Again and again, Jesus told His people to watch for the signs of His coming, but there is silence in many pulpits. Most of those in the pews are not watching, and if someone tries to alert them to what is going on, there is a big chance that they will remind us that Jesus said, “Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father in heaven” (Matt. 24:36).
While I do not believe that anyone knows the day and hour, I sometimes wonder if that is the only thing they know about the subject.
When it comes to Matt. 24:36, there is good reason that Jesus was saying no one knows the day or hour that Heaven and earth will pass away (Matt. 24:35), not no one knows the day or the hour of His Second Coming.
Concerning those that choose not to watch, it is important to remember that Jesus (He gave the Book of Revelation) said, “If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee” (Rev. 3:3).
On July 16, 2023, the Assistant Editor of The Christian Post, Leah Klett, interviewed well-known pastor, author, TV preacher, and Bible prophecy expert David Jeremiah.
Pastor Jeremiah urged Christians to be ready for Jesus to come for His Church (the Rapture).
He talked about some of the things that Jesus told Christians to watch for, and He warned that those that are ignoring the reality of current events (signs) are doing so at their own peril.
I cannot put words in Pastor Jeremiah’s mouth, but it sounds to me like he was telling Christians that there could be consequences to disobeying Jesus.
Some of the consequences might be loved ones left behind, no crown of righteousness (II Tim. 4:8), fewer rewards in Heaven, embarrassment when one stands before the Judgment Seat of Christ (II Cor. 5:10), etc.
It is sad that so many pastors and church members are ignoring 25-40% of the Bible, and those that are doing it are doing it at their own peril.
Here are some recent signs that we could be getting close to the Rapture:
One, concerning the ashes of a red heifer without spot or blemish (a requirement for cleansing priests who build or serve at a rebuilt Temple): last week, I mentioned that the Jews are building a tourist and research center at Shiloh (where the tabernacle stood for about 300 years after they returned to the Promised Land from Egypt).
I mentioned that on July 16, 2023, it was reported that the Jews had moved a 22-month-old red heifer to the facility and that they would soon move two more there so visitors can view (but not touch) them.
Since then, I have seen another article that said those three red heifers are pure and without blemish.
If just one of them remains unblemished until early next year, it can be sacrificed, and priests can be cleansed to build and serve at the next Temple.
Two, concerning a cashless society and the tracking of all buying and selling: on July 20, 2023, the U.S. Federal Reserve activated its FedNow service.
The service began with about 35 banks and credit unions, and more are expected to sign up with each passing day.
As I understand it, FedNow is a system that converts cash into a digital currency that can be instantly transferred electronically.
According to my understanding, at this point in time, it is a voluntary system with a few nice features (fast, convenient, will not need germ-laden cash, cheaper than printing money, good for the economy, etc.) that will be promoted to get people to sign up.
Those that are wondering if they should sign up for all these goodies should know that critics say FedNow is a first step to a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).
The next step will be to require bank customers to have a digital ID (with face scan, hand scan, or whatever), then FedNow will be replaced by a CBDC, then the government will know what any individual is buying and selling, be able to control how much they spend, control what they buy and sell, shut down or seize their bank account, etc. (This will be a major step toward the Mark of the Beast, but it is not the Mark of the Beast.)
While FedNow is coming on the scene and getting banks and people to sign up, bank customers will have two options: cash or digital money.
But after enough people get a digital ID, digital money will be the only option, and customers will have no choice.
Next, CBDCs will be merged into a global platform or a global currency.
Finally, people will be required to take the name, number (666), or Mark of the Antichrist if they want to buy and sell.
Simply put, the ball has started rolling downhill toward the Mark of the Beast.
The Rapture will happen a minimum of three and one-half years before society gets there.
People that ignore this are doing so at their own peril.
Have you got that:
- Step one, FedNow is up and running.
- Step two, a digital ID (with face scan, eye scan, or whatever).
- Step three, replace FedNow with CBDC.
- Step four, merge CBDCs of individual nations into a global system.
- Step five, require people to take the name, number, or Mark of their government (the chosen leader of the New World Order).
(Note: I am not an expert, but I get a lot of e-mails asking, “When, etc.,” and this is my understanding. But remember that the fulfillment of Bible prophecy will get faster and faster at the end of the age, and these steps could happen very fast.)
(More: Understand that we are transitioning from more than 190 sovereign nations to a one-world government. The transition went into effect with the Sustainable Development Goals on Jan. 1, 2016. The original goal was a 14-year transition—2016 to 2030—but there will be a meeting on Sept. 18-19 to try to speed it up. The five steps above are steps in that transition. Globalists thought it would be next to impossible to go from more than 190 nations to a one-world government in one day. They decided to do it in steps, and we are now more than halfway through the transition. They were also afraid that people would be more likely to riot if they tried to transition too fast. They want to ease into it as much as possible.)
(My opinion: Even if the UN agrees on Sept. 18-19 to speed up the transition to a world government, it will still be a while before the Antichrist confirms it and rises to power. Why? Because Ten Kings must appear before the Antichrist appears.)
Three, concerning signs in the sun and moon (Acts 2:20), it is not clear what those signs are, but on July 20, 2023, it was reported that the earth has been struck by unusually powerful eruptions on the sun over the last two months.
The sun goes through cycles, and scientists were expecting an increase in solar activity in 2025 but not in 2023.
The question is will the eruptions worsen between now and 2025?
Just know that the Bible says there will be signs, the eruptions are unusually strong, they are early, and they are probably impacting Earth’s climate more than cows passing gas.
(More: Golf ball to tennis ball-size hail broke through the roof of a Walmart store in Rice Lake, Wis., striking customers and scattering hailstones on the floor.)
(More: On July 21, 2023, it was reported that more than 95 million Americans were under heat watches and warnings from Florida to California. Many records were broken, and the temperature in Phoenix, Ariz., reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit or more for 21 days in a row.)
(More: On July 24, 2023, the water temperature at a buoy in Manatee Bay, Florida, was 101.1 degrees Fahrenheit. Several surrounding buoys verified this record-setting number by reporting temperatures above 99 degrees.)
(Question: With record-setting temperatures in the ocean at the same time that there are powerful eruptions on the sun, why do some politicians and so-called scientists blame climate change on the cows and farmers using too much fertilizer? Are they mentally challenged, pushing an evil globalist plan, or what?)
Four, concerning famine at the end of the age: on July 20-21, 2023, with millions of people near starvation in Africa, Russian missiles destroyed grain storage facilities and 60,000 tons of grain on Ukraine’s Black Sea Coast.
Five, concerning the turmoil in Israel since Jan. 2023 over the Reasonableness Standards Bill that will allow the elected officials in Israel’s Knesset to overrule controversial decisions by unelected liberal judges and possibly change Israel’s future from that of a secular nation to that of a religious nation: as of July 24, 2023, key parts of the bill have passed votes in the Knesset three times, and the bill is now the law of the land.
Israel will be more religious and conservative in the future than it has been in the past.
(FYI: I am not saying rebuilding the Temple and resuming the animal sacrifices is a good thing, but I am saying the Word of God must be fulfilled, and this is a major step in that direction. According to Scripture, Jewish priests will rebuild the Temple, resume the animal sacrifices, the Antichrist will defile the Temple and stop the animal sacrifices at the middle of the Tribulation Period, the Jews in Judea will realize they made a mistake, flee into the wilderness, and turn to Jesus at the end of the Tribulation Period. The Reasonableness Standards Bill that just passed is a move in that direction. They must rebuild the Temple and go through the Tribulation Period before they get saved.)
(My opinion: To be honest, Satan is using the issue to try to weaken and destroy Israel and prevent the Second Coming. He does not have a chance.)
(More: More than a thousand pilots threatened not to show up for duty if the Reasonableness Standards Bill passed, and readers have expressed concern about the safety of Israel if the Battle of Gog and Magog broke out. Know that God is the true Defender of Israel and not the pilots. The weaker Israel is when that war takes place, the more glory He will get; Ezek. 39:1-7.)
(More: There are a lot of gays in Israel that are terrified that Israel will go back under the anti-gay Law of Moses. There are many Muslims and others that are afraid that the religious Jews will demand that Israel gets all the Promised Land, and that would start a war. I believe we are watching a major shift in Israeli politics and religion.)
FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born with a sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6).
Finally, are you Rapture Ready?
If you want to be rapture ready and go to Heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.