Signs of the Times

For those of us who follow Biblical prophecy relating to the End Times, the past two months have been remarkable. In addition to the general conditions that I noted in last month’s post, we witnessed very specific realizations of events predicted thousands of years ago.

If you missed my post, The Times We Live In, you can read it here.

Every day, it seems, we read about historical weather events, the geo-political realignment of Israel, and an unprecedented eruption of chaos and lawlessness. These aren’t just headlines for the evening news—these are the precise circumstances that the Bible predicted would happen before Jesus returns the second time.

Even my friends who don’t follow politics or religion are waking up and taking notice that the world is changing very, very rapidly.

Below are 4 predictions in the Bible that appear to run parallel with current events. Although we have not yet arrived at our final destination, these reports mean that the train has officially left the station and there’s no going back.

1.     Worldwide, countries will stop accepting cash.

It was hard to believe, until recently, that a time will come when cash will no longer be widely used or accepted. Although the term “cashless society” doesn’t appear in the Bible, Revelation 13:16-17 says that people will not be able to buy or sell without the mark of the beast on their right hand or forehead.

We are being conditioned to pay for everything electronically. With the advent of “cash apps” (an oxymoron), we no longer need to carry dollar bills. A few days ago, we were at our favorite fast-food restaurant and tried to pay with cash but were told that they can only accept exact change. In fact, they don’t always even keep cash in their registers anymore.

This may not seem extreme or newsworthy, but we need to remember that McDonald's didn’t even accept credit card payments until 2002! See the CNN report here.

This trend has certainly escalated quickly. On September 2, the Federal Reserve announced its FedNow Service is scheduled to launch as early as May 2023. FedNow is a central bank digital currency (CBDC) that will replace the dollar. The cashless society has arrived.

And for skeptics who say the prophecy in Revelation will never come true, the technology is already here. Just this week, a man in Great Britain was implanted with a microchip in his right hand. He actually paid out-of-pocket to have the procedure. “It means I don’t have to keep a wallet with me all the time,” said Arnie Szoke, 40. Read the article here.

2.     Israel’s neighbors will promise peace but make war.

Peace in the Middle East. We’ve heard about that pipedream for decades, even as tensions increase in that region. The Islamic Brotherhood has sought to obliterate the country of Israel ever since the Balfour Declaration in 1917, an official statement by the British Government promising to create a Jewish State, according to Jihadwatch.org.

In 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the newly elected president of Iran promised to “wipe Israel off the map,” according to the New York Times.

The Abraham Accords in 2020 marked the first move toward this illusive peace. Although monumental, the agreement only normalized economic relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.

And then, on October 11, 2022, Israel and Lebanon reached a “historic agreement to resolve a long-running maritime border dispute,” according to CNBC. This deal will enable both countries to ramp up off-shore gas and oil production.

This is a remarkable concession for both sides, considering the history between the two countries. We’ll have to see where this goes.

3.     The Jewish people will begin offering sacrifices in the temple once again.

The return to archaic religious practices by a middle eastern country may not seem like breaking news but is it keenly important to End Time events. The Antichrist, or “Man of Lawlessness” will enter the Temple in Jerusalem and declare himself to be God and end the sacrificial system. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and Daniel 9:27).

There’s only one problem. The [second] Jewish temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. and there have not been sacrifices offered in Israel according to Mosaic Law since then.

Even though there are still significant obstacles to rebuilding the temple in the prescribed location—namely the Dome of the Rock currently sits on that site—the Temple Institute of Jerusalem (see templeinstitute.org) is determined to rebuild and reinstate the sacrificial system.

Three significant events happened recently which move their vision closer to reality:

• September 7: Israeli news site reports that construction is to begin later this year for a light rail system at Ben Gurion international airport. This will system will transport visitors from all 70 nations directly from the terminal to the Temple Mount, showing the Israeli government’s intention to reconstruct the temple.

• September 15: Five spotless red heifers arrived in Jerusalem. You can read the article here to see the significance of these cows to the sacrificial system here.

• October 11: Men from the Tribe of Levi were summoned to the Temple Mount. The Levites are the only people able to serve as priests. Read about the significance here.

4.     The gospel will be preached to all people groups.

When Jesus walked the earth, he promised that ALL people would hear the Good News before He returns. The “Great Commission,” as this passage has been coined, in Matthew 28:19-20 charges all believers with the task of making disciples until He returns.

And although the advent of the internet has proliferated the spread of the gospel message, there was a groundbreaking, historic event that happened last month which transmitted the Good News further and wider than ever before.

On September 24, 2022, the gospel was preached to an estimated 4.1 BILLION people during the broadcast of the funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II. This may not seem significant; however, MSN reported that the broadcast audience for the Monday afternoon service shattered records. Princess Diana’s funeral, by comparison, reached only 2.5 billion.

According to Mike Claydon of The Israel Report, the service was saturated with sound Christian theology:

“A large slice of humanity was exposed to more scripture from the ceremonies at Westminster Abbey and thereafter than is presently heard in hundreds of thousands of pulpits today. Texts were from both the Old and New Testaments and included John 11:25-26, Job 19:25-27, 1 Timothy 6:7, Job 1:21, Revelation 14:13, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 53-58, Psalm 42: 1-17, Job 14:1-9, Psalm 34:8, Matthew 6:9-13, Romans 8:35, 38-39, all of Psalm 121, Revelation 21:1-7, and Psalm 103:13-17.

Then, there were the glorious Christian hymns – songs that highlighted the Queen's faith in Christ, including, “The Lord is My Shepherd,” a favorite of the late monarch. The sentiments of those who officiated clearly indicated that the queen didn’t just identify as a Christian but lived a Christian life.”

You can read more about this historic event on The Israel Report based out of Southern Australia by clicking here.

As we conclude, I realize that the occurrences listed above may seem unrelated, but they are not. These are further signs that Jesus’s return is imminent.

And this is not a complete list, by any means. Events are unfolding at a break-neck pace. But this shouldn’t discourage you. God gives us prophecy to prepare, not to scare. 1 Thessalonians 4:18 says, “Therefore, encourage each other with these words.”

---

Special thanks to Mike Claydon of The Israel Report. I encourage you to subscribe to his publication if you haven’t already.