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2.
Wars and rumors of wars.
Regarding His return to earth, Jesus Christ said
"And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you
are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet
the end. "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom,
Matt 24:6-7
Violence is epidemic, and a study of
wars since 500 BC shows a recent, dramatic increase of 82 world conflicts
since just 1990.
And there have been more wars in the last 100 years than there were in the
first 1900 years since the times of Christ.
3.
Famines
& Earthquakes increase
Christ warned that there would be famines that would be widespread and
devastating, leading up to the final conflict of Armageddon. (Mat 24:7)
"For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom and in
various places there will be famines and earthquakes. "But all these
things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
One of six people on earth today suffer
from hunger.
A recent study shows a dramatic
increase in worldwide earthquakes, just since the decade of Israel's
rebirth as a nation.
Like increasing birth pangs, in the
1940's there were 51 earthquakes above 6.0 on the Richter scale; the
1950's, 475; the 1980's, 1,085; and in the 1990's there were about 1,540
(Matthew 24:7).
4. Pestilences
(Disease and Plagues)
Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on
it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. And authority was
given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with
famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.
This is a
reference to the many strands of bacterias and viruses that have caused
horrible diseases on the earth, such as the HIV virus.
5. The Gospel
of the Kingdom preached in all the world.
Jesus
predicted in Matt 24:14
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a
witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.
The sharing of the
Gospel in the whole world has been made much more encompassing and rapid
by the increase in travel and technology.
Despite decades
of dedicated missionary efforts, largely by England and the United States,
by 1900 only 3 percent of Africans had become followers of Jesus Christ.
However by 2000, over 45% of the five hundred million people living in
Africa have accepted Christ.
9 "Then they
will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated
by all nations on account of My name. 10 "And at that time many will fall
away and will deliver up one another and hate one another. 11 "And many
false prophets will arise, and will mislead many. 12 "And because
lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. 13 "But the
one who endures to the end, he shall be saved. 14 "And this gospel of the
kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the
nations, and then the end shall come.
Now as this is a
description of the Tribulation period. While Church age believers will
not be on earth, we can still discern the signs of the times.
Matt 16:1-3
16: 1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Him asked Him
to show them a sign from heaven. 2 But He answered and said to them, "When
it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' 3
"And in the morning, 'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and
threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but
cannot discern the signs of the times?
Luke
12:54-56
54 And He was also saying to the multitudes, "When you see a cloud rising
in the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming,' and so it turns
out. 55 "And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, 'It will be a hot
day,' and it turns out that way. 56 "You hypocrites! You know how to
analyze the appearance of
the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?
6. The
Apostle Paul’s warning signs of the last days.
2 Tim 3:1-5
3:1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2
For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant,
revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving,
irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of
good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than
lovers of God; 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied
its power; and avoid such men as these.
Specific Biblical Prophecies:
History reveals
that none of the following predictions were ever fulfilled in any previous
generation of the last 2000 years.
The unusual nature
of these prophecies also suggests that it is almost impossible that they
could be fulfilled again in a following generation.
Jesus encouraged
His believers with these words:
Luke 21:28
28 "But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up
your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
1. The
rebirth of the nation Israel in 1948.
Throughout the entire Old Testament, the Jewish Bible, God repeatedly
prophesied that the land of Israel, the ancient land of Canaan, was the
Promised Land that the Jews would be able to enjoy forever.
It seemed like this prophecy in Eze 37:11-14 was no longer possible,
because in 70 AD Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews were all scattered
to other nations. There was no more nation of Israel.
But then in the year 1948, over 600,000 Jews returned to the new Jewish
state.
2. The
revived Roman empire.
Dan 7:3-7, Rev 17:12-18
It is interesting today that there are two unions of nations forming in
Europe: the European Union and the Western European Union.
The same nations and geographic areas of the Roman Empire are now being
brought together again in the European Union.
A different name, but the same unification of lands and peoples.
3.
Preparations for the Battle of Armageddon predicted.
a.
200 million man army from the King of the East.
The apostle John foretold the final Battle of Armageddon in Rev 16:16,
written almost 2000 years ago.
Today China, considered by most the king of the east, almost has an army
of 200 million soldiers!
This was impossible when this was written 2000 years ago.
b.
A Highway for the Kings of the East.
The apostle John, who was also a prophet in the book of Revelation, wrote
about the preparation of a “way” for this huge military force to march
across the vast expanse of Asia towards this final battle of Armageddon in
northern Israel.
The Chinese government has already started building a super highway,
spending millions of dollars and expending hundreds of thousands of
construction workers lives. This super highway is extending from China
through the mountains of Asia and towards the nation of Israel.
c. The
Drying up of the Euphrates River.
In the same passage in Rev 16:12, we read that the great river Euphrates,
of which we are now quite familiar with from the war in Iraq, will at one
point dry up, allowing this massive army to cross it.
Throughout history the Euphrates has stopped armies from progressing.
But guess what happened in the war in Iraq?
Only with today’s military technology, allied forces were able to use a
mechanical bridge attached to a military vehicle.
This bridge unfolded and crossed the width of the Euphrates River,
allowing US troops to cross the river without much problem.
Never before in human history was this so simple.
Also not until recently did the Euphrates river have an intricate series
of 22 dams, which were built in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
The Euphrates can become bone dry by the closing of these dams, and armies
could march across on dry ground.
4. Babylon
rises again.
Babylon is in the country of Iraq and was being rebuilt by Saddam Hussein.
5. Plans for
Global Government
The prophets Daniel and John predicted thousands of years ago that in the
end times, a global government would exist, allowing one man, the
AntiChrist, to rule the whole world.
Dan 7:14, Rev 13:7-8
Never before has this been more possible with organizations like the
United Nations, that are taking away nationalism and freedom.
6. Technology
and the Mark of the Beast
John prophesied through God the Holy Spirit that there would be a cashless
society during the last 3 ½ years of the 7 year rule of the Anti-Christ.
Now what are the chances of that? A cashless society?
Well did you know that today more than 90% of purchases in the USA are
done without cash?
And here is what is coming soon on this earth….
Rev 13:16-18
16 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, 17 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. 18 This calls for wisdom. If anyone has
insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's
number. His number is 666.
NIV
Rev 14:9-10
9 Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud
voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on
his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink of the wine of the
wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and
he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy
angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
NASU
What could this
mark be? How can everyone buy and sell with this mark??
(Read Verichip
RFID description, from Verichipcorp.com)
7.
Instantaneous Global Viewing. Rev 11:9
9 Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at
their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their
dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.
Only possible with today’s technology. And forget TV, everyone will
probably view this live through a computer on their cell phones! And
everyone will have cell phones!!! (third world countries do)
8. Travel and
Knowledge shall be increased.
Twenty five centuries ago, Daniel predicted that there would be an
explosion of knowledge in the last days before the return of Christ, along
with a huge increase in travel.
Dan 12:4
4 "But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until
the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will
increase."
Two key conditions described about
2,500 years ago for the Second Coming of Christ are that "travel and
education shall be vastly increased."
In all of history, the vast increase in
travel has come just since mid-century with the explosion of both ground
and air transportation; in education, with the advance of science and
computers.
9. An
earthquake shall pass directly through the Mount of Olives. Zec 14:4-5
Professor Bailey Willis of Leland Stanford University was an expert on
earthquake activity. During a speech to the British Assoc. of Science for
the Advancement of Science, Dr. Willis discussed the recent geological
research that revealed a significant earthquake fault line passed directly
through the Holy City of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives.
Just coincidence? Or is everything lining up with the Bible as part of
God’s Plan?
10. The
Generation that sees these things will see the Lord’s return. Mat 24:34
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It is this same
God that helped all these prophets write all these predictions that also
tells us He loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die in our
place.
By the way, if
you’ve never believed in Jesus Christ, ask yourself a question:
What is your
Truth? What proof do you have? What specific predictions do you have
that prove a supernatural Author?
It is this same
supernatural book, the Bible, that predicted all these events that are
happening now, that also records the facts that Jesus Christ was God in
heaven and voluntarily came down to earth to be a sacrifice for our sins,
as a member of the human race.
It’s the same book
that predicted 1000 years before Jesus was even born that the Messiah
would have His hands and feet pierced.
Psa 22:16
What greater love is there than when someone is willing to suffer and die
in your place?
This is the God
of the universe, and the same Bible that predicts all these events we
listed is the same Bible that says in Acts 16:31 “Believe in the Lord
Jesus and you shall be saved.”
John 3:16-18
16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 "For
God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the
world should be saved through Him. 18 "He who believes in Him is not
judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has
not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Accept Him now
for eternal salvation.
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