Matt 24 4-12 Some Events before the End CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

In our last lesson, we saw that the “end of the world” is the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as we approach the end and the time of Jesus’ return, we are seeing an increase in some things that are listed in this text. Here are the things that Jesus said would increase:

Deception 4-5

Deception started in Genesis 3, has continued throughout history and will go on in increasing proportions all the way to the Lord’s return (Rev 13:13-14). Even when the millennial reign of Jesus comes to an end, the devil will deceive a large part of the world to revolt against the Lord (Rev 20:10). There is much deception today that is intensified by the proliferation of modern Bibles. The world has arrived at the place that Isaiah prophesied in Is 5:20. The world has been deceived into calling evil good and good evil.

Wars 6

There have always been wars and rumors of wars (2 Ki 19:6-7) in the history of the world. However, today, as there is so much talk of peace, the wars and rumors of wars have escalated to the highest level in history. Since the inception of the United Nations, there have been more wars in the last 60 years than during any other 60 year period in history. The more the world says “peace and safety” the more the destruction (1 Thes 5:3). The wars must come to pass and the biggest ones are yet to come (Rev 9:14-18; Rev 16:12-16).

National Disintegration 7

There is a continual move to take away nationalism and force unity among the nations. That move is defined as removing “the bounds of the people” in Is 10:13. However, the bounds were established by the Lord (Acts 17:26) and he doesn’t want them removed. When nations attempt to remove the bounds they rise up against each other. All attempts to unify the nations into a one-world government will only cause more infighting among the kingdoms and nations (see Rev 17:15-18 for an example in the antichrist’s kingdom).

Natural Disasters 7

There have always been natural disasters but they have been increasing and they will continue to increase as we get closer to the coming of the Lord (see Rev 6:8). The tsunami in December, 2004 was the result of an earthquake. The largest earthquake known to man will occur in Rev 16:18-20.