Question:

Are there signs for Jesus’ coming?  If so, what are they?

Answer:

The apostle Paul writes to the Thessalonian believers (around 51 A.D.): “Ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 1:9,10).  Less than 20 years after Jesus told His disciples, “I will come again, and receive you unto Myself” (John 14:3), Christians were already looking for His coming, and they have continued in this expectancy for nearly 2,000 years.  Scripture gives us no signs or events that need to be fulfilled before the rapture—the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His saints.  There are things that happen in our world—such as the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 or the tragic events of September 11, 2001—that cause us to exclaim, “The Lord’s coming must be very near!”  The characteristics of mankind in the last days given in 2 Timothy 3:2-4 also make us believe that the rapture cannot be far off.  However, there is nothing in the Bible that says that these or any other events must happen before the Lord comes back for His own.  “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).