When we think of prophecies of the end times, our first thought is the book of Revelation. But, interestingly enough, Jesus Christ spoke several times regarding the end times during His public ministry. Let’s go through the Gospels and look at Christ’s words regarding the signs of the end times, Great Tribulation, and His Second Coming.
Signs of the End Times:
Matthew 24:3-14 →
Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
In this passage, Christ is speaking of the signs of His Second Coming here on earth, not the mid-air rapture of His church. While some of these events may also take place before the mid-air rapture, it is more specific to Christ’s Second Coming as many of the warnings and signs are specific to the Jewish people.
Each of these signs alone doesn’t necessarily mean that Christ’s Second Coming is upon us. It is the culmination of all these signs happening either simultaneously or sequentially. These signs are the ‘birth pains’ before the Great Tribulation begins.
Let’s look at what these signs are:
(vs. 6) wars and rumors of wars (also found in Mark 13:7)
(vs. 7) famines, pestilences, and earthquakes (also found in Mark 13:8)
(vs. 8) persecution against the followers of Christ (also found in Mark 13:13)
(vs. 10) betrayals (also found in Mark 13:12)
These betrayals may also be traitors within the church
(vs. 11) false prophets (also found in Mark 13:6)
Not only will there be false prophets, but they will also be successful in deceiving many and leading them astray
(vs. 12) lawlessness and the cooling of love
Society will become progressively worse and love will decline
Luke 17:26-30 →
And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even s will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
This is another passage in the Gospels where Christ details some signs to watch out for before His Second Coming.
This passage mentions that the people will be eating, drinking, marrying, selling, buying, planting, and building. These actions alone don’t seem evil, but the people during the times of both Noah and Lot took these routine activities and placed them in higher priority than God Himself. They reveled in their sin.
Since these examples are specific to the stories of Noah and Lot, it is best to read those portions to get a better understanding of what the people were like during that time.
Let’s explore what took place in the times of Noah and Lot:
As in the days of Noah (also found in Genesis 6:1-8)
The angels fell and married women of the earth
There was great wickedness on the earth
The thoughts of man’s heart were evil continually
As in the days of Lot (also found in Genesis 18:20,21,32; 19:4,5)
Lot lived in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah
There was an outcry against the cities and their sin was great
The men of the city, both old and young, came to Lot’s house to demand that the two angels that were Lot’s guests be brought out so that they could be with them physically
Not even 10 righteous men could be found in the two cities
Even among the families that Lot had married his daughters off to
In the days of Noah and Lot, people lived complacent lives with no regard for anyone other than themselves and their own pleasures. They had no room or time for God in their lives, and so when the time of judgment came on them, they were ill-prepared to face it. Only a select few (Noah’s family and part of Lot’s family) were spared.
Signs of the Great Tribulation:
Matthew 24:15-28 →
“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
(vs. 15) an abomination of desolation (also found in Mark 13:14)
To understand what this phrase really means, we have to look at what is written in the book of Daniel.
Daniel 11:31 - They shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation
Daniel 12:11 - And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be 1,290 days
Based on these verses, the “abomination of desolation” means the ultimate desecration of the Jewish temple. This would mean either placing an idol in the Most Holy Place or sacrificing pigs in the temple (as done by Antiochus Epiphanes)
The verses in Daniel prophesy what had already happened during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes and also foreshadow what will happen during the reign of the antichrist.
When the antichrist stops daily sacrifices at the temple and installs an “abomination” in the Most Holy Place of the Jewish Temple, the Jewish people will realize that the man that they have been serving is not their Messiah. This desecration will last for 1,290 days or about 3.5 years.
During the first half of the Great Tribulation, the antichrist inserts himself within the Jewish community as a savior who will help them build their temple. And as such, the first 3.5 years of the tribulation will be relatively uneventful. But at the halfway point, the antichrist will turn, and then there will be 3.5 years of great suffering.
(vs. 21) It will be great tribulation. It will be sufferings and trials, such that the earth has never seen or experienced before. It will be a dreadful time in history.
(vs. 24) false christs and false prophets (also found in Mark 13:22)
When these great tribulations are happening, the people will be tempted to look for false hope in false messiahs. But Christ warns them not to. The Second Coming of Christ will be a glorious event, where all will be able to see Him.
Signs of Christ’s Second Coming:
Matthew 24:29-31 →
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
(vs. 29) As the end of the Great Tribulation period ends, the time of the Second Coming of Christ is at hand. Right before Christ appears, there will be cosmic disturbances that will be visible to the world (also found in Mark 13:24,25)
The sun and moon will be darkened.
The starts will fall from the sky
The powers of the heavens will be shaken
(vs. 30) Christ will appear in heaven in a very public manner with power and glory. All the earth will behold His triumphant return.
Summary of Events:
There will be natural disasters, catastrophes, and persecutions. The people will act as they did during the days of Noah and Lot. But, these are not the real signs of the end, just the ‘birth pains’ to get people ready for the end.
Then there will be a pivotal sign for the Jewish people - the abomination of desolation.
Once this event happens, the Jewish people will realize that the man who is in power is not their Messiah. They are urged to flee and will likely run to the rock city of Petra.
The abomination of desolation marks the time of great tribulation in the world, such that has never been experienced before.
And finally, there will be very visible cosmic disturbances of the sun, moon, stars, and heavens before Christ descends.
Finally, Christ will descend from heaven and the whole world will see Him come down with great power and glory.
