Parson Place News and Views

Tag: tribulation

  • Is the End Near?

    Maybe you’ve seen the cartoon of two men standing by the roadside holding a sign that states, “The end is near.” A smug driver keeps on driving and calls them religious nuts. The caption beneath the cartoon simply states, “Maybe we should just change our sign to say, ‘Bridge out ahead.’”

    It certainly helps to have a message that clearly conveys the truth of what one is trying to proclaim. So, when we as Bible-believing Christians say “the end is near,” what do we mean by that? I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’ll tell you what I mean by it.

    When I say “the end is near,” I mean that the end of wickedness and demonic control and influence in this world is near. I mean that the end of human government as we know it is near, because Jesus Christ, our Savior, Lord, and King is close to returning and taking over the rule of this world once and forever. So, what makes me think the end is near? Well, the fulfillment of numerous prophetic Scriptures that are related to “the last days” is the primary reason I’m convinced that the time is at hand for Jesus to return.

    Perhaps the most significant prophetic fulfillment that indicates the end of this age is near is the restoration of the nation of Israel as a people and a sovereign government in the ancient land of Israel. While this is prophesied in numerous places in the Old Testament prophets, let me just list three references and you can check them out for yourself in your Bible. They are Isaiah 43:5-7, Jeremiah 32:36-44, and Ezekiel 37:15-28. In each of these passages, God promises to bring the people of Israel back into their original land after they have been dispersed for many years all around the world. Although every last descendant of Israel has not yet returned to the Promised Land, they have nonetheless been a sovereign nation in their own land for more than 64 years now since they were “born at once” (Isaiah 66:8 NKJV) at midnight on May 15, 1948. Since Jesus foretold that the generation who gets to witness the fulfillment of last days prophecies will not end until Jesus returns in His glory (Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; and Luke 21:32), we know that we are that generation!

    Based on my understanding of the last days prophecies, I am personally convinced that we now stand at the threshold of the period of time called The Tribulation which will be the final seven years before Jesus returns to earth to set up His everlasting Kingdom. I further believe that the next war between Israel and one or more of their enemies (Iran, Syria, Egypt, etc.) will result in Israel further expanding their national borders and will culminate with a seven-year peace agreement specified by the prophet Daniel (Daniel 9:20-27, specifically verse 27).

    Now, I’m not a prophet or the son of a prophet, nor do I play one on TV, but just by studying the prophetic fulfillments and what’s left to be fulfilled, I’ve come to this conclusion. I won’t know if I’m right until Israel’s next war, of course. Either it will turn out as I’ve projected or it won’t. If it doesn’t turn out as I’ve predicted, then no harm, no foul, and I just back away from it as an incorrect guess. What is NOT an incorrect guess, however, is that eventually, Israel WILL make a seven-year peace agreement with the man we all know as the Antichrist. Just when it will happen is in God’s hands.

    While considering the horrific conditions and events that will occur on the earth during the Tribulation as they are described for us in both Jesus’ warnings in the Gospels and in the book of Revelation, what is perhaps the most exciting part about the impending return of Christ is the preceding event known as the Rapture. Though the word “rapture” is not used in the Bible, the synonymous phrase “caught up” IS used (1 Thessalonians 4:17 NKJV). Thus, those who try to dismiss the actuality of the rapture based on the fact that the word is not used in the text are handily refuted because the concept of the rapture is clearly defined in the very phrase “caught up.” Although there is much debate as to the timing of this event – pre-Tribulation, mid-Tribulation, or post-Tribulation – there can be no denying that the event is clearly described by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

    Those of us who believe in a pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church find the prospect of the beginning of the Tribulation period all the more exciting, because we are expecting to be snatched from the earth at any time now. Since we don’t know when it is going to happen until it actually happens, we will simply have to wait and see if our understanding is correct. However, I believe that the recent political elections in the United States which re-elected the most anti-Israel American President in history will greatly contribute to this dramatic conclusion of the current age. Furthermore, I strongly believe that his anti-business policies will finish off the struggling U. S. economy, which will create a domino effect around the world that will culminate in the perfect environment for establishing the much-dreaded One World Government led by the greatly feared antichrist.

    Yes, indeed, I believe the end is VERY near! In any case, I echo what the Apostle John wrote at the end of his book of the Revelation, “… Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20 NKJV).

  • The Age of Deception

    I was responding to a blog post by Rev. K. H. Marple on her Keep Life Legal blog a little earlier about the propensity for lying that we see in contemporary politics and society in general, and I felt my comment was worth turning into a quick blog post of my own. You can read her blog at the following link: http://keeplifelegal.com/2012/10/30/furthering-the-moral-bankruptcy-of-the-united-states/ The next paragraph is what I posted on her recent blog post, though I did edit the final sentence of that post a little bit, but the succeeding paragraphs are a few extra thoughts I’ve decided to add.
    The first point Jesus made in His Olivet Discourse with His disciples about the Last Days is: “Take heed that no one deceives you.” (Matthew 24:1 NKJV). We live in the Age of Deception. Soon, during the Tribulation Period, all who have rejected God’s truth will be completely given over to deception so that they will “believe the lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 NKVJ). THE lie implies the lie of all lies, and what might that lie be? I believe it is the lie that there is any other god besides the One True God.
    The apparent increase in wickedness we’ve seen in recent years, such as murders, thefts, and sexual promiscuity of all sorts and including the proclivity for lying about anything and everything, is just one more sign that we are drawing very near to the final days of this age. Some have called the age from the time of Jesus’ ascension until the Tribulation “The Age of Grace”, but I would argue that implies that God did not show grace prior to Jesus’ first coming or that He won’t continue to show some measure of grace during the Tribulation Period even. Moreover, God will continue to save whoever calls upon Him by His wonderful matchless grace even during the Tribulation Period after the so-called Age of Grace has supposedly ended (see Revelation 6:9-11 for proof that there will be some saved during the Tribulation). I accept the description of this era being called “The Church Age”, however, because it is certainly the era in which the Church has been commissioned by Jesus to reach the world, but God has ALWAYS been a God of grace, and there are numerous examples in the OT of God showing grace, just as there are numerous examples of God showing judgment during the NT era.
    So, what is the greatest deception that we face in this Age of Deception? Anything which contradicts the revealed and written Word of God (The Holy Bible) is a lie and an attempt at deception. The problem is that most people, including the vast majority of professing Christians (and many times that includes a disturbing number of clergy), have no idea what the Word of God says because they never read or consult it for guidance or direction. I will submit to you that the only way you will survive this Age of Deception without being deceived, EVEN if you are a professing Christian, is if you know and understand what God’s Word has commanded and is demanding of us all. If you don’t make time to read and peruse God’s Word (the Bible) for instruction, guidance, and revelation, you will be lost in more ways than one. Therefore, I heartily urge you to make reading and meditation upon God’s Word a part of your daily routine. Turn off your TV, radio, computer, and cell phone and get away from other people long enough to read and ponder the meaning of at least one chapter from the Bible per day. Spend some time in prayer and meditation on God’s Word as well. I discuss these matters in great detail (reading, meditation upon God’s Word and prayer) in my recent book Seven Keys to Effective Prayer, which you can get in both print and eBook format from any of the major book retailers.
    Don’t be deceived in this Age of Deception! Listen to God and follow His Word, and you won’t be deceived.