Have you ever wondered during the past few months if the seven-year tribulation has already begun? I know that it hasn’t yet started because Scripture says that we will be with the Lord before the antichrist establishes a covenant with Israel that starts the clock ticking for this time of God’s wrath (Dan. 9:27; 2 Thess. 2:3-8).

Although the tribulation has not yet started, we see the beginning of conditions we know will be much worse during this seven-year period. I believe this is God’s way of getting the attention of the world before His judgments begin. He’s also assuring us that His appearing is imminent and we will soon be with Him in heaven and the place He is now preparing for us.

I have picked ten signs that tell us the tribulation is rapidly approaching.

1. Famine

Revelation 6:8 tells us under the fourth seal, the rider on the pale horse is “given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence . . ..” Deadly famines will occur during the tribulation; they will be a factor in wiping out one-fourth of the world’s population during the seal judgments described in Revelation 6.

According to a story published on the National Geographic website on May 12, 2020, swarms of gigantic locusts are swarming parts of East Africa bringing with them great famine. The National Geographic story also stated, “Some 13 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, and Eritrea already suffer from ‘severe food insecurity’ . . . meaning they may go without eating for an entire day or have run out of food altogether.”

The National Geographic story also noted that swarms of locusts can destroy up to “300 million pounds of crops” in a day. Can you imagine the disaster this can bring to already impoverished nations? These swarms of devastating locusts have also invaded India according to recent reports.

2. Inflation

Revelation 6:6 reveals that a time of great inflation lies ahead for the world during the tribulation such that a “quart of wheat” will sell for a day’s wages.

Do we see the potential for this in our world? Absolutely! Venezuela stands as an example of devastating inflation caused by government debt and printing of money.

The enormous debt in the United States alone along with its printing of money during the past decade has already pushed the economy to the edge of disaster. That, along with exceedingly high unemployment of over forty million, has moved America ever so close to a complete collapse.

Any more shocks will push it over the edge to great economic catastrophe and mind-boggling inflation and bring the same to the world.

3. Violence

Revelation 9:21 tells us this this about people during the tribulation: “nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.” Just as in the days of Noah, violence will fill the earth during the tribulation.

The antichrist will cause the killing of a large number of saints during this time. Revelation 7:9-14 pictures a large multitude of martyrs that have come out of the “great tribulation.” These are no doubt the same ones John refers to in 6:9 who were killed “for the word of God and witness they have borne.” We already see this violence against Christians in our world and the seeds of it in the United States.

Can there be any doubt regarding the deadly intentions of the left in America who advocate abortion up to and after birth, who put patients sick with COVID-19 in nursing homes, and who send police to stop worship services? Someday the rage and hatred of the left in the US will erupt into violent persecution against those who hold fast to the Word of God, if not before the rapture then surely after it.

4. The Increase of Anti-Semitism

We also know that the second half of the tribulation will be a time of deadly violence against the Jewish people (Matt. 24:15-20). We see the seeds of much anti-Semitism at work in our world.

New York City, home to 1.8 million Jews, saw a record number of anti-Semitic attacks in 2019. France and Germany are rapidly becoming unsafe places for the Jewish people to lie.

We also see antisemitism rampant at the United Nations. During the first couple months of the 2019-2020 session of the UN, it adopted 18 anti-Israel resolutions compared with just 7 concerning other nations.

5. The New World Order

Scripture tells us that a world government will dominate the entire earth during the tribulation, over which the antichrist will seize control (Dan. 7:24-26; Rev. 13:1-10). Today, we see this coming one-world government forming before our eyes.

The UN now has a web page titled “Let’s Take Our Planet Back” at https://unnwo.org/. An easy way to remember the link is to think “United Nations New World Order.” This website represents a more blatant revelation of the UN’s desire to create a New World Order, although it has always been quite visible under its stated Agenda 2030 goals of establishing a Marxist world order by 2030.

The website puts a positive spin on the seventeen goals of Agenda 2030, which in reality reflect a Marxist/fascist world government in total control of the lives of people in every nation.

6. Surrendering of Rights

Since the onset of COVID-19, the willingness of people in the United States to surrender their rights and freedoms has astounded me. Many blindly follow unconstitutional restrictions without protest or any resistance whatsoever.

This has been a successful test-run for the globalists. The elite have learned that with a world crisis and control of the media, many people will unwittingly submit to whatever the government tells them with little or no resistance as long as it’s for the “common good.”

When the tribulation arrives on planet Earth, great fear and panic will also lead to a surrendering of rights and freedoms that will enable the globalists to finalize their plans for a New World Order.

7. The Mark of the Beast

I do not believe that Bill Gates is the antichrist, nor do I think that his vaccine and its accompanying tattoo is the mark of the beast that we find described in Revelation 13:16-18. However, I do believe these things are also preparing the world for the control that the antichrist will exert over the world during the tribulation.

The idea that the government can require a vaccine along with proof of it in order to leave one’s home and participate in society would have been thought tyrannical just a decade ago. But now, after the fear generated in the media over COVID-19, multitudes now accept such an idea and see no problem with it.

In addition to this, we now have the technology for the antichrist to implement such a program worldwide. Revelation 13:16-18 is not here yet, but it’s springing to life before our eyes.

8. Middle East Tension

While the world remains distracted by COVID-19, tensions keep escalating in the Middle East. Israel has inflicted heavy damage on Iranian military installations in Syria in recent weeks. And, Iran continues to promise the world that it will soon wipe Israel off the map.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s pledge to annex portions of the West Bank on July 1 is also increasing tensions in the region. The Palestinians and their allies say they will never accept the adding of land in Judea and Samaria to Israel and will most likely react violently to such an annexation.

The Gog-Magog War described in Ezekiel 38-39 seems closer than ever. The nations remain aligned precisely as we read in 38:1-13. It’s also interesting that Israeli Rabbis believe the war of Ezekiel 38-39 could begin at any moment.

9. Apostasy

In both 1 and 2 Timothy, Paul warns of great apostasy in the church during the last days. This day has arrived. The widespread acceptance by so many churches of what the Bible labels as sin is just the tip of the iceberg.

Just as the apostle predicted in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, people today flock to false teachers in great numbers. In some cases, these so-called pastors have become multi-millionaires as a result of their perversion of the Gospel.

It’s far more popular for preachers today to regard vast sections of scriptural prophecy as allegory and proclaim a false, unbiblical hope to their congregations, one that denies the imminent return of Jesus.

The heretical teaching that the church will triumph through the tribulation and bring in the millennial kingdom itself has attracted millions of Christians during the past few decades. It’s by far the fastest growing view of the end-times in churches today and yet another indicator of the great apostasy that exists in our time.

10. Lawlessness

I added this point after reading the accounts of the rioting in Minneapolis that has spread to many other cities. Is this not a prime example of the lawlessness that Jesus said would appear during the tribulation? In Matthew 24:12, Jesus said this about the signs of the end of the age, “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.”

Paul refers to the antichrist as the “the man of lawlessness” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Right now we see the spirit of the antichrist visibly at work throughout the United States.

As I look at these ten indicators of the rapidly approaching tribulation, I am amazed that the true church remains earthbound.

I expect the rapture to happen at any moment. If the tribulation that begins months or perhaps longer after Jesus’ appearing seems so very near, how much closer must we be to our blessed hope?

The economies of the world may recover from the brink of disaster, and the push for a New World Order may decrease. However, at the moment, this seems highly unlikely given the tremendous debt of many nations and the staggering high unemployment. Forbes online magazine recently stated that as many as 42% of the jobs lost in America may be gone for good. Could the growing lawlessness and riots push the US and world closer to economic collapse? It’s entirely possible.

The history of the twentieth century tells us that the aftermath of great economic distress, war, or both provides fertile soil for the emergence of socialist/fascist dictators. I believe the antichrist will arise from the ashes of the coming worldwide chaos to seize control of the coming New World Order.

Given the condition of our world at the moment, it will not take much to plunge the world into a great economic disaster or trigger the Gog-Magog War. The resulting chaos will provide the perfect opportunity for Satan to place his man in charge of the world order, which he will do.

The good news is that we will be with Jesus before the devil unveils “the man of lawlessness” to the world.

Take heart; Jesus is coming soon!

Maranatha!

Jonathan Brentner

Website: Our Journey Home

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E-mail: Jonathanbrentner@yahoo.com

An Exposition

Luke 4:14-30: Truth is Wanted, But Never Welcomed

“Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. So, He came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, and as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. When He had opened the book, He turned to the place where it was written:

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me,

To preach the Gospel to the poor.

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed,

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.’

“Then He closed the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’

“So, all bore witness to Him and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. They said, ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’ He said to them, ‘You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’

“Then He said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land, but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. Many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’

“So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city, and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which the city was  built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way” (Luke 4:14-30, NKJV).

The word “truth” is defined in the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary as “the conformity to fact or reality; an exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be.”

Whether the world likes it or not, truth is never a term that means what they wish it to mean without the need for an established standard by which to measure or compare it against other terms, thoughts, or concepts. The notion that we can say to someone, “That’s true for you, but not for me,” is ridiculous, plain and simple, and is referred to as “relativism.” In this mode of thought, truth is founded not upon a set moral standard, but upon whatever one wishes, usually as a convenient way of avoiding the consequences of behavior or speech that would have been unacceptable only a few years ago. Individual definitions of truth are a recipe for inevitable chaos and the seed which grows into immoral, unethical, and godless disasters for people and nations.

For the true, faithful follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, He is the absolute personification of truth on which the Creation is founded. The truth is not found in any worldly philosophy, religious belief, legal system, governing body, individual conceptions, or conflict. Truth is established by the Almighty Sovereign God of the Holy Scriptures Who has set up the absolute and unmovable foundation of who we are, our individual responsibilities and accountability before Him, as well as the future state of our being. If the Holy Scriptures define themselves as actual grounded truth, then it would only be logical and wise to read and learn from them.

Truth is ascribed to the Law of God (Psalm 119:142-160),

describes the person of Christ (John 14:6),

the person of the Holy Spirit (John 14:17),

the word of God (John 17:17, 19),

as well as the Gospel itself (Galatians 2:5, 14).

According to Scripture, the effect of genuine, godly truth is that…

it makes one free from the bondage of sin (John 8:31-32),

it sanctifies the believer (John 17: 17-19),

it purifies us spiritually (1 Peter 1:22),

and establishes our faith (Ephesians 4:15).

As followers of Christ, we are commanded to:

speak the truth (Ephesians 4:25),

walk in the truth (3 John 3-4),

declare the truth (Acts 26:25),

worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth (John 4:23-24);

The LORD invites us to come to the truth (1 Timothy 2:4),

to believe and know the truth of God (1 Timothy 4:3),

to handle it accurately and without apology or compromise (2 Timothy 2:15),

to obey it (1 Peter 1;22),

and to be established in it (2 Peter 1:13).

The world, with its love of sin, self-centeredness and rebellious attitude towards God’s truth, will…

attempt to turn it into a lie (Romans 1:25),

willingly disobey it (Romans 2:5),

walk contrary to it (Galatians 2:17),

and will never love it (2 Thessalonians 2:10).

The world will not believe God’s truth (2 Thessalonians 2:12), nor will they ever come to the truth and would rather be destitute of it than surrender to the will of God (1 Timothy 6:5; 2 Timothy 3:7). The world and the devil who runs it will continue to oppose the truth and turn from it (2 Timothy 3:8; 4:4) until the return of Jesus Christ to establish His eternal kingdom and rid creation of sin, sorrow, and the effects of evil for eternity. The devil and his followers will be permanently cast into the Lake of Fire (Luke 16:19-31; Revelation 20:11-15). God’s eternal rule and His truth will be with the righteous always, and no one or no being can or will ever be able to thwart that fact. We are without excuse (Romans 1:18-20).

The Lord Jesus officially started His ministry with the reading of Scripture in the synagogue of His hometown Nazareth. As we examine this story, there are three areas of godly truth that need to be presented. First, there is the truth of fulfilled prophecy (4:18-19). Jesus, considered a rabbi, was asked to read and interpret passages from the Torah (the Law), the writings (national history, Psalms, Proverbs), and the prophets (Isaiah-Malachi) as part of the worship service. He specifically read and taught the interpretation of the passages from Isaiah (52:13-53:12), and then declared that the fulfillment of that prophecy had occurred, for it was the description of the Suffering Servant and His service to God, and He was that Servant.

• He did heal the brokenhearted (Luke 7:11-17; 8:35-39; John 11:25).
• He did preach the Gospel to the poor (Matthew 11:5, 28-30; Mark 1:35-39).
• He did deliver the captives from sin (Isaiah 53:5; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 2;24; 1 John 3:5).
• He did give sight to the blind (John 9; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43).

There is also the truth of a prophetic mission by the Lord Jesus (4:20-23). The members of the synagogue who listened to Jesus’ proclamation and teaching expected some type of favoritism because of what He had done in other places for the people. They based this favoritism on a feeling of national pride that was grounded in their law and history as God’s chosen people and had been recipients of God’s mercy and grace to the exclusion of other nations, so they thought. Jesus shattered their expectations by declaring that the favor and grace God had mercifully given to them was to be extended to all people, regardless of who they were or the lives they had lived.

Jesus would demonstrate this compassion in His encounter with the Roman centurion (Matthew 8:5-13), the Canaanite woman whose daughter was demon-possessed (Matthew 15:21-28), and the deliverance of the Gadarene man from multiple demons (Mark 5:1-20).

Jesus named two people, who were Gentiles, that had received mercy from God during the days of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. They were the widow from Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-16), who was given food from God, and Naaman the Syrian general, who was healed of leprosy by immersion in the Jordan River (2 Kings 5:1-19). God gave grace to those living outside of Israel at the time because it was steeped in idolatry and demon worship and was under judgment.

The reaction by the congregation was of rage and anger, being faced with the need for salvation and mercy from God, and not by national identity or history. In their rage, they sought to kill Jesus by throwing Him off the nearby cliff. Jesus supernaturally walked away from the angry mob and went His way. He would not return.

This story is an example of a paradox. People throughout history say that they desire the truth about life yet reject the offer of solid truth given by the LORD and hate it, for the most part, when it is presented to them. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that deaf ears and blind eyes are open to respond to God’s truth. Let this be a sobering lesson.

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