SIGNS IN ABUNDANCE
November 2009 article by Jonathan Thompson
There has recently been a plethora of global and local activity in the news which once again confirms the truth, reality and authority of the Bible message. Below you will find links to various news items and incidents (taken from the BBC website) which have occurred during September 2009. This list of activity is by no means exhaustive; in fact the list below only scratches the surface of what is currently happening in the world. Against each news headline there is a Biblical reference and quotation which helps to demonstrate we believe, that these events are indicative of the nearness of Christ’s return to the earth:-
Iraq suffers severe drought
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8279333.stm
Jesus said, speaking of his return to the earth in Mark
13:8 “there shall be famines and troubles: these are the
beginnings of sorrows”.
Fears over “internal” terror bomb
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8276016.stm
Jesus said, speaking of his return to the earth in Luke
21:26: “men’s hearts failing them for fear
(terror)”.
Israel ex-PM’s trial begins
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8274116.stm
God said through Daniel in Daniel 4:17 “the most High
ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth
up over it the basest of men.
Anger at Jerusalem shrine clash
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8278186.stm
God said through Zechariah in Zechariah 12:3 “And in
that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people:
all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces”.
Western powers condemn Iran tests
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8279616.stm
Jesus said, speaking of his return to the earth in Matthew
24:6 “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours
of wars: see that ye be not troubled.”
Afghan bus bombings kill dozens
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8280012.stm
Jesus said, speaking of his return to the earth in Luke
21:26: “men’s hearts failing them for fear (terror)”.
Many die in Afghan tanker blasts
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8237287.stm
Jesus said, speaking of his return to the earth in Luke
21:26: “men’s hearts failing them for fear (terror)”.
Blasts rock North-West Pakistan
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8276072.stm
Jesus said, speaking of his return to the earth in Luke 21:26: “men’s hearts failing them for fear (terror)”.
Philippine flood death toll rise
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/default.stm
Jesus said, speaking of his return to the earth in Luke
21:25 “and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea
and the waves roaring”.
Census reveals extinction threat
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8280301.stm
God says in Revelation 11:18 that He will “destroy them that destroy the earth”.
Bali earthquake
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8264335.stm
Jesus said, speaking of his return to the earth in Luke
21:11 “And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places”.
The minister who wasted millions
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markeaston/2009/09/revealed_the_minister_who_wast.html
God said through Daniel in Daniel 4:17 “the most High
ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth
up over it the basest of men”.
Pregnant woman attacked
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8279893.stm
The apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy says in 2
Timothy 3: 1-3 “This know also that in the last days perilous times shall
come…men shall be without natural affection, trucebreakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good”.
Kenya’s heart stops pumping
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8057316.stm
God says in Revelation 11:18 that He will “destroy
them that destroy the earth”.
Also the apostle Paul says in Romans 8:22 “For
we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now”.
Are these headlines “Signs of The Times”?
So what does all this mean? Are these news items genuine “signs of the
times”, or are they all just random events that make up the stuff of every day
life and existence?
It’s interesting to appreciate that the phrase “signs of the times” is a Biblical expression. It was used by the Lord Jesus Christ himself when he accuses the religious leaders of his day of refusing to acknowledge that he, Jesus, was the promised Messiah. Those religious leaders knew the approximate timing of Jesus’ promised arrival onto the world-stage from their understanding of the writings in the Old Testament prophets and yet they refused to “discern the signs of the times” as Jesus says in Matthew 16:3.
The point is, we in our day and age are living in similar circumstances to Christ’s first appearance on the earth because in the same way that Christ’s first appearance was the subject of prophecy, we also believe that the Bible prophesies the general course of events and timing that leads up to Christ’s second coming and return to the earth. For example, the Old Testament prophet Daniel speaks of the major world empires that would dominate history from the time of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon right through to the fragmented world powers of today. Our history books prove his prophecy to be accurate. Daniel goes on to prophesy that the powers of today, some weak and some strong, would be superseded by God’s Kingdom which would last for ever. See Daniel 2.
Another significant event which the Bible speaks of in relation to the
establishment of God’s Kingdom is the return of the Jews from their enforced
exile from the land of Israel
Ezekiel 37:21 says “Thus
saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children
of Israel from among the nations, whither they be gone, and will gather them on
every side, and bring them into their own land”.
So now that Israel has been re-established since 1948, just over 60 years ago, we have to conclude that the current events in the world, these “signs of the times” are indeed significant as they help to reinforce our understanding and our faith in the truth of God’s Word and the nearness of Jesus’ return.
Let us then review these signs in a considered way so that we are not downhearted and pessimistic with what is happening in the world. On the contrary, we should be excited that God does rule in the Kingdom of men (Daniel 4:17) and that Christ will soon be back in the earth to truly tackle and solve the current global chaos and turmoil and to implement that promised age of “peace and quietness and assurance for ever” (Isaiah 32:17).