Confirmation Piled on Confirmation
Time to look up! The Bible's last-days prophecies are weaving into place before our eyes.
If you’ve followed me in the past, you’ll attest that I’ve been saying this for years. But I’m more adamant today than ever.
End-times prophecy is leaping straight off the Bible’s pages into our headlines.
Exciting as that is, I confess my enthusiasm is tinged with more than a little dismay at the gravity of the drama we’re witnessing. Which is why it’s essential to be reminded that all this mayhem we’re seeing is actually our “blessed hope” drawing near!
Do you see it that way? I hope so, but I run across quite a number of people who aren’t as convinced as I am that we’re watching the last days unfold. So if you’re in that camp, let me offer some food for thought and a couple of compelling videos for your consideration.
First this, by JD Farag, an Arab Christian pastor: At the Finish Line of Bible Prophecy.
JD’s video might be a little on the lengthy side, so to whet your appetite here’s a quick overview of the key points:
Written nearly two thousand years ago, the Biblical book of Revelation clearly predicts that our age will end with a global government, global religion, and global economy. It will all start out sounding utopian (“peace and security,” 1 Thes 5:3) but will quickly devolve into a crushingly totalitarian regime*. This, of course, is right in line with the developments of our day.
(* Just in case you doubt the “totalitarian” part of this move toward a one-world government, please see this from an award-winning international journalist—who has covered the issue for over a decade—for a bit of red-pill treatment.)More than 2500 years ago, the Hebrew prophet Ezekiel foresaw that an alliance of Russia, Iran, and Turkey would invade Israel in the last days (Ezek 38:1-8).
Ezekiel also saw a group of Arab Gulf state nations that would (ineffectually) take Israel's part. These objecting nations would call out the invaders on their true motivation—to take spoil (Ezek 38:13).
Ezekiel’s vision presupposes that Israel will be a nation (true only since 1948, after nearly two millenia of exile from their homeland). It also presupposes that Israel will be prosperous enough to make a tempting victim.
In today’s headlines we see Russia, Iran and Turkey all engaged in Syria, just across the border from Israel, and aligned against Israeli (and incidentally US) interests there. In fact, this is yet another area of the world where the rhetoric seems to be ratcheting up daily. Exactly what you would expect if ancient Biblical predictions are on the path to coming true.
We also see accelerating conflict over wealth in the form of energy supplies. Global conflict, as Russia uses gas supplies to tighten a stranglehold around western Europe. But also regional conflict, as Israel butts heads with its neighbors over the rights to develop rich gas fields. Strategically speaking, Israeli gas poses potential competition to Russia’s stranglehold over Europe, placing those two nations on a possible collision course.
Another ancient Hebrew prophet, Zechariah (12:1-3), gives a further picture of this last-days conflict. He sees the entire world overcome with what JD calls an "intoxicating obsession with dividing Jerusalem." While the nations will attack Israel for its wealth, prophecy says the ultimate "goalpost is the dividing of Jerusalem." Read: the “two-state solution” that we hear so much about, and that the nations keep working to impose on Israel. “Pre-1967 borders” is different language for the same thing.
Even older prophecies from Isaiah (17:1) and Jeremiah (49:23-27) predict the utter destruction of Damascus.
In the words of another Bible prophecy expert, Dr. Andy Woods,
Not only do we have the [exact] conglomeration of nations [prophesied by Ezekiel], but they're cooperating with each other. And they're on Israel's northern border.
We also have the Abraham Accords—an historic thawing of Israel’s relations with its neighbors in the face of an aggressive Iran. This very recent development makes it easy to envision the league of Gulf-state objectors Ezekiel prophesied as well.
To sum it up:
Current events seem to be staging a relentless march toward the precise end-times scenario recorded in Bible prophecy millenia ago.
In this brief video—only 11 minutes, and the real meat starts at 2:50—Dr. Woods does an excellent job supplying a bit more historical context for us.
Andy reminds us how far the geopolitical situation has had to evolve to bring us this exact “conglomeration of nations.”
After losing the “Cold War,” Russia had to regain momentum as an aggressive world power.
And both Turkey and Iran had to evolve from moderate regimes friendly to the West to the hardline Islamist posture we see them taking today.
Hoofbeats in the Clouds
“Behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death…” (Rev 6:8)
Gustave Doré, Death on the Pale Horse, 1865. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
On a quiet evening a few weeks ago, my husband Michael shot me a pensive look. “Wars. Famine. Pestilence. Death. I feel like all four horsemen of the apocalypse are on the road at once.”
“True,” I mused. “But this is hardly the first time in history, right? Don’t war and famine and pestilence often arrive together? If you lived in 1917, for example, you had to deal with the Great War and the Spanish flu.”
“Yes, but this is the first time we’ve seen the riders together since Israel became a nation.”
Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
That’s a great point, indeed. In Matthew 24, Jesus made Israel the “super sign.”
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. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. (Matt 24:32-34)
The context for this verbal parable starts all the way back at Matthew 21:18. On His way up to the Temple that same morning, Jesus gave His disciples a visual object lesson concerning a fig tree.
Although the narrative stretches through several chapters, they all took place on the same day. Read them together and you’ll see that the fig tree clearly refers to the nation of Israel. The headship of the “kingdom of God,” which at that point had a visual embodiment in the form of Israel with its grand Temple and elaborate sacrificial system, was about to be “taken away from [the entrenched religious leadership] and given to a people producing the fruit of it.” (Matt 21:43)
Jesus’ prophecy was dramatically fulfilled when Jerusalem was besieged and the Temple was destroyed less than forty years later—within the lifetimes of many of His listeners.
And one of the most pervasive prophecies in the Bible was fulfilled in 1948, when against all odds Israel was reborn on its historic land after nearly two millennia of exile. The fig tree has put forth its leaves.
Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. (Matt 24:34)
YES! We are the fig-tree generation Jesus spoke of!
Fig tree putting forth leaves / Pixabay
So… we had the supersign with Israel’s rebirth in 1948, 74 years ago. And now ALL these sharp birth pangs. I’m sure I’ll have more to say very soon about famine, specifically, as that one’s coming at us like a slow-motion train wreck.
But for today I’ll close with a few more words from Dr. Andy Woods’ video.
People like us, we need proof. We can't just believe something because something claims to be God’s word. And this to me is the ultimate proof that the Bible is God’s word…. History has caught up to the time period the Bible predicts. And so the whole scenario that… Ezekiel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit saw is completely and totally credible…. And to not see it is basically to deliberately... put your head in the sand.
No, I don’t know the day or the hour. But the signs of the times are written all over the events of our day. Jesus chided the Pharisees for failing to discern them. Please don’t be among those who fail to respond to them today! The Lord has planted you here “for such a time as this.”
Great article. Thank you!