What are we looking for? {Part 2}

Thanks for continuing with me on this topic! Now I’m looking at what’s going on in the world which look like ticks on the last hour clock.

A Quick Reminder That’s why I want to talk about these things: from what I see and what I read in the Bible, we really do seem so close to the end of the last hour.

  • Which means God’s judgment is coming…
  • Which means you are running out of time to be saved by Him!
  • Or, if you know Him, we’re running out of time to share the glorious truth of Christ with the world!

I just don’t want us to forget the reason and therefore the urgency for talking about the last hour – and the fact that we can see it coming to an end!

To get going, here’s what I mean when I talk about “the world”: It is anyone who has a spirit that is separated from God and has rejected reconciliation with Him, and is therefore not a part of the true church, which is everyone who has been reconciled to God through Christ alone. That’s the nutshell definition.

So, here’s what the Bible has to say about the world in the last hour:

2 Peter 3: …scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” {This can also be seen in churches.}

2 Thessalonians 2: For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work… The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

2 Timothy 3: But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.

Matthew 24: And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

I see a trend… Can you see a trend? Of course, history shows us that the world has always been like this in some degree. But it’s the frequency and intensity of our day that indicate we’re approaching the end of the last hour.

Because it’s not simply a trend that we now observe, but acceleration. (Remember that this trajectory is what we see in the church? See my post: What are we looking for? {Part 1} for more on that.)

And this is an acceleration of lawlessness.

So, what is lawlessness, exactly?

The translation from New Testament Greek is: contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness. Which law?

In a nutshell, it’s the righteousness of God.

An expanded definition would be the knowledge of God – knowing what He’s like, that He’s without evil, that He’s the Creator of all things, acknowledging God as the source of wisdom and as truth itself.

So, that is the law, and the rejection of it is the lawlessness.

Romans 1 gives us a vivid picture of the trajectory of lawlessness. This cycle has occurred throughout history, reaching its zenith just before the judgment of God is poured out (think of the flood, the tower of Babel and Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis, or the captivity of Israel to Babylon in 2 Kings). Genesis 6 describes this: “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (this was just before the flood). That’s where lawlessness leads, and when God’s judgment comes.

Romans 1: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Do we see the world going in this direction?

I would suggest we look at the spirit described in this passage, and then look at the world’s spirit right now – Where does the world seem like it wants to go and is actually striving to go?

Because it definitely wants to go somewhere without God or His truth.

And it wants to go there in one spirit, which is not God’s spirit, but that spirit of lawlessness. That’s what the acceleration is leading to: oneness in lawlessness.

And we sure see that Godless spirit promoted everywhere, don’t we?

I think of the “Coexist” bumper sticker (quite popular here in California), made up of symbols from many different religions. How about the idea of open borders? Or agencies that have authority and jurisdiction over the whole world in order to deal with world crises like COVID? What about the United Nations? Isn’t this what happened at the tower of Babel?:

The trend is clear – and has been so throughout history: oneness, with mankind at the center, apart from God.

I’m not going to get into the nitty gritty of what’s going on in the world, but if you take an objective look at the world today, especially the western or “westernized” world, we can see a longing for peace, hope, love, and, above all, unity among people and nations – but instead it keeps falling into chaos with wars, sickness, financial instability, hatred between groups and individuals, and unprecedented confusion.

Why does humankind want peace and unity? Well…

  1. Because that’s the state in which God created the world, and specifically His design for man’s unbroken relationship with Himself, and therefore meant for it to be.
  2. Because Satan, the prince of this world, longs for it in order to thwart God’s intention for humankind – he promotes a counterfeit to the unity God intended, based on men rather than God.
  3. Lawlessness is at work, “raising the dough” of the bread of lawlessness until it’s ready, and God withdraws His restraining power, allowing Satan to complete the rise as the world’s desire for a God-less society is realized.

So, why does the world still seem to be falling into confusion, hatred and suffering instead of achieving this unity? Well, when whole societies strive for peace without God, the source of truth, what can you expect?

One day the world will think it’s achieved unity apart from God through lawlessness – but it won’t (and can’t) last very long.

This God-less society realized is what we see in Revelation. For all of history mankind has been trying to throw off the authority of God, and once the last hour strikes, God will remove Himself as a restraining influence.

[The Holy Spirit will still be here, just in a somewhat different capacity – still saving souls and revealing truth, but not restraining as He’s doing now through the church.]

Mankind will finally get what it thinks it wants, and this will be the result – what the world will look like when this lawlessness has reached it’s peak and is ready to be put in the oven of God’s judgment.

  • The world – after plunging into chaos (1) – comes together under one ruler (2), one economy (3), and in one spirit that rejects the true God.
    • For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Matthew 24:7-8
    • A man will rise up and be allowed to rule the world, bringing what people think is peace and unity.
      • The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast… And all the world marveled and followed the beast. Revelation 13
    • Israel will be kicked out of her land (again) and nearly destroyed.
      • “And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the Lord, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the fire” Zechariah 13
    • The world ruler will prevail over Christians.
      • It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. Revelation 13
    • There will be an inclusive religion without God, which the whole world will be a part of.
      • So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”… And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb… Revelation 13

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

2 Thessalonians 2

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work…

And when it’s reached it’s capacity, the lawless one will be revealed.

This is when Satan’s influence will be unleashed as he rules the world through this lawless one, this Beast of Revelation – known to many as the Antichrist.

This lawlessness now, which is accelerating, is the spirit of 1) Satan, 2) the Antichrist, 3) all who reject Christ. 1 John 2 makes it clear what this lawlessness is: He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

So, what do we do with this information? Well, there’s a choice to be made.

Why would anyone want to be a part of that lawlessness? Of a world whose defining characteristic is a hatred of God? Especially when it is so simple to avoid it: he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also… If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life. (1 John 2)

The lawless world will look like this:

So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast?”… Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb… Revelation 13:4, 6-8

 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Revelation 13:16-17

For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury… In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow Revelation 18:3

Judgment is coming.

Believe God now! Receive the life that He offers freely in Jesus Christ!

Looking at the world, can’t you see that it’s more lawless, more without God than ever? This is a resounding tick on the last hour clock!

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

I’m hoping to soon put together a post about how this spirit of lawlessness is preparing the world for the Antichrist – the Beast of Revelation.

But for now, thanks so much for joining me, and I pray that God will use my humble endeavors to help illumine His truth in His word to you! So, until next time, unless the Rapture comes first!

There is a Temple Coming, Part 1: The Bible Says – Generation 23:00

Another temple in Jerusalem? A lot of things are coming together for it to be possible, so it's necessary that we ask: does the God tell us about the next temple? You may find it surprising – and definitely exciting! • You can find me at Generation 23:00 on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor, Rumble, YouTube and Telegram, and Anna.gen2300 on Instagram. Or visit gen2300.com for the blog post: gen2300.com/2023/01/27/there-is-a-temple-coming
  1. There is a Temple Coming, Part 1: The Bible Says
  2. Happy Hanukkah-is-Fulfilled-Prophecy!
  3. We are asleep: A book review of 'Wake the Bride' by Jeff Kinley
  4. The Blessed Hope
  5. Bible Prophecy: To Study or Not to Study?

What are we looking for? {Part 1}

What’s next?

As the days tick by, and I study God’s word, I find myself wondering which ticks on the last hour clock I’m seeing. Because I want to be seeing what’s really there – fitting current events into Bible prophecy, versus fitting Bible prophecy into current events (or jamming them in). I can only live in reality if I study God’s timeline with care and precision.

And I can say that, from what I’ve studied and observed, what I see in the world is lining up with many of God’s blueprints for the last hour (and what comes after).

Of course, the prophecies about Israel are being fulfilled in sparkling clarity before our very eyes, but what other Bible prophecies are we looking for?

Well, there are plenty I can see happening or getting ready to happen. Some seem to be specific, and some more general.

I touched on some of the general prophecies in my post Where in the Bible are the Prophecies? Most of the prophecies relating to the Church are of this variety, as well as many that relate to the world (although not all).

I think there’s a key word to spotting these general prophecies happening in real life: acceleration – in frequency and intensity.

The idea that the conditions the Bible describes in the last hour accelerate can actually be seen in the Bible:

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:11-14

They’re referred to as “labor pangs” (which we would term contractions now), increasing in intensity and speed as the end approaches:

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. I Thessalonians 5:2-3

When I look at the church and the world today, these verses really do describe both. Let’s look at some more verses that expound on these ideas of what it will be like in the last hour for the church.

{I’ll look at the world in the second part of this post.}

The Church:

2 Thessalonians 2: Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed… And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed

2 Timothy 3: But know this, that in the last days… all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

Jude:  But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.

I John 2: Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us… Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.

Revelation 3: Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked

I won’t expound too much, because if you look at these verses and then at the church at large, their increasing fulfillment is pretty clear.

I see three categories in these descriptions of the church during the last hour:

  1. God is restraining evil and His judgment of it by His Spirit in believers until He and they are taken out of the way (2 Thess. 2).
  2. The church will be purified, with the true body of Christ being set apart from those who are falling away.
  3. There will be a falling away from the truth in the church, with many, many false teachers arising who entice professing believers away – false prophets (Matt. 24), imposters (2 Tim. 3), liars denying Jesus is the Christ (1 John 2), mockers who ridicule God’s word (Jude). It will also fall away when becomes puffed up, basing its success on its wealth (Rev. 3).

Restraining

Think of the true church – holding to the truth of God’s word as literal, real and completely from God – as a rubber band that is being stretched thinner and thinner as lawlessness expands. In centuries past, the rubber band was much thicker, when God’s word was considered inerrant and infallible in more church congregations, therefore making it’s restraining influence more impactful on the lawlessness in the world. But as more church congregations doubt the trustworthiness of ALL of God’s word, and fewer individuals put their faith in Christ alone, the rubber band’s width has shrunk. It’s the Holy Spirit in true believers that is actually doing the restraining, so the rubber band will never snap – before it is overwhelmed, God will take it out of the way, lawlessness will engulf the world and then He will pour out His judgment.

Do we see this? I do! Many friends of mine who believe that God’s word is without error and is actually the perfect word from God have a real struggle finding a church that teaches and functions according to that reality.

Look up doctrinal statements on church websites – how many say that the Bible is God’s inspired and inerrant word? How many actually have doctrinal statements? How many will capitulate to popular philosophies and movements so as not to offend the world? How many emphasize love and don’t tell people they’re slaves to sin and that Jesus Christ came to be their Savior? “All are welcome” – well, of course, because Christ came to save all people – but are churches with those signs on their buildings actually telling people so once they’re inside? One step further in this decay is seeing churches on my visits to the UK that aren’t even used as churches anymore – they’re community centers or clubs or even cafes. Where is the church being the church?

Specific prophecy: the falling away. Moving from general to specific, 2 Thessalonians mentions the falling away. What is this, precisely? I don’t have a definitive answer for myself, yet. So look for a post at a later date, once I’ve done some studying. It could be the culmination of the “falling away” process – but don’t quote me on that, yet. As I said, more studying (and a separate post) needed! However, it is clear from Scripture that there is also a general falling away.

The rubber band now is being stretched to the limit. (And we’ll get to the “lawlessness” of 2 Thessalonians 2 in part 2.)

But the band still there! And that leads me to…

Purifying and Falling Away

I lumped these two together because I see these two things happening at the same time. One could say that each produces the other.

The word for “falling away” in the New Testament Greek is literally translated “falling away, defection, apostasy,” and the Thayer’s Greek Lexicon adds “from true religion.” And once some people have defected, that means there are some remaining who haven’t, who are “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2); this is the church being purified. And it’s happening at a very fast rate these days!

Like John said: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us… “

But where do we see these people going when they go “out from us”?

I see professing believers going for a myriad of teachers and teachings – all of which deny that the Bible is the literal, straight-from-God, without-error complete word of God. That’s what they all have in common, no matter how diverse the places are to which people are defecting – or falling away.

Now, teachings/teachers which question whether the Bible is inerrant and God-breathed have been plaguing the church from the beginning (Paul, John and Peter often correct erroneous teachings in their epistles), so how can anyone say that this happening in our day can be interpreted as ticks on the last hour clock?

We go back to the word acceleration.

Questioning the reliability of God’s word is everywhere! In the world and in churches. Like I mentioned before, finding a church which teaches the whole of the Bible as error-less, literal, and God-spoken feels nearly impossible these days. People take the word of science professors over the word of God, call the Bible racist, intolerant, colonialist, patriarchal, deny God’s promises to Israel and say they belong to the church, allegorize prophecy, mix Scripture with philosophy, write books and “translations” which don’t take God’s authorial intent into account, and on and on… Often the people who are spreading these un-Biblical teachings are affiliated with supposedly Christian groups – some are even pastors!

{Speaking of pastors, my very first pastor now has a ministry where he deconstructs false teachings of specific teachers and movements – by name. He’s Jim Steel, and you can find him at Standing True, on his YouTube channel and podcast, Biblical Minute! He truly loves Christ and His word, and does his research.}

Because of technology, never in history has the spread of defective teaching been so easy, or so fast, either. In the church of Acts, congregations had to wait for a parchment to be delivered. How fast could defective teaching spread using that method? Years, I’d say. But now a pastor can read a blog published 2 minutes ago, re-tweet it, and infect all of his followers (not to mention his congregation), who can then spread it themselves just as fast! Never in history has communication been so fast and easy. Again, acceleration.

And the fact that so much un-Biblical teaching has spread testifies to the reality that discernment is on the wane. People just don’t seem to detect when they hear something contrary to the word of God – especially because that old dragon, Satan, uses his favorite trick of mixing a lie with God’s truth. This what the Bible calls “leavening.”

The general falling away and the mystery of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2 are both leavening processes. It’s like when you mix ingredients for bread, including the yeast, and you set the timer for it to rise to a particular size – the yeast (formerly known as leaven) reacts with the flour, water, salt, etc. to expand the dough. That’s what happens when Satan mixes a little lie with God’s truth – it continues through human teachers to this day, until the false church and the lawlessness of the world are ready to be baked.

So, these are all things that you can actually see now.

Now, we don’t want to leave out the things that this acceleration is leading up to… Because God has end goals for everything that happens, and He tells us what those are!

  1. The church being purified
    1. …Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:25-27
  2. The church being filled and completed
    1. …that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ… Ephesians 3:8
      1. Christ is being preached to the world until the “fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:25).
  3. For the church to be ready for Christ’s coming for her
    1. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6
    2. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Philippians 3:20-21
    3. …but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 1 John 3:2-3
      1. This hope and readiness is purifying!
  4. The church’s gathering to Christ
    1. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
  5. Escaping God’s wrath! We’re used to restrain now, but we’ll be out of the way one day.
    1. …how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1:9b-10

So, I want to challenge you a little…

If you’re in a church, do you see an acceleration of teaching that doesn’t have God’s word as the ultimate authority? Do you see those who hold to God’s word as such being ignored, sidelined, maligned or even attacked? Do you see the church’s influence on the world toward righteousness diminishing, and many pastors and Christians who are accepted by the world because they don’t disagree with it?

If you don’t, then it is absolutely vital that you take a good look around and ask God to help you see! This could save you from falling away yourself, and change you from a professing believer, to one who has an unshakable hope in Christ and the truth of God’s word! Or strengthen your faith in better understanding God’s truth.

If you do see it… I feel your discouragement! Believers standing on God’s word alone as truth can feel totally inadequate to do a jot to dispel the engulfing darkness of lies and shine the light of truth. Thankfully, that’s not our job! God’s truth can never be changed or undone or lose its power, even if the entire world rejects it.

  • John 16:33 is still in effect: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” And Christ is coming back! He’d just told the disciples a couple of chapters before: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself (John 14:3). Now that is hope!

If you’re not in a church, 1) don’t let this stuff discourage you from seeking God’s truth, because if you just compare any church to what the Bible teaches, then you can find a real one. And 2) the mess and confusion of today’s church is Bible prophecy being fulfilled. So, 3) stop doubting God, because time is running out for Him to save you!

If the church is in this state – and accelerating – as the Bible warned us it would be, then it is a loud tick on the last hour clock.

But God isn’t done with the church yet! He’s still adding to it! Remember…

But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

…The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:7, 9

I’ll be doing a “part 2” of this post soon, all about what to be looking for in the world that show us we’re in the last few minutes of the last hour. So, check back or subscribe if you’d like to know when it’s up!

Thanks for joining me, and remember to keep your eyes on the clock! Until next time – unless the rapture comes first!

Where is Israel on the last hour clock?

“For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Revelation 19:10

I want to start with an analogy: think of the ticks on the last hour clock as Israel – Jesus Christ is the reason for the clock to exist in the first place – And the result the clock is supposed to produce the restoration of man to God, both of Jews and everyone else, by revealing God’s plan through Christ. The end of the book of Revelation makes this clear: ‘And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.’ God wants to restore everyone to the perfection He intended, not to judge them. Prophecy is about how He has done and will do both through Jesus Christ – I just want us to remember that.

This post focuses on the fact that we couldn’t even read the last hour clock without Israel. Just like when we learn how to read a clock, we can learn how to read the direction of the world and what God is doing with it by understanding what He’s done, is doing and will do with Israel.

Ever since Abraham, God has been working out His plan for the world through Israel. His promises to this nation are unconditional, which means that He’s still working out His plan for the world through Israel!

Thus says the Lord,
Who gives the sun for a light by day,
The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,
Who disturbs the sea,
And its waves roar
(The Lord of hosts is His name): “If those ordinances depart
From before Me, says the Lord,
Then the seed of Israel shall also cease
From being a nation before Me forever.” Jeremiah 31:35-36

Until the sun and moon stop working, Israel keeps ticking away on the last hour clock. Take this latest clash with Hamas.

This particular attack from Hamas (and we might as well say Iran), isn’t precisely foretold by any of the Biblical prophets, although the spirit of those organizations is.

Psalm 83 has been the spirit of Israel’s neighbors for decades:

For behold, Your enemies make a tumult;
And those who hate You have lifted up their head.
3 They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,
And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”

Attacks on Israel such as the war of Independence in 1948, the Six Day War in 1967, the Yom Kippur War in 1976, and the several intifadas launched against Israel in the last few decades, were motivated by the spirit of cutting them off from being a nation (as Psalm 83:4 makes clear). If you keep reading that passage, the historic names of the surrounding Arab nations are there – Edom, Moab, Ammon, Assyria…

But this particular attack wasn’t primarily provoked by the sheer existence of Israel – it was a political move by Hamas (who control Gaza) to gain and/or prove their popularity with all of the Palestinian people after the Fatah party president Mahmoud Abbas canceled their elections several weeks ago (when he realized he would lose – to Hamas). Notice that the West Bank/Abbas section of the Palestinians haven’t been firing rockets at Israel; it’s been the religious arm of the Palestinians in Gaza, where Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood are in control. The former is focused on the national/statehood aspect, and the other on spreading Islam (which explains their position as a proxy for Iran).

All of that being said, there are prophetic ticks in this latest middle east action. So let’s examine the situation to see what they might be.

These would be:

  • That Israel is secure and prosperous
  • None of her neighbors are condemning her, at least not strongly (apart from, of course, Iran and Turkey), and are certainly not attacking on behalf of Hamas or the Palestinians, and neither are any of the important players in the western world.

Now let’s look at how those could be ticks on the last hour clock.

  1. Israel is secure and prosperous.

Ezekiel describes them as “a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gate,” with “the waste places that are again inhabited,” and “a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land” (Ezekiel 38:11-12).

As the last hour ticks down, the Jews will be back in their land, gathered from the nations (see: WWII), and growing: their population, economy, stability.

I’ll touch on a few of the ways Israel is growing:

They’re planning a new oil pipeline to the Mediterranean, which could move 1.2 million barrels from Eilat to Ashkelon!1

They’re making deals with countries in the region, like the $10 billion investment of the United Arab Emirates into the Israeli economy.2

As of this year, Israel is now in the top-20-economies-in-the-world club, at number 19, with $43.7 thousand per capita.3

They’re also innovating on the forefront of many fields: medical, agricultural, scientific, technological, and more.4

Israel also has a military that you don’t want to mess with…5 The technological capabilities are first-class, with very precise targeting systems, and the space-age interception of the Iron Dome.

Israel’s Iron Dome interceptors seen on the right as Hamas launched rockets from Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, on Friday. Anas Baba/AFP via Getty Images

They export worldwide, being the 9th largest exporter of tropical fruit in the world.6

 “But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. 9 For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown.” Ezekiel 36:8-9

Now the ceasefire has begun on Israel’s terms. It’s a unilateral ceasefire because that gives Israel the power to eradicate any future threats that even think about arising in Gaza. Israel is confident and strong enough to tell the world that this is how it’s going to be.

I could go on, but you get the picture!

Israel must be in this situation, because a) God promised it, b) they have to be in a position of some prestige and importance in the world to “confirm a covenant” with the prince that shall come, a.k.a. the Antichrist (Daniel 9:27), and c) be prosperous enough that Rosh, Persia, and Gomer will come down to plunder its riches.

It’s certainly taking the right steps to be in that position.

Some keen observers have pointed out that Iran may be testing the waters, seeing how able Israel is to defend itself. Israel is surrounded by terror proxies of Iran: Hamas to the south in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen with rockets that will now reach southern Israel, Hezbollah in Lebanon to the north, and Shiite militias in Iraq to the east, plus Iran itself building underground silos to house rockets that will reach to every part of the Middle East. But Iran obviously has decided that now is not the time to attack Israel outright. Not that they outright told Hamas to attack Israel, either – as I mentioned, their rockets were launched to gain support and prestige among the Palestinian voters – although much (if not all) of their weapon supplies came from Iran at one point or another. And Hezbollah has distanced itself from any missiles that were fired from within Lebanon’s borders.7

I would hazard a guess that Iran will never feel strong enough to take on Israel without serious help. And that guess is based on the Gog and Magog war of Ezekiel 38, where Persia (ancient name for Iran) is a part of an alliance with Rosh, Gomer, Put and Kush. And this event is based on Israel being there, and – I would further imply – so strong, that it takes the involvement of a superpower, plus several other countries, to actually invade, and that other countries outside of the alliance will not feel it necessary or prudent to intervene on Israel’s behalf.

My first thought when I heard of the Hamas conflict with Israel over the past couple of weeks, and Israel’s unquestionable ability to deal with it swiftly and effectively, was, “Wait, doesn’t Israel need to be somewhat militarily weak in order for the alliance in the war of Gog and Magog to be emboldened to attack them? And wouldn’t the possible liberal and weaker government that was in the works play into that?”

Then I started connecting some more dots, and, as this post has so far demonstrated, I could see that the current events are actually lining up in a more effective way than my snap judgment had perceived.

2. Israel is not being universally condemned for this conflict by her neighbors or other governments.

The most significant of non-condemners are Israel’s Arab neighbors:

  • The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, Kuwait, and even Saudi Arabia have been practically silent about the entire issue.8
    • Some of these countries, plus Egypt, have called for a ceasefire, and some have even voiced a willingness to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas – a much more restrained response than during past conflicts.
    • An interesting observation is that Turkey has spoken very vehemently against Israel, and in support of Hamas (Turkey is actually a supporter of Hamas) – remember their going to Russia to say it was time to teach Israel a lesson? Interesting because they’re going to be a part of the Ezekiel 38 alliance.
  • The United Arab Emirates has actually told Hamas that planned infrastructure projects are in danger if they continue to attack Israel.9

There have also been some significant supporters from Europe and other parts of the world, who have been unequivocal in their support of Israel’s right to defend itself:8

  • Greece
  • Germany
  • Czech Republic
  • Italy
  • Hungary
  • Ukraine
  • Slovenia
  • Poland
  • Japan
  • Slovakia
  • Austria

That last one was rather significant, with the JCPOA talks being in Vienna. Their raising the Israeli flag atop the chancellor’s building was something the Iranian ambassador didn’t appreciate – as evidenced by his cancelling his meeting with the Austrian foreign minister.

The Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Ukraine all flew Israeli flags over their capital cities, and the rest tweeted or officially stated their support of Israel and condemnation of the rocket fire from Hamas. The German, Czech and Slovakian foreign ministers actually just visited Israel to show their support!10

The U.S. position is slightly more complex, but our government has expressly stated that we support Israel’s right to defend themselves.

Summing Up

So, where do these ticks put Israel on the last hour clock?

Israel is respected and strong as she has never been since she became a nation in 1948 – and certainly since she was dispersed in the 1st century!

Even I, who am relatively young in my experience of history and world affairs, remember when Israel seemed to be constantly attacked and in danger of being overwhelmed by her hostile neighbors. It seems that almost overnight she’s soared to prosperity and influence – which makes me think that the last few ticks left on the last hour clock will fly by!

She’s flown pretty high, but she could be a bit more prosperous and influential. It will need to be enough to test the friendship of that last member of the Ezekiel 38 alliance to become hostile towards her: Russia.

“Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh… In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. 9 You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.” ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: 11 You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— 12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.” Ezekiel 38:8-12

Based on these verses, at the time of the attack:

  • Israel is:
    • Brought back from the sword
    • Gathered from many people
    • A land which had long been desolate (and is no longer)
    • A place where its people now dwell safely
    • A place of unwalled villages
    • A peaceful people – who just want peace
    • A place filling with plunder-able goods: oil, technology, food, diamonds…

It looks to me like she’s nearly ready!

Remember, it’s laid out in God’s plans, so it was always bound to happen. And how exciting to see it with our very eyes!

It’s also a blaring reminder that so many people are running out of time to escape the judgment that will come on the world when the last hour strikes. Christ has done everything so that we can escape judgment and have pure, perfect eternal life with Him – to know Him as we were created to do, without the hindrance and separation of sin – and all we have to do to get those things is to trust Him and trust in Him to keep His promises.

Because He always keeps His promises! And, except for His first coming to earth to be the Savior, there have never been so many prophecies fulfilled as there have been in the generations since 1948!

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!” Matthew 24:32-33

So, don’t forget that God wants you to be saved and is still waiting to pour out His judgment…

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

But the time is near!

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. Revelation 1:3

So – keep your eye on the clock until next time, or the rapture comes!

America is Sliding down into Bible Prophecy

For a patriotic American, the news is depressing. For a Christian trusting the promises in God’s word, it’s exciting.

The latest news that the U.S. is leaving the Middle East, and General Mackenzie’s admission1 that we don’t have air or sea superiority for the first time anywhere since the Korean War, tempts me to be ashamed of being an American in this day and age.

But the U.S. isn’t a major player in Bible prophecy – at least it’s not mentioned specifically. So it needs to step down as a major power, or at least be sort of subsumed into a one-world governing system. And that never could have happened under an America-loving patriot like President Trump. Where does “Make America Great Again” fit into a one-world government?

Because there must be a central, worldwide government for certain Bible prophecies to occur, a country like ours, with such a large population, powerful economy, and world influence, has to be on board with being an enthusiastic part of the world community, promoting the world coming together and breaking down barriers like borders, religion, currencies, and languages. And with our current government, we are certainly heading that direction.

The progressive agenda supported and advocated (and pushed) by the party currently in power is the same agenda that progressive governments are promoting all over the world. Just like in the U.S., Europe has opened it’s borders in many countries, marginalized religion, legalized or at least allowed immorality, including the deaths of so many unborn and the redefinition of gender and marriage. The most important belief that much of the western world shares is that saying God is the only God is wrong (‘intolerant’ and ‘hate speech’ would be popular alternative terms), and being kind and accepting of everything is what’s important.

This also fits right into the one world religion that must come about once the antichrist and the false prophet rise to power. It’s a belief that can be assimilated into nearly every religion.

(Bible-believing Christians excepted – it’s not a religion, anyway.)

(Another hitch would be extreme Shiite Islam, but the most powerful of those Muslim countries, like Iran and Turkey, will be reduced to negligible powers after the first war of Gog and Magog, which happens before the rise of the antichrist, so they won’t be putting up any barriers to the one-world religion. This includes a stubbornly nationalist Russia.)

Not only does America need a progressive government, but a weak government, if it’s going to fit into it’s likely place in Bible prophecy. And not just the government, but the policies it implements need to weaken the country as a whole: military, economy, education, and, fundamentally (and as I’ve already touched on), morals.

The remarks of General McKenzie are a testimony to our military being kept weak. I mean, look how it was only two years ago, when General Soleimani was just plotting to attack a U.S. embassy – and wham! Iran didn’t bother us for a while.

And now we’re leaving. Their boats hassle us in the straights of Hormuz, their drones take photos of our aircraft carriers, and they send rockets to our air bases on at least a weekly basis. Now we’re negotiating with them. What’s happened? Our government’s policy is to be friends with Iran, which apparently doesn’t entail a strong military presence. (Which we could have, by the way. I mean, we did a year ago.)

I don’t want to go on and on, so I’ll just gloss over the economy, which, as we Americans know, took a big punch when the lockdowns hit. Plus, all of the plans to switch to “green energy,” which will eliminate many current jobs in traditional energy.

As for education… I just sigh. Before the lockdowns hit , when it became hard to get any education at all, actual knowledge being taught to students had dwindled to sad depths. Instead it’s been mandated to teach godless ideologies. Teachers have been given perimeters that they’re increasingly compelled to keep inside of, so students are taught very incomplete pictures of history, English, and science in your average school (in higher and lower education).

And I’ve already touched on morals, which have never been so nearly non-existent in this country.

This state of America of course fits certain passages of Scripture exactly.

Look at 2 Timothy 3:

 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power.

But, regarding America, there are more ticks on the last hour clock than it’s moral decline.

  • Our withdrawal from the Middle East means that Israel will be looked to as the most stable power in the region – thus able to make it’s own alliances – ˆˆˆthus having alliances in place which the antichrist can confirm (Daniel 9:27 – “Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering“).
    • This will also increase Israel’s position as an influential player, with other countries seeking economic and military deals with them (like the United Arab Emirates, who have invested $10 billion in Israel’s economy2 – after also signing the Abraham Accords).
  • Our leaving the Middle East also means that Iran will have more freedom to menace Israel and countries that have alliances with Israel (although Israel does an efficient job taking care of itself even now), which is another step closer to Iran’s allying with Russia and Turkey in attacking Israel in the war of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38:6, “Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah and all its troops from the far north“).
  • Our recent antagonizing of Turkey has pushed that country closer to an alliance with Russia (these two will need to be allies in the war of Gog and Magog against Israel).
    • I’ll quote a larger bit of Ezekiel 38 where he prophesies about this war: ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh3, Meshech, and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops...”‘
  • Now that we’re withdrawing from the Middle East, and trying to be on good terms with Iran, Russia seems to have become the greatest power in the area, with Turkey going to Russia to ask them to teach Israel a lesson after their latest defensive raids on Hamas in Gaza4, and Hamas asked Russia to request a ceasefire with Israel.5 They’re turning into the police of the Middle East, now. And if Russia is the dominant power there, then once they decide to plunder Israel, the Ezekiel 38 war will not be preventable by anyone but God (who will break all of those countries, and the one world religion will be able to rise with the Antichrist – the Day of the Lord will be in full swing).

It’s mind-blowing to hear the day’s news – to hear these ticks on the last hour clock almost with my own ears!

I have to give a loud shout-out to Behold Israel, the ministry of Amir Tsarfati, as a gold mine of real time information from the Middle East. He lives in Israel, and gets his information practically from the horse’s mouth. Every week he gives a live ‘Middle East Update,’ and I would highly recommend watching the last three, which are on Turkey, America leaving the Middle East, and the battle over Jerusalem. He also has a telegram channel, where he posts lots of updates every day.

I get a lot of my Middle East news from him, as well as TV7 and ILTV channels on YouTube (both are Israeli news sources).

I do want to add that America is not yet completely useless as a tool for good – it appears that until the church is taken out of the way (raptured), the U.S. will still be the most influential country in terms of it being a restraining influence on the depraved state of the world and on God’s judgment, because it is still influential in the world. It is still declining, and faster than ever before, but until the church is taken up, and the Holy Spirit with us, we as a country can still have the largest impact on the world as far as spreading the gospel of Christ and restraining the influence of evil. The impact is lessening, but it’s still there. God’s not done with using the church until He’s done. Then we’re gone, and the world will have no restraint on its God-less ways – and God won’t be restraining His judgment, either.

So, with America in this state – a country in a cooling relationship with Israel, a lessening of international power and prestige, rife with internal struggles and moral decay – I say to myself and to my fellow Americans (and I live in California, not exactly a paragon of liberty and righteousness at the moment), don’t lose heart, because when we look at the Bible, things are actually falling into place.

I’m sad that the pieces require America to decline, and that I’m a part of the generation to see it. But how can I remain depressed, when I see that it fits into God’s timeline to take the church out of here, execute His judgment, and then begin His reign on earth!

If you look at God’s promises, Israel is the loudest tick on the last hour clock, so we can assess America’s place in Bible prophecy by looking at it’s relation to Israel.

  • During the battle with Hamas right now, America is not taking Israel’s side – in fact, they are calling for both sides to de-escalate.6
  • America has also re-instated aid to the Palestinians, after the previous administration stopped it.
  • America leaving the Middle East means we will not be there to defend Israel, as we’ve often done in the past. We’re leaving them to be the only stable country in the area. (But they may enjoy being able to make decisions without us interfering.)

I’ll leave it there, because I could keep updating this post indefinitely, as events keep pouring in!

So, as Americans, what should we do? (Although this question basically applies to everyone.)

The rapture could come any second, with the ticks on the last hour clock so close to midnight, so if you are in Christ, keep spreading the gospel! We need to bring as many people as we can with us to our wedding with our perfect Bridegroom and eternal life!

If you don’t have faith in Christ – why not? The world doesn’t have answers for the chaos, for the loss of America as it used to be. But the Bible does. The Bible is filled with God’s promises, some of which He’s already fulfilled, and some which are definitely close… You can look at the Bible on one hand and current events on the other, and they fit together! The reality is there, and all God says to do is believe it – believe Him!

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Revelation 1:3

Keep your eye on the clock! And, if the rapture doesn’t come first, until next time!

We need to define Prophecy

Before we get too far into these studies, we absolutely must look at how prophecy is defined, described and validated in the Bible. Otherwise we could get quite confused. Plus, prophecy is the subject of this entire website, so we should be clear about what we’re discussing!

Let’s start with 2 Peter 1:19-21, and see how God defines prophecy in His word:

And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

That sums it up, really.

Prophecy is when God tells men what to say or shows them something which will happen in the future. The key element is that the prophecy has to be spoken or shown to the person straight from God (as in, “by the Holy Spirit“). Then the person writes down what they’ve seen or heard (as in, “spoke as they were moved“).

Here are some examples of this process:

“The word that came to Jeremiah from the the Lord, saying, ‘Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say,”Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the Lord!” ‘ ” Jeremiah 7:1-2

“Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said: ‘Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His… He reveals deep and secret things’ ” Daniel 2:19-20, 22

“Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.” Ezekiel 1:1-3

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw… After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this’… And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne…” Revelation 1:1-2, 4:1-2, 5:1

These are are direct encounters with God, either by sight or word. None of the prophets say, “I think God wants me to say…” or “I think I just had a vision from God.” It’s unequivocal: “the word came… from the Lord,” or “the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.” Experiencing direct communication from God is never ambiguous. This shows us that God wants us to know 1) when He’s the one communicating, and 2) that He clearly communicates with us.

So, we’ve looked at how prophecy is defined and described. Now, how do we know if it’s valid?

1) Obviously, if the prophecy actually happens! Of course, we can’t use this test for prophecies that are still future, but we can see some that are now in the past and have happened just as the prophets described.

Another consideration about this point is that these same prophets who wrote down prophecies that have happened, have also written down prophecies that are still in the future – so we can expect those future prophecies to happen because the past ones have been fulfilled.

For example, Isaiah and Ezekiel both have prophecies about the Jews returning to Israel, which they have, and Isaiah prophesied about Christ’s second coming and Ezekiel about Christ’s millennial kingdom – so we can be sure that these future prophecies will be fulfilled in the same literal sense and with the same certainty.

2) Does Christ reference the prophet and/or his prophecies? Jesus Christ, who is The Word of God Himself (John 1:1), would not quote any text as having authority from God unless it was the word of God. Here’s one example of Him quoting a prophet who references a (still) future event:

“’Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place’ (whoever reads, let him understand), ‘then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.‘” Matthew 24:4-5

3) Is the prophet and/or his prophecies referenced anywhere else in the Bible? This can be found in many places.

“I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.” Daniel 9:1

“For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him…” Acts 13:27

“As He says also in Hosea: ‘I will call them a people who were not my people’… Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel, ‘Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sands of the sea, The remnant will be saved.’ “ Romans 9:25, 27

4) And, as I mentioned before, does the prophecy begin with something like, “the word of the Lord came to…”? (See the earlier part of this post for some examples.)

Every prophecy in the past has been fulfilled – so be ready for those yet unfulfilled to be fulfilled!

  • Israel was exiled to Babylon and Jerusalem was desolated, just as Isaiah, Jeremiah and others warned the Jews they would be, back in the 7th century B.C.
  • The Messiah was born in Bethlehem as Malachi prophesied, born of a virgin and suffered as a sinner for sinners, as Isaiah foretold, was put to death by crucifixion as described in the Psalms, and rose from the dead after three days, as Christ Himself told His disciples beforehand.

So, we can expect…

  • Christ to break the seals of judgment as Revelation describes
  • God to save Israel from the armies of Gog and Magog
  • The Antichrist to rise and people to take his mark
  • Christ to come on the clouds of heaven
  • And so many more terrifying and glorious things!

Things which are coming ever closer.

We see the clock ticking down to the end of the last hour – so don’t wait to put your faith in Christ! Then you’ll be sure of having eternal life and escaping eternal death. That choice is just as real as when you get on the internet or hop on a plane and see the Jews living in Israel – just as the prophets said: Israel became a nation again, and Christ is coming back.

He’s waiting because He wants to save souls.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

2 peter 3:9

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Revelation 1:3

That’s me for now! Keep your eye on the clock! Until next time – unless the Rapture comes first!

Where in the Bible are the prophecies?

I didn’t realize until quite recently that nearly one third of the Bible contains prophecies!

Of course, a lot of them are about Christ’s first coming, when He came as the Savior, and a very large bunch are about the Millennium and the new heavens and new earth (both of which are after the last hour). But this still leaves a significant collection of prophecies about The Day itself – and, more specifically for our study, the last hour before The Day.

So where do we find these?

Well, there are two types of events in prophecy that I’ve been looking for:

  1. What the world will look like when the last hour strikes and The Day begins.
  2. Things that haven’t happened yet, but need to happen before the last hour strikes.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The first type of prophetic event will have already happened and some have calculable dates. But the second type is what happens near the end of what we call “the church age” (what we’re living in now, between Christ’s ascension in the first century and the Rapture – basically, the period of time while the church is on earth) and none of these have dates can be calculated (including the rapture; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

But we can guess that the last hour is nearly over based on which prophetic events have occurred and which ones look close to happening.

This is why studying prophecy is so exciting! When they’re being fulfilled, we can guess that the rapture must be close!

So, here are the passages to check out if you want to take a crack at piecing together God’s timeline for yourself. (Which I would strongly encourage, because if I can take stab at it, who am no Bible scholar, then you can – I mean, God wouldn’t have given any of it to us if we couldn’t understand it!) Please realize that these lists are not comprehensive. For instance, the books of the minor prophets are riddled with descriptions of “last hour” events, so I’ll include more of those when I go into each list separately and more in-depth in future posts.

What things will look like before The Day – things that have already happened to set the stage:

Israel:

  • Sixty-nine of the seventy weeks will have been fulfilled, and the Messiah will have been cut off. (Daniel 9:24-26)
  • Israel will come back to life in terms of being a country with a land and language, the people having returned from exile. (Ezekiel 36-37)
  • The people of Israel will return to the land of Israel. (Isaiah 43:5-6, 44:24-27, 66:7-9)
  • Israel will be temporarily blinded after rejecting God’s salvation in Christ, and He is preached to the Gentiles. (Romans 11:25)

“The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.” ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock. Like a flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ {Ezekiel 36:34-38}

The world:

  • Three world empires will have fallen for good (Assyrian, Persian, Greek), and one (Rome) has temporarily fallen, which will rise again but with less strength. (Daniel 2:31-43)
  • Evil and catastrophes will increase. (Matthew 24:5-12)
  • It will be a time of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24b)
  • People will be suppressing the truth, denying God, and worshiping the creation rather than the Creator. (Romans 1:18-25, 28)
  • They will not have a love of the truth. (2 Thessalonians 2:10b)
  • Ungodly behavior and thinking will increase. (2 Timothy 3:1-7, 13)

“…they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” {2 Thessalonians 2:10b}

The church:

  • The Gospel of salvation by faith will be preached to the Gentiles after being preached to the Jews. (Acts 13:44-48) (also about Israel)
  • The Jews will reject Christ, and the Gospel will be preached to the Gentiles. (Romans 9:25-26, 10:14-20)
  • Those in Christ will be waiting for Christ’s appearing. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-10)
  • The church will exist in the last days. (1 Peter 4:7)
  • There will be an increase of false prophets. (Matthew 24:11)
  • Many antichrists will come, denying that Jesus is the Christ. (1 John 2:18, 22-26)
  • Mockers will come, causing divisions. (Jude 17-19)
  • Those in Christ will be reading the prophecy and keeping it. (Revelation 1:3, 22:7)

 “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” … So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.” But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: “I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.” But Isaiah is very bold and says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.” ” {Romans 10:15-20}

Things that need to happen before the last hour strikes (which haven’t happened yet):

  • The Restrainer must be removed (2 Thessalonians 2:3-7)
  • The falling away in the church (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3a)
  • The mystery of lawlessness is nearly finished rising (2 Thessalonians 2:7)

“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed…” {2 Thessalonians 2:1-7}

  • The aggressors in the first war of Gog and Magog will be getting into position (Ezekiel 38:1-12)
  • The plans for Israel’s third temple will be coming together (Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3b-4; Daniel 9:27)
  • Israel will be strong and prosperous (Ezekiel 36:8-11, 38:11-14)
  • The Gospel will have been preached in all the world, and then the rapture will come! (Matthew 24:14)

The last point may be the most important for us all to understand, because it directly affects everyone – everyone can hear the Gospel and everyone has a chance to accept it. The reason the last hour hasn’t struck is because God is not willing that any should perish and He “desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth”!

The prophecies about what the world will look like, and the events that need to happen before the last hour, either have happened or the stage is being set for them to happen. So don’t wait! We’re in the last hour, and now is the time to believe what God says, to be reconciled to Him and have eternal life through Christ as your Savior.

Look at the clock! Why would you wait?

Paul was sure Christ was appearing at any moment to bring His church to heaven – and that was 2,000 years ago, before Rome had fallen, before Israel had been dispersed through the world and then brought back to the land as a nation, before Israel was prosperous and green – and now it’s after all of these things have happened. The end is near, and the stage is nearly set for God’s judgment. But He’s waiting. His appointed time has not yet come because He’s not done saving souls.

Trusting in Christ to forgive your sin and give you His perfect record so you can have eternal life – His death and resurrection – is the only way to have an unshakable hope of life and escape from that judgment.

As I mentioned before, I’ll be tackling these lists of prophecies on their own and more in depth in upcoming posts because there are some exciting specifics to look at! Specifics in the prophecies that correlate to specific historic and current events.

So, until next time (unless the rapture comes first), keep your eye on the clock!

Why talk about this stuff?

Short answer? Because God said it in His word, and it’s getting so close! And I want you to know about it because God wants us to know so we’ll be saved from the wrath to come.

But the heavens and the earth, which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men… The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3

The rather longer answer is: God wouldn’t have told us about any of these things if they weren’t important or if we couldn’t understand them or if they weren’t relevant to the readers of His word.

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Revelation 1

These things which are written are truths we can act on, which affect the our lives in ways that involve choices and actual daily living. What the choices boil down to are choosing death or life – the life that God promises or the death of lies that separate people from God – choices that affect your eternal destiny. The prophecies in the Bible about the end of the world display very vividly what the destinies of every person will look like (whether Israel, Christians or unbelievers). They’re big red arrows with flashing lights, saying “Pay attention! God keeps His promises and that’s going to affect you!”

Knowing what God’s promises are – the ones He’s already fulfilled and the one’s He’s going to fulfill – gives a person hope unlike anything in this world. I mean, is there anything throughout all of history that we’ve been able to count on 100%? Other than God, there has been no person who could be counted on to do everything they’ve promised to do, even if they gave it their all, because, well, there’s always human weakness. Too many things can get in the way: health, other people, weather, accidents… But when God says something will happen, it will happen.

God tells us about the future in His word because He wants us to know these things and to live our lives knowing they are as good as done. Knowing that He’s coming back, that He will judge the world in perfect judgment, that He’s keeping His promise to restore Israel, that He will reign as King and restore His creation, and all of the promises bound up in those things, gives us hope of a better world to come when the one we’re in is crumbling around us, and gives us a purpose to share that hope with others (and the simple but profound reality that we do have a purpose).

If you already have your faith in Christ, then this purpose and this hope combine to create a sense of urgency and anticipation – they give us our motivation in this life.

Life seems unbearable sometimes, but it will be over and it all had a purpose, because Jesus Christ is real and He keeps His promises. He is coming! And it’s looking like we will be the generation that will see Him in the air…

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

– 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

The absolute hope I have gives me comfort and such joy, and yet weighs on me because so many people don’t have it. So I’m sharing it with you, and I pray that the Spirit of God would bring His truth to shine brilliantly clear for you, as well!

That’s me done, for now!

A Parenthesis about Anna

Just so you know, I’m not claiming the title of teacher or expert – I’m simply a Bible student.

I’ve been taught how to study God’s word by some meticulous, devoted pastors and teachers who love the Lord and His word. Their delight in discovering the truth contained in it has been infectious! And they taught me that God can be understood in His written word.

And it has been my delight to understand Him through those words!

This site is an outlet for that delight to spill over and give all who read it the same hope, purpose, and assurance that it’s given me – that He’s given me. That’s my prayer.

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Revelation 1:3

Why Generation 23:00?

What is Generation 23:00 all about? To be blunt, what is the point?

To give an equally blunt answer, because the Bible says we’re in the last hour.

Hence:

  • Generation = this generation alive now
  • 23:00 = the last hour before the next day comes

Little children, it is the last hour…

1 John 2:18

But the “last hour” before what?

To be very general, that would be what the Bible describes as “The Day of the Lord.” This day of the Lord is both a literal day and a series of events leading up to and surrounding that literal “Day.”

The literal Day is when Jesus Christ comes back to earth, stands on the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem, and sits on the throne of David to reign as the King of kings during the Millennium.

I’ll try to give you a very rushed and un-detailed overview of the events of this last hour – please keep in mind that I’m not 100% sure of the exact order, except for the Rapture at the beginning and Christ’s second coming at the end:

  • It begins with the Rapture of the church to Christ in the clouds where He takes us to heaven.
  • Then there is the battle of Gog (and Magog) with Israel, when God defeats the invading army.
  • Then The Antichrist will arise and bring peace to the earth, beginning the last “week” (aka 7 years) of Daniel, a.k.a. the Tribulation. He confirms a covenant with Israel and they are allowed to build another temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It seems Israel will also see him as their promised Messiah – until he stands in the temple and commands Israel to worship him as God.
  • Then the “great Tribulation” begins, when Israel flees to the desert for 3 1/2 years while the Antichrist persecutes them as they’ve never been persecuted before.
  • While much of this is happening, God will be pouring out His judgments (all of which are found in Revelation) on an unrepentant rebellious world.
  • At last Christ will come and rescue Israel and throw Satan, the Antichrist and the false prophet into the lake of fire, and begins His reign of perfect righteousness!

So, that is when the next hour strikes – but how do we know we’re in the “last hour” now? What are these last few “minutes” we’re seeing tick by?

Well…

That’s what Generation 23:00 is all about! I’m going to look at the Bible and the prophecies in it, and at the events going on the world that are setting the stage for these events of The Day.

Here are a few of the “ticks” in brief that are happening as we speak:

  • The glaring, lights-flashing, in-your-face event is the existence of the country of Israel! There are SO MANY prophecies that are being fulfilled right now in Israel – it’s almost ridiculous… and definitely exciting!
  • Others include the absence of America in Bible prophecy, alliances in the Middle East, the pandemic of error sweeping through the church, the centrality of Europe and the Roman Empire, the world coming together to eventually form a one-world economy, government and religion, and more things along those lines.

All of these things tie into Bible prophecy as pieces that must fall into place before The Day approaches and the clock strikes midnight.

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