Despite what the naysayers may claim, we are living in biblically prophetic times. Indisputable and irrefutable evidence is before our eyes if one cares to see it. Specific prophecies about the end times that were written over 2,000 years ago have now come to pass and/or are coming to pass in our historical lifetime. And we are the only historical generation in the entirety of human history to see these exacting prophecies being fulfilled. There are four distinct prophecies to which I am referring. Consider each of them with me.
After almost two thousand years of dispersion throughout the world, the nation of Israel has finally been reestablished. Never before in the entirety of history has a nation been destroyed and the remnants of that nation scattered around the world. The nation of Israel lost their government, military, economic and trade systems, language distinctions, cultural distinctions and their sovereign borders. The amazing thing about this occurrence is that the Bible prophesied that this particular dispersion would happen long before the fall did happen. And furthermore, the Bible prophesied that Israel would return to the land to become a mighty nation again in the last days. In 1948, the world saw this prophecy come to pass. We are the only historical generation in well over 2,000 years to see this amazing endtime prophecy unfold. Now we watch stories about Israel and the world’s hatred for her every day.
Secondly, in relation to this prophecy, there are also prophecies in the Old Testament clearly outlining an alignment of certain nations that would ally themselves together for the expressed purpose of attacking the restored last-days Israel. These prophecies, over 2500 years old, predicted that these nations would be enraged at Israel and would seek her total annihilation in the last days. Who are these biblically mentioned nations? Their modern names are Iran, Iraq, Russia, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya, parts of Sudan and Saudi Arabia. Does any of this sound familiar? We are the first and the only historical generation to see this prophecy being fulfilled. Egypt has now fallen into the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood, deep and mortal enemies of Israel. Libya will be next. We are living the prophecies. They are happening before our very eyes.
Thirdly, Daniel chapters 9 through 12 hold some interesting keys to the understanding of the timing of the Lord’s return. In about 550 BC, Daniel prophesied the time of the Messiah’s first and second coming. And it has been demonstrated time and time again how Daniel’s prophecy was accurately and pinpoint fulfilled at Jesus’ first coming. The angel Gabriel who gave Daniel the information about the Messiah’s second coming said that the understanding of the timing of the second coming was sealed until the time of the end. In other words, it could not be understood until this special period of history in which we are living. But in addition to other clues, Gabriel gave two conditions that would prevail at the time of the end. Travel and knowledge or information would be vastly increased, according to Daniel’s prophecy. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for “running to and fro” literally means “to travel great distances”. The Hebrew word for “knowledge” means not only knowledge but “information and the clever dissemination of that knowledge”. The Hebrew word for “increase” literally means “an abundant, surprising increase or addition”. So a more modern rendition of this prophecy could then be stated something like this: In the very last days, man’s ability to travel and traverse the earth will explode with technology. Information systems and information dispersion increase like the world has never known.
Out of the 10,000 years of human existence, for 9,900 of those years, man has walked, ridden beasts or built carts and wagons pulled by beasts. Only in the last 100 years or so did man go from animal travel to mechanical and mass transportation systems. Only in the last 60 years or so has man traveled into space. Practically everyone on the globe now has access to world travel for the first time in human history and only in our lifetime. But that is only the first half of the prophecy.
Education and knowledge have also exploded in the 20th century. From the time of Christ until 1900, it is estimated that man’s knowledge has doubled. In just the next 50 years from 1900 to the late 1940s, it reportedly doubled again. Then man’s knowledge began an extremely rapid doubling, first every 7 years, then every 2 years beginning in the 1960s. It appears that the late 1940s or the early 1950s marked the time in history when knowledge and education and information vastly increased and literally began exploding. This explosion of knowledge just happens to correspond exactly to the rebirth of Israel in 1948.
The fourth amazing endtime prophecy that we are now living is from the mouth of Jesus himself. “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations and then the end will come.” (Matt 24:14) When Jesus spoke these words, the gospel was not yet completed. He had not yet gone to the cross. There was no empty tomb, the Holy Spirit had not been given, the church had not been born, the whole world had not been discovered yet, and the technology to take the gospel to the world had not been invented. But he spoke the words as an endtime prophecy and now it is happening. Again we are the only generation that has ever lived that is witnessing the gospel being preached to the entire world by information technologies invented only in the last 20 years. Now is the time of the end according to Jesus himself.
What I’m going to say next is very important. When the Bible speaks of the time of the end, it is speaking of man’s time of wicked corruption and deceitful ruling and reigning being over or ended. And it is speaking of the beginning of the time of Jesus’ reign of righteousness and holiness, perfection and a restored paradise. So for the born-again believer, the soon-coming time of the end or the last days of man’s wicked rule is something that we should look forward to, something we should pray for, something that should encourage us. If you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we implore you to call upon him today for salvation.