SolLuna, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Matthew 24:15-31

“So when you see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place, as was spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; the one on the housetop must not go down to take what is in the house; the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat."

"Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath. For at that time there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short."

"Then if anyone says to you, 'Look! Here is the Messiah!' or 'There he is!'– do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Take note, I have told you beforehand."

"So, if they say to you, 'Look! He is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look! He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather."

"Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see 'the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

God's ultimate redemption of the earth is unmistakable.

There are countless imitations and temptations to panic or settle for less.

Don't fret.

When it comes, you cannot mistake it for anything else. You cannot miss it. Do not be led astray.

No one will be able to fake the real thing successfully. The Son of Man is coming in the clouds of heaven and will come in magnificent power and undeniable glory.

He will not be so easily unnoticed as he was in his Bethlehem coming. He will not come quietly.

You will not have to find him. He will find you and gather you.

This is often called the Second Advent. I call it the Grand Advent and the Final Beginning!

Until then, expect trouble, insults, desecrations of what it holy, and abominations that rattle the brain and offend the senses. But do not loose heart or hope.

The angels are tuning their trumpets and their sound will be clear and compelling.