Have you ever experienced an epiphany?

An epiphany is that life-changing moment when you encounter a flash of revelation, often unexpectedly out of the clear blue. The essential meaning of some thought or idea you’ve long held suddenly turns upside-down. You are struck by a newly gained insight that completely upends your once solid perception of reality. As a result, your thoughts on something are never quite the same again.

I experienced such an epiphany a decade ago on the set of our ministry’s television program, Christ in Prophecy. Our guest was the esteemed apologist, Dr. Ron Rhodes of Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries. A seminary professor who has written an astounding 100 books on Bible prophecy and discernment, Dr. Rhodes stands as one of today’s leading defenders of the Christian faith.

The Spiritual Sign of Apostasy

Because of his expertise, we’d invited Dr. Rhodes to speak about the end-times sign of apostasy. In his excellent, professorial way, Ron began with a story meant to help our viewers understand the meaning of apostasy:

I want to tell you a story about a young couple. They went to see a movie in the middle of the day, and as they drove off, they didn’t notice a robber casing their house. Once the couple was out of sight, the robber went around to the back of the house and broke a window.

As the robber crawled through the back window, he heard the voice of a parrot in a cage. It cawed, “I see you, and Jesus sees you.” That didn’t bother the man, so he continued climbing into the house. Now, almost through the window, the parrot exclaimed again, “I see you, and Jesus sees you.” Bearing the bird no mind, the robber finally set his feet on the floor.

Stopping to brush some glass pieces off his black sweater, the robber heard the parrot cry out, this time more vehemently, “I see you, and Jesus sees you. Attack, Jesus!” Roaring across the room, a massive Doberman pinscher named Jesus flew at the robber and began to maul his leg. The terrified crook dove pantless out the window and ran away, never to be seen in that neighborhood ever again.

Now that’s a different Jesus! Dr. Rhodes shared the point of his story:

Apostasy is a rich word in the Greek. It carries the idea of a departure or a falling away, a forsaking of the truth, a defection from the truth, a revolt from the truth, and a swerving away from the truth.

I want to suggest to you that this dog, Jesus, is not as bad as the Jesus of apostasy. I say that because you can heal from a dog bite. But if you believe in a counterfeit Jesus who preaches a counterfeit Gospel, then you’ve got a counterfeit salvation. It simply comes down to that.

For all those who are biblically discerning, I’m sure we can all agree that the Church is currently suffering from an epidemic of apostasy. The Church’s doctrinally confused and apathetic state in the last days was prophesied in Revelation 3 as the Church of Laodicea, revealing that this final stage of the Church Age ends with the subsequent advent of Jesus Christ.

The Newest Sign

But Dr. Rhodes assured us apostasy isn’t the only sign that points to the soon return of Jesus Christ. He went on to explain that there are many other signs of the end times, which serve as, he called, “God’s intel in advance.” God provides many signs that foretell what life will be like in the end times right before Christ returns.

This was the moment when our guest changed my entire view of these signs. Dr. Rhodes revealed a brand-new sign, one unbeknownst to me, which he labeled the Convergence Factor.

What I mean is that I don’t just think there is one prophecy that is coming to pass in our day. I don’t believe that just two prophecies are coming to pass in our day. I think multiple prophecies are coming to pass in our day, or the stage is being set for them to come to pass, and these signs are all converging for the first time ever.

I learned that the convergence of all the various signs of the end times stands apart as a sign in and of itself. This was a new revelation to me—an epiphany—that dramatically changed my understanding about how urgently imminent the return of our Lord truly is.

The Super Sign of Israel

While this newest sign of convergence weaves together all those varied prophetic strings into a tapestry that illustrates the imminent return of our Lord, I asked Ron if convergence could be considered the greatest of the end-times signs. While he agreed to its significance, the most momentous sign remains the reestablishment of the nation of Israel.

What started the prophetic clock was the rebirth of Israel back in 1948. Israel is the super sign prophesied in Ezekiel 36–37. Israel’s rebirth as a nation would cause the world to see the Jewish people streaming back to the Holy Land from out of every country in the world. That’s never happened before in human history. When Israel was in bondage to Babylon, the Jews returned only from Babylon to Israel. The Scriptures say that after Israel is born again in the last days, the Jewish people from all over the world will continue to stream back to the Holy Land. That regathering has been happening year by year, decade by decade, ever since.

The Sign of War

With the rebirth of the nation of Israel, Dr. Rhodes went on to explain how the countries of the world would focus on destroying Israel in a penultimate prophetic war.

Ezekiel revealed that sometime after Israel is reborn as a nation, a military coalition would emerge from the north and move against Israel. When you look at the prophesied nations that make up that coalition, such as Iran, Sudan, Libya, and all the nations that are up around the Black and Caspian Seas, such as Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, these are Muslim nations, which, in conjunction with Russia, are prophesied to move against Israel.

Notice the pattern. Israel is reborn as a nation. The Jews stream back to the Holy Land. Sometime after that, an epic invasion called Gog and Magog commences. The stage is being set in our day for this prophetic invasion! Russia already has an alliance with many of these Muslim nations. Islam didn’t even exist back in Ezekiel’s day. People might have wondered back then what these nations had in common that would make them move against Israel? Well, today we know—Islam.

The Sign of Global Economics

Besides the end-times signs of apostasy in the Church, Israel’s rebirth, and the geopolitical alliances that have already formed to attack the new nation, still other signs contribute to the Convergence Factor.

According to Revelation 13, by the middle of the Tribulation, a one-world leader called the Antichrist will wield complete economic control over the entire world. The only way he could ever do that is by establishing a cashless society. If societies were still based on cash, people could still buy things with money. The only way the Antichrist will be able to enforce his domination economically is with a completely cashless society. Indeed, that is where we are headed right now!

The Sign of Technology

Some prophecies we read about that occur in the coming Tribulation require certain technological advances for them to happen. For example, Dr. Rhodes pointed to the story of the Two Witnesses who will proclaim Christ during the first three and a half years of the Tribulation.

Revelation reveals that the Two Witnesses are going to be killed in Jerusalem. Their bodies will be left to rot in the middle of the street. John said the whole world will look upon the corpses and rejoice. That video is going to go viral all over the Internet. After three days, the Two Witnesses will then be resurrected. They are going to stand up and be taken up to Heaven.

How could the entire world watch the murder, rebirth, and ascension of these two miraculous servants of God? Only through today’s video, satellite, and mobile technology.

Critical Intel

I’ve long marveled at what a loving God we have, one who would provide us so much insight into His Son’s grand plan to return to set up His Kingdom. As Dr. Rhodes went on to remind us:

Listen now, understanding the signs of the times is critically important. The signs are prophetic events meant to point towards the end times. They let us know that we are living in the season of the Lord’s return. Powerful nations have intelligent agencies like the CIA. So, too, does the Bible provide us with God’s “intel in advance,” and He does so with signs.

In the limited half hour we air Christ in Prophecy, we could barely make a dent in the sheer plethora of signs the Bible gives us that reveal Christ’s coming. There are other religious and moral signs, natural disasters occurring across the earth, great signs in the sky, and another cosmic phenomenon. But what struck me like a bolt of lightning was the revelation that all these signs occurring simultaneously present a final, ultimate sign—convergence.

Like the final click of a lock’s tumbler, convergence reveals that the door has just been unlocked, and the final events of the end times stand ready to tumble out the door. We are indeed living in the season of the Lord’s return!

Observers of the Times

Knowing that the return of our Savior is drawing ever near, how are we to live? Dr. Rhodes provided us with a closing, pertinent application.

We need to be thoughtful observers of the times. Remember the ancient Jews. They should have recognized that Jesus was the divine Messiah. Isaiah had said that when the Messiah comes, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, and the lame will walk. What happened when Jesus came on the scene? The blind could see, the deaf could hear, and the lame could walk. The Jewish leaders naturally should have been able to see those signs of the times, but they were blind to them. They could tell when the weather would be bad by looking at the sky, but they couldn’t even read the messianic prophecies and signs of the times to realize that Jesus was the Messiah.

We should not make the same mistake as the ancient Jewish leaders. While the rapture is a signless event (no signs precede it), many signs of the times point to the coming tribulation period and the second coming of Christ. Make sure that you are not ignorant of those warnings. Understand what the Bible says about these signs so that you are prepared. What the ancient prophets prophesied thousands of years ago is coming to fruition in our day. You would have to be blind to ignore it!

In providing us with the Convergence Factor, God has revealed a critical truth—these dark days are the Church Age’s final days. God desires us to watch and see the correlations between world events and biblical prophecies. And, while we don’t know the day or the hour of Jesus’ return –  for our Lord has told us that it cannot be known – by the signs of the end times, we can know with surety that we are indeed living in the season of the Lord’s return.

Therefore, let the Convergence Factor alert the Church to the fact that her Rapture is imminent. In the short time we have remaining, Christians must remain busy proclaiming the Gospel and living holy lives.

And, for those who have yet to be saved, the Convergence Factor warns that the wrath of God is imminent. Make today the day you accept Christ’s gift of salvation. The signs of the end times demand it!