The Christ in Prophecy Journal

We Are Living in Biblical Times (Part 4)

We Are Living in Biblical Times

The Sign of Israel

David Reagan: One sign of the end times that most prophecy scholars call the “Cornerstone of End Time Bible Prophecy” has to do with Israel. Bible prophecy focuses on Israel.

Tim Moore: It certainly does. That is why we here at Lamb & Lion Ministries love taking people on pilgrimage trips to Israel to see with their own eyes what amazing events the Lord is bringing to pass right in our own day and time.

David Reagan: The regathering of the Jewish people stands as a modern-day miracle. The Jewish people have been preserved as a people group through almost 2,000 years of exile. No other nation has been scattered all over the world and still has been able to keep their ethnic identity, yet the Jewish people have. They’ve come back to the Holy Land and they reestablished their nation and their cities.

That’s the reason why the Orthodox Jews now feel that the Messiah could be coming at any moment, and they are preparing for Him. God motivated the hearts of the Jewish people, especially after the Six-Day War in 1967, to go back to Israel and make it their home. Jews continue to flood in from all over the world.

In addition to this mass return, devout Jews are beginning to believe their plans for the Third Temple will soon find fruition. Feverish planning and activity are in the works. The Jewish people are not going to be surprised by the return of the Messiah, though they are going to be surprised by His identity.

Tim Moore: As one of our Jewish friends likes to say, “When Jesus comes again his question will be: ‘Have you been here before?”‘ Well, yes, Jesus Christ obviously has been here before at His First Coming, but the Jews didn’t recognize Him then as their Messiah. But, some Jewish people really began to understand that truth around 1967 due to the Six Day War. That’s when Israel recaptured the Old City and was able to assemble again at the Western Wall. There the chief rabbi of the Israeli Army, Shlomo Goren, his name meaning Solomon or “very wise,” went and blew a shofar and proclaimed the beginning of the Messianic Age. These devout Jews understood the prophetic significance of the Jewish people once again possessing their capital city of Jerusalem.

Nathan Jones: Jesus Christ’s ninth sign of the end times out of the ten He gave in Luke 21 focused on Jerusalem. Jesus foretold: “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled” (Luke 21:22-24). So, the Jews have to control Jerusalem in order for the world to come against the city.

There had to be Jews living in Jerusalem so that the whole world one day would be gathered against Jerusalem. We see how the United Nations even now has been constantly issuing one resolution after another condemning Israel for living in its own territorial land. The Jewish people can’t even build an apartment complex without the whole world going nuts. Today, the whole world is focused on who controls Jerusalem, just as the Bible prophesied.

David Reagan: An expression of this satanic hatred of the Jewish people has been on display with the rise in Anti-Semitism. This plague has been going berserk all over Europe with frequent occurrences happening all around the world.

Nathan Jones: Even the United States, which normally has served as a protector of the Jewish people, has been hit by a fresh wave of Anti-Semitism as Antisemites lash out over the latest Hamas-Israel war. The Lord often allows persecution to become a motivator in getting the Jewish people to return back to Israel, which is their prophetic calling.

David Reagan: Jews are leaving France like mad right now, trying to get back to Israel, because of the growing threat of Islam due to the EU’s open-border policy.

Tim Moore: Persecution begs the question about the role of wrath in God’s plan. Wrath is not designed just to be a punishment. Wrath can also be designed to motivate. Let’s face it, when I punish my own children, or at least did when they were growing up, it wasn’t to be vindictive toward them, rather it was to discipline them and so correct their behavior. I punished them as needed to lead them to a rightful behavior and mindset and to grow them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. The Lord can use wrath and judgment to motivate people so that they come to an end of themselves, so they’ll then turn back to Him in repentance, and so they can reenter into a reconciled relationship. Mercy is displayed when God pours out wrath, for it is a mercifully loving God who is calling us to Himself.

The Sign of Apostasy in the Church

David Reagan: Another sign of the end times that shows we are still living in biblical times is the growing apostasy in the Church. People are wondering if there will be another great revival that will occur in the Church before the Rapture. I don’t believe so, for there’s no evidence of that in Bible prophecy. Instead, Bible prophecy says apostasy is going to get worse and worse before the Lord’s return. And, who can argue, that it’s not gotten pretty bad today?

Tim Moore: It certainly is. Many denominations and individual pastors, even some very famous ones, are now embracing another Gospel. They loudly deny the very tenents of the Christian faith.

David Reagan: One of the most damaging heresies that is sweeping through Christianity today is the teaching that there are many different roads to God. Its adherents ask, “Who are we to say that Christianity is the only road?” Well, we don’t say it, Jesus said it in John 14:6 and other verses: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'” Therefore, should anyone claim that there are many roads to God, then they are saying that Jesus is a liar, because He made it just as clear as He could that there is one and only one way to God, and that was through His Son.

Final Thoughts

Nathan Jones: I want to share a final thought from the Bible. Did you know that the whole Bible ends with a promise and a prayer? Jesus ended the entire Bible in Revelation 22 by promising, “Surely, I am coming quickly.” And, John responds with the prayer, “Even so, come Lord Jesus.” Therefore, the entire Bible points to the fact that God’s children should be excited about the Lord’s soon return, because it is a given.

Tim Moore: Amen! For my final thought, most of the signs we’ve been discussing are foreboding or represent a rise in evil. God’s prophetic message can be dark and full of warning, that is, to those who have rejected Christ. In fact, I cannot adequately convey the horror that awaits any person who perishes outside of a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. The wrath of God Himself abides on that person. God will judge those who reject Jesus with anger and righteous indignation. And so, I plead with you, do not accept such a horrible and eternal fate.

In contrast, realize that God also presents a prophetic message of promise and hope for all who have put their trust in Jesus Christ. Therefore, while there is still time, today and right now even, accept God’s free gift of salvation. Then all of the end times signs you’ll be able to discern will merely affirm the trustworthiness of God’s Word and will fill you with great excitement knowing that we are living in the season of Jesus Christ’s return.

Our God is a God of signs. He put the rainbow in the sky to remind Himself and us of His promise to never again destroy the earth with a flood. He commanded lamb’s blood to be smeared on the door of enslaved Israelites in Egypt as a sign of their trust in and obedience to Him. And, He has given us the signs of the end times to point His children to the soon return of our Savior.

We pray that you have eyes to see, ears to hear, and the inclination to heed those signs. Scripture says that the heavens declare the glory of the Lord. And, that is certainly true. The signs of the times and their convergence before our very eyes are shouting out loud that Jesus is coming soon. Maranatha!

David Reagan: My final thought is to declare that we are living on borrowed time, so let’s all start living like it!

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Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

1 CommentLeave a Comment

  • hello, am Emmanuel Maepurina from the Solomon islands
    very interest to know about the last day events which indicates the coming of Christ very near close at the door
    however, let people prepare themselves to meet the lord but let them examine themselves and come to Jesus for cleansing and accept him as lord and savior of their life’s.
    please pray for my family for strength and protection from the wiles of the enemy.
    may God bless your ministry ever more
    sincerely
    Emmanuel Maepurina

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