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50 Reasons Why We Are Living In The End Times: Part 1
Lamb and Lion Ministries Blog ^ | 13 JULY 2009 | Dr. David R. Reagan

Posted on 07/25/2009 2:40:04 AM PDT by Quix

The Bible says we cannot know the time of the Lord's return (Matthew 25:13). But the Scriptures make it equally clear that we can know the season of the Lord's return (1 Thessalonians 5:2-6):

"You yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night... But you brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night or darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober."

This passage asserts that Jesus is coming like "a thief in the night." But then it proceeds to make it clear that this will be true only for the pagan world and not for believers. His return should be no surprise to those who know Him and His Word, for they have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to give them understanding of the nature of the times.

Furthermore, the Scriptures give us signs to watch for — signs that will signal that Jesus is ready to return. The writer of the Hebrew letter referred to these signs when he proclaimed that believers should encourage one another when they see the day of judgment drawing near (Hebrews 10:25-27). Jesus also referred to the end time signs in His Olivet Discourse, given during the last week of His life (Matthew 24 and Luke 21). Speaking of a whole series of signs which He had given to His disciples, He said, "When you see all these things, recognize that He [the Son of Man — that is, Jesus] is near, right at the door" (Matthew 24:33).


A Personal Experience

Every time I think of "Signs of the Times," I am reminded of a great man of God named Elbert Peak. I had the privilege of participating with him in a Bible prophecy conference held in Orlando, Florida in the early 1990's. Mr. Peak was about 80 years old at the time.

He had been assigned the topic, "The Signs of the Times." He began his presentation by observing, "Sixty years ago when I first started preaching, you had to scratch around like a chicken to find one sign of the Lord's soon return."

He paused for a moment, and then added, "But today there are so many signs I'm no longer looking for them. Instead, I'm listening for a sound — the sound of a trumpet!"


The First Sign

One hundred years ago in 1907 there was not one single, tangible, measurable sign that indicated we were living in the season of the Lord's return. The first to appear was the Balfour Declaration which was issued by the British government on November 2, 1917.

This Declaration was prompted by the fact that during World War I the Turks sided with the Germans. Thus, when Germany lost the war, so did the Turks, and the victorious Allies decided to divide up both the German and Turkish empires.

The Turkish territories, called the Ottoman Empire, contained the ancient homeland of the Jewish people — an area the Romans had named Palestine after the last Jewish revolt in 132-135 AD.

In 1917 Palestine included all of modern day Israel and Jordan. In the scheme the Allies concocted for dividing up the German and Turkish territories, Britain was allotted Palestine, and this is what prompted the Balfour Declaration. In that document, Lord Balfour, the British Foreign Secretary, declared that it was the intention of the British government to establish in Palestine "a national home for the Jewish people."

The leading Evangelical in England at the time was F. B. Meyer. He immediately recognized the prophetic significance of the Declaration, for he was well aware that the Scriptures prophesy that the Jewish people will be regathered to their homeland in unbelief right before the return of the Messiah (Isaiah 11:11-12).

Meyer sent out a letter to the Evangelical leaders of England asking them to gather in London in December to discuss the prophetic implications of the Balfour Declaration. In that letter, he stated, "The signs of the times point toward the close of the time of the Gentiles... and the return of Jesus can be expected any moment."

Before Meyer's meeting could be convened, another momentous event occurred. On December 11, 1917 General Edmund Allenby liberated the city of Jerusalem from 400 years of Turkish rule.

There is no doubt that these events in 1917 marked the beginning of the end times because they led to the worldwide regathering of the Jewish people to their homeland and the reestablishment of their state.


Since 1917

Since the time of the Balfour Declaration, we have witnessed throughout the 20th Century the appearance of sign after sign pointing to the Lord's soon return. There are so many of these signs today, in fact, that one would have to be either biblically illiterate or spiritually blind not to realize that we are living on borrowed time.

I have personally been searching the Bible for years in an effort to identify all the signs, and it has not been an easy task to get a hold on them. That's because there are so many of them, both in the Old and New Testaments.

I have found that the best way to deal with them is to put them in categories, and in doing that, I have come up with six categories of end time signs. We will explore these catetories beginning in Part 2 of this series.


TOPICS: Apologetics; Charismatic Christian; Current Events; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: dispensation; endtimes; era; hallindsey; prophecy
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To: MarkBsnr
***Do mean by this that God is actually three separate and distinct people and that the Holy Spirit is not God, but a subordinate person to Jesus?

They are in different places at the same time...The scripture is clear on this...God does not quit being God and turn into Jesus...Jesus does not quit being Jesus and turn into the Holy Spirit...

They are three...But they are one...God didn't ask you to grasp it...He just points out what it is...

1,301 posted on 10/22/2009 5:03:05 PM PDT by Iscool (I don't understand all that I know...)
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To: wagglebee

I know of no nestorians, or non-trinitarians, or any others here on FR. I never heard of them until I came ON Free Republic.


1,302 posted on 10/22/2009 5:03:46 PM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!)
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To: Marysecretary; Petronski
Oh,I think most sensible people on these threads know I’m not hitting on you,

Perhaps, but it's still creepy.

1,303 posted on 10/22/2009 5:04:18 PM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: Quix

Thank you. I believe that’s the one.


1,304 posted on 10/22/2009 5:04:30 PM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!)
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To: Iscool

Thanks, Iscool.


1,305 posted on 10/22/2009 5:05:51 PM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!)
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To: Marysecretary; Iscool

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2316615/posts?page=27#27

Do you deny that Mary is the Theotokos? Because THAT goes to the heart of Nestorianism.


1,306 posted on 10/22/2009 5:06:01 PM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: MarkBsnr

God in three persons, blessed trinity....


1,307 posted on 10/22/2009 5:06:13 PM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!)
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To: Iscool

***They are in different places at the same time...The scripture is clear on this...God does not quit being God and turn into Jesus...Jesus does not quit being Jesus and turn into the Holy Spirit...***

Okay. This is not Christian and was declared heresy 1500 years ago. I must congratulate you on being honest, at least. Now that we are clear, we have a better basis to debate.


1,308 posted on 10/22/2009 5:13:47 PM PDT by MarkBsnr ( I would not believe in the Gospel if the authority of the Catholic Church did not move me to do so.)
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To: Marysecretary; Iscool

***I know of no nestorians, or non-trinitarians, or any others here on FR. I never heard of them until I came ON Free Republic.***

Our pal Iscool self describes as Nestorian. He also is not truly trinitarian, describing somewhat of being a modalist.


1,309 posted on 10/22/2009 5:15:45 PM PDT by MarkBsnr ( I would not believe in the Gospel if the authority of the Catholic Church did not move me to do so.)
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To: Marysecretary

***God in three persons, blessed trinity....***

This is a rather poor translation into English. Try the Greek instead. God is not a person, nor is he three persons, as we understand persons.


1,310 posted on 10/22/2009 5:17:17 PM PDT by MarkBsnr ( I would not believe in the Gospel if the authority of the Catholic Church did not move me to do so.)
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To: wagglebee

At least he is being honest, which sets him apart from the majority of the anti Catholics.


1,311 posted on 10/22/2009 5:18:29 PM PDT by MarkBsnr ( I would not believe in the Gospel if the authority of the Catholic Church did not move me to do so.)
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To: MarkBsnr

You mean you don’t know, Mark??? LOL.


1,312 posted on 10/22/2009 5:42:33 PM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!)
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To: Iscool

Exactly. He IS three persons but He is God. It’s a mystery.


1,313 posted on 10/22/2009 5:43:19 PM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!)
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To: MarkBsnr

I’ve never even heard of oneness pentecostals. Nobody around here belongs to anything like that. We believe in the Trinity, naturally.


1,314 posted on 10/22/2009 5:44:45 PM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!)
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To: wagglebee

Creepy? To say ‘yes dear’ is creepy? LOL.


1,315 posted on 10/22/2009 5:46:12 PM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!)
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To: Iscool

MUCH APPRECIATED.

My illness hampered brain was not coming up with it.


1,316 posted on 10/22/2009 5:46:14 PM PDT by Quix (POL Ldrs quotes fm1900 2 presnt: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2130557/posts?page=81#81)
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To: MarkBsnr

Haven’t you ever heard that hymn? That’s what I was quoting.


1,317 posted on 10/22/2009 5:47:21 PM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!)
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To: Marysecretary
Oh,I think most sensible people on these threads know I’m not hitting on you...

The constant use of "dear" when you know it's unacceptable, the oohs and ahhs, the trembling or quivering or whatever....

You're embarrassing yourself.

1,318 posted on 10/22/2009 5:47:58 PM PDT by Petronski (In Germany they came first for the Communists, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist...)
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To: Petronski

No, I think it’s the other way around.


1,319 posted on 10/22/2009 5:49:00 PM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!)
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To: MarkBsnr

That’s your opinion. Do you know his heart? I think not.


1,320 posted on 10/22/2009 5:49:46 PM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!)
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