What will be the sign of Christ's coming? (3)

Read Matthew 24:3-14

There are two other signs in the area of religion that will be evident when Christ returns. 

a)     There will be great persecution of true believers, Matt. 24:9; Rev. 6:9-11. 

b)    There will be global evangelism, Matt. 24:14; Rev. 14:6-7.

There are events today that speak of both of these predictions.  In the matter of persecution it is true that there has always been affliction for God’s people.  This was promised by our Lord, that all who follow Him will receive the same treatment as He did (John 15:18-25; 16:33; 2 Tim. 3:12, etc.).  But the picture in end times is that the persecution will be much more global and intense.  The innumerable company of Gentile believers in Rev. 7:9-17 is said to be those who come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (v14).  This is the result of the war waged by the Dragon (Satan) against the offspring of the woman (Israel; Rev. 12:17).  

It should be noted that this persecution takes place in a time when apostasy rules the visible Church.  There will be many professing Christians that will escape the persecution because they will not stand true to Jesus Christ.  Those who give their lives will overcome the wicked one by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony (i.e. they will be true to Christ); they will not love their lives to the death (Rev. 12:11).  

As to the matter of global evangelism there is much today that is commendable in attempts to reach the entire world with the sound of the gospel.  Various efforts are made to translate Scripture and preach the gospel in every known language with many groups targeting the 10-40 Window where the greatest part of the world’s unreached people live.  But at the same time we see God (isn’t this always the case) opening doors to people and in places where we would have never thought possible.  A great illustration is the number of Muslim people reportedly opening their hearts to Christ as a result of the terrible atrocities of ISIS.  Time and again we hear of Muslims bewildered by the attack of Islam upon itself, people who then are open to hear of Christ from Christians who have reached out to help them.  Many of those people have come to the very front doors of evangelical churches in the west in the form of refugees from war-torn countries.  Thus doors that five years ago were firmly shut are now open.  It is this kind of God-orchestrated global evangelism that seems to be pictured in the angelic being that declares the eternal gospel to those who dwell on the earth – to every nation, tribe, tongue and people (Rev. 14:6). 

These two signs of Christ’s return should stir the heart of God’s people to faithful living and deep commitment to the command of Christ to go therefore and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18-20).