SIGNS OF CHRIST’S RETURN
The goal with this web site is to make clear and simple an extremely complicated and misunderstood subject - the second coming of Jesus Christ. The events preceding Christ’s return are listed first – step by step. Then a short essay is available to explain more fully these matters.
For accuracy, the Bible translations recommended are the Authorized King James Version or the New King James Version. It is strongly recommended you go over the scriptures listed in this article in your own Bible. Read it for yourself in your own Bible.
If you have questions, or don’t understand some things feel free to write or phone. Efforts will be made to answer calls and mail, but a response can’t be guaranteed.
Hopefully this web site will shed rays of sunlight on a cloudy, murky and controversial subject.
SIGNS OF CHRIST’S RETURN
The book in God’s right hand is sealed with seven seals (Revelation 5:1). Only the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, the Lamb of God Jesus Christ is worthy to loose the seals and open the book (Revelation 5:5,7-8).
1. Matthew 24:3-8 and the Four Horsemen in Revelation 6:1-8 go together.
A) False prophets, false religious leaders coming in the name of Christ, preaching about Jesus, and even making war in the name of Christ, but all the while deceiving many (Matthew 24:4-5). First seal the White Horse (Revelation 6:1-2) means generally the same.
B) Wars and rumours of wars (Matt.24:6-7) fits in with the second seal the Red Horse (Rev. 6:3-4).
C) Famines (Matt. 24:7) fit with the third seal the Black Horse (Rev. 6:5-6).
D) Pestilences and earthquakes (Matt. 24:7-8) fit with fourth seal the Pale Horse (Rev.6:7-8).
2. Persecution of Christians (Matt. 24:9-13) fits with the fifth seal the martyrdom of God’s servants (Rev. 6:9-11).
Now there is nothing new about false teachers, wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes and persecution of Christians. These have been with us for ages. So clearly these signs alone aren’t proof that Christ’s return is imminent. However, it does appear some of these are intensifying in the last days.
3) The Last Days (also referred to as the End Times) are mentioned quite a bit in prophecy. It is hard to know clearly at what time the last days started, but there are clues.
One gigantic clue is in Daniel 12:4 ” But thou , O Daniel seal up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”
Travel (” many shall run to and fro ” ) has never been easier and we are witnessing a colossal knowledge explosion (” knowledge shall be increased “). Advances in technology are simply astounding. A lot of people alive today can still remember when horses were used to work the fields here in Alberta. It isn’t really that long ago. The modern-day tractor in Alberta can cost well over $100,000 ! With modern machines one farmer can now work vast tracts of land. Mechanization, automation and computers have dramatically changed the workplace. Where will it end? And people routinely travel right around the globe. Are we living in the end times? There can be no doubt.
4) Perilous times (2 Timothy 3:1-7, 13). The me generation and the triumph of capitalism. A time of almost universal corruption, where it is very difficult to be a true servant of God.
5) The terrible state of the true Church in the end times (Revelation 3rd chapter).
Of the three eras of God’s Church in the last days (Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea) only the Philadelphia is spiritually strong, but it is physically or materially of little strength (Rev. 3:8). This is the small group that is protected in the wilderness during the great tribulation (Rev. 3:10, 12:13-16).
The Sardis era is described as being dead (Rev. 3:1) !
The Laodicea era is described as being spiritually apathetic and spiritually wretched, spiritually miserable, spiritually poor, spiritually blind and spiritually naked ! Smug, complacent and self-satisfied (Revelation 3:14-17) ! Doesn’t this describe mainstream society in Canada and the United States to a tee?
This is an amazing prophecy, because this refers to the terribly poor spiritual health of God’s true Church ! If God’s true Church (specifically here the Laodicean Era) is in such a spiritual mess here in these last days, then what can we say about the spiritual condition of the world in general.
Shouldn’t the Church resist the corrupting influence of the world ? What on earth has happened to the Church ?
6) Scoffers and mockers (2 Peter 3:3-4) (Jude 17-19).
7) As in the days of Noah, and during Noah’s time the earth was filled with violence and almost all of mankind had corrupted their ways (Matthew 24:37) (Genesis 6:5-13). The 20th century was the bloodiest in all of recorded human history !
8) Restoration of the House of Israel in Palestine. The present nation called Israel in Palestine is really a Jewish state (Genesis 49:8-12). Jew is a nickname for the tribe of Judah. The present modern-day Jewish state was founded in 1948, and this end time version of a Jewish state was prophesied by God – through His Holy Spirit - by God’s prophet Jacob about 4,000 years ago !! Around 75 % of the 7.5 million population is Jewish in 2012.
There has been a tremendous amount of confusion by so many, because they have falsely concluded that the present day (2012) nation called Israel in Palestine is representative of all the tribes of Israel. It is not. It is the prophesied end time nation, whose descendants are primarily of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:8-12).This is a Jewish state. There are eleven (11) other tribes of Israel besides Judah mentioned in the Bible.
Genesis 35:22-26 ” …..Now the sons of Jacob were twelve : the sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun: The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin: And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid; Dan and Naphtali: And he sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid; Gad, and Asher……”
The tribe of Joseph was divided into two – Ephraim and Manasseh – since Joseph had these two sons in Egypt and old Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel) officially adopted these two boys and blessed them, and said ” Let my name be named on them…” (Genesis 48:1-22 note especially verses 5, 15-20.)
Genesis 49:3-27 shows you the prophecies regarding these tribes for the last days. This will help us identify them in our contemporary world? Now which modern-day nations are we talking about here regarding these prophecies ? There is a lot of speculation, and various opinions. This here writer has a good idea as to where they are in these end times, but you and other readers may not believe my interpretation. Generally we have to look to North West Europe.
Now why is this important – why is it important to understand about the modern-day descendants of the so-called Lost Tribes of Israel ? Well it is important because we can see the hand of God at work, and see how it is God who builds up and tears down nations. It is important because it helps our faith in God to grow and be stronger. We can see how God kept His promises to Abraham, and this gives us faith to truly know and believe that God will also keep the other promises He has made in the Bible, like the prophesied return of Christ, and the resurrection of the saints, and the setting up of God’s Kingdom.
This helps our faith, and helps us to know and truly believe that we will have the salvation that Christ has promised us. It is not a dream. It will come to pass, just like the promises God made to Abraham have come to pass. And we can see how God is faithful to keep His promises. God made promises to Abraham thousands of years ago, and prophesied Abraham would be the Father of many nations, and Kings would come out of him (Genesis 17:1-8). His descendants were to be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand along the sea shore (Genesis 15:1-6) (Genesis 22:15-17). And the Messiah was to one of Abraham’s descendants (Genesis 22:18). God has kept all of these promises.
And God has a purpose for all these things.God has not forsaken His people Israel (this does not just mean the Jews, but means all the tribes of Israel). God has a plan for Israel, and will yet choose Israel (Jeremiah 33:23-26) (Jeremiah 31:31-37 note verses 36 and 37) (Jeremiah 33:7-8) (Ezekiel 36:21-38).
These prophecies refer to the time when Christ returns and restores the fortunes of the House of Israel. These prophecies do not refer to the times of the setting up of the modern-day Jewish nation called Israel in 1948 in Palestine, but instead refers to the time of the return of Christ (Ezekiel 20:33-44). This is still well into the future.
Jesus will take a remnant of all the tribes of Israel (and not only the tribe of Judah) and bring them back to the Holy Land. They will be His nation – His model nation – and this does not mean just the tribe of Judah only. It means representatives of all of the tribes of Israel, and naturally the Jews are a part of this, but not all of it. Christ will rule the world from Jerusalem (Zion), which will be the world capital of Christ’s Kingdom here on earth (Micah 4:1-3) (Isaiah 2:1-4) (Jeremiah 50:4-5).
Jesus Christ will use this model nation to repopulate the world, and to form a sort of House of Israel Commonwealth of Nations. Jesus will establish the Kingdom of God here on earth, which will be made up of the resurrected saints (Daniel 2:44) (Daniel 7:18, 27) (Revelation 20:4,6). The world will be ruled from Jerusalem, and the Temple in Jerusalem. The Church has been and is being trained and prepared to rule the world under Christ in the Kingdom of God. Christ came preaching the good news the Gospel of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 4:23 and 9:35) (1 Timothy 6:15) (Revelation 19:11-16).
Now let us go back to the prophecies concerned the tribes of Israel for the last days.
Now the time drew near for old Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel) to die. He called together his twelve sons and prophesied of what would befall them in the last days. We are living in the last days now. God was inspiring Israel to give prophecies regarding his son’s descendants in the last days. Jacob was a prophet too. God was working through him and his family.
Genesis 49: 1-2 Authorized King James Version ” And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father. “
” Reuben thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.…………………………This prophecy is fulfilled perfectly by the French people. French Canadians are also part of the tribe of Reuben. The French are very sophisticated, cultured people. You are no doubt aware of the fashions of Paris, France. They also tend to be unstable as water politically – quite volatile and unpredictable politically. Just think of the French Revolution. Quebec almost voted in favour of separation in the referendum of October 31, 1995 – the separatists came within a whisker of victory. And the French are also very proud people.
” Simeon (and Levi) are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.?”
There is no modern-day nation descended from the tribe of Simeon – they are scattered among Israel in the last days.
Levi same as for Simeon. There is no modern-day nation descended from the tribe of Levi – they are scattered among Israel in the last days.
” Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
“………………………….This prophecy refers to the Jewish state called Israel founded in Palestine in 1948. The Jews of Israel fulfill this prophecy perfectly. They are small in population, but are very rich materially with a strong and robust economy with a lot of highly educated and skilled professionals.
They also have a very powerful military. Strong as a lion among their Arab foes (they have repeatedly crushed their Arab foes in the Wars of 1948-49, 1956, 1967, 1973-74 and 1982),and they even possess nuclear weapons. The sceptre here refers to the Throne of David, and Shiloh refers to the Messiah (Christ). Queen Elizabeth of England can trace her throne and ancestry right back to King David – who was of the tribe of Judah. Her roots are Jewish in nature.
” Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.”……………………..A difficult tribe to pin point exactly as to where their modern-day descendants are, but an educated guess is this refers to the Irish and Newfoundlanders. They live on Islands with close connections to the sea, and ships and shipping.”
” Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.”……………………..Another difficult tribe to identify in the last days – an educated guess would be the Italians. Italians are generally quite easy-going and tolerant. They have patiently endured a long series of very corrupt governments in Italy.
” Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
Quite likely this is prophetic of modern day Denmark and the Scandinavian countries – Sweden, Norway, Iceland but probably not Finland. Denmark can be translated as Dan’s Mark. It is not wise for anyone to attack the Scandinavians militarily in these last days (an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward).
” Gad a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.”………………A very difficult tribe to know where exactly they are in contemporary Europe, but perhaps we are looking at the Swiss and Austrians.
” Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.”…….This no doubt is prophetic of the Netherlands and the Dutch people. This also includes the white tribe of South Africa. The Dutch are very rich, and they still have a Royal Family. The Dutch are very competent at agriculture and at growing things. Even though the Netherlands is very small geographically they produce an abundance of crops for export. The white tribe in South Africa and in neighbouring African countries have traditionally been farmers, and are well-known for their skills in the occupation of farming.
” Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.”…………….Another tough tribe to locate in our modern days, but a good guess would be the Greeks.
” Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel: Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.”
An easy tribe to identify in our last days. Ephraim is Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Falkland Islands and some other few British outposts. Manasseh is the United States of America, which has been the greatest and most powerful single nation the world has ever seen so far.
These two half tribes of the tribe of Joseph are the recipients of the lions share of the birth right blessing given to Israel in the last days. The other tribes of Israel also share in this blessing, but the lions share goes to Ephraim and Manasseh. ” The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob;” – Britain and the USA were severely attacked in World War 2, but gained the victory. Canada, Australia and New Zealand also fought along with the USA and Britain to help win the War.
” Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.”
There has been quite a bit of speculation about this tribe and their modern day equivalent. Some say it is the Scandinavians, but this cannot be, since the Vikings were very powerful and barbaric militarily a long time ago – but not in these last days. This prophecy can only refer to the Germans. The Germans have been on the march a lot in the last century. There was World War 1 and World War 2. When the Germans start marching you have a real fight on your hands – just ask the Russians about it.
Look for perhaps some changes in the Middle East, like maybe other tribes of Israel (like Ephraim) to be also represented in that land besides only the Jews. However, this is really more speculative than anything, but there is an outside chance this may happen.
There are very many prophecies regarding the House of Israel and the House of Judah, but they are incredibly intricate and so easily misinterpreted. One must tread carefully here, but we can’t just dismiss major prophecies on this subject in books like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
9) The Temple must be rebuilt in Jerusalem (Ezekiel chapters 40 to 48). This is absolutely essential. Why? Because this is where the beast – the man who will claim to be God, will set up his image (Matthew 24:15-22) (Daniel 12:11) (Daniel 11:36) (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4) (Revelation 13:14-15).
In Daniel 12:11 we read ” And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolation set up …..” The Jews will be having a daily sacrifice in the rebuilt temple according to Judaism. You can’t have a daily sacrifice without the Temple, because this is part of the daily ritual of worship in the Temple according to the Torah. Judaism doesn’t recognize Christ as the Messiah.
The Daily Sacrifice (Exodus 29:38-42) (Numbers 28:1-8) 1 Chronicles 16:39-40).
10) A Prince will rule Israel in Palestine and will offer sacrifices in the Temple. Sacrifices and burnt offerings will be done again by the Jews. This Prince cannot be referring to the Messiah, because there are references to the Prince having children, and being a mere man - not a God (Ezekiel 44: 1-3, 45:6-8, 46:1-18, 48:21-22).
This is a very difficult prophecy. Is it referring to the time before Jesus returns or after? I’m leaning towards the times prior to Christ’s return, but am not 100% convinced. Time will tell the tale.
11) It appears someone must come to prepare the way for the second coming of Christ, but this is an area where we must be cautious (Malachi 4:5-6). This appears to be a dual prophecy, but this is by no means certain. Perhaps this is a prophecy which is flexible. Only time will tell. John the Baptist could have fulfilled the entire prophecy (Matthew 17:10-13). On the other hand perhaps the two witnesses help fulfill the prophecy (Rev 11:3-12) (Zechariah 4:3-4,11-14).
12) The ” Beast ” will rule the world for 3 ½ years (Revelation 13:1-8) (Revelation 17: 8 ,12-13) (Daniel 7:19-28).
Who or what is this Beast ? This Beast is described as having seven heads and ten horns (Rev.13:1). There are other references to this Beast in the book of Daniel (Daniel 7:7-8) (Daniel 8:23-25) (Daniel 2:33-35).
It is very clear from prophecy that this Beast is two things in one. It is a grouping of ten nations or ten Kingdoms (in the last days), and it had existed before the last days as well, but not in the ten nation form that it will take in the last days. And it is also descriptive of one man who will be the top ruler of this ten nation grouping in the last days (Daniel 7:15-28) (Rev. 17:7-14).
Notice in Revelation 17:8 that the Beast ” shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition.”
Bottomless pit is symbolic of the grave.
In Revelation 17:8 at the very end of the paragraph it says ” and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”
Here are some clues. The beast (this refers to the political entity, not the person) had existed before, but it died and went into the grave. Then it comes up out of the grave again, but will only last a short space (Rev 17:10).
The human ruler over this ten nation grouping will sit in the Temple and claim to be God. He will exalt himself over all (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12) (Daniel 11:36-45).
The man who will claim to be God will be supported by a great religious leader. You read in Rev 13:11 that this person ” had two horns like a lamb, and he spake like a dragon.” And this religious leader will get the people to make an image of the beast, and force people to worship this image. The image will be placed in the Temple, probably in the Holy of Holies (Rev.13:11-18).
13) Mystery Babylon The Great, The Mother of Harlots will sit on, or control the Beast (Revelation 17: 1-9 , 15-18).
Who is Mystery Babylon?
Mystery Babylon is shown sitting on the beast. Obviously she is in control of the scarlet colored beast.
A woman in Bible prophecy refers to a church, but Mystery Babylon is a prostitute, unlike the true church, which remains pure and faithful to Christ (Rev.12:1-2, 6, 13-17). But Mystery Babylon goes to bed with the Kings of the earth (Rev. 17:1-2). In other words, she is heavily involved in the politics of the earth. The prostitute controlling the beast obviously refers to some kind of combination of church and state.
This woman has her residence in an area where there are seven mountains, or hills. She is described as that great city, which reigns over the Kings of the earth (Rev.17:9,18). She is the mother of prostitutes. Her harlot daughters are obviously also churches, who came out of Mystery Babylon (Rev. 17:5).
In Rev.17:6 the prostitute is ”drunken with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” Obviously she is persecuting the true servants of God for some reason. These are strong words here. God’s true servants are even being killed !
So who is Mystery Babylon? The writer knows who she is, but you may not believe his interpretation. Here are the clues from prophecy regarding her identity and you can use your own judgment regarding who she and her prostitute daughters are.
Mystery Babylon described in Revelation the 17th chapter is a church (Rev.13:11).
She is a great church (Mystery Babylon The Great).
Big, powerful, rich and with many members. This is not some little flock.
She has been and will be for a short period before Christ returns, in control of a group of nations on the earth, or in control of an Empire (Rev. 17:3, 7-10).
This is a church that has existed for a very long time, and who has controlled governments and kingdoms in the past.
The Kings, or governments of the earth go to bed with her. She is heavily involved in politics (Rev. 17:2).
She is described as that ”great city.“ This is a city. A church and a city too. This great city has and will rule over the Kings of the earth, which mean governments.(Rev.17:18) (Rev.14:8).
The city where she lives is built in, or around or among seven hills, or mountains (Rev.17:9).
She has confused the inhabitants of the earth with her false teachings (Rev. 17:2).
She herself is drunk, which is symbolic of being confused. She has and will persecute God’s servants and even has and will kill some of them. No doubt thinking in her confusion that they are heretics (Rev.17:6).
She has given birth to daughter churches, who are also deeply involved in politics, and are also harlots?(Rev.17:5).
She is rich (Rev. 17:4).
The nations, or Empire she has and will control are made up of many different people’s, who speak different languages (Rev.17:1, 15).
She will be in control of this Beast power that will arise in the last days just prior to Christ’s return (Rev.17:3). This combination of ten nations will make war against Christ, when He returns??(Rev.19:19-21).
This Beast power existed before, but died (Rev.17:8). It will arise just once more on earth, but will go into perdition, which means eternal destruction. This woman will work through the Beast to force people to accept the mark of the beast (Rev.13:16).
There are more clues, but these should be enough for you. You should know who we are talking about here.
So we have Mystery Babylon the Great and Her Harlot Daughters and then we have God’s true church.
Is it possible for true Christians to exist within Mystery Babylon and her Harlot Daughter churches ? What is a true Christian ?
Romans 8:9 ”But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.”
A true Christian according to your Bible is a person who has the Holy Spirit living in them. We cannot see the Holy Spirit. God only knows which one of us are the real thing – real Christians. We are not in any position to judge this matter. There are well over 7 billion people on earth in 2015. God looks at a person’s heart.
So where is the true Church today? The true Church is a spiritual organism made up of those who have the Holy Spirit living in them.
So are there true Christians within mystery Babylon and her Harlot Daughters?
Well, it all depends if the Holy Spirit is living in them. If the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Christ lives in them then they are a true Christian. The organization they are part of may have lost its way perhaps, but the individual may still remain faithful. God only knows. We are supposed to grow in knowledge and truth. At the start a person may have a strong faith and are doing their best with the knowledge they have at the time. God is able to reveal the truth to individuals. If they are willing to learn and grow spiritually and willing to admit errors and repent of sins – then God can work with them. Let us not try to limit the unlimited God.
The identity of Mystery Babylon The Great
14) The Philadelphia era of God’s Church taken to a place of safety in the wilderness where they are protected from the world government for 3½ years (Rev.12:13-16) (Rev.3:10).
15) The Emperor of the ten nation Beast power will claim to be God and sit in the Temple (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12) (Rev. 13:1-8) (Daniel 11:36-38).
16) The great religious leader will do amazing wonders and cause people all around the world to worship the Beast (Revelation 13:11-15).
17) Mark of the Beast – this world government will force people all around the world to take the mark (Revelation 13:16-18). No buying or selling without the mark, or number.
18) Israel in Palestine will be conquered by the Beast, taken captive and 1/3 of the population scattered around the earth (Daniel 11: 40-41 , 45) (Ezekiel chapters 5-7) (Eze.39:23-29).
This prophecy is just referring to the tiny Jewish state called Israel in the Middle-East, whose population in 2010 is about 7.5 million, with about 75% being Jewish.
This prophecy does not refer to any other nation, like Britain or the United States or Canada. Israel in Palestine is a tiny nation about the size of Vancouver Island geographically, and has a small population, so it is not inconceivable or impractical for the Beast power to conquer them and exile one-third (1/3) of the people (Ezekiel 5:1-2, 12).
19) The Two Witnesses will prophesy for 3 ½ years and preach the Gospel to the whole world, and be killed by the Beast (Revelation 11:1-12) (Matthew 24:14) (Zechariah 4:1-5 , 11-14). This coincides roughly with the time of the world government set up by the Beast.
20) An image of the Beast will be set up in the Temple and people threatened with death, if they don’t worship the image (Revelation 13:15) (Daniel 12:11 and Matthew 24:15, 16-22).
21) THE GREAT TRIBULATION
Matthew 24:21-22 ” For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened , there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened .”
If there wasn’t any elect (true Christians) then Jesus would not intervene to shorten the days. He would just let mankind commit mass suicide with their hellish nuclear weapons. So maybe this world should start protecting real Christians, because they are an endangered species.
22) The sixth seal – signs in the heavens of the imminent return of Christ (Rev. 6:12-17).
23) The seventh seal, which is divided into seven trumpets (Rev. 8:1-2)
Seven Trumpets
First trumpet - 1/3 of the trees and green grass burnt up (Rev. 8:6-7).
Second trumpet - burning mountain cast into the sea, 1/3 of sea turns to blood, and 1/3 of life in the sea perishes. 1/3 of the ships destroyed (Revelation 8:8-9). A meteorite impact perhaps?
Third trumpet - a star falling from the sky poisoning 1/3 of the waters (Revelation 8:10-11). A comet maybe?
Fourth trumpet - 1/3 of the sun, moon and stars darkened (Revelation 8:12). Could this be the result of dust thrown up in the sky by a meteorite and comet impact?
Fifth trumpet - all mankind , except those with the seal of God in their foreheads will suffer in torments for five months (Revelation 9:1-12). Plants like grass and trees not affected. Could this be chemical or biological warfare. Quite likely ! Many nations will rebel against the ten nation Beast power and a world war will begin, with probably chemical or biological weapons used in the initial strike and counter strike. In Daniel 11:44-45 the Beast is troubled by tidings out of the North and East. North of Jerusalem is Russia and East is Asia – nations like India and China.
Sixth trumpet - there is a nuclear weapons exchange and 1/3 of mankind is killed in the nuclear holocaust (Revelation 9:13-21). At this point Jesus Christ intervenes to cut short the days, because if He didn’t then mankind would destroy all human life in this insane nuclear war. 7)
Seventh angel blows the seventh trumpet and Christ returns (Revelation 11:15-19)
A) The resurrection of the saints (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) (Matthew 24:29-31) (Revelation 20:4-6). It looks like the resurrection of the two witnesses will happen at or round about the same time (Revelation 11:7-12).
B) Now things get a little complicated. We can see the big picture, but who knows all the details and the exact order of events?
Christ has returned and resurrected the saints. Jesus is now here on earth and beginning the process of setting up His world ruling Kingdom – the Kingdom of God here on earth. There is a transitional period, and Christ will not set up His world ruling Kingdom right away. He will restore the nation of Israel in Palestine, and bring back representatives of all the 12 tribes of Israel, who will occupy the land. There is a transitional period, and Satan and his demon followers are still not locked up. So Satan's Kingdom will not be over quite yet.
Will most of the world welcome Him ? Will the governments of the world step down peacefully and meekly let Christ take over ? Bible prophecy tells us clearly that the nations will be angry (Revelation 11:18). The Beast and the other Kings of the earth will not welcome the Messiah, but instead will gather their armies to fight against Christ (Revelation 19: 11- 21 note verse 19).
So the world’s armies stop slaughtering each other, and under the Beast’s leadership later on turn their attentions to fight Christ (Rev. 19:19-21) (Rev. 17:14). Why ? Perhaps they won’t recognize the Son of God, and think Him to be someone, or something else. Maybe they will believe this to be an invasion by alien beings from another planet, or galaxy. Anyways it is quite foolish to fight God. And besides mankind will have been warned by the Two Witnesses, during their 3 ½ year testimony, that Christ is coming to rule the world. They will be without excuse, if they insist on fighting Christ. Their blood will be on their own heads.
Many assume that when Christ returns peace will burst forth and mankind will immediately start loving each other, or perhaps throw down their weapons. In reality the scriptures say that Jesus will come to make war against His rebellious enemies. A rebellious mankind will have to be subdued. After Christ is finished dealing with His wicked enemies there will be few people (comparatively) left alive (Isaiah 13: 6-13 note verses 9,11-12).
No! Most of mankind won’t happily and obediently welcome Jesus. Why? Because they won’t want to give up their sins and they will refuse to submit to God’s rule over their land and over their lives !! Christ will purge out the rebels (Luke 19:27). He will also begin the process of returning the House of Israel to the Holy Land (Ezekiel 20:33-44). The rebels will not be allowed to enter the land of Israel.
Satan is not immediately locked up when Jesus returns. Satan won’t just meekly punch out his time card and turn over his position to Jesus. Satan is the god of the corrupt and rebellious world and he has his kingdom here on earth (Mark 3:22-27) (Luke 11:14-23) (Isaiah 14:12-15) (Ephesians 6:11-12). Of course Satan is not the God of those who follow Christ. The devil won’t leave peacefully (Rev.12:12). He and his fallen angel cohorts will have to be rounded up and tossed into the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1-3).
So there is a time that is more like a transitional period, from the return of Christ until His enemies are dispatched and Christ’s rule is firmly established. There is no specific time frame explaining exactly how long it will take for Christ to get things under His control and have His enemies thoroughly defeated. A guess would be perhaps 3½ to 7 years to maybe even upwards to twenty years. It for sure wouldn’t stretch on too long.
C) THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES
Remember the book in God’s right hand was sealed with seven seals, and this is shown in Revelation 5:1.
The seventh seal was divided into the seven trumpets (Rev.8: 1-3).
Then we have the seven last plagues, which is the wrath of God poured out on His enemies (Rev. 15:1 ,7) (Rev. 16:1). These plagues happen after Jesus has already returned and is here on earth.
Now things are happening pretty fast. A lot of prophecies are happening simultaneously and overlapping each other. Only God knows how everything will fit in. But there is clearly the reference to the seven last plagues. They are now listed for you.
1. First Plague (Rev. 16:2) The people who had taken the Mark of the Beast will have terrible sores break out all over their bodies. Could this be the result of radiation and nuclear fallout from the nuclear war, where 1/3 of mankind is killed ?
2. Second Plague Rev.16:3) The sea will turn into blood, which kills off most life in the sea.
3. Third Plague (Rev. 16:4) The rivers and springs turn into blood.
4. Fourth Plague (16:8-9) The sun will scorch people with a huge blast of heat.
5. Fifth Plague
(Rev.16:10-11) The beast and his Kingdom will be plagued by a very thick darkness. Many will be in such pain from all these plagues that they will chew their tongues in their agony !! But they refuse to repent of their sins !
6. Sixth Plague (Rev.16:12-16) The fallen angels and spirits of devils are allowed by God to go and gather the governments of the world for the Battle at Armageddon. Christ then kills the entire armed forces gathered against Him at Armageddon. This is a force of 200,000,000 ! Their blood flows for miles and miles (Rev.14:14-20) (Revelation 19:16-21).
A 200 million man army may sound like an unrealistically high number, but consider that by the time of the return of Christ (probably sometime between 2040-2070) there will be roughly a 9-10 billion population worldwide, while today in 2010 the world population is approximately 6.8 billion.
7. Seventh Plague Revelation 16:17-21 ” And the seventh Angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightning’s; and there was an earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. And every Island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for the plague thereof was exceeding great. “
It is done ! The earth is convulsed. There is an earthquake of unprecedented magnitude.
Islands are covered in water and mountains flattened.
Massive storms strike the earth with hailstones weighing 100 pounds.
How could this be ? How could there suddenly be such a gigantic worldwide earthquake so great that cities all around the earth fall, and great storms creating hail weighing 100 lbs ? What about the physics ?
One suggested means is the careening earth theory. Over time ice piles up at one or both poles. Since all that ice is extremely heavy it can affect the spin of the earth. The earth starts wobbling and it tilts (Isaiah 24:19-20), especially if you consider the prophecy of the Second trumpet in Revelation 8:8-9 where a burning mountain is cast into the sea and this likely is a meteorite impact. A hit by a large meteorite could initiate the wobbling effect, and then the heavy weight of ice at the poles could take over from that, and cause the final shifting of the poles to the equator.
The axis of spin in this careening earth scenario is shifted. The two poles move over and are now on the equator, or center of spin. However, this would not happen all at once and smoothly – there would be a wobbling to and fro of the earth at the start, until it settled down into a regular even spin. The stars may appear to fall. In the initial stages of this scenario there is a massive worldwide earthquake, which generates colossal tidal waves.
This is because the earth has an equatorial bulge of 26.5 miles (42.72 km) due to its rotation. That is its diameter when measured across the equatorial plane (7,927 miles or 12,756.28 km) is 26.5 miles (42.72 km) more than the measurement between the poles (7,900 miles or 12,713.56 km).So there is this centrifugal or equatorial bulge of 26½ miles at the equator, which serves to stabilize the earth’s spin, and serves as a giant flywheel. If the earth were to start careening and the poles start moving over to where the equator is now – then this equatorial bulge would move through the earth’s crust towards the new equator, and would therefore create massive, awesome tidal waves and a giant humongous worldwide earthquake.
There would be a huge meltdown of ice because the North and South Poles would now be in the tropics ! This causes the ocean levels to start rising covering many Islands.
The size of the South Pole Ice Cap is enormous in 2010 and it continues to grow. To put this in perspective – let us say the South Pole Ice Cap center was North Dakota. The ice would cover the entire continental United States to Mexico in the South and cover Canada up to the far Northern parts. Around 70 % of the world’s fresh water is locked into the ice of Antarctica. Antarctica is covered by ice an average of 7,000 feet thick. If all the ice in Antarctica were to melt then sea levels would rise 200 feet or so. If you added the ice in the North Pole and Northern Glaciers like those in Greenland, to that in the South Pole, and melted them all, you would have sea levels rising well over 200 feet. This would certainly cover many, many Islands and cause them to disappear, which Bible prophecy says will happen.
Revelation 16:20 ”And every Island fled away, and the mountains were not found.“
This does not mean every single last Island disappeared and all mountains were flattened, but it would definitely result in the lower lying Islands and coastlines being completely covered by water, and also probably a flattening effect on a good number of mountain ranges, but probably not all of them.
One can only speculate.Also the swift mixing of hot tropical air and frigid Arctic, and Antarctic air gives birth to huge storms so powerful that hailstones can indeed weigh up to 100 lbs. When hot air and very cold air mix suddenly you get huge storms.
Revelation 16:21 the Living Bible ” And there was an incredible hailstorm from heaven, hailstones weighing a hundred pounds fell from the sky onto the people below… “
There would be great changes in climate. The land of Israel may suddenly find itself in a much wetter climate.
There are a lot of prophecies about how Christ will make the deserts bloom (Isaiah 35:1-2) (Isaiah 41:18-20) (Isaiah 43:18-21) (Isaiah 55:12-13). This is certainly one way to do it ! If this were to happen much of the land currently called Canada would have a tropical or sub-tropical climate ! But there would be a lot of permanent flooding of coastal low lying areas, and the disappearance of great cities like Vancouver, Victoria, Halifax, and Montreal ! And anyways the other cities will crash down and crumble due to the great earthquake.
Worldwide – huge low-lying coastal cities like Hong Kong, Miami, Venice, New York, Mumbai, Singapore, New Orleans, Osaka, Dhaka and Tokyo would be permanently gone.
Right now in Israel to its South and East are deserts like the massive Sahara in Northern Africa, the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula to the East. There is also the desert in the Sinai and the Negev desert in Israel itself. That part of the world is very dry for the most part.
However, if God was to cause the earth to tilt, and shift the poles, flatten or reduce the size of some mountain ranges – then this would change the entire dynamic of climate worldwide. It would change the wind and weather patterns, and change the amounts of rainfall some parts get and result in the land of Israel becoming much wetter, with perhaps a year round growing season (Amos 9:11-15 note verse 13) (Joel 3:18).
D) Those who have worshiped the Beast and who have accepted the mark of the beast are also destroyed by Christ (Rev 14:9-11). This isn't referring to them being tormented forever and ever in hell, but rather them being burnt up. These scriptures seem to say that the worshipers of the Beast face eternal destruction. Apparently this will be an unpardonable sin. Serious stuff here – this insane worship of a mere man !!
E) Mystery Babylon The Great is somewhere in these series of events destroyed and her property burnt (Rev.17:16) (Rev. chapter 18).
F) Christ and His armies then go after Satan and his host of fallen angel followers, who are the ones behind this whole mess. Satan is captured and stripped of his jurisdiction over the earth. It’s the end of Satan’s Kingdom here on earth. The Devil and his demons are locked up and stripped of their power over mankind (Luke 11: 17-22) (Ephesians 6:11-12) (Rev.20:1-3).
24) If we could just look into briefly the return of the exiled Israelites. They were taken captive. Now a remnant returns to Israel. There are tons of prophecies about the restoration of Israel. A few of these prophecies are now listed for you: (Jeremiah chapter 30) (Jeremiah 31:1-14) (Jeremiah 33:7-16) (Isaiah 14:1-4) (Ezekiel 20:33-44) (Ezekiel 34:11-31).
A NEW AGE DAWNS – 1000 YEARS OF PEACE, JOY AND PROSPERITY
Essay – SIGNS OF CHRIST’S RETURN
Can we know fairly accurately when Jesus Christ will return to set up His Kingdom? Yes ! You just have to watch for the signs.
The signs are the prophecies that must come to pass first before Jesus returns. Of course we could die tomorrow. Suddenly in the next moment of consciousness we’d be transported to a new time and new situation. That is why Christians are supposed to always be ready for Christ’s unannounced return, because none of us knows the time of our death.
However, let’s assume we are going to live a long time. How long must we hang in there in order to be eye witnesses to the greatest event in human history – the second coming of Jesus Christ ?
Well, the Temple must be rebuilt in Jerusalem first, and right on the site is was before. The political situation in Jerusalem makes this impossible right now. Big changes in Jerusalem must come before construction starts. And even once everything falls in place it still takes time to build such an important structure.
A world government controlled by the Beast power must come to pass. There is a strong movement for European unity right now. So the ground has been broken for an eventual political unification. However, there has to be some sort of reason or stimulus for central Europe to take such a drastic, radical route. Why would they be willing to turn over power to one single ruler, or Emperor? And why would they be willing to let Mystery Babylon override this union ? There has to be a reason to do it. A good reason. So a lot of water has to pass under the bridge first.
Another important point is that technology must be sufficiently advanced for the world government to force the mark of the beast upon the world. Many countries don’t have all this high-tech stuff yet. However, it is coming. This mark of the beast is probably something like a debit card that could be tied into a system of worldwide computers. It could also perhaps be some sort of scanner that can identify you by the cornea in your eye, or maybe an embedded microchip in your hand or forehead. Or perhaps some entirely new invention. The technology for the mark of the beast may exist already, but it just has not yet spread to all nations. You won’t be able to buy or sell without the mark, or number. This has something to do with business transactions and the exchange of money.
Where are those two witnesses ? Fire is supposed to come out of their mouths and devour their enemies, if they try to harm them. This probably doesn't refer to a literal flame of fire shooting out of their mouths, but it could mean fire coming from the sky, or something like that (2 Kings 1: 1-12 note verses 10 and 12). There sure isn't anything like that going on yet.
So the end is not yet upon us. World events could speed up, or slow down. Looks to me like things have stalled. We may be looking at Christ’s return being delayed.
Another point is that Jesus said that this generation shall not pass till all these things (the prophesied events preceding His return) take place (Matthew 24:32-34). What does that mean ? What generation does He mean ? No doubt He is referring to our time – the last days.
I personally start counting from the time when all human life was put at risk through the possibility of nuclear war. That generation began perhaps somewhere in the mid to late 1950′s. Some of these folks could live to maybe a maximum of 110 to 120 years, or even maybe a little longer if life expectancy keeps going up. This brings us to 2070, or maybe even a bit longer. There just might be some of that generation still hobbling along by 2070 or even 2080 – a lot of people are living to be over 100 years these days.
After looking at the whole situation an educated guess is that Christ will return in roughly 40 to 70 years sometime around 2040 to 2070. Maybe a little bit sooner or a little later, but in that general time frame. None of us knows the exact time (Matthew 24:3). We are in this thing for the long haul.
In this writers educated guess - indicators point to Christ's return being greatly delayed, due to the mess the true Church of God is in during these extremely corrupt last days. Things may actually stretch on until the 1980's but it is extremely unlikely Christ's return will be delayed beyond the 1980's.
Just keep watching the signs.
Matthew 25:13 ” Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the son of man cometh.”
