Showing posts with label peace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peace. Show all posts

Monday, September 29, 2025

Trump's Israel Peace Deal Fulfilling Prophecy

To those who understand biblical prophecy, you know that there is a seven-year covenant with many that the antichrist is going to make, which will involve Israel, as I wrote about in my previous article, Seven-year Peace Deal at September UN Summit. I firmly believe that the Israeli-Palestinian peace deal that Trump has announced in his joint press conference with Benjamin Netanyahu will lead to the seven-year covenant with many that is written in Daniel 9:27. Please find the transcript at this link, which I created from the Youtube video transcript of the press conference. 

Key points:
Trump said, "it's just a part of the bigger picture which is peace in the Middle East and let's call it eternal peace in the Middle East." 

He also said, "This is eternity. This is for forever. To ensure the success of this effort, my plan calls for the creation of a new international oversight body, 'the Board of Peace.'" 

"There shouldn't have to be a shot fired. Maybe for eternity. Wouldn't that be nice? I hope it's true. I can tell you the leadership of that region feels that there's a good chance of it being true."

"Everyone who wants to see an end to the violence and destruction should be united in calling for Hamas to accept the extremely fair proposal, so that we can end the war, and get us back our hostages right now and have everlasting peace."

"The leaders of the Arab world and Israel and everybody involved asked me to do this. So it would be headed by a gentleman known as President Donald J. Trump of the United States." He announced that he will lead the "Board of Peace" for this "eternal peace" in the Middle East.

All of these comments should be understood in the context of French President Macron's recent comments in his UN speech on September 22, 2025, one week before Trump's peace deal press conference. In Macron's opening remarks at the UN, he repeatedly said, "The time has come" from the beginning of his speech to the conclusion. He also said things like, "The universal commitment to peace is the only path toward salvation." And he publicly recognized the State of Palestine, which was followed by overwhelming applause. He also said the two-state solution is the only way for Israel to have "peace and security".

Trump used the word "peace" 29 times, while Netanyahu used the word "peace" three times, "peaceful" once, and "peacefully" once.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also said the plan may be a “light at the end of the tunnel.”

On Thursday, October 9, 2025,  Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed an agreement to cease fire and free Israeli hostages. Trump noted that the whole world came together to reach this deal. Moreover, the United States began deploying around 200 troops to Israel to assist in supporting and monitoring the Gaza ceasefire agreement. 

Benjamin Netanyahu declared victory following Trump’s peace deal, calling it a diplomatic achievement and a national and moral triumph for the State of Israel. He said President Trump should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he truly deserves it.

Could Trump's rush to accept the conditional acceptance of his peace plan by Hamas, rather than play hard ball with them, have anything to do with the fact that the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was to be announced on Friday, October 10, 2025?

When he did not win the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, but instead it went to a woman in Venezuela, the White House responded, with communications director Steven Cheung saying members of “the Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace” because they didn’t recognize Trump, especially after the Gaza ceasefire deal his administration helped strike this week. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will,” Cheung wrote on social media.

According to Cheung, Trump apparently does not even need faith or the Lord to accomplish huge feats. Rather, just by the sheer force of his will, he can move mountains. They have apparently elevated him to "god" status, which is man worship.

Scripture
"While people are saying, 'Peace and security,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." (1Th 5:3)

"He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." (Dan 9:27)

"Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." (Luk 12:51-53)

"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'" (Mar 13:35-37)

Comments
The following comments were emailed to me independently in response to this article:

"Everything is unfolding. Lord, [have] mercy. Amen." -- John A., Nigeria.

"This is it brother, events are unfolding!" -- Grace O., Uganda.

"It's scary how much it aligns with prophecy." -- Michael H., New Hampshire, USA.

"We are so close to going home with Jesus. Thank and praise our Lord." Catherine A., England.

Closing Words
The only one who can usher in eternal peace is Jesus Christ, and anyone who claims to be able to do so is an antichrist. It's that simple. For any man to claim he is bringing eternal peace to the world is arrogant, and even blasphemous. Even Jesus said He Himself did not come to bring peace, but division (Lk 12:51). The only peace He brings is peace inside the hearts who repent of their sins, receive His forgiveness, and come to know Him personally as their Lord and Savior. 

All this talk about peace and security at the UN and by President Trump is a sign of the times. Scriptures says that when they talk like this, sudden destruction will come upon them.

The peace deal of Daniel 9:27 is the event that launches the Great Tribulation. All parties have agreed to Trump's peace deal, except Hamas, which has 72 hours (3 days) from September 29th to agree to it or face the wrath of the Israeli military with the full backing of the US, as Trump kept repeating. Hamas has two choices essentially: They can refuse this peace deal and be annihilated, or they can agree to it and be dismantled and disarmed. Three days from Sept 29th brings us to Oct 2nd. 

Jesus is coming. Prepare yourselves. The Great Tribulation is set to begin. The Feast of Tabernacles begins next Monday (October 6th, 2025), which is the true type of the rapture, and all signs seem to indicate that this is finally it. In my own personal opinion, I consider it a rapture-high-watch period to watch and pray in obedience to the Lord's command (Mk 13:37). Let's watch, pray, prepare, and hope the Lord will come to collect His Bride at this time.

Attribution Notice: Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used for educational and commentary purposes only per the Fair Use Act.

Author's note: You may also enjoy reading Feast of Tabernacles is a Type of the RaptureSeven-Year Peace Deal at September UN Summit?, and Did the September 2025 Rapture Get Cancelled?as well as amazing testimonies from our Evangelistic Outreaches in Uganda, South Sudan, and Nigeria; 


Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Seven-year Peace Deal at September UN Summit

Those of us who have studied eschatology over the years know that there is a popular interpretation of biblical prophecy, which maintains that there will be a seven-year peace treaty during the Great Tribulation, a seven-year period known also as Daniel's 70th week (Dan 9:27). Interestingly, plans are in place for a seven-year peace treaty to be signed at the UN summit the week of September 23rd, which happens to coincide with the Many Revelations Concerning September 2025 Rapture on the 23rd or 24th.

A simple Google search online yielded the following results from generative AI:

Based on reports from early to mid-2025, mediators proposed a seven-year ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza, which Hamas accepted, but Israel rejected.

Mediator-proposed seven-year truce (April 2025)
The proposal: Mediators from Egypt and Qatar presented a plan that included a seven-year truce, a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and a restructuring of Gaza's governance.

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will formally recognize the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September 2025. In early September 2025, Macron announced that he would co-chair a "two-state solution conference" in New York with Mohammad Bin Salman (Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia) on September 22. The goal is to rally the broadest international support possible for the two-state solution.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) overwhelmingly voted on a resolution supporting a two-state solution on Friday, September 12, 2025. The resolution endorsed the "New York Declaration," which charts a path toward a Palestinian state alongside Israel. The non-binding resolution passed with 142 votes in favor, 10 against, and 12 abstentions. The resolution was sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia. The US and Israel were among the 10 nations that voted against it. 

The above information was mostly gleaned from generative AI and is a direct quote. I think it is a very interesting coincidence that this conference regarding the seven-year treaty is set to happen the week of September 23rd, when thousands of saints around the world, who are eagerly awaiting the Lord's return, are hoping to be caught up to heaven in the rapture, after which the seven-year Great Tribulation would begin.

The seven-year peace treaty is the event that initiates the seven-year Tribulation and signals the emergence of the man of lawlessness (antichrist). For this will not bring true peace, but a false peace, as it says in Scripture, "When they say, 'Peace and security,' then destruction will come upon them suddenly as labor pains upon a woman, and they will not escape." Here are the comments being made by various world leaders right now in that context:

Netanyahu (Israel): "Our goal is PEACE AND SECURITY." 

Macron (UN): “Together, let us make this Conference on the Two-State Solution a decisive turning point for PEACE AND SECURITY for all in the region.” 

Guterres (UN General Sec): "The only realistic, just, and sustainable solution is Two States -- Israel and Palestine -- living side-by-side in PEACE AND SECURITY, with Jerusalem as the capital of both." 

Meanwhile, President Trump -- the "last Trump" -- who believes he deserves a Nobel Peace prize for bringing peace to so many countries during his second term, will address the UN General Assembly on September 23rd. He recently told reporters at the Oval Office, “I think within the next two to three weeks, you're going to have a pretty good, conclusive ending” to the Gaza war. He has forcefully told Prime Minister Netanyahu to end it. In fact, Netanyahu quoted Trump as saying to him, “Go in with full force and finish it [the war].” Perhaps Trump knows something we don't know. Perhaps he knows that a peace treaty is going to be signed at the UN summit to create a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine to coexist in the land, and perhaps he wants Israel to do whatever they have to do before the summit to finish up their war against the Palestinians. 

It seems that Trump is going to build upon the Abraham Accord that was signed during his first term, which normalized relations between Israel and four Arab nations. Is he planning on adding Palestine to that Accord? Could the upcoming, seven-year peace treaty to be signed at the UN summit this month give Israel freedom to build their third temple without interference in exchange for the two-state solution? We shall see (see Epilogue below).

Scriptures
The rapture is taught in Scripture. Here are just a few of the verses that speak about this time when God will send His angels to "catch away" or "snatch up" (Greek, harpazo) the saints:

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (1Th 4:16-17)

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality." (1Co 15:51-53)

After the rapture comes an hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth (Rev 3:10). This hour of trial is known as the Great Tribulation, which is a seven year period.

Jesus said, "For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened." (Mat 24:21-22; cf. Dan 12:1)

"He [antichrist] will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." (Dan 9:27)

"While people are saying, 'Peace and safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." (1Th 5:3).

Closing Words
I recommend that you please take all of this to the Lord in prayer, and ask Him to confirm to you whether or not it means the rapture will occur in September 2025. Let's not be like the Sadducees and Pharisees, whom Jesus criticized as hypocrites, because they could not interpret the signs of the times, even though they could discern weather patterns in the sky (Mt 16:3; Luke 12:56).

We should always be ready for Jesus' return at any time, watching, praying, and keeping our lamps burning (see video); but I think these are certainly significant events converging together that should put us all on high alert for the rapture this month of September. I am not saying the rapture will definitely occur on September 23rd or 24th, although I think the probability is extremely high that it will happen. In fact, I think the chances of the rapture not occurring at this time are approaching zero. I sense in my spirit, as most of us do, that the time of the rapture is very near, and certainly hope it happens this month.

Whether you believe it or not, one thing is for sure -- Jesus is coming back soonYou need to get your life right with Jesus right now. Give your life to Jesus before the rapture happens and before the Great Tribulation begins. Repent and return to the Lord with fasting and prayer, seeking His face with all your heart, proving your repentance by your deeds.

Epilogue
In Pres. Macron's opening remarks at the UN conference on September 22, 2025, he repeatedly said, "The time has come" from the beginning of his speech to the conclusion. He also said things like, "The universal commitment to peace is the only path toward salvation." And he publicly recognized the State of Palestine, which was followed by overwhelming applause. He also said the two-state solution is the only way for Israel to have "peace and security".

As I wrote in my article, Trump's Israel Peace Deal Fulfilling Prophecy, after I posted this one, he said, "it's just a part of the bigger picture which is peace in the Middle East and let's call it eternal peace in the Middle East." He also said, "This is eternity. This is for forever. To ensure the success of this effort, my plan calls for the creation of a new international oversight body, 'the Board of Peace.'" 

On Thursday, October 9, 2025,  Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed an agreement to cease fire and free Israeli hostages.

Attribution Notice: Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission.  

Author's note: You must take responsibility for your own actions. Nobody knows the day or the hour, and in no way am I date setting. This is only to provide you with information, so that you can make your own decisions, for which you will be accountable to God.


Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org

Friday, February 20, 2015

Synching Up the Seven Seals with the Gospels

In my previous article, Sequence of Signs Preceding the Coming of Christ, I showed in each of the synoptic gospels, what Jesus Himself prophesied would happen before His return.  The sequence of events he foretold is the same in all three of the gospels. Now I would like to build on that study and show how those signs of the times correspond to the Book of Revelation, particularly the seven seals.  Each item in the column labeled "Synoptic Gospels" is based on Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.

Deception
The first thing Jesus warned about was deception.

Synoptic Gospels Revelation
“Watch out that no one deceives you." [No corresponding seal in Revelation]

False Christs
The next thing He warned about was False Christs, which is the next sign to occur in sequence.

Synoptic Gospels Revelation
“For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.” First Seal (False Messiahs): Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come." I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. (Rev 6:1-2)

I include the first seal here for your consideration, because this could represent a false messiah. He's viewed as the good guy, riding a white horse. Since he's wearing a crown, it could indicate that he has been given authority over a nation or nations. He's going forth conquering and to conquer, perhaps with the aim of bringing world peace. I have also included the first seal below in the next sign Jesus gave us, since it could also correspond to that one, depending on how you look at it.

Also see my article called The Rise of Antichrists

Wars and Rumors of Wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes, fearful events and great signs from heaven
The next sign the Lord told us would occur was a period when there would be wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes, fearful events and great signs from heaven, which is the next sign to occur in sequence.

Synoptic Gospels Revelation
“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” First Seal (Rumors of War): Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come." I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. (Rev 6:1-2)

Second Seal (Wars): When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. (Rev 6:3-4)

Third Seal (Famine and economic chaos): When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine." (Rev 6:5-6)

Fourth Seal (death by sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts): When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. (Rev 6:7-8)

When the first seal is opened, the rider on the first horse has only a bow and no arrows.  He carries the threat of war, but no shots are fired.  That, to me, represents rumors of war as Jesus said. But when the second seal is opened, the rider is given a sword and power to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another.  That is war, unlike the first seal and it's rider.

Also see Wars and Rumors of Wars, The End Time Plagues, and The Land Mourns in the Last Days.

Persecution of witnesses, who will bear testimony for Jesus
The next sign the Lord told us would occur was a period when there would be Persecution of witnesses, who will bear testimony for Jesus, which is the next sign to occur in sequence.

Synoptic Gospels Revelation
12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me.  14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict." Fifth Seal (Persecution of witnesses):
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also. (Rev 6:9-11)

Also see Persecuted or Popular?

Apostasy, love of most growing cold, betrayal, hatred, and false prophets; preaching the gospel of the kingdom
The next sign the Lord told us would occur was a period when there would be apostasy, or falling away from the faith, the love of most growing cold; there will be betrayal, hatred, and false prophets. Meanwhile, there will be the true witnesses preaching the gospel of the kingdom, which is the next sign to occur in sequence.

Synoptic Gospels Revelation
"At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." [No corresponding seal in Revelation]

Under these conditions (i.e., persecution, apostasy, cold love prevalent even among believers, betrayal, hatred, and false prophets) will this gospel of the kingdom be preached in the whole world just before the end comes -- not under peaceful conditions, in which the righteous are dominating the world or reigning on seven mountains!

Jerusalem surrounded by armies, nearness of desolation, abomination of desolation, time of punishment
The next sign the Lord told us would occur was a period when there would be Jerusalem surrounded by armies, the nearness of its desolation, the abomination of desolation in the temple, and the time of punishment on Israel, which is the next sign to occur in sequence.

Synoptic Gospels Revelation
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’[a] spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak."

“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written."
[No corresponding seal in Revelation]

Close up view
In Matthew and Mark, Jesus gave a close up view of what will occur in the holy place in Jerusalem.  It is the abomination in the temple that causes desolation to Jerusalem and the rest of Judea, which we now call Israel.  By combining the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew and Mark, we have him saying essentially, “When you see standing where it does not belong (i.e., in the holy place) ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel...” (Also see Daniel 9:27; 12:11).

As the apostle Paul said, "Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God." (2Th 2:3-4). 

Wide-angle view
And in Luke Jesus gave the wider view of the bigger picture regionally when this sign occurs, which is armies surrounding Jerusalem.  Luke recorded Him saying, “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.”  So this is about the desolation of Jerusalem (see Jeremiah 30:7), and the sign occurs in that city.  Therefore, the holy place where the abomination does not belong is in the temple there.  In Luke, we have Jesus giving the wider view of the bigger picture regionally when this sign occurs, which is one of armies surrounding Jerusalem. (Also compare Zechariah 12:3 and 14:2-5).

Dreadful time of Great Tribulation
The next sign the Lord told us would occur is the onset of a dreadful time of distress, known as the Great Tribulation, which is the next sign to occur in sequence.

Synoptic Gospels Revelation
"How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again."

"How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."
[No corresponding seal in Revelation]

He spoke to His disciples about the onset of the Great Tribulation as something that would occur before His coming. The sign that occurs right before this onset is the abomination that causes the desolation in Jerusalem, and the armies surrounding Jerusalem that will bring that desolation to her. Those combined events will be the trigger that set off the avalanche of disastrous events to occur next, including this flight from Jerusalem and the onset of the Great Tribulation -- "great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again."  This will be the beginning of the period known as Jacob's Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), which Jesus called the time of punishment (Lk 21:22), when God brings punishment upon the Jewish people (Lk 21:23), and eventually restores them according to the prophecy of Jeremiah in his thirtieth chapter.

Nations Tread Under Foot Jerusalem
In Revelation, we do have a reference to the temple and Jerusalem during this period, which will last for 3.5 years: “Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, ‘Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.’” (Rev 11:1-2).

The expression in Revelation, “they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months” corresponds to the words of Jesus in Luke, “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

False messiahs and false prophets performing great signs and wonders to deceive
The next sign the Lord told us would occur was a period when there would be false messiahs and false prophets performing great signs and wonders to deceive, which is the next sign to occur in sequence.

Synoptic Gospels Revelation
22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. Regarding the false prophet and the antichrist:
“And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life. (Rev 13:14).

When the people are saying ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ and ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ could it be a reference to ‘the abomination that causes desolation, standing in the holy place? Perhaps, but not necessarily.  It certainly speaks of false messiahs and false prophets performing great signs and wonders to deceive many.  Many people will be drawn to these people like a spectacle. Crowds of people, who love to feed on that which is sickly or dead, will gather around the bodies of these false messiahs and false prophets. For wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

Some of these false christs and false prophets could literally appear or materialize out of thin air in various locations, as one of the wonders they perform to deceive many. There will be these strange people from another place that will appear on earth very soon.  Some of them could even come down in a UFO. But in reality, they are demons that will come to deceive people. There will probably be videos of this online and emails with the links to those videos of such men appearing. This will be a temptation even for believers, which we will need to resist.

The Bible tells us what the end of the antichrist and false prophet will be. “And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.” (Rev 19:20).

Signs in the sun, moon and stars, nations in anguish, tsunamis, terror, heavenly bodies shaken
The next sign the Lord told us would occur was a period when there would be signs in the sun, moon and stars, nations in anguish, tsunamis, terror, and heavenly bodies shaken, which is the next series of signs to occur in sequence.

Synoptic Gospels Revelation
“Immediately after the distress of those days 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’" (Mt 24:49)

"But in those days, following that distress, 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'" (Mar 13:24-25)

“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken." (Lk 21:25-26)
Sixth Seal  (Sun darkened, blood moon, stars fall to earth, sky split apart, mountains and islands moved out of place):

I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places…(Rev 6:12-14)

Also see Darkened Skies in the Last Days.

Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and glory
The next event the Lord told us would occur is the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and glory.

Synoptic Gospels Revelation
“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other."

"At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Sixth Seal continued (Kings, great men, commanders, the rich, the strong, every slave, every free man hid in caves and mountains to hide from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb):

Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" (Rev 6:15-17)

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads." (Rev 7:1-3)

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, "Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen." Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?" I said to him, "My lord, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Rev 7:9-14)

John tells us in the book of Revelation what he saw when the sixth seal is opened. Then he tells us what he saw “after this.”  Both the events of the sixth seal and what happens “after this” correspond exactly with what our Lord Jesus prophesied in the gospels.

Everyone on earth will see this event, even those who are not ready for it.  Those who are not ready will mourn (Zech 12:10).  Jesus said, “All the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming.” In Revelation, John said that kings, great men, commanders, the rich, the strong, every slave, every free man hid in caves and mountains to hide from the presence of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.

At that time, Jesus said, “He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other,” and they will be gathered together in the sky to meet the Lord. Just as the Lord made reference to His angels gathering his elect from the four winds, so also John referred to four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, and another angel having the seal of the living God with which to seal the bond servants of God on their foreheads.

The apostle Paul wrote: "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (1Th 4:14-18)

John described what he saw afterward.  He said in part, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes…” He was told, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Also see my article called The Son of Man

Putting it All Together
Here is a condensed, summarized chart showing the signs that Jesus gave in the Synoptic Gospels corresponding exactly with the events in the book of Revelation, especially the seals in their divine sequence.

Synoptic Gospels Revelation
Deception
False Christs First Seal (Possibly a false messiah)
Wars and Rumors of Wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes, fearful events and great signs from heaven First Seal (Rumors of War)
Second Seal (Wars)
Third Seal (Famine and economic chaos)
Fourth Seal (Death by sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts)
Persecution of witnesses, who will bear testimony for Jesus Fifth Seal (Persecution of witnesses)
Apostasy, love of most growing cold, betrayal, hatred, and false prophets; preaching the gospel of the kingdom
Jerusalem surrounded by armies, nearness of desolation, abomination of desolation, time of punishment
Dreadful time of great tribulation
False messiahs and false prophets performing great signs and wonders to deceive Regarding the false prophet and antichrist: “And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life. (Rev 13:14).
Signs in the sun, moon and stars, nations in anguish, tsunamis, terror, heavenly bodies shaken, sun darkened, stars will fall from the sky Sixth Seal (Sun darkened, blood moon, stars fall to earth, sky split apart, mountains and islands moved out of place).
Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and glory… He will send his angels…and they will gather His elect from the four winds... Sixth Seal continued (Kings, great men, commanders, the rich, the strong, every slave, every free man hid in caves and mountains to hide from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb).

An angel having the seal of the living God who seals the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.

A great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands…

They are those who come out of the great tribulation.

Our Lord Jesus compared these events to birth pains of a woman in labor.  Labor pains begin at a low intensity and build to a very high intensity to the point where they become unbearable, until finally the woman gives birth to the man child.  The labor pains begin at regular intervals that are spaced far apart in frequency, but as time goes on the tempo builds and becomes faster, as the pains occur more frequently intervals.

That is how we can expect these events to occur.  At first they will be spaced far apart at regular intervals, but then they will happen more and more frequently, until eventually they are happening so close together that there is no time to catch your breath between a particular sign and the one that follows it.  And when a particular sign occurs, it continues until the end.

The signs Jesus predicted were: deception, false christs, wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes, fearful events and great signs from heaven, persecution of witnesses, who will bear testimony for Jesus, apostasy, love of most growing cold, betrayal, hatred, and false prophets, the righteous preaching the gospel of the kingdom, Jerusalem surrounded by armies, nearness of desolation, the abomination that causes desolation, flight from Jerusalem, destruction of Jerusalem, the time of punishment, the dreadful time of distress,  the onset of the Great Tribulation, false messiahs and false prophets performing great signs and wonders to deceive, signs in the sun, moon and stars, nations in anguish, tsunamis, terror, heavenly bodies shaken.  Only after all of these signs will the Son of Man be seen coming in a cloud with power and glory with all His holy angels with Him to gather the elect to Himself.  That is when the rapture will occur. As Jesus said, "be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time."

With regard to the saints going through the entire Great Tribulation, I do not believe that will happen, unless you are a saint who is not ready for the rapture.  I believe that the saints will see the onset of the Great Tribulation, in which the abomination that causes desolation occurs and Jerusalem is destroyed. We will see the days of darkness when the sun and moon do not give their light, and other things happening during that period, which correspond to the first six seals of Revelation, as I have already mentioned.  However, let us not forget that Jesus said, if those days had not been cut short, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

The final events that Jesus said would be signs to occur before his coming will happen at greater and greater frequency, so that the ones that occur after the abomination of desolation may happen within a very short span of time. This would mean that the saints only go through a very brief period of the Great Tribulation. So for the sake of the elect, whose robes are pure white and spotless, without any wrinkle, the Lord will shorten those days by coming, and sending His angels to gather them to Himself in the rapture.  Those who are not ready will be left behind to go through the 3.5 year Great Tribulation.  Those people will be here for the seventh seal and the wrath of God that follows. And believe me, you don't want to go through that!

That's why we need to pray to escape all these things.  "But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man." (Luk 21:36).  It may not be possible to escape the part leading up to the Great Tribulation, unless someone is put to death for their faith in Christ, but once the Great Tribulation begins, I believe there will be an escape for the righteous, by way of the rapture.

These are the definite signs that Scripture says will happen before the Lord returns, and we see them taking place all around us.  It’s time to wake up, repent, and live a life of daily repentance.  We need to produce the fruit of repentance, walking in love and in the light, and serving the Lord.  We need to watch and pray, always being ready for Jesus’ return.  We need to live in holiness, righteousness, and truth. Then that day will not overtake us like a thief in the night.  The one who stands firm to the end will be saved (Mt 24:13; Mk 13:13). I plead with you to save yourself from this corrupt generation (Ac 2:40). Stand firm, and you will win life.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted. The "Four Horsemen" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's note: You must take responsibility for your own actions. Nobody knows the day or the hour, and in no way am I date setting. This is only to provide you with information, so that you can make your own decisions, for which you will be accountable to God.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the companion article, Sequence of Signs Preceding the Coming of Christ, where you will find a fuller treatment of the synoptic gospel passages presented above, along with all the Scripture references for them. I also recommend reading my articles listed below in this blog, which are available through the Signs of the Times Directory.

The Seven Seals Being Opened in Real Time
The 311 Moment
Times and Epochs the Father has Determined 
Are you Rapture Ready?
The Day of Our Lord’s Wedding is at Hand
Rapture Revelation to Ayodelle Sawyerr
Rapture Revelation to Claire Andoun Solomon
Rapture Revelation to Angelica Zambrano
The Timing of the Rapture
The Son of Man 

You may access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Sequence of Signs Preceding the Coming of Christ

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem
In order to know the signs that will happen before the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, we should consult the synoptic gospels, where it is recorded what He Himself prophesied would happen. This is a study that shows what Jesus said would be the signs of the end times.

It's important to note that the context for these signs was that the Lord had predicted the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. In response to that, His disciples asked specifically, “When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”  The following signs given by the Lord were a direct answer to that question:

Deception
The first thing He warned about was deception.

Matthew 24 Mark 13 Luke 21
4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 8a He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived.


False Christs
The next thing He warned about was False Christs, which is the next sign to occur in sequence.

Matthew 24 Mark 13 Luke 21
5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 8b For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.

Also see my article called The Rise of Antichrists

Wars and Rumors of Wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes, fearful events and great signs from heaven
The next sign the Lord told us would occur was a period when there would be wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes, fearful events and great signs from heaven, which is the next sign to occur in sequence.

Matthew 24 Mark 13 Luke 21
6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. 9 When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”10 Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.


Persecution of witnesses, who will bear testimony for Jesus
The next sign the Lord told us would occur was a period when there would be Persecution of witnesses, who will bear testimony for Jesus, which is the next sign to occur in sequence.

Matthew 24 Mark 13 Luke 21
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 9 “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.

Also see Persecuted or Popular?

Apostasy, love of most growing cold, betrayal, hatred, and false prophets; preaching the gospel of the kingdom
The next sign the Lord told us would occur was a period when there would be apostasy, or falling away from the faith, the love of most growing cold; there will be betrayal, hatred, and false prophets. Meanwhile, there will be the true witnesses preaching the gospel of the kingdom, which is the next sign to occur in sequence.

Matthew 24 Mark 13 Luke 21
10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life.

Under these conditions (i.e., persecution, apostasy, cold love prevalent even among believers, betrayal, hatred, and false prophets) will this gospel of the kingdom be preached in the whole world just before the end comes -- not under peaceful conditions, in which the righteous are dominating the world or reigning on seven mountains!

Jerusalem surrounded by armies, nearness of desolation, abomination of desolation, time of punishment
The next sign the Lord told us would occur was a period when there would be Jerusalem surrounded by armies, the nearness of its desolation, the abomination of desolation in the temple, and the time of punishment on Israel, which is the next sign to occur in sequence.

Matthew 24 Mark 13 Luke 21
15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 14 “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 20 “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.

Close up view

In Matthew and Mark, Jesus gave a close up view of what will occur in the holy place in Jerusalem. It is the abomination in the temple that causes desolation to Jerusalem and the rest of Judea, which we now call Israel. By combining the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew and Mark, we have him saying essentially, “When you see standing where it does not belong (i.e., in the holy place) ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel...” (Also see Daniel 9:27; 12:11).

As the apostle Paul said, "Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God." (2Th 2:3-4). 

Wide-angle view
And in Luke Jesus gave the wider view of the bigger picture regionally when this sign occurs, which is armies surrounding Jerusalem. Luke recorded Him saying, “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.”  So this is about the desolation of Jerusalem (see Jeremiah 30:7), and the sign occurs in that city. Therefore, the holy place where the abomination does not belong is in the temple there. In Luke, we have Jesus giving the wider view of the bigger picture regionally when this sign occurs, which is armies surrounding Jerusalem. (Also compare Zechariah 12:3 and 14:2-5).

Dreadful time of Great Tribulation
The next sign the Lord told us would occur is the onset of a dreadful time of distress, known as the Great Tribulation, which is the next sign to occur in sequence.

Matthew 24 Mark 13 Luke 21
19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. 23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Jesus was speaking to His disciples and took care to have us pray that our flight would not take place on the Sabbath. This applies to the Jews and Christians living in Jerusalem at this time. When they see the abomination that causes desolation, standing in the holy place, and Jerusalem surrounded by armies, they will need to flee to the mountains immediately. There will be no time to spare, not even to go inside the house to grab their coat to keep warm at night in the mountains. There may only be a matter of minutes to escape Jerusalem before it is destroyed, and it will probably not be more than an hour, so every minute will count!

I want to call attention to the fact that Jesus cared about the Sabbath. He did not want them fleeing on that day, since their flight would deny them the opportunity to rest and worship. But also in Jerusalem on the Sabbath, all stores and shops are closed, and all public transportation and taxis are shut down. So the only way to flee the city may be on foot or bicycle. 

He made a special note of how dreadful it would be for pregnant women and nursing mothers. If a woman is pregnant, she has special needs and if she is in the advanced stages of her pregnancy she may be impeded from walking fast or running under duress. She may need frequent stops, which would slow down her escape. If a woman is nursing one or more babies, they will be crying loudly and their needs will need to be met, including nursing and diaper changes. Those will add further complication to the flight from Jerusalem, since they are difficult to do while on the run, especially if the babies clothes become wet or soiled and there are not clean dry clothes or diapers on hand to change them into. And if this occurs in winter, it would present a particularly dreadful hardship for anyone fleeing to the mountains, due to the cold temperatures, but especially to these mothers Jesus spoke of.

He spoke to His disciples about the onset of the Great Tribulation as something that would occur before His coming. The sign that occurs right before this onset is the abomination that causes the desolation in Jerusalem, and the armies surrounding Jerusalem that will bring that desolation to her. Those combined events will be the trigger that set off the avalanche of disastrous events to occur next, including this flight from Jerusalem and the onset of the Great Tribulation -- "great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again."  This will be the beginning of the period known as Jacob's Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), which Jesus called the time of punishment (Lk 21:22), when God brings punishment upon the Jewish people, and eventually restores them according to the prophecy of Jeremiah in his thirtieth chapter.

False messiahs and false prophets performing great signs and wonders to deceive
The next sign the Lord told us would occur was a period when there would be false messiahs and false prophets performing great signs and wonders to deceive, which is the next sign to occur in sequence.

Matthew 24 Mark 13 Luke 21
22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time. 26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. 20 “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. [No record of this sign in Luke's gospel]

When the people are saying ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ and ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ could it be a reference to ‘the abomination that causes desolation, standing in the holy place? Perhaps, but not necessarily. It certainly speaks of false messiahs and false prophets performing great signs and wonders to deceive many. Many people will be drawn to these people like a spectacle. Crowds of people, who love to feed on that which is sickly or dead, will gather around the bodies of these false messiahs and false prophets. For wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

Some of these false christs and false prophets will literally appear or materialize out of thin air in various locations, as one of the wonders they perform to deceive many. There will be these strange people from another place that will appear on earth very soon. Some of them could even come down in a UFO. But in reality, they are demons that will come to deceive people. There will probably be videos of this online and emails with the links to those videos of such men appearing. This will be a temptation even for believers, which we will need to resist.

Signs in the sun, moon and stars, nations in anguish, tsunamis, terror, heavenly bodies shaken
The next sign the Lord told us would occur was a period when there would be signs in the sun, moon and stars, nations in anguish, tsunamis, terror, the sun will be darkened, the stars fall from the sky, heavenly bodies shaken, which is the next series of signs to occur in sequence.

Matthew 24 Mark 13 Luke 21
29 “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 24 “But in those days, following that distress, “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.

Also see Darkened Skies in the Last Days.

Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and glory
The next event the Lord told us would occur is the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and glory.

Matthew 24 Mark 13 Luke 21
30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[c] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.[d] 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. 26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Everyone on earth will see this event, even those who are not ready for it. Those who are not ready will mourn (Zech 12:10). But the angels will gather the elect from across the earth and from across the heavens for those who are in flight, and they will be gathered together in the sky to meet the Lord.

The apostle Paul wrote: "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (1Th 4:14-18)

Also see my article, The Son of Man

One Generation to See it All
Our Lord said that the generation which sees these things begin will not pass away until they have all been completed. He said, "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." (Mat 24:34-35). People, we are that generation which the Lord spoke of.

Putting it All Together
Our Lord Jesus compared these events to birth pains of a woman in labor. Labor pains begin at a low intensity and built to a very high intensity to the point where they become unbearable, until finally the woman gives birth to the man child. The labor pains begin at regular intervals that are spaced far apart in frequency, but as time goes on the tempo builds and becomes faster, as the pains occur more frequently intervals.

That is how we can expect these events to occur. At first they will be spaced far apart at regular intervals, but then they will happen more and more frequently, until eventually they are happening so close together that there is no time to catch your breath between a particular sign and the one that follows it. And when a particular sign occurs, it continues until the end.

The signs Jesus predicted were: deception, false christs, wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes, fearful events and great signs from heaven, persecution of witnesses, who will bear testimony for Jesus, apostasy, love of most growing cold, betrayal, hatred, and false prophets, the righteous preaching the gospel of the kingdom, Jerusalem surrounded by armies, nearness of desolation, the abomination that causes desolation, flight from Jerusalem, destruction of Jerusalem, the time of punishment, the dreadful time of distress, the onset of the Great Tribulation, false messiahs and false prophets performing great signs and wonders to deceive, signs in the sun, moon and stars, nations in anguish, tsunamis, terror, heavenly bodies shaken. Only after all of these signs will Son of Man be seen coming in a cloud with power and glory with all His holy angels with Him to gather the elect to Himself. That is when the rapture will occur. As Jesus said, "be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time."

With regard to the saints going through the entire Great Tribulation, I do not believe that will happen, unless you are a saint who is not ready for the rapture. I believe that the saints will see the onset of the Great Tribulation, in which the abomination that causes desolation occurs and Jerusalem is destroyed. We will see the days of darkness when the sun and moon do not give their light, and other things happening during that period as I have already mentioned. However, let us not forget that Jesus said, if those days had not been cut short, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

The final events that Jesus said would be signs to occur before his coming will happen at greater and greater frequency, so that the ones that occur after the abomination of desolation may happen within a very short time. This would mean that the saints only go through a very brief period of the Great Tribulation. So for the sake of the elect, whose robes are pure white and spotless, without any wrinkle, the Lord will shorten those days by coming to gather them to Himself in the rapture. Those who are not ready will be left behind to go through the 3.5 year Great Tribulation. And believe me, you don't want to go through that!

That's why we need to pray to escape all these things. "But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man." (Luk 21:36). It may not be possible to escape the part leading up to the Great Tribulation, unless someone is put to death for their faith in Christ, but once the Great Tribulation begins, I believe there will be an escape for the righteous, by way of the rapture.

These are the definite signs that Scripture says will happen before the Lord returns, and we see them taking place all around us. It’s time to wake up, repent, and live a life of daily repentance. We need to produce the fruit of repentance, walking in love and in the light, and serving the Lord. We need to watch and pray, always being ready for Jesus’ return. Then that day will not overtake us like a thief in the night. The one who stands firm to the end will be saved. Stand firm, and you will win life.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Temple Mount photo from Wikipedia in the public domain.

Author's note: You must take responsibility for your own actions. Nobody knows the day or the hour, and in no way am I date setting. This is only to provide you with information, so that you can make your own decisions, for which you will be accountable to God.

If you enjoyed this post, please see the sequel article called Synching Up the Seven Seals with the Gospels. You may also like the following articles in this blog as well as other posts in this blog available through the Signs of the Times Directory.

The Seven Seals Being Opened in Real Time
The 311 Moment
Are you Rapture Ready?
The Day of Our Lord’s Wedding is at Hand
Rapture Revelation to Ayodelle Sawyerr
Rapture Revelation to Angelica Zambrano
The Timing of the Rapture
The Son of Man  

You may access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.