Are We on the Verge of the End of the World?
Just in the last two years (2020-2022) the world has faced or is busy facing a) the Covid 19 Coronovirus b) Widespread social unrest c) Vaccine passports, d) Global supply chain problems e) the Russia-Ukraine conflict f) food and fuel inflation, and g) a seemingly global financial crisis. At the same time, we see globalists- the rich elite- such as Bill Gates and Elton Musk starting to play more important roles in society than ever before.
The question then is, how close are we to the end of the world, if at all? Fortunately, we don’t have to guess. The Lord Jesus himself was posed with this question when his disciples asked him “ Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? ” (Matt 24:3) Jesus answered that they should look out for a couple of things. Then, “when ye shall see ALL these things, know that it is near even at the door”(my emphasis).
To me this shows that there will be many things happening simultaneously. Both the prophets of old and the Lord Jesus told us this. When we see one sign we should take note. But when we see ALL the signs happening together, we must know his coming is at hand. Here are some of these happenings:
1. ISRAEL MUST BE BACK IN THE LAND
God promised in Jer 23:7-8 that He would call the Jews back to Israel. God said “I have gathered them unto their own land” (Ezekiel 39:28), from “the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:12), and “gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south” (Psalm 107:3). Again the prophet Ezekiel said that God will “gather you out of the countries where ye are scattered” (Ezekiel 20:34). Ever since Israel became a nation in 1948, after the Second Wolrd War, this has occurred- Jews are returning and are busy returning to the Land of Israel.
2. THE JEWS WILL CONTROL JERUSALEM
Jesus predicted that armies would surround Jerusalem, destroy the city and take its occupants captive. In less than 40 years after Jesus ascended into heaven (in AD70), this prediction was fulfilled when the Roman armies did exactly this.
Until the end times, people other than Jews will control the city. It shall be “trodden down of the Gentiles, until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:24- also see Dan 9:27). But since the Six Day War of 1967 the Jews once again are back in control of Jerusalem.
3. THE GOSPEL PREACHED IN ALL THE WORLD
One specific sign that Jesus gave as to the end of the world is that the gospel would have preached in all the world…and then shall the end come” Clearly God wants the whole world to have the opportunity to turn to Him before He comes to judge us.
For centuries after Jesus left this earth the gospel was focused on a small part of the earth around the Mediterranean Sea. But, during the last 200 years, Christians took the gospel into every nation of the world. Note that Jesus did not say that every person would have heard the gospel (we know that many people have died without having heard the gospel), but every nation. Today, every nation in the world heard the gospel, either through missionaries, Christians living there or going there, or via radio, television, or the internet.
4. A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN KNOWLEDGE AND TRAVEL
In Dan 12:4 it was predicted that in the time of the end “many shall run and fro (traveling), and knowledge shall be increased” It is also interesting, by the way, that Daniel, during the time of the Old Testament, was instructed to SEAL the book that he was writing, but during the end times, the period that the book of Revelation focuses on, the author John was instructed NOT TO SEAL this book: “for the time is at hand” Rev 22:10
With the Covid crisis, most businesses turned to digital technology for answers- opening up the reach of its audience to all with internet access around the globe. Satellites are making this access easier all the time.
I read that FaceBook receives more than half a million comments every minute, the “like” button gets clicked on more than 4 million posts every minute, and more than 3,5 billion Google searches get conducted every minute. (https://blog.microfocus.com/how-much-data-is-created-on-the-internet-each-day/) So knowledge increases at an astonishing pace all over the world!
5. AN EXPONENTIAL CURVE OF SIGNS ON DIFFERENT LEVELS
Jesus said that the signs of the times will arrive like sorrows – some translations say “birth pains”. We know that birth pains come and go, with shorter and shorter intervals between them, until the baby arrives.
Some of the signs, Jesus mentioned, would be wars, famines, pestilences (e.g. Covid-19), earthquakes, persecution of Christians, false prophets arising, and a cooling down of people’s love towards God and godly things. (Matt 24:6-12)
All of these things are simultaneously happening right now, at an ever-increasing pace.
6. ISRAEL SURROUNDED BY ENEMIES
In Old Testament prophecies we read how Israel’s enemies will hate Israel and will want the Land. In Psalm 83:4 we read how they will say “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.” In verse 12 it predicts that they will say “Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession”
Ever since Israel’s independence in 1948 her Muslim neighbors have claimed the land for themselves, and Iran for example, together with Islamic terrorist groups, have consistently denied Israel’s right to the Land and insisted on its destruction. They have no regard for the God of Israel.
7. ISRAEL’ S EXCEEDING GREAT ARMY
In Ezekiel 37:11 the prophet predicts that, in the end times, Israel will have an “exceeding great army”. This army, the prophet Zechariah said, will be like a fire in a sheaf that shall devour “all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left” (Zech 12:6) Even the “feeble among them” shall be as David (verse 8)
Since its independence in 1948 Israel has fought four conventional wars with her neighbors, and, despite being outnumbered 50:1 Israel has achieved an overwhelming victory every time.
8. THE RISE OF A GOG-MAGOG ALLIANCE
A military alliance between Russia, some countries such as Ukraine that once belonged to the USSR, Iran, Turkey and several Muslim nations will attack Israel “in the latter years” (Ez 38:8) This allegiance has never existed in history- until now, where we see how Russia invaded Ukraine, building up relations with Iran, and how Turkey is swinging away from the West towards Islam and Russia.
9. RISE OF A UNITED EUROPE
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has caused the European countries to unite as never before. Europe of course is the land of the old Roman Empire, which the Bible predicts will be revived (Daniel 2, Daniel 7, Rev 17). In the end there will be a ten-nation alliance, according to the book of Daniel. Some parts will be strong as iron, and others weak as clay (Dan 2:42). When the time of the antichrist comes three of the ten nations will be subdued under him, as he takes political power of the united entity. (Dan 7:24,25).
10. RISE OF A ONE-WORLD GOVERNMENT
John predicted in Rev 13 that a One-Word government will eventually rule the world. It shall be a political government (vs 7) that also demands worship (vs 8), and will be linked to a One-World digital financial system where a microchip of some sort will be implanted in people’s right hand or foreheads (vs 16)
It will rule over everybody- all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (vs 7). The fact that it will demand a mark in a person’s body shows how supreme this authority will be, where it will be impossible to buy or sell anything without this mark (The mark of the Beast) Rev 13:17
Today, a united world-government often gets openly discussed among world leaders and globalists- in the United Nations, the European Union etc.
11. DENIAL OF THE SIGNS
The apostle Peter warned that “in the last days” there will be many scoffers who mock Christians who say that the coming of the Lord is near. We find that even in churches, where one Christian would mock another who take the end times seriously. But this is exactly one of the signs of the times.
12. GOALS OF THE GLOBALISTS
It is very interesting that globalists now openly list their goals that the Bible has predicted all along- a One World government, a One-World syncretistic religion (the fusion of different religious beliefs within a pantheistic belief system), and a One-World digital monetary system.
Their Great Reset idea has a target date of 2030. If one deducts seven years for the Great Tribulation it takes you back to 2023.
13. JEWISH BELIEFS
In Judaism, according to Lev 25:10-11, every 50th year is a Jubilee Year (Shmita). This is a separate year of rest after 7 x 7 years of harvest and rest of the land. The next Shmita year in our calendar is starting Sept/Oct 2022 going into 2023. Now although we cannot predict when Jesus is coming, we know that God always worked with the Jewish timetable. Like one Theologian said- if Jesus is not coming end 2022/2023 we can expect Him to come seven years later only.
SUMMARY
All of the above events, especially when taking them together and seeing how there is a clear acceleration of “birth pains”, make it clear that the return of the Lord Jesus is at hand; which means the Great Tribulation- which will last for seven years- is also at hand. Never before have we seen the specific alignment of signs that could lead to the outbreak of the Great Tribulation.
Only those who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb- those who know Jesus Christ as their Saviour, will be raptured out before the Great Tribulation- just like God took Noah and his family out into an ark before He destroyed the world with water. Matt 24:37 says that as in the days of Noah will it be just before the rapture- people will be eating and drinking, getting married etc. Things will carry on as usual. The Lord will come as a “thief in the night” to those who are unprepared. “Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matt 24:43, 44)
The second last verse of the Bible ends like this: “… Surely I come quickly.
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” The Bible ends with the expectation that the Lord Jesus is coming soon! Maranatha!
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