Our modern age of mass communication and digital technology has created worldwide audiences for a number of events. In the past, it would have been unheard of for a single event to be watched in real time by a worldwide audience. But today, such events take place with increasing frequency.

The most-watched events tend to be sporting events like the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games, the NFL Super Bowl, and the FIFA World Cup. But other non-sporting events have been watched around the world as they occurred—like the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing and the 2022 funeral of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.

An event last October caught my attention as the eyes of many were focused on the heavens to watch something that had never taken place before.

At 8:25 a.m. on October 14, 2024, a 397-foot-tall Starship rocket blasted off from the launch facility of SpaceX in Boca Chica, Texas. It was a test flight of the two-stage rocket—no payload or astronauts aboard. More people might have watched the launch live if they had known what was about to happen.

Three minutes and 40 seconds after launch, the 230-foot-tall booster stage disconnected and began its descent back to earth. And that’s when the eyes of the world locked onto their video screens. The booster stage was about to accomplish something never before seen in the history of aerospace. It descended from the heavens back to the exact location from which it was launched, slowed down, and was captured by the tower it had left a few minutes prior. Rather than falling into an ocean as most prior used rockets had done, this gigantic booster stage returned to earth safely, ready to be refurbished and used again. Once the booster stage was captured successfully, videos of the event were immediately viewed by millions of people online around the world.¹

While the entire world was not tuned in to this technological success as it happened live, it called to mind an event that will happen in the future when the eyes of the world will be turned toward the heavens—either literally or via live video. Instead of watching a rocket return to earth, the world will watch as Jesus Christ descends from the heavens.

Revelation 1:7 says, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” When the apostle John wrote those words toward the end of the first century A.D., the idea of “every eye” seeing the return of Christ would have been unthinkable. But today, it is totally feasible to imagine the whole world seeing this event take place as it happens.

The world will also witness an event during the seven-year Tribulation when God’s two witnesses are killed by the Antichrist and allowed to lie dead in the streets of Jerusalem for three-and-a-half days: “Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves” (Revelation 11:9). Television cameras in Jerusalem will broadcast this horrific spectacle around the world for all to see. Thankfully, the world will also see their resurrection as God restores them to life and they ascend in a cloud into the heavens (Revelation 11:11-12).

The technological ability for all the world to see a single event, like the Second Coming of Christ, at the same time is only one of many indications (signs) that we are approaching the end of the age. And there are more signs—six, to be specific—given by Christ to His disciples.

In Matthew 24, we have a record of a conversation between Jesus and His disciples about “signs.” The disciples asked Him three questions after He told them about the coming destruction of the temple in Jerusalem: (1) When will these things happen? (2) What will be the sign of His return? (3) What will be the sign of the end of the age? (verse 3) Jesus gave a lengthy answer to their questions, including signs related to each.

 

Deception by False Christs

“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:5). History records many individuals who have claimed to be, or embody, the person of Christ. The Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia lists multiple “Christian” Christ impersonators, many of whom lived in the twentieth century, as well as Jewish, Muslim, and other religious claimants to the title “Messiah.”² The apostle John wrote that, even in the first century, “the spirit of the Antichrist...is now already in the world” (1 John 4:3). As we grow closer to the appearing of the actual Christ, we can expect false Christs to increase in number.

Disputes and Warfare Among Nations

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.... For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matthew 24:6-7). It is estimated that more than 37 million combatants have died in wars around the world since 1800—and many more millions of noncombatant civilians as well. A report from the Peace Research Institute Oslo states that “violence in the world is at an all-time high since the end of the Cold War.”³ The United Nations has reported that while the number of war deaths has been declining since the end of World War II, conflict and violence are currently on the rise, especially between non-state actors.⁴ An increase in conflict is one of the signs of the end of the age, Jesus said.

Disease and Earthquakes Worldwide

“And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7). The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic reminded us all of just how fragile the health of the world is. Staying abreast of the news on a weekly basis reveals a consistent number of outbreaks of viral diseases around the world, and pathogens surface regularly in our food supply. The National Earthquake Information Center says there are approximately 20,000 earthquakes each year globally—around 55 per day.⁵ The number is increasing primarily due to better detection and reporting, but the number is definitely not decreasing.

Deliverance of Believers to Tribulation

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9). Open Doors International reports that more than 365 million Christians worldwide “suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith”—including 4,998 who were killed for faith-related reasons in 2024. One in seven Christians are persecuted worldwide; one in five Christians are persecuted in Africa; two in five Christians are persecuted in Asia.⁶ No religious group in the world is more persecuted than Christians today.

Defection of False Believers

Many professing Christians “will betray one another, and will hate one another.... [And] the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:10-12). One of the benefits of persecution is that it separates confessing (true) Christians from professing (nominal or false) Christians. As the tension between darkness and light increases toward the end of the age, many will turn from the light in an attempt to preserve their safety or status in the world—especially as the spirit of the Antichrist begins to influence commercial and economic life leading up to the Tribulation.

Declaration of the Gospel to the Whole World

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). The Joshua Project notes that there are 17,446 unique people groups in the world today. Of these, 7,391 are considered unreached, representing more than 42 percent of the world’s population.⁷ “Unreached” means there is no self-sustaining community of Christians able to spread the Gospel to the rest of the people group. Great progress has been made in spreading the Gospel, but much remains to be done. The more the Gospel is established in people groups around the world, the sooner this age will conclude.

We are living in the most exciting and consequential time of human history. Biblical prophecy is intersecting with real life on a daily basis in our world. May we be those who are able to “discern the signs of the times” in which we live (Matthew 16:3)!

Citations:

¹ William Harwood, “SpaceX Pulls Off Unprecedented Feat, Grabs Descending Rocket With Mechanical Arms,” CBS News, October 14, 2024.

² “List of People Claimed to Be Jesus,” Wikipedia.

³ “New Data Shows Record Number of Armed Conflicts,” June 10, 2024, PRIO.

⁴ “A New Era of Conflict and Violence,” United Nations.

⁵ “Understanding Earthquakes,” NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

⁶ “World Watch List 2024,” Open Doors.

⁷ “What Is a UPG?” Global Frontier Missions.