More Signs Of The Times

MORE SIGNS OF THE TIMES

Matthew 24:1-14

INTRODUCTION

Quite some time ago, Mt. Saint Helens became the object of concern as it started sending puffs of smoke hundreds of feet into the Washington sky. - Every piece of scientific evidence collected in the labs and on the field predicted the volcano would soon explode with a fury. “WARNING!” blared loud speakers on patrol cars and helicopters. “WARNING!’ blinked battery-powered signs at every nearby major intersection. “WARNING” pleaded radio and television announcers. Lakeside villages, tourist camps and hiking trails emptied as people heard the warnings and fled for their lives. Nevertheless, a man by the name of Harry refused to leave. He was the caretaker of a recreation lodge on Spirit Lake, five miles north of Mt. Saint Helen’s smoke-enshrouded peak. The rangers warned Harry of the danger. Neighbors begged him

to join them and leave.

But Harry ignored the warnings. Interviewed on television, Harry grinned and said, “Nobody knows more about this mountain than Harry and it doesn’t dare blow up on him….” On May 18, 1980 as the boiling gases beneath the mountain’s surface bulged and buckled the landscape to its final limits, Harry was cooking his breakfast. At 8:31 A.M. the mountain exploded. Concussive waves of heat traveling faster than the speed of sound, flattened him and everything else for 150 square miles. There were signs that something was going to happen but Harry ignored the warnings and he paid a price for his neglect.

Scores today are doing the same thing when it comes to God’s warnings. God is warning all of us through the signs of the times. He is warning us that He is sovereign and that life as we now know it is not going to continue on forever. There is coming a day when all will give account of themselves.

There is going to be a day of judgment. Most people, however, prefer not to think about this aspect of God’s character. They much prefer to reflect upon and talk about God’s love. Fortunately, God is loving.

His love is evident in the forgiveness He offers us through the Savior. As sinners, God in His great love for us, sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross,

paying the penalty of our sin. When we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and trust in Him for forgiveness we are forgiven and given the gift of eternal life Indeed, God is love and in His love he

has provided for us beyond our earthly pilgrimage.

We need to focus in on God’s unconditional love but in the process we mustnot forget that because He is holy and just He must judge sin and sinners.

God is also absolutely just and holy as Scripture makes very clear. As a result, He cannot overlook sin.

The just penalty for sin must be paid. There is, therefore, going to be a time of reckoning. A time when God will judge unforgiven sinners. A time when He will eradicate sin. A time when God will make all things right. He will do this at the return of Christ.

Matthew 25:31 and 32 tells us that “WHEN THE SON OF MAN COMES HIS GLORY…..ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE GATHERED BEFORE HIM, AND HE WILL SEPARATE THE PEOPLE ONE FROM ANOTHER…..”

In the eternal and immutable plan of God there is coming a Day of Judgment. Jude 1:14 & 15 inform us that…THE LORD IS COMING….TO JUDGE EVERYONE……” A holy

and just God must judge sin if He is to remain true to Himself.

Make no mistake about it, God is holy and just and sovereign. In spite of the prevalence of sin and evil, He is in control. “…YOU ARE RULER OF ALL THINGS. IN YOUR HANDS ARE STRENGTH POWER…” declares 1 Chronicles 29:12. God has a plan to deal with sin and it will be fulfilled with the return of Christ. Through the prophet Isaiah (46:10) God has said, “I MAKE

KNOWN THE END FROM THE BEGINNING, FROM ANCIENT TIME, WHAT IS STILL TO COME…..MY PURPOSE WILL STAND, AND I WILL DO ALL THAT I PLEASE” Throughout Scripture God has repeatedly promised that Christ would come back to

this earth to usher in His righteous Kingdom in all of its fullness and power. 1 Thessalonians 4 declares that someday “THE LORD HIMSELF WILL COMEDOWN FROM HEAVEN….WITH THE TRUMPET SOUND OF GOD….AND WE WILL BE CAUGHT UP INTO THE CLOUDS….AND SO SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD.” Many, however, doubt this promise. They think the return of Christ is myth.

Nevertheless, Christ will someday return to this earth for a Day of Judgment. Scripture proclaims that at that time, “EVERY EYE SHALL SEE HIM AND KNEEE SHALL BOW…AND EVERY TONGUE CONFESS THAT HE IS LORD." Many signs support the biblical claim that Christ will return to this earth.These fulfilled prophesies give credence to Christ’s promise to come back. Fulfilled prophecy should make the skeptic think twice and it