Last week we reviewed the first of a two-part commentary concerning the prophecies of Jesus Christ recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13 & Luke 21. ... The following is the conclusion. ...
Let me first remind you of what Christ said concerning these specific prophecies ... "Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door." .... Also remember that after my reviewing these specific end-time signs, I felt compelled to bring to you 10 specific 'conditions' of which I believe are evidently revealed in these passages. ... Last week, we covered the first five ... 'Signs of Nature' ... 'Moral Decay' ... 'Deception' ... 'The Knowledge Explosion' ... and 'The Ezekiel War.' ... So now let's go to the remaining five .........
6) The World Church - "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." (Revelation 13:8) ... The one-world religion idea has been around for most of our generation under the guise of ecumenism (meaning universal ... the church as a whole). .... As the liberal denominations continue to water down their theology, there are fewer things to keep them apart. Even now, there are some Evangelical leaders who are questioning whether Jesus really is the only way to salvation. ... The flirtation between certain Evangelical groups and the Catholic Church is very interesting, as is the dialogue between the Pope and leaders of Islam and their common devotion to Mary. In fact, the Vatican and Muslim leaders have agreed to establish a regular official dialogue to improve sometimes difficult relations between the two religions. ... (I just wonder what happens when they decide to pray and seek divine guidance?)........ Remember also that the Catholic Church is one of the richest organizations on the planet with over 1 billion members on six continents, and clearly thinks of itself as the world's dominant religious group - and only 'true' church . ... It is no secret that the Catholic Church is posturing itself to be a major player in End-Time events.
Just one more for the record .... The Reverend Rick Warren, one of America's best-known Evangelical Protestant pastors, pleaded recently with some 8,000 Muslim listeners to work together to solve the world's greatest problems by cooperating in a series of interfaith projects.
Christ talked much about the great deception that would take place just prior to is return. ... Also, Revelation 17 shows the "Great Prostitute" riding the "Beast" ... she being the world church and the beast representing the antichrist and his world government. ... It's coming, and very soon.
7) The Reviving Roman Empire - Daniel prophesied that the Roman Empire would be revived (Daniel 2:36-41) ... something many men .. like Charlemagne, Napoleon, and Hitler ... tried to do through force. ... But the prophecy had to await God's timing for its fulfillment, and that came after World War 2, with the formation of the European Common Market that has since morphed into the European Union. ... This body of nations is still evolving and will eventually end up as Daniel prophesied ...... 10 nations who will ultimately align themselves with the antichrist. .... As recently as two weeks ago, the EU was discussing the possibility of having a 'supreme' leader and also boosting their military budget. .. This prophecy is very interesting to follow, once you understand the Scriptures relating to it. .....
8) World Economy - The Third Horse of the Apocalypse (Revelation 6:5-6) represents economic distress. ... It says, "When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, 'come!' I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6) Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, 'A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine."
Many wonder how one ruler could possibly gain leadership and control of the world's nations. Let's look for a moment back in history to pre-World War 2 Germany. Their economy at that time, just like what's happening around the world today, was in complete shambles. A wheel barrow full of their money could barely buy a loaf of bread. .... So then what happens? ... Along comes a charismatic leader (Hitler) who seemed to have all the answers .... and being in a desperate way, the people willingly followed. ... From there, we know the rest of that story.
Also, when looking at the First Horseman of the Apocalypse (Revelation 6:1-2). ... On this white horse is a rider who has a bow, but no arrows. ... To most of us who 'do' prophecy, this rider represents the coming world ruler ... the antichrist ... who will come into power in a 'bloodless coup' (no arrows) ... and how could that happen? ... By desperate people needing a 'savior' in times of economic horror. .... Hence, the world economy playing out its prophetic role.
9) Israel - The signs that relate to Israel are the most important of all because the Jews are God's prophetic time-clock. ... What I mean by this is that the Scriptures will often tie a prophesied future event with something that will happen to the Jews. ... We are told to watch the Jews ... and when the prophesied event concerning them occurs, we can be sure that the other prophesied event will also occur.
We can start by looking at Luke 21:24 where Jesus prophesied that the Jews would be dispersed from Jerusalem and be led captive among the nations. ... This did take place in AD 70. ...... Now let's look at some other specific prophecies, many of which began to be fulfilled in the 20th century. ... First, the regathering of the Jews to their 'promised' land which began at the beginning of that century. .. In 1900, there were only 40,000 Jews in Palestine. .. By the end of World War 2, that number increased to 800,000. ... Today, there are some 6 million who have come from all over the world. This 're-gathering' was prophesied in many Scriptures, including Ezekiel 34-37, Jeremiah 16 as well as the Gospels, which we will now touch on.
On May 14, 1948, Israel became a sovereign nation ... the only time in history where there was a nation ... then not .. then again! .. In the Gospels of Matthew 24:32-35) & Mark (13:28-29), Christ used the example of the "Fig Tree" (Hosea 9:10 & Joel :7) which represents Israel. ... He stated that when the fig tree's "twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near, right at the door." ... Simply, this is a prophetic picture of Israel regaining her land, and when that happens, He says that not one generation will pass before He returns. .. Hallelujah!
The final one I'll touch on concerning Israel is the focusing of world politics upon them ........ (Zechariah 12:2-3). ... All the nations of the world, including the United States, are coming against Israel over the issue of control of the nation's capital - the city of Jerusalem. ... The Vatican wants the city put under its control ... the UN wants it to be internationalized ... the EU it to be divided between the Arabs and the Jews ... The Arabs want all of it. ... There is much more concerning the Jews in End-Time prophecy but for the sake of length, I'll stop here.
10) "As in the Days of Noah" - Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:37-39 that most people will not have a clue as to His imminent return. As in the Days of Noah ... leading up to the flood, people were seen as going their 'merry way' ... totally oblivious to what was taking place around them, until it was too late. ... It is no different today! ... Moral decay and decadence prevails in almost every society on earth. ... But then again, didn't prophecy tell us it would be this way?
The Bible says we cannot know the time of the Lord's return (Matthew 25:13), but Scripture makes it abundantly clear that we can know the season of our Lord's return. ... 1 Thessalonians
5:2-6 says, "You yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. ... But you brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night or darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober."
This passage asserts that Jesus is coming like "a thief in the night." .. But then, it proceeds to make it clear that this will be true only for the pagan world and not for believers. ... His return should be NO surprise to those who know Him and His Word, for they have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to give them understanding of the nature of the times.
.... and because we know that He is close ... the signs of the times prove it ... I urge you to spread the Gospel to all who are not aware ... all those who fall into the confines of this pagan world. ... Reach out to them & save them from the coming fire! .....
Until next time,
Red