Living In The End Times Series

and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. (NIV)

At the end of this age, when everything is dark, Jesus Christ Himself will come in plain sight to all, and He will gather His own to Himself. Those believers who come to faith in Christ during the tribulation will be gathered together, and we believers, who go before, will join them to rule and reign with Christ in a new day and age on this earth (Revelation 20:1-6).

So whether you are going through minor tribulations today, or even the Great Tribulation itself, don’t be distressed, because Jesus is coming, and you will spend eternity with Him.

You will rule and reign with Christ, but only if you have trusted Him as your Savior. If you haven’t done it yet, I urge you, call on the Lord today. Look to the One who died for you and rose again, and ask Him to save you from your sins. The Bible says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). Won’t you call on Him today? He’ll save you from your sins and give you the power to stand firm to the end. Then whether you live or die, He will gather you to Himself to be with Him forever!

Sandy and I went to visit Anna Cornell this last week at the Scandia Village nursing home. She was sitting in the dining room all by herself, eating her breakfast. As I watched her eat her oatmeal, I told her it reminded me of the story of a man who died and went to heaven. When he saw how wonderful it was, he said, “If I’d a known it was this good, I would have stopped eating oatmeal a long time ago!”

Oh, what a glorious day that will be! It sure helps us to endure the present, doesn’t it, when we know the future is worth it all.

Don Wyrtzen put it so well when he wrote: It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Him. One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrows will erase. So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

Don’t be distressed, and don’t be deceived. Just be aware. Just watch for the signs of the end.

Mark 13:28-31 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (NIV)

You can trust the Lord. His words will never fail. Things will happen just as He says they will.

On these fine, warm, spring days, Sandy and I are enjoying more walks outside. We’re watching the flowers bloom and the trees start to bud. Soon new leaves will appear on the trees, and that tells us summer is not far away.

So it is with the Second Coming of Christ. Jesus said, just like leaves appearing on a fig tree tell you that summer is near, so the signs he describes in this chapter tell you that His coming is near. The generation that sees those signs will not die out until all is completed.