What is the most important sign of the End Times?

What are some signs of the prophesied End Times?

When will Jesus return?

• Are believers missing the relation between Christ's return and the
church's worldwide mission?
• Matthew 24:14 makes a connection between world evangelism and
the End Times.
• The End Times sign Jesus gave in Matthew 24:14 -- the gospel being
proclaimed everywhere -- should generate delight about what will
happen as we approach End Times.

Missions: The heart of God

"This Good News about the Kingdom will be preached through all the
world for a witness to all people; and then the end will come." --
Matthew 24:14 (Good News Translation)

End Times predictions

Throughout Christian history, believers have speculated that the

prophesied End Times were just about to start. Some audacious ones have
even set specific dates. Several years ago, for example, that radio
preacher Harold Camping had people talking about his declaration that the
present world order would end in May of 2011. When that did not happen,
Camping revised his prediction forward a few months to October. By the
way, he had earlier set 1994 as the year when End Times would arrive.

In 1988, a best-selling book by former NASA engineer Edgar Whisenant

predicted that the Rapture of Believers would happen that year in
September. One-time presidential candidate Pat Robertson had predicted it
for 1982. The Jehovah's Witnesses' last calculation for the end of history as
we know it indicated 1975 would be the year. Herbert W. Armstrong, the
founder of the Worldwide Church of God, predicted End Times would begin
in 1972.

All those predictions were wrong (long list of erroneous End Times
predictions). Almost none of those people touting a precise timetable seem
to take into account Matthew 24:14. People predicting End Times dates
usually focus on things like wars, increasing wickedness, and natural
disasters. They talk about bad things like the increased fierceness of
storms, the surge of killer viruses, severe famines and droughts, and
escalating tensions between nations.
Matthew 24 and the End of Times

They rarely point to Jesus' words in Matthew 24:14 in which He said the
ultimate End Times sign is the preaching of the gospel to all people.

One question to be raised about Matthew 24:14 is: What exactly does it
envision? Does it mean getting the gospel to every single person on earth?
The term translated as "people" in Matthew 24:14 is plural and thus could
or should be rendered as "peoples." In this sense, Matthew 24:14 could
mean having a viable Christian witness within every single ethnic and
people group.

To be sure, whatever is envisioned, great progress has been made in

accomplishing that task. The Good News of Jesus Christ is being preached
today in more places around the world than ever before. Nonetheless, we
still have a ways to go. At least 5,000 distinct people groups have no viable
church-planting movement in their midst.

Many of the doomsday "signs" which people seize on are things that
generate fear. The sign Jesus gave in Matthew 24:14 -- the gospel being
proclaimed everywhere -- should do the opposite. The thought of all people
hearing clearly the Good News should generate delight at what will happen
as we approach End Times.

If Matthew 24:14 is true, then declaring the Good News to the ends of the
earth is not something optional. It has to be accomplished. Will we be an
obedient part of making it happen?