Discerning the Signs of the Times: Written by my Wife

 

Discerning the Signs of the Times 

Two days ago, I dreamt that I was scrolling through my blog site.  I was looking at previous posts from the bottom to the top.  The post that was second from the top was titled something like "How to Tell the Signs of the Times."  There was one post above it, but I did not see that title.  If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know I believe that the Lord gives His faithful children dreams, visions, and words (see Acts 2:28-29 listed below).  I believe God was telling me to write on this subject before I reposted the blogs I had originally had in mind to share today.  So, I will be obedient to the Lord's prompting and pray I can help you understand what God longs for all of us to know. 

It seems as if anytime there is an unusual phenomenon in the heavens, there are hundreds of people posting on various platforms that this is a sign that Jesus will return.  I am not here to mock other people, but to point us to what the scripture says about the second coming of Christ starting with Matthew 24:36, [Jesus said], "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."  Therefore, if someone is saying that a blood moon, an eclipse, or the planets aligning means Jesus will return on a specific day, they are contradicting scripture by saying they know the exact day of His return. 

I am someone who is overly logical and I love statistics, so let me give you a few: "Since 1900, there have been 5 instances of celestial triple combination of 4 blood moons in a row... The next one is expected March... 2025" (source National Geographic).  Since 1900, "there have been a total of 228 solar eclipse recoded globally.  This includes various types of solar eclipses, such as total, annular, and partial."  Also, "since 1900 there have been a total of 1,044 lunar eclipses.  This includes various types of eclipse such as total, partial, and penumbral." Also: "While planetary alignments happen relatively frequently, complete alignments are extraordinarily rare... The last full alignment was in 1982 and the next is expected in 2357. Minor alignments, involving two to five planets, can be observed more often, like the recent event in June 2024" (source: Free Astroscience). After reading all that, hopefully you will see how one cannot possibly see every astronomical event as a unique sign of Christ's return.  What we need to discern the sign of the times is the Bible, which yes, does include heavenly signs, but we need to pay attention to when Jesus and other prophets said events say they will occur.

This blog is not a detailed study on the events of the tribulation, which would indeed point to more specific events to look for to show when we will truly be at the end of the world, but I will be sharing with you some scripture verses that explain that Jesus will return at the end of the tribulation.  He will not be returning two more times, only one more time.  (On an additional note, my husband and I are praying about writing such a detailed study on Revelation, but we want to be sure that's what God would like to write about next or other issues instead.)

**Fellow believers, please let's not divide on this issue. Prayerfully study God's Word and love one another whether you agree or disagree.**

Here are just a few verses to hopefully show you what the Bible says about the signs of the times are listed in the below verses with some light commentary after each section.  I fully beleive we are currently living io the "beginning of sorrows" (before the tribulation begins) as mentioned below, so yes, time is indeed very short.  If you are interested in further reading on the subject, I will post links at the end to more writings.   

(Mark 13:3-8, 13-14, 21-27, & 32-37) And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?"

And Jesus answering them began to say, "Take heed lest any man deceive you: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains. And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things."

"But in those days, AFTER that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. AND THEN shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. AND THEN shall he send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is... for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, 'Watch.'"

Jesus answers the disciples' question about when the end of the world will come with a warning to not be deceived.  This is for all of us.  There are many more false prophets than real ones, which is why we must know our Bibles and test all we hear against the Word of God.  

I can see how people might confuse any verses mentioning darkened suns or red moons with thinking a solar or lunar eclipse or a blood moon may indicate that a pre-tribulation rapture is about to happen, but you need to consider how often these occur (see above stats) and more importantly, read the entire Bible, not just a few lines here and there. Mark 13 shows us that "the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall" right after the tribulation.  After can only mean at the very end of this age, which is when Jesus will come again, not before.  It shows us only then will Jesus "gather together His elect."

(Acts 2:28-32) And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, BEFORE the great and terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

It says these things will happen "before the great and terrible day of the Lord come," not after.  This "great and terrible" day does not indicate the rapture, but the final judgments of God.  The end of the end when God will separate the wheat from the tares.  Read Matthew 13:24-30, 35-42 where it shows God will gather all at the same time at the "END of the world." 

The "pillars of smoke" mentioned could very well be nuclear war, which could also explain why the sun looks dark and the moon red.  When we lived in the Idaho mountains from 2014-2019, we saw a lot of forest fires, and the closer the fire danger was to our city, the darker the skies.  The sun would not literally look black but would be harder to see due to all the smoke in the air, it would be darker during the day, and the moon would become an eerie red color.  I imagine worldwide war could easily affect the appearance of the sun, moon, and stars. 

(2 Thessalonians 2:1-12) Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

This portion of scripture also starts with Paul warning us not to be deceived by false teachers. He says that Jesus "shall not come" until the "man of sin" is revealed and Christ will "destroy" the Antichrist "with the brightness of his coming."  If the antichrist will wreak havoc until the end of the age, then how could Jesus destroy him with His return before the tribulation?

I know this is a lot to read and think about, so I will leave you with one more portion of scripture, this one from the Old Testament.  There is much more I can say, so, again, if you are interested, I will post links at the end to more writings.   

(Daniel 7:11-13 & 21-22) I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast [the Antichrist] was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.   

I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; UNTIL the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. 

You might want to read all of Daniel 7, but here is just a small portion 0f it just to show more of what the Bible says on the timing of the rapture. Like Thessalonians 2, this shows that the antichrist is destroyed first, and then the Lord returns.

Links to other writings on the subject of the timing of Jesus' return:

Mark 13:3-8, 13-14, 21-27, & 32-37: "When shall these things be?" https://thankful-julie.blogspot.com/2025/01/mark-133-8-13-14-21-27-32-37-when-shall.html

 Zephaniah 2:3The Great Day of the Lord, Written by my Husband https://thankful-julie.blogspot.com/2025/07/zephaniah-23-great-day-of-lord-written.html

Luke 17 & 22: Where the Eagles Gather https://thankful-julie.blogspot.com/2025/02/luke-17-22-where-eagles-gather.html

Questions and Answers About the Rapture https://thankful-julie.blogspot.com/2025/07/questions-and-answers-about-rapture.html

The Truth About the Second Coming of Christ, Written by my Husband https://thankful-julie.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-truth-about-second-coming-of-christ.html

Dream of the Return of Christ and Preparation for his Coming, Written by my Husband https://thankful-julie.blogspot.com/2017/04/dream-of-return-of-christ-by-mel.html

Revelation 3:1-22: The Seven Churches: Part Two, Written by my Husband https://thankful-julie.blogspot.com/2025/05/revelation-31-22-seven-churches-part.html