Signs of the Times - Jeremiah Project

And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed. [Matthew 16:1-4]

Our Lord was saying to the Jews of that day they were blind to the signs of their time and their rejection of Jesus being the Messiah because of their spiritual blindness. Evil and adulterous generations since then continue to seek signs to explain their interpretations of Scripture and many twist passages to support their erroneous ideas of current events and the eventual second coming of Jesus. Two thousand years later, many are still looking for signs from heaven proclaiming the return of Christ and miss the sign of Jonah.

The “Sign of Jonah” originates from the story of Jonah in the Old Testament, where Jonah is swallowed by a large fish and spends three days and nights in its belly before being vomited out onto dry land. This story can be found in the Book of Jonah. The “Sign of Jonah” emphasizes the importance of repentance, the significance of Jesus’ resurrection, and the greater authority of Jesus compared to previous prophets. It serves as a reminder to heed His message and recognize the profound implications of His life, death, and resurrection.

Are we are now living in the “last days”?

Some people argue that the characteristic of ‘end time’ people have been our character throughout the ages and that people haven’t really changed. In its simplest form, that is true. We have been looking for the return of Jesus Christ ever since He promised to come back. That is our blessed hope (Titus 2:13).

For many dispensationalists, the book of Revelation describes the end times as a future event and the signs of the times as last days prophecies being fulfilled now or in the future. For example, they see in Revelation a one-world government, a godless dictator, financial terrorism and the total regulation of all business, plagues, crime and rebellion, and devastating disasters as being signs of the soon return of Christ.

Preterists interpret the book of Revelation to describe the events leading up to and consummated with the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 A.D. and the signs of the times being fulfilled in 70 A.D. As I survey the various categories of signs that the Bible talks about, they certainly appear to have been fulfilled in the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. That being said, it seems many of these signs are still occurring in our present day today and that is what causes so much confusion. While it may not have yet reached its fullest expression, things in our world have been continuously spiraling to higher levels.

A Wall Street Journal headline read, “Millennium Fever: Prophets Proliferate, The End is Near.” A New York Times book review began, “Some 50 million Americans share a belief that these are the last days.” Even the Chicago Tribune ran a front-page story about the end times in a recent Sunday edition.

While I do not accept the Preterist or dispensational concept of the “last days” being in the future, I do believe we are witnessing Satan’s continued attempt to control and dominate the earth (2 Corinthians 4:4). Furious and frustrated over his blazingly imminent end, Satan continues to gear up for a monumental, last-ditch effort to capture the souls of men and women. Satan is an adversary who wishes to harm us by denying God exists and/or attacking His character. Raging psychopath, liar and mass murderer that he is, Lucifer’s mind is consumed with his mad ambition to take as many captives as possible with him into the dark pit.

Even the most seasoned newsmen who have “seen it all” are in awe of the world developments in recent years. All of them realize that something unique in the history of the world is happening today.

Today many secular as well as religious authorities recognize … “These are extraordinary times.”

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. [2 Timothy 3:1-5]

Does that not describe our world today? We’ve become a proud people, lovers of self, boastful, profane, disobedient, unthankful, unholy, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, despisers of all that is good.

There are many people in this world who believe they are following God – they go to church on Sunday and are going through the motions of their faith. Yet, they have permitted a moral rot to infect this world and will be largely responsible for bringing us to the threshold of judgment. They are those “having a form of godliness but denying its power.“

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. – 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

Regardless of your viewpoint it seems clear there are “signs of the times” in today’s headlines.

The Signs Are All Around Us

Is Civilization Coming to an End?

An Associated Press writer asks, “Is everything spinning out of control?”

Malcolm Muggeridge suggested, “The basic condition for a civilization is that there should be law and order. Obviously this is coming to an end. The world is falling into chaos, even perhaps especially our western world…

the world is changing Muggeridge suggested many other symptoms.

The excessive interest in eroticism is characteristic of the end of a civilization because it really means a growing impotence, and fear of impotence.
Then the excessive need for excitement, vicarious excitement, which of course the games provided for the Romans and which television provides for our population.
Even the enormously complicated structure of taxation and administration is a symptom of the end of the civilization.
Above all, there is this truly terrible thing which afflicts materialist societies – boredom, an excessive boredom which I note on every hand.”

Linus Pauling

Dr. Linus Pauling, winner of Nobel Prizes in 1954 and 1963, said he believes the greatest catastrophe in the world is yet approaching. This looming catastrophe might well result in a world war which could destroy civilization and spell the end of the human race. Or, it might take the form of mass starvation among a world population that has been doubling every 35 years. Civilization might end because of the collapse of the systems on which it depends; or the end of civilization might result from weather changes induced by governments to improve the yield of crops.

In the 1970’s the Club of Rome told us our civilization was doomed because of a shortage of natural resources. Remember, for example, the “peak oil” controversy? Follow the science, right? Then, 30 years later they discovered our resources had not diminished but had doubled. So, the boogie man morphed from resource scarcity into the science behind pollution and climate change.

Some are pointing to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic as that catastrophe Dr. Pauling was referring to. In 2020, the antichrist system of control and domination ratcheted up to unheard of levels across the globe in a coronavirus scamdemic. Clearly the response to this crisis has ushered in a new world order… a new normal.

I believe the real danger of this manufactured Covid-19 pandemic is the global reaction to it. What are governments doing in response? It seems to me they are overly overreacting by closing their borders, shutting down their economies, and forcing people into unemployment. Mandatory experimental gene therapy is being suggested and people are being tracked and traced with health identity cards. They have never reacted like this before even when faced with far worse situations. I suspect the longer term effects of coronavirus will be an economic catastrophe that may indeed lead to Dr. Pauling’s warning.

Considering all the events occurring in our world today, coronavirus is not really all that big a deal. Not that it’s not a dangerous disease, it is and there are an increasing number of deaths associated with it. But there have been pandemics in the past that have been far worse and there are tragedies happening every day in our world that take more lives than coronavirus.

It seems to me the madness surrounding coronavirus lies are leading millions to the feet of the Antichrist. Most of what we’re witnessing is an illusion that has persuaded millions to bow down to a globalist government whose goal is to control and enslave them.

Increase of Wickedness

In the bigger picture, generally people’s heart really hasn’t changed that much since the first century. We are all sinners and need a Savior.

But, I think it’s important to note that while we continue sinning, what’s relevant is that we do it with increasing intensity and we are teaching new ways of doing it. Certainly, these things have been happening since the beginning of time. However, the intensity of these things today is such that we dare not blind our eyes to their meaning. There is increasing evil among us and millions of people are being swept up in it’s influence.

I remember this song from 1965 by Barry McGuire protesting the war in Viet Nam. I didn’t think about it much then… but fast forward to today and the song seems prophetic describing the condition of our world today.

Eve Of Destruction Video

Where does it all lead?

Even though we see the signs so clearly, it’s still difficult to interpret them. What does it all mean? Where is it all leading?

The Bible tells us,
“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.” [Eph. 11:7]

It does no good to be paralyzed by fear or to bury our heads in apathy. Like Noah, perhaps the signs of the time we see around us should motivate us to do something to prepare and take care of our families. For Christ followers, we should be doing all we can to being obedient to our calling. These events might also be designed to wake up the unsaved from their slumber to see their need for a Savior and to turn their lives over to Jesus.

General ‘signs’ Jesus Spoke of in the Olivet Discourse.
(See Matthew 24 and 25, Mark 13, and Luke 21)

Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. – Matthew 24:33-34

That verse 24:34 is the stumbling point for many people. What generation? While it was clearly directed at the people living at that time, I believe that God is still warning the world. Like ancient Israel, the world today has broken His covenant and has gone away from Him.

Then, as now, these events are warnings designed to turn us to Him. And what we have seen thus far is just a prelude. The prophetic warnings are going to continue, even building in intensity, then the final judgment is going to come.

A day of reckoning will come.
There will be an end.