The Great Day of His Wrath Painting by John Martin 1851-1853 Tate Britain, London
Signs of the End Times
In Matthew Chapter 24 and Luke 21 Jesus warned the disciples about the end times and the day when God will finally bring the war for world domination to a climax in 'The Great Day of His Wrath,' as depicted in the painting above by John Martin. He mentions several signs:
• False Messiahs
“ Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.
• International Conflict
" You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom."
• Natural Disasters
"There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of labour pains.
• Persecution of Believers
" Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me."
• Apostasy
" At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,"
• False Prophets
" Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people."
• Increase in Evil
"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved."
• Cosmic Events
“Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
• The Gospel Preached Worldwide
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
Paul's Warnings about The End Times
Paul also lists signs of the end times in terms of the way people will behave:
So Don't Be Afraid; Be Ready
Both Jesus (Matthew 24:43) and Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:2) warn us that the Day of the LORD will come like a thief in the night, when no one is expecting it. They urge believers not to be afraid, but to be ready for Christ's return at any moment. The key is to be alert, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith, as the writer to Hebrews wrote (Hebrews 12:1-2), following Jesus where he leads (John 10:27).