We’re in the season of return

##My background

I was raised in a Christian home and taught everything I thought there was to know about God, Jesus and Christianity. I attended Church every Sunday with my parents, went to youth groups, Bible camps and so on. But until recently, that knowledge was just sitting in an empty void in my mind. I was practically told “this is what you are to believe and act like”. But recently I’ve wanted more. I’ve had a yearning to search for the truth on my own. So I’ve been doing just that. I’ve been reading, watching, listening and praying for “proof” that God exists and that the only way to not suffer in a burning pit for eternity when you die is to have faith in and love His son Jesus. I’ve been blessed in that I feel God has shown me “proof” through sparking my interest in the end times (and some other ways too). Now I realize finding proof that a physically unseen being exists is impossible because we can’t see Him face to face. However, through his handprints on this earth, miracles he’s performed and prophecies he declared and proven, I believe. Without a shadow of a doubt I have a renewed peace that God is indeed alive and ever present in this world and in my life.

So with my realization of the existence of God, I turned to the words He and his Son wrote through apostles thousands of years ago. The topic that’s sticking out to me so intensely is that of the end times. The rapture. The tribulation. The millennial reign. I’ve heard these topics preached about for years, but they literally went in one ear and out the other. Never did I even stop to think that the rapture could happen in my lifetime. I was too arrogant and just tuned out to think that. But after reading some books, Bible verses and talking to some pretty spiritually mature individuals (my father, father-in-law, pastor and more) my eyes have been opened to the fact that the end of this world as we know it could be right around the corner.

I just wrapped up The Final Generation by Mike Evans and I strongly encourage others to read it if they’re curious about the next steps on the prophetic timeline. Evans believes the next major event to occur on the prophetic timeline that was set forth by the words of the Lord will be the Battle of Gog and Magog. He touches deeply on what the Bible says will happen as we near the end of the world as we know it, and puts forth some very strong facts about the happenings of the world right now and how they relate to the prophecies of the end times. After reading his book and conversing with others who have a passion for Christ, I’m becoming more and more intrigued by the events that are taking place right now throughout the world. From my research and rather short studies of the Bible and scholars, I’ve put together a list of 10 circumstances and prophesies that point to the second coming of Christ.

Why I believe we’re in the season of the return of Christ

1. Israel became a nation in 1948

Many Biblical scholars believe that the re-establishment of Israel in 1948 fulfills Jesus’ prophecy of the fig tree, as He told about in Matthew 24:32-35:

³² Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ³³Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. ³⁴I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ³⁵Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

I interpret this verse in that the generation that saw the rebirth of Israel in 1948 will not die until Jesus returns. However, there had to have been at least 3 or 4 generations alive to witness the “blooming of the fig tree” 64 years ago, from infant to elderly. Does this mean that the youngest generation that witnessed the rebirth of Israel will not pass away until Jesus returns? I think so. Which means that generation is in their sixties now. The average life span of humans is 78 years and the Bible speaks of a generation as lasting 70 years. So, if the rebirth of Israel was in fact the fulfillment of the blooming of the fig tree as Jesus foretold, then we’re less than 20 years away from the return of Christ! I’m no theologian, scientist or mathematician, but how can you deny that IF the rebirth of Israel was truly the blossoming of the fig tree?

We could be completely wrong associating the re-establishment of Israel with Jesus’ fig tree analogy, but with everything else going on in the world, namely in Israel, this is compelling stuff. However, I’m not going to be too dogmatic on this because there are other ways of interpreting Jesus’ fig tree analogy. Maybe Israel’s re-establishment was the planting of that fig tree. However you interpret, we’re in the season of return!

2. Iran is plotting a nuclear attack on Israel

Israel is not liked by many of its surrounding countries. One of, if not the most, hatred country towards Israel is Iran. They want Israel blown off the face of the earth. And they’re plotting to do so. They have been for a while now. If/when this happens and Iran attacks Israel, God will not let it be so. He will protect His nation of Israel by supernatural acts of power and leave Iran (or whatever other country that initiates a devastating attack on Israel) left in astonishment.

Could this attack on Israel be the Battle of Gog and Magog that described in Ezekiel 38?

¹⁸This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁹In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. ²⁰The fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground. ²¹I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. ²²I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. ²³And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord

Scholars believe that the Battle of Gog and Magog will be a coalition effort between Russia, Persia (pre-1935 Iran), Islamic states and northern Africa. It sure seems fitting that Iran will attack Israel with nuclear forces in the near future, with the support of Russia.

3. Technology is growing at exponential rates

Intel co-founder Gordon Moore coined a term called “Moore’s Law” in 1965. The term referred to the number of transistors being able to double in number every 2 years when placed on a circuit board. The term is still around today and we are still seeing technology double approximately every 18-24 months, give or take.

Technology has now connected the world. The moment I publish this post, millions if not billions of people will have the capability to read it within seconds. And to think that technology is only going to grow more advanced is mind-blowing. I honestly think if technology keeps growing at the rapid rate it has for the last 40-50 years that computers and man-made machines will overpower the knowledge of human beings. There will be a point where humans can no longer think on the same level as the machines they created. Futurist Ray Kurzweil created a movie called “Transcendent Man” where he explains his stance on technological singularity. Technological singularity evangelists predict that technological intelligence will reach a point of “greater-than-human-intelligence”, where an unaided human mind cannot control the intelligence of machines.

I can’t possibly imagine God letting the world reach a point where His beautifully created human beings are overpowered by technological intelligence. I do believe the rapture and second coming of Christ will occur before technology reaches that point. Which, as I stated above, could be very soon considering the rate of technological advancements and the basis behind Moore’s Law.

4. The spirit of antichrist is more present than ever

The Christian faith has slowly been pushed away in the American and world cultures to the point that it’s often unacceptable to pray to Jesus in public meetings or gatherings. The world is being secularized like it’s never been before. Television networks, advertising campaigns and radio shows are displaying such un-Christlike material that a huge percentage of people just accept the garbage. How many times have you heard the saying “this is the 21st century”? Like it’s okay to deliberately sin just because it’s accepted by society. That’s the spirit of antichrist. It’s man following his own will and desires rather than God’s. It’s satan tugging on your shirt tail to go along with society rather than believe the Truth.

What this means in regards to being in the season of Jesus’ return is simple: the world is ready to embrace the false teachings and world peace that the leader of the spirit of antichrist (referred to as “the antichrist”) will offer. If the spirit of antichrist wasn’t so prominently present like it is today and so widely accepted, then we wouldn’t be ready for a ruler to come in and lead on the basis of these things, with no regard towards moral obligations or behavior. This ruler is part of God’s plan in fulfilling His prophecies of the end times. Without “the antichrist” or the spirit of antichrist, Jesus won’t return.

5. There are wars and rumors of wars

⁶You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All these are the beginning of birth pains. ⁹“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.

Did you know that 7 of the 10 world’s largest earthquakes (since seismic recordings originated about 110 years ago) have occurred in the last 7 years? And in the past 11 years we’ve experienced the following: (taken from Mike Evans’ The Final Generation)

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• September 11, 2001 attacks and the War on Terrorism
• The financial meltdown of 2008 that has only worsened worldwide
• Natural disasters: earthquakes in Indonesia, Haiti, Japan, and elsewhere; Hurricane Katrina in the USA
• Grass-roots revolutions and civil wars sweeping the Middle East and North Africa
• Global Islamic threats against Israel and those aligned with her

The earth is rumbling and wreaking havoc more and more frequently and more and more devastatingly. Could these be the “birth pains” spoken about in Romans 8:22? Just like a woman in labor whose contractions frequent and worsen, the earth is having contractions right now that are frequenting and worsening. It’s yet another sign!

Other reasons I believe

• We are becoming naive indulgent consumers
• Pragmatic solutions to life are sought after more than spiritual closeness to God
• The rise of the internet and social media
• We are in the Church Age

What does this mean?

Does this mean we should stock up on canned foods and head for the hills to await the return of Christ? No! This should be an exciting time for all Christians and should motivate you like nothing else to get out there and proclaim the Good News of Jesus to non-believers. Nobody but God Himself knows when He will send His Son to rapture the church. It could be 5 years, 10 years, 30 years or even centuries. However, the things I pointed out above lead me to believe that the rapture will be sooner than we think. But again that shouldn’t mean that we consume ourselves worrying about the end of the world and lose sight of our greater purpose, which is to glorify God.

Regardless of current world events, I am still going to live my life for the glory of God and do my best to touch anyone I can with the Truth of the Bible and the way to Heaven. I want to be greeted in Heaven by the Lord with “Well done, my good and faithful servant”, which most likely won’t happen if I live my life worried about the suffering to come (if there’s a post-trib rapture) and not focused on furthering His kingdom.

Conclusion

I’m not aiming for this to be an “oh he’s one of those crazies” type of posts. As many of my blog posts in this “The Big Picture” category will be, I’m just putting my thoughts and beliefs out there. These are the things that I believe and I encourage others to share what they believe. I always like hearing the other side(s) to further back my beliefs, so by all means chime in and leave your comments below!