I am aware of the fact that there are many, many interpretations of the prophecies which have been given to us. If one disagrees with the following treatise or some part of it, all I ask is that you study the Bible before you form an opinion. I will give you a degree of levity in your opinion if you will, in turn, allow me the same courtesy. WFH
My goal for this little article is to make you aware of some of the pertinent things going on around us today which play into and are a critical part of much of the prophecy in the Bible about the end times. Let me give you a statement about prophecy and what it is. Prophecy is “history in prospect.” It is history that hasn’t happened yet. But it is bound to take place because God said it would and He revealed it through His prophets.
God is not locked into time and space as we are. He can see something happening long before it takes place on earth. He lives in the “eternal now.” We live in time and things happen on a time line which we call history. What God saw long ago in His “eternal now” finally takes place in history and we experience it. That’s why a prophet in Biblical days was always right. He had been told something would occur based on what God saw. Then it happened in history. If a prophet in Biblical days made a prophecy that did not come true, he was a false prophet and was executed. It was a dangerous thing being a prophet in Biblical days. Only the real, genuine prophets passed the test and lived. So, when God showed one of His prophets something, it was bound to happen at the proper time in history.
Certain things have got to take place before Jesus can come back. He spoke to us in Matthew 24 about things what would take place before He would come back. Without getting into some deep specifics of events, let me mention some of the events which must take place. I am not going to mention everything but only some things that you, in these present days, can see with your own eyes if you are aware of what is going on around you. Jesus is going to come and win the battle against evil at a certain point in time and we need to be aware of things in these present days which, I think, are leading up to the seven years of tribulation and the consummation of the age that the Bible speaks about. In Matthew 24:4-14 and in verse 44 as well, we find out just how corrupt things will get before He comes back. He gives us a warning concerning the end time.
Personally, I think Gabriel is already standing up with his instrument to his lips, ready to play is musical solo and blow his horn. I think it is not long before the Lord gives him the command. Let’s talk about some things that had to take place and some that still will take place before the Lord comes back. First, Israel had to be a nation again. For two thousand years the Jewish people did not have a homeland following its destruction by Rome in 70 AD. Their places of worship were destroyed and the people no longer had their own nation. But before the end can come, Israel had to be a country again. That happened on May 14, 1948 when the papers were signed recognizing the new provisional government of Israel. So, after two thousand years the Jewish people had a homeland. The Bible speaks of the ten nation revived Roman empire which many Biblical scholars identify as the European Union. Without going into intricate detail, that group of nations are made up of nations which are spoken of in prophecy concerning the end times. Third, Scripture speak of a one world currency and the mark of the beast. One cannot buy or sell without this mark but if a person takes the mark on their hand or forehead, the are doomed. Tough spot isn’t it. A one world monetary system is coming and I believe that the thing that is driving it is the advent of digital currency. It will, in my opinion be the one world monetary system prophesied about in scripture. This has to happen before the end comes.
Digital currency can be used to transact business anywhere on the globe at the touch of a key on a computer. All countries will buy into this system if they want to do business. It is going to be the one-world currency in my opinion. A one-world monetary system will promote the next thing to look for: a one-world government which is spoken about in the Bible. Our currencies are a major factor in identifying our countries in the world. Germany has its Mark. Italy has its Lira, Japan has its Yen. The United States has its dollar. England has its Pound Sterling. There is difficulty which is caused by so many different currencies. I think that someone will say “since we all do business on the one world system I think it would be good if we only had one big country which includes everyone. One world currency will promote the erasing of boundaries. Now, if this takes place in one form or another, it will promote something else: a one-world government and the Bible says this will happen as part of the process of the end of times. All the things I have mentioned and will mention are part of the line-up as the end of time approaches.
Now, if there is a one-world government, it will occur to leaders to say: “now that we have a one world government, we need a one-world leader.” This is where the “man of sin “, the Anti-Christ comes in. The whole world will be enamored by this man and he will appear to be the answer to all the world questions. Everyone will want to follow him; everyone that is except God’s people who will remain faithful to Him regardless of the difficulties. The times will be difficult for God’s family; those will endure to the end. They won’t be able to buy or sell. They will be persecuted and killed. Times are going to get very, very difficult. The wonderful thing is this: all those who are saved will not be a part of these difficult days because as the scripture tells us, they will have been taken from the earth, raptured, before the seven years of tribulation starts with the last three and one-half years being the Great Tribulation. God’s truly saved saints will be spared all of this trouble. We won’t be here.
Some other things that Jesus said will happen before the end is that there will be wars and rumors of wars. Have we ever had a more troublesome time on this world concerning wars and rumors of wars? That is about all the news talks about these days. My fear is that we haven’t seen the worst of it yet. Every nation seems poised for war. If the right “trigger” were pulled at any time, there would be a Third World War and it would make the other two look like a kid’s game in comparison.
Crime that is unpunished is also a part of things that must happen before the world ends and I don’t have to convince people of the truth of this one. This world is coming apart at the seams. Timothy tells us about it in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. It is hard to believe what the criminals are getting away with today and not being punished for it. Solomon said something about this In Ecclesiastes 8:11. If people are not punished for crimes they will continue to do as they please. It boggles my mind when I see gangs go into a jewelry store or some other establishment, break the display cases and steal thousands of dollars in merchandise and calmly walk out. And, to add to that, if an employee tries to do anything about it, they are the ones who get disciplined and fired. Crazy. Everything is upside down, backwards and sideways in our modern world!
Now, let me mention what I believe is perhaps the most dangerous thing that has emerged in our lifetimes. I believe it plays directly into prophecy. The most dangerous thing that has recently come into being is Artificial Intelligence. With this tool they can create a person looking and talking just like they are real. Long dead actors can star in new movies. In fact, Hollywood is not pleased with A I.
Actors could be put out of a job with it. John Wayne will ride again! Jimmy Steward will celebrate another Christmas or make another trip to Congress. All they need is a little bit of film with which they can mimic a person’s body movements and a small recording of their voice and they can bring anyone to life again on the screen. A I can make it look as if our President were ordering a nuclear strike on an enemy and everyone would believe that it was actually the President talking. One can see the implications of this where prophecy is concerned. A I can write a book. It can create documents. It can write a speech or sermon if told the type of message that a person wants to create. This new invention has already scared its creators because they have a computer that has become self aware. It realizes who it is and even tells its creators that it wants to be a human. One person reports that an A I computer has said that it wants to destroy humans. This thing is thinking for itself and is self aware. Incredibly dangerous!!
It has no limits to what it might do because it has no soul to guide it. If it decided to do despicable things, it would have no conscience about it and would not feel guilt of any kind. Just think on this for a few minutes on one can readily see that the Anti-Christ would have a willing accomplice in A I which is fed a diet of evil. No soul. No conscience. No limits!
As already stated, many of the inventors of A I are very cautious of their own invention. Someone has stated that they might not know how to stop a self aware A I computer. I can tell them what to do with it without spending millions of government dollars dealing with the situation. All someone has to do is pull the plug. It can’t operate without electricity. Just pull the plug! Simple isn’t it?
I could go on and on but suffice it to say that true Christians won’t be on the earth when such things happen. The Lord is coming back in a cloud of witnesses, displaying the Glory of God. He is going to take His Church off the globe and then the worse things will begin. I believe that we are now seeing the signs of His Coming and the end of the age. He tells us that we will see signs and that we had better be aware of their meanings. But, I am confident of the fact that, as it tells us in 1Thessalonians 4:13-18, God’s people are going to be protected from all that will happen. He is coming to resurrect those Christians who have already died, and at the same moment, He will change those who are alive. He will then take us all up together to heaven to be with Him forever. I refer to the Rapture of the Church.
So, with all this in mind, I urge everyone to Be Aware! Make sure that you have made preparations for your soul by trusting Jesus Christ as your Savior. He has prepared for those of us who trust in Him. He has already shown us all these signs so that we can Be Aware!
