There is a multitude of world events and historical developments simultaneously proceeding on various trajectories in this age, that independently may seem unrelated, however they are part of a grander plan that was foretold millennia ago. God is moving today and the puzzle pieces of prophecy are falling into place whether humanity accepts it, denies it or is even aware that it is happening. God’s plan will most certainly prevail and civilization cannot escape it.
Foretold in prophecy
Amos 3:7 tells us, ”Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.” Noah was told that God planned to “put an end to all people,” (Genesis 6:13) and to “make yourself an ark of cypress wood;” (Genesis 6:14). Noah spent several decades building the ark in full view of everyone who passed by yet only he and his family entered with the animals. Society wasn’t interested in redemption.
Daniel wrote about the four great kingdoms that would arise upon the earth, and was given the prophecy of the seventy weeks (refer to The Precision of Prophecy, Jan. 24, 2021 on this website) that predicted the death of Jesus. He also wrote about the antichrist (Daniel 9:27), the abomination of desolation (Daniel 11:31) and of the great tribulation (Daniel 12:1).
Jesus fulfilled over 360 prophecies through His birth, life, death and resurrection and He is the cornerstone and the foundation of God’s holy plan. Yet the Jewish people rejected him just as He predicted they would. For that they paid a heavy price, beginning in AD 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple at the hands of the Romans, followed by the Jewish diaspora which lasted nearly two thousand years.
Despite Israel’s persistent obstinacy towards God, they continue on the path towards realizing that Yeshua Hamashiach was who He claimed to be. Israel is destined to come to Jesus. Paul instructs us in Romans 11:25-26a, “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited. Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved,”
In the twenty fourth chapter of Matthew, Jesus disclosed many signs that would immediately precede His return. “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and deceive many. 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.” Matthew 24:4-8.
The signs are everywhere
Today we have numerous accounts of Jewish messiahs such as Rabbi Shlomo Yehudah Be’eri or Jiziahu ben David as some refer to him, Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri who claimed to have met with the Messiah in 2003, Berel Solomon proclaiming the Messiah is coming very soon, Yeshua ben Joseph or Allan John Miller, an Australian who claims to be Jesus and claims to remember being crucified two thousand years ago. Others include David Shayler, who says it was revealed to him that he was Jesus in 2007, Vissarion, a Siberian who founded his Church of the Last Testament, Jesus Matayoshi from Japan and Moses Hlongwane of South Africa, plus many others who have reached messiah status at a time when society seems desperate for a leader who will save civilization (but on humanity’s terms).
Jesus warns us in Matthew 24:23-25, “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.” Now more than ever, we must hold fast to the truth revealed in the gospel!
It is no secret that the Temple Institute in Jerusalem is preparing to rebuild a third temple and many of the sacred vessels including the table of showbread, altar of incense and golden menorah are ready as are the priestly garments and the 4,000 harps needed for the Levites to play are nearing completion. The Jews believe that their Messiah will come as a fulfillment of Malachi 3:1 and the temple will be pivotal to his anointing. Israel has been gathered back into the land of its forefathers in fulfilment of Ezekiel 37 and Isaiah 43:5-6 (refer to Israel’s Prophetic Presence, June 10, 2021 on this website).
The sacrificial rituals are also to be reinstated and the parah adumah or red heifer (Numbers 19) will be integral to purifying the temple. The ashes of the red heifer are a key ingredient in formulating the waters of sanctification that will be used to sprinkle onto all those who are impure before entering the temple courts. The red heifer must be perfect in its redness and even two hairs of another color will disqualify it. It must be three to four years old, free of any kind of internal or external blemish or defect and must not have been used for any type of physical labor (never having been placed under a yoke).
On September 16, 2022, five red heifers arrived in Israel on American Airlines flight 146 and what had been relegated to impossibility for nearly two millennia became a possibility once again. They are just under one year of age now and they will be raised and monitored closely by trained rabbis until they are of age before being rendered into ashes. While apparently having very little to do with Christianity, the red heifers are a profound development that will contribute to the fulfillment of prophecy and facilitate instituting the third temple, and ultimately help set the stage for Christ’s return. God’s plan is perfect and even the tiniest details will not be left out.
Global political upheaval, wars and unprecedented violence, growing momentum to institute a one world government and an all inclusive global religion, have contributed to a sense that the end times are upon us. Russia is currently attempting to shift the world order and has polarised the nations through the war in Ukraine and the threat of a nuclear world war three dominates the rhetoric. Civilization is entering a very dangerous era.
Media spun narratives over catastrophic climate change and pandemic fear have filled society with apprehension contributing to unprecedented suicide levels. Perhaps this a prelude to the words of Jesus in Luke 21:25-26. It is estimated that the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers could go dry by 2040. Will this fulfill the prophetic message given in Revelation 16:12?
Cultural values and perspectives have devolved to a lax liberal denial of truth and the deception of subjective morality. Materialism is society’s template for success and celebrities and professional athletes are worshipped as gods. Paul identified this very societal environment as indicative of the last days in 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
The development of Universal Biometric Identification combined with our digital monetary system will provide the necessary components that will facilitate the realization of one person controlling who can buy or sell anything and everything on the entire planet. What was once simply imaginative science fiction has become reality, removing any postulation of Revelation 13:16-17 being allegoric in meaning.
Today the word of God is reaching nearly all of humanity’s population. The Bible has been translated into 90% of the world’s languages and it is estimated that by 2050 it will be translated into every one of the 7,099 languages in the world. The words of Jesus in Matthew 24:14 resonate through the ages, “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.”
The world is oblivious
From a secular perspective the world seems to be falling apart but as time marches on, more and more pieces of the prophetic puzzle are falling into place. Never before have we seen so many of the signs the Bible predicted would indicate that the return of Christ is imminent and now we are seeing them all simultaneously. Just as it was in the time that Christ walked the streets of Jerusalem and the Jewish religious scholars and leaders couldn’t discern the hour of their visitation, civilization today is just as it was in the time of Noah.
Secular society is oblivious to what is about to happen and even many Christians lack situational awareness and dismiss these developments as unimportant, yet they are anything but trivial. Multiple pathways are converging on a trajectory that will ultimately lead to the return of Jesus Christ. Jesus knew this would be the case as Matthew 24:37 testifies, “As it was in the time of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark; 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.”
God has been patient, providing humanity millennia to come to him and he is about to proceed to the next phase of his plan for humanity (2 Peter 3:3-10). Mankind has proven through action and deed the coming condemnation is justified and the verdict is about to be delivered. In the words of Paul Washer, “With one hand God is motioning man to come to Him. With the other hand He is holding back His wrath. Soon He is going to drop both hands.”
We have been living in the age of grace ever since the resurrection of Jesus Christ yet Jesus Himself indicated He would return as a conqueror and make His enemies a footstool for His feet. He is coming soon and He will gather His elect from the four winds of the earth (Matthew 24:31; Mark13:27). The time of the harvest will soon be upon us as Revelation 14:15 discloses, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” Repent and believe in the name of Jesus Christ. The window of grace is closing therefore do not delay!
For true believers the signs of the times are reason to hope. Luke 21:28, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Praise the Lord!
