"When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors" Matthew 24:33
Prophecy: "There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." "Let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains." nMatthew 24:2, 16.
Fulfillment: Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70 by the Roman warrior Titus.
2. A Great Persecution, or Tribulation
Prophecy: "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world." Matthew 24:21.
Fulfillment: This prophecy points primarily to the long period of tribulation that took place during the Dark Ages and was instigated by the apostate church. It lasted more than 1,000 years. Over 50 million Christians were slain for their faith in this terrible tribulation period. One writer says the apostate church "has shed more innocent blood than any other institution that has ever existed among mankind." W.E.H. Lecky, History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe, (Reprint; New York: Braziller, 1955) Vol. 2, pp. 40-45.
3. The Sun Turned into Darkness
Prophecy: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened." Matthew 24:29.
Fulfillment: This was fulfilled by a day of supernatural darkness on May 19, 1780. It was not an eclipse. Timothy Dwight says, "The 19th of May, 1780, was a remarkable dark day. Candles were lighted in many houses; the birds were silent and disappeared, and the fowls retired to roost. ... A very general opinion prevailed, that the day of judgment was at hand." Quoted in Connecticut Historical Collections, compiled by John Warner Barber (2nd ed.; New Haven: Durrie & Peck and J.W. Barber, 1836) p. 403.
4. The Moon Turned into Blood
Prophecy: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come." Joel 2:31.
Fulfillment: The moon became as red as blood on the night of the "dark day," May 19, 1780. Milo Bostick in Stone's History of Massachusetts says, "The moon which was at its full, had the appearance of blood."
5. The Stars Fall from Heaven
Prophecy: "And the stars shall fall from heaven." Matthew 24:29.
Fulfillment: The great star shower took place on the night of November 13, 1833. It was so bright that a newspaper could be read on the street. One writer says, "For nearly four hours the sky was literally ablaze."* Men thought the end of the world had come. Look into this. It is most fascinating, and a sign of Christ's coming. The great star shower took place on November 13, 1833. *Peter A. Millman, "The Falling of the Stars," The Telescope, 7 (May-June, 1940) 57.
6. Capital-labor troubles
Trouble between capital and labor is predicted for the last days. For fulfillment, consult your newspaper.
7. Wars and commotions
"But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass." Luke 21:9.
Wars and the ravages of civil distress are affecting thousands worldwide. Only Jesus' soon coming will bring an end to the pain and destruction of war.
8. Unrest, fear, and upheaval
"And there shall be ... upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; ... Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth." Luke 21:25, 26.
This sounds strangely like an editorial from a current newspaper--a perfect picture of the world today--and there is a reason: We are the people of the very last days of earth's history. The tense atmosphere present in the world today should not surprise us. Christ foretold it. It should convince us that His coming is near
9. Increase of knowledge
"Even to the time of the end ... knowledge shall be increased." Daniel 12:4.
The Information Age makes this one all too obvious. Even the most skeptical mind must admit that this sign is fulfilled. Knowledge is exploding in all directions. It is said that 80?percent of the world's total knowledge has been brought forth in the last decade and that 90?percent of all the scientists who have ever lived are alive today.
"There shall come in the last days scoffers." 2 Peter 3:3. "They will not endure sound doctrine; ... And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Timothy 4:3, 4.
It is not difficult to find scoffers today in fulfillment of this prophecy. Even religious leaders are denying the plain Bible teachings of Creation, the Flood, the divinity of Christ, the second coming of Christ, and many other vital Bible truths. Psychiatry and the traditions of pseudo-intellectuals have replaced the Bible in many religious circles. Secular educators teach our youth to scoff at the Bible record of these great truths and substitute evolution and other man-made, false teachings for the plain, simple facts of God's Holy Word. A recent poll discovered that only two percent of American student ministers believe in the literal second coming of Christ.
"In the last days ... men shall be lovers of their own selves, ... Without natural affection, ... incontinent, ... despisers of those that are good, ... Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
The world is in the midst of a tremendous crisis. People from all walks of life are saying so. Suicide is becoming a popular solution to human problems. Divorce rates are climbing wildly, with nearly one marriage in two ending in the divorce court. The current immoral generation--with its obsession with sex and filth, with its increasing church membership but decreasing true spirituality--is plain and positive fulfillment of God's Word. For a real shock, see how many of the last-day sins listed in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 you can find depicted in any issue of your Sunday newspaper. Nothing short of the coming of the Lord will stem the tide of evil that is now engulfing the world.
"In the last days ... men shall be ... lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God." 2 Timothy 3:1-4.
The world has gone crazy for pleasure. Only a small percentage of the citizens of our large cities attend church services regularly, but they jam pleasure resorts by the thousands. World is spending billions each year for pleasure and only "peanuts" (in comparison) for God. Pleasure-mad Americans waste billions of hours in front of the TV set in direct fulfillment of 2 Timothy 3:4.
13. Increasing lawlessness, bloody crimes, and violence
"Iniquity shall abound." Matthew 24:12. "Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse." 2 Timothy 3:13. "The land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence." Ezekiel 7:23.
It is all too obvious that this sign is fulfilled. Crime and lawlessness are increasing with shocking rapidity. Most people in large cities do not answer their doorbells after dark. The wisest statesmen of our time are concerned for the survival of civilization because crime sweeps forward seemingly beyond control.
14. Destructive earthquakes, storms, famines and pestilences
"And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences." Luke 21:11.
Earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, etc. are increasing at an unprecedented rate. One-third of the people of the world are hungry, and thousands die daily of starvation. Deadly diseases are all too common in our world. All these things are further proof that we live in earth's last hours.
15. A turning to spiritism
"In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits." 1 Timothy 4:1. "They are the spirits of devils." Revelation 16:14.
People today, including a vast number of the heads of nations, seek counsel from psychics, channelers, and spiritualists. Spiritism has invaded the churches, as well, with the false teaching of the immortality of the soul. The Bible teaches that the dead are dead. Reliance on psychics, channelers, and spiritualists is evidence that we are living in the last days.
16. Pride and Selfishness
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." 2 Timothy 3:1-5
17. Drunkeness & Gluttony
"Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." Luke 17:28-30
18. Desecration of Marriage
"But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matthew 24:37
"...God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet." Romans 1:26-27
The world is given up to the pursuit of temporal affairs, as men were in the days of Noah. They are eating, drinking, planting, building, marrying, and giving in marriage. These things are all lawful in themselves, but it is the carrying of them to excess and the perversion of the holy which is sinful. Marriage has been perverted to minister to passion.
19. Skeptics
"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." 2 Peter 3:3-4
In Noah's day there were men who laughed to scorn his words of warning. They said that nature was governed by fixed laws which made a flood impossible, and that if there were any truth in what he said, the great men, the wise and prudent, would understand the matter. There was total disbelief in Noah's testimony in regard to the coming judgments; but this unbelief did not prevent or hinder the gathering storm. At the appointed time, "the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened," and the earth was washed of its corruption. Only those who found shelter in the ark were saved.
20. The sea and the waves will roar
"And there will be SIGNS in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring" Luke 21:2
On December 26, 2004, “the sea and the waves roared” like never before devastating the coastlines of 11 nations. Jesus listed this very thing as one of the “signs” of His return.
21. Islands will move out of its place
The Book of Revelation predicts that at the very end of the world “every mountain and island was moved out of its place” (Revelation 6:14). Some may have viewed the idea of islands moving as far-fetched. No longer. On December 26, 2004, the Indonesian island of Sumatra literally “moved” 100 feet. Maps are being redrawn. Thus islands can move. More will shift in the future.
22. Mankind destroying the very planet
God will finally "destroy them that destroy the earth" (Revelation 11:18). In other words, before the end, mankind will be destroying the very planet we live on. This implies a global environmental crisis resulting from the growth of mega-cities, deforestation, a disappearing ozone layer, nuclear disasters and earth-damaging man made pollutants.
Jesus Christ said, "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be before the coming of the Son of Man" (Matthew 24:37). What was it like in Noah's day before the flood? Here's the answer: "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence" (Genesis 6:11). "And God said to Noah, the end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth" (Genesis 6:13). Thus "violence" was rampant in Noah's day, just like today.
24. A special message to the world in the very last days
"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matthew 24:14.
The great, solemn, last warning message of Christ's second coming is now being presented in more than 900 languages and dialects. Nearly 95 percent of the world's population has access to this message. Before Jesus' second coming, every person in the world will be warned of His soon return. People will be lost only if they reject the warning message.
(Note: Much of the above has been sourced from finalevents.com)
Time Line of Final Events
1) YOU ARE HERE (We're in the year 2009 AD)
2) EARTH'S LAST CRISIS - Luke 21:35; Rev. 3:10. No one knows when it will come, yet it will hit at an unexpected time, like September 11. This crisis could stem from many causes - economic, natural (such as a huge earthquake, etc.), or possibly, a terrorist attack.
3) THE MARK OF THE BEAST IS ENFORCED BY LAW - Rev. 13:16,17 The "mark of the beast" will be enforced by governments around the world as a supposed "solution" to a global, desperate crisis. The majority of Earth's inhabitants will not realize this is "the mark," for they will be deceived. Rev. 19:20. The terms "beast" and "mark" are code words in the book of Revelation that God's people alone will understand. They will know who the "beast" is, and what his "mark" is, while the rest of the world has no clue.
4) THE THREE ANGELS MESSAGES ARE HEARD WORLDWIDE - Rev. 14:6-12 Before anyone receives "the mark," God will send a special, final message to warn and enlighten a world filled with people He loves and earnestly wants to save. This special message is the message of "The Three Angels." These angels represent human beings who understand and communicate this exact message with "a loud voice" to "every nation, tribe, tongue, and people" (Rev. 14:6,7). The message is given before the return of Jesus Christ (Rev. 14:14-16).
5) THE FINAL CHOICE - THE SEAL OR THE MARK? - Rev. 7:1-3; 13:16-14:1. During Earth's last crisis, every living human being will make a final choice - choosing the side of Jesus Christ and the truth (receiving the "seal of God") or the side of Satan and the "beast" (receiving his "mark"). Humanity will be divided into two great, final classes.
6) THE CLOSING OF HEAVEN'S DOOR OF SALVATION - Rev. 22:11 After everyone has had a chance to make an enlightened, intelligent decision, then the "door of mercy" will close forever, just like the door closed to Noah's ark before the flood (see Genesis 7:16). Every human being will either be "righteous" and "holy," or "filthy" and "unjust" (Rev. 22:11). There will be no more changing sides.
7) THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES FALL - Rev. 16; 14:9-12 The seven last plagues are God's final judgments upon a world that has rejected His love, the cross of Jesus Christ, the worship of the Creator and full authority of the Ten Commandments (14:7, 12).
These plagues fall only upon those who have chosen "the beast" and received its "mark" (Rev. 16:1,2). This time period is also called the "time of trouble" (Daniel 12:1). During this awesome period, God's people will be fully protected, just like the Israelites were during the falling of the ten plagues in Egypt (see Exodus 7-12; Psalm 91). At the end of this period, God's faithful ones will be "delivered" (Daniel 12:1).
8) THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON - Rev. 16:14-16 This is the final "battle of that great day of God Almighty." Jesus Christ returns as "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS" (Rev. 19:11-16) to defeat the global forces of Satan, sin and Babylon (Rev. 16:19) and to deliver His blood-bought, obedient people.
9) THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST - Mat. 24:30,31; 1 Thess. 4:16,17 Jesus Christ will return visibly, "with power and great glory," with "a great sound of a trumpet," accompanied by billions of shiny, holy angels. He will resurrect "the dead in Christ" (this is the First Resurrection) and "catch up" His living saints into the air. "Sudden destruction" falls upon the lost who have survived the seven plagues (1 Thess. 4:16-5:3).
10) 1000 YEARS, THE SECOND RESURRECTION, THE FINAL JUDGMENT, THE LAKE OF FIRE AND THE NEW EARTH - Rev. 20:1-15; 21:1 After the return of Jesus Christ comes the 1000 years (Rev. 20). At the end of this period comes the second resurrection of "the rest of the dead" who did not participate in the first resurrection (see Rev. 20:5a; 12,13), the final judgment, "the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:14,15) and then the creation of a new heaven and earth (Rev. 21:1).
In God's New Earth, there will be "no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me, Write: for these words are true and faithful (Rev. 21:4,5). Sin will be gone, and God's love will reign forever!
(Source: whitehorsemedia.com)