Title Day and Time/Matthew 24:32-36
In Psalm 90, Moses described the eternity of God and the impermanence of life, speaking of the end of life, that is, death, and the New Testament is the general end that is relevant to all people, the rapture and the wedding feast, the second coming and the millennium, And it describes the judgment of the end times and the New Jerusalem. However, the early church members believed that the Lord would come soon, because when the Lord ascended into heaven, two angels in white robes said, “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). He believed that the end of the world would soon come.
So, people thought that even when the Roman Empire fell in the 5th century, the fall of Rome would be the end of the world. In the 14th century, when an epidemic spread in Europe and 1/3 of the European population died, all the churches gathered together and that was the end of the world. asserted. In the 16th century, the so-called Crusades suffered for many years, and the economic depression caused peasant uprisings and great chaos. Even then, the church said that it was really the end of the world. Even when a thousand died, most preachers said, 'This is indeed the end of the earth.'
But no one knows when the Lord will return. All we can know is that the time of the Lord's second coming is imminent. In fact, we must remember that the Bible records far more accounts of the birth and second coming of Christ than accounts of creation or the fall of man. The Second Coming was promised more than 300 times in the Bible, Paul spoke about the Second Coming 50 times, and above all, Jesus himself spoke of the Second Coming many times. Therefore, I hope that everyone who prepares for the Lord's return today will learn about the Lord's return in detail.
The Situation at the Time of the Lord's Second Coming
As a sign, we can know the nearness, first of all, the appearance of a false Christ (Matthew 24:5). Over the past 50 years, reports have emerged that more than 1,100 false Christs have appeared around the world claiming to be the world's Savior. According to modern religion, there are about 500 prophetic prayer altars in Korea, 35 self-proclaimed Absolutes and Saviors, and 12 God and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church, Tae-Sun Park of the Cheonbu Church, Myung-Ho Park of Elijah, Sahng-Hong Ahn of the Church of God, and many others claim to be the Second Coming Lord or God.
Also, there are rumors of riots (Matt 24:6). According to statistics, in the 3,468 years between 1496 B.C. and 1972 A.D., there were 3,241 years of war, and only 227 years of peace. In other words, for every 14 years of war there was only one year of peace. Also, in the old days, when a war broke out on the other side of the world, it would take months or years to hear the news of the war, but now the news of war and terrorist incidents spread all over the world in an instant. This is one of the signs of the last days.
And, nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom (Matthew 24:7). India is fighting Hindus and Muslim separatists, the Philippines is fighting Catholics and Muslims, and in the Middle East, Israel and Palestine are still at war with terrorism. In our country, people of the same ethnicity face each other and face each other for half a hundred years. South Korea has consistently pursued the Sunshine Policy for the past five years. That is why inter-Korean summits are held, and inter-Korean exchanges in culture, sports, music, education, economy, and the private sector are held. However, during the five years of the Sunshine Policy, North Korea developed nuclear weapons. In June 2000, North Korea continued to make formidable weapons of war while developing nuclear weapons during the inter-Korean summit, and while South Korea provided a huge amount of 4 trillion won for economic development. As such, there is no end to war on Earth.
Also, a famine was heard as a sign of the last days (Matthew 24:7b). According to the Los Angeles Times feature “War on Poverty” in the United States, one of the richest countries in the world, more than 30 million people in the United States are hungry, 12 million of whom report being children. Today, 66% of the world's population is starving, and out of the 80 million people who die each year, about two-thirds are said to be related to hunger. Many people are fleeing North Korea, and one of the reasons is said to be because they are too hungry.
Also, there are many abnormal temperatures such as earthquakes, floods, and droughts (Mt 24:7b). Natural disasters all over the world are losing their homes. In 1988, there was an earthquake that killed 25,000 people in Armenia, there was an earthquake in San Francisco in 1989, and in January 1995, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 in Kobe, Japan killed 5,400 people. Not only earthquakes, but also floods cause a lot of damage. In the case of Korea, the damage caused by floods in 1996 was about 530 billion won, but in 1998, it was about 1 trillion won, double that amount. However, this year, typhoon 'Rusa' killed about 200 people nationwide, and the damage amounted to a whopping 6 trillion won. Such extreme weather has emerged as a common problem not only in Korea but also in the global community. This year alone, over 4,000 people died in the floods in 80 countries around the world, 17 million people were displaced, and the damage to property is said to reach 30 billion dollars. This phenomenon of abnormal temperature makes it possible to know that the time of the Lord's second coming is not far away.
Among the most terrifying signs is the destruction of humanity. If you look at the Bible, you can see that there was sexual promiscuity in the days of Noah and Lot. The world today is so sexually promiscuous. It is said that one person a day gets AIDS this year, and the cause is said to be homosexuality. Adult men as well as middle-class housewives with stable lives now commit adultery without hesitation. These events are reminiscent of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible.
In addition to these general signs, Jesus is telling us to learn the parable of the fig tree as a special sign. The fig tree is one of the three major fruits of Judea, namely the vine, the fig tree, and the olive tree, and is a natural tree plant grown throughout Judea. The fig is not without flowers, but is a tree that is hidden inside and hardens into fruit, and the Jewish people were likened to figs because they were a hidden and mysterious people. Jesus said, “Learn the parable of the fig tree, when its branches become tender and put forth leaves, you know that summer is near. I beseech you, all these things will be accomplished before this generation passes by.”
Here, “fig tree” refers to the Jewish nation of Israel, “branch becomes tender” refers to Israel’s independence, and “generation” symbolizes one generation after the birth of an Israeli man. Historically, Judea was scattered as a diaspora for 2,000 years due to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, just as Jesus prophesied, “Not one stone will be left upon another, but will be destroyed” (Matthew 24:2).
However, before and after World War II, the people of Israel prayed, “Be sure to stay in Jerusalem tomorrow,” and the Zionist movement unfolded. On May 15, 1948, at 4 pm, 240 Zionists were held at the Tel Aviv Stone Museum. Representatives gathered to decide on the declaration of independence, appointed Weizman as the first president, and proudly flew the flag with the star symbolizing the old king David. This independence is a prayer that appealed to God during the 2,000 years of exile, and the prophecy of Jesus has been fulfilled.
The Lord will come again in the clouds with the archangel's command. This is the cry of the victor, and those who sleep in the grave will hear it, and all the saints on earth at the same time. He comes with the voice of the archangel and comes with the sound of the trumpet of God. When the Lord comes into the air, God will sound a distinctive trumpet to call up His people. The sound is so loud and clear that all of God's people will hear and be heard and receive the Lord.
Why only the father knows
In fact, God foretold the great things He would do to His servants and through the prophets. However, neither the angels nor the Son know about the date of the Second Coming of Jesus, but only the Father knows. In Acts 1:7, it is said, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has set by his own authority.” This is what belongs to God’s authority, and Isaiah 48:17, “You Says YHWH, the Redeemer of Israel, and the Holy One of Israel: “Yahweh your God, I teach you to benefit you and guide you in the way you should go.
Therefore, although the Second Coming of the Lord will surely occur, we must firmly deal with the various heresies claiming that the Lord will return by calculating the date and time.
Our Responsibility for the Day and Then
We must realize the seriousness of the Second Coming. The day of the Second Coming of Jesus can be a day of our greatest hope or a day of despair, a day of great joy or a day of great sorrow, a day of great glory or a day of great shame.
Therefore, we must prepare for the Second Coming by building a strong house of our faith. The foundation should be Jesus Christ, the rock, the pillars should be built with loyalty, the walls should be built with sincerity, and the roofs should be firmly covered with the fear of God so as not to fall into heresy editorials. With the attitude of preparing oil like the five wise virgins, with the faith to give and help to the poor and weak neighbors like the sheep, and with the faith that bears fruit like the grain, we must prepare for the Lord's second coming.