Sense the Season and Look Up

(Matthew 24:36 NKJV) “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”

Our Lord Jesus stated very clearly that no one knows the day and hour of his return, except his Father. If Jesus, the Living Word, doesn’t know, then it’s not in the Bible. However, we saw yesterday that the Holy Spirit said we should be able to discern the subtle and overt signs when it’s the season for his return. After all, Jesus’s disciples not only asked, “When will these things be?” they also asked, “And what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Mat. 24:3 nkjv).

Jesus already answered the, “when?” question with, “No one knows … but my Father.” Let’s now look at him talking about the signs of his imminent appearing. These signs are indicators; they are both natural and/or supernatural events, like the “signs” in signs and wonders (See: Mark 16:15–20). The first sign Jesus mentions is the “days of Noah”:

(Matthew 24:37–39 NKJV) “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. (38) For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, (39) and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

Jesus said that the season leading up to his return will be like the days leading up to Noah’s flood: people were continuing with their normal life until the “flood came and took them all away.” What else can we learn from those days that can help us know when this season is at hand? Let’s look in Genesis:

(Genesis 6:1–2 NKJV) Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, (2) that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.

Depending on exactly who the “sons of God” are, this passage may simply be describing normal everyday life, or it may be revealing a sinister crossing of a boundary—where spirit beings were beginning to marry and have children with humans. The next passage says their offspring were “giants … men of renown” (shame, infamy). Whatever was going on, God thought it was “wicked”:

(Genesis 6:4–5 NKJV) There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. (5) Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Whether crossing the boundary between spirit and human was the issue or not, God certainly considered that what was going on at that time was “great” “wickedness.” (Any sexual activity not presided over by God’s Holy Spirit—as in covenantal marriage before God—will be presided over by wicked enemy spirits—as in fornication, adultery, etc. This must be included in the “wickedness” of our day.) We too will face a time of increasing wickedness right up to the day of Jesus’s appearing.

(Genesis 6:3, 6–7 NKJV) And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” ... (6) And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. (7) So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”

God’s Spirit had been striving with man, obviously wanting them to repent from their wickedness; but apart from Noah, they did not respond. God was “grieved in his heart” about this, so he destroyed sinful man, and began again with Noah and his family:

(Genesis 6:8, 13, 17–18, 22 NLT) But Noah found favor with the LORD. ... (13) So God said to Noah, “… (17) Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. (18) But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives.” ... (22) So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.

The ark Noah built was necessary to keep them safe from God’s inundation, judgment, and cleansing. Noah was righteous; therefore, although God loves justice and has to punish offenders and put things right, his love motivated him to include rescue for Noah in his plan. No matter what happens between now and Jesus’s return; and no matter how severe God’s judgments on wickedness will be, he has included a wonderful plan for our safety and rescue.

The Holy Spirit uses Noah’s ark to illustrate our rescue in Christ:

(1 Peter 3:20–21 NLT) … Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. (21) And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus also said that the season of his return would be as in the “days of Lot”:

(Luke 17:28–30 NKJV) “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; (29) but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. (30) Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”

Lot had been living in Sodom after he separated from Abraham. God’s love of justice needed to do something about the wickedness of that city. The citizens of Sodom were oblivious to what was about to happen, but God warned Lot and directed him out of the city. To the unsuspecting inhabitants, God’s rain of fire and brimstone came like the proverbial thief in the night—totally unexpectedly.

This seems to be Jesus’s main point about the season of his return. The general population will be extremely wicked—with maybe a crossing of the boundary between human and spiritual beings in producing babies. God warned both Noah and Lot, and he devised a way to save them both; but the general population was oblivious to God’s impending judgment. His flood and his rain of fire were both punishment and cleansing.

We note particularly that in the above passage, Jesus said that this overt judgment of fire is like it will be in “the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” (This may be an event at the same time as, or subsequent to, his stealthy rapture of the church.) Jesus also said this about his glorious return:

(Luke 17:24 NKJV) “For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.”

When Peter writes about what it was like for Lot living in his season, this is what he says:

(2 Peter 2:6–9 NKJV) and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; (7) and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked ( (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds).

Like Lot, in the time from now until Jesus’s return (or rapture of the church), we will encounter what Lot experienced: “Lot … was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked.” This vexed his soul on a daily basis. If you are similarly tormented by the evil around you, you are not alone; you are not “weird.” This is one of the signs of the season of Jesus’s imminent return. Thank God that he knows how to protect and deliver those who are godly:

(2 Peter 2:9 NKJV) the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.

Sadly, this season may also be a time of temptation for some. So Jesus says emphatically:

(Luke 17:32 NKJV) “Remember Lot’s wife.”

What was her story?

(Genesis 19:17, 26 NLT) When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” ... (26) But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.

Lot’s wife merely looked back to her life in Sodom. She didn’t even turn around and go back, but some part of her must have been still attached to the wicked community and its lifestyle. Don’t look back. Instead, “look up”:

(Luke 21:25–28 NKJV) “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; (26) men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (27) Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (28) Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”