42. How can we know whether Jesus' coming is near?

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In Matthew 24:32-33 Jesus himself addresses the question, "Is there a way that we can know when His second coming (and the end times) are approaching?"
In a teaching situation, Jesus says, "32 From the fig tree learn this lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates."
In verse 24:42, he adds where our starting place should be:
"42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming."

My wife and I have lots of plants and flowers in our yard. Since Dallas's temperatures often get down to 18-22 degrees in the winter, we are used to having our plants and flowers look almost dead, and then in the spring we watch them revive and blossom forth again. So, when we see the daffodil leaf shoots pop up through the soil, we know that daffodils are near. We WATCH for evidence of life, and when we SEE the early signs of growth, then we KNOW that buds and then flowers will burst forth soon.

Also, when my children were much younger, my mother and I took them on a trip from Fort Worth to San Antonio by train. In the Fort Worth station the train was not yet in sight, but we could see baggage handlers, food service carts, and more and more travelers coming out where the train would stop and load. Then we heard the whistle, and saw the train approach in the distance. We WATCHED for evidence, and when we SAW the early signs, then we KNEW that the train would be at the station soon.

In these verses, Jesus is saying that this 'watching' is legitimate and desireable! It is his only approved way of knowing that his coming is near: WATCH, then SEE, then KNOW.

Note that Jesus is only telling us to watch for the signs so that we can know that the time is approaching, but in the same context he tells us that we cannot know the day or the hour.
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