Signs of His Coming - Part 1

Author: Joseph

Date: March 10, 2024

The disciples went to Yeshua on the Mount of Olives and there they asked Him, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3). The disciples were referring to the prophecy written in the book of Daniel, which the messenger of God communicated to him:

“But as for you, go your way to the end, then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age” (Daniel 12:13).

The “end of the age” refers to the time when all comes to its final consummation on the earth and God brings judgment upon the world for their sins (Isaiah 2:2-4; Micah 4:1-3). At this end of the age, God Himself will reign over all the nations and bring peace to His people. Now that the disciples were aware that Yeshua was the Messiah who would bring about such a prophesy to fulfillment, they were eager to know at what time He would fulfill it.

Yeshua first answers their question with a warning, because as it is with all things good, there are always counterfeits that seek to lead the people of God astray from God’s will. The adversary, Satan, is particularly conniving at using these sorts of deception to bring about death and destruction. So, Yeshua warns them, saying, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many” (Matthew 24:5). Many, not few, would come about to deceive the people of God by turning them to a false Messiah to put their hopes in. The false Messiahs would speak of things contrary to God’s words, twisting them for their own purposes, and misleading people to death rather than salvation.

"See to it that no one misleads you..."

The false Messiahs may even try to instigate wars and force their own version of fulfilling the prophesies by force. Yeshua warns against this as well, telling His disciples that there will be wars and “rumors of wars,” but that they should not be afraid of such things occurring because they were foretold these would come and at the same time, these wars themselves would not be “the end” (Matthew 24:6). These wars were only a sign of the coming of Yeshua drawing near, but they themselves were not initiators of His return.

International conflicts, famines, earthquakes and such disasters were to be seen as the “beginning of birth pangs” (Matthew 24:8). Just as a woman beings to feel the pain that comes before the birth of her child, so would these kind of events be a sign that the end of days drawing near and that we should be ready for them. Birth pangs, labor pains, become increasingly frequent and intense as the moment of birth comes near. In the same way, Yeshua was telling His disciples that conflicts and natural disasters would also increase in intensity and frequency before His coming to bring judgment upon the world.

But just as the birth pangs would begin, so would the persecution of those who followed after Yeshua:

“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name” (Matthew 24:9).

We know even now that many have died for the name of Yeshua and for following Him faithfully. These tribulations too will also continue all the way until Yeshua comes again. Not only would the early disciples of Yeshua have to face persecution from the Romans, fellow Judeans, and other surrounding nations, but as time goes on and the word of God is spread among the nations, His people would be hated by “all nations” for His name’s sake. Every nation on earth will hear the call to repentance unto Salvation as part of this prophesy given by Yeshua and consequentially, His disciples would also be hated by all nations of the earth. This continues to this day.

Just as there would be many false Messiahs (Matthew 24:5), there would also be many false prophets used to test the people of God to see if they will love God and trust in Him alone:

“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul”

(Deuteronomy 13:1-3).

The false prophets would mislead many because just as it says in Deuteronomy, they will even be allowed to perform false signs and wonders to deceive the people of God. People who are drawn by such things will be vulnerable to their deception.

Yeshua continues with His warnings to the disciples about what must happen before He comes again, saying, “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). The lawlessness Yeshua is speaking of here is not simply the sins of the world, but as He spoke before, this kind of lawlessness would be coming from those claiming to be His own:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS” (Matthew 7:21-23).

The ones who commit lawlessness are also compared to tares among the wheat in Yeshua’s parable:

“So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness…”

(Matthew 13:40-41).

The lawlessness that will increase in the end of the age is lawlessness among the people of God. While those through whom lawlessness grows may do works of casting out demons, prophesying, and other miracles, they would have no part in God’s kingdom to come because of their rebellious nature towards obedience to Him. Yeshua warns his disciples against following such people who will falsely claim to be His own, but deceitfully lead the people of God astray. These lawless ones will cause people’s love to grow cold, but what kind of “love” is Yeshua referring to that will become cold? He is referring to the two greatest commandments which speak of the love of God and the love of one’s neighbor:

“And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF’”

(Matthew 22:37-39).

This is the love that will grow cold at the end of the age before Yeshua returns. His disciples, however, were never to let their love of God and their neighbor grow cold. They were to cling to the commandments of God and continue in their love through them, not falling away into lawlessness.

Regardless of all this confusion being wrought in the world, the persecution of His people and the disasters that would increase in the world, Yeshua gave His disciples a direct command to endure all these things:

“But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved” (Matthew 24:13).

Although the disciples had asked for signs of His coming, Yeshua responded by telling them that what should concern them the most is their endurance through all the trials that they would face before His return. If they would fall away during this time of great testing, then no matter what they saw in expectation of His return, they would be without hope if they stopped having faith in Him. They were to endure all these things and all the while also continue in their preaching of the kingdom of God through it all:

“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

What signs do you see in the world today that point to the return of Yeshua? Perhaps you were unaware of the depth of some of the things that Yeshua spoke of as signs of His return. How does what you have learned compare to what you have heard before? Do not be ignorant to what Yeshua teaches regarding His return and learn to discern what He said through the Scriptures themselves instead of following the doctrines of men. If we are ignorant to what He says, we cannot properly discern the times we live in. Seek to understand more about the signs of Yeshua’s return so that you do not lose hope in your faithful endurance to Him. The first disciples of Yeshua were eager to understand the signs. We need to have this eagerness as well.

Matthew 24:1-14

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org