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Signs of the Second Coming of Christ
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Christ said, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall
come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.”
Many false messiahs will appear, declaring that the time of the
deliverance of the Jewish nation has come. These will mislead many.
Christ’s words were fulfilled. Between His death and the siege of
Jerusalem many false messiahs appeared. The same deceptions will
be practiced again.
“And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be
not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end [of
the Jewish nation as a nation] is not yet. For nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there will be famines,
and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the
beginning of sorrows.” The rabbis will declare that these signs are
the token of the advent of the Messiah. Be not deceived; the signs
that they represent as tokens of their release from bondage are signs
of their destruction.
“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you:
and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name’s sake. And then
shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate
one another.” All this the Christians suffered. Fathers and mothers
betrayed their children, children their parents. Friends delivered
friends up to the Sanhedrin. The persecutors killed Stephen, James,
and other Christians.
Through His servants, God gave the Jewish people a last op-
portunity to repent. He manifested Himself in their arrest and trial,
yet their judges pronounced on them the death sentence. By killing
them, the Jews crucified afresh the Son of God. So it will be again.
The authorities will make laws to restrict religious liberty. They
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will think they can force the conscience, which God alone should
control. This work they will continue till they reach a boundary over
which they cannot step. God will interpose in behalf of His loyal,
commandment-keeping people.
When persecution takes place, many stumble and fall, aposta-
tizing from the faith they once advocated. Those who apostatize in
time of trial will, to secure their own safety, bear false witness and
betray their brethren. Christ has warned us of this, that we may not
be surprised at the unnatural, cruel course of those who reject the
light.