View the Signs and Be Prepared

Here are some more great signs from our trip to Utah.

We want to know when Jesus will return and the world will end. We will never know the exact time, but God did give us signs that point to His return.

There have always been skeptics about the signs of the end. Peter heard such doubt in his own day. “You must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this “coming” he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’” (2 Peter 3:3,4)

Jesus also said that when He returns, most people will be as unheeding of the signs as they were before the Flood. They will be “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” (Matthew 24:38), as though life must always go on as it has.

Yet let’s remember Jesus’ warning signs are there to prepare us not only for the time when He will come to us, but also for the time when we will be called to Him. We may meet our own end before the end of the world. Seldom does anybody wait more than a hundred years to see Jesus. The thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:3) can also come in the middle of the day.

For those who read and heed the Savior’s warning signs about His return, preparation is much more a matter of anticipation than fear. Fear will always be present in our old sinful self who never wants to be called to account. But anticipation and hope are the dominant feelings of our new self whom the Holy Spirit implanted by faith. Jesus’ own encouragement is in place for those who acknowledge His signs: “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28)

Reading the signs and looking forward to the Savior’s return makes a difference in the lives of Jesus followers. Peter asks the question almost rhetorically and then provides the obvious answer: “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming . . . Make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.” (2 Peter 3:11,12,14)

We want to know when Jesus will return and the world will end. We will never know the exact time, but God did give us signs that point to His return.

Finding and obeying signs can save your life. They can save your soul. View the signs and be prepared.