From the Desk of Pastor Raymond
Scripture contains many passages that speak of the signs of the end of the age, of the great tribulation, the antichrist, and the triumphant return of Christ.
This is something we could study for the rest of our lives and then some.
In this post, I just want to list 4 outstanding signposts that suggest we may be closer than we think.
• 2 Timothy 3:1-5
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
Sounds like 2019, right? But these signs of the end that are imprecise because there are no clear quantifiers.
At what precise point in time have we hit these signposts? Those living in various societies around the world could argue that passage described their culture.
For centuries, believers have cried “Jesus is coming soon!
What makes us so sure that He is returning to the earth “soon”? That our generation is different?
We could talk about RECENT TECHNOLOGY that has enabled man to preach the gospel to the whole world, implant the Mark of the Beast, and kill masses of people even to the point threatening man’s survival in general.
Or we could talk about the global push toward world jurisdiction of every aspect of life, and the world’s politically-correct mindset favoring everything except Christianity.
BUT I’m going to restrict my list of signposts in this post to ISRAEL, the only nation God tells us to bless‒ and not blessing them will actually bring a curse!
I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Genesis 12:3
SIGNPOST 1
1. Ezekiel Chapter 37 “Valley of Dry Bones” prophecy has been fulfilled. Look at verses 11 -12.
Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
REGATHERING OF ISRAEL
Beginning in the late 19th Century, the birth of the Zionist movement culminated in the gradual emigration of Jews from all over the world to resettle in the land of Israel. Each decade the number of returning Jews increased, until finally the nation of Israel came to life once again in 1948.
SIGNPOST 2
Isaiah Chapter 66:8 prophecy has been fulfilled.
Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this?
Can a country be born in a day Or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.
REBIRTH OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL IN A SINGLE DAY
The Jewish People— having been brought to the brink of extinction by the horrors of the Holocaust… and surrounded by their enemies… and facing persecution around the world— OFFICIALLY REPOSSESSED THEIR HOMELAND on May 14, 1948.
The rebirth of the nation of Israel is arguably the most momentous fulfilling of end time prophecy in recent history.
SIGNPOST 3
3. Jeremiah 30:17 has been fulfilled.
But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord,
‘because you are called an outcast, Zion, for whom no one cares.’
ISRAEL- AN OBJECT OF SCORN IN THE LAST DAYS
• The rebirth of Israel in 1948 has been accompanied by constant turmoil in the Middle East with Muslim nations declaring their intention to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. … Those living in Israel face terrorist attacks on a daily basis.
• More than ever since it’s 50 years as a legitimate nation, the world is against Israel.
CASE IN POINT─ Resolution 2334 adopted by the UN Security Council on Dec. 23 2016.
This resolution states that Israel’s settlement activity constitutes a “flagrant violation” of international law and has “no legal validity. The RES demands that Israel stop such activity.
Each country in this council has veto power, however the US (a historic friend to Israel) amazingly ABSTAINED, allowing the resolution to pass.
• ANTI-SEMITISM is so prominent in today’s world that our President recently appointed a special envoy to monitor and combat it worldwide.
SIGNPOST 4
4. Matthew 24:15 is partially fulfilled with the rest now feasible.
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand.” (NIV)
• ‘The Holy Place’ refers to the 3rd Temple in Jerusalem to be built as prophesied. And the ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ is the antichrist.
• You’ll remember that… The original temple built by Solomon was of course destroyed by Babylonia in 586 BC.
○ After 70 years of Babylonian captivity, the temple was resurrected by the decree of the King of Persia, Cyrus the Great, who had conquered Babylon…
○ But then in 70 AD, it was burned and destroyed (with the city of Jerusalem) by the Romans.
• Today, EVERYTHING IS IN PLACE for the 3rd Temple in Jerusalem to be built on the TEMPLE MOUNT as prophesied.
THE THIRD TEMPLE IS READY TO BE BUILT
The blueprint and all the sacred objects to go in it are READY. That much of the prophecy has been fulfilled!
Again, the TEMPLE is ready to be built and all Temple artifacts are in-hand.
It hasn’t started because Israel just needs the authority to build it ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT (which they won, BTW, in the 1967 war, but failed to enforce).
LET ME LEAVE YOU WITH THIS NUGGET:
● According to the Bible, The Coming PEACE TREATY will:
1) allow the Building of Israel’s 3rd Temple
2) put in place a Sharing Arrangement of the TEMPLE MOUNT
3) place the TEMPLE MOUNT under International Control, and
4) establish the official borders of Israel.
There is more detail given in the Bible about this, but what’s important to note is that both Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama approved of these features of a peace treaty. It’s close!
● The hatred for Israel by surrounding Muslim countries, and the unrest between the Israeli’s and the Palestinians (BTW, the name Palestinians refers to the Philistines)… these things CRY OUT WORLDWIDE FOR RESOLUTION!
That’s one reason why I’m confident this final peace treaty will come in OUR generation.
CONCLUSION
Are we closer to Christ’s return than we think?
What does the Scripture tell us is still pending and awaiting fulfillment before Christ returns?
How does the United States fit in to all of this and where in the Bible is our country acknowledged as participating the end time?
ie, Where do we see the US in all this?
Why is it important for us to “know and understand” the details of the events of the End Time?
And, as some might ask: how is this relevant to me?
In upcoming posts , I will be unpeeling the layers of these questions, one at a time.
If you know anyone interested, send them over!
Remember: Each of us receives our own dreams, and each of us knows our own state of affairs. Dreamers are intended to make the best interpreters of their own dreams as they grow in understanding of the parabolic language of dreams.
I’m not you, but that’s my view! Every Blessing!
Raymond