Word for the day "The signs of the times"

Mark 13:21 (CEV) If someone should say, “Here is the Messiah!” or “There he is!” don’t believe it. 22 False messiahs and false prophets will come and work miracles and signs. They will even try to fool God’s chosen ones. 23 But be on your guard! That’s why I am telling you these things now.

The signs of the times serve as reminders to us that we cannot save ourselves.

The reality of false Christ’s, wars, and famines, these are the signs that characterize our fallen world (Matthew 24:4-8). Be mindful we shouldn’t assume the end of the world is near when false messiah’s, wars, and famines appear. In fact, the end may still be far off (Mark 13:7).

However, these terrifying events serve as reminders to us that we cannot save ourselves. Only the Lord can defeat the evil that is pervasive in this world.

I am simply saying scripture does not give these signs so we can calculate the year and date when the world will end as some people will tell you today.

I believe we are to treat the time that we live in with a sense of urgency, minimizing the taking life for granted phenomenon.

You see, unless we are cast into times in which we are completely at God's mercy for breakthroughs in our lives, we will never experience God's faithfulness in those areas.

We will never know how personal the Lord is, or that He can be trusted to meet the deepest needs in our lives.

God wants each of us to know that we are "summoned by name." Every hair of our head is numbered. God knows every activity we are involved in.

His love for you and me knows no bounds, and God will take every opportunity to demonstrate this to us.

The Lord through scripture advises about the signs of the times.

Jesus told His disciples no one knows the date or the hour (Mark 13:32). Instead, Jesus simply warned them, as today’s word shares “Be on guard!” (Mark 13:23 CEV)

Although many convincing signs had already been given, attesting to Jesus’ identity, the religious leaders of the first century didn’t believe these convincing proofs.

So, when the Pharisees and Sadducees challenged Jesus to show them a sign, He answered with an example of how it was easy enough for them to predict the upcoming day’s weather by watching the sky.

But that they couldn’t discern the serious social and spiritual condition of the world around them.

Jesus said to them, “Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.

A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matthew 16:1-4, emphasis added throughout).

Jesus was emphasizing the point that the religious leaders of His day, who were representative of their whole generation, had a pervading spirit of unbelief as to whether He was the Messiah that the prophets had pointed to.

The Gospel account of Mark adds that because of the people’s unbelief, Jesus was saddened as a result (Mark 8:12).

As we contemplate the signs of the times, we see all around us, let us be diligent to reflect on the words of Jesus Christ’s warning in (Luke 21:36, GN)

“Be on the alert, praying at all times for strength to pass safely through all that is coming and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man.”

Point to ponder

Now that over 2,000 years have passed since Jesus Christ’s first coming, ominous trends in the world today tell some of us that we indeed are presently living in perilous times.

Our age is replete with many disturbing signs indicating that this age of man is hostile. However, the main emphasis is to understand the urgency of life for you now and the world we live in.

Always remember God is in control, and never believe at any point in time that the Lord does not have the whole world in His hand.

This is more about realizing the disturbing social and apathetic hearts of mankind towards God and people of our world.

In today’s message, we see Jesus vexed at the religious leaders for not discerning the benign relationship of mankind and God.

Yet the religious leaders were placing emphasis on inconsequential religious ideologies.

• What signs do see around you that are described in today’s scripture?
• Have you heard of those who can tell you what and when God is doing something?
• What do the signs of the times really mean?
• How should you internalize the signs of the times?
• Are you having trouble grasping the nature of God?
• Is it possible that the signs of the time mean to get your life in order with God now?

Special thanks!

Our Leadership team is especially thankful for those of you who provided financial donations and support in the month of April 2019 by partnering with us in efforts to advance the kingdom of God in this 21st century season: Special thanks to Ms. Annette Straker, Mr. David Straker, Mr. Kenneth Washington, Mrs. Barbara Mason, Ms. Cynthia Waiters-Artis, Mother Betty Denson, Ms. Darlene Simmons, Mrs. Denise Johnson,  Mr. and Mrs. Carl and Marguerite Williams, Mr. William Jones, Ms. Evonne Bazemore, Mr. William Wilson, Ms. Itholear Abbott, and Ms. Gertrude Scott.

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