False Christs/prophets (Matthew 24:4; 24:11):
"For many will come in my name, claiming,
'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many," "...and many false prophets will
appear and deceive many people." This sign may be fulfilled by
the proliferation of cults in our modern world; those who claim to have been
given new revelations.
Wars and
Rumors of Wars (Matthew 24:6): "Your will
hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such
things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom."
Famines (Matthew 24:7): "There will be famines...in various places."
Earthquakes (Matthew 24:7): "There will be...earthquakes in various places. All of
these are the beginning of the birth pains."
Religious persecution (Matthew 24:8):
"Then you will be handed over to be
persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of
me." There is active persecution of Christians going on all over
the world, hot spots include India, China, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Saudi
Arabia.
Increase in Wickedness (Matthew
24:12): "Because of the increase of
wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end
will be saved." Inhumanity of man towards man, genocide, mass
murder, acts of hatred and wickedness, curruption, betrayal, duplicity and
intolerance are fulfillments of this sign.
The worldwide dissemination of the Gospel (Matthew
24:14): "And this gospel of the kingdom
will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then
the end will come." The sharing of the Good News by
evangelists, missionaries, and individual witnesses, whether in person, or via
radio, TV, or the Internet, are fulfillments of this sign.
The Sign of Noah (Matthew 24:37-39):
"As it was in the days of Noah, so it will
be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people
were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day
Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the
flood came and took them all away." The rise of commercial
culture and consumer society, anything that takes up time and fills the daily
life of people to such an extent that they have little time for God and are
not aware of the signs of the Lord's return.
Signs and wonders in the heavens (Luke 21:11):
"There will be...great signs from
heaven..." Meteors, and other signs and wonders in the
skies are fulfillments of this prophecy.
Pestilence (Luke 21:11): "There will be...pestilences in various places..." The spread of diseases, viruses and plagues are clear
fulfillments of this prophecy.
Fearful Events (Luke 21:11): "There will be...fearful events..." Large scale
events which generate fear and anxiety and contribute to a general feeling
that things are out of control, events that in their severity may turn people
back to God, and the realizaiton that He is still in control. Natural
disasters, floods, tornados, cyclones, weather extremes and the rise of 24
hour coverage of "news events" may all be fulfillments of this prophecy.
Signs in the Sun, Moon, and Stars (Luke 21:25):
"There will be signs in the sun, moon and
stars." The onset of Solar Max, solar storms and flares,
variations in lunar luminosity, eclipses, and recent Hubble discoveries of new
stars and galaxies may be fulfillments of this prophecy.
Fear and Apprehension for the Future (Luke 21:26):
"Men will faint from terror, apprehensive
of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken."
This prophecy clearly suggests that people will be aware, at the end time, of
an event that will come upon the world, an event that will generate terror and
apprehension. Things upon which people had an unshakable certainty will be
shaken, causing many to fear for the future. Y2K hysteria, global warming,
species extinction, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and
similar global concerns may be fulfillment of this prophecy.
In
addition, several Tribulation
Indicatorsare
also followed, including:
The progress of the Middle East peace process
towards a final settlement or covenant (Daniel 9:27): "He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the
middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering . And on a
wing [of the temple] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation,
until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."
The
establishment of a new Jewish Temple (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15):
"So when you see standing in the holy
place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet
Daniel, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains."
The growth of world community (Revelation 11:9):
"For three and a half days men from every
people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them
burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate
by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those
who live on the earth."
Mark of the Beast - advances in biometrics and
smart card technology that would facilitate the mark of the beast (Revelation
13:16-18), the number of man, 666: "He
[the second beast] also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free
and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no
one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast
or the number of his name."
The creation of an international alliance of 10
states (Revelation 17:12-14) to empower the beast: "The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet
received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along
with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority
to the beast."
The disposition of military forces in and around
Jerusalem (Ezekiel 38:8; Zechariah 12; Luke 21:20; Revelation 19:19):
"In future years, you [Gog] will invade a
land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations
to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been
brought out from any nations, and now all of them live in safety. You and all
your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm;
you will be like a cloud covering the land."
"I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends
all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as
Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered
against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations.
All who try to move it will injure themselves...On that day, the Lord will
shield those who live in Jerusalem...On that day, I will set out to destroy
all the nations that attack Jerusalem."
"When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by
armies, you will know that its desolation is near."
"Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth
and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the
horse and his army. But the beast was captured and with him the false
prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf."