The Key Sign of the End of the Age

Whenever the subject of the Second Coming is raised, the inevitable question of what “sign” or “signs” will precede it is asked. Popular preaching invariably points to wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, famines, and similar catastrophes as harbingers of the end. But Jesus gave a most definitive answer:  The completion of the mission of the Church.

Signs and Wonders or Christ Crucified?

I hear a lot of stress these days on seeking “signs and wonders.” Seemingly, church “leaders” are convinced, or they want to convince you, that it is through mighty supernatural “signs and wonders” that God will reap a final harvest of souls before the return of Jesus, an idea that does not fit comfortably with the gospel accounts of the New Testament.

I am all for genuine miracles that meet real human needs, but Jesus did warn of coming “false prophets that will show great signs and wonders; so that, if possible, they may deceive the elect.” Whether such men perform false miracles is not stated in the text. Taken at face value, one can assume that Jesus meant that these false prophets will produce very real “signs and wonders.”

The "Last Generation" Con

The End-Time Prophecy Industry has been telling us for generations that we are the “last generation” to exist before the return of Jesus and the many prophetic events expected to precede his arrival.

The supposed prophetic “sign” that marked the start of this final “generation” was the founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948. Ever since, everything prophetic revolves around Israel, not Jesus or his gospel proclamation to all nations. God's anointed ruler of the Cosmos is, at best, peripheral to any (supposed) prophetic events in and around Palestine.

The Redemption of the Nations in Revelation

The book of Revelation presents images that are jarring, paradoxical and, occasionally, subversive.  They challenge human wisdom and institutional explanations of how God will consummate His kingdom, overthrow His enemies, and judge the nations. Just as his contemporaries did not understand what kind of Messiah Jesus was, so interpreters often fail to comprehend the Lamb of Revelation.

The Victory of the Saints over the Dragon

In Chapter 12 of the book of Revelation, the “sign of the Great Red Dragon” appeared, a sign that war had commenced “in heaven,” the battle between the Dragon and Michael the Archangel. This “war” is the heavenly counterpart to the earthly events described in the passage: The Dragon’s attempt to devour the Son at his birth from the Woman clothed with the Sun. This “son” is a messianic figure destined to “shepherd” the nations. But the Dragon fails when the Son is exalted to God’s throne (Revelation 12:1-12. Compare Revelation 5:5-12, Psalm 2:7-9).

Jesus Reigns Over All – No Exceptions!

Synopsis:  Jesus received all authority to reign over the Cosmos following his death and resurrection. He has reigned ever since on God’s Throne and no nation is beyond his authority or indispensable to his purposes.

Nebuchadnezzar, the absolute monarch of the Babylonian Empire, at the height of his power, boasted before heaven and earth:

“Is not this Babylon the great and exceptional kingdom that I built by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:28-29).