Lesson 23: Now - When Is Jesus Coming Back? (2)

We are studying the events leading up to the final period of time before the Millennial Kingdom, a time of trouble known as the Great Tribulation. We can read these prophecies and look at our newspapers and see that the times are far nearer than at any other time the history of mankind. We understand Scriptures today that could not be understood 20 or 30 years ago, because we see them happening right before our eyes. There are those, even among Christians, who say that believers since the first century have thought Jesus was coming back then, and we will still be believing this in 1000 years. Peter warned us about ideas like this in 2 Peter 3:3-4, and it is just as wrong when it is applied to prophecy as it is to evolution. Let us take a look at a few examples.


In Matthew 24 Jesus called "wars and rumors of wars," "earthquakes and famines," and "nation rising up against nation" the birth pangs of the end. We cannot estimate the number of wars or rumors of wars there have been since 1900, but there are records to tell us about earthquakes. According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Report from Boulder, Colorado, from 1900 to 1949 there were an average of three major quakes per decade. There were nine in the 50s, thirteen in the 60s, six in the 70s, and seventy-four in the 80s. From 1990 through 1999 there were 1492 earthquakes in the world above a 6.0 magnitude resulting in more than 114,000 deaths. From 2000 through September 21, 2010 there have been 1730 earthquakes in the world over 6.0 magnitude resulting in the deaths of over 697,000 people. Let's add to these statistics that in the 1990s there were six earthquakes over the magnitude of 8.0. In the 2000’s there have already been more than twice as many over the magnitude of 8.0. If we are to believe the argument that "all things are as they always have been" then we must assume that the next decade will see a rise of deadly earthquakes to an average of nearly 1 every day with an unimaginable loss of life. The decade following that would of necessity be an extinction-level decade. Jesus says that if "the days were not shortened" all life on earth would be destroyed (Mark 13:20).

In the past year we have also seen news of the beginning of the prophesies from Ezekiel 38-39 and Isaiah 17 being fulfilled. These events should never be a cause for fear for believers but should be a cause for great joy and hope as we see the time rapidly coming for Jesus to call us to His side.

*If you knew Jesus was coming tomorrow, how would your life change?