As I watch events unfold in America and around the world, I find myself wondering why the Rapture hasn’t already occurred. I never thought I would see so many precursors to the Tribulation period as are evident all around us and yet still be waiting for the Lord’s appearing.
As I consider what the Bible says about the enormous death toll and vast devastation of the Day of Lord, I begin to understand what seems to us to be a delay. Just as God sent many prophets to warn Judah of its impending destruction, so He is now allowing students of His Word, as well as the events themselves, to warn people that He’s ready to pour out His wrath on a rebellious humanity.
There will come a day when the signs of the end times become reality; then it will be too late for many.
God Will Judge America
The wickedness of the Biden administration exceeds all that I could ever have imagined. The lewd celebration of LGBQT+ on the White House lawn in early June shocked me. The President praised those in attendance above our service members, veterans, law enforcement officers, and fire fighters. Since when are those who chose a deviant lifestyle that’s a grievous affront to God to be honored as “brave and inspiring?” How can such wickedness not lead to God’s judgment?
As never before, we witness the satanic attack on our children that starts with abortion and works its way to the LGBQT+ grooming of children for a vile lifestyle. This includes the sex trafficking to satisfy the lusts of a multitude of pedophiles that remain hidden because many of them have powerful positions in our government. Only the devil himself could come up with the evil and vile practice of mutilating children to change their sex. Thank God for the states that now prohibit this wicked practice.
These are all signs of God’s impending judgment.
I believe that the events of September 11, 2001, were a shot across the bow warning America to turn around. Unfortunately, the tragic events of that day quickly lost their impact and as a nation we have journeyed to the edge of forever.
Psalm 75:8 provides an apt picture of what happens when God’s patience comes to an end:
For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup
with foaming wine, well mixed,
and he pours out from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall drain it down to the dregs.
God will surely judge the wickedness of our world. It’s a matter of when, not if.
The Restrainer Is Allowing More Time for People to Heed God’s Warnings
The seeming delay in the beginning of the Tribulation has lulled many people, even believers, into a false sense of normalcy. The warnings of the past several years have not happened as soon as many thought. The result is a sense that all is well for the foreseeable future, which couldn’t be further from realty.
“Why would God restrain His judgments for the moment?” one might ask. The answer is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8; the Restrainer is holding back the appearing of the antichrist on the world scene and in so doing, I believe He’s also suppressing events that that will usher the “lawless one” into power. We must always keep in mind that God is sovereign over all things; His timing is perfect in all things regardless of our perspective. He’s holding back His wrath so as to give people more time to repent.
I have watched as NATO consistently crosses the red lines that Vladimir Putin puts in place, and yet the war has not yet escalated beyond Ukraine or become nuclear. I don’t think it’s because Putin is such a good guy, but rather that the Lord, at least for the moment, is holding back the eruption of WWIII.
For at least the past decade, I have read books and articles warning that the U.S. is on the brink of a major economic collapse the likes of which will cause a worldwide depression leading to the conditions described in Revelation 6:5-6. Despite the fact that our government has printed an enormous amount of money during the past several years, incurred over thirty-one trillion dollars in debt, continues to recklessly spend money, and invites millions of illegals into our country on our dime, somehow our economy has not yet collapsed. How is this possible apart from the Lord’s restraining hand?
Last year, I reported the numerous warnings of dire food shortages for 2023, but so far they have not materialized despite the fiery destruction of well over one hundred food processing plants in the U.S. and efforts around the world to curb farm production.
For the past several years, we have watched tensions escalate in the Middle East as nations align precisely as described in Ezekiel 38. Many predicted that Israel would attack Iran’s nuclear capabilities long before now. For the past several months, it has seemed as though a major war could erupt at any moment between Israel and the proxies of Iran, one that might rapidly lead to the Gog-Magog war described by the Prophet Ezekiel. Yet this full-scale war hasn’t yet happened despite the huge buildup for it.
Is not God holding back these things until the time is right and then everything will happen suddenly? The Rapture will be just the beginning of rapid events that will rock the world as never before. It will all happen quicker than we can imagine.
How Can Believers Not See the Many Signs of the Lord’s Return?
Last year, I wrote a post titled, 12 Signs the World is Running Out of Normal. In it, I provided evidence of how God is demonstrating the lateness of the hour with unmistakable signs that we live in the last moments before Jesus returns for His church.
In many instances, these signs are clearer now than eight months ago. Below is an update to these signs that tell us we might be moments away from the Lord’s appearing.
1. The rebirth of Israel. The continued existence of the nation of Israel is truly miraculous and a sign that should be evident to all believers. Unfortunately, many close their eyes to the reality of this fulfillment of biblical prophecy. How can people not recognize this unfolding miracle?
2. Third temple fever in Israel. The Bible says there will be a temple in Jerusalem during the Tribulation period and the nation of Israel intends to construct is as soon as possible. Their new railway system from Tel Aviv to the temple mount even facilitates the transportation of animals for sacrifices at the temple. The Temple Institute in Jerusalem is now training Levites to serve as priests in the future temple.
3. The four horses of Revelation 6:1-8. We see precursors to the judgments of Revelation 6:1-8 everywhere we look; one has to close their eyes not to see the signs of the nearing Tribulation period. As evidence of their nearness, some mistakenly believe that the conditions described in these verses have already arrived.
4. The emergence of digital currencies. This is coming to the U.S. in July of 2023 in the form of FedNow and when fully implemented, it will enable the state to regulate all income and spending. The elimination of cash is a necessity for the mark of the beast as the antichrist. How could he control all commerce if people can still use cash for their purchase?
5. Digital health passports. This is another avenue through which the globalists seek to gain control over the lives of everyone on the planet and this initiative is picking up momentum every day. When fully in place, these passports will radically change the lives of everyone. We are much close to this becoming a reality than last year.
6. Mark of the Beast technology. With Artificial Intelligence (AI), huge databases, and the 5G network, the antichrist will be able to do what he couldn’t have done twenty years ago. Even unbelievers are warning people of the dangers inherit in this technology.
7. Transhumanism. Meet the new Nephilim. Just as Satan tried to change humanity in days of Noah so as to pollute the human race and stop the birth of our Savior, he’s at it again in an attempt to radically transform all human life before Jesus has a chance to rule over the nations.
8. The soon arrival of One-World governance. For those paying attention, the elite are increasingly vocal about their desire to subject the world to their Communistic regime where we will “own nothing and be happy.” The UN is currently talking about a seven-year plan, starting in September of 2023, which will accelerate their plans for one-world governance by 2030. Do you see how this could easily become a seven-year covenant?
9. Worship of creation rather than the Creator. Noah Harari recently said that AI will rewrite the Bible so that it forms the basis of a religion that’s “correct.” A new “bible” for a new religion sounds a lot like Revelation 17.
10. Pole shift concerns that eerily match prophecies in both Revelation 6:12-17 and Isaiah 24:19-20. The warnings continue, but for the moment God is saying, “Not yet.” Could we see the effects of this before the Rapture? Have these conditions already started with the emergence of severe weather across the world?
11. Scoffing. If you believe in the pre-Tribulation Rapture, you know all about the scoffing. Pastors and church members alike join in the laughter of our treasured hope and readily accuse us of being liars and false teachers. The intensity of the mocking continues to grow.
12. Perilous times on steroids. The retail industry expects losses due to theft to reach the two hundred-billion-dollar mark for 2022. We are seeing lawlessness on a scale never seen before in America. It’s a sure sign that the spirit of the “lawless one” is working overtime in our day.
13. Deception. I’m adding this one because it also shouts to us that the Tribulation period is ever so close. Both Jesus and the Apostle Paul warned that deception would greatly increase in the last days. I have to admit, however, that it has reached a place beyond what I could ever have imagined, and it will even get worse after the Rapture.
Many of the signs in the above list merely point to the Lord’s soon return, but someday they will happen and quickly enslave people under the rule of a deadly regime.
The Lord is graciously allowing an abundance of signs demonstrating His sovereignty over history and warning people that we live in the last moments of human history as we know it. Why do so many Christians close their eyes to these things and remain hopeful of a long and prosperous life?
The Time Is Now
As the time of the Rapture and the start of the seven-year Tribulation near, we can expect lawlessness and violence to increase along with the continuing shrinking of our freedoms.
Many of us who know Jesus as our Savior long for His appearing. We eagerly anticipate the day Jesus suddenly catches us up to meet Him in the air and takes us up to glory before God pours out His wrath on the world (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11).
Those left behind will feel the full force of the troubles about which the Lord is graciously warning all those who will listen. The time is now to look up in anticipation of Jesus’ soon appearing. Please don’t fall for the lie that the Lord will not return until after you die. That is not the reality that that the signs point us to.
If you have not yet put your complete trust in Jesus, please see my post, Jesus Is the Only Path to Eternal Life. In it, I explain how you can know for sure that Jesus has forgiven all your sins and that you possess eternal life. Jesus is able to give you bright hope for tomorrow regardless of your circumstances or the chaos we see in our world.
Please, please don’t delay; call upon Jesus while you may! Yes, many people will turn to the Savior during the Tribulation and receive eternal life. However, the vast majority of those who do will experience severe persecution and martyrdom.
It’s far better to heed God’s warnings now, before they become reality.
My books:
My latest one is Cancel This! What Today’s Church Can Learn from the Bad Guys of the Bible. The book is all about growing to maturity in Christ. The bad examples of these characters reveal the mindset we need for living at a time when the cancel culture dominates our culture.
I provide a detailed defense of the Pretribulation viewpoint in: The Triumph of the Redeemed-An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times.
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