My friend Dr. J. R. Church used to end every TV program in Prophecy In the News with the words: “Keep looking up!” He was referring, of course, to Jesus’ command in Luke 21:28:

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

While the Lord was, without question, talking about being vigilant in watching for all the conditions He said would be prevalent as His time to call His Church to Himself neared, and, indeed, was pointing to His Second Advent, it is perhaps less than a stretch to ask if He was doing one more thing. Was He also alluding to the prophetic signal He mentioned a few verses previous?

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars” (Luke 21: 25a).

It is a worthy question, considering recent developments. Strange things are going on in the heavenlies, with interest stirred almost weekly with new signs discovered in the region of the sun, moon and stars.

There is more than good reason to be concerned enough to “look up” with regard to signs in the heavens.

Our friend Dr. Thomas Horn of SkyWatch TV has presented a number of programs pointing to astronomical reports from scientists that predict an asteroid of earth-devastating size coming our way. The space rock the size of a stadium, termed Apophis, is on track to possibly impact the earth April 13, 2029. Horn has conjectured whether this could be the space object prophetically scheduled to crash into an ocean during the Tribulation. Such an impact would certainly cause great destruction and cause the death of millions.

More recently, scientists are changing their estimated trajectory predictions to say that this visitor from deep space might only be detrimental to satellites orbiting earth, thus disrupting the planet’s communications, etc.

This seems a ludicrous conclusion, considering an asteroid of such monumental size. I’m no astronomer or otherwise an expert, but something this big coming this close seems to me to be a cause of possible danger dwarfing the mere disruption of communication by knocking out a few satellites.

And signals from space continue to grab attention of scientists, who seem genuinely baffled. Here’s one story:

[Excerpt]

A team led by astronomers in Australia has discovered a brand-new type of object in deep space that behaves in bizarre and mysterious ways never seen before.

Something about 4,000 light-years away, which is relatively close in our cosmic neighborhood, was seen spinning around and regularly blasting out a massive burst of energy that lasted a full minute. Even weirder, that bright beam of radiation occurred like clockwork every 18 minutes.

“It was kind of spooky for an astronomer because there’s nothing known in the sky that does that,” astrophysicist Natasha Hurley-Walker said in a statement.

The behavior is similar to that of a pulsar or magnetar, which spin around as they blast out pulses of energy that can be detected here on Earth. But pulsars pulse very quickly, usually every few seconds. An object that sends out longer bursts just a few times an hour has never been seen before. (“Astronomers spy powerful deep-space object unlike anything seen before,” CNET, Rapture Ready News, 1/28/22)

Just as deep-space signals are ramping up interest by the scientists who say they are “spooked” by things they’re seeing, the whole UFO thing is being opened up by those in government who have always been desperate to put a cap on such information.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government is finally getting back into the UFO business.

And depending on which UFO believer you ask, it’s either a historic step forward to getting to the bottom of conspiracies or a ploy to regain control of the narrative — and possibly even prepare for interplanetary war.

The establishment of a new office, signed into law just before New Year’s, to study “unidentified aerial phenomenon” has divided the loose community of activists, researchers and pseudo-scientists who hunt for proof that we are not alone in the universe.

Some hail the legislation creating the new office, tucked into section 1683 of the massive National Defense Authorization Act, for bringing new resources, rigor and officialdom to the investigation of a phenomenon — and a potential national security threat — that has long been stigmatized in a way that makes it difficult to study. (“Historic step forward or cover-up plot? Pentagon’s new UFO office splits ufologists,” Alex Seitz-Wald, 1/8/22, Rapture Ready News, 1/28/22)

With all this “looking up” by scientists and government, there must be something up, so this generation should be “looking out.”

Just as the powers that be have set in motion the machinery of generating fear through the microbial world of virus pandemic, so, too, I’m of the cynical opinion, they are beginning to raise the fear factor in pointing us to things to come from somewhere above.

I’ve pointed before to the thought that the “great delusion” of 2 Thessalonians 2 might involve the lie that extraterrestrial visitors will come to rescue us from planetary disaster. These will, the lie will include, be called down from space by the false prophet. In actuality, it might well be that Satan and his evil hordes are being ejected from the heavenlies for the final time in the war they have lost with God’s angelic forces.

Regardless of how it all plays out, it is time for all believers to be looking up while “watching” all going on around us, for our redemption—our Lord and Savior—must certainly be drawing near!

I want to make it exceedingly clear that I consider myself neither a prophet nor a son of a prophet in the Old Testament sense. However, I believe that in these times, as we see the Tribulation closing in like a tightening vice, all who earnestly watch the developments—including yours truly—can qualify in some sense under God’s definition of what constitutes a prophet. Since we are all commanded to “watch,” according to Jesus Himself, believers have the command to be prophets in the sense of forth-telling. That is “forth-telling,” not “foretelling.” We are to observe the times—the issues and events—and compare them with Bible prophecy to see if there is prophetic relevance as we see the fulfillment of Christ’s return approaching. We are then to tell others, warn them that the time of fulfillment is nearing.

Jesus said: “And what I say unto one, I say unto all. Watch” (Mark 13:37).

I say without apology that I believe the following Old Testament truth applies in some sense to each believer today who sincerely tries to discern these strange times.

“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealed his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3: 7).

The Lord, because He has given us His complete Word, the Bible, no longer gives the power to foretell. However, He expects us to be discerning enough through Bible study, prayer, and observation of the times to “forth tell” matters in order to forewarn. I believe we’re being given prophetic indicators as in no other times in modern history.

For example, as we have “forth-told” many times, all of Israel’s Gog-Magog enemies listed in Ezekiel 38 and 39 are now gathered north of God’s chosen nation. The coalition of Russia, Iran, Turkey, and others have coalesced. At some point those nations will, as God has said, rush in storm-like fashion toward Israel.

We have “forth-told” this reality in order to forewarn of where this generation stands on God’s prophetic timeline.

In the same sense, we have “forth-told” our prayerful, studied observations that the minions, both human and demonic, of Ephesians 6:12 are at work in these closing moments of the age. Those “powers and principalities” are so obviously trying to bring Satan’s one-world regime into being that it cannot be missed by believers who are watching these developments.

Again, I’m neither a prophet nor a son of a prophet (although my daddy was a pretty wise fellow). But I must be true to the commission I believe the Lord has given us as believers—to watch with prayerful study and observation developments on the prophetic horizon.

This brings us to “Antichrist’s shadow.”

The stage-setting is in every direction we look for the son of perdition to leap onto the end-times platform. Many control mechanisms have been carefully and methodically formed and put into position for the rise of the wicked one of 2 Thessalonians 2. Of course, he cannot appear as long as we, believers, are still on the planet. But, like in all prophetic matters, the long shadows of coming evil darkens these times. Antichrist’s long shadow precedes his coming to power once the Church, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, is called into the air in that glorious instant promised through the Apostle Paul.

One of those long shadows we see each day as times get ever darker is the so-called pandemic. The lockdowns, the mandates, the insane rants and raves of those who want imprisonment and even death to come to those who refuse the vaccination demands are red lights of warning. The “forth-telling” prophets—believers who want to alert others of the coming man of sin—are duty-bound to flash those red lights before a world going down the broad road to destruction scheduled for the Tribulation.

It is with this matter of desiring to forewarn further that I, like many, point to an interesting development on the geopolitical scene.

Emmanuel Macron, president of France, is a fascinating character, as we consider these times so near the dénouement of this Age of Grace.

His name means “God with us,” as many know. It was one of the names Bible prophets said Jesus, Himself, would be called centuries before He came to earth as a baby. This fact alone is sufficiently interesting to make a forth-telling believer focus intensely.

This man who will soon assume the presidency of the European Union, as its France’s turn, is thought by some in his orbit to be a genius who always manages to get his way. His charm, they claim, can and does disarm his enemies with relative ease.

His history, as given by some who apparently have made an in-depth study into his background, indicates a more esoteric pathway as he began his rise to power.

One report gives the view that is less than flattering to the young, mercurial French leader.

Psychiatrist Adriano Sagatori, who says he has studied the biography of the French president, described Mr. Macron as a psychopath who he said would not fight for the French people.

“Like all psychopaths, he believes in his higher purpose. Macron does not love France and will not fight for the French people,” [Sagatori said]. (“Emmanuel Macron labeled ‘psychopath who hates France’ in Russian media,” The Independent)

My friend Matt Ward, who wrote an in-depth article on the French president, reported that information he gathered presented the following conclusion by the psychiatrist.

Sagatori concludes, ominously, by summing up who he believes Macron really is clinically, in view of his psycho-social profile: “So we are confronted with three paradigms that define a certain type of personality; 1) the idea that there exist no limits; 2) a feeling of omnipotence from childhood, but even more so in adulthood; 3) a narcissism that can accurately be defined as malevolent.” (“Emmanuel Macron,” by Matt Ward, raptureready.com)

All this to say that the coming Antichrist’s shadow is already forecasting truly evil times just ahead.

Will Emmanuel Macron be that beast of Revelation 13? I don’t know. That wicked prince that shall come won’t be revealed this side of the Rapture. But looking at this man gives the believer who is a prayerful, studied observer reasonable latitude to conclude that, while we don’t know, we can’t say that we haven’t a clue.