"What are the Signs of His Coming?"

Christian author and founder of  The Berean Call , Dave Hunt, died last week. He left behind a legacy of expert scholarship, impeccable research, and a wide variety of in-depth studies we can all benefit from. He also left us with a couple of warnings:

• "There are two solemn and related warnings which Christ gave concerning His coming again. First of all, He repeatedly and earnestly declared that He was coming very soon and should be expected at any moment. That He hasn't come in more than 1900 years, far from discrediting that promise, makes it all the more urgent that we heed it in our day. By heaven's reckoning, Christ has been gone a very short time; and His coming is nearer now than it ever was."

• "Secondly, He warned us about preoccupation with the things of this life. Christ knew the attraction which the pleasures and ambitions of this world, wicked though we realize it to be, can have for each of us. So He warned us that unless we kept the thoughts of His return fresh in our hearts at all times, we would be caught by surprise at His coming."

Dave Hunt was adamant about the fact that there are no signs for the rapture of the church. Not even one. There is absolutely nothing that must proceed it. Jesus said that He would come like a thief: "At such an hour as you think not" (Luke 12:40). Some translations say He's coming when you least expect Him. There are at least twenty warnings in the Bible telling us to watch, be ready, and stay awake.

Why? Because complacency is human nature. Remember the parable of the 10 bridesmaids in Matthew 25? "When the bridegroom was delayed, they all lay down and slept" (emphasis added).

The world is asleep right now and sadly, so is the church. And yet:

• Israel is back in the land (Ezekiel 37:21)
• surrounded by enemies (Psalm 83)
• Iran and Russia have a military alliance for the first time in history (Ezekiel 38:5)
• technology has advanced to the degree that everything predicted in the Scripture is possible for the first time in history (Revelation 13)
• the financial world is sagging under its debt load (Revelation 6:5-6; James 5:1-3)
• sin is rampant; deception everywhere (Matthew 24:9)
• everything has gone super sized (i.e. earthquakes, storms, tsunamis, etc.) (Luke 21:25-26)

People--these are signs for the Tribulation and the Second Coming, not the Rapture, two distinct events that take place 7 years apart.

No one knows the day or the hour of the Rapture, but once it comes (when we least expect it) the Second Coming can be calculated to the very day. Everything hinges upon the Rapture because it is the kickoff of the last 7 years as detailed in the Book of Daniel (Daniel 9:20-27).

Jesus said, "Watch out! Don't let me find you living in careless ease and drunkenness, and filled with the worries of this life. Don't let that day catch you unaware, as in a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep a constant watch. And pray that, if possible, you may escape these horrors and stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:34-36).

Why did Jesus warn us to keep a constant watch? Because the signs of the Tribulation will all be there in the distance for anyone who is aware and watching to see. For those who are not watching it will be "business as usual right up until the hour when the Son of Man returns" (Luke 17:30).

"So keep a sharp lookout! Don't let Him find you sleeping when He arrives without warning. What I say to you I say to everyone: Watch for His return!" (Mark 13:35-37).

A wise man once said: "How close are we? Christ could come at any moment--before I finish writing this page, or before you finish reading it. Does that thought bring joy or regret--perhaps even fear? The honest answer to that vital question reveals one's spiritual condition and the measure of one's love for Him." -- Dave Hunt (1926-2013)

(want to be sure you're ready? click here )

News:

• World News Now: North Korea fuels ballistic Musudan missile with a range of 2,175 miles putting U.S. bases within reach. U.S. and Seoul on emergency threat level WatchCon2, one step away from war.
• Yahoo News: 'Devastating' quake strikes near Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant, kills 37 and injures 870
• U.S. News: Massive storms and giant tornadoes rip through Midwest leveling homes and causing power outages, 1 death and many injuries
• Bloomberg: Distrust of Federal Reserve and concern that U.S. dollars may become worthless, fuel push in more than a dozen states to recognize gold and silver coins as legal tender
• Drudge Report: ACLU accusing IRS of reading taxpayers personal emails without warrant
• Fox News Channel: Maryland to enforce "rain tax" on homeowners, charging them for rainwater runoff each time it rains; states finding ways to raise revenues through new taxes and fees