[firmbeliever]

I would like to know what are the signs that Christians see as the signs that the end is near?

Please do not think I am here to argue or find fault,but as I do believe that the end is not too far and that there are signs that will herald the end, I am curious to know the signs Christians look for.

Thank you in advance.

[tickle]

I respect you viewpoint, firmbeliever, but I am not looking for any signs. I am enjoying my time here and that is all I need. I do believe though, that when it does, we won't even have time to consider, we will just not be.

[kindj]

There are lots of indications throughout the Bible, and many, many people point to the Book of Revelation for the "signs" that announce the closing of human history. Many of these things are symbolic and require much study to interpret, and even then the results are ambiguous at best.

As for me, when questions like yours come up I generally refer first to the words of the one who will bring history to its close--Jesus himself.

The Gospel of Mark chapter 13 (otherwise known as the Olivet Discourse) tells us what Jesus said concerning the last days (the paragraph divisions are mine):

Mark 13

1 As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!" 2 "Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 "Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?"

5 Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. 9 "You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

14 "When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation' standing where it does not belong--let the reader understand--then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now--and never to be equaled again. 20 If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, there he is!' do not believe it. 22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect--if that were possible. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

24 "But in those days, following that distress, "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' 26 "At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 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.

28 "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. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

32 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 "Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back--whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'"


Please let me know if I can provide more information or follow up with you on anything.

By the way, I wanted to take an opportunity to tell you how much I appreciate your contributions here, and I especially appreciate the gentle and respectful manner in which you do it.

DK

[N0help4u]

kindj covered a good bit.

People use the verse about nobody knows the day or the hour as an excuse to say that we can not know if we are living in the end times or not. But the Bible means we can not know the day or the hour of Jesus coming back. That is N0T to say we can not know the signs of the end times.

The Bible says when the fig tree blooms again and Israel becomes a nation again it will be a sign of the end to come within a few generations. They both happened in 1948
Rebuilding of a Jewish temple in Jerusalem, increased hostility towards Israel, and advances toward a one-world government. The most prominent sign of the end times, however, is the nation of Israel. In 1948, Israel was recognized as a sovereign state for the first time since 70 A.D. Having Israel as a nation in its own land is important in light of end-time prophecy, because of Israel's prominence in eschatology (Daniel 10:14; 11:41; Revelation 11:8).

There will be a push for one world government. New World Order. Economics/corporations send to China and other places and so forth. USA is no longer #1 world economy

You will hear of natural disasters and weather patterns that are unusual. Hurricanes Ivan, Katrina and Noel all unusual.

The Apostle Paul warned that the last days would bring a marked increase in false teaching. “In the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1). Even Christian teachings are starting to fall in deceptive doctrines and teachings.

Knowledge will increase. The past 50 years we have advanced more than any other generations we went from cars and TV to microwaves, computers, digital technology, etc...


“In the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1). The last days are described as “perilous times” because of the increasingly evil character of man and people who actively “resist the truth” (2 Timothy 3:1-9; see also 2 Thessalonians 2:3).

II Timothy 3:1-5,7 "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of god; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
The Bible says that people will be lovers of self and disregard others
People will call good bad and bad good
Homosexuality and sexual promiscuity will become the 'norm'

The Bible also says people will eat and not be full. Our foods are filled with chemicals and preservatives. They are filled with stuff that MAKES us fat. The nutritions are taken out and replaced with man made synthetic vitamins. So we eat more yet are actually fed 'less'

Also the Bible talks about the mark of the beast which Christians believe is the RFID chip.
CASPIAN Media Clips | RFID Privacy

[firmbeliever]

Tickle,
I do think in a similar way, that when the end comes we will not know,because it could be my death, which could come way before the end of the world.

DK,
Thank you for your explanation.
I agree with the fact that no one knows the Hour or the Day except the Almighty.

I do have a question-Does the descending of Jesus(alahi salaam) mark the end of the world or is that considered a sign of the end of the world? As per your belief?

NOh4,
Thanks for your details.

[kindj]

As I understand it, Jesus physical return will be very near the end, but by then there will be absolutely zero doubt as to what is going on and that the end has come. At that time he will vanquish all enemies and establish his rule for all time. As to the form that rule will take, there's various theories.

[firmbeliever]

As I understand it, Jesus physical return will be very near the end, but by then there will be absolutely zero doubt as to what is going on and that the end has come. At that time he will vanquish all enemies and establish his rule for all time. As to the form that rule will take, there's various theories.

Do you believe that people of Heaven and Hell are known at this time?
Or are we still on this physical earth and yet to die ?

[kindj]

Do you believe that people of Heaven and Hell are known at this time?
Or are we still on this physical earth and yet to die ?

Depends on who you ask. Sorry to be so ambiguous, but...

My opinion is this: Based on Scripture, I feel that at the moment of death, believers are with the Lord spiritually. I believe that our bodies succumb to the natural processes of decomposition or whatever, depending on the manner of disposal. At the time of Jesus' return, our spirits will be given new, perfect bodies in whatever form they will come in. Don't know what we'll look like, but we won't suffer from diseases or the ravages of age.

As to the unbelievers, I think that they stay in the grave until the resurrection, at which time ALL people will stand before the throne and be judged. At that time, individuals will be rewarded with Heaven or consigned to hell.

That's just my opinion, though, based on my readings. I could easily be in error. The Bible is rather silent about the exact procedures of exiting this life and entering the afterlife, with God wishing us to focus more on Him and doing His will than dwelling on exact procedures of something that's out of our control anyway. He assures us of an eternal life with Him, and appears to figure that's good enough for us for now.

[N0help4u]

Some Christians believe they will be taken out of the earth at the rapture before the end times but some believe Christians will go through the end times. The Bible says that the Christians in the end time will have God's seal and most of the unbelievers will take the mark of the beast.

[firmbeliever]

Depends on who you ask. Sorry to be so ambiguous, but...

The Bible is rather silent about the exact procedures of exiting this life and entering the afterlife, with God wishing us to focus more on Him and doing His will than dwelling on exact procedures of something that's out of our control anyway. He assures us of an eternal life with Him, and appears to figure that's good enough for us for now.

Thanks for trying though.
I think I was actually looking for the following answer.
About the people who are alive at the time of the descent and after.

some Christians believe they will be taken out of the earth at the rapture before the end times but some believe Christians will go through the end times. The Bible says that the Christians in the end time will have God's seal and most of the unbelievers will take the mark of the beast.

Thanks.

[kindj]

Thanks for trying though.
I think I was actually looking for the following answer.
About the people who are alive at the time of the descent and after.



Thanks.

Oops, sorry. I mis-read you on that one. NoHelp gave a fine answer to that question though.

[savedsinner7]

Have you read the Left Behind book series? This is a great series that puts the Biblical into something easier to understand by way of using fictional characters to reveal what the Bible is saying. I found them to be pretty accurate as to prophecy.
kindj and NoHelp have laid it out pretty well and I don't think I could add much to what's been said already. Hope you find the answers you are looking for.

[firmbeliever]

I know what I need to know,
But just wanted to find out a bit more on what Christians were looking for during the end times.

Thanks

[margog85]

I used to be Catholic, had a lot of non-Catholic Christian friends, and am now agnostic. Throughout all of my experience, I just don't understand the obsession some people have with the 'end times'. Catholics never put much emphasis on the end-times... I was raised on the idea that Jesus didn't know, so how could we assume to? And then my non-Catholic Christian friends had a book series about it, bumper stickers about how their car will be unmanned in the event of rapture, etc. and they seemed overly focused on it.
My feeling on the matter... why look for signs of the end times? If Christians believe that Jesus is coming tomorrow or ten thousand years from now, what's the difference? It doesn't (or shouldn't) impact their daily lives, how they act, how they treat others, what they say or do... or at least it shouldn't. I find that those who were focused on 'Jesus is coming any day now' to be more fervent in their beliefs, and those who didn't place much emphasis on it were a bit more lax in what was acceptable or unacceptable behavior- which I don't really think is right.
I sometimes wonder if the idea of the 'end times' is used as a means to manipulate and control people into doing what certain people deem to be 'the right thing'- when it's a focal point and an 'any-day-now' event, people are more prone just blindly follow out of fear of what will happen if they don't and then the world ends tomorrow. And obedience out of fear is never a good thing.
I'm not saying that everyone is that way- but a lot of people I've met were, and I think that's kind of scary.
My belief right now? We can't fully know, understand, or appreciate whatever it is that is out there. If there is some superior being, I'm sure he/she/it has a way of making himself/herself/itself known to us- but we are pretty arrogant to believe that we, such a small part of this intricate and complex system of life, are even remotely capable of comprehending fully, understanding fully, knowing fully. Any religion that professes to have 'the truth' (ie Catholicism) and all the answers is totally under-estimating the immensity of whatever it is that created what we understand as life.
I feel that we are all in our own 'end-times' every day- with every second that passes, we're getting closer and closer to our death/rebirth/transformation, whatever it is that occurs when we leave this world and pass on to whatever may (or may not) follow. Since tomorrow, tonight, or ten minutes from now could be when I leave this existence and move on to whatever comes next (if anything) I make sure to do what I can, what I should, and what I believe is right.
Why do people look for more than that?
I'm not trying to put anyone down- like I said, I used to be Catholic, but it didn't make sense after a while and I had to walk away from it. I'm just expressing my opinion and seeking some feedback. Thanks!

[Soldout]

Margog85 I understand where you are coming from as a non believer. A lot of Catholics are just catholics because their parents are Catholic and as a result they do not know who God is and do not have a personal relationship with Him. If you know God you will believe that his word is Truth. If he created us I don't see why he would keep himself a complete mystry and not reaveal "truth" to His creation. I believe the creator has made "truth" known to man through His word the Bible. Everything in Makes absolute sense. The bible talks about the earth being round thousandsands of years before man discovered it. Everything that was prophesied, long before, to happen in this age has occurred and is still unfolding. If you take the time to study the Bible this revalation will come to you. The problem is we have taken God who is almighty and put him into a "religion" box and that is wrong. Its not about religion it is about knowning God.

The reason why Christians put an emphasis on the end times is because Jesus said no one knows the date but He said be aware of the times and He and some Bible prophets prophesied what would happen in theses time. Which include the formation of the country of Israel which happened in 1948. Jesus also said knowledge will tremdendously increase, and with computers knowledge in the past 50 years has increased exponentionaly than any other time. He also said travel will increase in a large way, and we have cars aeroplanes etc.. Just to mension a few. If you study the prophesies it will come alive to you and it is not to scare you but for you to be prepared..
Thanks