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Just What is the First Sign?

KevinK

KevinK

Member
I admit to being kind of lost at this point. Assuming we are in the End Times, what will be the first obvious, blatant, and incontrovertible sign that we are? Will it be a trumpet blast from the heavens, the sun turning black, the seas turning red, the Rapture? I mean something that will convince everyone instantly, religious or non-religious. Whether it's too late for some or not is a separate question, of course.
 
A sign will be forthcoming when we see Israel presenting the daily sacrifice again.

Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

The abomination of desolation comes at 1260 days into the temptation to come upon all the world, thus making this time 30 days prior to that time. As a nation are Israel sacrificing? Yes in a fashion. With no altar to sacrifice at, they presently render the following.

Hosea 14:2. "Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips."

In the New Testament we find a similar sacrifice. Hebrews 13:15. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
 
Brother Kevin, I really have no idea, but My friend Gene Hawkins gave the following thoughts on the daily sacrifice to come.
"Now I want us to notice a little bit concerning this daily sacrifice because there have been those down through the years that have looked at where they shall take away the daily sacrifice in the book of Daniel and they say well, we know that's not going to be for a long time because Israel really doesn't even have a temple. Well in Ezra 3:2 we read, "Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God." We find out here that Israel does not have to have a temple in order to offer the sacrifices, and I really do believe they are going to offer some kind of sacrifice that is going to be visible or at least meaningful to them because it has to be taken away. And so when they give up it simply means that they really have given up God's way of redemption and Jesus will simply say no more, that's it and so it's equivalent to what we have here of departing out of the temple."
 
KevinK said:
I admit to being kind of lost at this point. Assuming we are in the End Times, what will be the first obvious, blatant, and incontrovertible sign that we are? Will it be a trumpet blast from the heavens, the sun turning black, the seas turning red, the Rapture? I mean something that will convince everyone instantly, religious or non-religious. Whether it's too late for some or not is a separate question, of course.
Click to expand...

First step, if you are kind of lost, is to challenge the assumptions that have gotten you lost in the first place. Consider Acts 2:14-21 for what Peter identified as the first signs of the Last Days.
 
I would look for signs of the Spirit of God being poured out: As in a latter rain.

But what says the scripture about those that seek a sign? And evil and adulterous people seeks after a sign, and yet no sign shall be given except that of Jonah the prophet. Thus signifying his death and resurrection, for he shall spend three days in the belly of the earth.

Hosea 6:1-3
Come, and let us return unto the Lord:
for he hath torn, and he will heal us;
he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
After two days will he revive us:
in the third day he will raise us up,
and we shall live in his sight.
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord:
his going forth is prepared as the morning;
and he shall come unto us as the rain,
as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
 
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The abomination of desolation. If we are the temple, then if satan rules inside us that is an abomination.

If anyone has Christ. he has a daily intercession (by Jesus) on the right hand of the father .

The great falling away in men's hearts is a great sign.

eddif
 
The "First Sign" is to simply read what Peter stood up and declared at the day of Pentecost. That will tell you that those were "The End Times", just like Sinthesis said.

Quit trying to make the Bible a Fortune Teller's crystal ball. Do you really want to raise your hand, and identify yourself as one of the "evil and adulterous people", looking for signs? (Hey... It's right there in the Bible. We aren't supposed to be doing that stuff.)
 
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After carefully reading the original post I see the confusion of several answers.

KevinK said:
I admit to being kind of lost at this point. Assuming we are in the End Times, what will be the first obvious, blatant, and incontrovertible sign that we are? Will it be a trumpet blast from the heavens, the sun turning black, the seas turning red, the Rapture? I mean something that will convince everyone instantly, religious or non-religious. Whether it's too late for some or not is a separate question, of course.
Click to expand...
Let us look here:
( Assuming we are in the End Times, WHAT WILL BE the first obvious, blatant, and incontrovertible sign that we are?)
IS (what will be) supposed to be (what was).
If it is (what was) then Pentecost was the correct answer (empowered by the crucification of Jesus).

The (WILL IT BE) kind of sends some of us to the final day when the trumpet sounds (rapture?). If it is the last day (WILL BE) then the sign could be:
II Thessalonians 2:1
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Some one else help unravel our confusion.

We are right now discussing the last age (?), and the last day (?). Both are valid discussions.

eddif
 
Willie T said:
The "First Sign" is to simply read what Peter stood up and declared at the day of Pentecost. That will tell you that those were "The End Times", just like Sinthesis said.

Quit trying to make the Bible a Fortune Teller's crystal ball. Do you really want to raise your hand, and identify yourself as one of the "evil and adulterous people", looking for signs? (Hey... It's right there in the Bible. We aren't supposed to be doing that stuff.)
Click to expand...
Wow...a bit on the harsh side. Anyways, it seemed like a fair question, and I am not even asking for myself (I'm already a believer). I'm thinking about the multitudes of non-believers, and trying to arm myself with any knowledge that might help. We are required to evangelize, yes? But I'm not a Bible scholar, so trying to ask people who are.
 
KevinK said:
Wow...a bit on the harsh side. Anyways, it seemed like a fair question, and I am not even asking for myself (I'm already a believer). I'm thinking about the multitudes of non-believers, and trying to arm myself with any knowledge that might help. We are required to evangelize, yes? But I'm not a Bible scholar, so trying to ask people who are.
Click to expand...
Wasn't meaning to slam you. It's just that Jesus didn't tell any of us to go and do what Kurt & Ray go around doing. He said for us to make disciples by the telling of the GOOD news, (the Gospel) not by trying to scare people with stories of impending doom. It's very possible the people "converted" that way might the ones He will say He never knew.
 
if one is going to teach and preach the end times, it should be what the bible says in context. too often the church has taken the bible out of context to make a pretext of said favorite doctrine.
 
Willie T said:
Wasn't meaning to slam you. It's just that Jesus didn't tell any of us to go and do what Kurt & Ray go around doing. He said for us to make disciples by the telling of the GOOD news, (the Gospel) not by trying to scare people with stories of impending doom. It's very possible the people "converted" that way might the ones He will say He never knew.
Click to expand...
OK fine. My primary strategy is the hope I can at least enlighten non-believers if/when there comes a sign that no-one can ignore or interpret otherwise. Like a trumpet (shofar? I watched that vid) blast from the sky (though there are Youtube videos supposedly already depicting this, of quetionable origin). Maybe there will be no such sign per se, but there has to be a point where everyone knows the Kingdon of the Lord is at hand. It would just be nice to know what signal I should be waiting for, if any. Sort of like a "Now will you listen to me?" kind of deal.
 
KevinK said:
I admit to being kind of lost at this point. Assuming we are in the End Times, what will be the first obvious, blatant, and incontrovertible sign that we are? Will it be a trumpet blast from the heavens, the sun turning black, the seas turning red, the Rapture? I mean something that will convince everyone instantly, religious or non-religious. Whether it's too late for some or not is a separate question, of course.
Click to expand...
ask 20 people get 20 different answers... It really doesn't matter... The Gospel is the Good News.. A million years ago we kids loved to sing this little song
Good News!
Good News!
Christ died for me!

Good News!
Good News!
If I believe,

Good News!
Good News!
I'm Saved Eternally!

That's Wonderful,
Extra
Good News!

The Gospel in a kids song
 
KevinK said:
I admit to being kind of lost at this point. Assuming we are in the End Times, what will be the first obvious, blatant, and incontrovertible sign that we are? Will it be a trumpet blast from the heavens, the sun turning black, the seas turning red, the Rapture? I mean something that will convince everyone instantly, religious or non-religious. Whether it's too late for some or not is a separate question, of course.
Click to expand...


KevinK, I think you've asked a great question. There's many very good answers in this thread but I hesitate to single them out and risk making the others feel bad. I'll just pick what are the best ones, although I think that you yourself came close with "a trumpet blast from the heavens".

I don't believe that we will ever see "Israel presenting the daily sacrifice again", but Eugene is correct in that the first thing we will experience to mark day one of our Appointed Time of The End is Dan 12:11 "And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away". This "daily sacrifice" is not something going on in a Temple made with human hands, it's being performed by Our High Priest in the True Tent. The "daily" is also translated as "the continual". The continual has been continuous for a very long time, it doesn't have to be started up again because it has never been stopped. When "the daily sacrifice" is taken away there will be four distinct signs which are:

1.peals of thunder,
2.rumblings,
3.flashes of lightning, and an
4.earthquake.

If we were to miss the first 3 for some reason, number 4 will be unmistakable. The first global earthquake from Revelation 8 will still not "convince everyone instantly, religious or non-religious". Some people will still be glued to the TV news to see what the NASA scientists and geologists have to say, Christian Bible readers will be getting out of the cities fast. Trumpet number 1 will soon be bringing a bad case of sudden destruction and many will not escape. The taking away of the Daily is a much larger issue than an animal sacrifice in any regional Temple on Earth. Our Restrainer has been standing in between humanity and God's Wrath for 6000 years, when He is "taken out of the way" it will be the start of a 1335 day countdown that will culminate with greatest Event in the history of mankind.

n2thelight's one world government idea is a good one but the Rev.13 Beast that rises from the sea will still come after the "earthquakes in diverse places". I'm hoping Babylon won't get any real teeth until after the Second Beast rises from the earth when the Man of Sin is revealed.

eddif's II Thessalonians 2 idea is not too bad either. I think that the Matthew "fall away" is the same situation as the Thessalonians "falling away", but this happens about half way though Our End Time Tribulation.

Matthew 24:10
And then many will "fall away"


2 Thessalonians 2:3
for that day shall not come,
except there come a "falling away" first

While there might not be a "a quick and obvious Scriptural solution", I believe that much more can be known now than at any previous time. I found some amazing insights in an obscure Hebraic translation of Matthew 24 called du Tillet.
 
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