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Chapter 7: The Signs Of The End Of The
Age
Matthew 24:3 & 7-8 "As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. `Tell us,' they said, `when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?' Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." Many students of prophecy believe that 1914 was a special year on God's prophetic calendar. 1914 was the year that world war 1 began, when nation rose against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. This time period is sometimes called "the beginning of sorrows." (the KJV translates "birth pains," "sorrows.") This is interesting because God has repeatedly compared the time of the end to the "days of Noah." In Noah’s time, God granted 120 years for Noah to build the ark and preach to the people that the destruction of the Earth by water was imminent. God, in the bible, uses the same numerical patterns over and over again to signify certain themes. Therefore, it is highly likely that mankind will receive 120 years of warning before the return of Jesus Christ. Genesis 6:3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years." 1 Peter 3:20 "God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water," Notice, in the verse above, that God spared eight people from the flood, his number for new beginnings. In the book of Jasher the 120 year time period allowed for repentance is explained even more clearly. Jasher 5:8 & 11 "For thus saith the Lord, behold I give you a period of one hundred and twenty years; if you will turn to me and forsake your evil ways, then I will also turn away from the evil which I told you, and it shall not exist, saith the Lord. And the Lord granted them a period of one hundred and twenty years, saying, if they will return, then will God repent of the evil, so as not to destroy the Earth." Another indicator that God is giving us a special time period for repentance is the fact that the Pentecostal revival movement began in the early 1900's. God always sends preachers giving warning before judgment comes. 2 Peter 2:5 "if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of `righteousness, and seven others;" The following is a quote from Eerdmans handbook to Christianity, copyright 1977, lions publishing. Reprinted by permission. The Pentecostals
"But it was the revival which began in Azusa Street, Los Angeles, in 1906, that was the launching pad of twentieth century Pentecostalism. For three years, many hundreds of Christians from all over North America, and then from Europe and the third world, visited Azusa Street and took its message back with them. The fire spread quite rapidly, resulting in the formation of many new churches. "In the seventy years since Azusa Street, Pentecostalism has spread throughout the world." In 1906, the modern day Pentecostal revival movement was born. It appears that God is giving us 120 years to repent, just as he did for the people of Noah’s day. By adding the 120 years allowed for preaching and repentance to 1906 we come up with the year 2026. This is not very far from the result of adding the 30 year error of the Roman calendar to the year 2000, which brings us to the year 2030. God has not promised us that we could know the day or the hour of his return, but it is clear that we are approaching the season. The Sign Of The Fig Tree
The fig tree is one of the national symbols of the nation of Israel, in particular, those who are descended from the tribe of Judah, the Jews. Jeremiah 24:3-7 Then the Lord asked me, `What do you see, Jeremiah?' `Figs,' I answered. `The good ones are very good, but the poor ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.' Then the word of the Lord came to me: This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: `Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. Hosea 9:10 "When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree." These Old Testament verses characterizing Judah and Israel as baskets of figs, and fruit on a fig tree, are one of the keys to understanding what time period we are in as far as biblical prophecy is concerned. The keys to understanding New Testament biblical prophecy, are found in the Old Testament. To unlock the mysteries of the book of Revelation one must first become familiar with the Old Testament writings. Jesus told the disciples that the sign of the fig tree would be one of the indicators that the time of his return was drawing near. Matthew 24:32-34 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened." Luke 21:29-36 He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole Earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." God has promised us in the book of Daniel that in the last days knowledge will be increased. While knowledge of all types has been increasing in the world since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the knowledge that God was referring to in particular was biblical knowledge, the words of the scroll of the book of Daniel. Daniel 12:4 But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge." God can supernaturally increase knowledge through the direct working of the Holy Spirit whenever he chooses to do so, but in most cases he does it through means that appear normal to the unbelieving world. Biblical knowledge has been increasing every year since the 1800's when archaeology became a science. In 1947 the dead sea scrolls were discovered, and they are still continuing to be translated to this day. Each year new discoveries are adding to biblical background knowledge, increasing our understanding of the prophetic scriptures. One document that has been discovered and translated is known as the apocalypse of Peter. According to this book, Peter and some of the disciples were on the mount of olives and asked the Lord what would be the signs of his coming and the coming of the end of the age. Apocalypse of Peter (Paraphrased) "And you, learn a parable from the fig tree: As soon as the shoots come forth, and the twigs are grown, the end of the world shall come. And I, Peter answered the Lord and said unto him: Interpret unto me concerning the fig tree, so we may perceive it; for throughout all of its days the fig tree sends forth shoots, and every year it brings forth fruit for its master. What then does the parable of the fig tree mean? We do not understand it. And the Lord answered and said unto me: Don't you understand that the fig tree is the nation of Israel? In 1948, Israel became a nation once more, after being scattered throughout the nations since 70 AD when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. In 1967 they recaptured Jerusalem from the Arabs. The fig tree has budded. Some of the people who were born in 1948 and afterwards will live to see the return of Jesus Christ. Psalms 90:10 "The length of our days is seventy years--or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away." The bible says that seventy or eighty years is the normal life span for human beings. Jesus said that the generation that saw the budding of the fig tree, the restoration of the nation of Israel, would not pass away before his return. When you add the normal life span for a human as stated in the Psalms, to the year 1948, you come up with a year between 2018 and 2028. This is also very close to the dates we calculated with the other methods of determining where we are in prophetic history. Occasionally people do live to be one hundred and twenty years of age, or even a little longer. There could still be people alive in the year 2070 who were born in 1948. The Sign Of The Gospel
Mark 13:10 "And the Gospel must first be preached to all nations." Another sign that Jesus gave to his disciples that the end of the age was near is that the gospel would be preached to all nations. Bible translators have been working feverishly for the past fifty years to translate the scriptures into every language in the world. The invention of computers has greatly speeded up this work, and they are now very close to accomplishing this goal. At the end of 1994 at least one book of the bible was available to 98% of the population of the world. Portions of the scriptures have been translated into more than 2000 languages. The gospel is not only being distributed by the written word, but since the invention of radio, television, and now satellite television, the gospel is being beamed around the world, for the first time, since Jesus walked the Earth. The Sign Of The Great Tribulation
Just before the return of Jesus Christ, there will be a time of trouble unequaled in the annals of human history. This is the time period known as the "Great Tribulation," or the "time of Jacob’s trouble." Matthew 24:21 KJV "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." Jeremiah 30:7 KJV "Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it." The "Great Tribulation" is the time period that is described in the book of Revelation. It will be a time of unprecedented horror for the Jews, and not much better for everyone else. The Sign Of The Antichrist
The Antichrist, or the man of sin as he is called, will be Satan’s impersonation of Christ. Instead of God in a human body, he will be the devil in a human body. He will come on the scene appearing to be a man of peace, and will make a seven year peace treaty with Israel and many other nations. After three and one half years, he will break his treaty and demand that everyone who will not worship him as God, and take his mark, be killed. Revelation 13:16-17 He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This will be Satan’s imitation of God commanding us to keep his commandments in our minds and in our hearts, and to perform them with our hands. Deuteronomy 6:6-8 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. The Chronological Bible
According to the research done by the authors of "the Chronological Bible," our calendar year 2000 is actually only 5974 years from the time when God created Adam. So, if they are correct, the year 2026 will be the time when 6000 years of human history has transpired. If this is true, we could look for the last seven years of human history, commonly called "the Great Tribulation" to begin, and the Antichrist to come into world power, around the year 2019. But, the time of trouble may begin a few years earlier because God has promised to shorten the days, to step in and stop the devastation before the elect and the world are destroyed. The verse below could mean that the 6000 years will not be fully completed before the Lord returns. Matthew 24:21-22 For then
there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world
until now--and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been
cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those
days will be shortened.
There are many signs today that indicate that we are nearing the end of this present age, and that Christ should return sometime between the years 2000 and 2070. But, even if the Lord should tarry for another seven thousand years, or seventy thousand years, or even seven million years, God has promised to bless those who study his word and look for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Luke 12:37 Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching: Titus 2:11-13 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and Godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, Revelation 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. |