Armageddon, Doomsday, End of the World, Apocalypse are all terms used to describe the end of the present age. In 1947, atomic scientists created a "Doomsday Clock" by which they would let the world know how close humanity was to nuclear annihilation. The ethnic, environmental, economic, and epidemic turmoil that the world is experiencing continues to spiral downward seemingly leading to a point of no return. Racial tensions, natural disasters, ever-increasing costs of living, and plagues such as AIDS and influenza indicate that the world is in dire straits. Global terrorism based on religious grounds is putting fear into the hearts of men and women. Strife in the Middle East is escalating every day. The rejection of a God that created humans and instilled them with a conscience for doing right and condemning wrong is widespread. Are these signs that the Apocalypse is about to begin?
Skeptics say that these problems have always existed in mankind's history and that the present troubles are nothing new. Up to a point, their skepticism has some validity. It is true that since the First Century, Christians have predicted that the end was near because they were experiencing some of the troubles listed above. However, the Bible states that there are some specific circumstances that need to take place for the End-Times scenario to begin.
When the disciples asked Jesus what would be the sign of the end of the world in chapter 24 of the Gospel of Matthew, He gave them some general signs to look for which included earthquakes, famines, pestilences, and wars. Yet He also gave them some specific signs such as:
"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation,
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,
(whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be
in Judea flee into the mountains."1
Jesus said that when His followers saw the abomination standing in the "holy place", He meant standing in the Temple in Jerusalem. He also told His followers to flee from Judea to the mountains. This is significant because for both of these events to occur the Jews have to be living in the land of Israel and the Temple has to be rebuilt in Jerusalem. From 135 A.D. until 1948, the Jews as a nation did not live in the land of Israel. Now that the Jews are residing back in the land these prophecies can be fulfilled. It also means that all the other end-time prophecies can take place at any time. Consequently, the key to understanding Biblical prophecies for the last days revolves around the nation of Israel.
Is the world's current state of affairs indicating that it is indeed near the end of the present age? To answer this I will use two prophetic passages in the Old Testament.
The first is found in the Book of Zechariah where God declares what will happen in the last days:
"The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the
LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the
foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within
him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all
the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both
against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I
make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that
burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the
people of the earth be gathered together against it."2
Nations and Empires have fought over Jerusalem numerous times over the past three thousand years. Yet at no time was Jerusalem a "burdensome stone for all people" nor were ever "all the people of the earth gathered together against it." That situation changed dramatically in the last half of the Twentieth Century and the first part of the Twenty-First Century. With the importance of oil coming to the forefront as nations became more and more reliant on it to sustain their economies, the Middle East became the focal point of the world's attention. Nations as diverse as China, Russia, the European countries, and the Americas all had a vested interest in what happened in that area of the world. However, within the Middle East itself there was an underlying dilemma. The oil-rich Arab/Islamic countries had a deeply ingrained hatred for the Jews and the nation of Israel. Consequently, the nations of the world have tried to intervene in this conflict in order to bring stabilization to the area and the peaceful transfer of oil to their respective countries. Presently, this situation has not been resolved though there have been various attempts to achieve peace in the region. As a result of this lack of success Jerusalem has become a "burdensome stone" and a "cup of trembling" for all the nations of the world.
The second prophetic passage comes from the Book of Ezekiel where God declares in the latter days after the Jews have come back to the land of Israel, armies from surrounding countries will come against Israel:
"And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man,
set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of
Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus
saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the
chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back,
and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all
thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all
sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and
shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and
Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer,
and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north
quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. Be
thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy
company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard
unto them. After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter
years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from
the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the
mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is
brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all
of them. Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt
be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and
many people with thee. Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also
come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy
mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: And thou shalt say,
I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them
that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without
walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and
to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that
are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out
of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell
in the midst of the land. Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants
of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto
thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy
company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take
away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? Therefore, son of
man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In
that day when My people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou
not know it? And thou shalt come from thy place out of the
north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them
riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And
thou shalt come up against My people of Israel, as a cloud to
cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring
thee against My land, that the heathen may know Me, when I
shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. Thus saith
the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time
by My servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in
those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall
come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that My
fury shall come up in My face. For in My jealousy and in the
fire of My wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall
be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of
the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field,
and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the
men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at My
presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the
steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
And I will call for a sword against him throughout all My
mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be
against his brother. And I will plead against him with
pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon
his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an
overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
Thus will I magnify Myself, and sanctify Myself; and I will be
known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I
am the LORD."3
God declares that in the "latter years" and "latter days" an army consisting of several countries will come against Israel. The result of this invasion is "all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at My presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground...pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone." As you read earlier in this book, this is an accurate description of what is going to take place during the Tribulation Period. Thus, this invasion will occur around that time.
Many Biblical scholars and historians (going all the way back to Josephus in the First Century) have identified the countries listed in this passage with their modern counterparts. They are as follows:
Magog: Russia
Meshech: Moscow
Tubal: Tobolsk
Persia: Iran
Ethiopia: Ethiopia
Libya: Libya
Gomer: Germany
Togarmah: Turkey/Aremenia
After Togarmah, Ezekiel refers to "many people with thee" which may indicate countries surrounding the ones specifically mentioned may also be part of this attack. It is worth mentioning that after the breakup of the Soviet Union many of its southern provinces became Islamic countries. This fact, along with the inclusion of Iran, Turkey, and Libya, indicates that this invasion may have an overtly Islamic rationale for attacking Israel.
Does the current global situation avail itself to allow for this invasion to take place soon? Iran is threatening to develop nuclear weapons and to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Islam, which is spreading throughout the world, by its very nature threatens the extinction of Israel. Would oil-hungry countries like China and Russia align themselves with oil-deficient Israel or oil-sufficient Islamic countries? The Book of Revelation mentions the fact that the "kings of the east" will cross the Euphrates River on their way to the Middle East. This seems to be a reference to China and other Asian nations. However, as long as the United States supports Israel it seems that such an undertaking would not occur. The problem is that as Abraham Lincoln stated (paraphrasing Jesus) "A house divided against itself cannot stand." America is becoming an increasingly divided and immoral country and may one day lose its superpower status and thereby be unable to defend Israel. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the countries aligning themselves against Israel in this passage are very close to completing the necessary alliances needed to fulfill this prophecy.
In 1947 the United Nations voted to return the Jews to their ancient land of Israel. I believe there was a temporal reason and a spiritual reason this event took place. The temporal reason was that the nations of the world felt guilty for allowing the holocaust that killed over six million Jews to take place. The spiritual reason was that it fulfilled God's plan to restore the Jews to the land of Israel as He declared to the prophet Amos: "And I will bring again the captivity of My people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God."4
Since that time however, the United Nations has set its face against Israel by passing hundreds of resolutions condemning Israel. This alone tells me that God intervened to use the nations of the world to fulfill His purpose for the Jews and their land. There is no way the UN would vote to create the state of Israel today.
The European Union (EU) is made up of countries that have been historically anti-Semitic and therefore anti-Israel. An EU poll taken in 2003 declared that Israel was the biggest threat to world peace. In 2005 it condemned Israel for building a security wall to protect Israelis from terrorist bombers. Their role in future events may include presenting the Antichrist to the world.
These two organizations are further evidence that the world is coming against Israel and that the situation will never improve in any beneficial way for it.
Israel is currently taking steps that seem contrary to God's purpose for them as a nation. The government is in the process of unilaterally withdrawing it citizens by force from various parts of their country. They are redrawing the borders of Israel in the hope that they may attain peace with their Arab/Islamic neighbors. This appears to be an exercise in futility. The European Union declared they would not recognize any change to the pre-1967 borders other than those arrived at by agreement between the parties. Consequently, if Israel doesn't revert their country back to the borders they had before 1967 without the approval of the Arab/Islamic parties, the EU would not support this unilateral disengagement plan. To acquiesce to the demands of the EU would mean that Israel would have to relinquish control of the Temple Mount and the Wailing Wall to the Arab/Islamic powers. I do not see Israel surrendering this holy site back to Islam. Thus, peace will not be achieved through natural means.
On the Palestinian side of the issue, the people have elected members of the terrorist organization Hamas to the Palestinian Authority government to represent them to Israel and to the world. Though most of the world's reaction to this election was negative they will eventually have to negotiate with whomever is leading the Palestinian Authority if they ever hope to achieve peace and bring stability in the Middle East.
The problem is that the Bible makes it clear that true peace in the Middle East and the rest of the world will not occur until the Messiah is reigning from Jerusalem.
I want to mention one final prophecy concerning the last days and how it pertains to the present time.
The apostle Paul was coming to the end of his life. One of the last letters he wrote was to a young Christian named Timothy whom he had mentored in the faith. He gave Timothy many instructions concerning those who would serve in the Church as leaders. He also exhorted him to teach the people how to live with one another in Christian love. Then Paul gave him a prophetic warning:
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some
shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and
doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their
conscience seared with a hot iron."5
Paul declares that in the last days, people will pay attention to "seducing spirits". Although demonic activity has been influencing humans since the beginning, these spirits will increase their efforts in the end-times. I believe that we are now experiencing the final assault on humanity by these seducing spirits.
Prior to the late 1960s there were some human activities that society considered to be shameful. Since that time however, these behaviors have become mainstream in our culture. They may have existed throughout history but now are looked upon as activities to be tolerated and in some cases encouraged.
Pornography is rampant in today's world. With the growth of the Internet, access to sexual imagery has grown exponentially. Lives are being ruined by this evil manifestation. It is an addiction that has destroyed marriages and shattered the innocence of children. No one can deny that there is an evil power that drives humans to engage in this dehumanizing activity.
Another indication of the rise of sexual immorality is the homosexual movement around the world. God calls homosexuality an abomination6 yet society declares that we have to be tolerant of this "alternative" lifestyle. If you resist these efforts to normalize homosexuality, you are labeled a "homophobe" and are declared to be an intolerant bigot. Homosexuals parade down main streets around the world in open defiance of God. In 2006, there is a planned march through the holy city of Jerusalem that may involve thousands or even hundreds of thousands of homosexual activists. Many activists demand that the Christian Church accept their lifestyles as having the approval of God. The fact that the Bible never commends homosexuality but only condemns it does not influence homosexuals to reexamine their chosen lifestyle as harmful to themselves in the eyes of God. Tragically, their consciences may have indeed become seared. There is no doubt that a spirit of rebellion against God is influencing the homosexual movement.
Lastly, a movement known as Liberal Theology made tremendous inroads into the Christian Church in the Twentieth Century. Its adherents deny the miracles of the Bible and the right of the Jews to live in the modern state of Israel. They deny the divinity of Jesus Christ and the inerrancy of the Bible. Many will be lost in eternity because the teachers of this false doctrine have kept them from hearing the truths of God.
In 2003, a book7 that sold more than 40 million copies around the world denied the historical claims of Christianity. Though the author claims his book is a novel, many people believe that it is factual. Some of the ideas it expresses include the denial that Jesus Christ is divine, Jesus and Mary Magdalene were husband and wife and had a child, and the Bible is the product of man and not God. The author writes "Almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false." Some people may discount the truths of the Bible because of books like this. As the apostle Paul said, "in the latter times some shall depart from the faith."
It is clear that seducing spirits are active in the world today. Their goal is to turn people away from God before He begins His end-times judgments.
From a global point of view it does seem that the stage is set for God to implement His plan for the end of the present age. Even if there was no God I wonder how much longer humanity can continue on the destructive path it has taken in the past few decades. For the first time in history we have the power to destroy the world. Hatred, immorality, and human abuses are increasing. Evolution continues to dehumanize man and thereby devalue human life. Globalization to bring humanity together through commerce and information is reminiscent of man's earliest attempt to unify and make a name for themselves without recognizing God as their Creator at the Tower of Babel. It is interesting that even these behaviors are the subject of end-times prophecy:
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than
lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the
power thereof: from such turn away."8
Yet, as I have pointed out in this chapter, this is the first time in history that God's declared plan for the End-Times can take place. The Jews are back in the land of Israel and world events and attitudes are approaching the final stage of this plan.
1 Matthew 24:15-16
2 Zechariah 12:1-3
3 Ezekiel 38:1-23
4 Amos 9:14-15
5 I Timothy 4:1-2
6 Leviticus 18:22
7 "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown [Random House, a division
of Doubleday; 2003]
8 II Timothy 3:1-5
I want to thank you for taking the time out of your life to read my book. If you are a believer, I hope it has been a blessing to you and encouraged you. If you are not a believer, I hope you will take the subject of this book seriously. Many people have tried throughout the centuries to discredit the Bible yet have been unsuccessful in doing so. As each year goes by history, archaeology, geography, science, and the study of human behavior continue to provide evidence that the Bible is true. As Jesus proved by His first coming, the Bible is also prophetically accurate. Therefore, do not doubt that the future events discussed in this book will happen. I leave you with the words of the apostle Peter:
"For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto you do well that you take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts." - II Peter 1:16-19
