Signs of the Times

The Bible has a lot to say about “the signs of the times”. Yet how much do we study it? How often do we even think about it? Knowing the signs of the times enables us to be wise to the devil’s schemes. God has warned us ahead of time.

“The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” Matthew 16:1-3 NIV (Emphasis mine)

There are many “signs of the times” today. Do we interpret them? Do we even see them? Following are a few Scriptures to consider:

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” “They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, ⁷ always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. ⁸ Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.”  2 Timothy 3:1-8 NIV (Emphasis mine)

“For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains.” Matthew 24:5-8 NIV

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” 1 Timothy 4:1 NIV (Emphasis mine)

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.“ 2 Timothy 4:3-4 NIV (Emphasis mine)

“They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ” 2 Thessalonians 2:10 NIV (Emphasis mine)

Consider these comments from GotQuestions.org:

“Cult leaders often attract their victims by presenting themselves as Bible-believing Christians. Groups such as the Mormons, Scientist, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses all claim to be Christian, but they all deny the deity and work of Jesus, the Son of God, as our only path to forgiveness and eternal life (see John 14:6).

Closer to home, a proliferation of false christs has arisen in unexpected places: Christian church pulpits. When a teaching reinvents Jesus as someone other than He is or intentionally minimizes the more difficult truths of His gospel, it presents a false christ. With the surge of hyper-grace teaching and Your Best Life Now theology, the glory of Jesus Christ has been minimized in favor of self-worship. Jesus, when mentioned at all, is often presented as merely the ticket to receiving God’s blessings.

In this generation of biblical illiteracy, many hearers eagerly swallow this man-made version of Christ, never challenging the twisted doctrine that conceived it. Even when people are given an opportunity to “make a decision” for Jesus, one must wonder: to what Christ are they committing themselves? … As the days grow darker and sin escalates, a more palatable christ becomes attractive to those who “loved the darkness rather than the light”.

There is only one way to know for sure what is true: The Bible, God’s Holy Word. Read it every day.

Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Chris Barbalis on Unsplash

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