Two-Minute Warning

Reblogged from http://www.hallindsey.com/

by Hal Lindsey

Sand falls through the hourglass, chimes ring out, a clock ticks, and an alarm sounds. We end 2013 as we began it　— in a mad dash down a broad and slippery road running from the height of human ideals to the depth of human depravity.

Biblically, "the last days" began on the day of Pentecost following the ascension of Jesus. On that occasion, Simon Peter stood and addressed Jews who were present in Jerusalem, but who represented far-flung lands and nationalities　— a mini-United Nations. He said, "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel," [Acts 2:16] then went on to quote the prophet.

In our time, we see the fulfillment of the prophets’ words for the last of the last days. Who will stand before this generation and proclaim, "This is that which was spoken by the prophets"?

Jesus taught that only God the Father knows the exact moment of His coming, but that we should watch for the signs of the times. We are not to set dates, but to watch for certain indicators. We will not know the day, but we will know the season of His return. Hebrews 10:25 speaks of us seeing the day of the Lord approach. The way we see that day approach is by seeing the gathering and increasing signs of His coming. In Matthew 24:33, Jesus speaks of those signs, and then says, "When you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."

For 21st century football fans, the two-minute warning means a time to stop the game and show some ads on television. It’s a misnomer now to call it a "warning" because anyone in the stadium can look at the clock and know exactly how much time is left. In earlier days, one of the game officials kept the clock on the field. There might or might not have been a stadium clock, but if it was there, it was unofficial. It gave the fans and participants a general idea of the time remaining, but could be way off. So, with two minutes left, the officials stopped the game and notified both sides that there was only a little time left　— what you’re going to do, you must do now.

In a long distance race, it’s called the "gun lap" or the "bell lap." With one lap to go, a race official fires a gun or rings a bell, indicating that the race is almost over. What you’re going to do, you must do now.

In the usual process of childbirth, no one knows the exact time of the child’s entry into the world. But as the day draws near, signs accumulate. The mother’s outward appearance reflects the child’s growth. She grows to a point that might have seemed impossible a few months before. Finally, labor begins. The mother’s contractions grow in frequency and in intensity until they are almost constant and usually more severe than first-time moms ever dreamed. Jesus said the signs of His coming would be like that.

We don’t know the day, but we have had the two minute warning; heard the gun and the bell. The birth pangs are extreme and almost non-stop. What we’re going to do, we must do now.

Who will stand before this generation and proclaim, "This is that which was spoken by the prophets"? You will and I will. But . . . what we’re going to do, we must do now.

Now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

— Romans 13:11-12