RAPTURE NOTES
The Signs of His Coming
by Michael G. Mickey
One of the biggest mysteries
in the Bible concerns the timing of Jesus Christ's return to earth. Although
the Bible tells us no one knows the hour nor the day when the Lord will return,
the Bible is filled with many indicators or conditions we can use to assess how
close we may be to the season of His return.
As you are about to
read, many of the conditions spoken of in Bible prophecy which would seem to
indicate Christ's return is coming in the not-too-distant future are clearly
visible in the world today, reminding us He could come at any moment!
The signs are as follows:
1.
The Gospel will be
preached in all the world:
Matthew
24:14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
2.
There will be a mixture
of believers and false believers within the Church body:
Matthew
13:24-30: Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven
is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept,
his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the
blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So
the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow
good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An
enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and
gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up
also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the
time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares,
and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
3.
There will be
scoffers:
The
Bible tells us one of the key signs of the end times will be people doubting
the return of Christ will ever happen.
2nd
Peter 3:3-4: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days
scoffers, walking after 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 the creation.
4.
Humanity will be
able to cross the globe rapidly and science will be advancing:
Daniel
12:4: But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the
time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
5.
Perilous times will
come for mankind:
2nd
Timothy 3:1: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
6.
Mankind will deny
God once flooded the earth:
2nd
Peter 3:5-6: For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God
the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the
water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7.
The earth will be
swimming in a sea of violence:
As
it was in the days of Noah (Luke 17:26), so it shall be at the end. How was the
earth in Noah's time?
Look
no further than Genesis 6:11: The earth also was corrupt before God, and the
earth was filled with violence.
8.
There will be
warfare all over the globe:
Mark
13:8: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
9.
Mankind will have
the capability to destroy all life on the planet:
Unique
to our generation, this prophecy could not have been fulfilled prior to the
invention of weapons of mass destruction such as the nuclear bomb. 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.
10.
Deadly diseases will
be rampant:
Matthew
24:7: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and
there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
11.
Famines will be
common:
Matthew
24:7: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
12.
Earthquakes will be
occurring globally:
Matthew
24:7: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes, in
divers places.
13.
There will be
violent weather:
Luke
21:25- And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars;
and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
14.
Children will be
disobedient and rebellious:
2nd
Timothy 3:2: For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
15.
Christians and Jews
will be hated for their faith in and connection with Christ:
Luke
21:17: And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
16.
Mankind will be in a
state of moral decay:
2nd
Timothy 3:2-5: For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural
affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of
those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than
lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from
such turn away.
17.
Religious cults will
flourish:
2nd
Peter 2:1: But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there
shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies,
even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift
destruction.
18.
There will be
progress made toward a global government:
The
European Union, the revived Roman Empire, is alive today and moving steadily toward
the fulfillment of this prophecy as seen in Daniel 7: 23: "The fourth
beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all
kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break
it in pieces." The Antichrist who will lead this world government (after
the rapture of the Christian Church takes place) will be a leader from the
European Union as seen in Daniel 9:26. He will be of the people who destroyed
the city of Jerusalem and its sanctuary in AD 70, the Romans.
19.
The world will be
desperately seeking peace:
1st
Thessalonians 5:3: For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden
destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they
shall not escape.
20.
Global
means of communication will exist:
We
know this because the book of Revelation teaches us the entire world will see
several events. This is unique to our generation as only recently in mankind's
history have these technologies been present.
Revelation
11:9: And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see
their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead
bodies to be put in graves.
21.
In the last days,
fallen angels will mingle with mankind:
I
know this one is going to be controversial, but there is a scriptural basis for
this, as seen in Luke 17:26: And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be
also in the days of the Son of man.
A
careful examination of what was going on in Noah's day seems to suggest fallen
angels were somehow mingling with mankind.
Genesis
6:4: There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when
the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to
them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
If
so, one of God's motives in destroying mankind at the flood may have been Satan
and his fallen angels, in an attempt to save themselves from His judgment, were
trying to taint the bloodline that would lead to the birth of Christ.
We
find Noah was spared from destruction for three reasons as seen in Genesis 6:9.
They are as follows:
1)
Noah was a just man.
2)
Noah was perfect in his generations (note this reference to his bloodline being
pure).
3)
Noah walked with God.
There
is potentially more to the numerous UFO sightings and alien abduction stories
in the news today than we have ever imagined!
22.
Israel will exist as
a nation in the latter days:
Read
Ezekiel 37:1-14 to see this prophecy, which was fulfilled in 1948.
23.
Israel's birth as a
nation will have happened in one day:
Fulfilled
on May 14, 1948 as seen in Isaiah 66:8: "Who hath heard such a thing? who
hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or
shall a nation be born at once?"
24.
Israel
will be in possession of Jerusalem (has been since 1967):
This
happened as a result of the Six-Day War in 1967. The capture of Jerusalem was
critical from a prophetic standpoint as the Antichrist will someday enter a
rebuilt Holy Temple that will be standing in Jerusalem at the midpoint of the
Tribulation Period where he will declare himself to be God. This event,
referred to by most as the abomination of desolation, is documented in Daniel
9:27 and Matthew 24:15.
25.
Israel will be
surrounded on every side by enemies:
Psalms
83:4: They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that
the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
26.
The possession of
Jerusalem will be the source of international conflict:
Is
this happening today or what? It's a HUGE sign to us! Zechariah 12:3: And in
that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that
burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the
earth be gathered together against it.
27.
Christians will be
lukewarm in their faith:
In
Christ's address to the seven churches, He says in Revelation 3:15: I know thy
works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
28.
Many will claim to
be Christ:
Matthew
24:5: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive
many.
29.
False Christs and
false prophets will be very effective in the art of deception:
Matthew
24:24: For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew
great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive
the very elect.
30.
There will be signs
in the heavens:
Luke
21:25: And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars;
and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves
roaring;
31.
Sexual immorality
will abound:
Jude
1:18: How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who
should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
32.
Idolatry will be
common:
Revelation
9:20: And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet
repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils,
and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which
neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
33.
Many Christians and
church doctrines will depart from the faith:
1st
Timothy 4:1: Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some
shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of
devils;
34.
Mankind's state of
rebellion will be so great, the coming of Christ will catch them completely
off-guard:
Luke
21:35: For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the
whole earth.
35.
Homosexuality will
be flaunted:
Leviticus
20:13: "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of
them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their
blood shall be upon them."
This
is also spoken of in Luke 17:28- 30: "Likewise also as it was in the days
of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they
builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and
brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day
when the Son of man is revealed."
Although
homosexuality is an abomination in the eyes of God, all sin is! I bring up this
point because many Christians treat homosexuality as if it is the most
unforgivable sin of all. Jesus Christ forgives all sins and we, His followers,
should be reaching out to these people with love in our hearts that they might
be saved! Homosexuality is not an unpardonable sin any more than any other sin
is!
36.
Many will rejoice in
their unrighteousness:
2nd
Thessalonians 2: 12: "That they all might be damned who believed not the
truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
These
people, according to 2nd Thessalonians 2:11, will be subject to believing the
lie the Antichrist will present to the world in the aftermath of the Rapture of
the Church, leading many of them to eternal damnation. God will allow them to
be deceived, it seems, as a reward for their bold defiance of Him. What a
frightening thought!
37.
Many will begin to
understand Bible prophecy and will start warning the world the return of Jesus
Christ is near:
Acts
2:17-18: And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out
of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And
on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my
Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
38.
Aliyah will be
taking place:
What
is Aliyah? Aliyah is the Hebrew word used to describe the physical return of
the Jewish people, the children of Israel, to their ancient Promised Land,
Zion, from abroad.
In
Scripture, God promised He would bring the Jews (descendants of Abraham) back
to their Promised Land from all the nations of the world where He had scattered
them! It is happening even as you read these words.
Ezekiel
36:24: For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all
countries, and will bring you into your own land.
39. There
will be signs Earth's environment is in trouble:
Romans 8:21-23: Because the creature itself also shall be
delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together
until now. And not only [they], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits
of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the
adoption, [to wit], the redemption of our body.
40. Technology
will exist capable of tracking the world's population and their finances:
Revelation 13:16-17: And he causeth all, both small and
great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or
in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the
mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
41. The capability will exist for an army of 200 million soldiers to be formed:
In Revelation 9:16, John sees a specific number of
soldiers/"horsemen" preparing for or entering into war: And the number of
the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the
number of them.
Estimates of the total human population of Earth during
Christ's day typically vary between 100 to 400 million people. In 2004, the CIA
determined China has an estimated 208,143,352 in its population alone fit for military
service.
42. Drug
use will be rampant:
Revelation 9:21: Neither repented they of their murders,
nor of their sorceries,
nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
The original Greek for the word 'sorceries' is pharmakeia
{far-mak-i'-ah}. It means the use or the administering of drugs OR sorcery, magical arts, often found
in connection with idolatry and fostered by it.
43. Evil
men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2nd
Timothy 3:13)
One doesn't have to think too hard to realize this
prophecy is being dramatically fulfilled in our times. Upon reading this, close
your eyes for a moment and think of how many people you know (or have heard of
from reputable sources) who seem to be evil to the core! Similarly, think of
how many people you know who have fallen victim to frauds and scams perpetrated
by seducers (deceivers/imposters). The world today seems full of both with no
letup in sight.
Have you seen any of these signs in the world today?
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