With the words, “And when you shall see all these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your head, for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28), Jesus, God Himself, gave the formula for knowing just how close is His coming to receive unto Himself those who believe.
The key in this statement by the Creator of all that exists are the words “all these things.”
There are many things to consider included within this framework given by Jesus Christ in answering his immediate disciples’ question: “What shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the age?”
We who have determined to enter this examination prayerfully look at each of “all these things” in order to give the reader of this volume an accurate as possible picture of where this generation stands on God’s prophetic timeline.
Most who observe these times as Jesus commanded—“What I say unto one, I say unto all, watch” (Mark 13:37)—agree. All these things we are to “watch” have accelerated significantly within the recent months, weeks, and days. The ominous foreshadows of the Tribulation–Daniel’s seventieth week—hang heavily above every point on earth.
Yet the gathering darkness that closes in gives those who are in God’s family the opportunity to shine the light of His Truth that Jesus Christ alone is the hope for mankind. Christians are to be the light that reflects from our Savior’s heavenly luminescence. We are to be both salt and light to a decaying, darkening world.
We are to be looking up all the while for our redemption, which is growing ever nearer.
That moment—the twinkling-of-an-eye moment of Rapture—is indeed imminent!
There is one and only one way to go to Jesus in this glorious event when He calls—the one and only way of escaping the coming time of trouble such as people of the earth have never endured:
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
—Terry
The Missing Piece
J Brentner
Unlike any other time in the church age, we see a multitude of signs telling us that the Tribulation period is rapidly approaching. However, like pieces to a jigsaw puzzle scattered about on a tabletop, we don’t yet fully recognize how they will all fit together to complete the biblical picture of the end times for Israel.
In one grouping of pieces, we see the world’s obsession with Israel and Jerusalem, precisely as the prophet Zechariah predicted for the last days (12:1-3). The purpose of the upcoming UN Conference on Palestine’ set for June 2-4, is to set in motion a two-state solution to resolve the Middle East conflict. The member nations hope to impose their seven or ten-year peace accord upon Israel during the UN’s celebration of its 80th birthday this coming September.
The UN initiative also calls for an immediate ceasefire of all hostilities in the region, with Israel giving up all the territory it acquired in the Six-Day War of 1967, including East Jerusalem.
Obstacles
While the upcoming meetings at the UN point us in the direction of Daniel’s seventieth week (see Daniel 9:27), they don’t quite get us there; something is missing. First, we notice at least two key obstacles that stand in the way of the UN imposing its will on Israel.
First, President Trump opposes the two-state solution offered by the UN. In addition, he has promoted the ideas of clearing all the Palestinians out of Gaza, settling them in other Arab nations, and creating a Palestinian State within the borders of Saudi Arabia. He has established a starting point for negotiations that’s far afield from the tried and failed solutions of the past.
Second, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will certainly refuse the UN plan. He has oftentimes rejected the idea of a return to pre-1967 borders, recognizing that such a solution would be suicidal for the Jewish people living in Israel, and he’s absolutely correct! With the backing of a popular and highly influential US President, Netanyahu stands on firm ground in his resistance to the UN plan.
The Antichrist Will Confirm the Covenant
Furthermore, the Bible tells us that the antichrist will confirm the upcoming peace covenant with Israel, which initiates Daniel’s seventieth week, the seven-year Tribulation for the world. Daniel 9:27 mentions the “many,” which suggests the inclusion of other nations in the deal. However, they are not the ones who will impose the prophetic peace accord upon Israel such as the UN intends to do later this year. The two prominent participants in the biblical peace accord will be the antichrist and Israel.
In Isaiah 28:14-22, the Lord admonishes Israel for entering into a future “covenant of death,” which is almost certainly a prophecy concerning the accord the nation will make with the antichrist. God will judge the nations for dividing the Land (Joel 3:1-3), but He will hold Israel’s leaders responsible for agreeing to the antichrist’s terms. In other words, Israel will agree to the deal that kicks off Daniel’s last week; it’s not something the nations will impose upon Israel apart from the consent of its leaders.
The Hidden Piece
The missing piece to all that we see happening with the UN, Israel, and Jerusalem is the Rapture. It’s the key piece that enables the completion of the puzzle.
It’s possible that the coming “man of lawlessness” is already involved in some way with the UN Conference on Palestine. However, he cannot take center stage on the world scene until after Jesus removes His church from it (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8). In the meantime, we might have guesses concerning his identity, but we cannot know for sure. Because the Lord is restraining him at the moment, he can’t lead the peacemaking negotiations until after we are gone.
The Rapture will also remove the US as a key obstacle to the UN plan. The ensuing chaos will instantly remove America as a world power and greatly limit its ability to defend Israel. I believe that the Gog/Magog invasion will happen after the Rapture as the participants take advantage of a greatly weakened US.
The radically changed landscape of the post-Rapture world will also give the antichrist the perfect opening to convince a war-weary Israel to agree to his covenant of peace. After the Gog/Magog war, he will be able to make his deal all the more appealing by allowing for the rebuilding of the third temple, which Israel greatly desires at the moment but won’t receive as a part of the UN Conference on Palestine, which will likely take away their access to the Temple Mount.
Of course, the current UN agenda for Israel and Jerusalem is prophetically significant. I always expected the Rapture would occur before I heard even any mention of a possible seven-year peace accord with Israel. The fact that the nations of the world are considering such a plan tells us we surely live in biblical times.
Until the Rapture occurs, the UN’s plan seems headed for failure. After that, however, the antichrist will be free to take control of the negotiations and make Israel an offer they will not refuse.
