We are to watch and pray for the Lord’s return. We will help you do so by keeping our eyes on the signs of the times and reporting them to you. Jesus chastised the Pharisees for not knowing the signs of the times in His day. So He wants to us know the signs today, for they instill in us hope for the future and encourage us to evangelize the lost while there is still time.
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live” (Revelation 13:12-14).
I have at other times written about the history of the Catholic Church, mainly the Roman Catholic Church, but with current developments and the election of a surprise candidate called Pope Francis, I feel I need to readdress this “religion” once again based on these new developments. In my last previous article about the last pope, I marveled at how this man just doesn’t seem to fit the preconceived notions floating in my head and those spoken about of. But new developments and details have been brought to light, and we need to look at this man a little closer.
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for not recognizing the signs of His first coming. The religious leaders of His day had full knowledge of the prophecies of the Messiah, yet these religious leaders ignored the signs and still rejected Him. Being a meteorologist, forecasting the weather and discerning the signs of the times go hand in hand for me. Unlike the religious leaders of the first century, I refuse to ignore the signs of the Lord's return!
What are the signs of the Lord's return? How do these signs show us that the Lord's return is soon? Jesus refers to these signs as "birth pangs." In the "Olivet Discourse" study, I discuss in detail what "birth pangs" are. Here are the "birth pangs" Jesus told us to watch for:
Few Biblical studies are as exciting as an examination of the Jews in prophecy, for the Jews are one of the key focal points of Bible prophecy.
The Scriptures reveal the Jews as "the apple of God's eye" (Zechariah 2:8). Their land is described as "holy" (Zechariah 2:12). Their city of Jerusalem is termed the "center of the nations" (Ezekiel 5:5). They are pictured as the wayward wife of God (see Ezekiel 16 and the book of Hosea). And the Bible makes it clear that they will be the object of both God's wrath (Jeremiah 30:7) and His grace (Zechariah 13:1) in the end times.
Are you ready for TEOTWAWKI?
That’s an acronym for The End Of The World As We Know It. Pronounced “Tee-ought-walk-ee,” it refers to some catastrophe (natural or man made, such as global war or some other doomsday scenario) that causes the total collapse of the world system. That phrase at the end sticks in the mind.
“As we know it.”
The study of Bible Prophecy has taken me through every single book of the Bible, and from cover to cover, I see the unfolding of God’s plan for the human race.
The Old Testament prophetically points forward to a coming Redeemer, and this being only one of MANY places in the Old Testament. How do I know this? On the road to Emmaus, the risen Jesus chastised the disciples for not understanding the scriptures: