The “End Times” – 1
A Look into the Immediate Future
Dr. Roger G. Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
dr-ford.net
March/April 2018
Introduction
The “End Times”. Just what are the “End Times”? The term actually comes from the Bible. The “Time of the End”, the “Last Days”, the “Latter Days”, the “Day of the Lord” all sound alike, but there are differences that every Christian should know and recognize. And, of course, we as Christians in the 21st Century should be on watch for Bible prophecy fulfillment because Jesus IS coming back soon to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords!
These terms referring to the “End” can refer to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the end of the Church Age, the Tribulation, even refer to the Church or the Jews since the Bible teaches that the Church, which consists of all Jews and Gentiles that have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, and the Jews, or Israel that has not accepted Jesus, will experience different destinies. If we do not understand completely, then we remain confused and unable to explain to others when they ask questions. And questions WILL come because almost everyone senses that there are BIG things on the horizon, most just do not know exactly what!
I am in the twilight years of my life. Yes, I am old! I am a child of the late ‘40’s, the ‘50’s, and the ‘60’s, and things really are different today than back then. So, why lead off with this? Well, a familiar Bible verse sets the stage, Matthew 24:37-39, ‘But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.’
This verse points out the utter self-absorption in which mankind dwells virtually constantly, completely unaware of God, His plans, or His coming judgments. Has it always been this way? I submit to you that it has, but in lesser degrees than today. When I was a kid, things were calmer, simpler, less dangerous. No one talked about abortion, or homosexuality, certainly not transgenderism or homeless tent cities. They all existed for sure, but to such a lesser degree that many did not know their true definitions or even cared to. There were Muslims, have been since the 700’s, but there was no blatant terrorism, no threats to life and limb in our cities. We, of course, had wars. The Second World War, the Korean War, Vietnam, but these wars were against Nazi or Communist totalitarian regimes that desired dominant military and monetary power.
Today, we have exponentially progressed to wars all around the globe centered on Islam and the Koran, the latter part of the Koran, that demands domination, surrender, or annihilation. We still have the totalitarian states, but to a lesser degree, certainly to a less immediate danger aspect. The culture has been led in the direction of godlessness, persecution of Christian beliefs and doctrines to the exclusion of virtually all others, rampant and blatant displays and indoctrination into abhorrent lifestyles, anti-biblical morals, and overwhelming and greatly disturbing acceptance of drug use recreationally as well as performance enhancement. Are things different today as opposed to 50 years ago? Absolutely “Yes” with an addition of increased percentage of the populace participating.
No wonder Matthew 24:37-39 sounds so current to us. People are completely distracted with life, drugs, sex, career, money, fame or the following of same, the internet, cellular phone technology, violent video games, parties of all kinds occurring at least weekly, and many, many others. Do we have to ask why people are not aware of the times we live in, just how near their eternal destinies lie in wait, how close to either death or eternal life they really are?
Can we be certain of our future? Of course not, except when it comes to Bible prophecy. Any one of us could die tonight or tomorrow. We can’t know that. But we can know what lies on the immediate horizon because we serve a loving and gracious, merciful God Who has told us what is to come – soon!
What’s Coming
For tonight, here is a brief overview of what the Word of God says is coming or is already here. First and foremost, why do we believe that we are living in the last days? Primarily because of two key indicators of the end times that stand out from the rest. The first one is apostasy we have already mentioned. The Bible clearly teaches that society will degenerate in the end times, becoming as evil as it was in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37-39). If the Lord thought that the antediluvians were evil enough to cause Him to flood the world to destroy all humans except for eight in the ark, what must He think of today, and why is He waiting to bring judgment?
The Apostle Paul, speaking as a prophet, says that society will descend into a black pit of immorality, violence, and paganism (2 Timothy 3:1-5). He asserts that men will be “lovers of self, lovers of money, and lovers of pleasure.” People will be “boastful, arrogant, and unholy,” and children will be “disobedient to parents.” I don’t have to point out this is exactly where we, as a society and world today, find ourselves.
The second key end-time sign is the founding of the nation of Israel. On May 14, 1948, against all human reasoning, a nation that had been dead for nineteen hundred years suddenly came back to life. On that day the world unknowingly took a giant step closer to the end of the age, for Israel became a self-governing nation just as the prophets had foretold. Prophecy watchers have pointed to the birth of the Jewish state as the starting point of the end times. According to Scripture, all prophecy is to be fulfilled within the lifetime of a generation. “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34). What is a generation? The Bible refers to a generation as 70 years (Psalm 90:10). Adding 70 years to 1948 and we arrive at 2018. It is never wise to set dates, but isn’t it interesting to wonder? I recently saw a calculation that adds to our wondering based on Matthew 1:17. There are 14 generations between Abraham and David, 14 generations between David and the captivity to Babylon, and 14 generations between Babylon and Christ. This equals 42 generations between Abraham and Christ. It can be calculated from the Bible that there are about 2,160 years between Abraham and Christ. 2,160 divided by 42 equals 51.4 years per generation. Other prophecy watchers contend that, while Israel becoming a nation was extremely important, it wasn’t until 1967, when it reclaimed Jerusalem, that it could be considered to have become “official “. Add 51.4 to 1967 and you get 2018 again, this time about a third of the way through or April. Am I setting dates? NO! Just sayin’!
There are many Christians who are unmoved by the warning signs. They often have scorn for anyone who actively promotes Bible prophecy. 2 Peter 3:3-4 says, “…that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to 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 creation.’” This significant verse shows us that God knew that there was going to be massive doubt surrounding prophecy concerning the End Times. But that does NOT mean that many will yearn for the Truth of God’s Word, the assurance of knowing their future, and the confidence in their destinies.
As a result of the opening of the fulfillment of End Times prophecy, we come to what I consider the ULTIMATE PROOF of the immediacy of the Rapture and the ASSURANCE of it happening BEFORE any of God’s Wrath otherwise known as the Tribulation. In fact, I believe that there are significant wars to come (Psalm 83, Gog Magog – Ezekiel 38,39) that will pre-date the Tribulation and involve nuclear war, but we as believers will not be here for those either. Details to come on subsequent nights in this series. What is that “ultimate proof”? 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11!
“But concerning the times and seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overcome you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those that sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”
The highlighted parts of this wonderful section of Scripture have special meaning. The “Day of the Lord” is, of course, in this case, referring to the Tribulation that is the Wrath of God on this sinful and evil world. A “thief in the night” is not what we usually think in our day. We usually think of a thief in the night as someone clandestinely breaking in, being very quiet and sneaky, stealing something, then leaving just as quietly. This is not how this was perceived in the time of Jesus on the earth. A thief in the night was a strongarm break-in, loud and mean, with hostages, bodily harm, demands, possibly even death. The “sudden destruction” is what the thief does when he breaks in to get whatever he wants, and he comes without notice.
The reference to Christians NOT being in darkness is a direct message that we are different than the rest of the world. We are “all sons of light and sons of the day”, not “of the night nor of darkness”. Being “in the light” is a direct reference to Jesus Christ. John 1:1-5 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” This section at the very start of John’s Gospel is the most powerful statement in the entire Bible because we learn that Jesus is the Creator God, He is the Light of men, and that those in the darkness cannot and will not understand any of this. This also means that the darkness, or those who do not know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, will be subject to God’s Wrath. But those in God’s Light, the Light of Jesus Christ, will NOT see or experience God’s Wrath!
We go back to Thessalonians where it says, “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We as believers are not to experience God’s Wrath because we belong to Jesus and are in His Light, not in darkness. Those in the dark WILL experience God’s Wrath, the Tribulation, the Antichrist, the seals, the trumpets, the bowls of Revelation. How do we escape God’s Wrath that comes on the entire world in the End Times? The Rapture!
We all know that the word “Rapture” technically does not appear anywhere in the Bible. But, being “caught up” (“harpazo” in the Greek) to meet the Lord in the air is precisely the same as the Rapture! 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 assures us,
“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep 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 by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
The Rapture keeps us away from God’s Wrath that comes on the entire world to wake up God’s Chosen People, the Jews, to their Messiah, Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible, we see how stubborn, how disobedient, how worldly the Jews have always been. But without the Jews, we would not have a Savior! God made covenants with the Jews to always love them, always protect them, and eventually save them. God knows it will take extreme measures to wake the Jews up to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, their Savior as well as ours. So, “Jacob’s Trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7-11), what we know as the Tribulation and Daniel’s 70th week (Daniel Chapter 9), is to get Israel’s attention, turn them to Jesus, and to punish the world for its sin and disobedience to God. Then, Jesus can come and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords for a thousand years, the Millennial Kingdom (“Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” Matthew 6:10).
Certainty or Speculation?
How do we know that all of this is going to happen, that we can be sure of our future, that God’s promises will come to pass? The answer to these and other similar questions is found in one place – the Bible. But how do we know that the Bible is trustworthy? How do we assure ourselves that we can trust what the Bible tells us? We all have freedom of choice to do as we please by placing personal preferences above all else, to consider others as more important than ourselves, to learn to do the Will of God, to ignore man’s as well as God’s law, and so on. We all know that there is a God regardless of what anyone says. Romans 1:20-21 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…” I realize that to accept what the Bible has to say about anything, one has to believe that the Bible is the very Word of God, is inspired by God Himself, is inerrant, infallible, and authoritative. Many do not. Many are wrong. So, how do we actually “know”?
The Bible was written by men chosen by God, supernaturally superintended by the Holy Spirit, to use their own writing styles to author God-breathed messages on doctrine and theology without error. You can find those that agree that the Bible, when it covers Christian doctrine and all things pertaining to God and His Law, is correct and acceptable. But, some say the Bible is not scientific and not historical. Yet, we find references to the circle of the earth, the hydrologic cycle, currents in the seas, as well as references to fulfilled, historical events such as Jesus’ virgin birthplace, many of His actions while on this earth, His death, and His resurrection. Numbers 23:19 says, “God Himself, Who is Truth and cannot lie.” And how can the Bible be both true when it comes to theology, but be inaccurate when it comes to science and history? If the Bible is accurate in one respect, it must be accurate in all respects because God cannot lie or be inaccurate.
Some say then, how can we know the Bible is still as accurate as when it was written? Literary confidence is usually tied to the age and number of the oldest known copies of any document. Some ancient texts written by people such as Socrates or Plato no longer exist, so we look for the oldest copies that we can find. Julius Caesar’s The Gallic Wars has only 10 manuscripts remaining, with the earliest one dating to 1,000 years after the original. The writings of Plato have remaining only 7 manuscripts dating 1,300 years after the originals. But, the manuscript evidence for the New Testament is dramatic with nearly 25,000 ancient manuscripts discovered and archived so far, at least 5,700 of which are copies and fragments in the original Greek. Some manuscript texts date to the early second and third centuries. Homer’s Iliad, the most renowned book of ancient Greece, is the second best-preserved literary work of all antiquity, with 643 copies of manuscript support discovered to date. In those copies, there are 764 disputed lines of text, as compared to 40 lines in all the New Testament manuscripts and these contain no change in meaning to the original text. And, the Old Testament Book of Isaiah was discovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, a complete text! It was word for word the same as we have in our Bibles today. So, is the Bible accurate to the original writers and overwhelmingly verified? Of course!
Historically, there has never been any historical reference in the Bible that has been deemed incorrect. There was once a denial that there ever was a tribe known as the Hitites until that name was discovered in an archeological dig in 1876. The name Pilate, the Roman Prefect that washed his hands of the actions taken against Jesus and His crucifixion, was considered false until a stepping stone was turned over in a site in Caesarea by the Sea in Israel. Under the stone was a carved reference to Pilate as Governor of Judea. There are many other examples of the historical accuracy of the Word of God showing us that God’s Word is trustworthy. The most important fact of the Bible is that Jesus Christ was indeed alive, died a horrible death on the cross of the Romans in Jerusalem, and was seen by hundreds alive after His resurrection. These are indisputable facts when honestly pursued and studied both within Scripture and outside in works such as writings of Flavius Josephus (Titus Flavius Josephus (37 – 100 A.D.), a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history), Cornelius Tacitus, a Roman Historian who lived from 55-120 A.D., Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, (61 – 112 A.D.) better known as Pliny the Younger, a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome, and many others.
Can we be certain of what the Bible has to say? History has proven the Word of God. Science has proven the Word of God. The Word of God itself refers to the fact that God cannot lie. So, can we be confident in what we read as the Truth? We indeed can.
Is Prophecy Believable?
Let’s suppose that I told you that if you called up a stock broker, bought 100 shares of a certain stock for a dollar a share, waited ten days, then sold the stock, you would receive one hundred thousand dollars for your one dollar stock, and the value of the stock would go back sown to one dollar on the eleventh day. Sounds very improbable or maybe I have illegal insider information or maybe I am a fraud and a swindler or even just enjoy a good joke. But, what if you trusted me, did exactly what I suggested, and it was all true? The word would get out and I would be in high demand, right?
The Bible contains prophecy both fulfilled and unfulfilled. Bible prophecy has been and will be precise and always true whether we believe it or not. Peter said in 1 Peter 1:19, “…no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” The Bible, when written, was almost one-third prophecy. According to “The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy” by J. Barton Payne, there are 1,239 prophecies in the Old Testament and 578 prophecies in the New Testament for a total of 1,817. These prophecies are contained in 8,352 of the Bible’s verses. Since there are 31,124 verses in the Bible, the 8,352 verses that contain prophecy constitute 26.8 percent of the Bible’s volume. But, many prophecies were fulfilled during or after the lifetimes of the prophets who gave them—but they were not totally fulfilled. These partially fulfilled prophecies still have an end-time fulfillment.
So what? Perhaps the greatest and most obvious testimony to the accuracy of Biblical prophecy is provided by the people and nation of Israel. The Jews went without a homeland for 1813 years (from 135 A.D. to 1948), just as God had promised numerous times in the Old Testament for judgment on His rebellious chosen people. Moses warned Israel that if they corrupted themselves, then “the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other (Deuteronomy 28:64)”. Remarkably, God restored the Jews to their ancient homeland, fulfilling many other specific Old Testament prophesies (Jeremiah 30:3,10,11; 31:8-10; Ezekiel 11:17)
Here are just four of the prophecies in the Old Testament that were fulfilled and referenced in the New Testament:
Messiah born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) — Fulfilled in Luke 2:4–6
Would teach in parables (Psalm 78:2–4) — Fulfilled in Matthew 13:10–15
Hands pierced (Psalm 22:16) — Fulfilled in John 20:25–27
Soldiers gambled for clothing – (Psalm 22:18) — Fulfilled in Luke 23:34
There are over 300 prophecies concerning Jesus Christ in the Bible. Mathematicians have calculated the odds of Jesus fulfilling only 8 of the Messianic prophecies as 1 out of 1017 (a 1 followed by 17 zeros). This is equivalent to covering the entire state of Texas with silver dollars 2 feet deep, marking one of them, mixing them all up and having a blindfolded person select the marked one at random the very first time. And, in fact, the prophecies concerning Christ’s First Advent (His first appearance on the earth) have all been fulfilled. Certainly, then, the rest of Jesus’ prophecies will come to pass. Fulfilled prophecy is powerful evidence that the Bible is divine rather than human in origin.
God is the only source of prophecy and our knowing the future. God has shown us through His Word that when He predicts the future, we can trust that what He has told us will come to pass.
Conclusion
Are we living in the “End Times”? Without doubt, I believe we are. We need to discover many things to fully grasp and believe that our time on earth is short. We will cover these in the coming few weeks in detail. Things like Biblical Signs of the Times, Dispensationalism, Pre-Millennialism, Pre-Tribulation Rapture, the In-Between Wars, what the OT had to say about the End Times, what the NT has to say about the End Times, the End Times Deceivers like is the earth young or old? Or, is evolution true? or, is the Bible scientific?, and others.