3 Signs of the End

Happy near-end of June to everyone. Now that we have survived Harold Camping's debacle because of his failed prediction of the end of the world, I thought it would be a good time to discuss the Bible's signs of the last day / end-times. There are two main camps in Christianity discussing Christ's Return and the end of times: first, we have the Pre-Tribulationists, who believe that a rapture of believers can take place at any moment. They also see many events taking place as "signs" that the end is near. An example of this is 'The Rapture Index' link here, which lists 45 signs that the Rapture is really near. Based upon these signs, this website also post a "Rapture Index" to show how close we are to the Rapture. Today, they have listed our Rapture Index as 182, with anything above 160 described as "fasten your seatbelts". So Pre-Tribulationists see many Bible verses as pointing to the imminent return of Jesus Christ and the rapture of believers.

Now the second group is the Amillennialist camp. An excellent example of this line of Christian thought was published in a recent 'Modern Reformation' magazine. The article is by Pastor Kim Riddlebarger (link to his blog is here), and he is a top Reformed thinker on end-time's issues. In his article entitled "You are Here", he discusses the Biblical signs pointing to the Last Day. He finds only three signs that "herald the end of the age and the return of our Lord." Here are Pastor Riddlebarger's three signs pointing to the End of the Age:

1. The first sign is that the Gospel is preached to the end of the world; Matthew 24:14 (ESV): 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.
   

   Tom's Thought: The New Testament Gospel is translated and published in over 1,200 languages, which covers over 75% of the world's population (Wycliffe.org). So this looks as though we have met or are close to meeting the completion of this first Sign;
   

2. The second sign that foretells the end is the salvation of "all Israel"; Romans 11:25–26 (ESV): Lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
   

   "The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob";
   

   Tom's Thought: This sign is not yet met. When we see mass ethnic Jewish conversions to Christianity, we should know that the end is near. I assume this mass conversion would take place in a relatively short timeframe, because although we are given the signs of the end, we are also told that the end can come upon us at any moment – Matt. 24:37. So for this one, we need to wait.
   

3. The third sign of the impending end is the age of the great apostasy, and with this the appearance of the Man of Sin, who is the Antichrist. The final Antichrist will be given Satan's power and great authority (Revelation 13:2). There will be a great persecution of Christians during this time.
   

   Tom's Thought: This sign is also not yet met. Although I think many would agree that we are seeing the beginning of the Great Apostasy – with even in the Church there is the denial of sin, denial of Hell, and all sorts of date-setters of Jesus' Return. So again for this one, we must wait. But the wait may not be long…
   

   
    

So here you see the stark contrast between the two main schools of thought that deal with the end-times – Pre-Tribulationists see many Bible verses as showing the "signs" that the Rapture of believers can take place at any time. While on the other hand, the second school of thought is Amillennialism, which sees perhaps as few as three signs which point to the Last Day and Jesus' Return. So there you have it. I found Pastor Riddlebarger's article helpful in discussing the signs that point to the coming of the end of the age, and I hope you have as well. God bless you, today and this week. /s/Tom Wolff

Odds n’ Ends (4), and a quick discussion of Signs in the Olivet Discourse

Here are some news stories that caught my eye:

 

1. James Ossuary Trial – You may recall the news story in 2002 of a burial box (ossuary) that had written on its outside : "James son of Joseph, Brother of Jesus". Well, the trial on its authenticity is now taking place in Israel. The Israeli paper, Haaretz, has an updated report on the trial of the alleged founder of the James Ossuary. Those who wish to keep up with the progress of the trial over its authenticity can read about it at:
   

   http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/974483.html
   

   In sum, it looks like a case has been made against the authenticity of this find. The defense is getting its turn now. (copied from the Primetime Jesus Blog).
   

   
    

   2) The Deputy Commander in Chief of Iran's Army: If Israel attacks Iran, Iran will "eliminate" Israel. http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSHAF52999620080416. Iran will respond to any military attack from Israel by "eliminating" the Jewish state, a senior army commander said on Tuesday (April 15^th).
   

   Deputy commander-in-chief Mohammad Reza Ashtiani was echoing Iran's late leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, who said Israel should be wiped off the map…
   

   
    

   3) A Strong, Unusual Earthquake Hits Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin. http://news.aol.com/story/_a/rare-large-earthquake-hits-midwest/20080418062509990001. OK, everyone has already seen this news story. So why am I bringing it up here? I thought I would tie in the Disciples' question to Jesus about what would be the signs of Jesus Return (Matthew 24:3). It's very exciting to read what Jesus has taught about the end of the age. The Olivet Discourse is the second longest recorded teaching of Jesus (the longest being the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 4 through 6). This Discourse is of such importance that it is reported in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21), and is Jesus' longest teaching about the end of the age.
   

   
    

   The long list of signs contained in Olivet Discourse is understood by those using the Pre-Trib Method as the signs of what will take place before Jesus' return. An example of a use in understanding these signs is shown by Pastor John MacArthur as he describes six birth pangs of God's Creation that calls out for Jesus Christ's return in his book The Second Coming, pp. 83-102. These birth pangs are:
   

   
    

   1. False Messiahs (Matt. 24:5); Pastor MacArthur describes a number of false Messiahs that we have faced in our own time: Sun Myung Moon, David Koresh, Jim Jones, Marshall Applewhite and Charles Manson. Since Pastor MacArthur wrote his fine book, another example is shown through the false Christ described in Dan Brown's best-selling novel The DaVinci Code, and this looks like it could certainly be added as another example.
      

      
       

   2. Wars, and rumors of war (Matt. 24:6); Pastor MacArthur teaches that this is a reference to the constant talk of wars and possibilities of wars, with such talk dominating public discourse. MacArthur at p. 91.
      

      
       

   3. Famines, Pestilences, and earthquakes (Matt. 24:7-8); this sign makes it clear that the birth pangs are a display of God's judgment. We just had an Earthquake in the Midwest? Is this a sign of the world's birth pangs? And how could our world with its tremendous production of wheat and corn lead to famines? I hope you have also seen the worldwide food shortages caused by corn production being used for ethanol production. It's crazy, but this could be happening despite our wonderful farming methods.
      

      
       

   4. Persecution of the righteous (Matt. 24:9);
      
   5. Defection of false Believers (Matt. 24:10);
      
   6. The Gospel is Proclaimed to the Whole World (Matt. 24:14);
      

   
    

   So we see "unusual" earthquakes in the Midwest – is this one of the birth pangs of the world that is Earth's crying out for Jesus' return? I bring it up only because it is so unusual. Keep your eyes focused on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).