Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign

There was a song made popular in 1971 called “Signs,” and this morning, that familiar phrase brought my attention to the signs concerning the return of Jesus. As we begin looking at this subject, we need to follow the answer Jesus gave His disciples. In Matthew 24:3, they asked about the sign of His coming and the end of the age. Before speaking about wars, famines, or earthquakes, Jesus warned them about deception. That is where we must begin.

Notice that Jesus directed this warning to His disciples. These were men who had walked with Him, heard His teaching, and witnessed His works. Yet He told them to watch that no one deceived them. We need to let that settle into our understanding. Being familiar with spiritual things does not remove our responsibility to discern what we hear. His warning calls every believer to remain attentive to His Word.

In Matthew 24:5, Jesus explained that many would come in His name, claiming to be the Messiah, and would deceive many. Here, deception takes the form of a false claim to His identity and authority. Later, in Matthew 24:11, He warned that many false prophets would appear and deceive many people. Both warnings reveal the danger of receiving someone as a representative of God without examining whether their claims are true.

This brings us back to Jeremiah 23:16, where the Lord warned His people against prophets who filled them with false hopes. Their messages came from their own minds rather than from His mouth. Jeremiah was addressing a real situation in his own generation, but the passage reveals the nature of the deception Jesus warned would confront His followers. People were hearing religious messages and assuming that God had spoken.

Jeremiah 23:17 exposes what made those messages so dangerous. The prophets assured people who despised God’s word that they would have peace. Those following the stubbornness of their own hearts were told that no harm would come to them. These messages offered reassurance without requiring repentance. They let people feel secure while continuing in the very things God was confronting. A message can make someone feel better while leaving them dangerously deceived.

Then, in Jeremiah 23:22, the Lord explained that if these prophets had stood in His council, they would have proclaimed His words and turned His people from their evil ways. This shows why the source of a message matters. When someone replaces God’s word with their own assurances, the hearer can become comfortable in disobedience. The true prophetic voice must faithfully communicate what God has spoken, including His call to turn from sin.

Now we can understand why Jesus placed this warning at the beginning of His answer. We cannot rightly discern the times while allowing ourselves to be led away from the truth. Before examining events around us, we must examine the voices influencing us. First John 4:1 instructs believers to test the spirits because many false prophets have gone out into the world. A spiritual claim must be tested against the truth God has revealed in Scripture. We must be willing to bring even a cherished teaching under that examination and surrender it wherever it contradicts His Word.

Friends, deception has troubled God’s people across generations, so its presence does not allow us to calculate the date of Christ’s return. It does, however, give us every reason to take His warning seriously. Eternity is too important for us to accept a message simply because it is popular, impressive, or pleasing to hear. Jesus gave this warning so that His followers would remain faithful as they awaited Him. Let us receive the truth even when it corrects us, remain teachable before the Lord, and hold firmly to His Word. Readiness for His coming begins with listening carefully to the One who promised to return.

God Bless,
Tyrone