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Dear
Mr. Wilson:
I am
53 years old and I wonder if Jesus will return
during my lifetime. I am a Presbyterian and one
of our ministers recently held a class on the
book of Revelation and his take was the end of
days was nowhere in sight. I was wondering for
quite sometime, are there any specific signs from
God indicating that the end is near so that we
may be spiritually prepared? The world has an
endless supply of economic, political,
geophysical and ethic troubles-everywhere we turn
there is perplexity. I know that “troubles”
do not necessarily mean the end is near, for
troubles never end. So, what hints about the end
of days does God offer?
Thank
you, Jane
Dear
Jane:
Thank
you for your e-mail. You have asked a great
question and the answer is “Yes!” God
has put two types of hints in the Bible indicting
that we are living near the end of days. Before I
describe these hints, I would like to offer two
comments. First, many people look at the
newspaper rather than the Bible to determine
where we are in God’s great plan of
salvation. History says that civilizations come
and go, and we know that world wars come and go.
Today, there is no end to bad news. The economy
of the world has fallen, but look back at the
pandemic of influenza in 1918. More than 15
million people died in one year! Fearful events
do not necessary mean the end of days is near.
Second, some well-intentioned pastors may tell
parishioners the end is nowhere in sight and
other pastors may claim they have received a
vision from God that such and such is going to
happen soon. These predictions should not be
trusted because we cannot verify the contents of
a vision and we cannot ignore the fact that Jesus
has promised to return. So, where should we turn
for answers? The answer is simple, but the topic
is complex. God’s Word reveals God’s
plans. Bible prophecy tells us where we are in
God’s plans, and even though you may not
fully appreciate all that I am about to say, I
hope that my response will encourage you to start
digging into God’s Word for yourself because
there is compelling evidence in the Bible that
shows we are living near the end of days. God’s
Word offers two classes of hints.
There
are “long scale” and “short scale”
hints. Long scale hints are prophecies that cover
centuries of time. They show a steady progression
of time toward the return of Jesus. Short scale
hints narrow the time frame down to a few years.
Before I present some of these hints, you need to
understand a few facts about apocalyptic
prophecy. There are five types of prophecy in the
Bible and apocalyptic prophecy is the only type
of prophecy that is based on chronology. Each
apocalyptic prophecy has a beginning point and an
ending point in time and the events within each
apocalyptic prophecy occur in the order given.
Apocalyptic prophecy allows us to determine our
chronological position within God’s plan for
our redemption. Second, you need to understand
that there are seventeen apocalyptic prophecies
in the books of Daniel and Revelation and when
they properly aligned, they produce an amazing
matrix-showing a consistent fulfillment of
prophecy over the passage of time. As we study
this matrix, we can see what has been
fulfilled and when it was fulfilled, and
we can also see what remains to be
fulfilled and when it will be fulfilled! I
have mentioned these two features about
apocalyptic prophecy because a person can read
the books of Daniel and Revelation a hundred
times and miss the hints that God has put there
if he does not understand the orderly nature of
apocalyptic prophecy.
Long Scale Hints
1.
Daniel 2 contains a long scale hint. The sweeping
vision in Daniel 2 began in 605 B.C. and it ends
with the Second Coming. To show chronological
progression, God foretold the rise and fall of
several empires and world history affirms the
rise and fall of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia,
Rome, and the break up of the Roman Empire in
A.D. 476. Since A.D. 476, we have been living in
a period represented by the feet of the metal
man. About nine months before Jesus returns, a
new period will begin represented by the ten
toes. (Daniel 2:42) The ten toes represent ten
kings who will attempt to destroy Jesus when He
returns. (Revelation 17:12-14) The fulfillment of
this long scale prophecy has been underway for
twenty-five centuries. We are living between A.D.
476 and the appearing of the ten kings, but what
we really want to know is how much more time is
left!
2.
Daniel 7 also contains long scale hint. Daniel 7
parallels Daniel 2 in many ways, but it adds a
very important detail. Daniel 7 predicted that a
religious power would rise out of the fourth
empire and this power would persecute the saints
for 1,260 years. This prophecy has been
fulfilled! The Roman Catholic Church came to
power during the Roman Empire and the Church
persecuted its adversaries until 1798. The French
Revolution broke the power of the papacy. The
pope was taken prisoner and he died in exile.
Daniel 7 indicates the papacy will regain power
again and speak “boastful words”
against the Most High. Daniel 7 is another
prophecy that contains a long scale hint about
the return of Jesus. We are living between 1798
and a time when the papacy will regain its power
over the nations and speak boastfully. The
fulfillment of this prophecy has been underway
for twenty-five centuries. In these first two
prophecies, we have progressed from 605 B.C. to
1798, but what we really want to know is how much
more time is left?
3.
Daniel 8 contains another long scale hint. Daniel
8 contains the longest prophecy in the Bible.
This prophecy spans 2,300 years. It began in 457
B.C. and ended in 1844. This prophecy primarily
concerns the appearing of Lucifer at the
appointed time of the end. (Daniel 8:19) It
indicates that two things must first happen
before Jesus returns. First, Heaven’s temple
must be cleansed. The cleansing of Heaven’s
temple is a Hebrew phrase that describes the
judgment bar of Christ. In other words, Jesus
will go through the books of record and determine
the eternal destiny of each dead person before He
returns. This procedure began in 1844 when the
2,300 years ended. Second, before Jesus returns,
Lucifer, the devil, will be allowed to physically
appear on Earth. The devil is the destroyer, the
horn power in Daniel 8 who will come out of the
north. He will come with 200 million angels and
blinding glory, and he will deceive billions of
people. Once he has gained enough followers, he
will abruptly change character and become the
stern-faced king, the cruel dictator described in
Daniel 8:23. Claiming to be Almighty God and
having miracle working powers to back up his
deception, he will rule over the whole world for
a short time. (Revelation 13:11-18) So, Daniel 8
contains a long scale hint. This prophecy tells
us we are living between 1844 and the time
Lucifer will appear. We clearly see chronological
progression toward the Second Coming in Daniel 2,
Daniel 7 and Daniel 8, but what we really want to
know is how much time is left?
Short Scale Hints
1.
Revelation 7 contains a short scale hint if you
understand the prerequisites. Since I have
provided a comprehensive explanation on these
topics in other places, I will just summarize how
this hint works. I believe that God’s
patience with Earth ended when the Jubilee
Calendar expired on April 9, 1994. This calendar
began with the Exodus in 1437 B.C. and it lasted
for seven Great Days (each Great Day is 490 years
in length). The end of the Jubilee Calendar marks
the end of God’s forbearance with mankind.
When God’s patience expired, He gave the
seven angels who stand before Him seven trumpets
(Revelation 8:2). The seven trumpets are seven redemptive
judgments that contain the wrath of God. The
first four angels went out from God’s throne
to begin their horrific destruction in 1994, but
they were told to wait! Before God’s wrath
begins, He will select and empower 144,000 people
as prophets. These prophets will speak for God
during the Great Tribulation. Of course, we know
the Great Tribulation has not begun because
one-third of Earth has not been burned up (the
first trumpet judgment). So, we are living
between 1994 and the global earthquake
(revelation 8:5) that will mark the commencement
of the Great Tribulation.
2.
Revelation 12 and 13 also contain a short scale
hint if you understand the prerequisites. Again,
I have provided a comprehensive explanation about
this prophecy in other places, so a summary
should suffice. Basically, Revelation 12:7-17
retraces the 1,260 years of persecution described
in Daniel 7. The devil, working through the Roman
Catholic Church, “chased God’s saints
into the wilderness.” As 1798 drew near,
Earth helped the woman (God’s people) by
providing a place where people were free to
worship God according to the dictates of
conscience. The United States was established in
1776, just twenty-two years before the papacy was
wounded, and this nation “helped” the
woman by providing a government with a wall of
separation between church and state. When the
devil saw that his 1,260 years were up and that
he had not been able to destroy the woman in the
desert, he turned his attention to his final
assault. He is going to persecute those who keep
the commandments of God and hold to the testimony
of Jesus during the Great Tribulation. (The
144,000 will speak the testimony of Jesus during
the Great tribulation.)
When
the appointed time of the end arrives, the
first four trumpets will commence. Revelation 13
indicates that Babylon will form and the women
will be persecuted for 42 months. The short scale
hint in this prophecy says that when Babylon
forms, the deadly wound given to the papacy in
1798 will be healed. In other words, a time is
coming when the Roman Catholic Church will lead
the world in a unified effort to appease God so
that His wrath will cease. Look around-since
1929, the papacy has regained much of the respect
and influence that it lost during the French
Revolution. When Pope John Paul II died in 2005,
more than two billion people saw his funeral on
TV (the highest number of people to watch a
single event). At the present time, 170 nations
have ambassadors assigned to the Vatican. In
2008, President George W. Bush held a lavish
birthday party for Pope Benedict. These things
indicate that the deadly wound inflicted on the
papacy in 1798 is almost healed.
These
hints indicate that we are living between 1994
and the global earthquake that marks the
commencement of the Great Tribulation.
(Revelation 8:5) The devil is prepared for his
final assault on the woman, the deadly wound
inflicted on the papacy is almost healed, and
economic and political perplexities are driving
the whole world to the brink of ruin.
Merging Long Scale and
Short Scale Hints
Long
scale and short scale hints work together. The
Bible, in its entirety, only speaks of 7,000
years. In other words, if we add up the
genealogical records given in the Old Testament,
if we chart out the historical records given in
the Bible, if we add in the prophetic time
periods given in the books of Daniel and
Revelation, the sum of every event found in the
Bible totals approximately 7,000 years! Since we
know that Jesus will return to earth at the
beginning of the one thousand years mentioned in
Revelation 20, a little Bible research reveals
that we could be within seven years of the 6,000th
year! According to my calculations, the year of
the second coming could be 2015. Of course, I
could be wrong. It could be sooner or later. I do
not know the day and hour, but this does not stop
me from searching, watching, and praying! I do
know that the Great Tribulation will be 1,335
days in length, so subtracting three years and
eight months from 2015; I find that 2011 could
be the year the Great Tribulation begins.
Will God’s wrath be released in 2011? Time
will tell. I do agree with Billy Graham. He once
said that if God does not do something about the
evil that permeates this nation and the world
soon, that He will owe Sodom and Gomorrah an
apology. I also know that it is very easy to get
distracted with the cares of life. Remember the
ten virgins? They went out to meet the
bridegroom, but they went to sleep! Jesus warned
His disciples, “Therefore keep watch,
because you do not know on what day your Lord
will come. But understand this: If the owner of
the house had known at what time of the night the
thief was coming, he would have kept watch and
would not have let the house be broken into. So
you must be ready, because the Son of Man will
come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
(Matthew 24:42-44)
Summary
Daniel
2 chronologically places us between A.D. 476 and
the ten kings who will war against Jesus when He
returns. The chronology within Daniel 7 places us
between 1798 and the healing of the deadly wound
which the papacy received in 1798. Daniel 8
narrows the window of time and places us between
1844 and the physical appearing of the devil,
which is during the appointed time of the
end. Revelation 7 narrows the timing even
further. This prophecy places us between 1994 and
the first four trumpets. Revelation 12 and 13
places us between 1798 and the formation of
Babylon. Moreover, the Bible, as a whole,
indicates that Jesus will return at the end of
6,000 years of sin. According to my calculations,
these hints place us between 1994 and 2015 (and
this is 2009). Of course, my calculations may not
be perfect, but there is an abundance of evidence
building that we are very close. For example,
when I consider the burden of seven billion
people impose on Earth’s resources, when I
see the idolatry, unbridled greed, and sexual
immorality that contaminates every nation, when I
consider the misery index rising in every nation,
I cannot think of a better time for the appearing
of Jesus than now!
So
Jane, the answer to your question is “Yes!”
I believe you are young enough to see Jesus come
provided you survive the 1,335 days of the Great
Tribulation.
I hope
this helps!
Larry
Wilson
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