Signs of the Times– The Change of the Season
I. THE COMMAND TO KNOW THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
A. The subject of the signs of the times is greatly neglected by the body of Christ. Many Scriptures emphasize how
important prophetic signs are at the End of the Age. In Scripture, Jesus taught more than any of the apostles on our need
to discern the times. Jesus gave severe rebukes to those who did not pay attention to the prophetic signs that pointed to
His coming.
B. God promised to give prophetic signs in the generation that the Lord returns as an expression of His mercy, so
people can make the necessary preparations for what is coming. Prophetic signs serve the Church like a weather station
that signals coming trouble so the people can prepare and save lives. The example of the Southeast Asia Tsunami
caused by the Sumatra earthquake on Dec. 26, 2004 illustrates this.
C. Jesus taught that Israel came under judgment for being unresponsive to God because they did not know the time
of their visitation from God.
41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your
day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For days will come upon you when
your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 and level you, and
your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know
the time of your visitation." (Luke 19:41-44)
1. Jesus prophesied of the four-year siege of Israel and Jerusalem by the Roman army in (66 AD to 70 AD) because
they did not discern the hour of their visitation. There are severe consequences to individuals, families, cities and nations
when the people are uninformed and unresponsive in a prophetic generation. They did not properly prepare for that time.
2. Corrie ten Boom lived in Europe during the Nazi regime. After she was freed from the prison camps, she said the
Church told the people in Germany that all would be fine and that trouble was not coming. The church was unprepared
and many fell away.
D. Jesus commanded us to know the generation that the Lord returns.
32 Learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you KNOW
that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see ALL these things, KNOW that it is near--at the doors! 34 Assuredly…
this generation will by no means pass away till ALL these things take place… 36 Of that day and hour no one knows, not
even the angels…but My Father only…42 Watch…for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 Know this, that
if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house
to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
(Matthew 24:32-44)
E. The Church will look up and lift their heads in encouragement knowing Jesus is coming soon.
28 When these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. 29 He spoke…
a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves
that summer is now near. 31 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near…
(Luke 21:28-31)
F. Jesus rebukes the people for being able to read weather signs while being unable to interpret the prophetic signs
of His first coming.
54 Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west (Mediterranean Sea),
immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is. 55 And when you see the south wind blow (Negev desert area),
you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is. 56 Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth,
but how is it you do not discern this time? (Luke 12:54-56)
1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He…said
to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; 3 and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather
today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot
discern the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to
it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." (Matthew 16:1-4)
G. Asking for a sign was a legitimate request because Joel prophesied that the Messiah would give signs from heaven
(Joel 2:30-32). In hypocrisy, they were seeking signs beyond those done by Jesus and given by Scripture with the
intention of testing God. Jesus’ miracles were signs to bear witness of Him (John 5:36).
H. God expects His people to discern what the prophets say in the hour in which they live. If we neglect the strategic
info that God gives us, then we are considered foolish and slow of heart.
25 O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! (Luke 24:25)
II. SIGNS OF THE CHANGING OF THE SEASON – MATTHEW 24:32-35
32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know
that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I
say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass
away, but My words will by no means pass away. (Matthew 24:32-35)
A. There are many prophesied “signs” in the prophetic scriptures that mark the final generation as unique. These
signs give us understanding that we are in a unique season in history. The assumption that many make regarding
Matthew 24:36 and 44 is that:
1. No one can know the day or the hour, which must mean a sudden, unexpected departure. This cannot be true, as
the apostles themselves understood that there would be signs and events that they would be able to use to mark the
season change that would mark His coming. No one can know the day or the hour, but Jesus Himself made clear that
we could (and should) know the season, or generation of His return.
2. No one will ever know the day or the hour. “Of that day” no one knows, only the Father Himself. That does not
mean, however, that we will never know the time of His coming.
3. The Bible gives precise information to believers (number of days, months, and years pertaining to certain events
in the last days) that will give us great hope in the midst of fiery trial. We may still not know the exact day or hour, but we
will have great hope alive within us that there is a predetermined end to the trouble that will soon come.
III. EMERGING TRENDS THAT REVEAL THIS SEASON OF HISTORY:
A. There are many key biblical trends that reveal a “change in the season”. These are little “tip-offs” from the Lord
in the scriptures that serve to connect the final generation of history to the uniqueness of the hour that they live in.
There are many emerging trends that we must pay attention to to alert us that we are living in a time unlike any other.
B. The emergence of a global prayer and worship movement that would be marked by “enjoyable prayer” (Isaiah 56:7);
C. A marked increase of knowledge (not wisdom) as many run “to and fro” to obtain it (Daniel 12:4); 5 years worth
of research material is produced by scientists every 24 hours; 80% of all the scientists who have ever lived are alive in
our generation; 500,000 new books are produced every year;
D. An “unsealing” of revelation regarding the “time of the end” available to many (Daniel 12: 4, 9) – the wise shall have
understanding of the hour in which they live (Daniel 12:10), similar to the Sons of Issachar, who understood the times they
lived in (1 Chronicles 12:32)
E. The re-emergence of the bridal paradigm of intimacy is a key gift from God to the church in the final hours of
history to equip the heart of the bride for the intensity of the shaking to come – oil (the heart alive in fresh encounter)
is a key ingredient to stability in preparation.
1. Jesus Himself, in Matthew 25:1-13 shares a key prophetic picture of a coming generation of virgins who were
giving themselves to be prepared for the return of the bridegroom. The context is that the virgins have ministries (lamps)
and an understanding of the bridal paradigm – they are operating with understanding of the intimacy message.
F. The global harvest of Revelation 7:9 – people of every nation, tribe and tongue touched by the gospel unto
salvation; we are already seeing the first fruits of a global harvest unlike any other period in history: the gospel has been
preached to 4 billion people with churches existing in all 251 nations of the earth; the Bible has been translated into
2,062 languages available to 98% of the world’s population;
1. The final generation of history will have more people alive in their time than all other generations of history added
together: it took 5800 years for the global population to reach 1 billion (4000 BC – 1800 AD); from 1800-1900 the global
population jumped to 2 billion; from 1900 – 1950 there was another jump – to 4 billion; the global population by 2025 is
estimated to be 8 – 10 billion people (currently 6.5).
2. If one billion souls come into the kingdom during a global harvest, then there will be more believers on earth than
there would be in heaven. There would also be more unbelievers on earth at one time that the number of unbelievers in
hell.
3. The sheer number of people on earth statistically who believe that they are in the generation that the Lord will
return is beyond anything we know of historically – there has never been a generation of believers and unbelievers who
carried such a universal expectation of “the end of the world”;
4. There has never been an hour of more widespread supernatural activity such as this one (i.e. Transformed cities,
revival centers in South America, Africa, and Asia); the number of Pentecostal and Charismatic believers has jumped
from 1 million in 1900 to 602 million today.
G. The increase of wickedness unto its fullness on the earth (Daniel 8:23) in the “latter time of their kingdom”:
Jesus spoke of the conditions of the earth at the time of His second coming being similar to the “days of Noah”
(Luke 17:26) and the “days of Lot” (Luke 17:28) – a generation filled with people giving themselves to business as
usual with no regard to coming judgment;
1. Paul paints the picture in 2 Timothy 3:1-9 of perilous times to come in which self-centered narcissism will be at
its height in human history, with humans completely lacking in self-control, brutal in their dealings with one another;
with the chief distinguishing feature being that they are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, “always learning
but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth”.
2. The chief desire of the nations will be overwhelmingly for “peace and safety” (1 Thessalonians 5:3) – and men will
stop at nothing to attain this peace of mind (Isaiah 28:15, 18; Daniel 9:27; Revelation 17:6).
3. The chief sins that man will unrepentantly, stubbornly cling to in the coming hour will be murder, sorcery, sexual
immorality, and theft (Revelation 9:21).