Rapture and End Times

The biblical definition of the “End Times” is not what is commonly believed. The Jews were waiting for the Kingdom to come with Messiah. The Messianic age was termed ‘the last days, the End Time’ by the prophets. So after Christ came, the Apostles declared that the coming of the Kingdom and the King had taken place. They were declaring that the ‘last days or End Times’ had begun:

Little children, it is the last time, and as you have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now there are many Antichrists: whereby we know that it is the last time. (1 John 2:18)

Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him. (Hebrews 1:1-2)

The Lord’s first coming, His birth on earth, was the beginning of the end times. The end of the end times includes the Rapture, the Tribulation, and the second coming of Jesus Christ, and will conclude when he casts death into the lake of fire.

Many data points go into the calculation of the timing of the “End of the End Times” and the imminent Rapture of the Church. In this post, we explore 7 End Time factors in the latest news reports:

1. A Middle East peace plan that allows for the Temple to be rebuilt

He will make a firm covenant
with many for one week,
but in the middle of the week
he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering.
And the abomination of desolation
will be on a wing of the temple
until the decreed destruction
is poured out on the desolator. (Daniel 9:27)

One of the key indicators of the end times is the prospect of a Middle East peace plan that would allow for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. As tensions rise and conflicts persist, the world searches for a lasting solution. The realization of such a plan would undoubtedly have profound implications, especially in the context of biblical prophecy, which associates the Temple’s rebuilding with the end times.

US Promises Saudi-Israeli Peace which Netanyahu Is Eager for and Iran Tries to Sabotage JewishPress.com, June 18, 2023

Last Thursday, as soon as his plane had left Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and for the next 40 minutes plus, briefed him on what Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expects to receive in return for diplomatic relations with Israel. Netanyahu then delivered his own demands.

According to the NY Times report on Saturday, the conversation was part of a new effort by the Biden White House to do what no White House has done before: peace between the two strongest pro-Western countries in the Middle East who share a common fear of a nuclear Iran.

In a joint press conference on Thursday in Riyadh, Blinken said: “We fully support Israel’s integration into the Middle East, and from day one, we have been working both to deepen some of the existing agreements and also expand them to other countries. That includes Saudi Arabia.”

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2. Increasing “birth pains”

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth… She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. (Revelation 12:1-2,5)

Another sign of the approaching end times is the escalating environmental challenges we face. From rising sea levels to extreme weather events, the Earth is groaning under the weight of human activity. This concept of “birth pains” resonates with biblical references that liken the Earth’s tribulations to the process of childbirth, indicating that these environmental upheavals may be harbingers of the end times.

‘Off the charts’: Earth’s vital signs are going haywire WFLA News Channel 8 Jun 30, 2023

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — In my 3 decade-long career being a weather forecaster, and now Chief Meteorologist and Climate Specialist, I have never observed so many of Earth’s vital signs blinking red. Meteorologists and climate scientists all around the world are in awe by the simultaneous literal “off the charts” records being broken.

Yes, it’s climate change.

The steady trend of rising temperatures over the last few decades has placed Earth’s baseline climate so high that achieving these extremes – which used to be rare if not unheard of – is now expected when conditions are ripe. And right now they are, with El Niño’s added heat and several other concurrent, varying natural climate patterns.

So, to be more specific, it’s climate change – with other natural patterns piled on top.

With El Niño now in place, we are getting a glimpse of just how far we can force the climate system, with never before observed heights achieved. Many more are on the way for 2023-2024 as El Niño gets stronger and more heat is released from the oceans into the Atmosphere.

From ocean temperatures, to sea ice, to land ice to emissions from wildfire smoke…The bottom line is, with Earth’s overheated climate and an intensifying El Niño, we can expect to see the Earth’s climate system astonish us over and over again into next year.

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3. The invasion of Israel

God, do not keep silent.
Do not be deaf, God; do not be idle.
See how Your enemies make an uproar;
those who hate You have acted arrogantly.
They devise clever schemes against Your people;
they conspire against Your treasured ones.
They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation
so that Israel’s name will no longer be remembered.”
For they have conspired with one mind;
they form an alliance against You—
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,
Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek,
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre.
Even Assyria has joined them;
they lend support to the sons of Lot. (Psalm 83:1-8)

The prophetic invasion of Israel, foretold in various biblical texts, is a significant milestone in the end times narrative. While the specifics of this invasion may be subject to interpretation, the prevailing view suggests that Israel will face an existential threat from a coalition of nations. Recent geopolitical developments have heightened tensions in the region, raising concerns that this prophecy may be drawing closer to fulfillment.

Iran’s claims to have created hypersonic missile alarm Israel Guardian, June 6, 2023

Iran has alarmed Israel by unveiling what it claims is its first domestically made hypersonic missile. It had previously said it would be able to hit Israel within 400 seconds.

The Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, attended the unveiling of the missile, named Fattah, or “conqueror” in Farsi. It is claimed to have a range of 870 miles (1,400km), to be able to travel at up to 15 times the speed of sound and to bypass air defence systems.

Hypersonic missiles can fly at least at Mach 5 – five times the speed of sound – and their speed and claimed manoeuvrability is believed to make them difficult to intercept. Only four other countries claim to have them in their arsenals.

Iran said in November it was on the way to building a hypersonic ballistic missile that could manoeuvre in and out of the atmosphere. “It can bypass the most advanced anti-ballistic missile systems of the US and the Zionist regime, including Israel’s Iron Dome,” Iran’s state TV said.

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4. The rise of the Beast

They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against him?”

A mouth was given to him to speak boasts and blasphemies. He was also given authority to act for 42 months. He began to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme His name and His dwelling—those who dwell in heaven. And he was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. He was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. All those who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered. (Revelation 13:4-8)

The rise of the Beast, a figure often associated with the Antichrist in biblical texts, is a chilling prospect. This individual is said to wield immense political power and deceive the world with his charisma and influence. In a globalized society marked by rapid technological advancements and a hunger for power, the conditions seem ripe for the emergence of such a figure who could potentially lead humanity astray.

With new mandate secured, Turkey’s Erdogan likely to continue engaging with both West and Russia AP, May 29, 2023

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — After securing a strong new mandate in a runoff presidential election, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan could temper some positions that have irritated his NATO allies. But observers predicted that the country’s longtime strongman leader is unlikely to depart from his policy of engaging with both Russia and the West.

A divisive populist and masterful orator who transformed Turkey’s presidency from a largely ceremonial role to a powerful office, Erdogan won in part due to the backing of conservative voters. They remain devoted to him for lifting Islam’s profile in Turkey, which was founded on secular principles, and raising the country’s influence in international politics while charting an independent course.

“Erdogan has successfully maintained a multi-vector foreign policy, which has enabled him to have constructive relations with Russia, China, and countries throughout the Middle East, even if this has been to the detriment of Turkey’s alliances with the West,” said Truesdale.

That has often put Turkey at the center of major international conflicts and debates: helping to negotiate a deal to restart Ukrainian grain exports and avert global food shortages, intervening militarily in Syria’s civil war, engaging in controversial gas exploration in the Mediterranean, hosting millions of Syrians fleeing violence and then often using those refugees as leverage in negotiations with his European neighbors.

In a reflection of his global ambitions, Erdogan declared in his victory speech Sunday that, with the country marking its centennial this year, the world would see a “Turkish century.”

Erdogan is likely to press ahead with recent efforts to normalize relationships with countries of the Middle East after fallouts with several regional powers, including Israel, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

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5. The rise of the False Prophet and the roll-out of the Mark of the Beast

Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:11-18)

As the Beast takes center stage, a complementary character, known as the False Prophet, is also anticipated. This individual will exert religious influence, deceiving people into accepting the Beast’s rule and embracing the Mark of the Beast, a symbol associated with submission and allegiance. The growing ubiquity of advanced technologies and the potential for a global identification system only intensify the speculation surrounding the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Pope Francis Calls on Humanity to Unite Around One World Religion Worldview Weekend Broadcast Network, February 22, 2023

Pope Francis has once again called for all of humanity to unite around a one-world religion.

Both in his ecumenical “pilgrimage of peace” and in his message for the International Day of Human Fraternity, the pope recently called for religions to “increasingly intertwine” in the “service of brotherhood.”

LifeSite News reports that over the past few days, Francis has once more renewed his oft-spoken calls for increased interreligious dialogue and activity, reawakening concerns that leading prelates have made in the wake of such statements over the years.

The first came during his recorded February 4 video-message for the third International Day of Human Fraternity, which is born out of his 2019 Abu Dhabi document on human fraternity – a document which stated that a “pluralism and diversity” of religions is “willed by God.”

His statement mentioned God, but did not mention Christ or Catholicism. Instead, Francis spoke in a much more abstract manner, describing the purpose of religion as “reminding us that man’s destiny goes beyond earthly goods and lies in a universal horizon.”

Francis is a member of the Society of Jesus, also called the Jesuits, and is also the first Jesuit pope in history. Jesuits have for decades been steeped in revolutionary Marxist teaching, and a focus on social justice and liberation theology here on earth, rather than winning souls for Christ or preparing people for life in the hereafter.

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World Economic Forum: In Seven Years, 2023, The First Mark of the Beast Device Will Be Sold To Consumers The Christian Journal, October 23, 2016

According to the World Economic Forum within seven years, the world’s first implantable mobile device will be sold to consumers. Let’s translate that – by the year 2023, the World’s first Mark of the Beast Device will hit the markets.

The World Economic Forum has an agenda laid in stone that covers the next several years and one of the important years is the year 2023. By the year 2023, several events will take place, and one of those events will be the release of the implantable mobile device.

Never before in history has mankind sat so close to the edge of destruction. Technology is reshaping the dynamic structure of the world and will play a fundamental role in the coming New World Order. Over the course of history, there have been several industrial revolutions. The Fourth industrial revolution will make way for the Mark of the Beast and other prophetic events that will also come to pass.

According to the World Economic Forum, instead of changing the world around us, we are changing ourselves.

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6. Global Persecution of Christians

Then they will hand you over for persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of My name. (Matthew 24:9)

A dark aspect of the end times prophecy is the global persecution of Christians. While believers have faced persecution throughout history, the anticipation of a time when followers of Christ will face intense opposition and hostility on a global scale adds a sobering dimension to the end times narrative. Recent incidents of religious discrimination and violence against Christians in various parts of the world further fuel concerns that this prophecy may be approaching fruition.

Report Decries ‘Merciless Targeting of Christians’ Around the World Breitbart June 23, 2023

ROME — The Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) noted in its annual report Thursday that Christian persecution has been “sharply on the rise” and “its terrible impacts have only begun to be felt.”

“The merciless targeting of Christians — driven by hatred of Christians and the faith itself — emerges as a common denominator in hundreds of testimonies of persecution,” ACN declares in the report.

Today, “almost 340 million Christians around the world — or 1 out of every 7 — live in a country where they suffer some form of persecution, such as arbitrary arrest, violence, a full range of human rights violations and even murder,” the report states.

In its global efforts, ACN “is committed to chronicling and assessing the evolving phenomenon of the persecution of Christians around the world today,” it declares.

Regarding the diverse drivers of Christian persecution worldwide, the report states that Christians are primarily persecuted “because of their faith” but economic and political situations “further deepen this problem.”

“In some countries, Christians are seen as a threat to the ruling government, and their persecution is a way to maintain control,” the report says, observing that some 4.5 billion people around the globe live under authoritarian regimes where religious freedom is not respected.

Moreover, in many countries, “cultural and religious intolerance fuel Christian persecution,” it states, noting that in particular 1.1 billion people live in 21 countries where Islamic extremism is the norm.

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7. The Time being Fulfilled

After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the good news of God: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news!” (Mark 1:14-15)

Perhaps one of the most compelling indicators of the end times is the intangible sense that time is drawing to a close. As humanity grapples with profound challenges and societal unrest, the yearning for an end to suffering and the establishment of a new order becomes increasingly palpable. This collective anticipation reflects an innate longing for resolution and a belief that the culmination of history is imminent.

What does the Bible say about the timing of the end of the End Times?

Dear friends, don’t let this one thing escape you: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. (2 Peter 3:8)

What is the Lord telling us, through Peter? The Millennial day theory is a belief in Christian eschatology in which the Second Coming of Christ will occur 6,000 years after the creation of mankind, followed by 1,000 years of peace and harmony. The Sabbath Millennium is believed to be synonymous with the Millennial Reign of Christ that is found in Revelation 20.

The common belief and teaching was that a millennial reign would come after a literal six thousand year reign of Man.

How do we know that time?

The year 2023 is indeed the beginning of the “end of the end times.” Dark days are ahead.

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7 factors pointing to the imminent Rapture of the Church include:

1. A Middle East peace plan that allows for the Temple to be rebuilt

2. Increasing “birth pains”

3. The invasion of Israel

4. The rise of the Beast

5. The rise of the False Prophet

6. Global Persecution of Christians

7. The Time being Fulfilled

Based upon the convergence of these 7 factors, there is a very high probability that the Rapture is imminent, and that the 7 year Tribulation starts shortly.

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If you are not sure that you are saved, you can accept Christ into your life right now, by praying:

“Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.  Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life.  I ask you in to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior.”

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