My words to you today are the beginning of a series of articles that I will publish in the coming months. I've been silent for most of the past year while I took care of some unfinished personal business. With God's help, I completed the work and am now free to serve the Lord with more of the time He has granted me.
During my mini-sabbatical, I listened to a local pastor who gave a provocative sermon on Second Peter and the coming of the Day of the Lord. He pointed out that the Apostle Peter, an eyewitness to the ministry of Jesus Christ, implored us not to forget the prophecies proclaimed in the past.
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them, I'm stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. II Peter 3:1-3.
After reminding us of the words of Peter, the pastor “switched gears” and warned us not to get hung up on the details of the Coming of the Lord. Instead, he urged us to focus on being a “welcoming committee” and not a “planning committee.” In other words, don’t get fixated on the study of the Books of Daniel and Revelation and the details of the Final Days and, instead, focus on being Christ-Centered and just be ready for when he comes.
Is that a sound suggestion? Contrast his advice with how Jesus Christ handled questions from his disciples on the topic of the end times.
Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no one deceives you.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and will deceive many.
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
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 24:3-8
Jesus could have said, “It is not for you to know the details, just be ready for my return. That's all you need to know.”
With the preceding said, how much focus should we put on the prophets and their predictions of the last days? And should we be looking for the fulfillment of their prophecies and prepare accordingly?
I submit that while we should focus on being a joyous and capable welcoming committee for Jesus Christ upon his return, we must remain brave and vigilant. We must interpret current events with an accurate Biblical worldview and act accordingly, lest we be caught unaware, unprepared, and even potentially deceived into believing falsehoods. If we are confused and disheartened, we cannot be an effective source of reassurance, clarity, and truth to those who don’t follow the Lord but are desperate for answers.
Jesus Christ was honest and specific in His answers, and we must follow his lead in addressing questions in our time.
Are we entering the end times? In my opinion, without question, we are well along the path. Consider the words written nearly two thousand years ago:
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through him whom he made the universe. Hebrews 1:1-2
Some Recent Signs of the Coming End Times:
The Book of Revelation is God’s warning to us about the events that are to come in the final days, months, and years. God gave us a glimpse into the future as an act of love. Many are confused and frightened by it, but it is not difficult to grasp if we study it with patience.
Portions of scripture lay out the events of the final days of earth in symbolic language. While many of the actions described will take place sometime in the future, we can find evidence of preparatory acts that align exactly with what is foretold in Revelation.
One example is as follows:
Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.
“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. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” Revelation 17: 9-14 (emphasis added).
Sound like a lot of symbolic jargon that's impossible to understand? At first blush – yes. But nestled in the verses is a crucial prediction underway at this moment. The ten kings mentioned are ten rulers of yet unidentified kingdoms that will spring up in the last days and support the anti-Christ for a time. The United States is never mentioned. Some believe as I do that one of the ten kingdoms will absorb the United States, and the "kings" of each kingdom will give their authority to the anti-Christ during the 7-year tribulation.
Have we seen any evidence of preparation for the creation of ten kingdoms?
Circa 1970, the Club of Rome produced a map of the world that divided it into “ten world economic regions.” Region one is comprised of the United States, Canada, and points north, including Greenland.
What is the Club of Rome? It's a globalist think tank founded in 1968 by Italian industrialist Aurelio Peccei and Alexander King, a Scottish scientist. Some claim the group was initially housed on David Rockefeller's estate in Bellagio, Italy. According to the group's website, the club is composed of "scientists, businessmen, economists, international high civil servants, heads of state and former heads of state from all five continents.” Some of the club's membership belongs to the Bilderberg Group and the Committee of 300, also globalist groups comprised of extremely wealthy elitists. Researchers describe The Committee of 300 as a secret society founded by the British aristocracy in 1727.
In the book, The First Global Revolution, A Report by the Council of the Club of Rome, the group called for the limit to growth approach to solve the world's problems. According to researchers, the book states, “In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming, water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill. All these dangers are caused by human intervention, and thus, the real enemy, then, is humanity himself.”
The Club of Rome produced a graphic displaying the ten regions. For our purposes, the mere creation of the document and its exact reflection of the prophesied creation of ten kingdoms should get our attention.
Likewise, a document posted on the UN’s website in 2009 describes a “global democracy program” through a convening group of ten persons in ten regions of the world to “explore how the rule by and for the people can be understood and practiced in relation to global issues.” Ten regions – just a coincidence? I don’t think so.
A More Recent Sign:
In November 2021, The United Nations placed a giant artistic statue known as the "guardian for international peace and security" in front of the UN's Visitors Plaza outside of the UN's New York Headquarters. According to the UN, the government of Oaxaca, Mexico, donated the “guardian” - a fusion of jaguar and eagle.
The piece of "artwork" was removed on December 20, 2021.
Almost immediately upon the guardian’s arrival, critics noted that the statue appeared to be the likeness of the "beast" the Prophet Daniel wrote about in the Old Testament and the Apostle John wrote about in the Book of Revelation.
Daniel chapter 7:2-4 describes the beast with the body of a lion and wings of an eagle:
Daniel spake and said, "I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked…." (emphasis added)
The Apostle John described a beast with similar features in the New Testament passage in Revelation 13:2.
"And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority." (emphasis added)
Another Bible verse that's educed by the UN statute’s title of “guardian for international peace and security" is contained in the warning spelled out in 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3:
"For you know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, 'Peace and safety!' then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape." (emphasis added)
As readers of my books know, I do not believe in coincidences. We are being told plainly that the end times are approaching, and those who serve the evil one are duty-bound to announce their intentions. So, with the handwriting on the wall, so to speak, how do we keep our sanity and carry on as loyal followers of Jesus Christ?
Develop the Proper Mindset
We are in the midst of a spiritual battle. The prince of the air and his minions have declared war on us – descendants of God's direct creation –, and he wants us physically and spiritually dead. To accomplish his battle plan, he and his hordes attack us through his willing servants in government, private industry, and the media. Simply sitting back in fear or complete passivity is not an option.
Some will tell you that God is in control, so just wait for him to act.
Yes, God is sovereign, but we are responsible for being God's ambassadors among our friends, neighbors, and family. We must always be ready to speak the truth based on wisdom and knowledge. We don't know the details of God's plan, but we know the outcome so that we can fill in a few blanks after careful study. We have a responsibility to remain firm in spirit and mindful that all of the misery we are witnessing in the world is an inevitable phase before Jesus Christ returns.
Develop or Strengthen Your Biblical Worldview
You don’t need to be a Bible scholar engrossed in the scriptures every waking minute, but you do need to be aware of some of the signs of coming of the end times so that you can orient your thinking and be a source of reliable information for others. The preceding examples are just a taste of what is happening in the world around us that can be considered signs. So I urge you to research and think. Start by seeking out commentaries on the Book of Revelation and related scripture.
Become Vigilant – Be Ready To Answer Others
You don't need to keep a shotgun by the front door and be ready to charge when a preparatory event occurs (at least not yet), but you need to be mindful of what constitutes a potential sign. Therefore, I suggest that to be faithful and fruitful followers of Jesus Christ, we should consciously strive to be aware of the implications of world events by focusing on what is happening in the present moment, how it is being accomplished, and why it is occurring.
Analyze and Use Discernment
Secondly, I urge you to constantly remind yourself as you watch your favorite corporate news sources and online pundits that almost all secular journalists and commentators exclude God and His sovereign might from all reports, stories, and commentaries. Thus, they lack perspective and paint a deceptively false and hostile picture in most cases.
Also, I urge you not to be distracted by the political or ideological affiliation of a particular person or group but rather by their pronouncements and actions. Satan uses democrats, republicans, liberals, conservatives, socialists, and capitalists. The evil one is an equal opportunity destroyer. No one is potentially beyond his grasp, and I believe current world events demonstrate that he is having some great successes, albeit temporary.
We know that God will reign through Jesus Christ in the coming world, and all of us who follow and obey Him will be saved from whatever calamities befall the current world. Maybe not immediately, but ultimately.
Our Role in These End Days: Resist Evil
God blessed us with the gift of free will and the corresponding freedoms of life, liberty, and the pursuit of Godly pleasures. We should never relinquish them to anyone. Never let others control your right to speak, assemble, move about freely or make personal decisions about your health or finances without your consent.
God is our moral compass, not man and his rules and regulations.
We must assert our freedom to preserve our ability to speak the truth. We may be entering the last days when our liberties and our very physical lives may be in peril, but Jesus Christ will come again, and he will prevail. We must stand in God's strength and serve until the end. Always speak the truth, and always love others as God loves us. And most importantly, pray for God’s intervention in our world.
Fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.
Proverbs 29:25
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