Seven Major Prophetic
Signs Of The Second Coming
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
Seventh Annual Year End Update 12-29-07
There are seven major prophetic signs of the Second Coming,
and ever since we started tracking them all seven have been in some stage of
fulfillment. As in years past, I'll list the seven with their primary biblical
references and offer commentary from current events.
1. Israel Will Be In The Land... Ezekiel 38:8
After many
days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that
has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the
mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out
from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.
In 1948, when Israel took its place among the nations of the
world again for the first time in nearly 2000 years, students of prophecy recognized
the fulfillment of the primary sign that the end of the age was upon us. Ezekiel
had predicted this would happen and in effect Jesus had said that the generation
being born when it happened would still be alive when He returned (Matt.
24:34) because the things He gave as signs of His impending return require
that Israel be a nation in its historical land with a functioning Temple.
The fulfillment of this prophecy caused another reaction as
well. Satan reads prophecy too, and began exerting his influence on world leaders
in his continuing effort to thwart the plan of God. As a result, Israel has
fought six major wars in the last 58 years, each of them an attempt to erase
the Jewish Homeland from the face of the Earth. And it's clear that this effort
will continue, with the biggest battle of all looming on the horizon, foretold
by Ezekiel in chapters 38-39. Israel's enemies, both physical and spiritual,
won't let up until they've either succeeded (their view) or been destroyed (God's
view).
Although US and Israeli leaders
promised that abandoning Gaza in 2005 would improve the nation's security, the
opposite has happened. As those opposed to the abandonment predicted, Gaza has
become a major center for terrorist activity and there's mounting pressure from
the military to take it back.
Even so, there's now serious talk
of repeating this mistake in the West Bank and parts of Jerusalem, all in the
name of Palestinian statehood. In the political sense there are good reasons
for pursuing this strategy, even considering its dangers. First, with their
high birth rate, Israel's Arab population could actually achieve an electoral
majority position in another generation and effectively vote Israel out of existence.
So having their own state preserves Israel's Jewish majority. And second, if
the Palestinians become a sovereign nation, Israel will have a legal entity
with internationally recognized borders to hold responsible for preventing cross
border attacks against it.
The real issue, of course, is religious not political. God
made it clear that while the land He was giving to Israel would be theirs to
use, He would always be its real owner. They were not permitted to permanently
dispose of it. (Lev. 25:23-24) In case of an existential threat, they
should turn to Him for protection. But they haven't and in the past few years
we've seen the weakening effect each effort to trade land for peace has had.
As hard as it is to watch, we know this has to happen in order to put Israel
into a position where only God can help when the inevitable consequences of
their appeasement strategies present themselves. Then they'll have to turn to
Him for help.
And help He will, because the God of Israel has also said.
"I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined
cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they
will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land,
never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them," says the LORD your
God. (Amos 9:14-15)
2. Jerusalem Will Be In Jewish Hands... Luke 21:24
They will
fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem
will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
The Lord prophesied that the reunification of Jerusalem as
a Jewish City would be a sign that foreign (gentile) influence over His land,
and indeed the world, was about to end. With the reunification of Jerusalem
in 1967, prophecy experts saw another major sign being fulfilled, although as
we'll see this gentile trampling won't be completely over till the 2nd
Coming. Even so, the almost world wide effort to take the city apart again is
in essence a battle of wills; the Will of God vs. the will of man.
Until recently every Israeli politician has stood firmly on
a pledge to keep Jerusalem united forever as Israel's capital. But then former
Prime Minister Sharon said that he'd consider abandoning parts of the eastern
suburbs to achieve peace, and Ehud Olmert has hinted
at following through on Sharon's proposals. There's even talk of turning the
Temple Mount over to Jordanian custody with an international overseer composed
of the UN, Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Because sentiment in Israel's influential religious community
runs strongly against this, the government has denied any talk of giving up
the Temple Mount. But non-religious sources, including some among the Palestinians,
insist that it's a “done deal.” If so we might not have long to wait to see
if a theory first proposed by Clarence Larkin over 100 years ago is valid. A
distinguishing feature of the treaty that begins Daniel's 70th week
is permission to built a Temple in Israel. Larkin
suggested that a correct understanding of Ezekiel 40-48 requires that
Israel's 3rd Temple be built in Shiloh, not Jerusalem. I first became
convinced of the validity of Larkin's position about 10 years ago, and have
been pleased to learn that at least a few other prophecy scholars agree. If
we're correct, the status of the current Temple mount will soon become a non-issue.
In any case, support for the idea that Jerusalem will be undivided
during the 70th week can be found in Zechariah 14:2 which
says that in the battle leading up to the Lord's return, the city will be captured
and half its people will go into exile, but the rest will not be taken from
it. There's also a hint that the Palestinian question will be resolved after
the Battle of Ezekiel 38, because the area chosen for the burial of the
enemy soldiers appears to be the valley at the bottom of the Old Jericho Road,
near the Temptation wilderness. It's described as being in Israel in Ezekiel
39:11 but today it's part of the Palestinian
West Bank Traditionally, they call it the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
From all this we can reasonably conclude that if whatever
happens to the Holy Land and its Capitol City in the next year or so includes
dividing them between Israel and the Palestinians, it'll only be temporary.
The fulfillment of these two major prophecies concerning Israel
has caused confusion in the minds of some commentators. It centers around an
incorrect interpretation of Matt. 24:34, that all end times prophecies
are to be fulfilled within a generation, nominally 40 years, of Israel's re-gathering
in 1948. That error made 1988 seem like the likely time for the End. But when
1988 came and went scholars focused on the Jerusalem date, 1967, and began adding
40 years to that, advancing their predictions to 2007 even though the Jerusalem
prophecy won't be completely fulfilled until the 2nd Coming. As of
this year, that deadline has also passed.
But the Lord didn't promise that all end times prophecies
would be fulfilled within a generation of their beginning, only that the generation
of people being born at the time of the first of the signs would still be alive
to see their completion. According to Psalm 90:10 an average Biblical
life span is 70 years, so if you begin with 1948, predicting the approximate
time of the End requires the addition of 70 years, not 40. And remember, the
culmination of End Times prophecies is the Second Coming, not the Rapture of
the Church, which precedes it by at least 7 years.
3. A Moslem Coalition Armed And Led By Russia Will Attack
The Holy Land... Ezek. 38:2-6
"Son of
man, set your face against Gog, of the land of
Magog, the chief prince of
Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him. This is what the Sovereign Lord
says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech
and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out
with your whole army--your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde
with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia,
Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also
Gomer with all its troops, and Beth
Togarmah from the far north with all its troops--the
many nations with you."
(For a more detailed explanation of the modern equivalents
to these biblical names, read "An In Depth Look At The Modern
Equivalent To Biblical Names in Ezek.38) It's in the
Ikvot directory.
Over 130 historical references make it plain that
Magog stands for modern Russia, and the other countries
named here form a coalition based on their common religion, Islam.
(Today Russia is 30% Moslem and growing.) Among them
are Iran, several North African countries, Eastern European countries along
the Danube, and the Turkic nations of Asia Minor. A quick look at a world map
will reveal that these areas are home to some of the most violent Islamic terrorist
groups.
In 2007 there were several items of note is this category.
Russia's continuing effort to re-establish itself as a force to be reckoned
with is becoming more obvious with some in the West calling it a return to cold
war conditions. Plans for re-locating its Black Sea fleet to the Mediterranean
with headquarters in Northern Syria, the sale of even more advanced anti-air
defenses to Syria and Iran, and the long delayed delivery of nuclear fuel rods
to Iran's Busheir reactor are notable, as is
it's claim to the North Pole, which if legal would
make Russia the world's largest holder of oil reserves. The Russians are already
a major supplier of arms for the Moslem coalition, just as Ezekiel prophesied,
and will be drawn into joining in this battle by God Himself. Russia's barely
disguised policy of becoming the major outside force in the Middle East is playing
right into the Lord's hands.
Turkey is also flexing its muscles, crossing the border into
Iraq recently to hammer the Kurds. This is something Iran has an interest in
as well, since what the Kurds want is their home land, some of which in
in Iran. Earlier this year it was reported that
Iran was helping with weaponry and intelligence.
Russia has already formed commercial and military alliances
with Turkey and Syria, becoming Turkey's 2nd largest trading partner after Germany.
Since recent polls show a dramatic decrease in public support among Turks for
EU membership, Russia has been quickly moving to bring Turkey under its influence,
a shift that could help cause Turkey to abandon the West and line up with the
Moslem coalition as Ezekiel foretold.
But the big news has to be the about face that the US has
taken. From being on the very brink of an attack against Iran, and making no
attempt to keep it secret, the US has suddenly decided that there's no Iranian
nuclear threat and called the whole thing off. Immediately Russia stepped up
its cooperation with Iran, and Saudi Arabia quickly became friends as well.
The public word is that the US and Iran have made a deal brokered
by Saudi Arabia that in exchange for Iran no longer sending arms and explosives
into Iraq and Afghanistan, the US would "remember" that Iran abandoned the military
part of its nuclear program back in 2003 and call off plans to attack Iran.
Israel has confirmed that the 2003 halt took place but swears they can prove
it was just a pause while Iran relocated their program into secret facilities
away from prying eyes. The rest of the world is still wondering just what to
make of this, but agree it doesn't look good for Israel.
Suddenly, what we were thinking would take a huge terrorist
attack, the meltdown of our economy, or the rapture of the Church may be happening
without a whimper, as the US seems to be abandoning its commitment to stand
against Iran for Israel's protection. All that's missing now is for something
to happen to make Israel believe they've finally achieved peace with their neighbors
and can relax their state of readiness. To this end, Pres. Bush is scheduled
to be in the Middle East next month in a personal effort to accomplish what
his predecessors could not, and that's to bring peace to the Middle East. With
the exception of Iran, every leader involved is weak and desperate, so there's
no telling what will happen.
But it appears likely that a false peace could soon come to
pass, leaving Israel all set up for the battle of Ezekiel 38 by its supposed
peace partners. When the time is right, having recently taken His church to
Heaven, the Lord will use this battle to orchestrate His reconciliation with
Israel, and on its heels the anti Christ will emerge with a peace plan that
includes a Jewish Temple.
4. The Ancient Roman Empire Will Re-Emerge As A Political
Force... Rev 17:9-10
"This calls
for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits.
They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come;
but when he does come, he must remain for a little while."
(This one is a little obscure if you don't know your history. When John was
writing this, about 95AD, there had been five great world powers; Egypt, Assyria,
Babylon, Persia, and Greece. All were conquered and absorbed. The current power
was Rome, which was never really conquered and will re-emerge at the end of
the age, according to Daniel 9:26.)
Daniel 2:36-45
describes Gentile Dominion from Daniel's time forward (Egypt and Assyria had
already fallen) in the form of a giant statue. Read it carefully and you'll
find some interesting things in the description of the feet of iron mixed with
clay, representing the revived Roman Empire of our time. In the first place
the two don't mix. We can imagine soft clay serving as glue sticking pieces
of iron together, but the language describes a clay that's made of dust and
already baked ... hard and brittle like shards of pottery. You can't make random
pieces of iron and pottery adhere. They'll keep falling
apart.
In 2005 the EU constitution vote was defeated as one more
example of how the EU has had trouble sticking together just as Daniel prophesied.
Half-hearted efforts to revive it in 2006 bore no fruit. The Treaty of Lisbon,
signed just this month is another, more serious attempt to get it passed, and
will likely be ratified. If so, the EU will have a single president, consolidated
embassies, a peace keeping force, and will look ever more like a single entity.
Similar multi-national consolidations are in some stage of
formation in North America, South America, Africa, the Far East, and the Moslem
Middle East. Eventually the world will consist of a total of 10 of these regional
governments, each with its own president, but all under the supervision of a
single world leader, just as John said. (Rev. 17:12)
Prophecy buffs who've been watching
the EU for years, seeing it as the fulfillment of Daniel 2, are beginning
to remember that Daniel's vision of the Roman Empire had two legs. They appeared
in history as the eastern and western divisions, the eastern leg situated on
land that's occupied today by the nations of the Moslem Middle East. Its capitol
was Constantinople, which is also a city on seven hills. With the growth and
prominence of Islam increasing, and with its goals of world domination a well
known fact, it's looking like this eastern leg will fulfill Daniel's prophecy
along side the western one. Remember, the 10 toes,
representing the ten nation confederacy, come from two feet. And with Shiite
prophecies of al Mahdi being so similar to Christian
ones of the anti-Christ, we may have to re-think the traditional western view
of the coming one-world government. It could just a
easily be a world wide Islamic Caliphate.
5. The World Will Embrace A Single Religion... Rev 13:8
All inhabitants
of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in
the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the
world.
The one world religion idea has been around for most of our
generation, often under the guise of ecumenism. As the liberal denominations
continue watering down their theology there are fewer things keeping them apart.
Now some Evangelical leaders are questioning whether Jesus is really the only
way to salvation. The flirtation between certain Evangelical groups and the
Catholic Church is interesting, as is the dialog between the Pope and Leaders
of Islam, and their common devotion to Mary. The Catholic Church is one of the
richest organizations on the planet with over 1 billion members on 6 continents,
and clearly thinks of itself as the world's dominant religious group. It's no
secret that the Catholic church is posturing itself
to be a major player in End times events.
But make no mistake about it. The rise of radical Islam is
the chief threat to world peace today and their goal is nothing less than world
domination. Their god is not the God of the Bible, and their fight with Jews
and Christians actually began in the 7th Century AD when the Jews rejected Mohammed's
offer of consolidation. Prior to that time he had counseled his followers to
respect and befriend the Jewish people, but when they refused to join his religion,
he declared jihad (holy war) against them. Christians were included 400 years
later as a result of the Crusades.
Currently nearly one out of five inhabitants of the world
is Moslem, and like most Christians and Jews don't really know what they believe
or why. Ignorance and misinformation are primary tools of the devil so I would
urge all thinking people to really study the origin and goals of Islam. It will
soon be the world's most popular religion, and after the removal of Evangelical
Christians in the Rapture could easily be the foundation on which the one world
religion is built.
In 2
Thes.
2:7
Paul wrote that the secret power of lawlessness was already at work in the world
but that the One who holds it back would continue to do so until He is taken
out of the way (out of the midst). Understand that Paul wasn't referring to
man's disregard for the law here, but rather to his refusal to accept the truth.
In New Testament Greek the word for unbelief is also translated disobedience.
God's view is that there's just too much clear evidence of His existence for
anyone not to believe in Him. Therefore so-called unbelievers are really disobeying
by refusing to believe.
In 1 Tim 4:1 Paul warned us of the doctrines of demons
and in 2 Tim 4:3-4 of the growing popularity of mythology as being part
and parcel of this end times religion. This is the
lawlessness Paul was writing about. Having rejected the truth, those left after
the Rapture will be ripe for the Great Lie of 2 Thes
2:9 to fill the need every man has to believe in something greater than
himself. All it will take is for a charismatic religious leader to emerge, a
leader powerful enough to bring all those who are left behind into one counterfeit
religion.
Much has been written this year about al
Mahdi, a manifestation of Shiite Moslem prophecy
that is strikingly similar to Christian prophecies of the anti-Christ. Both
come on the scene during a time of great turmoil on Earth, both come claiming
a desire to restore peace, both have a seven year reign, both head a one world
religion and one world government, both claim supernatural origins, and both
reigns end in a battle between good and evil that brings about Earth's final
judgment.
Islam is the world's fastest growing religion and is second
only to Christianity in number of adherents. But the true Church will soon be
gone in the Rapture. Those who are left behind, with their celebration of pluralism
and their inclusive view of the way to salvation, will be ripe for conversion.
Add the widely held but incorrect beliefs that God and Allah are the same, and
that Islam is a religion of peace, and you can see how Islam could be the straw
that a world on the verge of chaos grasps for survival.
6. The World Will Accept A Single Government... Rev 13:3
The whole
world was astonished and followed the beast.
Last year I said that partly because of media distortion,
and partly because of the constant meddling by Iran and Syria, the war in Iraq
has become so unpopular that it's driven public opinion to devastating levels
of dissatisfaction with the current administration. As a result both houses
of Congress have changed hands and 2007 could very well see the beginning of
the US departure from the Middle East entirely. After last month's Annapolis
Conference and America's about face regarding Iran, that seems more likely now
than ever.
I also said that a successful attack on the strength of the
dollar could eventually sideline us from world affairs entirely. Last year the
Euro became the most popular currency in circulation, surpassing the dollar
for the first time, and is now challenging the dollar for supremacy as a reserve
currency. According to experts, in the last few years the dollar has lost 40%
of its value against the Euro. With just the interest on the national debt averaging
$1 billion per day, effective loss of the dollar's monopoly on oil transactions,
and a nation wide mortgage meltdown, it doesn't
take a prophet to see that unless something drastic happens America's demise
as the world's only super power is just a matter of time.
The Rapture of the Church would be the final and fatal blow
to US supremacy, paving the way for the anti-Christ and his 10 regional governments
to consolidate their hold on world affairs.
7. Babylon Will Re-Emerge As A Prominent City In World Affairs...
Rev 18:2-3
With a mighty
voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home
for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and
detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening
wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with
her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."
Babylon is still a ways away from accepting its destiny as
a city of power in the end times. It's just a ceremonial city right now, but
20 years ago nobody even knew it existed at all. One of the shocks of Gulf War
1 was the discovery of Babylon standing there on the banks of the Euphrates
again.
You may think that being little more than a giant museum is
a far cry from being a center of world power, but some of Iraq's new political
leaders are calling for their nation's capital to be moved to Babylon. The logic
behind this is that Baghdad was Saddam's capital, and the new Iraq needs a new
capital, more consistent with its heritage. Babylon fills the bill, and becoming
the capital of Iraq would be a giant first step toward achieving its transformation
into a center of power.
Because of Babylon's current lack of importance in the world,
some students of prophecy search for an allegorical fulfillment of Rev. 18,
and of course many see the USA or some city therein as a logical candidate.
No one doubts that the US deserves this king of judgment.
But remember, even though in Revelation 17:9 John describes
"mystery Babylon" as seated on seven hills (referring to Rome), a prophecy in
Zechariah 5:5-11 shows it being moved "to the plains of Shinar" a reference
to ancient Mesopotamia called Iraq today. We can't switch from literal to allegorical
interpretations of Scripture without clear direction, and where Babylon is concerned
no such direction exists. In fact the opposite is true. As the world rushes
toward its destiny it becomes increasingly clear that the Bible is to be taken
literally where Babylon is concerned.
Other Signs
You will
hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such
things must happen, but the end is still to come. 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.
"Then you
will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated
by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith
and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and
deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most
will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel
of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations,
and then the end will come.
(Matt. 24:6-14)
Then he said
to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There
will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful
events and great signs from heaven.
(Luke 21:10-11)
"There will
be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish
and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror,
apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be
shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power
and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up
your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
(Luke 21:25-28)
WARS AND
RUMORS OF WARS
... Depending upon whose intelligence reports you read somewhere between 30
and 50 wars are currently being fought around the world, with a substantial
number of additional disputes threatening to erupt into war at any time.
THE INCREASE
OF NATURAL DISASTERS
... More frequent and more severe hurricanes, more frequent and more intense
earthquakes. Killer storms and quakes continue to dot the news. In 2007 there
were 189 more earthquakes over 5.0 on the Richter scale than in 2004 and 365
more than in 2000. And before you blame all these disasters on “global warming,”
over 400 prominent scientists have expressed public concern about the claims
by Al Gore and others. To date the only demonstrable cause for increased global
temperatures is that the Sun is getting measurably hotter, just like the Bible
predicts for the Last Days.
SIGNS IN
THE SUN, MOON, AND STARS
... The magnetic polar reversal, predicted by computer model for 2012 is gaining
more attention since its likelihood was first announced. Having moved several
hundred miles across Canada the Magnetic North Pole is currently headed for
Siberia. While the effects of a Magnetic Polar Reversal have never been observed
by mankind, it has apparently happened in the distant past. What's unique this
time is that the Sun is due for a polar reversal at the same time. I've speculated
that the effects of the polar reversal could fulfill Revelation 6 and if the
projected time of 2012 is correct, it supports the view that all prophecy could
be fulfilled within 70 years of Israel's re-birth.
PESTILENCE...
Not only new diseases like HIV/AIDS and SARS but also the
return of old ones like Whooping cough. But the big
news this year is still the likely spread of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu). As
more cases among humans are reported, fears that the virus has mutated to thrive
in a human host have increased. Dire predictions are placing possible deaths
from this pandemic in the millions.
THE LOVE
OF MOST WILL GROW COLD
... 3500 people die every day in defense of the Christian faith. Run away crime,
children being abused and murdered by their parents, children killing children.
Murder trials as public entertainment soon to be followed by televised executions.
Ethnic cleansing, rape and forced pregnancy, pedophilia, random shootings, the
incidence of disrespect is enough to make you sick.
THIS GOSPEL
WILL BE PREACHED IN ALL NATIONS
... Looking at the state of the world, it's hard to be encouraged. But as world
news gets worse and worse, more people are turning to the Lord for solace. According
to some reports as many as 175,000 new believers are born again every day, mostly
in Africa, China, and India. Reports of these conversions are accompanied by
accounts of miracles, people receiving supernatural healing and even being raised
from the dead. Just as He did at the beginning of the church Age the Holy Spirit
is moving mightily at its End. I believe the Lord is issuing a giant "last call"
before He suddenly takes the church out of here to begin the End Times judgments.
The above are given as indicators in the Olivet Discourse
(Matt 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) As you know most
of these signs are progressive and all are described as happening well before
the end. Their main interest to us is found in the phrase "beginning of birth
pangs." Natural disasters, the tendency toward war as a tool of diplomacy, famine
amidst plenty (35,000 children die each day of starvation and related diseases)
and pestilence are described as being common to the era but increasing in frequency
and intensity as the end approaches. This was certainly the case in 2007 and
is an indicator of how close we are to the end.
It's true
that for over 100 years folks have been saying, "how
much worse can it get?" Sadly, the answer now as it was then is, "Much!" It
seems man's depravity knows no limits. But take heart. Though we are in the
world, we are not of the world. We don't belong here, being citizens of heaven.
And one day soon our long awaited King will return to take us there.
Maranatha!
http://www.gracethrufaith.com/ikvot/seven-major-prophetic-signs-of-the-second-coming
as of 1-2008