Jesus offers a stark warning to those who refuse to read the signs of the times. In Luke 12:54-56 he says, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” (ESV).
According to Jesus, we should be able to discern the times through events that happen every day. Events speak! And those with ears can understand what these events, large or small, mean. The wise men from the east had seen a sign of Jesus’ first coming, and by following the prophesied star, they found the baby Jesus right on time. The Jewish leaders had no clue despite their vaunted knowledge of the Scriptures. They were blind to the event!
In Matt. 24 Jesus speaks of the signs preceding His second coming. There will be deceptions, false Christs, wars and rumors of wars, as well as famines and earthquakes. And these signs are only the beginning. There will also be persecution, betrayal, and hatred. False prophets will arise and lawlessness will increase. Love for others will turn cold. Closer to the end, there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. The heavens will be shaken. At some point near the end, the final gospel message will be preached to the whole world. Then the final sign of the second coming will appear, a sign so obvious that the people of the world will mourn while the elect rejoice. The eyes of every person on earth will see Jesus coming in the clouds of heaven with great power and glory.
It is highly significant that the signs of the second coming increase over time in scope, frequency, and intensity. In other words, there will be more and more of the same signs! One sign, the abomination of desolation, will occur twice, once at the destruction of Jerusalem by pagan Rome and once again when the first beast of Rev. 13 (papal Rome) demands worship of the image to the beast (a universal Sunday law). Two signs, however, will not increase because they are one-time events: (1) the gospel will reach the whole world, and (2) the clouds announcing Jesus’ second coming will appear and grow more and more glorious.
This summer we are witnessing ongoing signs of increasing scope, frequency, and intensity. A massive earthquake in Venezuela that killed thousands. Devastating heat waves across huge portions of the eastern half of the United States as well as in western Europe. Horrific floods and tornados on a large scale. A widening war in the Middle East.
At the same time, we are seeing threats to religious freedom grow more intense. President Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission gave its final report and asserted that there was no such thing as the separation of church and state. Instead, the commission advocated “building bridges” between church and state.
We are hearing more and more about the importance of getting back to God, Family, and Country.
The expression “God, Family, and Country” is nothing more than an expression of the papal notion of the “common good.” Pope Leo recently said that he wanted to “build a better world, a world of peace, a world in which we are all truly united.”
The pontiff says that the Nicene Creed of 325 A. D. unifies all Christians. This creed concerns the Trinity and the nature of Christ. Leo said this creed “must be the foundation and guiding principle of this ecumenical journey, offering the model of true unity within legitimate diversity.” He calls on all Christian denominations of the world to unify around this creed. This way, Christians can proclaim one faith and build one peace.
Most Christians agree with this creed generally speaking, but the true people of God accept the Bible alone as the only true creed. No creeds demonstrate the final authority; only the Bible is the final test of error.
The idea of the common good comes from Greek and Roman philosophy and was taken into the church by St. Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225-1274). It is a worldly concept. The common good in the New Testament refers exclusively to the Church. Notice I Cor. 12:7 in the Berean Standard Version, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” Leo’s view of the common good could easily been seen as a rejection of any churches that don’t accept church creeds of any sort.
Current religious events are so obvious that a newspaper such as the New York Times recently featured an important newsletter on the subject.
The author interviewed a scholar on the subject. This scholar noted three groups today who are pushing the idea of civilizational collapse because Christianity is shrinking. 1. Catholic scholars who oppose religious pluralism and want the church to be dominant. 2. Christian reconstructionists [such as Douglas Wilson of Moscow, Idaho or those in Battle Ground, Washington]. 3. Members of the pentecostal New Apostolic Reformation, such as Paula White-Cain, the White House faith advisor. This last group has self-proclaimed prophets and apostles who claim to speak with divine authority. These prophets offer “a word” from God on current events.
What occurred in Washington, D. C. on May 17, 2026 well represents a movement toward the union of church and state. Many speakers at the event, Rededicate 250, proclaimed Jesus Christ in a nationalistic context. This event was a first for the government of the United States of America.
It is important to notice that Jesus in Matt. 24 warns Christians about false Christs and false signs and wonders, indicating that the deception will be a false Christianity. What is a false Christianity? It proclaims a false Christ.
Who is the real Jesus? We must know the real Jesus from the Bible. If we know that Jesus personally, we are in His hands. He is our Rock.
However, there are many versions of Jesus today.
There’s the Jesus of the God Calling book of 1932 and the Jesus Calling book of 2004. These books have sold many millions of copies to Christians of every kind, but the authors were basically channeling “Jesus” through automatic writing, a form of spiritualism. They were written in first person; in other words, the books claim that Jesus himself is speaking.
There’s the Catholic Jesus, there’s the Protestant Jesus, there’s a Muslim and Hindu Jesus, and then there is the Jesus of the Bible.
In 1888, a national Sunday law was introduced in the U. S. Senate, the so-called Blair bill. A. T. Jones, a Seventh-day Adventist professor of history, testified in Congress against this law. It was defeated. We face far more serious conditions than those of 1888.
When will such a Sunday law appear? We do not know.
But in the future, sooner or later, church and state will unify around Sunday observance. Sunday will become a test of loyalty to the church/state union. The world will face a choice: accept the law of God or the traditions of men. That used to be impossible to believe, but today we know differently.
Many Protestants and Catholics are unaware of this history and honor Sunday out of an honest desire to obey God. These children of God need to hear the biblical warning, “Come out of her, my people,” (Rev. 18:4).
The Jesus of the Bible wants to save every soul possible. This is why He warns the world so forcefully. He loves each person profoundly.
May we discern the times, as Jesus urged us to! We must watch and be ready. We must put on the armor of God. The belt of truth. The breastplate of Christ’s righteousness. Feet ready to spread the gospel. The shield of faith. The helmet of salvation. The sword of the Spirit.