Signs of the Time

References: Grant R. Jeffrey – "The Signature of God" – Recommended Reading Prepared by D. E. Davis June 10, 1997 Prelude How do we know that Jesus is the one true God when there are so many religions, cultures, and cults that claim that they serve the one true god? How about Buddha, Allah? Scripture says that God alone knows the beginning from the end. The way that God establishes His authority is through biblical prophecy. There are over 500 prophecies that were prophesied over 2,000 years ago that have all come to pass. There are still some Old Testament prophecies that have yet to be fulfilled (Daniel, Ezekiel), but there has never been an event prophesied that has not come to pass in its time. 100% accuracy tells us that the God of the Bible is the only true God. No one else in the history of the world, living or dead, can make this claim.
In Matthew 24:3, just before Jesus' ascension into heaven, the disciples of Jesus ask Him what would be the sign of His Second Coming. Over the centuries, various groups have attempted to guess when Christ would return to the earth to claim His inheritance as promised throughout Scripture. As we know, no one has been right yet! God clearly states in Matthew 24:36 that no man, not even the angels, knows the day or the time when Christ will return. Only God the Father knows. This summary is clearly not another attempt to forecast this event. This summary does, however, attempt to provide an awareness of what is happening around you so that you will not be caught unaware. (Reference: Luke 21:34 and Matthew 24:42). Acts 17:11 – Exhorts you to review the Scriptures daily to see if what is being said is true.

The Signs of the Time

Grant Jeffrey has done a wonderful job of providing critical information about events that are happening in this generation that all Christians need to know; events that were prophesied over 2,500 years ago. Approximately 90% of the material contained herein was extracted and summarized from Grant's book. I highly recommend reading this book as it contains so much more that you will want to know.

The Rebirth of Israel

The rebirth of Israel was prophesied in several Scriptures throughout the Bible. Isaiah 66:8 predicted that Israel would be born again in "one" day. Ezekiel 4:3–6 and Leviticus 26:18 foretold the exact number of days that it would take Israel to re-establish itself as a nation in the last days. (The exact calculation can be found in Grant Jeffrey's book referenced above). On May 14, 1948, the Jews proclaimed their independence of the reborn state of Israel... The exact day that was predicted over twenty-five (25) centuries ago... No other ancient nation ever ceased to exist for a period of centuries and then returned to take its place on the stage of world history.

Present Arab-Israeli Conflict

In Psalms 83:2–8, God inspired King David to predict that upon Israel's rebirth as a nation, it would be immediately surrounded by their enemies. The modern names of those nations named in Scripture include Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Syria... the nations that have now joined the Palestinians in their attempt to destroy Israel. In Genesis 12:3, God has promised to punish those nations that come against Israel. "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
When Israel was captured by Nebuchadnezzar in approximately 562 B.C., Israel was no longer allowed to speak the Hebrew language, but had to learn the language of the Chaldeans. The Lord predicted, however, through Zephaniah 3:9, that He would restore a pure language to Israel so that they may "serve Him with one consent." It was in the early part of this century that the Hebrew language was revived from the dead language. Today, Hebrew is a living language to over 5 million Israelis.

Restoration of the Hebrew Language

In Isaiah 27:6, 35:7, and Joel 2:23, the Lord prophesied through these prophets that the deserted, unproductive, barren land of Israel would once again become productive in the last days and that Israel would experience tremendous increases of rain. Ever since Israel has returned to the land, they have flourished in the land and now supplies over 90 percent of the citrus fruit consumed in Europe. Rainfall has increased by more than "10 percent every decade for the last century, and Israel has planted in excess of two hundred (200) million trees and transformed the complete environment of the Promised Land." According to the United Nations, Israel is now "the most agriculturally efficient land on earth."

The Fertility of Israel

Ezekiel 38:11 speaks of the future invasion of Gog and Magog (Russia), saying "And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls and having neither bars nor gates". Grant explains that "even army bases and Israel's settlements in the West Bank and Gaza have no walls today... How could Ezekiel have known twenty-five centuries ago that the development of modern weapons, such as bombs, airplanes, and missiles, would have made walls and gates irrelevant for defensive purposes in the last days? In the ancient past, even small villages as well as cities depended on walls for defense against invading armies."

The Unwalled City

Revelations 11:1,2 foretell Israel rebuilding the Temple in the last days. There is much controversy between the Israelis and the Muslim's because the Dome of the Rock (Al-Aqsa Mosque) is believed to sit on the very spot where the Temple is supposed to be built. In recent years, however, aerial infrared photography shows that this may not be the case. Ezekiel 44:14–18 tells about the sacred vessels and linen robes that must be used in the Temple. "The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has already prepared over 75 of the objects, vessels, and linen garments required for future Temple service... over 500 men from the tribe of Levi have already been trained to fulfill the duties of Temple worship and sacrifice." Update: Just recently, in the Washington Post on May 28, 1997, it was reported that a 10-month-old heifer named "Melody" is the first red heifer to be born in Israel in over 2,000 years. "In ancient times, the ashes of a red heifer were mixed with spring water to purify high priests before they entered the Temple."

Plans for Rebuilding the Temple

We know that the old city of Babylon (now called Iraq) will be built again in the end times because Isaiah 13:6,19 foretells its destruction. In Isaiah 34:8–10, it is prophesied that the rebuilt city of Babylon will burn forever. "As unlikely as it seems, the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein has spent over one billion dollars rebuilding the ancient city of Babylon and intends that it will become the center of their future renewed Babylonian Empire. Interestingly, the whole city of Babylon was built over an underground lake of asphalt and oil."

The Rebuilding of Babylon

The prophet Daniel prophesied in Daniel 9:24 that when Jesus returns, the Most Holy of Holies will be anointed with the anointing oil. "One of the five ingredients, afars'mon, was thought lost forever when the Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, and the only two groves of afars'mon trees in existence were burned to the ground. Incredibly, several years ago, archeologists in Israel found a clay flask buried near the Dead Sea caves filled with the ancient oil of anointing. Scientists confirmed that the oil is two thousand years old and is composed of the precise ingredients described in Exodus 30:25,26."

The Anointing Oil

Matthew 24:7 prophesied that in the last days, "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilence, and earthquakes, in divers (various) places." Grant Jeffrey writes regarding these matters:

Pestilence/Famines/Earthquakes

  • Pestilence – In 1991, the Central Intelligence Agency produced a report that "concluded that up to 75% of the population of Africa living in the area south of the Sahara Desert may become infected with AIDS over the next 12 years. This will mean the death by AIDS of over three hundred million people in Africa alone. In July 1991, the South African Medical Journal reported that a staggering 47% of black male and female blood donors tested positive for AIDS during 1989." In November 1996, the Associated Press reported that "Sexually transmitted diseases are diagnosed 12 million times a year in the United States — including a staggering 3 million cases among teenagers."
  • Famine – The United Nations today "claims that over thirty million in Africa are now at risk of dying from the most devastating famine in this century. The UN estimates that one billion people are in danger of starvation, while another billion lack proper nutrition. North American food reserves (grain and corn) are at the lowest level in sixty years."
  • Major Killer Earthquakes – "Major killer earthquakes (7.2 or greater on the Richter scale) occurred only once per decade throughout history until our century. However, since A.D. 1900, the growth in major earthquakes has been relentless. From 1900 to 1949, it averaged three major quakes per decade. From 1949, the increase became awesome with 9 killer quakes in the 1950s; 13 in the 1960s; 56 in the 1970s; and an amazing 74 major quakes in the 1980s. Finally, in the 1990s, at the present rate, we will experience 125 major killer quakes in this decade."
In Revelation 11:9,10, it is prophesied that during the tribulation period, the antichrist will have the two witnesses that God sent killed, and their bodies will lie in the street for three and a half days while the whole world watches. Did not the whole world watch Desert Storm on CNN television? With all the technological advances in telecommunications, including the recent opening of the World Wide Web to our computer industry, any event happening in any part of the world can now be viewed while it is happening. The prophecy of the two witnesses could literally be fulfilled today. This could not have happened just 10 or 15 years ago.

Worldwide Communication

Daniel 12:4 prophesies how much knowledge and travel will increase in the end times. "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Today, it is estimated that "human knowledge is growing so quickly that it literally doubles every twenty-four months." With the discovery through the use of modern "super" computers by Grant Jeffrey and other researchers of the hidden codes that God supernaturally designed into the original Hebrew text of the Torah, describing not only the history of the world in advance, but also verifying His Authority through His personal signature throughout His Scripture, we realize that God chose this generation to reveal this unique aspect about Himself. It is also amazing that in this century, we have gone from horses to cars, from cars to supersonic spacecraft; not only can we now travel the world in a matter of hours, but, in the case of the U.S. Space Shuttle Discovery, we can now also travel at speeds in excess of eighteen thousand miles per hour.

Increased Knowledge and Travel

Daniel 2:40–44 predicts that the old Roman Empire will be revived in the end times into a ten-nation alliance. We currently see the foundation being laid today through the European Economic Community. "In 1957, six (6) countries signed the Treaty of Rome, laying the foundation for the future United States of Europe... Since then, the Maastricht Treaty consolidated the fifteen (15) nations of the European Union into the world's first superstate." All it will take is the re-shuffling and/or the consolidation of nations to bring this prophecy to a literal fulfillment.

Revival of the Roman Empire

"In the Bible, there are several types of generations. One generation is defined as the length of life of the average person — seventy or eighty years. However, a generation of governing is usually defined as forty years... During the last two thousand years, since the days of Christ, there were fifty such forty-year generations. Therefore, the odds are one chance in fifty that any one of these specific prophecies happened by chance in our generation rather than some other generation." "The odds that more than one event happens in our lifetime are:

Odds That These Prophecies Were Fulfilled by Chance in This Generation

  • 2 Events =50x50 (2 Times) 1 in 2,500
  • 4 Events = 50x50 (4 Times) 1 in 6.25 Million
  • 6 Events = 50x50 (6 Times) 1 in 15.6 Billion
  • 8 Events = 50x50 (8 Times) 1 in 39 Trillion
  • 10 Events = 50x50 (10 Times) 1 in 97,500 Trillion"
"Another way of looking at this is that the chance that the prophets of the Bible correctly guessed these prophecies is also one in 97,500 trillion... In other words, it is simply impossible that men alone could have written the Bible without the supernatural assistance and inspiration of God." Matthew 24:32–35 – "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh. So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Luke 21:28 – "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."
As of today, no one knows who the Anti-Christ is, but we do know what God has told us about him:

Anti-Christ to Be Revealed

  • He will only be revealed after the "he who restrains the "man of lawlessness/sin" is taken out of the way" (i.e., the Rapture of the Church) (2 Thessalonians 2:6).
  • He will be revealed before Christ's Second Coming (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
  • He will rule over the 10 nations that make up the revived/revised Roman Empire (Daniel 7:20).
  • He will rule for 7 years (Daniel 9:27).
  • God will destroy him at the end of the great Tribulation period when He returns to claim His inheritance (Revelation 19:20; Daniel 7:26).
Many people try to spiritualize or say the events prophesied in the Bible are just symbolic. Any doubt about how God handles these prophetic events should have been erased on May 14, 1948. God is literally fulfilling scriptural prophecy before our very eyes. Can we expect anything less for those few remaining prophesies for which He has promised the world: 1) the removal of the one who restrains the man of lawlessness/sin (the Rapture of the Church), 2) His Second Coming to take possession of His inheritance, 3) the millennial kingdom, and 4) the new heaven and new earth.
Ezekiel 33:6 – "But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand."