A popular view amongst skeptics is that Jesus was failed apocalyptic prophet. Their argument centers on the Olivet discourse in Mark 13:30 where Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” They contend that this means Jesus predicted his return in power prior to the death of the disciples and that since this failed to happen, Jesus is proven a false prophet. Atheist websites galore use this as a proof text. Even a few serious scholars do as well. For instance, Bart Ehrman argues:
Jesus appears to have anticipated that the coming judgment of God, to be brought by the Son of Man in a cosmic act of destruction and salvation, was imminent. It could happen at any time. But it would certainly happen within his generation.[1]
Albert Schweitzer held a similar position:
At the end of His career Jesus establishes a connection between the Messianic conception, in its final transformation, and the Kingdom, which had retained its eschatological character; He goes to His death for the Messiahship in its new significance, but He goes on believing in His speedy return as the Son of Man.[2]
These are established scholars and we must take them seriously. However, are they really being honest with the data? More so, are they accounting for all of the data or merely pulling a verse from its context because it seems to infer an error on Jesus’ part.
I was listening to Gary Habermas’ lecture on the historical Jesus and an interesting question surfaced concerning Mark 13:32,
But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Mk 13:32).
Habermas uses this verse to demonstrate that Jesus’ messianic title “Son of Man” (cf. Dan 7:13) was not added later (no one would claim Jesus was God and then add a verse claiming he did not know something). Theologically, this verse is an embarrassing detail so it has an air of authenticity.[3] But more importantly, this verse appears directly after Jesus’ alleged prediction that he would return in his own generation. Doesn’t it seem odd that Jesus would predict his return within a very narrow time frame (his own generation) and then immediately say that he did not know when it would be? Actually, it seems incoherent for a reason. The skeptics have it wrong.
Jesus did not really teach that his return would be imminent. In fact, he provided hints it would not be. In Jesus’ parable about the ten talents, which is clearly about him leaving and then returning, he includes a pertinent detail, “Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them” (Mt 25:19). The parable of the Ten Virgins is another one which is centered on Jesus’ return and it provides a similar clue, “As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept” (Mt 25:5). Craig Blomberg asks why Jesus would bother addressing so many worldly matters if he really believed as the critics suggest:
the majority of Jesus’ teaching presupposes a significant interval before the end of the world, because Christ spends much time instructing his disciples on such mundane matters as paying taxes, marriage and divorce, dealing with one’s enemies, stewardship of wealth, and so on.[4]
Jesus also implied an extended period of world evangelization, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come”( Mt 24:14). It seems absurd to argue that Jesus and the apostles would have expected world evangelization in their lifetime. This begs the question what did Jesus mean by this generation.
From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place (Mk 13:28-30).
The “these things” of v. 30 must be the same as the “these things” of v. 29, which clearly refer to signs preceding Christ’s second coming. Jesus was teaching that the generation who witnessed the signs he had previously outlined in chapter 13 would see his return. There has been no other generation in history prior to our own that has seen these signs in such abundance.
Get a signed copy of Pandemonium’s Engine here for $10.00
[1] Bart D. Ehrman, Jesus, Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium (Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA, 1999),160.
[2] Albert Schweitzer, The Quest of the Historical Jesus (Joseph Kreifels).
[3] If you are interested in how Jesus can be God and not know something, the solution lies in his two natures human and divine. Look into the two minds view here.
[4] Craig Blomberg, in Michael J. Wilkins, Jesus Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1996), 31.
About Cris Putnam
Jesus is not a false prophet, the problem is the translation, the bible was translated from Hebrew to other many languages, nobody knows for sure in what way he said that and what he meant when referring to “this generation”, maybe it was “that generation” referring to the future. Besides that he said too: that the only one who knows the time was his father, so he did not know for sure when things will take place, perhaps when he said that, he was assuming that was soon, so we shouldn’t assume that he was lying, he is real, true and all his prophecies and promises too. Don’t you see the world upside down? Come on………….don’t be blinds.
Thanks for your comment. I agree with you that Jesus was not a false prophet, that’s what this post argues. However, the NT was in Greek not Hebrew and there are no such translation issues, we can be confident that we have the original text to like 99% accuracy. If you read the post carefully the last paragraph solves the problem, the generation that sees the signs he had just listed in Mark 13 will be generation that will not pass away before he appears.
Great article! And right on! Jesus was referring to the generation that witnessed all those signs! And I agree, our generation has seen more of those signs in abundance than any other generation before us…COMBINED!
Jesus was not a false prophet. Anyone who truly studies the Bible would know that the phrase “this generation will not pass” is in reference to the end-times prophecy in Israel. It means that the generation who saw Israel become a state would not pass…according to God, a generation is 70 years…and we are at the end of that 70 years. Also, in reference to “No man knows the day or hour..” is actually speaking of the Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashana. The feast were no man knew the day or hour UNTIL they saw the new moon. Rosh Hashana begins on the new moon and last until sunset, two days later. God also told us that he gave us the sun, moon and stars for signs and seasons and that his people would know the season of Christ return… Just to clear things up a bit.
Come on staff writters. Read your Bibles. Get your facts strong straight and direct. There is too much wishy washy teaching today. People need to read the number one selling book in the history of the entire world EVERY DAY in their lives! It is nothing less than G-d’s Love Letter to the world. It is 100% TRUTH and Jesus Yeshua Is G-d Manifest In The Flesh! All of life fails without this knowledge of TRUTH!!!!!!!! Jesus Is Coming Very Soon For His Church In The Rapture! Church in the Greek is “EKLESIA” and means, “CALLED OUT GROUP” !!!!!!!!
Here Is Just One PROOF of thousands that The Holy Bible IS TRUTH!!!!!!!! For Example:>>>
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
***Reference: The Exact Date Israel Became A Nation Is Easily Calculated From The Scriptures Using Ezekiel 4:4-8 & Leviticus 26:18,21,24+28. Take The Penalty(390>Israel’s Punishment + 40>Judah’s Punishment=430 Years, Subtract 70 Years, Since These Were The Years Already Served By Israel While In Babylonian Captivity. Total Then = 360 Years. Multiply 360 Times Seven (As We Are Instructed To Do Repeatedly Here In Leviticus), Remember Our Total Is Now 2,520 Years Of Punishment Remaining For Israel. Now Add The 2,520 Years To The Year & The Month Of Nisan In Which Israel’s Babylonian Captivity By King Cyrus Ended(Nehemiah 2:1), Which Is Our Point Of Reference From The Bible. Wow, This Will Bring Us To Hebrew Year 5708 & The Exact Date Israel Became A Nation! But This Means Little To Westerners Who Go By The Gregorian Calendar. Hey. This Date Is May 14th 1948! Is-rael=Is-real !!! Jerusalem occupied by muslims 1517-1917 when General Allenby Alle-Nby took it with bi-planes Bible says “men will fly as birds over the city” 8 jubilees!!! next jubilee is exactly six day war 1967 messiah comes 10th jubilee 5777-Hebrew year 2018yr-7years (tribulation) =2011 this Rosh Hashanah!!! Yeshua said generation would not pass away that sees Israel born in 1 day a nation Psalm 90 gen=70 so 1948+70=5777 or 2018-7 trib=2011 Jesus clues us “day nor hour” & last long trump” this happens around Sept 29th Elenin backwards is Nine eleven and this 9/29 fulfills only once ever exact picture in Revelation chapter Twelve !!! BibleProvenTrue.com just ask us we have tons of proofs!!!
Micheal, who are the staff writers? I assure you there are none here. as I am a seminary student and this is my website. I am familiar with the proof you provided and I used to use it myself however I stopped when I became more educated and discovered its many problems. I do not think it is worth using as an apologetic. The biggest problem is 360 x 7 before Israel would be a sovereign nation. If you study the intertestamental period you will find that the Jews got their homeland back after the Maccabean Revolt. They rededicated the temple and that is where Hanukkah originated. Judea was freed from Seleucid rule on the death of Antiochus in 129 BC.This is called the Hasmonean period. Hasmonean rule lasted until 63 BC, when the Roman general Pompey captured Jerusalem and subjected Israel to Roman rule. Thus, your prophecy is falsified as Israel was under Jewish control from 129 BC – 63 BC.
RIDICULOUS!!! Israel & Judah was never called Israel AND born as a nation in one day and restored as a nation scattered throughout the world and brought back until our modern day!!! How on Earth can you deny TRUTH that is so significant and then attempt to throw it all on the trash heap of history when in fact the EXACT DATE comes to MAY 15th 1948!!! Don’t even attempt to throw the baby out with your bath water! Even the HEBREW language was restored to the Jews in Israel a miracle so amazing it should make your head spin!!! The Bible tells us this and even says Israel will blossom and supply fruit to the world and our troops in Iraq get their fruit from Israel and Israel supplies a Jumbo Jet full of flowers each day to the cities of Europe! Like I said we have thousands of proofs, the above just being one of them. We can calculate the exact day of Palm Sunday, (on a baby donkey Zech 9:9) the history of Jerusalem and the exact details written hundreds of years before on the sacking of Babylon etc. the Medes Persians attack…etc.etc.
Jerusalem was occupied by the muslims from 1517-1917!!! Yes!!! Exactly 8 Jubilees or 400 years!!! This was predicted by a Jewish Rabbi in 1217 named Judah Ben Samuel. The Bible tells us that closing in on the end of the age the Jews will be given visions & dreams, prophecy! Guess what? Rabbi Judah tells us the next jubilee Jerusalem will be a no man’s land and that is exactly what it was called by Jordon until 1967 when the six day war was won by Israel, EXACTLY 1 JUBILEE LATER!!! General Allenby took Jerusalem in 1917 with bi-planes which the muslims had mostly never seen. The Bible says that men will fly as birds over the Holy City!!! Wow!!! General Allenby had the pilots throw out flyers over the city warning the muslims to flee. (The muslims had threatened to fight to the last drop of their blood) The muslims fled without a shot being fired since they misread
the flyer as meaning Prophet of God instead of Allenby “Alle-NBY” Now Judah says that the 10th jubilee starts the messianic age which is 2018. Subtract 7 for tribulation and you get 2011! Take the words of Jesus who said in answer to the Apostles question, “When would He come to rule & reign?” and Jesus says that when Israel becomes a nation, that generation that sees that will not pass away before everything happens. A generation it says in psalm 90 is “70 years and then we fly away.” So take 1948 + 70 =2018 -7(trib)=2011 Hundreds more similar calculations at BibleProvenTrue.com
I’m sorry but it’s not ridiculous. If it were as simple as you think it is then more people would believe it. It’s just not convincing. If the premise of the prophecy is correct they were to be punished for 360 X 7. They weren’t. They were reborn as a nation for a brief period in 129 BC its a historical fact. Read about it here. Like I said I use to use it myself but I no longer do because it is dubious and contrived. No serious scholar uses it. I am a believer in Bible prophecy and I spend a great deal of studying it and writing about it.Date setting has 100% failure rate and where will your faith be when the tribulation does not start in 2011? I hope you will develop your passion for the Bible by doing some hard work and study.
BTW I do believe that the nation in a day was fulfilled in 1948 along with others, I just dispute the mathematical gymnastics.
So here we are in Jan of 2015 and not one sign of a 7-year Great Tribulation, or an antichrist ruling the world or even Europe, or a Revived Roman empire of ten nations (ten-toed statue of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream which Daniel interpreted for him). So please try to make me believe we are 4 years into the Great Tribulation right now and the antichrist is about to receive a deadly head wound which he will miraculously recover from and then march into the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (land still occupied by the Dome of the Rock and in Palestinian hands) and declare himself to be worshipped as God (“so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he IS God” (2Thessalonians 2:4).
I hope you’re beginning to realize that all that End Times stuff in “Left Behind” is pure bunk and there is no prophecy awaiting fulfillment. It all ended in 70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem.
In these days we are living as Noah days.Time is running out.He is shacking the world.I agree with Mr Michael J Surwin for what he said.
BRAVO SOUHEIL for not joining Cris in the theatre of the absurd! I have studied the Holy Bible for more than forty years. If the Lord should tarry it is not because He is slow but long suffering! Praise Yeshua whether He comes this Rosh Hashanah or next. The more time to spread the Good News and counter all this Laodicean slothfulness in the Church today. This insane replacement theology the Holy Father adheres to. We have predicted years in advance in newspapers who the Pope would be and then the Holy father picked my very close friend of over forty years to take over his own top position at the Vatican. (Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith-Cardinal William J Levada) So since you have been so kind in responding >***+++I will be extra kind and give you another top secret classified revelation. >>>
JUST AS YESHUA (JESUS) CAME TO EARTH THE FIRST TIME EXACTLY AS PREDICTED IN DANIEL 9 AND NEHEMIAH 2:1-9, HERE IT SAYS “483 YEARS AFTER ARTAXERXES GIVES THE DECREE TO REBUILD JERUSALEM, (ON A BABY DONKEY ZECH 9:9) YESHUA (JESUS) YOUR KING WILL COME”. YES. THIS IS NONE OTHER THAN THE FIRST EVER PALM SUNDAY PREDICTED TO THE EXACT DAY. NOW GUESS WHAT? THE SECOND AND FINAL TIME YESHUA COMES MAY WELL ALSO COINCIDENTLY BE “483 YEARS” AFTER “SULEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT” REBUILT THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM IN 1535. *(SEARCH IT, TO PROVE HISTORIC FACTS) WOW, THIS IS AMAZING. THE SAME “483 YEARS AFTER” WILL PUT US IN THE YEAR 5777 (2018)
+++ Did you know that Suleiman The Magnificent, besides rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, also sealed up the Eastern gate exactly as it is prophesied in the Holy Bible in Ezekiel 44:1-3 ? This is the same Eastern gate which Jesus entered on Palm Sunday on a donkey(Zech 9:9). The Jews also found in Scripture that the Eastern gate, sealed up now for nearly 500 years, will not be opened again until Messiah enters Jerusalem through this gate! The Scriptures tell us this Eastern gate will blow out as Jesus enters Jerusalem through this gate a second time in triumph, this time on a white horse, right after landing on the Mount Of Olives at His second coming!!! So the math above is really significant & fits into God’s plan even more than we could have imagined!!!
+++ Plus world population hits seven billion this year!
God’s perfect number!>>>
more amazing information at BibleProvenTruedotcom
This is a common misconception. When He says ‘but of that day and hour, no man knoweth, not me….’, he’s referring to when Heaven and Earth pass away. He’s jumping forward to AFTER the millennial reign and last judgement. Heaven and Earth don’t pass away till then.
If you want to see a great expose of ‘when is tribulation’, check out “Daniel’s Timeline End Times Prophecy by Dewey Bruton on the tube. I learned a lot.
Rain, That really doesn’t make sense to me and here is why. You have to keep the overall context of the passage in mind. Jesus is answering the disciples question. “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”(Mk 13:4) If he were jumping forward to after the millennial reign then we would know they day. You could just add 1000 years to the dawn of the millennium and that’s when you would expect it. I think it is pretty clear that he is taking about his return.
Jesus says we the church are His bride. Would a groom not first pull his bride aside before a big brawl Jesus says the tribulation will be the worst time ever in the past or ever again in the future. He has promised that we will “ESCAPE” His words, the wrath of God coming upon the world. Greek word here is EKPHUEGO meaning to be taken out of a time & place. As for the timing of the rapture. I understand what you are saying but know this>Jesus was giving us a clue when He said no man knows the day nor hour The feast of Rosh Hashanah IS CALLED THE FEAST WHERBY NO MAN KNOWS THE DAY NOR THE HOUR did you know this??? Of course not. Unless you are an orthodox Jew. This Jewish Feast, get this, is also the feast where they blow the last trump very long! Amazing! Now the U.N. is voting against God in the most amazing way in New York in a few days. God has said that at the end of the age all the nations would come against Israel trying to divide the land He has given them, after He brings them back from all over the Earth and revives their dead language Hebrew. It is all there. I could go on and on… Israel at the end of the age will supply fruit to the world and even our troops in Afghanistan get their fruit from Israel!!! Elenin backwards is nine eleven and on 9/11 Comet Elenin was closest to the sun…weird since that is the 10th anniversary of the attack on US soil. Even Hawaii was not a state until 1959. So WWII Pearl Harbor was not technically US soil. Why did God remove his hand of protection? Perhaps because of Genesis 12:3. I will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse it. Bush tried to divide the land as is this now Obama-nation plan to go back to pre 1967 attack lines. Oh there is a Rapture and it is fast appraoching! I can almost hear the Footsteps of the Messiah!!!!!!!!
Looks like Elenin is a big fail for 9/29 Michael; I hope you will repent now.
Sorry Cris, didn’t mean to step on your toes. I have done at least a hundred blogs today and missed the direction of this one. I see you agree with me. Sorry again. I just think that the calculation for Israel and all of these proofs are really great and need to be used. Remember many of the Jews never returned from Babylon in disobedience and so the REAL FINAL NATION OF ISRAEL WOULD NOT COME ABOUT UNTIL MAY 15TH 1948 AND THE PUNISHMENT HAS CONTIUED ON AND OFF IN INTENSITY EVER SINCE. SO TERRIBLE THE PUNISHMENT FOR THE JEWS OVER ALL OF HISTORY. SO MUCH SO THE JEWS HAVE HAD TO CONTINUALLY SAY AT PASSOVER, “NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM”
THE G-D OF IS-RAEL = IS-REAL !!!!!!!! MARANATHA LORD YESHUA !!!!!!!! PRAISE JESUS !!!!!!!!
Michael,
I am on your side in that I do believe in Bible prophecy and I do believe that we near the return of Christ. However, I do have a problem with the calculation you are using to reach May 14, 1948. I even made a you tube video one time showing all the math because i believed it. The problems are numerous. You just stated they were “gathered in disobedience” after Babylon, I assure you they are gathered in disobedience now as well. Jews do not like missionaries carrying the Gospel in Israel today: I assure you. They deny Jesus. Furthermore, the whole scenario doesn’t work because they did regain national sovereignty in 129 BC. It looks impressive I know but it was completely contrived by Grant Jeffery (I think he came up with it). The fact that the Jews are returning and became a Nation in 1948 is enough you don’t need the contrived mathematics.If we want to use prophecy as a proof pick something better because it just increases skepticism to use something so dubious and easy to debunk. Also please be careful about date setting, it always leads to error. Please look at this article at Rapture Ready.
Chris, this is 4 years late (2015) but I would like to point out that the generation that saw the birth of Israel in 1948 is long gone in Biblical terms. What is a generation? Is it 40 years, or 70? If it’s 70 then we should have entered the Tribulation by now (2018-7=2011) or is a Biblical generation now 100 years (a ‘first’ in Biblical interpretation).
I think it’s time to admit that all prophecy was fulfilled in 70 AD and the rise of Israel in 1948 was just an anomaly Biblically speaking. It could fall and rise a dozen times between now and the end of the world and this would have nothing to do with writings in the Bible.
J A C K ! ! ! WAKE UP !!! (Romans 13:11) It is all just about to happen ! Thanks Jack for fulfilling the “SCOFFER” prophecy in the Bible just before the Return Of Christ in the Air to meet his EKKLESIA (Church=”called out group”) (1Thes 4:17) It is The End Of The Age As We Know It !!! The Signs are too numerous !!! We now approach The End of the Shemitah!!! The End of the Tetrad Blood Moons!!! The End of the Jesus / Yeshua Fig Tree, Israel Re-Birth May 14th 1948, 70 Year Psalm 90, Luke 21 & Matthew 24, Generational Countdown Prophecy !!! The End of the Rabbi Judah Ben Samuel Jubilee Countdown Prophecy !!! The End of the Daniel 9, 483 year, Suleiman The Magnificent / Palm Sunday, Repeat Countdown Prophecy !!! The End of the Papal Line of Succession, Saint Malachy & Nostradamus Prophecies !!! The End of the Goen Vilna Prophecies !!! Etc.!!! ALL SIGNS ARE APPEARING!!! BE RAPIEMUR / HARPAZO / “CAUGHT UP” / RAPTURE READY!!! (1Thes 4:13-) (1Cor 15:50) (Luke 21:36) (John 14:1-3) http://www.ThereisProof.com
Yes, and there’s yet a lote that will tickle your mind, here, toibry.blog.com
Anyone who thinks Jesus was talking about His day, is a fool! He is clearly talking about the future!! The “this” in His statement isn’t incorrect usage either, as the “this” is referring to the subject, not the people He is talking to.
And by the way Evangelists declared a year or two ago that they have reached all the earth with the Message of the Gospel.
Therefore, the end is now (and/or in the very near future). The generation of 1948!
Dave, which evangelists were those? No missions organization I know of would say such a thing because 40% of the world is still classified as unreached. Please take a look around this sight. Joshua Project The church still has a lot of work to do. Please support missions and translation efforts! You can sign up on my Mocha Club team and for $7 a month make an impact in Africa its on the left sidebar.
The term “this generation” implies to the descendants of the jewish people. That a remnant of them will be present before the imminent return of Jesus Christ.. There are 10 % sefardic Jews left who are the real descendants of the Biblical jews. 90 % of the jewish population in the world today are inadopted Khazar people.
Sorry but the Khazar theory has been thoroughly debunked as essentially tricking well meaning Christians to be anti-semetic. Please watch this.
Much confusion would be averted if people would take the time to look up the definitions of the English words in the Bible instead of believing they already understand what they mean.
If you will take a Strong’s Concordance and look “behind” the English word “generation” in this passage, you will see the Greek word that should be translated as – “ethnic group”. Jesus didn’t say everything would happen during that particular generation, but instead He said that there would still be Hebrew (Israeli, Jewish) people present when all this happened.
Talmid, you are correct that it could mean that but not necessarily….
Oh contrare You need to repent. The rapture may happen as you type. The Lord’s return in the air is quite imminent.
Did you know that G-d has used comets many times as huge signs of war etc. It is a warning that something very big is about to happen. These next two weeks are especially times we need to be rapture ready.
Did you know that the Jewish feasts of Yom Kippur and Sukkot are also very near. Oct 6th I believe. Why is this significant? Because here at this feast they also blow the trumpet very long and it is the only time in the year that the priest can enter the Holy of Holies!!! Think of it. We are all called priests in the Bible who believe in Yeshua…a holy people…when the rapture occurs we are ushered into the presence of Almighty G-d, The Lord of lords and The King of kings!!! I like that kind of analogy…foreshadowing…it says to me GET READY!!! PRAISE G-D THE RAPTURE OF HIS EKLESIA CHURCH “CALLED OUT GROUP” IS VERY NEAR!!!!!!!! EVEN AT THE DOOR!!!!!!!! I CAN ALMOST HERE THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE MESSIAH!!!!!!!!
Please sell your season tickets to this theatre of the absurd that you insist on attending and get outside and tell the lost about Jesus!!!!!!!! Time is very short!!!!!!!! Eternity is forever!!!!!!!!
Michael, 9/29 came and went and you have been proven wrong. Again… It is far from clear that the rapture is even pretribulational. Many sincere Christian scholars think otherwise. To do as you are doing is a disservice to the body of Christ. Even so, I will concede that the rapture could occur at any moment but that does not excuse alarmist date setting and misrepresenting God’s word with prophecies using unresearched history and contrived maths. Intelligent educated people see right through your “proofs” because you are uneducated and you do not see the many holes and errors in them. I am a Christian apologist and what your are doing horrifies me. What you are doing has the opposite effect you intend. It’s makes Christianity look foolish.
Read about the death and mayhem your sort of nonsense has caused.
It is not the first time in history the link at the top of my post proves that! You really have no idea what you are talking about.
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mk 13:32)
Today 9/29/11 for the first time ever in history, the image/picture of the celestial heavens which are described in detail in Revelation chapter 12 have been fulfilled!!!!!!!! Now with this sign in the Heavens made…what will happen??? Rapture, War War III, Disasters, Political Earthquakes leading up to the Tribulation??? Only G-d knows, but we are constantly warned by Yeshua, TO WATCH!!! BE RAPTURE READY!!!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3DvFkY8bnA&feature=player_detailpage >WATCH Video-Never Before/After Event In History!!! (If Link Does Not Work>Just Copy & Paste Into Your Browser)
Comet Elenin=”nine” -backwards and nearly “eleven” 9/11/11 YES!!! The 10 year anniversary of the first ever attack on U.S. soil!!! Hawaii was not a state until 1959. Comet Elenin’s closest approach to the Sun was on 9/11!!! The Heavenly Sign of Revelation Ch 12 is on Feast Of Trumpets!!! Today!!! 9/29/11!!! Too weird to have these signs on such amazing dates and cause the image given in Revelation Chapter 12 to be drawn only today in our heavens with Sun, Stars, Moon, Planets & comet. God is clearly warning us that time is very short. The signs are tooooo numerous and are all around us.
“AFTER TWO DAYS HE WILL RAISE US UP TO LIVE IN HIS SIGHT.” HOSEA 6:2 THE BIBLE TELLS US A DAY IS A THOUSAND YEARS AND A THOUSAND YEARS A DAY. PETER CONFIRMS THIS IN HIS LETTER. JESUS YESHUA HAS BEEN GONE NEARLY TWO THOUSAND YEARS.(HIS ASCENSION) NOW THE RAPTURE IS NEXT!!!!!!!!
Watch Watch Watch!!! Jesus says over & over again to watch! He commands us to know when the Rapture is near even at the door!!! Even Saint Paul says that for those watching, it will not catch us by surprise (1Thes5:1-5)
Are you watching todays news???
Now with Webster’s Dictionary stating that Damascus is the oldest known continually inhabited city in world history, we know that Isaiah 17, the total destruction of Damascus in one night that will forever make it a city no more, must be future. So with President Assad now swearing to rain missiles of mass destruction down on Tel Aviv if Turkey should attack or even if Israel shall attack Iran’s nuclear program, isn’t it obvious??? I mean the IAEA just said that Iran has bought detonators & such equipment in which the only practical use is nuclear weapons. It is all just too darn obvious. Just like Hitler, he spoke plainly about his plans, and so now does Achmadenejad, so why do we all ignore that these are the End Times???
It could all come down in minutes and that means the Rapture is more then imminent!!! It may well be very near!!!
Michael, just a couple weeks ago you were swearing the rapture was September 28. You have now joined the hall of disgrace along with Harold Camping. I am marking your other 3 comments as spam.
Would you like some EGGS with that S P A M ????????? Tomorrow is Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot!!! I think the RAPTURE of the Overcomers in the Church is MANANA !!! KEEP WATCHING !!! KEEP LOOKING UP !!! YOUR SALVATION DRAWETH NEIGH !!!!
THE LAST WORD
“when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.”(Dt 18:22)
Looooooks like Cris spoke tooooo sooooon again!!!!! The Feast Of Tabernacles lasts three more days. So be Rapture ready Today!!!! Lest you become a scoffer and be left behind!!!
THE LAST WORD….. (Cris, The proof & great news of the pre-trib rapture should never make a believer afraid??? Saint Paul says, Comfort one another with these words. This is the Good news!!! Jesus died and is Coming again First in the rapture for His Ecclesia His Called out Group His Church! Comfort one another with these words!
The rapture is not just imminent it is close, near, all the signs are appearing. Even Bash A Sad Ass at the Dam Ass Cus=Bashar Assad in Damascus has now threatened the destruction of Tel Aviv over seven times in just the last two weeks!!! Wow!!! Isaiah 17 tells us that in one evening Damascus will no longer ever be a city again!!! Wow!!! Webster’s dictionary tells us that Damascus is the oldest known from ancient times continually lived in city!!! So we know this prophecy is yet future!!! Three times last week Netanyahu warned Assad, Hezbollah, Hamas, that if just one missile were shot at Tel Aviv (Israel’s most important city of commerce-Warren Buffet recently put in a multi billion dollar facility etc.) “If just one missile hits Tel Aviv, Damascus will be the first to go! Wow Wow Wow!!!!!!!! Isaiah 17 is being read like a script!!! Psalm 83 is being read like a script, The Bible warns the enemies of Israel will say, “Let us go and cut them off forever that the name of Israel be no more remembered!” AchMADinejad has already read this script several times!!!!! He has memorized the lines of the end of the age play. No Cris! No false prophet here! These are the Words of the Lord straight out of the Holy Bible!!! Read it and live. BE RAPTURE READY TODAY!!!!!!!! Enjoy your Sunday afternoon.
THE LAAAAAST WORD !!!!!
Fair enough, then in 3 days admit to the world you are a false prophet.
Cris Cris Cris PLLLEEEEAAAASSSSEEEE PLEASE Wake Up!!! The Signs are all here!!! Did you know that 2011 & 2012 are both Hebrew year 5772. Yes!!! The Hebrew calendar overlaps the Gregorian calendar. So it could be next year 2012, that is still Hebrew year 5772!!! The longer the Lord tarries the more time for us to spread the Good News that Jesus Yeshua is coming again very soon in the Rapture of His overcomers, His believers in The Church. We do not want to be scoffers!!! We must warn the people that to miss the Rapture means one would be stuck here on Earth to suffer what Jesus Yeshua call the worst time ever in history before or ever will be. So Be Rapture Ready Today and keep your lamp full! Don’t miss the Rapture For The World. This World is passing away!!! Join Jesus & His New Heaven & New Earth after His thousand year reign on Earth!!! REPENT OF YOUR FOOLISHNESS!!! YOUR SCOFFING!!! Did you even think that next passover Jesus could restart the 70th week of Daniel right where He left off when He was cut off at the Crucifixion!!! Did you even think of that???
SPEEEEEEKING OF DANIEL!!! THIS IS ANOTHER PROOF WE ARE AT THE END OF THE AGE!!!
Remember the Bible in Daniel predictes the end of the age and it tells us we are there! The dream of the image is clearly the empires that would exist! In Babylon there was gold everywhere-in the ornate palaces, the worship places, and the ubiquitous shrines. Even the walls were overlaid with what was then the most precious substance in existence. Read Daniel & see King Nebuchadnezzar was told that all this gold would one day be swept away by a second kingdom, the kingdom of Medo-Persia.
This later became a historic fact when the two disparate cultures-the Medes and the Persians-united in 550 B.C. under one king to form a great world power. This was the “silver” part of the statue and a proper representation of the Medo-Persian empire since the Medes and Persians based their partnership on the power of money collected through an elaborate system of taxation paid in silver.
Medo-Persia broke the “head of gold.” Because God’s Word speaks only the truth, we should not be surprised to note that Daniel’s prophecy became reality when Medo-Persia brought Babylon to its knees in military defeat in 539 B.C.
The element bronze later became a characterization of the Greek empire, primarily because the Greeks used it extensively as the material for their weapons of war. Daniel foresaw that Greece would one day “bear rule over all the earth” (2:3 9). History shows that Greece did dominate the world of its day. The kingdom of Alexander the Great encompassed much more of the known world than Babylon or Medo-Persia ever did.
After the world-dominating empire of bronze another empire would arise-a fourth kingdom composed of two legs of iron. This kingdom would be Rome with its “two legs” representing the expansive empires of the Western Roman Empire, headquartered in Rome, and the Eastern Roman Empire, with the cosmopolitan city of Constantinople as its capital. This empire also would fall. The great historian Edward Gibbon powerfully describes it in his work entitled The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. However, just before Christ returns, this empire will revive as the iron mixed with clay begins to wiggle in the form of ten toes.
Only God could have given Daniel the wisdom to know what is now becoming reality for us who live in the beginning days of the twenty-first century. According to Daniel, the final revival of the Roman Empire would be comprised of a confederation of ten regions, which would finally lead to a new world order encompassing the globe . Why would they come together? For monetary and military security and strength-something we’re already seeing as the European Union moves ahead with such plans at break-neck speed. Thus, Nebuchadnezzar’s image with ten toes pictured the revival and conclusion of the Roman Empire.
Note the gradual deterioration of the metals in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream: from gold to silver to bronze to iron to clay, a clear demonstration that as history marches on, men and their cultures become increasingly corrupt. Tregelles is a scholar who has called attention to the decreasing “specific gravity” of each of these metals: For example, the specific gravity of gold is 19; silver, 11; brass, 8.5; cast iron, 7.8; mixture of iron and clay, 1.93.
The world in which you and I live-the world of the fourth and revived fifth kingdom as prophesied by Daniel-is going to get much much worse after the rapture of the overcomers in the believing church, right up to the moment that the great stone breaks the feet of the image. That stone is Jesus Christ, who becomes a mountain and fills the entire earth.
“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (2:44).
The Ten Toes Begin to Wiggle
The entire end-time message is predicted here in the Book of Daniel thousands of years, in some instances, before the actual historical events occurred-just as Rabbi Shvili in 1935 suggested in his book, Reckoningsof Redemption. How could Daniel know this? Because God, historically, has chosen to reveal His secrets through spirit-anointed prophets.
Let’s bring Daniel’s prophecy even closer to home. There was a long interval between the time when Rome’s power began to wane and fall-around 476 A.D.-and the year 1947 when the “ten toes” ; of the statue began to wiggle. First of all, Benelux met in that year-Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg- creating the first three members of the confederation. In 1957, three additional nations met with the countries of Benelux- Italy, France, and Germany-for a total of six, ratified by the Treaty of Rome.
Little by little, in our daily newspapers, we see a revival of the Roman Empire just as Daniel predicted. The time that Daniel prophesied is here. We are living in the latter days, and Jesus is coming soon.
I’m awake and I am ready for the Lord to return. I am not scoffing at the Lord’s soon return but I am scoffing at your poor exegesis and your consistent flow of false prophecies and failed dates that discredit the Christian faith and turn it into a side show. You put a stumbling block in the way of serious evangelism. You really need to take the log out of your own eye brother.
BTW you agreed to admit you were a false prophet after 3 days on the 16th.
Hi Cris,
Please see my examination of NT passages in the Gospels and the Letters and Revelation that all agree their author’s thought the final judgment of the world was not far off,
THE LOWDOWN ON GOD’S SHOWDOWN
it’s online, free viewing at The Secular Web
The Palestinian terror group, said that the Jihadist movement is loyal to Palestinian principles in its policy of terrorism against the Jews until Israel ceases to exist and said that any offer by the PA President Mahmoud Abbas to establish a Palestinian state, even with temporary borders, is rejected by Hamas.
In Genesis 27, the account of Jacob stealing the birthright and blessing from Esau reveals that Esau then made a pledge to kill Jacob. History down through 4000 years has revealed to us the conflict continues even until today with Jacob, the Jewish people of today, and Esau, the Palestinian people of today, still in that conflict of 4000 years. Bible prophecy foretold of this conflict during the end times. Ezekiel, the ancient Jewish prophet, wrote that the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, the Palestinian people today, would want to kill the Jews, the descendants of Jacob, and then take the land that God had given to them, Ezekiel 35.
The Hamas plan to eliminate the Jewish state of Israel is indeed a page out of Bible prophecy, Bible prophecy that will be fulfilled soon, perhaps this 11/11/11 with the U.N. vote on a Palestinian State! Be Rapture Ready! Isaiah 17 the oracle of Dam As Cus is very close to being fulfilled. President A Sad As Bash ar is losing and continually promises to attack Tel Aviv. Israel has responded that they would destroy Dam As Cus if they attempted that! Syria has WMD’s and may even have Sad Dam Insane’s WMD’s. Iran is reading the script of Psalm 83>”Cast them off from being a nation” Israel is back in its land and all 14 nations surrounding Israel mentioned in the Bible are all back in place in just the last 70 years. Nuclear weapons are being developed, technology explodes, travel booms, Hebrew is restored, never will the jews be removed again, Hitler failed, fruit and flowers flourish in Israel, yes all the signs are in. The stage is really set for the first time in history. No one cares that all through history they thought the Lord would return in their day! The time is now! The rapture to be imminent must be just that. Can happen at any time>>>so they were correct to think it might happen in their lifetime…but now the signs are all in…even the signs of armageddon…iran has subs that will cruise off the coast of America…Korea is testing nukes..Iran will be ready soon…the world population just hit 7 billion…the Bible says “WAKE UP” Romans13:11
Cris, I am working on the rebuttal to that boobtube video you sent me. Although no one has all Truth…this guy is really just like a Harold Camping…a false profit who has made a JFK conspiracy type video with no true arguments..he just tries to make connections that just do not work and are not arguments. He has missed the Bible’s Fullness of TRUTH. The bread and wine have Yeshua’s DNA read John chapter 6 be wary of John6:66 don’t leave TRUTH! Mary is Full of GRACE FULL FULL the angels says In Mexico they were doing human sacrifices!!! It is common in ancient human culture since man wants to put his sin on someone-natural- but after Mary appeared MILLIONS CHOSE JESUS AND no more pagen sacrifices. Mary is infinitely below Almighty God Yet Genesis says no sin will touch her. “I will put Enmity betweeen you and the Woman-Yes the Woman Jesus said is your mother from the cross! Behold your mother!” Mary passes all the tests of spirits proclaiming Jesus King of kings…The Church has cast off thousands of appearances and has only accepted the obvious. Mary showed up in France and later Fatima and it was on the front page…70,000 witnesses..even atheists converted to Jesus and wrote about it! She said Rusia would spread errors throughout the world but would be converted and this has happend…millions have been baptised after the fall of USSR…Come out of HER is the pagen system not the Universal church catholic=universal Peter is burried under the Vatican even Constatine has written about it. Historic proof is everywhere!!! Jesus said that Peter men will take you were you do not want to go you will stretch out your hands…Jesus denoted the manner in which Peter would die and Glorify God He was crucified upside down…don’t even attempt to change history…never sin against the Holy Spirit be extremely cautious and don’t be fooled by chareltons>>> YBIC Michael
Micheal I thought you agreed that you would admit to being a false prophet when your last rapture prediction failed.
Testing Test to see if not blocked….”The angel said in the bible, “All generations will call her blessed” Hail Mary Full Of Grace>>>God made Adam & Eve without sin>>>He certainly can and did do it again!!! The Bible tells us the TRUTH. Jesus was not inside a woman with sin…that was Jesus’ tabernacle!!! Did Mary give birth in pain…perhaps not…Revelation also denotes Israel…I will counter the boobtube video point by point but I am giving you just a sample of the arguments for TRUTH. Another example >If Mary was burried why would not the place be ever spoken of??? Ridiculous the whole world would know the spot… this man’s logic is poor and the attempt at trickery is sad to try to prove his thoughtless points…testing testing>>>
YBIC
Michael yES MY EMAIL ADDRESS IS BLOCKED SO I HAD TO USE MY SONS TESTING AGAIN>>>
Admit to false prophet??? Oh ! Sorry! I forgot Cris has season tickets to the theatre of the absurd!
I am following Biblical orders! I must be a watchman on the wall. Woe to him who sees danger and fails to warn the people! It is a requirement that one who knows, warn the people, lest we be at fault. But since we warn of the quickley impending end of the age, we have avoiding the stern hand of G-d. Wake up Cris!!! (Romans 13:11)
Rapture may well be 11/11/11>>>world day of prayer and a UN vote on a Palestinian state!!! All the signs are fitting into place. President A SAD ASS of Syria is threatening to destroy Tel Aviv nearly every day! Bibi said if he even attempts it DAM ASS CUS will be destroyed>>>that is exactly what Isaiah 17 SAYS!!! WOW!!! WOW !!! WOW!!! AND NOW IT IS JUST ABOUT TO HAPPEN>>>>>>
Word from EVERYWHERE is that the global derivative implosion has begun and THERE IS NO STOPPING IT NOW!
It is now out in the open with MF Global and the dominoes are falling fast.
Here’s the latest from Zerohedge.com:
Panic Behind The MF Scenes As Company Refuses To Disclose Information To Regulators Even In Death
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/panic-behind-mf-scenes-company-refuses-disclose-information-regulators-even-death
“Whatever MF is hiding is not something that will hurt it or much less its stakeholders for which the management team obviously never cared one iota. After all the company is already dead. Whatever is on its books has huge impacts to those either behind the corporate veil, read Mr. Corzine, who may or may not have regulatory issues arising from 10(b)-5 “concerns”, or more probably, to other banks and Primary Dealers.”
And there will be more…MANY MORE! The Quadrillion dollar derivative mess is unraveling as we speak. Time to get your last pennies out of the bank…if you still can. Buy Gold & Silver and be RApture Ready!!! That is advice from SURWIN and it is a sure win!!! WIN WIN >RAPTURE and WIN >DELAY and WIN >Since you will have a fortune to help the poor and spread the GOOD NEWS while everyone is panicking!!! These are the most exciting times in the history of the world!!! BE RAPTURE READY AND READY TO SERVE BIG TIME!!!
We will kick ourselves for believing that paper and electronic blips were REAL assets. HA! And you thought those tulip bubble people were delusional…at least they ended up with nice gardens!
THE European implosion can happen at any moment followed quickly by the US implosion. When this is over those with money “in the system” will end up with NOTHING! REVELATION CLEARLY SAYS THAT I ADVISE YOU TO BUY GOLD REFINED IN THE FIRE! WE PREDICTED IN OUR FOUR FULL PAGE FRONT NEWS SECTION AD WHO THE POPE WOULD BE TWO YEARS IN ADVANCE AND WE WERE CORRECT!!! THEN CARDINAL RATZINGER PICKED OUR GOOD FRIEND OF OVER FORTY YEARS TO TAKE OVER HIS OWN POSITION OF OVER 23 YEARS TO HEAD THE VATICAN AND IT HAS NEVER BEEN AN AMERICAN TO THIS POSITION(PREFECT OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH). WE ALSO TOLD EVERYONE TO BUY SILVER WHEN IT WAS JUST $4.40 PER OUNCE IN THAT SAME AD!!! WE AQUIRED WELL OVER A MILLION OUNCES AND NOW TAKE OUR OWN ADVISE, USING IT TO BUILD CHURCHES FEED THE POOR AND SPREAD THE GOSPEL THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
All the pieces are in place. WE THE PEOPLE are ready to kick the banksters to the side of the Road! STAND UP SERVE JESUS YESHUA THE CHRIST AND BE RAPTURE READY TODAY!!!!!!!! 888 !!!!!!!! 888 !!!!!!!! 888
All the best to you and yours. YBIC,
Michael, Zenaida, Elizabeth Justin & Joseph
You really need to lay off the all caps, it’s just silly.
Hi Cris,
You might find my view interesting – that Jesus intended to return within his hearers’ lifetimes, but that doesn’t make him ‘wrong’. The post where I talk about this is from November, I think, on my blog.
Just another example of the wishy washy prophecies that hucksters like Jesus proclaimed. There will be wars and rumors of wars, natural disasters, etc. There’s a reason that every generation that believed this garbage thought that they were the last generation. Vague/universal prophecies that come true in every generation.
James – Jesus made quite a specific prophecy, actually, that the temple would be destroyed: this happened in 70 AD, within his disciples’ lifetimes, as predicted. And for those, like myself, convinced by the evidence for the resurrection, there’s another fulfilled prediction that He made. That other aspects of His prophecy were not fulfilled with in the original timetable given (due, in my opinion, to His limited knowledge of how big the world was and therefore how long it would take to reach all nations), is not a problem when the partial nature of prophecy is considered across the canon as a whole. You might like to take a look at the posts on the subject on my blog.
James! Wake up and smell the coffee! As the signs become enormous you are still blind! The Bible even warns that at the End of the Age people like you will sqwauk that everything goes on just like always and where is the promise of His coming? No reasonable person can be living in our modern day and come to such foolish conclusions! Be Rapture Ready Today! if you cling to your current beliefs you will miss the Rapture of the Believing Church. “Church” in Greek is “Ekklesia” and means “Called Out Group” As Watchmen on the wall, we must warn you NOT to take the Mark of the Beast. Many Laugh at this surreal idea, but it is all too real! The Bible has warned us 2000 years in advance that just after the Rapture a One World Government would come into power with the Antichrist ruling. He will demand that every single person must worship him in order to receive a mark, without which no one can buy or sell! Note that the mark has to do with 666. Many in history thought this Prophecy was ridiculous! Millions who read Revelation for nearly 2000 years were quite confused as to its possible meaning! BUT NOW! NOW it is just about here! Just Search, “RFID ink Tattoos” and see. These RFID Marks are very close to the technology the Bible has been warning us about for nearly two thousand years. These Ink Tattoo Marks can open a car door, turn on a computer, charge merchandise etc. Amazing! Why do you think so many people all of a sudden are getting tattoos and piercings. It is an End of The Age Sign! The Modern Culture is getting everyone onboard, making this a common place custom! These people the Bible says will readily receive the Mark. The Antichrist will do signs and wonders which will cause the people to be amazed! The Bible warns us that those who miss the Rapture, those who absolutely refused to believe in Jesus Yeshua, the Author of Peace, Love & TRUTH, those people will now amazingly, quickly and readily, foolishly, believe in THE LIE and follow the Antichrist! The signs are all about you. I really don’t know how you cannot see it.
Allow me to share with you just one of hundreds of proofs>>> PROOF>The Exact Date Israel Became A Nation Is Easily Calculated From The Scriptures Using Ezekiel 4:4-8 & Leviticus 26:18,21,24+28. Take The Penalty(390>Israel’s Punishment + 40>Judah’s Punishment=430 Years, Subtract 70 Years, Since These Were The Years Already Served By Israel While In Babylonian Captivity. Total Then = 360 Years. Multiply 360 Times Seven (As We Are Instructed To Do Repeatedly Here In Leviticus since 90% of the Jews rebelled against God failing to return to Jerusalem). Remember Our Total Is Now 2,520 Years Of Punishment Remaining For Israel. Now Add The 2,520 Years To The Year & The Month Of Nisan In Which Israel’s Babylonian Captivity By King Cyrus Ended(Nehemiah 2:1), Which Is Our Point Of Reference From The Bible. Wow, This Will Bring Us To Hebrew Year 5708 & The Exact Date Israel Became A Nation! But This Means Little To Westerners Who Go By The Gregorian Calendar. Hey. This Date Is May 14th 1948! So Jesus said the generation that sees Israel=Is-Real become a nation will not pass away untill everything happens! Psalm 90 says we live 70 years and then fly away! 1948 + 70=2018-19 subtract 7 for tribulation and you get this coming Rosh Hashanah!!! BE RAPTURE READY TODAY!!! WARN YOU LOVED ONES! USE FACE BOOK, EMAIL, TWITTER, BING TRANSLATION, ETC. GET MOVING AND WARN THE WORLD TIME IS VERY VERY SHORT! THE RAPTURE IS VERY SOON! PRAISE YESHUA JESUS THE CHRIST KING OF kINGS AND LORD OF lORDS!!!
Oh what the Heck! I have time tonight James, Chris & Benjamin, so I will GIFT you with SEVEN CORRECTLY PREDICTED BIBLICAL FACTS about the End of The Age in which we live. Yes, James, Chris & Benjamin Smith, here is TOTAL INDISPUTABLE PROOF we are Now living in the Most Exciting Time in All of World History & The Holy Bible Is TRUTH!!!>>>
1) The Holocaust and the Re-Emergence of Israel
One of the preeminent signs of the end of the age is the Jewish survival of the Holocaust and the re-emergence of the nation of Israel as a Jewish state.
Over 2,600 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel foretold these events:
“Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones – all hope is gone.’ Now give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 37:11-13
As God says, the bones in Ezekiel 37 represent the people of Israel – otherwise known as the Jews.
Following the first century Roman conquest of the Holy Land, the Jews were banished from the land of Israel. The Romans renamed the area Palestine, and exiled its people to farthest corners of the Roman Empire.
Yet, in Ezekiel 37, God promised to bring the Jews out of exile. He promised to bring them back into the land of Israel.
Not only did He promise to restore their nation, but God promised to do so by opening their “graves” at a time when the Jews feel that “all hope is gone.”
The aftermath of Hitler’s Holocaust of the Jewish people created these very conditions, nearly destroying an entire race of people and draining the hope of countless survivors.
But out of the Holocaust, God brought the Jewish people back into the land of Israel, just as He had promised.
On May 14, 1948, the nation of Israel reappeared in fulfillment of not just Ezekiel 37:11-13, but countless Old Testament prophecies.
Of all the signs of the end of the age, the re-establishment of Israel as an independent nation is the clearest and most unmistakable sign that we are in the last of the last days.
2) Jerusalem is a Burden to the World
Another visible sign of the end of the age is the world diplomatic struggle over Jerusalem.
The prophet Zechariah foresaw this event centuries ago:
“I will make Jerusalem and Judah like an intoxicating drink to all the nearby nations that send their armies to besiege Jerusalem. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone, a burden for the world. None of the nations who try to lift it will escape unscathed.” Zechariah 12:2-3
Since 1967 when the Israelis retook Jerusalem in the Six Day War, the division of Jerusalem and ownership of the Temple Mount in particular, have been a source of countless U.N. resolutions, diplomatic crises, and calls for war.
The struggle over the “Peace Process” in the Middle East is the stated number one priority of world diplomats, and Jerusalem resides at the center of discussions about “land for peace.”
With the threat of World War III casting a shadow over every decision to rebuild Jewish settlements or expand Israeli society, the City of Jerusalem is no doubt “a burden for the world.”
Is this “the way it’s always been”?
No.
Until this generation, Jerusalem was not “a burden for the world.” In fact, prior to 1948, world diplomatic leaders rarely mentioned it.
3) The Dramatic Increase in Travel and Knowledge
One of the signs of the end times that anyone can easily recognize is the recent explosive increase in travel and knowledge.
In a vision, God revealed to Daniel that in “the time of the end of the age,” travel and knowledge will increase:
“But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end. Many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.” Daniel 12:4
According to the book of Daniel, two things will increase in “the time of the end of the age” – travel and knowledge.
Is this the case now?
Yes.
At the time the Book of Daniel was written, horses were the world’s the fastest mode of transportation.
In fact, horses remained the world’s fastest mode of transportation for over 2,000 years until the Industrial Revolution spawned such innovations as the steam boat, the locomotive, and the horseless carriage.
Prior to the 20th Century, most people rarely traveled more than 30 miles from where they were born. Today, people routinely travel from one continent to another within the same day.
Today’s world is definitely not “the way it’s always been.”
Frequency and speed of travel have markedly increased!
What about knowledge?
In Daniel’s time, few people received a formal education. In fact, basic literacy was a foreign concept to all but an elite minority of the world until the past 100 to 150 years.
Yet, in the past century alone, human knowledge of science, biology, technology, and countless fields of endeavor has exploded. And the advent of the Internet has created a worldwide archive of human knowledge that far exceeds even the wildest dreams of the great ancient civilizations.
Is humanity’s knowledge base today “the same as previous generations”?
Absolutely not. Human knowledge has also markedly increased.
Given that all this can be ascertained from mere observation, how can anyone say with a straight face that “things today are the same as they’ve always been”?
4) Exponential Growth Marks the Times
If a marked increase in travel and knowledge constitute one of the most clearly observable signs of the end of the age, then the two are merely components of a much larger sign of the end of the age – exponential growth.
Jesus pointed to exponential growth as a sign of His Coming:
“Later, Jesus sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and asked, ‘When will all this take place? And will there be any sign ahead of time to signal your return and the end of the age?’ Jesus told them, ‘Don’t let anyone mislead you. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will lead many astray. And wars will break out near and far, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won’t follow immediately. The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come.'” Matthew 24:3-8
This translation fails to communicate an important revelation from Jesus – that the end of the age will be analogous to the birthing process.
According to Strong’s Concordance, the word “horrors” as translated above comes from the word “odin” which is best translated as “the pain of childbirth” or “birth pangs.”
This means that, much like birth pangs, signs of the end of the age will appear with greater frequency and intensity as Christ’s return draws near. This is why Jesus mentioned this sign first when answering his disciples’ questions “When will all this take place? And will there be any sign ahead of time to signal your return and the end of the age?”
According to Jesus, three things in particular will increase in frequency and intensity as the world draws closer to His return:
1) Wars
2) Famines
and
3) Earthquakes
Have we seen these three things increase in frequency and intensity in the recent past?
Yes.
Let’s take a brief look at wars, famines, and earthquakes over the past 500 years.
Wars – A Sign of the End of the Age
According to a Wikipedia list of wars, the past 500 years have witnessed an increase in the frequency of wars:
15th Century – 29 wars
16th Century – 59 wars
17th Century – 75 wars
18th Century – 69 wars
19th Century – 294 wars
20th Century – 278 wars
The first decade of the 21st Century has already witnessed 55 wars, putting humanity on course for 550 wars over the next one hundred year period.
Have these wars increased in intensity?
Yes.
For most of human history, wars were fought through individual hand-to-hand combat. But the past few hundred years have witnessed the ascension of more accurate guns, machine guns, and aerial bombing. Today, a single weapon of mass destruction can kill hundreds of thousands of people.
Famines – A Sign of the End of the Age
According to a Wikipedia list of famines, the past 500 years have also witnessed an increase in the frequency of famines:
15th Century – 6 famines
16th Century – 10 famines
17th Century – 24 famines
18th Century – 28 famines
19th Century – 30 famines
20th Century – 44 famines
The first decade of the 21st Century alone has already witnessed 12 famines, putting humanity on course for 120 famines over the next one hundred year period.
Have these famines increased in intensity and severity?
Yes.
As the population of the world has grown, famines have caused more and more death and destruction in their wake.
In fact, while the Roman Empire’s entire population at the time of Jesus is estimated to have been approximately 55 million people, the first half of the 20th Century alone witnessed these famines:
The 1921 famine in Russia (5 million+ dead)
The 1928-1929 famine in China (3 million+ dead)
The 1932-1933 famine in Ukraine (2.6 and 10 million+ dead)
The 1932-1933 famine in Kazakhstan (1.2 and 1.5 million+ dead)
The 1936 famine in China (5 million+ dead)
The 1942-1943 famine in China (1 million+ dead)
The 1946-1947 famine in the Soviet Union (1 million+ dead)
That’s an estimated 18.8 to 26.5 million who perished from famine just from these seven famines alone!
And from 1959 to 1961, the Great Chinese Famine is estimated to have killed more than 36 million people.
Famines have dramatically increased in both frequency and intensity since Jesus first answered His disciples’ questions.
Earthquakes – Another Sign of the End of the Age
According to a Wikipedia list of earthquakes, the past 500 years have witnessed the following number of earthquakes described as a magnitude 7.0 or greater:
15th Century – 2 earthquakes
16th Century – 3 earthquakes
17th Century – 7 earthquakes
18th Century – 13 earthquakes
19th Century – 29 earthquakes
20th Century – 123 earthquakes
The first decade of the 21st Century has already witnessed 144 earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 or greater, putting humanity on course for 1,440 such earthquakes over the next one hundred year period!
VOLCANOES:
Ecuador’s Sangay 2 km ash cloud makes it the 49th Volcano to Erupt by April 2012!!! By April 17th Shiveluch-Russia’s northernmost active volcano has churned out ash to a height of 9,500 meters (over 31,000 feet) !!! To give you a point of reference; there were about 50 volcanoes eruptions in all of 2011 that I counted. We’ve just about hit that number in 4 months of 2012. From 1990 to 2008, a span of 18 years, the average number of volcanoes erupting was 66.
The dramatic increase in devastating wars, famines, volcanoes and earthquakes from the time of Jesus until today is one of clearest signs of the end times.
5) Rise of the Gog / Magog Alliance
Yet another sign of the end of the age is the current rise of the Gog / Magog Alliance.
The details of this future military alliance against Israel are found in the Book of Ezekiel, Chapters 38 and 39:
“This is another message that came to me from the Lord: ‘Son of man, prophesy against Gog of the land of Magog, the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: Gog, I am your enemy! I will turn you around and put hooks into your jaws to lead you out to your destruction. I will mobilize your troops and cavalry and make you a vast and mighty horde, all fully armed. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya will join you, too, with all their weapons. Gomer and all its hordes will also join you, along with the armies of Beth-togarmah from the distant north and many others.'” Ezekiel 38:1-6
The nations cited in the verses above are associated with their Old Testament predecessors, but they all represent nations that exist today.
Below is a list of those nations, each followed by its modern day equivalent:
Magog, Meshech, and Tubal = Russia
Persia = Iran
Cush = Ethiopia
Put = Libya
Gomer = Turkey
Beth-togarmah = Turkey, Armenia, and the Turkish-speaking people of Asia Minor
According to God, Russia will mobilize a coalition that includes these nations in the last days.
Throughout human history, there’s never been a cooperative military alliance between the nations of Russia and Iran – at least until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Since then, a cooperative diplomatic and military alliance between Iran and Russia has formed and slowly expanded, ultimately leading to Russia’s assistance in providing Iran with the necessary support to make the Bushehr nuclear power plant operational in 2010.
So when does the Bible tell us this alliance will form?
It definitely says, “in the last days”:
“Get ready; be prepared! Keep all the armies around you mobilized, and take command of them. A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be lying in peace after her recovery from war and after the return of her people from many lands. You and all your allies – a vast and awesome horde – will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.” Ezekiel 38:7-9
According to Strong’s Concordance, “in the distant future” is better translated as “achariyth shaneh” which means “end years.”
6) The Rise of Global Government
Another sign of the end of the age is the current trend toward globalization.
According to the Book of Revelation, globalization involves more than just multinational corporations and global commerce. One day, a single man will rule all the people and nations on the earth:
“And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation.” Revelation 13:7
With each passing day more and more nations are ceding their sovereignty to larger institutions such as the European Union, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Court.
Given the current global financial crisis and the potential catastrophe of a global war, more and more diplomatic leaders and world politicians are calling for global government.
And as human technology continues to advance and mature, we’re quickly reaching a point where global totalitarian rule will be possible.
7) The Good News Preached Throughout the World
Jesus revealed the following sign of the end times to His disciples in response to their questions about the end of the age and the sign of His coming:
“And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14
According to Christ, His Coming is preceded by the preaching of the Gospel “throughout the whole world.”
This idea is reiterated in the Book of Revelation.
“And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world – to every nation, tribe, language, and people. ‘Fear God,’ he shouted. ‘Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.’” Revelation 14:6-7
In the time of Jesus, the Gospel was confined to a relatively small number of people in and around Israel. And much of the earth’s land mass was completely unknown to the disciples of Jesus, so the odds of the disciples preaching the Gospel of Christ “throughout the whole world” in their own time was quite remote.
Yet, 2,000 years later, the Gospel is preached in every nation, the Bible is translated in hundreds of languages, and the Gospel of Christ is delivered through thousands of ministries via radio, cable TV, satellite, and the Internet.
Is this “the way it’s always been?”
Nope.
The truth is our generation is closer to preaching the Gospel “throughout the whole world” than any preceding generation.
Signs of the End of the Age
These are just seven signs of the end of the age, but they aren’t the only signs.
The Bible has much to say about the last days and the time of the end of the age, and as Catholics, we are warned to recognize the signs of the times.
“Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end of the age is near.” Matthew 24:28
Why?
Because if we acknowledge the signs of the end times as well as our Lord’s command to stay awake and alert, we will be driven to live Godly lives. Paul emphasized this in his letter to the Romans:
“Another reason for right living is that you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Romans 13:11
Remember, all prophecy exists to give a clear witness for Christ:
“For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.” Revelation 19:10
And prophecy is telling us that Christ is coming.
“In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.” Matthew 24:33
So again James, Chris & Benjamin, I hope to see you and your family & friends in the fast approaching Rapture of the believing Church!!!
You may copy & paste anything I have written & share with others. (Translate with Bing & send all over the world!)
Joseph – I admire your evident love for God’s purposes being worked out in the world today. The modern-day events you describe may well be fulfilments of Biblical prophecy: whether they are the final fulfilments is hard to tell. I suggest, however, that you make your points more succinctly: I don’t think that presenting such a large amount of information is going to convince a sceptic like James whose concern might require a different approach for conversation’s sake.
I am honestly terrified of these comments. The article is great, it helped supplement the research I’m doing for my term paper. However, I’m an atheist. As in, I don’t believe in the cosmic or divine nature of God. But I certainly believe in Jesus.
I think to a point, Jesus was an apocalyptic prophet- albeit a failed one. But I believe he was more of a wisdom teacher, and a justly, spiritual man. I believe he was very in touch with a spiritual realm, and this gave him wisdom beyond his years. He was so advanced in his thinking. He advocated for social change and fairness. He reached out to the “untouchables” and helped heal- not just physically, but mentally and spiritually. Jesus of Nazareth was a man who wanted to change the world. And certainly he did. But I’m not so sure he would be happy with what we’ve become today.
J Smith wrote: Jesus was an apocalyptic prophet- albeit a failed one.
YEAAAA Right!?!!?!?! I have the Brooklyn Bridge to sell you. The entire world revolves around Jesus and you say He failed? On what planet do such thinkers reside??? All of life revolves around Jesus. He is King of kings and Lord of lords!!! From the calendar to the political movements of the greatest nations on Earth. Jesus Christ has been at the center of it all. Now with Israel back in the land just as The Bible says all Hell is about to break loose. Those that accept Jesus however will “Escape these things that are coming upon the Earth” Luke 21:36 BibleProvenTrue.c “I Am The Door. If anyone enters by me he will be saved.” “No one comes to the Father but by me. ” John 10:9 Jesus is Risen from the dead!!! Go to our website and see the newest proofs for the Shroud of Turin which will blow you away. Jesus is the author of all life and He is the author of legitimate science. The Shroud is a radiation X-ray of the Resurrection and carbon dating was flawed as the Shroud was patched up during a fire. Even mummy wrapping have dated way off. There is a 3-D picture of Jesus in the Shroud. It took billions of watts from within the Body to make such a detailed picture. It could not have come from any other source as the newest details of the X-ray 3-D picture point out. Jesus is coming back soon. Just like Noah’s Ark, you better get on board before it’s too late!!!
Well I agree to a point. He surely did change the world! I never disagreed there. We still practice this religion centuries later. But he failed in that his predictions were that the Kingdom of God would be restored on Earth within his lifetime or the lifetime of his believers. If you look back to the earlier gospels such as the Synoptics, there are predictions that his followers should repent immediately because the Coming is going to be soon. Soon as in their lifetime. His coming did not occur then, and has yet to occur. More than 2000 years later! Is it possible that Jesus of Nazareth will come back someday? Sure. Is it probable? No.
I ask you one question. What is he waiting for?
As for your claims about Jesus being the source of all science, I have absolutely nothing to say.
J. Smith just go back five blogs above and reread the seven signs that prove your statement pure poppycock! Plus Jesus clearly said it is not for you to know the time of His Return but to instead spread the Good News throughout the world! The Kingdom of God has been restored for all those Christians gone before us as well. Since away from the body means present with the Lord. Immediate repentance is essential since even if we live to 100+, when it is over it seems like a reed blowing in the wind. Here today gone tomorrow. Life is gone so fast and in the End it seems like a moment. There is not much time to repent and believe and after death comes judgement. Plus this world now is just like the sinking Titanic! Better get in the Jesus lifeboat now before it is too late. Comet ISON=SION is this year and NASA says it will be up to 15 times the brightness of a full moon, plus double TETRAD moons on Passover & Tabernacles in 2014 & 2015 !!! The last time this happened was around 1948 when Israel was “BORN IN A DAY” and 1967 when Israel recaptured Jerusalem! The End of The Age is all tooooo NEAR!!! With the Middle East loaded up on Billions in armaments etc etc etc open the eyes and see. Read the blog 7 signs just five blogs above and seeeeeeee!!!!!! BibleProvenTrue.c o
Hi Chris, please let me know how this current Pope Francis fits into the prophecy of being the final Pope. What have you found that connects him to the prophecy?
Thanks,
Pastor Douglas
Naturally Pastor Douglas, it fits perfectly! Did you think Saint Malachy would miss it after all these Popes he has been right on the money with??? Saint Francis de Pietro or Pietro de Franchesco Peter is in the name! Saint Francis of Assisi was named Geovanni at birth when his father was away in France of a business trip. His father changed his name to Franchesco upon arrival back home. Pietro Franchesco after his father’s name. That is why a seagull landed on the smoke stack while all were waiting to see the white smoke. A bird is usually depicted in the symbols of Saint Francis of Assisi. AND Saint Francis was no sissy! He traveled far at a very difficult age and walked right up to Saladin! A man’s man who took up his cross and followed Christ! Who reformed the Church with only Jesus as his model. Also the second part of the prophecy fits. Pope Francis I is Italian, thus Roman. Also Nostradamus is correct! Nostra=our & Damus=Lady. Michel de Nostradamus= Michael of Our Lady, and thus his predictions seem to be highly blessed also! Nostradamus wrote in quatrains about the black pope! Wellllll, the head of the Jesuits has for many centuries been know as the black pope since they wield so much power. This is why Pope John Paul II picked his own successor to the Jesuits when their leader died. He knew the power and wanted to keep the Jesuits under control. Remember his long fight against liberation Theology. We are not here to build a political kingdom .We are here to serve Christ and spread the Gospel throughout the world! Jesus will come again and destroy evil and rule 1000 years His Kingdom which He will establish and then cleanse by fire the Earth and remodel it for His Eternal reign! Pope Francis I is a Jesuit and now being Pope he is the highest ranking Jesuit and thus a black pope. It all fits and this year is Comet ISON which NASA says will be 15 times the brightness of a full moon. ISON=SION !!! I read in the Vatican Library that Josephus saw a very similar comet just before the Romans sacked Jerusalem killing a million+ and enslaving more and causing the Diaspora! Josephus said this was an obvious warning which the Jews failed to heed! Now we know the Middle East is a tinder box and God’s will be done. Prophecy will be fulfilled! Pastor Douglas, next year AND the year after we will have Tetrad Moons on Passover and Feast of Tabernacles and we will have Solar Eclipses. These things rarely ever happen on Jewish Feasts and the last times were 1948 & 1967 when the Jews re-established Israel and took back Jerusalem respectively. Every year for thousands of years the Jews have prayed, “Next year in Jerusalem” and that has been fulfilled. Yes Pastor Douglas, The God of ISRAEL = IS REAL!!!