Teachinghearts	The Prophecies of Jesus "Explore the Word. Change the World"	Statistics: Time: 80 minutes Print: 15 pages

		Jerusalem		Wars	Earthquake	Famine	Terror	Tribulation					Gospel		Christ
Temple Destroyed		Jerusalem Trampled by Gentiles							Jews in Jerusalem
Abomination of Desolation				The End is Not Yet					Powers of Heaven Shaken
These Things (Days of Vengeance)				Signs of the Second Coming									End of the Age

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Texts
Matthew 24 Mark 13, Luke 21 1 Thessalonians 4 2 Thessalonians 2
Repetition
The Seven Seals

Background
Jesus' prophecies begin with the period immediately after His death until His return. He adds more detail about the fall of Jerusalem and the dominance of the Gentiles as a consequence of vengeance for the covenant.
As Jesus and the disciples were leaving the temple, the disciples stopped to admire the magnificent structure. This is when Jesus said -
And He said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down." (Matthew 24: 2)

Later as they were sitting on the Mount of Olives the disciples said:

1. Tell us, when will these things happen
2. and what will be the sign of Your coming
3. and the end of the age

Jesus and the Second Coming
Jesus answered their questions by giving a prediction about the Second Coming that was repeated in three of the gospels.
There is some controversy about these prophecies because it appears that Jesus said
"this generation would not pass until all these things are completed". (Matthew 24: 34)

This seems to imply that some people who were alive around 30 AD would live to see the Second Coming. Obviously that has not occurred.

However, the key to understanding this prophecy is to understand that two questions were asked and two answers were given. You can also say that a third question would be "what are the signs of the end of the age".
He first tells them when these things will occur - the stones of the temple in ruins. Then He tells them the signs of His coming and the end of the age. The sign of the end of the age is the preaching of the gospel.

Signs: Jerusalem Surrounded by Armies
Jesus gave one sign for the destruction of Jerusalem.
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. (Luke 21: 20)

The Final Persecution of Israel It is our opinion that the coming problems in Jerusalem will be accompanied by a near simultaneous persecution of the righteous throughout the world. When we see support for Israel disintegrate and the nations besiege her, then our persecution is near or is also occurring.

• Ancient Jerusalem. Jesus gave this advice to the Christians of His time. This happened in 66 AD when Cestius surrounded the city. The Christians had three and a half years to prepare to leave Jerusalem. When the brief opportunity came they escaped. Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD.
• Modern Jerusalem. However, Daniel 11: 45 and Zechariah 12 predict that Jerusalem will again be surrounded or occupied by the armies of the King of the North and surrounding nations at the end of time. And they will succeed for a while until God destroys them.
  
  So whenever we see a prophetic siege of Jerusalem, a great judgment of the surrounding forces at Jerusalem will occur. God will fight for global Jerusalem if she is righteous, otherwise He will allow her defeat. This time she is righteous. She will suffer some persecution but God will not allow her total defeat.
• New Jerusalem. Revelation 20: 9 also predicts that the wicked will surround the New Jerusalem with Satan. This time they will fail. Israel suffers nothing.

» Days of Vengeance. The desolation of Jerusalem and the sanctuary was as a result of the application of the fourth and fifth or final curse at the end of the age for the Jews.
I will also bring upon you a sword which will execute vengeance for the covenant; and when you gather together into your cities, I will send pestilence among you, so that you will be delivered into your enemies' hands. (Leviticus 26: 25)
It is therefore a model of the desolation of the church when our time comes.
Therefore, for the last generation, Matthew 24 will appear as a continuous prophecy. When we see this event the church should think seriously about the possibility that the Second Coming is within their life time. Then they should take appropriate actions because the warning of Jesus to the church in ancient Jerusalem will still apply.

Signs: The End of The World
This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24: 14)
The preaching of the Gospel is the only sign that the end of the world is near. At the end of time, the sanctuary of God will not be destroyed. It will be the false religion that will be destroyed. Therefore, the sign of the fifth curse for righteous Israel is the building of the sanctuary, the spiritual sanctuary with the cleansing of the people who will inhabit the heavenly sanctuary that is made without human hands.

Signs: The Second Coming
We have traditionally seen "the signs of the Second Coming" and "the signs of the end of the world" as being the same set of events. But apparently Jesus sees the signs of His coming as an escalation of disastrous events over a longer period of time. When we examine these signs we see that they are related to the seven seals, which are the same events as the five series of curses.
Now the prophecy makes sense. We will know that His coming is near when we progress through the series of punishments prescribed by the covenant. When we reach the end of that cycle, we will know that it is the end of the age.
The prophecy mentions several types of events, ruled by our enemies, natural disasters, wars, spiritual deception, and astronomical signs from the heavens.

The Times of the Gentiles

1500	1012	721 BC	605	539	457	361	197	1 BC	34AD	70	539	750	1079	1439	1798	1844	1981
Exodus	Israel	Assyria	Babylon	Persia		Greece	Rome				Papal Rome				Fall of the Papacy	No time remains	Babylon the Great
No Gentiles in Israel		Times of the Gentiles (Seven Times)
		1 time				1 time		1 ½ times			3 ½ times
		Jews Conquered (3½ Times)									Christians
		182 years (½ time)		2300 years												½ time
		Babylon		Babylon loses power (Seven Times)

One of the punishments of the curses is to be handed over to our enemies.
Ruled by Our Enemies. I will set My face against you so that you will be struck down before your enemies; and those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one is pursuing you. (Leviticus 26: 17)
The enemies of God have been trampling His sanctuary and people for thousands of years.
... and Jerusalem shall be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21: 24)

The Prophetic Time Using the day for a year principle, one prophetic day is one year of real time. It is based on a lunar calendar, which had 30 days per month and 360 days per year. Under this system, seven prophetic years is 2520 prophetic days or 2520 years of real time.

Jerusalem and the people of God have been under constant foreign control for many years. The table above shows a very interesting coincidence. From the time of the Assyrian captivity in 721 BC to the fall of the papacy in 1798, exactly 2520 years have elapsed. This is exactly seven prophetic times.

• Seven Times (2520 Years). This length of punishment and trampling is also mentioned in the covenant curses in Leviticus 26: 18, 21, 24, 28. From the second to the fifth curses, the agreement was that they would be punished seven times.
• 2300 Years Remain. When Daniel received this vision another 2300 years remained.
  How long will the vision about the continual apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled? He said to me, for 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored. (Daniel 8: 13-14)
• 1260 Years Remain. By the time the papacy was in power about 1260 days remained for the trampling of the sanctuary. By the time of the prophecy in Revelation 11, only forty two months (1260 years) remained for the city to be trampled.
  Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations;
  City Trampled. and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty two months. (Revelation 11: 2)
  It has also been 1260 years from the time the Rock mosque was built on the site of the temple in 688 until the state of Israel was established in 1948.
• Time No Longer. The times of the Gentiles were over in 1798 and the seventh trumpet began. After this, God would restore His sanctuary, His people and the city of God. The prophecy of the seven thunders explains how.
  and swore to Him who lives for ever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will be delay (time) no longer, but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets. (Revelation 10: 6-7)
  Does this also mean that after 1798 the world no longer has a period greater than 360 years to exist?

The Return of Babylon the Great. There is one other odd coincidence. The last empire, the seventh head of the seven headed beast that was controlled by the church is called Babylon the Great. In what appears to be a dual prophecy, Nebuchadnezzar lost power for seven periods of time or seven years. But from the time Babylon was defeated by the Persians in 539 BC to the time the powers who formed the seventh head surfaced in 1981, it was also seven periods of time or seven prophetic years.

The Fullness of the Gentiles. When did the fullness of the Gentiles come in? Look at this remarkable coincidence that seems to mirror the life of Christ.

Tribes		2520 Years (Times of the Gentiles)											Babylon
2520 Years (Times of the Gentiles)									Sanctuary Restored				Babylon
Tribes Trampled			Messiah Trampled			Covenant and Land Taken Away							Grafting
721	609	539	4 BC		31 AD	34 AD	Gospel to the Gentiles	1798	14 May 1948	June 1967	13 May	14 May 1981	1981
Ten Tribes	2 Tribes	-	Birth		Death			Pope Falls	Jewish State	Temple Mount	Pope Shot	Babylon Returns	Golan Heights
Assyria	Babylon	Persia	33 Years For Jews			Gentiles			33 Years Remain For Gentiles				Babylon

• Time of the Jews. 33 Years before the end of the times of the Jews, Christ is born to Israel as a sign.
• Time of the Gentiles. 33 Years before the end of the times of the Gentiles, the Jews returned to Israel. By 14 May 1981, Israel is no longer trampled under foot, 33 years after it became a state after almost 2000 years in exile. There is even a fuzzy copy of the time prophecies of Daniel 9 concerning the final 490 years remaining.
  » Alhambra Decree, 31 March 1492. 490 years before, they had received the decree to leave when they were expelled from Spain by July 31 (Tisha B'Av).
  » Yom Kippur War, 6 October 1973. Seven years before, they were invaded. It was the last major threat of annihilation until the times of the Gentiles ended.

The fullness of the Gentiles came in 1981 when Babylon the Great appeared. On May 13, there was an unsuccessful assassination attempt on the pope, fulfilling a sign of the return of Babylon.
Israel does not control all of its ancestral lands. The region of Reuben, Gad and part of Manasseh that were east of the Jordan are still in the territory of Jordan and Syria. The Golan Heights, annexed in 1967 from Syria is only part of Manasseh. Part of Asher is now in Lebanon.
» Reconciliation. But they control the territory west of the Jordan that symbolized Israel at the time of the reconciliation of the Jews and Gentiles. They even control part of the region of Manasseh in the east (Golan Heights), representing the Jewish converts at the end of time who return and join with the west. See Map of Tribes and Modern Israel.

Natural Disasters: Earthquake, Dark Day, Falling Stars (The Sixth Seal)

The Events
#	History	Date	Matthew 24	Revelation 6
1	Persecution	Ends near 1738	Tribulation	Martyrs of the fifth seal
2	Lisbon Earthquake	November 1, 1755	Earthquake	Great earthquake
3	Dark Day and Blood Moon	May 19, 1780	Sun darkened	Sun became black, moon like blood
4	Leonid Meteor Shower	November 12, 1833	Stars Fall	Stars Fall
5	Astronomical event	Future	Powers of heaven shaken	Sky split
6	The Sign	Future	Sign of the coming	Sky split
7	Tribes mourn	Future	Tribes mourn	People hide
8	Second coming	Future	Son of man comes	Day of wrath

"But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. (Matthew 24: 29-30)

I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Tribes Mourn. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" (Revelation 6: 12-17)

After the persecution, several events were predicted to occur. The most intense part of the persecutions were over by about 1738 and the predicted events happened after this time in the following order.

1. Persecution. The intense persecution of the Middle Ages. The nine crusades (1095-1272), St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre (1572), Slaughter of the French Huguenots under Louis XIV (1685). Papal persecution of the Huguenots (1562-1598), the Waldensians (1147-1658), and the Albigenses (1208-1228). The papal Inquisition (1231) was called to combat the heresies of the Albigenses, Waldenses, witches, blasphemers and other heresies and unorthodox behavior. Roman Inquisition (1559-) which included the Fires of Smithfield was called to stop the spread of Protestantism. Spanish Inquisition (1480-1834) was mostly against Jews and Moors. The last auto-da-fe in Portugal took place on October 27, 1765.
2. Earthquake. In 1755, the Great Lisbon earthquake of magnitude 9.0 occurred. It was felt in Europe, Africa, America, Greenland, in the island of Madeira, in Norway and Sweden, Great Britain, Ireland, and as far away as the West Indies.
3. Dark Day. In 1780, an unexplained dark day occurred over New England, that night the moon was blood red.
4. Stars Fall. In 1833, the Leonid meteor shower was so spectacular it boosted the modern study of astronomy.
5. Powers of Heaven shaken. It has always been assumed that this event occurs on the day of the Second Coming. It could also be a separate event that is the parallel to Luke 21: 26 in which men fear the events in the skies.
6. The Sign of the Son of Man. It could also be a separate event or the first visible event. It is the rock that strikes the foot of the image. All the references to "the son of man" describe Him coming with clouds. This unusual cloud is the sign.
7. Tribes mourn. The wicked flee in terror.
   Look, He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. (Revelation 1: 7)
8. Second Coming. Christ comes visibly.

The Birth Pains of the Sixth Seal. Jesus called these the "beginning of birth pains". One characteristic of birth pains is that they occur in repeated cycles. These cycles get more intense, closer together and more frequent. This is the same for the signs of the sixth seal. They will be repeated with greater frequency and intensity.

Pattern: Earthquake, Dark Sun and Falling Stars.
God finishes a great deliverance or judgment with three major elements. An earthquake, dark sun or blood moon and falling stars. At the end He comes to execute judgment and deliver righteousness. The time span over which these events occur is also related to the length of the persecution.

1. Exodus. God delivers Israel from slavery in Egypt.
2. Crucifixion. God delivers humans from sin.
3. First Fall of the Papacy. God delivers the church from the papacy.
4. Seven Last Plagues. God delivers the saints from the beast.
5. Millennium. God delivers the physical earth.

All the signs and the repetitions of the signs occur under the sixth seal. So when Jesus talks about these signs of His coming, He included both a macroscopic and microscopic level. The prophecy was true for the long 1260 years of medieval persecution and it is also true during the final weeks before the Second Coming and on the day of the Second Coming.

It will be interesting to see if this period is marked by the great signs of Matthew. We have been proposing a theory that the command to "prophesy again" and the promise to give more wisdom at the end of time points to a repetition of certain parts of the prophecy that were fulfilled at the time of the first fall of the papacy. These signs will repeat themselves at the second fall of the papacy. The war in the Middle East and other political signs are being repeated. If so, will the signs from nature be repeated? Is the Asian earthquake and tsunami the beginning of this repetition of the signs? Will there be a series of great earthquakes, another unusual dark day, blood moon and meteor showers?
	Natural Environment Human Diseases • Earthquakes • Tornadoes • Hurricanes • Flood, tsunami • Volcanoes • Forest fires • Hole in the Ozone layer • Heat • Drought • Red Tide • Slavery • Genocide • Terrorism • War • AIDS has killed 25 million. • Bird Flu has reached every continent except USA and is now transmitted from human to human
	This map of disasters since 1991, shows the extent of the Lisbon earthquake, the 2004 Asian earthquake and a possible tsunami caused by the collapse of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on la Palma in the Canary Islands. This volcano has a 3 mile crack on the western ridge. The 10 mile wide and 1000 feet deep chunk (100 cubic mile of material) will send 500mph waves 10 hours later to the eastern United States from Boston to Miami in land 12.5 miles (20 km) with 90ft waves for 5 hours.

The Great Signs
Event	Tribulation	Great Earthquake	Sun Darkened	Blood Moon	Stars Fall
First Fall	First ends	Lisbon. November 1, 1755	May 19, 1780	May 19, 1780	November 12, 1833
Second Fall	Second begins	Asia. December 26, 2004	Future	Future	Future fireballs?
Christ Comes	Second Ends	Splits the Earth	Sun disappears	Moon disappears	Stars disappear

Asteroid Impact Damage
Size	Area	Deaths	Destruction
3 M	0	None	Explodes harmlessly in the atmosphere. Might reach the earth.
10 M	0	None
50 M	1,900Km2	1,000,000	Explodes in the upper atmosphere but causes serious ground damage
100M	7,200Km2	3,000,000	Serious land damage. Earthquakes, tsunamis
200M	29,000Km2	14,000,000
500M	70,000Km2	35,000,000	Tsunamis
1 Km	200,000Km2	63,000,000	Regional effects. Tsunamis, earthquake and hurricanes. Nuclear winter for months
2 Km	Planet	25%
5 Km	Planet	50%	Regional extinction. Global destruction. Nuclear winter for months
10Km	Planet	100%	Global extinction. Nuclear winter for years.
1 Km = 1000 yards. 10 Km = 6 miles. 1 mile = 1.6093 km
No object from space will destroy the whole world before the Second Coming, but the prophecy indicates that we will have significant threats from outer space. Therefore we might have a series of near misses, local and regional damage after wandering into a field of rogue asteroids.

Fear of an Astronomical Event.
... and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
There shall be signs in the sun, moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the seas and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (Luke 21: 11, 25-26)
There is one potential threat that could suspend all international wars and cause the earth to look to the technology and expertise of the United States while simultaneously making us abandon the separation between church and state and turn to religion as a government prescribed solution.

That event is a ten Km wide asteroid that is less than four years away.

No Technical Solution.
This prophecy seems to point to an astronomical catastrophe and gravitational or mechanical forces that are so strong that it affects the sea. Are we prepared to detect or manage this incoming disaster?

The methods to deflect asteroids are theoretical. And with a budget of $3,000,000 it is not the top priority of the government.
Most plans require decades or centuries of advance warning to move the object out of earth's orbit or slow it down so that the earth can move out of it's path. The success also depends on the composition, size of the asteroid and our ability to build delivery systems and convert current weapons systems so that they can exist for months or years in space.
The confidence level of the planet will be very low because we do not have an effective method of solving this problem. There are two basic methods.

• Deflection. Change the path of the asteroid. Slow the asteroid so that the earth moves out of the way or change the orbit of the asteroid so that it does not cross the path of the earth. Use laser, rockets, giant air bags, nuclear bombs, solar sails and reflective dust.
  1. Push out of Orbit. Apply a force that will push it to a new orbit.
     • Impactors. Strike the asteroid with a man made object.
     • Gravity Tractor. Use the gravity of a space craft hovering near by to pull it out of orbit.
     • Asteroid-Asteroid Collisions. Change the trajectory of another asteroid and cause a collision.
     • Nuclear Explosives. Explode near or on the surface of the asteroid with a stand off blast.
     • Move the Earth. One radical proposal is to move the earth to a new orbit, not to move the asteroid. Most experts agree that this solution would cause us to lose the moon.
  2. Change the Speed. The object arrives before or after the earth crosses its path. This method needs years of advance warning. Most depend on vaporizing or heating the surface. The further away the asteroid is, the shorter the distance it has to be pushed and the smaller the force that must be applied.
     • Propulsion. Attach a propulsion engine and push the asteroid in a new direction.
     • Mass Drivers. Attached to the surface, they excavate and eject material in space causing a recoil which changes the orbit.
     • Thermal Energy. Heating the surface produces a force that vaporizes the surface and creates a stream that pushes the asteroid.
       • Steam. Use laser systems to vaporize the surface.
       • Solar Panels. Use solar energy from mirrors and solar sails to heat up the surface.
       • White Paint. Non-gravitational forces. Cover the surface with white power or other highly reflective material which uses solar energy to heat up the surface.
• Fragmentation. Break up the asteroid into smaller pieces that will burn up in the atmosphere or be deflected into other orbits that are harmless. This option is unpredictable and too risky but it is the only option we have if the time to impact is less than ten years away.

Torino Impact Hazard Scale
#	Collision Chance	Size	Destruction
0	None	All	No chance or object is so small that it will not reach the surface after impact
1	Unlikely	All	Collision extremely unlikely
2	Close Encounter	All	Collision unlikely
3		<500m	Localized destruction (1%)
4		1 Km	Regional devastation (1%)
5	Close Encounter with significant threat of collision	2 Km	Regional devastation
6		5 Km	Global catastrophe
7		5 Km	Global catastrophe with higher chance
8	Certain	1-2Km	Localized destruction
9		5 Km	Regional devastation
10		10Km	Global catastrophe (100%)
1.1km Asteroid 1950DA strikes the earth in 2880

Not only are we unprepared to meet this challenge, but in some instances we are unable to see the approaching asteroid.

• We cannot detect objects approaching from the direction of the sun.
• Most astronomers do not watch the southern skies.
• The majority of the efforts to watch the skies are through private citizens.
• Killer Comet. Our "Space Guard" program is designed to catalogue and detect large asteroids from the two known belts, but we have no defense against comets which are the same as asteroids at their core. They are larger and arrive unexpectedly.

The Sea Roaring.
» Physical Turmoil. Because we broke the covenant with nature and the environment, we are reaping the rewards. The warming of the oceans have affected the thermohaline cycle causing violent outbursts at the interface between the cold and warm waters, the equivalent of ocean thunderstorms.
» Mental Turmoil. Because we have broken covenant with each other nations are having emotional clashes and uproars in the mental and social spheres.
» Spiritual Turmoil. Now we have a clash of ideologies because we have broken the covenant with God.
The prophecy mentions the distress of the nations because of the roaring seas and waves. If a series of smaller asteroids precede a large one, then the scenarios meets the conditions of the prophecy. Or if the large object causes these gravitational changes that affect the tides as it approaches then it also meets the conditions. These events can cause a roaring sea and an asteroid impact can cause them all.

• Meteorological Events. Storms and winds from global warming.
• Impact. Tsunamis which are caused by earthquakes or large objects falling into the sea. Several objects impacting the ocean and the earth in a scenario like the Shoemaker-Levy comet.
• Volcano. Activity below the sea bed along the ring of fire could possibly cause the roaring seas as magma boils the water and ejected volcanic debris covers the skies.
• Earthquake. An earthquake on the coast or under the sea could cause a tsunami.
• Gravity. The gravitational pull of the sun and moon causes high tides. Large objects could probably do the same if they were close enough. What size and speed object would crack the earth in two? This is the force that is coming. In describing the condition of the earth during the millennium the Bible says.
  The earth is broken apart, the earth is split through, the earth is shaken violently. (Isaiah 24: 19)
  The impact of the asteroid is so strong that it splits the earth in two.
• Rogue Waves. Over the past 20 years, scientists have recognized a new phenomenon called rogue waves which they have begun to acknowledge since around 2000. They estimate that these can get to be as much as 130 feet (40 m) high.

The Powers of Heaven Shaken.
This reference in Luke clearly points to an astronomical event. The reference to "shaken" points to objects falling out of the sky. A meteor shower could be described as this event but they would not cause the roaring seas or the distress of the nations. A meteor or comet impact is the most likely.

Death Penalty: Stoning. In Numbers 15: 32-36, the Bible describes stoning to death as the death penalty. In this particular story, a man was stoned for breaking the Sabbath.

God Throws a Stone. Although there is more meaning in the symbolism, Daniel 2: 34 describes a stone from heaven that smashes the earth and ends all world governments. In His selection of symbols, God uses images that He intends to fulfill physically and spiritually.
The last trumpet, the last plague and the sixth seal all describe the stoning of the earth.
The Sixth Seal. and they said to the mountains and to the rocks "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" (Revelation 6: 16-17)
The Seventh Trumpet. And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm. (Revelation 11: 19)
The Seventh Plague. And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe. (Revelation 16: 21)

The Fear.
The prophecy states that the population is specifically frightened because of the astronomical events. The impact of this could lead to the conditions that will cause religious persecution. In an attempt to appease God, we will be told when, where, who and how to worship.

The Powers of Heaven Shaken						Seven Last Plagues
First (Atmosphere)	Second Heaven (Outer Space)				Third Heaven (God)
Sea and waves roar	Stars fall	Meteor strikes	Fearful Threat	Persecution	Plagues		Sign	Hail storm
1995 - the end	Future				The Final Year
Time of Trouble					Probation Closes

The shaking of the powers of heaven progress from the first to the third heavens and causes the collapse of the principalities and powers from heaven. It begins with atmospheric disturbances, then it progresses to outer space phenomenon and finally it ends with the appearance of God from the third heavens which includes a shifting of the objects in heaven when the earth falls. He restricts Satan and his horde of stupid misfits to the devastated earth.

Our Response to Fear.
There are several events that can cause temporary panic. But the one thing they have in common is our ability to fix them with a human solution after we have overcome our initial fear.
Israel did not become more dependent on God with constant terrorism. They learned to rely on their military capabilities. Pandemics do not have the same terror as they did in the past. Since the emergence of medical technology people are more likely to deal with such outbreaks with science.
Local events never produce global panic. One time events that kill millions or billions might make us turn to God for a month but it might not trigger forced worship. Since people have the uncanny ability to separate themselves from the suffering of others or from threats of delayed catastrophe, the event or threat must be immediate, continuous, localized, personal and life altering.
Only a certain type of catastrophic event could trigger enforced religion around the world.

• A Global Threat of Doom. An approaching global catastrophic event that has a limited or unproven chance of a technical solution. This event must occur within a year or two after it is first recognized.
• Global Events. A series of sustained and frequent events that kill millions and strike random metropolitan locations. The weekly death rates for each location must be in the hundreds of thousands.
• Regional Events. A series of sustained regional events that affect the entire population of the country.
• Localized, High Mortality. The death rates must be high and they must be concentrated in one area with the potential of global involvement. If a large number of deaths are spread over many continents or over a long period, then the sense of urgency and doom will dissipate.

Terminator and Traitor Seeds These are seeds that will only grow once. The crops that they produce do not create seeds that can grow. There is a potential for global disaster if the technology sterilizes surrounding crops or if the seeds that are engineered to grow are themselves sterilized. As of 2004, 22% of all crops are genetically modified. In May 2004, after years of pressure from the United States, the European Union dropped its ban on these products. The Traitor in the Garden. It is also reported that Iraq is being forced to abandon, free ancestral seeds and buy these laboratory creations. Now they are messing with the Garden of Eden! So the final showdown returns to the place it began.

Only events outside our human ability to control will lead to deadly panic. If we believe that science and technology and time can resolve the problem, some people will not consider religion. This is the case with any event that is caused by a human.

The same response will occur with scientific accidents. The feeling will be that there is a scientific solution for a catastrophic event that is triggered by bad science. Therefore, if the terminator and traitor seed technology sterilized the soil and other plant species we would manage the land until we could find a solution.

Natural disasters are beyond our control. The response that might trigger a global religious reaction will be because of the frequency, duration, locations and death rates.

When? How Soon?
But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son of Man, but the Father alone. (Matthew 24: 36)
Jesus plainly says that no one knows the exact time when the Second Coming will arrive. But He says that through the signs we can know when it is near.
Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. (Matthew 24: 32-33)
All the prophetic dominoes are lined up. It is only the sealing that is preventing the fall that will lead to the persecution.

• Signs. We know that the coming is near because all the signs have been fulfilled. The only signs that remain are the persecution, evangelism and the fear from the heavens. But all indications are that we have entered the political, technological, religious, legal, economic and social climate for the persecution to occur.
  • Political. The United States wars in the Middle East, their jingoist position in the Security Council of the United Nations and their current international policy all speak of a beast that is gobbling the world.
    The security issues of Israel mirror the situation at the end of time.
    The rise of Iran signifies the impending fall of Babylon the Great.
  • Religious. The Catholic church is the most powerful and it has the opportunity to control the European Union. It has the majority in the United States Supreme Court, the senate and the congress. I would not be surprised if they dominated the federal courts. The judges of the Supreme Court and Federal courts are appointed for life and can only be removed by the impeachment process. So a majority is significant because it is virtually a permanent presence for decades.
  • Legal. The Patriot Act authorizes the type of legal environment necessary for a modern day Inquisition. Democratic nations all over the world are adopting the same powers under the banner of "terrorism control" and in so doing they have formed an image to the beast.
  • Economic. The economic climate is one of the predatory businesses and banks supported by governments that are increasingly aristocracies that are morphing into corrupt kleptocracies.
  • Social. The secularist, occult characteristic of the nations is a sign. We have another lesson on the signs of the times.
• Covenant Time. The covenant requires that God gives back to the land all the Sabbath rests that have been denied by the people. That Sabbath rest is the 1000 years of the millennium. Therefore, the earth must last for only 6000 years by law. We are that generation.
  » Feast of Tabernacles. The symbols suggest that the Second Coming will occur during the fall feasts.
• Time Prophecies. All of them have come to an end. The only time prophecies to be completed are the one year of evangelism and the one year of plagues and the millennium.
• The Gifts of the Spirit. I know that the gifts are being given to the church. God is lining up His dominoes despite the fact that the church of Laodicea is not only asleep, but in a coma. The Second Coming is being held up by the great sleep of the people of God. We are not doing our work. The forces of evil are in place, yet the people of God are in a coma. So God is going to do the work Himself because He has fixed a schedule by covenant.

The Flight From Persecution
But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. (Matthew 24: 20)
This statement appears to be a promise and a prophecy rather than a recommendation. Most of the land is above the equator where winter occurs from November to February. If we expect the Second Coming at the feast of Tabernacles, then the worst part of the persecution will be in the time before this. Therefore, our flight may occur during the spring and summer. In fact, as a pattern of the feasts, our flight may occur during the Passover when the first Exodus occurred.
Initially, we will experience extreme physical struggles. At some point in our struggles, we should know that we are sealed and that our names are in the book and our spiritual struggles will be over as we wait with confidence for our Father.
At some point, if we love God, we must stop thinking about our condition in terms of our unworthiness but in terms of the Father's loving kindness and mercy.

Winter	Spring		Summer	Autumn
No feasts	Passover	Pentecost	Drought	Trumpets	Yom Kippur	Tabernacles
Time of Trouble	Exodus (Flight)	The Presence of God	Suffering	We are Sealed in the Book		Second Coming

The End is Not Yet
And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, see that you are not troubled for all this things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in many places. All these things are the beginning of sorrow. (Matthew 24: 6-8)
Jesus plainly says that wars, earthquakes and diseases are not direct signs of His Second Coming. He only says that they will get worse. It is the spread of the gospel that will be the sign.

This is important because millennial fever has gripped many people when these terrible events happened. When major events such as World wars and pandemics have occurred many have looked for the coming of Christ. To believe that the Second Coming was in their life time, many people had to ignore unfulfilled prophecy, or see a rapid fulfillment, or bring it closer to their time by quoting Matthew 24: 22.

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (Matthew 24: 22)

That prophecy referred to the 1260 years of persecution. Since the restoration of the papacy in 1929, there were at least three periods of time that appeared to herald the Second Coming.

Millennial Expectations
Event		1920-1930	1940-1950	1960-1980	1990-2005
		World	World	U.S.A.	Europe	U.S.A.
Wars		World war 1	World war 2	Vietnam	Gulf war
Earthquakes		China and Japan (543,000)	Turkey, Turkmenistan (133,000)	Alaska (9.2) China (240,000) July 28, 1976	Iran (50,000) 2003 Asia (227,754+) 2004 Pakistan (87,000) 2005 China (80,000), 2008
Famines		Ukraine (10 million)	China (30 million)	Biafra (3.5 million)	North Korea, Africa
Diseases, pandemics		Spanish flu (25 million)	Cholera and Polio	STD	AIDS, Bird Flu threat
Hurricanes, Flood, disasters		China's sorrow (3.7 million)	2 Ship wrecks (13,600)	Bangladesh (500,000)	Hurricanes (Katrina, Rita) Tsunami (Asia 2004) Cyclone (134000) 2008
The Days of Noah		Roaring 20's	Consumerism	Drug culture	50% Divorce, pleasure
Papacy revives		Lateran Treaty (1929)	Starts the EEC	Ecumenical movement	Joins with the U.S.A. (1981)
United States		Not fulfilled. The papacy had been revived. Monarchies had ended in 1918. But the final world power was just emerging.	Not fulfilled. Russia impeded this development.	One of two	1989 Russia falls
	Super power
	Becomes Babylon			No	1991-2003, defeats Iraq
	Unites with church			No	Yes	Financial
	Persecution Laws			No	Corpus Juris	Patriot Act
	In Israel with Papacy			No	Arab concordat	Almost
	Sunday Laws enforced			Declared constitutional	1993-2003 Yes	No
7 headed, 10 horn beast controlled by church				No	European Union Educational system
Sodom and Gomorrah				Sexual revolution	Same sex marriage
Gospel preached		Technology impeded	Communism impeded gospel		10/40 window impedes
Latter rain (Joel 2)		No	No	No	Yes
Last persecution		No	No	No	No
Global population		2 billion	2.3 billion	3.3 billion	6.2 billion

Antichrist
Jesus said that false Christs will appear. A major prophecy in the new testament is the prophecy about the one particular false Christ called the Antichrist. The Bible says that even in the days of the apostle, the Antichrist was at work and that the Second Coming would not occur until the apostasy occurred and the man of sin is revealed. But this power was being restrained in the days of the apostles.
To summarize, these are the characteristics of the Antichrist. We discuss these prophecies in detail in another lesson.

The Antichrist Prophecies Many prophecies predicted different aspects of the return of the Antichrist. • The Great Tree. When it returns. • Rules a Short Time. • The Dragon. The personalities. • The Healing. The history. • The Lead Cover Removed. • Ancient and Modern Babylon. • The Antichrist Revealed. • The Return of the Little Horn. • The Scapegoat is Revealed.

1. It was already operating, but under cover, or restrained even during the days of the apostles.
2. Apostasy.
3. The Antichrist will be characterized by the following:
   • Destructive.
   • Exalts himself above everything, even God.
   • Religious power.
   • Was restrained in Paul's day, but the restraint will be taken away.
   • Power, signs and false miracles.
4. A strong delusion will be sent as punishment for our disobedience.
5. The Second Coming will occur after this power has been out in the open.
6. This power will be terminated at the Second Coming.

The Strong Delusion
This prophecy also introduces a phenomenon called the strong delusion that God allows because people refuse to believe Him. It will be so influential that even the people of God might be fooled. In both 2 Thessalonians 2: 9-10 and Matthew, it states that this strong delusion will be accompanied by signs and false wonders. The ultimate fulfillment of this is the sixth plague. At this point, demons will openly try to convince the world to obey them by showing great signs and miracles.

• Powerful Delusion. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. (2 Thessalonians 2: 11-12)
• Signs and Wonders. The final days will be characterized by the powerful signs performed by the agents of the devil. Therefore, truth cannot be tested by signs. Truth is not your opinion. Truth is the written word of God.
  
  » Testing the Truth. It is clear that people will not love the truth of the written word, but they will judge truthfulness by power and by displays of miracles. Since rejection of truth is what causes God to allow this to happen. Then it is very important for us to understand what is truth and what God requires. The best test of truth is the instruction given by God Himself.
  • Cannot lead you to worship other gods. Even if all their predictions come through, they cannot turn you to other gods.
    If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, 'Let us follow other gods' (gods you have not known) 'and let us worship them,' you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. (Deuteronomy 13: 1-4 NIV)
  • Cannot contradict the Bible. New truths cannot contradict the old. Tradition and the interpretation of leaders cannot contradict the Bible. In fact, the words must glorify the Torah.
    To the law and to the testimony if they do not speak according to this word it is because there is no light in them. (Isaiah 8: 20)
  • He Must Glorify Jesus. He must explain Jesus from the Torah and He will show the future.
    However, when He, the Spirit of truth is come He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak of Himself; but whatever He hears that shall He speak; and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me. For He shall receive of mine and show it to you. (John 16: 13-14)
• The Expected Appearance of Mary. It is therefore significant that the Catholic church is waiting for a global sign, visible to all nations, that will catapult its leader to the position of the undisputed leader of the world. It is claimed that the miracles prove that he is chosen by God Himself. This church has already conditioned its members to believe that tradition, and the interpretation of the church takes precedence over the Bible.
• False Christs. False Christs that could fool even the saints shall appear to local audiences.
  For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. "Look, I have told you in advance. "So if they say to you, "Look, He is in the wilderness, 'do not go out, or, "Look, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them. "For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. (Matthew 24: 24-27)
  The Second Coming will be one global event, not many local events. But how do you know that your spectacular local appearance is not a global one? Christ will be in the air, not on the ground. You will immediately begin the process of the resurrection and the rapture. Therefore, the event will not be a theological press briefing. There is no sermon, argument or debate. It is a rescue operation.
• Satan. He is the ultimate false Christ whose appearance will eclipse all others. His coming is described in several laws and prophecies.
  • Scapegoat. He is the scapegoat who will appear at Yom Kippur so that we can choose him or Christ.
  • Beast from the Abyss. He is the beast whose philosophies corrupt the world before his appearing.
  • The Eighth Head. Revelation 17 tries to describe the appearance of Satan as the eighth head of a seven headed beast! This eighth head has always existed throughout the entire time.

We believe that the strong delusion is the appearance of Satan who will pretend to be Christ. He will change the words of the Bible, giving new instructions in an attempt to get us to worship him.

The Response to the Delusion.
All religious traditions have a belief system that will rationalize away the false Second Coming. These are the events that are of particular concern in each belief.

• New Laws. A new set of laws will be given for all religious traditions. In each case, the world is told to disregard the written instructions of their sacred writings. These will be replaced with "more accurate" instructions.
• Supernatural. Supernatural beings go to many parts of the world to encourage people to accept the new laws. The global nature of the real Coming of Christ will be ignored. (Matthew 24: 24-27, 31).
• Persecution. There is a threat of disaster for disobedience.

Remember that the whole world and the disciples were wrong about the events of His first coming. His disciples refused to believe what He personally told them. Therefore, majority belief is not an argument for truth. Only eight were saved in Noah's ark. Only three were saved from Sodom and Gomorrah.

Even if Adventists are wrong, the worst that could possibly happen is that we would be questioning a being that appears to be God based on the written word of God. Moses, Abraham and many of the fathers also questioned God and they were praised for it because they appealed to God based on their knowledge of His own words.
In all other beliefs, the response will be a disaster. They will accept the leading of a supernatural being who will cause them to disobey God and to kill others.

The success of this global delusion depends on people abandoning the Bible. So it is alarming that many Christian groups are doing that now for the sake of ecumenism or to conform to the moral demands of a decadent society.

The Characteristics of the Global Delusion
Event		Adventist	Catholicism	Futurist	Islam
Sign of the return		Gospel to the world. The three angel's message is preached	A sign in the sun	Gospel to the world	Evil conquers good
A fearful event		A fearful earth changing event may occur at this point
A defeat of their religion by the opposing forces		Mark of the beast persecution	Many people leave the church	Great Tribulation
False Second Coming		Satan impersonates Christ	Pre advent appearance of Mary, Jesus, apostles	First of two stage coming of Christ	Return of Madhi
	A new set of laws are given to the world	Satan disguised as Jesus tells the world to obey the pope	World is told to obey the pope	Different laws for Jews and Gentiles	New laws for all religions
	Supernatural beings are sent to different parts of the world	Satan and his angels disguised as God	Mary and the apostles plead with people.	Christ teaches the world	313 angels sent to different places
Armageddon		Wicked attack the saints	Middle East war	Middle East war	Battle of Qa'im
Second Coming		Second Coming	Christ comes to judge	Visible coming	Madhi, Isa

Adventists. Seventh Day Adventists expect Satan to visibly appear as Christ to deceive the world before the real Second Coming.

Catholic. Mary, the apostles and possibly Christ will come to the world to tell them to obey the laws of the pope and submit to the authority of the pope. In this belief, Christ comes before the real Second Coming to warn the world that if they do not submit to the authority of the Catholic church, that He will be coming soon to destroy them.
The Adventists were the first to say that Satan will appear as Christ to deceive the world in a false Second Coming and convince the world to look to the Catholic church for leadership.
Years later, Catholic visionaries began to give a counterattack of this warning.

Futurist or Dispensationalist. Their beliefs are not immune. They envision that God will establish two sets of legal systems, one for Jews and another for Gentiles. The two stage coming of Christ is another trap. Christ comes invisibly for the saints in the secret rapture, then He comes with the saints to set up a kingdom on earth to teach people. The problem is, when the false coming occurs, people may tend to believe that it is the second stage of the coming when God comes to the earth to teach sinners. No doubt, Satan and his angels will disguise themselves as Great evangelists from the past.

Muslim. They believe that when Madhi returns, a new set of laws will be given to all religious traditions to correct errors. Supernatural beings will be sent to different parts of the world. They will dominate everything. At the moment of the Advent, 313 of the angels who accompany him will be dispersed in different parts of the world. Unfortunatey, this local dispersion of supernatural beings will look like the abilities of the false Christs who appear in different parts of the world.
The Muslim prophecies also tell the people to join the army that will march towards Jerusalem to fight the Jews. This will fulfill Zechariah 12.

Other Beliefs. All other belief systems will accept the phenomenon as the coming of their gods or as intelligent beings from outer space.

Nobody thinks that they can rely on a written set of instructions or the Golden Rule. God will see whether or not people obey His written word or if they will resort to mob rule imposed by lying spirits.

The Great Deception. Satan will quote scripture and appeal to tradition to verify the credentials for himself and the other lying spirits with him. His coming might even be preceeded by the appearance of other supernatural beings claiming to be dead prophets and kings and disciples who are preparing the way for his coming.
This is how he can use biblical texts to confuse you that they are these dead patriarchs come back to life and that his mission is to go to war against the disobedient and establish peace. But to appear biblically accurate, he has to launch his plans from Jerusalem. Then he will fulfill the prophecies about the corrupt temple and the corrupt city of Jerusalem. This is the time when Revelation 11: 7-8 will be fulfilled.

• Christ Stands On The Mount of Olives. If he lands on the Mount of Olives, he can use Zechariah to show that he is supposed to touch the earth with his feet and begin his reign as king of the earth.
  Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. And in that day His feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east ... And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one. (Zechariah 14: 3-4, 9)
  This is a description of the Third Coming, but you need to know your scripture so that you are not deceived.
  The fact that the saints will "meet the Lord in the air" at the Second Coming will seem like a trifling minor detail that he can easily claim will happen after he imposes peace on the earth.
  What will Satan accomplish? It will be his second appearance to humans to lead us into rebellion.
  • Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Wrapped around this tree, he earned the right to teach us to do evil.
  • Tree of Life. Wrapped around this tree, he will teach us to murder and sentence us to the second death.
• Listen To Moses The Law Giver. Someone pretending to be Moses will tell you that the scripture predicted his coming and commands you to listen to him because he is the prophet who receives new laws from God and will guide you in the final exodus.
  The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. (Deuteronomy 18: 15)
• Elijah The Teacher And Peace Maker. Christ said that Elijah will come to lead the world to Him before the Second Coming (Luke 1: 16-17). The Jewish traditions expect Elijah to come and lead them to the Messiah during the Passover seder.
• Submit To King David. Speaking of the terrible persecutions in the last days, Jeremiah says that David will be resurrected so that he can lead Israel again.
  It will come about on that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will break their yoke from off their neck and will tear off their bonds; and strangers will no longer make them their slaves. But they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. (Jeremiah 30: 8-9)
  Satan could easily say that he is David who has come to bring peace to the world as prophesied. This prophecy is about what will happen after we possess the new earth. When we are secure, David will be a king.

Satan and his angels could come as dazzling beings, mimicking the events on the Mount of Transfiguration, claiming to be Christ, Moses and Elijah. He could get away with this because "Elijah" is supposed to come before the Second Coming. His claims will be even more convincing if he makes his appearance in Jerusalem at Passover.
But, since the scapegoat will be chosen at Yom Kippur we have some room for variation. The Lord's goat was chosen at Passover, so the scapegoat events could also begin at that time. So what is most likely to occur is that Satan and his angels will appear in Jerusalem at Passover, pretending to be Elijah, David, Moses, Mary and all these great people whose mission is to prepare the world for the coming of Christ. Then Satan comes at Yom Kippur as the false Christ. During the intervening six months the greatest persecution will occur, causing the final exodus.

Surprise! Surprise!
Jesus said that the world will be surprised. How can this possibly occur when so many unusual events are occurring? It must be the influence of these lying spirits. They are successful at convincing the world that they are the messengers of God and if we obey them, we will have peace. Most Evangelicals believe that the world will not be destroyed and that there will be a coming millennium of peace when Christ will reign as king on the earth. These expectations are a gift to the strategy of the Antichrist.

In the wild, frenzied events of this time what do you have to counteract this delusion? This might be your time of testing when the miraculous powers of the latter rain no longer works. They will have all the glory and supernatural powers. You have nothing but your faith, hope and love. 1 Corinthians 13 describes the most important assets that remain after the miracles cease. When prophecy, tongues, knowledge, martyrdom and all heroic exploits cease, all we have left is the knowledge that God loves us. This love will sustain us during our final trials.
[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails ... (1 Corinthians 13: 7-8)

Repetition and Enlargement

Topic	Matthew 24	Mark 13	Luke 21	Comment	Curse, Repetition
Signs of the Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Temple	1	1	5	This generation would see "these things", the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Some translations say "this race". Therefore the Jews will exist until the end of time.	5	Abomination of Desolation. (Daniel 9: 26-27) First trumpet
Temple destroyed	2	2	6
These Things	3	4	7
This Generation	34	30	32
Desolation of Jerusalem	15	14	20	In 70 AD, the Roman general Titus destroyed the city and the temple
Signs of the Second Coming
Wars	6	7-8	9-10	Wars and rumors of wars will increase	4	Second seal
False Christs	23-24	21-23	8	May deceive even the saints	3	Third seal
Famine	7	8	11	In many places great famines would occur. There was also a famine for the word of God	2	Fourth seal
Persecution	9, 21	19	12	Severe persecution that almost wipes out the church (67-313 and 538-1798)	3	1260 days. Fifth seal
Self defense	-	11-13	13-15	Believers should not prepare a defense	-	-
Earthquake	7	8	11	Lisbon earthquake November 1, 1755	4	Sixth seal
Dark day	29	24	25	May 19, 1780
Stars fall	29	25	25	November 13, 1833
Heaven shaken	29	25	26	Astronomical events. Heaven shaken
Fear, Sign	30	-	11, 26	Global fear of an astronomical event	5
Signs of the End of the World
Gospel	14	10	-	This will cause the end of the world	5	Seventh trumpet
Second Coming	30	26	27	The end		Seventh seal

Signs of the Times
I have been asked many questions designed to estimate the nearness of His Coming. I say just work as diligently as if He is coming next week even if you do not see any signs. Because the only significant sign is the preaching of the Gospel. In addition, if we approach the work of God with this attitude of service then that could lead to the latter rain.

• Sunday Laws. Most Adventists want to know when this will occur. I do not know and I do not care about this sign because it appears to cripple Adventists and it gives them an excuse to delay a proper response to the word of God. When that time comes it will be too late to do much. I want to be able to recognize other signs. In addition, I expect that the evil forces will hide and delay any evidence of these activities until the last possible moment. The only signs we have that this might occur is the influence and control of mass media, the composition of the court and the laws that help or restrict religion and the influence of the church on the state. Europe has had Sunday laws imposed after 2003 with a transition period between 1993 and 2003. Yet this fact seems insignificant to American Adventists.
  So we are not really looking for signs of Christ, we are looking for clues to manage risk to ourselves.
• The Third World War. I do not look at wars as a sign other than as trends towards worse and worse conditions. If we had a nuclear war and half the world died I still would not see this as a sign. However, I see two conflicts as being more significant than any other and they do not even need to be a great war.
  • Babylon and Persia. This is a conflict between Iran and the United States at a time when they control Iraq. These hostilities create a political pattern that is similar to the fall of ancient Babylon. That sign is significant.
  • Jerusalem Surrounded. The threat against Israel from her neighbors at a time when the United States has a war in the Holy Land may be a sign of the threat against the global church. Jerusalem has been threatened many times. But the significant threat that is a sign of the times occurs when the King of the North is at war in the Holy Land and plants himself there.
  
  Armageddon is not a war between the states. Armageddon is a war against religion, against an unarmed people. In the first phase it is only a preparation. The actual war is fought after the millennium. So we should not confuse any human war with this event.
• Technological and Legal Advances. Do not look at these anymore as estimates of when the government will have the ability to persecute. They already have everything they need right now. Any other proposed laws or abilities that you hear will be coming are superfluous. The government has high tech and low tech methods to stop you from buying and selling right now.
  For example, if you hear that the government will invent a widget two years from now that will be able to read your thoughts and tell what religion you belong to, do not conclude that this means that the persecution is at least two years away. They can accomplish the same task now simply by asking everyone to bow down before an idol before you buy your groceries.
• The Change in the United States. This is a great sign. The war in the Middle East and occupation of Iraq, the willingness to torture and the new laws contained in the Patriot Act, the domestic surveillance programs and federal vigilante programs are all signs. The control over the government by the conservative Christians and the willingness of Christians to make excuses for these abuses is very terrifying.
• The Vatican. When the church gets control of the following institutions at the same time then it is a sign.
  • Jerusalem. This will fulfill Daniel 11: 45.
  • United States Supreme Court. They must be conservative. This has already occurred.
  • United States Government. They must have influence. The majority of congress is Catholic.
  They already control the news media. Over 90% of the political pundits and news analysts are conservative Catholics. Think about what that means in propaganda warfare. Are you being manipulated?
• The Gospel Preached. We are so willing to look to others. We think because this or that great evangelist is spreading the message that this is significant. If you are not spreading the message it is not significant.
  » A Basket of Eggs. Pinning our hopes on two great preachers or one loyal Adventist is like putting all our eggs in one basket. What if the owners of private Adventist facilities convert to another religion? What will you do? Suppose some leaders in the General Conference are against us? It happened to the Worldwide Church of God.
  You had no idea that over the past twenty years the devil has been silently trying to own all baskets, all hens and all egg laying production facilities. He has replaced all the farmers with his own people and he is in the process of telling the states to pass laws to break or take your eggs. So, heads up Chicken Little! The sky is falling!
• What Must I Do? Do not despise the call to martyrdom, pretending that you are trying not to "bring trouble on yourself". They killed Zechariah in church. They beheaded John the Baptist. Elijah ran for his life. The church leaders crucified God. According to tradition, eleven of the disciples became martyrs. All because they stood up and preached the gospel, made a call for morality, challenged the morality of governments, leaders and clergy and condemned the evil actions in the world. You will be a martyr if you do the right thing. You will be safe if you hide behind a mask of compromise.
  So study as if you plan to teach someone. Pray for someone that you can teach. Plant an organic garden. Get out of debt. Turn off the television, even the news is now propaganda. Buy a bicycle. Get a solar generator. Love your neighbor. Support Adventist ministries. Stand up for the persecuted. Denounce evil. Fall in love with your God.
  A Remedy. ... your hands are covered with blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good. Seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. (Isaiah 1: 15-17)

So do not get excited about every war, every earthquake, every calamity and every news of a prophet. Look at your local church. Get excited if you see them working and praying for the Second Coming. Get excited if you see the fruit of the Spirit in them. Because that is the sign. You are the sign that makes Satan nervous. You are the sign of the end.

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Study to show yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.   2 Timothy 2: 15 Copyright   Updated : January 2008. July 2009 Credits: Asteroid Impact damage. URL: http://www4.tpg.com.au/users/tps-seti/spacegd7.html Author: Laverna Patterson. Editor: Patterson (January 2008)