When the subject of the Second Coming is raised, quite naturally, the question of what “sign” or “signs” will precede it is asked, and invariably, wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, famines, and similar catastrophes are proposed as harbingers of that day. Yet Jesus himself gave us the definitive answer to this question, namely, the completion of the mission of the Church to proclaim his salvation and lordship to all nations.
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In the first chapter of Matthew, an angel informed Joseph that the child carried by Mary was “begotten of the Holy Spirit,” and he instructed him to name the child ‘Jesus’ – “Call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” This name pointed to the saving act of God for His people which He was about to reveal. In the Nazarene, the salvation promised to Israel and the nations had arrived. “Good News” indeed!
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When we hear the term “Last Days” we assume it refers to the final few years of history that will occur just before the return of Jesus “on the clouds of Heaven.” This is logical and natural. However, the New Testament presents the present age as the time of fulfillment, the period that began following the death, resurrection, and enthronement of Jesus.
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The Book of Revelation applies several terms to the Church that is under assault from within and without. The men who have been redeemed by Jesus form a new priestly company that transcends all national, social, and cultural boundaries, and “tribulation” and persecution are not aberrations to be avoided at all costs, but integral parts of what it means to belong to the Kingdom of God. Persevering in the “Testimony of Jesus” through affliction goes to the heart of what it means to follow the “Lamb wherever he goes.”
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Two repeated themes in Revelation are closely related – “Witness” and “Overcome.” Beginning with Jesus of Nazareth and his martyrdom on Calvary, his followers are summoned to persevere in his “Testimony.” In this way, they will “overcome” and emerge victorious in the city of “New Jerusalem.” They must “overcome, even as I overcame.” Moreover, Jesus is presented to the “Seven Assemblies of Asia” as the “FAITHFUL WITNESS, the Firstborn of the Dead, and the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth.”
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Insights into Bible Prophecy 