What are the Signs of the Times?

November 26 (Matt. 16:3; I Tim. 4:1-5; II Tim. 3:1-5; II Pet. 2:1-3)
In Matthew 16:3 Jesus chides the religious leaders of the time saying, "And in the morning, 'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times” Yesterday was a holiday, so Sharon and I were lying in bed talking about our state of readiness for the final hours of history. We moved to Montana 17 years ago because I believe we are living in the final hours of history as we know it. I believe we are on the brink of the seven year period of time the bible refers to as the tribulation. I’m not an alarmist, but I am a pragmatist. One doesn’t have to be a loony psycho to get his house in order and be ready for whatever might come. In this particular case (being prepared for the tribulation) I think it’s entirely safe to say one is an irresponsible oaf if he ignores the many signs that seem to be indicating we are very near the end times.

I’ve written an entire book on the subject, so I’ll make no attempt to deal with the myriads of myriads of signs that are, as we live and breathe being fulfilled right before our eyes. I will disclose three undeniable signs that will signal we are beginning the countdown to the final 3 ½ years. I will do that because, though the first 3 ½ years will be rough, they will seem like a walk in the park when compared to the final 3 ½. Three clear and indisputable signs will launch the tribulation: Sign number 1 will be the rise of the Beast, an extremely charismatic man who will be chosen by a world order (the United Nations or a similar organization), to head up a project to unite all nations under the complete authority of that organization. He will be one who promises peace, makes a peace pact with a worldwide religious conglomerate (possibly some kind of pact between the Catholic Church and the really liberal group who call themselves Christians the WCC), and the Jews. It will be under the guise of bringing all peoples together under a single banner for peace. It may come after an untimely and unexpected nuclear exchange by a few rogue nations who have acquired their weapons on the black market. I suspect, though I have no specifics, the United States will have been neutered by that time (a much easier task than most believe).

Sign number 2 will be the rise of two prophets in Jerusalem who will begin prophesying to Israel. If you saw the Left Behind series, that’s one thing I believe they got spot on. They’re called the two olive branches in Zechariah. And they will have the power to slay any who try to stop them with fire that will proceed out of their mouths. My guess is that these are Moses and Elijah, but there are a couple of other Old Testament prophets who qualify and may be them.

The third sign will be the beginning of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. Possibly the nuclear exchange mentioned will have destroyed the current Mosque that sits on that site now. I think the anti-Christ will likely head up that project under the pretense He is doing it as a peace gesture to the Jews. And we don’t know for sure when that rebuilding actually begins; it might be earlier, but it isn’t likely that it will be after the beginning of the tribulation, because it must be completed before the mid-point of the tribulation. The anti-Christ’s appointment as a world leader coincides with Revelation 6:1 when one on a white horse is given a crown and goes out conquering and to conquer. That is the beginning of the tribulation,

Please don’t let those who are thinking wishfully convince you we will not be here during that time. Request my book on CD and/or with my notes on the Revelation and get a definitive study on the topic. I use hundreds of verses and present an indisputable case for the post tribulation rapture of the church theory. Glenn Beck is speaking daily about the need for us to prepare for difficult times ahead. It may not be the tribulation yet. On the other hand, it may be. If you’re foolish enough not to heed the signs of the times and it turns out that we are on the very brink of that historical period, you will rue the day you ignored the warnings. Great multitudes are suggesting gold and silver are the safest investment against inflation one can engage. God’s word says in the final hours of history gold and silver will be worthless. Isaiah and Jeremiah indicate a loaf of bread will be more valuable than a pound of gold. Sounds to me like gold will be pretty worthless. At today’s market price for gold that means a loaf of bread will cost about $16,000. What most of today’s generation doesn’t know is that when real hard times hit, no one is interested in shiny, sparkling metal.

In the final analysis, the choice is yours. Be ready or be sorry. There's not an ounce of harm done for the one who begins preparing an escape route for a flood that never comes. Of course the analogy breaks down because this flood is definitely coming. The only question is when. If you see any of the signs I have described coming to pass, your time is extremely limited; and I can assure you, it will cost a lot more to get prepared once those signs appear. And that’s God’s word for us today.