Future signs of the second coming of
Jesus
 Until
the close of the 1800s it was not very easy to find
signs that related to the coming of Jesus. Of course,
the rapture has always been an imminent event, yet back
then it was difficult for Bible teachers to make definitive
statements regarding world events associated with the
second coming of Jesus.
To keep things clear on this subject
it must be emphasized that the rapture is not the second
coming. The rapture is when Jesus will come in the air
to receive His church from this world. The Second Coming
is when He, along with the church, will return to this
earth for His millennial reign seven years later. We
can say without question the world events we see happening
all around us point to the rapture, but only as the
rapture relates in time to the Second Coming.
There were relatively few Bible scholars
and teachers back then who placed significance on the
rapture of the church because the Christian world had
been led to believe there would be no Second Coming,
therefore the rapture was an event no Christian could
know anything about. It was considered to be a gloomy
and frightful day that most hoped would occur long after
they died — people, in their ignorance, were afraid
of the rapture as many still are afraid of it today.
As a result it had no practical relevance to everyday
life. Those who refused to acknowledge the rapture
also ridiculed the idea that Israel would ever be a
nation again. It was over, they said. Israel was dead
as a nation and God was finished with the Jew. Beginning
with the Zionist Movement of the late 1800s, however,
things began to change.
In 1894 Theodore Herzl covered the
Alfred Dreyfuss trial in Paris where Dreyfuss , a French
Army artillery officer who was a Jew, was wrongly accused
of treason due to his accuser’s anti-Semitism. Mobs
on the streets of Paris were shouting “Death to the
Jews” during the trial and Herzl, himself a Jew, had
his eyes opened to the reality of the Jewish situation
in Europe. He knew Europe would once again become hostile
to the Jews living there, and indications were it would
not be very long. Thus, he began calling for a homeland
for the Jews, and modern Zionism was born.
This immediately captured the attention
of those few Bible scholars and teachers who had always
believed and taught that one day the Jews would go back
to their ancient homeland and found a modern state of
Israel . From then on those teachers became acutely
aware of signs that indicated God was beginning to move
once again in the affairs of His ancient people.
The chief sign of the 20th Century
was, of course, the reestablishment of Israel in their
homeland. The fulfillment of that prophecy in itself
vindicated those teachers and their insistence on the
literal interpretation of prophecy. They had been ridiculed
by almost all of Christianity for the stand they took,
but in 1948 a lot of crow was eaten by a lot of biblical
allegorists. Yet, most Bible teachers even today still
insist it was all a freak of political nature, and that
the reestablishment of Israel means nothing as far as
prophecy goes.
Further, what often escapes the attention
of most Christians is the fact that prophetic signs
pointing to the 2nd Coming will also be found during
the tribulation period, that seven-year period of hell-on-earth
that will follow the rapture. The church, certainly,
will not see the fulfillment of those post-rapture signs
from an earthly perspective because she will be in heaven
with her Lord. There will, however, be a great multitude
of those left behind after the rapture that will see
them and know exactly what they mean. Taking a stand
on what they know will cost them their heads (Revelation
7:9ff; 20:4).
Perhaps the first and foremost of
those tribulation signs will be when Anti-Christ makes
some sort of treaty with Israel as seen in Daniel 9:27.
The signing of this treaty will do two things. First
it will positively identify the Anti-Christ. So much
speculation is going around today about the identity
of this “man of lawlessness…son of destruction” and
it is all hogwash! Nobody knows who he is today, though
I believe he is alive and well somewhere — waiting in
the shadows for events to propel him into worldwide
attention. Second, it will signal a count-down, for
in three and one-half years he will break the treaty
(Daniel 9:27) and turn on the Jews with a hatred that
will consume his every thought and action.
We might wonder at the reason for
securing this treaty with Israel to begin with. We
can speculate about the details, but one thing is for
certain — whatever the intricacies of the negotiations,
his motive will be complete and absolute hatred for
Jesus and His brethren-by-birth, the Jews. He will
do nothing that will not enhance his satanic scheme,
and that is to secure this present earth and everything/everyone
on it for Satan, his god. The world and even the Jews
will not have a clue as to what this treaty will mean,
but many will know and they will shudder in fear at
the thought of what is coming!
Another sign will be when the Jews
rebuild their Temple (Matthew 24:15). Presently Israel
, the Moslems and the apostate church are in direct
opposition to such an idea. Israel is not interested
because she is a secular state whose leadership and
citizenry generally have no interest in biblical matters.
Their only goal is to try to get along with everybody
and to simply survive the present struggle with the
Moslems. The Moslems hate the Jews and the State of
Israel and would not even consider sharing the Temple
Mount with a Jewish Temple. And the apostate church
sees anything having to do with Israel , especially
in a religious context, as a threat to her own imperialism
and control of the world’s religious masses. Yet, the
rebuilding of the Temple is a tribulation period sign
that will point to the 2nd Coming.
There are several groups in Israel
today that are working toward the goal of rebuilding
the Temple. Various Temple vessels have already been
constructed for future use in the building and garments
have been made which the priests will wear during their
service in the Temple. Two cornerstones have already
been hewn that will be the first stones laid when the
process begins. I believe this will happen during the
tribulation period because I believe the go-ahead for
construction will be associated in some way with the
destruction of the Russian/Arab coalition of Ezekiel
38 ,39 and/or the treaty mentioned above.
Another tribulation sign is the desecration
of that same Temple by the anti-Christ. This will happen
at the mid-point of the seven-year period. At that
time most significant threats to his grab for world-wide
power will be out of the way, at least in his mind,
and he will see no need whatsoever for continuing his
charade with the Jews any longer. To feign friendship
with the Jews will be almost insufferable for him, and
by that time he will relish revealing his true character
to them. He will demand their worship in their own
Temple and this, in turn, will be intolerable for them.
It is at this point all stops are
pulled out and anti-Christ will fully unleash every
tool of terror and evil against the Jews. No holes
will be barred and no punches will be pulled. Jewish
blood will flow everywhere. Persecuted tribulation
saints will not miss this sign, either.
Another sign will be an event the
world is somewhat familiar with, at least by name.
It will be the gathering of the armies of the world
in a valley in northern Israel in order to stage, consolidate,
supply and organize anti-Christ’s forces for the push
toward Jerusalem. That valley is called Armageddon
and is mentioned in Revelation 16:12-16. Most of the
world, and even most of the religious world, associates
this last great battle with the valley of Armageddon
, but in reality the real thrust of the battle will
occur in and around Jerusalem.
Those tribulation saints still alive
at this time will see this great gathering and will
rejoice for they will know the end is near. They will
understand that Jesus’ return will happen when the total
decimation of the Jews is imminent. That is, when Jerusalem
is in the throes of collapse and the remnant of Jews
is at the precipice of annihilation.
The culmination of these, and other
signs that will occur during the tribulation, will be
the return of Jesus, a subject addressed in greater
detail in a previous newsletter.
But, the interesting thing about these
tribulation signs is to be found in a comparison between
how they might be viewed by persecuted tribulation saints
then and how most at-ease Christians view the signs
of our day. Could it be that persecution, torture and
death will cause them to be more sensitive to what God
has predicted than we are? If so, why?
It might be that the rapture and succeeding
events will do for post-rapture saints what all other
signs since the late 1800s have been unable to do for
most of the pre-rapture saints, i.e., the church. That
is, awaken them from the slumber Peter addresses in
2 Peter 3:3 ,4 . Sadly, you see, any number of Christians
are disinterested in prophetic signs because they have
become comfortable with their place in this world and
feel put-upon by all those prophecy teachers and all
their warnings. That, it seems, will not be a problem
in the tribulation for those who know the truth and
choose to act on it.
One last thing must be clarified.
The term “tribulation saints” has been mentioned several
times. Some might conclude they can simply neglect
salvation presently, live as they wish and be saved
during the tribulation. Sort of a second chance deal.
Make no mistake about it: there is no such thing as
a second chance. As long as a person is alive he has
opportunity, but death immediately ends all chances
for ever.
Only a fool would think about taking
such a risk. For one thing a person’s next moment of
life is not guaranteed, not in this dispensation nor
in the tribulation. Secondly, if a person refuses to
choose Christ now when it costs nothing (at least in
this country) what makes him so sure he will choose
Christ when the choice will cost him his head? Further,
his attitude might put him in that post-rapture group
Paul spoke about in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12; the group
that chooses to believe the lie no matter the evidence.
The study of signs is important to
an understanding of prophecy, but there is something
more important. We are at the point in the history
of the world that we should not be looking for signs
so much as looking for the event toward which the signs
point! The rapture of the church should not be a surprise
event to any Christian. DLM
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