There are beliefs that all Christians hold in common, but not all share the same life experiences. To be a Christian in Syria is exactly what it is in America, but the actual way we live out our Christianity might be vastly different from one another. The same idea is true when it comes to seasons of history. In the book with his name, Daniel was visited by a “certain man” (whose description is nearly identical to the description of Christ in His glorified body in Revelation 1:13-16), who spoke to Daniel, saying, “Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” (Dan 12:4). And later, Jesus spoke to the disciples of things to come: “There will be signs in the sun . . . moon, and . . . stars; and on earth distress of nations . . . , the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear . . . of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. . . . They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. . . . When these things begin to happen . . . lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Lk 21:25-28).
Through Daniel, the Lord was saying that there will be a season in human history called “the time of the end,” when knowledge of Daniel’s prophecy will increase, setting those times apart from all others. God also said in Luke that there will be signs in the heavens, indicating that we should lift our heads and look up, because our redemption is near, and the Son of Man will soon appear in a cloud, with power and great glory!
We are now living in a season unlike any other, and experiences among Christians during this time will be distinct from those of times past, even though our beliefs will be just the same. What are we to watch for? How can we know that the times of the end are drawing near? In Matthew we read, “The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; 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” (Mat 16:1-3).
And again in Matthew, Jesus spoke: “Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 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, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (24:36-27).
Jesus rebuked the religious leaders for not discerning what the signs of His first coming had been, and then He told Peter, Andrew, James, and John that the same thing will again occur prior to His Second Coming. Again, people will ignore or deny the signs.
