In this last post about the most obvious signs that we are in the End Times, I am going to be listing the 5 most important signs.

--# 16
Israel will become a nation, and will then flourish.

"Before she goes into labor,
she gives birth;
before the pains come upon her,
she delivers a son.

Who has ever heard of such a thing?
Who has ever seen such things?
Can a country be born in a day
or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
than she gives birth to her children.

Do I bring to the moment of birth
and not give delivery?" says the LORD.
"Do I close up the womb
when I bring to delivery?" says your God.

"Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
all you who love her;
rejoice greatly with her,
all you who mourn over her.

For you will nurse and be satisfied
at her comforting breasts;
you will drink deeply
and delight in her overflowing abundance."

For this is what the LORD says:
"I will extend peace to her like a river,
and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried on her arm
and dandled on her knees.

As a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you;
and you will be comforted over Jerusalem."

When you see this, your heart will rejoice
and you will flourish like grass;
the hand of the LORD will be made known to his servants,
but his fury will be shown to his foes.

See, the LORD is coming with fire,
and his chariots are like a whirlwind;
he will bring down his anger with fury,
and his rebuke with flames of fire. (Isaiah 66:7-15)

There is more to this prophecy -- more than I am going to print here. It's such a complex prophecy, written in a very flowery, poetic language. Trust me... I'm no Biblical scholar and cannot (or should not) attempt to try to break each line down and interpret it here.

Besides, why reinvent the wheel? Scholars have been studying this prophecy for years, and have already done that.

Basically, this prophecy says that one day Israel (the country of Jerusalem) will become a nation, and will flourish. The Book of Isaiah was written about 700 years before the birth of Christ.

Israel became a nation in one day -- May 14, 1948. And since then it has been thriving. I wrote in one of my previous signs that Israel is one of the leading nations in that area for banking, technology and commerce. According to Wiki, it has the second most number of start-up companies in the world (behind the U.S.). It also has the largest number of NASDAQ-listed companies outside of North America. It also says that Israel is the leading country in that region for exports that include fruits, vegetables, pharmaceuticals, software, chemicals, military technology, and diamonds; in 2006, Israeli exports reached $42.86 billion (U.S. dollars). Israel is a global leader in water conservation and geothermal energy, and its development of cutting-edge technologies in software, communications and the life sciences have evoked comparisons with Silicon Valley. Intel and Microsoft built their first overseas research and development centers in Israel, and other high-tech multi-national corporations, such as IBM, Cisco Systems, and Motorola have opened facilities in the country. In July 2007, U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway bought an Israeli company Iscar, its first non-U.S. acquisition, for $4 billion.

Israel's second-biggest city, Tel Aviv, is a bustling, energized, stunning cultural metropolis on the coast. It's high-tech, ritzy, full of spectacular architecture and an important city with businesses, museums, night-life, restaurants and urban housing galore.

Sound thriving? Sure does to me...

--# 17
The "69 weeks of Daniel" have been fulfilled... we're just waiting for the 70th week to begin.

While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill -- while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision:

Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy.

Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.

And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.

Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one
week; But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.
(Daniel 9:20-27)

Yeah, that's a hard verse to break down. But this piece of the Bible from Daniel is a huge part of End Times prophecy. Actually, some would consider it to be the most important, because all of the past prophecy has come true, and the rest remains. It also becomes very specific about timing. Let's break that down into sentences that we can all understand:

"While I was pouring out my heart, baring my sins and the sins of my people Israel, praying my life out before my God, interceding for the holy mountain of my God—while I was absorbed in this praying, the humanlike Gabriel, the one I had seen in an earlier vision, approached me, flying in like a bird about the time of evening worship.

"He stood before me and said, 'Daniel, I have come to make things plain to you. You had no sooner started your prayer when the answer was given. And now I'm here to deliver the answer to you. You are much loved! So listen carefully to the answer, the plain meaning of what is revealed: "'Seventy sevens are set for your people and for your holy city to throttle rebellion, stop sin, wipe out crime, set things right forever, confirm what the prophet saw, and anoint The Holy of Holies.

"'Here is what you must understand: From the time the word goes out to rebuild Jerusalem until the coming of the Anointed Leader, there will be seven sevens. The rebuilding will take sixty-two sevens, including building streets and digging a moat. Those will be rough times. After the sixty-two sevens, the Anointed Leader will be killed -- the end of him. The city and Sanctuary will be laid in ruins by the army of the newly arriving leader. The end will come in a rush, like a flood. War will rage right up to the end, desolation the order of the day.

"'Then for one seven, he will forge many and strong alliances, but halfway through the seven he will banish worship and prayers. At the place of worship, a desecrating obscenity will be set up and remain until finally the desecrater himself is decisively destroyed.'" (From The Message)

I don't want to go on and on about this verse and pick it apart too deeply. There are other verses in Daniel that also support the prophecy. But Biblical scholars all agree on this: Back in that day, people often called a period of 7 years a "week" of years. Seventy sevens refers to seventy "weeks" with each week containing 7 years. Seven "weeks" were used to rebuild the temple. Then from that point, 62 "weeks" occurred right up to the point where Jesus was rejected on Palm Sunday on the Mount of Olives.

Scholars have been amazed that this prophecy has been true down to the day. At that time, one year contained 360 days (they followed the lunar calendar). The math works, and the prophecy fits exactly from the time the temple was ordered to be rebuilt to the time that Jesus was rejected by the Jews.

But the most important thing about this prophecy is this: It is about Jerusalem (Israel). What God has essentially done was start a stopwatch to countdown. The countdown prediction started with a click when the orders were issued to rebuild the temple, and then paused when Jesus was rejected by the Israelis on Palm Sunday. Those 69 "weeks" made up the age of the Jews -- with a focus on Israel. There is one week left, and it hasn't happened yet. When Israel rejected Jesus, God paused that stop watch. His finger is on it, waiting... waiting for the 70th week to begin so he can resume the countdown.

So what was in between? All those years in between -- years that we are still in now -- made up the age of the Church. The time we have been in for the past 2,000 years or so has been the era of Christ's church. For those years, that focus on Israel has been pushed aside. Their time will come again, but it's not here yet. Right now the focus is on us: Christ's people. His saints. His gentiles that have followed his words and the Scripture. The remaining "70th" week has yet to be fulfilled, and is on the horizon. It has been made clear that the 70th week will once again focus solely on the Jewish people of Israel. It has been made clear that this 70th week is called The Tribulation -- the time where the Anti-Christ makes a peace treaty with Israel and her surrounding neighbors. It's the time period when a one-world currency will be implemented. It's the time when the Anti-Christ appears to be friendly and peaceful to Israel, even letting Jews rebuild their temple for a third time and hold a sacrifice there. (Half-way through this 7-year period, the Anti-Christ changes his colors, so to speak, and sets out to destroy it all.)

The time between the 69th and the 70th week continues. Most Christians who study End Times prophecy believe that Christians will be raptured just before the 70th week begins. And most also believe that the 70th week -- the "7 year period" called The Tribulation -- is right around the corner. How do we know?

Look at the news. Are the conditions right for the concept of a one-world currency to be introduced? You bet. Everyone is focused on the declining dollar, and most of Europe uses the Euro. Are the conditions right for a peace treaty between Israel and her surrounding neighbor countries? Yes! Again, just look at the news. Israel and Iran are circling each other in preparations for a fight, and already there is talk of peace talks with Iran. In fact, treaties are being discussed left and right. And the temple? Ahhh... let's make this a whole new point. It's pretty significant.


--# 18
The temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt in the last days.

"So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand -- then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house." (Matthew 24:15-16)

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)

There are a few other verses that describe the Jewish Temple in the last days. The temple has existed twice before in history: The First Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Temple was the center of religious worship for ancient Israelites. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's presence dwelt. Pretty much all biblical holidays centered on worship at the Temple. The Temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place for Israelites.

History believes that the temple sat on Biblical Mount Moriah, the location where Abraham fulfilled God's test to see if he would be willing to sacrifice his son Isaac.

The Temple Mount (area were the temple sat) has remained a focal point for Jewish services for thousands of years. Since the Second Temple destruction, Jews have prayed for a return to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple.

Problem is, they haven't been able to do that because the Muslims consider that to be their area. Supposedly Mohammad tied his horse to the Western Wall and stopped there on his journey to Mecca.

Basically, to make a long story short, the Third Temple has not ever been built since 70 A.D. Not for almost 2,000 years has anyone been able to rebuild it. Yet prophecy clearly states that this temple will exist during the reign of the Anti-Christ.

So... what does that have to do with today's news? Well, right now, all of the artifacts and items are ready for the New Temple. Back in December 2007, it was announced that the solid gold crown had been completed for the New Temple's High Priest. The Menora is there. Just two weeks ago, it was announced that the garments for the priests are ready to be worn. The harps, the alters, the containers for incense are all ready. Right now it's in a museum, but Jews are looking to find a way to rebuild that temple.

Right now the Temple Mount is in Muslim control. All it would take is one treaty, which brings peace between the Jews and the Muslims, which allow for the rebuilding of the Temple. All of the pieces are in place -- much more than they ever have been. It's only a matter of getting the green light. Once the Jews get the okay, keep your eyes to the sky.

--# 19
When the end comes, it will be like in the days of Noah.

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. (Matthew 24:36-41)

This passage tells us that when Christ comes to "rapture" his church (Christians) before the 7-year Tribulation, it will be like in the days of Noah. So what exactly were the days of Noah? What does "eating and drinking, marring and giving up in marriage" mean?

According to Genesis 6:5, God saw that wickedness was great upon the earth. God was sorrowful that mankind was so corrupt. It wasn't that the Lord was simply against marriage and drinking... it was so much more than that. The parallels to todays times are unmistakable:

--Back in those days, men murdered their babies by giving them to the fire as a sacrifice to the "god" Moloch. Nowadays, we kill our babies before they're even born. In some cultures (Asia especially) babies have been killed for population control or for male baby dominance.

--Homosexuality wasn't just accepted in the days of Noah, it was celebrated. In no other time was it like that. (It was accepted in ancient Greece, but not celebrated, revered and recognized as legal like it was in the days of Noah.) As we all have seen, homosexuality has become this way once again.

--Sex was open and commonplace, in all facets. I'm guessing that there is no other time in history besides the times of Noah and the days of Sodom and Gomorrah that sex was so prevalent as they are today. Porn is a multi-billion dollar industry. Sex sells everything, even something as innocent and mundane as shampoo and shaving cream. More people are having sex outside of marriage than ever before, and studies show that now teens are becoming sexually active in their "tween" years (9-13).

--In the days of Noah, people worshiped everything except God. They worshiped idols and demons and fake gods. It's the same now. Many, many people these days "idolize" power and money. They worship their houses and their boats and their mutual funds. There are New Age believers galore. More people have read The Secret in this country than the New Testament. Pagan worshipers and Wiccans are accepted. "Spirit guides" are cool. And lets not forget Scientology and Zen Buddhism.

--In those days, people were filled with violence and corruption. Does that not describe so much of our society these days? Everything is corrupted: government (city, state, federal), schools, businesses, family structure, even churches. Violence is everywhere. Gangs, shootings, assaults, domestic violence, violence in schools, drug use, terrorism and more.

--Basically, people were in denial that the end was near... EXCEPT for believers like Noah and his family. Right up until it rained, people were carrying on with their merry ways. Think about it. Here was Noah, building a boat that was about the size of the Titanic, which took years. People probably rolled their eyes, laughed, scoffed and ignored him. I'm sure many called him crazy for building a ship because the entire world was going to be flooded. Sound familiar? How many people laugh and scoff at Christians for claiming that the Rapture will occur sometime very soon?

All coincidence? No way. The Bible says this all with that one single verse.

--# 20
There will be signs in the heavens -- in the stars and the moon and the sun.

"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. (Luke 21:25)


I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 2:19-21)

Are there signs? You betcha! I don't have the time, space or skill to talk about them here, but just do an internet search on "prophecy" and "blood moon" and you'll find all kinds of things. Pastor Steve Hadley does an amazing job of explaining the astronomy in his messages on this site: Harvest Family Fellowship. Basically, there will be full lunar eclipses (full lunar eclipses turn red) on both of the Jewish holidays of Passover and Feast of Tabernacles (the first and last holiday of the Jewish year) in the two consecutive calendar years of 2014-2015. Those four blood moons right in a row will not happen again in this century.

Those four consecutive "blood moon" lunar eclipses did occur in our recent past. They happened twice in the last century, in fact. Once in 1968-69 (after Jerusalem got back into the hands of the Jews). And it happened in 1949-50, after Israel became a nation in 1948. Before that? Not in the 1800s. Not in the 1700s. Not in the 1600s... and so on and so forth.

There are other mathematical/astronomical signs as well (watch Pastor Steve's message about "A Purim Connection"). For those who are looking... for those who are seeking... the signs are there. The average person probably wouldn't have a clue. But the Good Lord finds a way to signal His people that the end is near.

Wouldn't you like to be one of His people?

Are you ready to meet God?