Intro to the End Times is a series walking through some of the key themes of the story of Jesus’ return from a historic premillennial perspective, with special focus on knowing the heart of Jesus as we partner with God through the most dramatic chapter of human history.

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The question of the signs of the times is of growing interest in the world right now. Even the unbelieving world is asking questions and wondering what chapter of human history we’re in. Luckily for us, we don’t have to speculate. When the disciples asked Jesus the question, “what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Mt. 24:3) He gave them two chapters of an answer!

Distinct Seasons of the End Times

Before we can talk about the signs, let’s first get our bearings in the distinct seasons that make up what we call the “end times”. Some may point out that we have technically been in the “last days” since Pentecost (Ac. 2:17, He. 1:2), and that’s absolutely true, from a certain point of view! The chapter of history we’ve been in has been a long one, but there is a final, shorter chapter coming that brings the conclusion of this age and the transition into the kingdom age with Jesus on the earth.

The Bible uses the imagery of a woman giving birth to describe the final generation (Isa. 42:14, Mt. 24:4-8, Jn. 16:16-22, Ro. 8:22, 1Th. 5:3). When a baby is nearly ready to come, contractions usually start slowly. There may even be a few false alarms or Braxton Hicks contractions that let the woman know that the day is getting close. When labor starts, it’s slow at first, then accelerates, more and more intensely with increasing pain. Finally, the woman is in hard labor and is actively pushing– and then the baby is here!

Similarly, the events of the end times start slow and then build, up until the final events when everything is THE MOST INTENSE IT COULD POSSIBLY BE and then Jesus ushers in the next age– the baby has been born!

1. Birth Pains
   Jesus described a collection of trends that He called the “beginning of birth pains” that would mark the season of His return. These trends are meant to alert us to the generation we’re living in. (Mt. 24, Mk. 13, Lk. 21) This season includes national disasters, wars, ethnic strife, spiritual deception, etc. It’s a time of distress like the world has never seen– but it’s only the beginning.
2. The First 3 1/2 Years of the Tribulation
   The final seven years before Jesus comes are divided in the middle, with the first half being less intense than the second half. In the aftermath of the global chaos of the birth pains, the antichrist appears to be a brilliant rising political leader who ushers in a season of (false) peace and safety (1Th. 5:3). Meanwhile, wickedness of every sort is increasing (the “Harlot Babylon” system and culture) and the church is getting persecuted for saying that the world’s favorite good guy is actually a bad guy.
3. The Great Tribulation
   At the midway point of the tribulation, the antichrist sets himself up in the temple in Jerusalem and declares himself to be God (the “abomination of desolation”, Da. 9:27, 11:31, 12:11; Mt. 24:15-22; 2Th. 2:3-4). This event kicks off the second three and a half years known as the “great tribulation”, which is when the judgments start in earnest (Revelation 6).

I believe that we’re currently in the early days of the birth pains. It’s becoming clearer and clearer that global crisis is escalating.

Qualifications for a Sign

Each of these three distinct seasons is marked by a series of trends and events that serve as signposts along the way. Especially in the “birth pains” season, which I believe we’re in, it’s important to have a biblical grid for what qualifies as a sign so we don’t a) confuse the issue by declaring anything any everything a “sign of the times”, or b) bypass legitimate signs.

In order for things to be legitimate signs, they must be discernible, global, accelerating, and simultaneous.

1. Discernible
   Signs must be clearly discernible, like road signs must be clear in their information about the road we’re on. Similarly, God wants to give signs that are clear to anyone who is paying attention. He won’t hide vague, confusing signs in layers of riddles that only a select few can figure out.
2. Global
   The end times are a global storyline. If an occurrence only affects one region and doesn’t even cause global ripples, we probably can’t accurately call it a sign of the times. Signs must have global impact, because the Body of Christ is spread across the entire world.
3. Accelerating
   The trends during the birth pains may start slow, but they accelerate into life-altering global realities. Something that happens once and then goes away without getting worse is probably not a sign.
4. Simultaneous
   The most notable thing about the signs is that they’re all fulfilled for the first time and at the same time–within a single generation. The signs become signs when they start happening in tandem with each other.

Trends of the Birth Pains

In the message known as the Olivet Discourse, Jesus gave certain signs describing the generation in which He would return. These signs aren’t events, specifically; they’re trends, each one representing a whole pattern of events and occurrences in society and in the earth. I believe we can see these trends beginning even now and they will continue to increase until Jesus comes back.

The Olivet Discourse appears in Matthew 24-25, Luke 21, and Mark 13. I’ll summarize a few key themes here, but I encourage you to go read the chapters to catch the flow and context. (I found this comparison chart invaluable; the full ESV text of all three chapters is laid out side by side to highlight the common sayings.)

1. Deception (Mt. 24:4, 11, 23-26; Mk. 13:5, 21-22; Lk. 21:8 [Lk. 17:23])
   Jesus starts his message with the urgent admonition, “See that no one leads you astray.” Deception will be a primary concern. There will be false christs (not just false religions, but actual men claiming to be Jesus) and false prophets. They will have real power to do signs and wonders, and even the elect will be susceptible if we’re not careful.
2. Ethnic Conflict (Mt. 24:7, Mk. 13:8, Lk. 21:10)
   Jesus said that “nation will rise against nation”. The Greek word for “nation” is ethnos, from which we get the word “ethnicity”. This isn’t about national borders; the implication is that different people groups will be set against each other.
3. Wars (Mt. 24:6-7, Mk. 13:7-8, Lk. 21:9-10)
   We also see “kingdom against kingdom”. This refers to separate countries going to war against each other. Matthew and Mark both also promise “wars and rumors of wars”, and Luke says “wars and tumults”. “Rumors of wars” describes the unease of threatened or potential war.
4. Natural Disasters (Mt. 24:7; Mk 13:8; Lk. 21:11, 25)
   Jesus said there would be famines, earthquakes, and pestilences. “Pestilence” literally means plague, especially disease. Luke 21 also describes “the roaring of the sea and the waves”, such as hurricanes.
5. Persecution (Mt. 24:9 [Mt. 10:17-22], Mk. 13:9-13, Lk 21:12-17)
   All three chapters go into detail about believers being persecuted and even martyred for the sake of Jesus. People will even betray their own family members to the authorities for their faith. Jesus says, “You will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.” This will get most intense during the tribulation itself, but we can see it increasing globally even now.
6. Falling Away (Mt. 24:10-12, 24; Mk. 13:22)
   In my opinion, this is the worst part of the entire end time narrative: the vast number of people who will fall away from the faith. “The love of many will grow cold” is a terrifying phrase. I believe some of these will be lukewarm churchgoers, but some of them will be true believers who let their hearts gradually grow hard and cold toward God. Paul also spoke of this falling away (1Ti. 4:1, 2Th. 2:3).
7. Lawlessness (Mt. 24:12)
   Matthew 24 says that the increase of lawlessness is the reason for love growing cold. Paul warns of a whole series of sins that will be rampant in the last days (2Ti. 3:1-5). Once the tribulation is well underway, Revelation describes an even darker culture of wickedness (Re. 9:21).
8. Gospel Proclaimed (Mt. 24:14, Mk. 13:10)
   Jesus said that the end wouldn’t come until the gospel of the kingdom is proclaimed to every nation, which you’ll remember from #2 actually means people group. This has never before seemed actually attainable, but major modern missions organizations believe this could realistically happen in this generation.

Jesus also spoke of the abomination of desolation which I described above, and various signs in the heavens, up to and including the actual moment of Him appearing in the clouds (Mt. 24:29-30; Mk. 13:24-26; Lk. 21:11, 25-27). These occur during the period of the tribulation and therefore aren’t so much signs to watch for ahead of time (but if we manage to miss everything else, they will certainly be dramatic last-minute wake up calls!).

A Few Other Signs

Though not found specifically in the Olivet Discourse, these are a few of the trends and signs we can recognize in our generation that I believe are setting the stage for the events of the end times to play out. There are a number of others, too; I encourage you to search the scriptures and ask the Lord to highlight more to you!

1. The Establishing of Israel
   Many of the prophecies of the end times, especially the abomination of desolation, presuppose an actual nation of Israel with a functioning temple. For generations this was impossible, but in the past century we have seen the rebirth of the nation of Israel (the significant dates being 1948 and 1967). We haven’t seen the rebuilding of the temple yet, but many within Judaism are preparing to launch the full ceremonial system as soon as it becomes possible.
2. The Prayer Movement
   Throughout the story of the end times, there is a soundtrack of 24/7 prayer and worship. In the past 20 years we have seen prayer and worship skyrocket globally, especially in ministries pursuing 24/7 worship inspired by the throne room of heaven and the tabernacle of David.
3. Shifts in the Church
   God is bringing the church into mature partnership with Him in the last generation. Admittedly we have far to go, but we are seeing these trends increase: hunger for the gifts and activity of the Holy Spirit, desire for intimacy with Jesus as His bride, and expectation for the return of Jesus, including the raising up of forerunner messengers to proclaim it.

The admonition throughout Scripture is clear: when we see these signs, take them seriously and continue to WATCH. They give us hope that our salvation is near, and they also should strike the fear of the Lord into our hearts that there is no time to waste. We need to be preparing ourselves and the world around us to be in agreement with God as the events leading to Jesus’ return continue to unfold.

For more of an in-depth study on the signs of the times, I recommend Brad Stroup’s teaching series called Signs of the Times.