Matthew 24:42 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
God's plan for the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ is revealed throughout the Bible in the form of Biblical prophecy. Since the time of the early Christians, believers have asked themselves if they will be the generation to see the return of Christ. No one knows for certain when Christ will return, but Christians are not left to wonder without understanding or aim. Recognizable signs are to precede Jesus' return and Biblical prophecy sets forth a clear roadmap designed to give believers advance warning of the advent of the Great Tribulation.
The goal of this forum is to allow all Christians, from prophecy neophytes to sophisticated theologians, to recognize and understand those key prophecy signs that will confirm if and when we are living in the End Times (aka Daniel's 70th week).
Are we the generation?
I believe specific prophecy signs are being fulfilled before our very own eyes.
Below are some current news articles that relate to the 20 Key Prophecy Signs. If you would like to read any archived articles, click on '20 Key Prophecy Signs'.
Are You Prepared?
Could things be any more "in place" for a seven year covenant to suddenly appear?
As I watch the world events concerning Israel and the city Jerusalem, it is becoming obvious to me that things could get worse very quickly. It also makes me ask myself if I am prepared emotionally, spiritually and psychologically to endure the Tribulation (aka Daniel's 70th week).
Is Jesus addressing the Church in Matthew 24? In other words, is Jesus talking to us, the members of His Church, in Matthew 24?
Matthew 24:1-44 (NIV)
[1] Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.
[2] "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
[3] As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
[4] Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you.
[5] For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.
[6] 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.
[7] Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
[8] All these are the beginning of birth pains.
[9] "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
[10] At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,
[11] and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
[12] Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,
[13] but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
[14] 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.
[15] "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the reader understand--
[16] then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
[17] Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house.
[18] Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.
[19] How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
[20] Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.
[21] For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again.
[22] If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
[23] At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it.
[24] For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible.
[25] See, I have told you ahead of time.
[26] "So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it.
[27] For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
[28] Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
[29] "Immediately after the distress of those days "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'
[30] "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
[31] And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
[32] "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.
[33] Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.
[34] I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
[35] Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
[36] "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
[37] As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
[38] For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;
[39] and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
[40] Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.
[41] Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
[42] "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
[43] But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.
[44] So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
If the church is NOT addressed in Matthew 24, then the signs and warnings do not apply to us. However if the Church IS being spoken to by Jesus in Matthew 24, then you and I should be looking for these signs and heeding these warnings.
I believe the Church is either going to go through ALL of Daniel's 70th week (aka the post tribulation Rapture) or we are going to go through MOST of Daniel's 70th week (aka the pre wrath Rapture). There are many signs around us that seem to be lining up with the warnings of Matthew 24. I write this, not to alarm you, or cause panic, but rather to get us to consider the possibility...... and to start getting prepared.
The early stages of the birth pains of Matthew 24 will be a little uncomfortable, but in reality it will be exciting to us who realize the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is a mere 7 years away! But as time progresses and we get further into the Tribulation, the birth pains will increase in intensity and persecution of the Church WILL begin.
I want to paraphrase from an expository sermon delivered by Pastor Mike Andrus on Matthew 24:
Why does God speak so often and in such detail about prophetic truth? Possibly because He knows how very easy it is for us to become so earthly minded that we are of no heavenly good. We have such a tendency to get totally immersed in our daily life; work, entertainment, sports, politics, family, friends. We begin to think this is all that matters, that this is all there is. There is nothing wrong with all these things but they are not all that there is. And they are not even the most important things. Bible prophecy (like Matthew 24) reminds us of the reality of the spiritual world. And there is a future we can hardly imagine. And God goes to great lengths to tell us about it.
Date: December 7, 2008
Sermon: Signs of the Second Coming
Scripture: Matthew 24:1-25
Speaker: Pastor Mike Andrus
MP3 version
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Date: December 14, 2008
Sermon: Stage Four: Delivery
Scripture: Matthew 24:26-35
Speaker: Pastor Mike Andrus
MP3 version
PDF printer friendly version
These two sermons should be read or listened to by everyone who considers that we may be the generation to witness the literal fulfillment of the signs of Matthew 24 and are called to endure the Tribulation. The content of these sermons will help you to be prepared. Perhaps you could gather a small group of your friends to discuss them? Learn a lesson from the New Testament...... professional theologians were often the last to perceive the reality of the times they were living in.
Blessings,
Donnie
2011 - 2018 An Intriguing Date Range for Daniel's 70th week
This article is highly speculative, but it's a reminder that we should always be looking for the signs pointing to the Lord's Second Coming.
Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Daniel 9:27 seems to suggest a seven year covenant will mark the beginning of Daniel's 70th week, or as many people call it, the Tribulation. The first 3 1/2 years (1,260 days) will start with the "Beginning of the Birth Pains." The second 3 1/2 years (1,260 days) will be much more difficult and is frequently referred to as the time of "Great Tribulation." In total, the 70th week of Daniel is 7 years in length.
The potential start date of Daniel's 70th week can be calculated fairly easily. Here's some simple math supporting the 7 year date range of 2011-2018:
1948 the year Israel was reborn as a nation.
+ 70 years (the length of time of a generation)
2018 the year of our Lord's return? 2018 will mark 70 years of Israel being a nation.
- 7 years of Daniel's 70th week
2011 the year that will mark the start of Daniel's 70th week?
Again, I am not date setting, merely pointing out an intriguing date range. If this date range is correct, then this coming season of autumn is the time we should be watching for signs that the beginning of the End Times are here.
The reason I say the autumn season is that there is also strong evidence that the end of Daniel's 70th week, on any given year, will occur on the Fall Jewish Feast days. For example, let's look at Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. Looking seven years ahead in the Jewish calendar, September 19, 2018 is Yom Kippur. This could possibly be the date that will mark the end of Daniel's 70th week. It is on this day that the Jewish people's sins will be atoned for and they will be reconciled to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. (Click on the image below to learn more about my views on the Feasts of the Lord.)
I want to recommend two powerful videos that suggest God is trying to get our attention. The first is just unbelievable. It may be THE most convincing argument supporting the 2011-2018 date range for Daniel's 70th week. (Click here, or on the image below to see the video of Mark Blitz explaning the significance of the upcoming blood moons/lunar eclipses.)
These eclipses would correspond to the middle of Daniel's 70 week, which will be a very bad time period for the nation Israel. The years 2014/2015 would be the mid-point of the 70th week and when the anti-Christ enters the Temple in Jerusalem and proclaims he's God.
Here is another very powerful video presenting natural disaster events that have occurred in the last few years. When viewed, you see how back to back to back the sorrows have hit. Has God begun shaking the nations?
Haggai 2:6-7 (NIV)
[6] "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.
[7] I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty.
Finally, on September 29, 2011 Rosh Hashanah begins. This is the 63rd Feast of Trumpets since Israel was reborn and the prophecy of "this generation will not pass away until all these things have been fufilled" began. Exactly 7 years later, 2018, will mark 70 years since Israel was reborn.
Hmmmmmm. That's a lot to think about.
Donnie
Electronic Skin -- Mark of the Beast?
All of the technology advances in our lifetime border on mind boggling and I believe they are a sign that we are living in the End Times. Our lives are being lived at a supersonic pace. Jet travel delivers us from one continent to another in a matter of hours. Social networks and cell phones have resulted in the overthrow of several Middle Eastern Countries. Instant knowledge is a click away on the internet and electronic banking is becoming the norm. This rapid increase in our level of knowledge was unimaginable to people who were living a mere 100 years ago. Yet, in a vision to Daniel, Jesus Christ revealed to us that in the last generation travel and knowledge will increase.
Daniel 12:4 (NIV)
[4] But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge."
Our generation has witnessed a dramatic increase in both travel and knowledge.
The Bible also prophecies (warns) that some kind of advanced technology would be used the Antichrist and the False Prophet to control people and their money. It will involve some kind of mark on the person’s forehead or right hand.
Revelation 13:16-17 (NIV)
[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.
This week the Antichrist and the “Mark of the Beast” made headlines in several newspapers including the Drudge Report
MARK OF THE BEAST? Electronic tattoo has medical, gaming, spy uses...
This new technology is called “electronic skin” and is a temporary tattoo that attaches to the skin to monitor people. Could this be the technology that the False Prophet will force on people, an actual “smart” mark or tattoo that gives people the ability to buy or sell?
The Bible specifically warns us not to take this mark because it pledges your allegiance to the Anti-Christ instead of Jesus Christ. The penalty for taking the mark?
Revelation 14:9-12 (NIV)
[9] A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand,
[10] he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
[11] And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name."
[12] This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
This increase in technology is not a bad thing and I embrace it wholeheartedly, from my iPhone and iPad to electronic banking and blogging. But this story caught my eye as an example of how technology is fast providing the coming antichrist with the ability to control the finances of every person in the world. If this is not scary, I don't know what is!.
But the prophesied ‘increase in knowledge’ alone isn’t what’s catching my eye these days. It’s all the other signs occurring at the same time; wars in Africa and rumored war between Israel and Egypt, the dividing of Jerusalem and the potential UN recognized statehood of Palestine, the unfulfilled prophecy of the complete and utter destruction of Damascus in Syria, slumping markets around the world in Europe and the U.S. feeding economic fear, worldwide natural disasters of Biblical proportions, and even the approaching comet and asteroids. All of this together is what's keeping me up at night!
Oh, and one more thing, the Jewish Fall Feasts are approaching; Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) is Thursday, September 29. Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is Saturday, October 8. And Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) is Thursday, October 13. Could this be the start of the End Times calendar and will the birth pain ‘dominos’ begin to fall? Only time will tell, for no man knows the day or the hour.
Mark 13:22-23 (MSG)
[22] Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and dazzling performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better. [23] So watch out. I've given you fair warning. -- Jesus
Blessings,
Donnie
Potential Consequences of a Palestinian State
Potentially, big news is brewing in the Middle East. The Palestinians are planning to force the U.N. to decide on whether to recognize a Palestinian state. This will involve a vote on the issue of Palestinian statehood based on the pre-1967 borders this September. If it passes, the United Nations will be recognizing the Palestinian Authority as a country.
In response, the United States is going to host a summit in Washington D.C. on July 11 where officials representing the U.S., the European Union, the United Nations, and Russia will attempt to devise an “international peace plan” in hopes it will be enough to dissuade the Palestinians from pursuing a U.N. vote in September.
If this summit fails, and Israel is forced to give up their land to the Palestinians in September, the nations of the world will be guilty of ignoring the warning message of the Old Testament prophets which is very clear… DO NOT divide the land of Israel!
President Shimon Peres warned that this written peace agreement on Jerusalem will cause a “world war.”
Joel Rosenberg agrees;
“It may look like a brilliant idea to divide the City of Jerusalem….to divide Judea and Samaria – a.k.a., the West Bank – away from the State of Israel….to give away the Golan Heights….as it seemed brilliant to some to give away the Gaza Strip in 2005….but let there be no mistake: the Word of God warns us in no uncertain terms that judgment is coming for all who divide Israel….and divide Jerusalem….and scatter, oppress and mistreat the Jewish people.
As I say this, the United Nations is preparing to hold a vote in the next few months to divide Jerusalem and the rest of Jerusalem and unilaterally declare a sovereign Palestinian state. For many, this seems wise and fair and just…..but willfully disobeying the Word of God is never wise….never fair….never just….and it comes with consequences.”
How serious could the consequences be? This forced Palestinian State and the subsequent dividing of the land of Israel could be the prophecy sign that launches us into the End Times. How would we know for sure? We would look for a couple of specific indicators: a signing of a 7-year peace covenant between the nations and Israel, along with discussions around the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem and the restarting of animal sacrifices. Both of these signs would signal the arrival of the Antichrist and the beginning of the Daniel’s 70th week.
Blessings,
Donnie
The World is not going to end May 21, 2011
You probably have heard this... May 21, 2011 is the date that Harold Camping claims is "Judgment Day" and the date of the Rapture. Apocalypse soon, says US Preacher.
It is really important to take the Bible literally. This is true whether we are seeking knowledge about salvation, or any other topic, including prophecy. Concerning salvation, Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man comes to the Father, but through me," He meant it. There is simply no other way. Concerning prophecy, He commanded us to WATCH for very specific signs that will alert us that the End Times has begun. We are never told to predict dates; in fact, we are told that the specific day and hour are known by no man, only the Father has this information.
We are given specific prophecy signs for several reasons. One of these is so that we will not be caught off guard. Unbelievers will be caught off guard as they will not understand the literal seven seal judgments, the seven trumpet judgments, and finally the seven bowl judgments predicted in the Book of Revelation. As terrible as this seven year period will be, we will know and understand the times and the seasons if we take the Bible literally. The return of Christ will not surprise us like a thief, because the Lord has told us exactly what will happen. He has told us what to look for. First, look for a seven year peace agreement with Israel. Second, He has told us how to recognize the Antichrist. Exactly 3 1/2 years after the seven year covenant is signed, the Antichrist will put an end to sacrifice. He will then enter into a wing of the rebuilt temple and set up an image of himself (The Abomination of Desolation) for the entire world to worship. And exactly 3 1/2 years after the Abomination of Desolation, Jesus will return to the earth, destroy the Antichrist, and set up His Millennial kingdom.
Another reason we are to know the signs is to keep us from following false teaching and false prophets. The World is not going to end May 21, 2011. There are literal prophecy signs the Bible says we will see that will alert us to the Second Coming of Jesus. Most of them have not yet occurred. We have not seen the signing of a seven year peace agreement between Israel and the Antichrist. We have not seen the rise of the Antichrist, nor the False Prophet. We have not seen the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. We have not seen the re-establishment of animal sacrifices on the Temple Mount. We have not seen the Antichrist proclaim himself God in the Temple (aka the Abomination of Desolation). We have not seen the Two Witnesses who will call fire down from heaven. We have not seen the Mark of the Beast instituted. The river Euphrates has not dried up. Gog from the land of Magog has not invaded Israel. All of these signs predicted by the Bible will occur before Jesus returns to set up His heavenly kingdom on earth.
We live in very exciting times and we could be on the verge of the beginning of Daniel's 70 week, but you need to know the facts before sounding the alarm.
Blessings,
Donnie