While stating that no one knows the predetermined day or hour of his return (Matt. 24:36), Jesus nonetheless exhorts a discerning awareness as to the fundamental time frame of the event: "When you see all these things, know that He ['the Son of man,' vs. 30; "it," KJV - i.e., 'sign' of his return] is near, right at the door" (vs. 33).
The foregoing is of fundamental significance in that it summarizes Christ's defining answer to the Disciple's question concerning the visible evidence ("sign") of his return (Matt. 24:3). Scofieldian eschatology and Pre-tribulation Rapture philosophy notwithstanding, the "sign of the Son of Man" (vs. 30) will appear immediately following the observable fulfillment of "all these things" - i.e., events of verses 4 through 29.
One can little avoid the rising sense among many as to an intensifying, indeed, somewhat unique state of global turmoil. Simple logic would seemingly mandate little less. In contrast to times past wherein the world faced profound threats of a generally focalized nature (rise of German fascism or subsequent Communist expansionism, for example), present world circumstance can little be described in terms other than an increasingly universal and multifaceted state of disorder.
Not that we are making predictions at this juncture. If there is one thing the Church should have learned by now, it lies within the realm of prophetic speculation. At the same time, Jesus' Discourse portrays an end time scenario in which the world is increasingly characterized by chaos, violence and confusion.
Time will tell. Again, "When you see..."
Burl Ratzsch
