What will be the sign of Jesus' second coming? We aren't the only generation of Christians to ask this question. Every generation of believers has asked it.

The first recorded time this question was asked, it was asked to the author of our faith Himself. The disciples asked Jesus:

Tell us when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3 New American Standard Bible).

The first thing I notice about this is Jesus didn't rebuke them for asking the question. The reason this may be important is because today it is commonly taught we shouldn't even be asking this question. Those who teach this view point to the passage in Acts where Jesus says:

It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.

Here I believe is an example of how we can place our private interpretation on a passage without realizing it if we aren't careful. You see, it makes no sense Jesus would provide an answer to this end-time question by giving signs to watch for one time, and than rebuke someone for even asking the question another time. This infers another meaning to what Jesus said in Acts than the one commonly held.

And when you look at the passage, another meaning is there -- one that makes sense. Jesus wasn't discouraging His disciples from watching for the end-times signs He had previously told them about, He was simply telling them it wasn't for them to know when these signs would begin to occur.

So, what sign or signs are we to watch for? I've noticed when this question is asked on Christian Websites, the answers are usually things like -- earthquakes, wars, increasing violence and such. However, although it may be true such things may lead up to the sign we are to watch for, none of these things are the sign. The sign Jesus said to watch for is the coming of the Antichrist. This is supported by the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2:1-4, and again by the Apostle John in 1 John 2 :18.

But John added an important detail to this sign. John said:

Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen, from this we know it is the last hour.

What are these "many antichrists?" In the next verse John explains:

They went out from us, but they were not really of us.

In other words, the many antichrists that will precede the actual Antichrist are the latter day tares that have been sown among the wheat revealing themselves -- they are our false brothers and sisters in Christ coming out of their closets 

That's why this report disturbs me. It's being reported Fuller Theological Seminary is beginning a program to create a so-called "Inter-faith Ethics Code" (Read about it here. According to this report the stated goal is:

Ease strained relations with Muslims with an interfaith code of ethics.

What will be included in this new code of ethics? According to the report the code will:

Affirm a mutual belief in one God and prohibit proselytizing over the two-year span of the project.

Here's my point: John told us when we see large numbers of people from among our own selves abandon the faith that was once delivered -- such as I believe this once biblically sound evangelical seminary is doing -- the hour of Antichrist is near.

Let us stay tuned.