kinds of
property. It is estimated that over
15,000 people have died, countless thousands badly injured and hundreds of
thousands of people without a place to live.
These shocking events
remind the readers of God’s word of our Lord’s Mount Olivet
prophecy recorded in Matthew’s gospel chapter 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. We find recorded there that our Lord said
that earthquakes would be one of the most dramatic indicators of His second
coming to establish God’s Kingdom upon earth.
There has never been a time when the fulfilment of our Lord’s words in
verses 10 and 11 of Luke 21 has been observed.
Nations at war, kingdom against kingdom, earthquakes, famines, fearful
sights and great signs from heaven.
These observable events are, our Lord tells us, indicators of His
return. He tells us in verse 26 of Luke
chapter 21 of the effect that these events have on the world’s population. We believe the phrase ‘the powers of the
heavens’ referred to at the end of verse 26 refer to the political powers and
governments of our days. These are
‘shaken’; the original Greek implies like a ship torn from its mooring by a
great storm. It is at this time that
Jesus returns in power and great glory, (verse 27).
The signs of our times are indicators of
God’s purpose coming to fruition. We
should observe them in this light and make sure that when our Lord comes to
judge the world in righteousness we will be welcomed by Him to His right side,
and not rejected by Him and sent to the left.
(Matthew 25 verses 31-34). Too
late for us then in that day to say ‘I did not know’.
The signs of the times are to tell us how
near the Lord’s judgement is. To ignore
the signs is to end up lost.