Are We on the Verge of the Tribulation?

After two years of global turmoil, people are starting to realize we aren’t going to “return to normal.” We’ve endured a global pandemic, widespread social unrest, vaccine passports, and compounding global supply chain issues. Now, we have a major war in Eastern Europe, fuel and food price inflation, and rumors of an impending global financial crisis.

Everywhere you look, it seems as though the end is near. Is it? What does the Bible say? How close are the end times, the Tribulation, and the rapture of the church?

Fortunately, we don’t have to guess. Jesus Himself told us how to recognize the general timeframe of His return. When the disciples said, “Tell us the signs of your coming and the end of the age” (Matthew 24:3), Jesus told them a number of things to look for. He then said, “When you see all these things, you can know my return is near. I’m right at the door” (Matthew 24:33). He also said, “When all these things begin to happen, look up for your salvation is near!” (Luke 21:28).

This means the #1 indication Jesus will return soon is all the signs appearing together. Both Jesus and the prophets told us what those signs are, and the appearance of just one is reason enough to take notice. But the arrival of one sign after another demands your attention. It’s the sign Jesus said to look for. This convergence of signs is confirmation our generation will witness the Second Coming – not according to me, but according to Jesus.

So, what are these signs? This article will only cite a few. These signs are undeniable, and their convergence should convince you the return of the Lord is close at hand. They include:

Israel Back in the Land – God promised to bring the Jewish people back into the land of Israel before He returned (Jeremiah 23:7-8). He said He would call them from “among the nations” (Ezekiel 39:28), from “the farthest corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:12), and from “north, south, east, and west” (Psalm 107:3). He promised to welcome them home from the lands where they were scattered (Ezekiel 20:34). When they did, He promised to return and establish His everlasting kingdom (Isaiah 11:11-12).

The Jewish People in Control of Jerusalem – Jesus said armies would surround Jerusalem, destroy the city, and enslave its citizens. The Roman legions fulfilled this prophecy in A.D. 70. Jesus then said people other than the Jewish people will control Jerusalem for a time, until the Jewish people once again control Jerusalem. When they did, Jesus promised to return (Luke 21:24-28). Since 1967, the Jewish people have controlled Jerusalem.

The Gospel Preached Throughout the World – When asked about the end of the age and the signs of His coming, Jesus said to look for a very specific sign. He said the Gospel will be preached throughout the entire world. Every nation will hear it. And then? And then, the end will come (Matthew 24:14). For centuries after the crucifixion, the Gospel was confined to a small area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. In the past two centuries, Christians have brought the Gospel to every nation in the world. Today, missionaries are in every nation. The Bible is translated into hundreds of languages, and the message of Jesus is sent around the world by radio, TV, satellite, and the Internet. For the first time in history, this generation is on the verge of spreading the Gospel to every last person on earth.

An Increase in Travel and Knowledge – Six hundred years before Jesus, an angel gave Daniel a special message. He said “travel and knowledge” will increase in the end times (Daniel 12:4). For centuries of human history, dramatic gains in travel and knowledge did NOT take place. Yet the last two hundred years have seen explosions in the speed and frequency of travel as well as the amount and availability of knowledge.

Arrival of the Exponential Curve – Jesus said a variety of global signs will come before His return and the end of the age. These signs will be spiritual, natural, societal, and political in nature. He said they will appear in a distinct way – “like birth pains” (Matthew 24:3‐8). This means the frequency and intensity of these signs will increase as we near His return. Our generation has seen the exponential increase in war and famine Jesus said to look for. In the 20th Century alone, more people died from war and famine than lived on the earth when Jesus spoke these words.

Israel Surrounded by Enemies – The Bible says enemies will surround Israel in the end times. Those enemies will say, “Come, let us wipe away the nation of Israel. Let’s destroy the memory of its existence” (Psalm 83:4) and “Let us take for ourselves these pasturelands of God” (Psalm 83:12). Ezekiel said Israel’s neighbors will say, “God has given their land to us” (Ezekiel 11:14‐17), and “Israel and Judah are ours. We will take possession of them. What do we care if their God is there?” (Ezekiel 35:10). Ever since the rebirth of Israel in 1948, the daily headlines have included these Bible verses. Israel’s Muslim neighbors claim the land of Israel for themselves, and they have no regard for the God of Israel.

Israel’s Exceedingly Great Army – Ezekiel said, in the end times, Israel will field “an exceedingly great army” (Ezekiel 37:10). Zechariah said Israel will be like a fire among sheaves of grain, burning up the neighboring nations (Zechariah 12:6), and even the weakest Israeli soldier will be like David (Zechariah 12:8). Since 1948, Israel has fought no less than four conventional wars against its neighbors. Despite being outnumbered more than 50 to 1, Israel has achieved overwhelming victory every time.

Rise of the Gog of Magog Alliance – The Bible says a military alliance that includes Russia, Iran, Turkey, and a number of Muslim nations will attack Israel “in the latter days” (Ezekiel 38:8) when God brings His people home from among the enemy nations (Ezekiel 39:27). Today, we see those very nations coming together for the first time – an alliance that has never existed in world history.

Rise of a United Europe – The Bible says a revived Roman Empire will come to power in the end times (Daniel 2, Daniel 7, Revelation 17). According to Daniel, it will be a ten-nation alliance of weak and strong nations. Some parts will be as strong as iron, while other parts will be as weak as clay (Daniel 2:42). We see the beginning of this alliance in the European Union – a coalition of weak and strong nations struggling to stay together.

The Rise of Global Government – The Bible says a single government will rule the world politically (Revelation 13:7), religiously (Revelation 13:8), and economically (Revelation 13:16‐17) in the last days. It will rule over “all people, tribes, and languages” on the face of the earth (Revelation 13:7). Its authority will be so complete that no one will be able to buy or sell anything without its permission (Revelation 13:16‐17). For centuries, a true global government was impossible. Today, world leaders openly discuss it.

Denial of the Signs – Almost two thousand years ago, Peter issued a warning. He said in the last days people will mock the idea of Jesus returning. They will make fun of those who believe in the Second Coming and say exactly what we hear today – things like, “I thought Jesus was coming back? What happened to His promise? Generation after generation has said He’s coming. Yet, since the beginning of the world, everything has remained the same!” (2 Peter 3:3‐4).

Keep in mind, these signs haven’t always been present. Generations of Christians lived and died without witnessing any of these signs. For centuries of Christian history, none of these signs were present. Today, they all are. Jesus said when you see these signs, you can know His return is near. He’s right at the door (Matthew 24:33). In fact, Jesus said the generation witnessing these signs will not pass away before He returns (Matthew 24:34). So despite the skeptics and naysayers, Jesus is coming, and ours is the generation that will witness His return. The convergence of all these signs confirms it.

For many years now, we’ve seen the convergence of the signs Jesus and the prophets said to look for. Now, in 2022, we see a specific alignment of events that could lead to the outbreak of the Tribulation at any moment. These specific events are identical in nature to the events the Bible says will occur during the Tribulation. Whether or not these events are merely a preview of the events to come, or the actual events the Bible describes for the Tribulation, remains to be seen. However, keep in mind these events will roll out in the midst of the very season when Jesus said He would return.

So, what are these possible Tribulation events in the making? Here are just a few:

Central Bank Digital Currencies – Over the past couple of years, central banks have openly discussed the introduction of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). The central banks wield power over some of the largest economies in the world – the United Kingdom, Canada, China, the European Union, and the United States. Despite these public discussions, conventional wisdom says the rollout of CBDCs remains years in the future. The conventional wisdom is wrong. China has already released a digital yuan and recently released digital yuan wallets for both Android and iOS smartphones.

In March, President Biden signed an Executive Order titled “Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets.” The order requires federal agencies to submit to the President within 180 days:

“a technical evaluation of the technological infrastructure, capacity, and expertise that would be necessary at relevant agencies to facilitate and support the introduction of a CBDC system should one be proposed. The evaluation should specifically address the technical risks of the various designs, including with respect to emerging and future technological developments, such as quantum computing.”

By September 2022, this technical evaluation will be complete. Then, have no doubt about it – once the next crisis hits, the U.S. will roll out its own CBDC to replace the dollar.

Why does this matter? CBDCs will be centralized, government-controlled programmable currency. This means if the government decides it doesn’t like you for whatever reason (think Canadian truckers), they can cut off your access. In other words, you won’t be able to buy or sell. Sound familiar? The Bible says the Antichrist will implement this same system. Those who refuse the mark of the beast will be unable to buy or sell (Revelation 13:17). We’re now on the verge of a global rollout of a technology identical in ability to the mark of the beast technology the Bible says will dominate the world during the Tribulation.

World War III – The Bible says there will be a World War III (Revelation 6:4), and we’re much closer to it today than when 2022 started and probably the closest we’ve been since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Every day seems to bring a new escalation between NATO and its allies and Russia over the latter’s invasion of Ukraine. NATO has sanctioned Russia, is providing arms to the Ukrainian resistance, and many of its members have called for direct intervention in Ukraine. Even if NATO avoids a direct military conflict, all it takes is for Russia to make one mistake that leads to a deadly strike in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, or Romania (all NATO members bordering Ukraine), and all of NATO will be obligated to respond.

A full-blown war between Russia and NATO means World War III and the likely use of nuclear weapons. In 2019, the U.S. ran a war game to simulate what would happen in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. The result was nuclear war with over a billion people dead. It’s a stark reminder that, at any moment, the war in Ukraine could escalate into World War III.

Hyperinflation – In 2022, inflation has become a serious problem for almost every major economy in the world. The March 2022 headline inflation number for the U.S. was 8.5% – the highest since 1981. For the EuroZone, it came in at 7.5%. In Germany, wholesale prices rose 22.6% year-over-year. EU natural gas prices increased six-fold. Global oil prices rose 67%, wheat prices doubled, and corn prices went up 50%. Fuel and food riots have erupted in Peru, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. And unrest is brewing in countless other countries as well.

Could we be on the brink of hyperinflation? Maybe. Maybe not. But the Bible says the whole world will one day experience hyperinflation. When that happens, an entire day’s wages will only buy enough food to barely survive (Revelation 6:6).

Global Famine – As we entered 2022, the world already faced a major food crisis, both in terms of supply and price. Since then, the situation has only gotten worse. The Russian invasion of Ukraine cut off Russian and Ukrainian exports via the Black Sea. Together, they account for 12% of all global calories consumed. The sanctions against Russia have compounded ongoing supply chain issues, and many countries have banned agricultural exports. Add in poor harvests, rampant fertilizer shortages, and an avian flu plague destroying millions of chickens and turkeys, and it becomes clear we’re heading toward the worst food crisis in modern times.

In fact, it’s worse than that. Famine is coming on a mass scale. We simply aren’t going to grow enough food in 2022. The result will be a biblical famine. The only question is whether it will be one of the famines Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24:7 or the Tribulation famine of Revelation 6:5-8.

If the world stage is now set for the Tribulation, how close must the rapture be?

The Bible says the rapture will take place before the Tribulation. Jesus promised His church, “I will keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth” (Revelation 3:10). If you’re reading this and you’re a Christian, your time on this earth is short. Your race (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) is nearing its end, so make sure to finish well. Live a holy, godly life as you look forward to the day of His coming (2 Peter 3:11-12). Take advantage of every opportunity to spread the Gospel. Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded (Matthew 28:19-20).

The day will come when you will lose the opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. So do it now while you still can. Jesus is coming soon.

“He?... Sounds like a Tatey trick.”

You’d think, but no. This time it was Grover Chester Rover Sylvester.

Tatums has spent the last 3 or 4 days getting in trouble every 5 minutes. He’s very, very, very curious and seems to not mind paying the penalty for bad behavior. Which penalty is me threatening to get a flyswatter out but which I never manage to do. 😁

Yea, verily.

9 “Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations because of my name.”
— Matthew 24:9 NET

Two CRUCIAL elements here:
First, and obvious, it’s not a rose garden being promised, here.

Second, “You will be hated...because of my name” is a clear indication that, though Jesus was speaking to Jewish Disciples, the objects of this hatred would be all who would eventually believe in him; all who claim the name of Jesus, not just Jewish believers.

It’s probably also worth noting this:
Unbelieving Jews refuse to have anything to do with Jesus, but there’s no way to construe Jesus to mean that they will be hated because they reject Jesus’ name, because the Disciples to whom he was speaking would not have understood him to mean that by “You will be hated...” It would be as if Jesus told his Disciples, “They will hate you because you reject my name,” which would be utterly insensible in context, so it’s clearly not what Jesus meant.

You noted: "“You will be hated...because of my name” is a clear indication that, though Jesus was speaking to Jewish Disciples, the objects of this hatred would be all who would eventually believe in him; all who claim the name of Jesus, not just Jewish believers."

Have you considered that the period Jesus is speaking of to these Jewish followers is for the belief in His name due to the evangelism by the 144000 Jewish virgin men evangelizing on the soon coming Kingdom of Jesus following the end of the age, evangelizing during the tribulation?

“Have you considered that the period Jesus is speaking of to these Jewish followers is for the belief in His name due to the evangelism by the 144000 ...?”

I don’t see anything in this text that explains that specifically. Read plainly in its context Jesus makes no mention of future Jewish evangelists during the tribulation in any of the three synoptic gospel accounts of this dialog. Matthew and Mark quote Jesus telling the Disciples that the gospel will be preached throughout the whole inhabited Earth and then the end will come. So, clearly, somebody’s preaching all the way to the last, but Jesus doesn’t take time here to elaborate about who.

The GOSPEL of the Kingdom will be preached by the 144000 and the Angel, then the end will come. Prior to the Rapture the GOSPEL of the Grace of God in Christ is preached, resulting in folks getting born again by their faith alone in Christ alone according to the Gospel men like Paul preached..

Perhaps it would help to get a perspective on this whole raft of issues if we address what/who the Restrainer is.

The following video, especially beginning at 12:45, addresses by the ECF the functioning of the Holy Spirit int he Believers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjVlThwQCKc

Perhaps it would help to get a perspective on this whole raft of issues if we address what/who the Restrainer is.

The following video, especially beginning at 12:45, addresses by the ECF the functioning of the Holy Spirit int he Believers:

Well, you refuse to acknowledge what ALL the ECF’s, who commented on it, believed about the Restrainer of the Antichrist. They said Pagan Rome, and NOT the Holy Spirit.
You certainly can’t say they were SDA or in some cult, now can you? Why do you avoid their testimony like the plague? Is it because it directly contradicts your position? Is that the reason EVERY SINGLE ONE of your teachers and prophets avoids the ECF position? If the ECF’s all said it was the Holy Spirit, you’d be slamming that home every chance you had, now wouldn’t you? (but that’s not what they said.)

Additionally, why do ALL of your teachers and prophets ALSO avoid the position of the REFORMERS on the identity of the Antichrist? It was literally the Reformer position for nearly 1000 years (pre, then current, post) that the AC was the Papacy. Not a single word from Ken, Andy, or any of the others who sell their books on Prophecy Watchers. One would think that BIBLICAL RESEARCHERS would certainly know. But, NOT A SINGLE WORD IS EVER WHISPERED FROM THEIR QUIVERING LIPS. Why is that?

I’ll check that out.

A couple of connected thoughts:
The Holy Spirit is INDEPENDENT of, though INTERDEPENDENT with, The Church; he can go, be, and do whether we’re around, or not. He is The Spirit Who was moving over the face of the waters in Genesis, when Adam was still an idea. So, in the context of Him being The Restrainer, it may be making too much of his indwelling The Church to insist that the presence or absence of The Church determines whether or not he’s continuing to function in that role. I think we have to consider that he is free to drop that Restraining function anytime he gets the green light from The Father.

The other recurrent thought is Paul’s thundering exhortation against any other gospel.

8 But even if we (or an angel from heaven) should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be condemned to Hell!
9 As we have said before, and now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be condemned to Hell!
— Gal. 1:8 & 9 NET

That is a hard stop. It’s emphatic, unstinting — there’s no getting around it, and there’s no “there” beyond it. There is ONE gospel. It stands alone. It stands eternal.

So, in the context of the 144,000, whatever the architecture of their message among the Jews; it will — at it’s core — be the good news of Messiah crucified, dead and buried, and raised to life, again on the third day. The difference, as I understand it from the Prophets is that THIS time, their ears will be unstopped, and their eyes will be opened, and they will hear with their ears, and they will see with their eyes, and they will turn and be healed.

True.

“Kingdom” is a dominant word in Matthew’s account; he uses it more than 50 times. Mark records simply, “First the gospel must be preached to all nations.” (Mark 13:10)

My point, there, is that Matthew and Mark both record the same affirmation by the same Jesus about the same (and only) gospel; that “the gospel of the kingdom” and “the gospel of Christ” are one and the same; it is Christ’s kingdom, and only through repentance and faith in Christ may any enter.

“I was seeing the ‘will never leave you’ aspect as why the Lord removes the born agains since they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, forever...”

That’s a good promise to keep in focus.

My thinking on the Holy Spirit’s role as The Restrainer is more something he’s doing actively; not passively, so he can cease or continue to do it no matter where we are.

When I say “passively,” I mean something like him fulfilling the role just by his Presence being around on Earth as he’s indwelling The Church. Versus “actively” being an intentional work he is doing in addition to, and separate from, his function as the indwelling Advocate in The Church.

The former case seems to limit his ability; if his mere Presence on Earth fulfills his role as The Restrainer, then he can’t step out of that role without getting us outta here, and keeping his promise to never leave us, then, becomes a passive duty, as if he’s been saddled with us, and can’t go do anything without us. [No dinner-and-a-movie nights out unless he’s dragging all the kids along.]

The latter case does not impose that limitation; he is free to continue serving as The Restrainer, or not, independent of the whereabouts of The Church, and keeping his promise to never leave us becomes an active work that he does out of sheer love for us.

I guess you can tell which gets my vote. LOL!

Well,The Holy Spirit is still bringing folks to Heaven after the Rapture, so only His Presence IN the Body of Christ Believers ends at the end of the age of grace.

The Holy Spirit was 'upon' men of old but during the Age of Grace He is IN the born again spirits of the members of the Body of Christ. After He ushers us to Heaven He is still working on the Earth but not abiding IN any folks that were not Raptured away. He will, I believe, resume His work as He did it with the Patriarchs before The Christ came.

Your false teachers and prophets...

Francisco Ribera (Jesuit)
Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (Jesuit)
Michael Walpole (Jesuit)
Manuel De Lacunza (Jesuit)
Edward Irving
Margaret McDonald (ecstatic utterances)
Samuel Roffey Maitland
James H. Todd
John Henry Newman
John Nelson Darby
Arno C. Gaebelein
Cyrus Ingerson Scofield
Lewis Sperry Chafer

Dallas Theological Seminary is the key place where the Jesuit concepts were taught to thousands of Pastors, including today’s top TV and radio personalities.

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