In the Days Ahead

2007-09-21

I have decided to write an essay on end times. This is a very hot issue within the Church today. The issue can be decisive and, for many, the topic causes great skepticism. Nonetheless, most people know there is something wrong with the world, with people, and even within themselves. Many want to believe that the world is a good place and that good people are out there somewhere, but see so much misery they cannot make sense of it all. So where do we start?

This subject of prophecy has had immense affect on me for many years. I think that this particular subject is one of the major things that God has used to show me Himself, and that He is superior to the religions of the world that originated as inventions from the human experience. Everything that God has said would happen in human history has happened, and therefore I firmly believe that God can be trusted about what can be said about the rest of human history until the end of time.

God, most importantly, said that history revolves around one Man that would reign over the world, and that Man is Jesus. This Man, whom we call Messiah, or Christ (a royal term meaning ‘anointed’), is the same Man that saved humankind from certain perdition by His death and gives eternal hope to humankind by His resurrection. This essay will explain why this was necessary. I will also explain what waits for us in the future of the world. This exposition, as a corollary, will explain why we trust God with the future according to the written scriptures and according to the Person of Jesus Christ.

Why We Need Jesus Christ

The question follows, “Why do we need Jesus Christ or any ‘Savior’? I do not need anything ‘religious’ to save me from anything.” I have felt the same way sometimes. I have gotten caught up in my job or events in my life that I begin to see that as the “real” world. The spiritual is an afterthought at best, or non-existent at worst. I had previously believed that only the here and now matters, and that God, if He existed or cared, would somehow show Himself if He wanted. But God, in my experience, and maybe yours as well, used experiences as a megaphone to get my attention. Here are some of the reasons why it matters if there is a Savior or not:

Humankind has rebelled against God. All people have turned away from God. The Bible has on many occasions stated that humankind has ‘missed the mark’ of God’s standards. God created the world and all of its elements out of nothing. He created people to serve Him, but no one serves Him. All people are out for their own personal gain. If God created the world for his own pleasure, then people should arrange their entire lives around serving God. No one does. Therefore, people deserve the punishment they deserve: eternal separation from Him. The phrases we excuse ourselves with give ourselves away, such as “nobody’s perfect” and “I’m only human.” God is perfect and we’re not. We will not be able to stand before Him.

The world is in a more precarious state than ever. If human imperfection is not enough, it should be obvious that living in these times is a very dangerous thing. There is nothing in human power that can save us from the disasters that could potentially happen at any time. Terrorism has hit every continent. Hundreds of thousands were killed, went missing, or left homeless by a tsunami in 2004. Many nations have nuclear capabilities in that one glitch could change the world forever. One small event could trigger astronomical changes in the world. So many other trends could be documented as to why we are sitting ducks for such disasters. There is no safe place on the globe where we can hide from these horrifying events.

We are ashamed before God. The all-powerful God is perfect, holy, and pure. Nothing unclean or dishonorable can come into His presence. When He comes to judge the world, nobody will be able to stand before Him.

If there is anything to remember, whether it is our dishonorable position before Him, our rebellious disposition and attitude, or our helplessness before Him, we have every reason to fear God. Just like a king who rejects irresponsible servants, God will reject the people He created who have turned from Him, because they were designed to serve Him. We are guilty before God, deserving nothing but condemnation, and we are helpless to do anything about it.

God’s holiness demands perfection, and God’s justice demands a penalty. But God’s love demands a pardon for humankind. This is what Jesus did to solve the dilemma we have before God. Jesus, who is the Almighty God who came in human flesh, came to identify with the human race, taking the guilt and shame of us all. He took our punishment by bearing the excruciating torment of the cross, and was buried in a tomb. On the third day, He rose from the dead, was seen by many witnesses, and then gave His disciples the mandate to preach this message of hope to the ends of the earth. He returned to heaven until the day He will return to judge the earth.

But how can we know the validity of this message? How do we know that the Messiah, Jesus, is the real solution to the human dilemma and the real King of kings? The remainder of this essay will demonstrate that God kept His promises from antiquity, and therefore He can be trusted with the future day when the Lord will return.

Messiah in the Old Testament

One of the most amazing things about Jesus the Messiah is His appearance throughout the Old Testament. God explained beforehand that there would be One who would arise and destroy humankind’s archenemy, Satan, and also reign for eternity.

In Genesis 3:15, after Adam and Eve both had committed the first sin that plunged the world into darkness, God promised a Man who would be born of a woman, designating the virgin birth, and that He would deliver a deathblow to the serpent, who provoked humankind into sinning.

In Genesis 49:8-12, Jacob prophecies about how Judah will be the leader of the other tribes, and that the Israelite kings will come from his descendants (“the sceptre shall not depart from Judah”), until a time when a king who reigns in peace, who will gather the people together. Amazingly, this prophecy took place centuries before Jesus was born, somewhere in the ballpark of the 18th century B.C. This same Judah, when his brother Benjamin was to be carried off by Joseph because of the alleged theft of the silver goblet, insisted that he would take his brother’s place and bear his punishment. This is a prefiguring of what his descendent Jesus would ultimately do for all of humankind, taking their punishment and suffering and dying Himself.

In Numbers 24, Balaam, after a series of prophecies that he could not help but speak, talks about the Messiah and His dominion: “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.” He goes on to say that this King will destroy enemies.

In Deuteronomy 18, Moses talks about the perfection that God requires (18:13), but will later raise up a Prophet that will be like Moses who will speak the words of the Lord. If the people will not hearken to His voice, there will be serious consequences (18:19).

In Deuteronomy 34, it is written that no prophet had arisen up to the time of that writing, saying that the Messiah had yet to come. We are to look for someone that was not living during the time of the Law’s completion.

Psalm 22, though written by David, serves as a prefiguring of Jesus’ trial and execution. It is a monologue that is fulfilled by Jesus in many aspects. For example, His hands and feet were pierced and His clothes were taken, and people cast lots for them.

In Isaiah 52-53, as well in Daniel 9:26-27, Jesus is predicted to die for the sin of the world. Psalm 110 talks about the Messiah rising up to heaven until an appointed time in the future, and that He would be both a king with authority and a priest. A priest is the people’s advocate before God.

This is just a snapshot of occurrences of the Messiah in the Old Testament and what would happen when He came. But the discussion so far only discusses what Jesus already did when He came the first time. What would happen when He came the second time? What would the world look like in the days preceding His return?

The Tribulation and the Parousia

I am intentionally writing this entire work so that perhaps it will survive until the days of the Tribulation. When these things start to happen, then one will realize that the promises found in the Bible are true. My prayer is that those who have to see to believe will be willing to actually see what is really in front of their eyes.

First, religion will be largely ecumenical at first, “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). True disciples of Jesus Christ (that is, not the buildings and organizations that claim this title) will be on the run in those days due to severe persecution, but the religious institution of “church” will remain. This will exist until a world leader will come and demand that he himself should be the only one worshipped (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

There will be a confederacy of ten kings that will rise to power (Daniel 7:24), who give their authority to this world leader (Revelation 17:12-13). This same world leader will make a seven-year treaty with Israel, but he will break it after three and one half years, and will set up a disgraceful idol in the Jewish Temple, beginning an awful period of persecution (Daniel 9:27).

Now consider this: if the world leader is going to set up an idol in the Jewish Temple, this presupposes that there is going to be a Jewish Temple. There currently is not a Temple in Israel after the kind that Solomon built in the 10th century B.C. This means that the Temple mount will have to be cleared of the current buildings and religious sites that are already there during this time.

Now having a Jewish Temple presupposes that there is a Jewish nation. For centuries people read prophetic books of the Old Testament and in Revelation allegorically, since Israel had not been a nation since its demise in A.D. 70. But in 1948, when Israel became an actual nation within its basic historical geopolitical boundaries, we had to reconsider its stance. Against all odds, Israel is a nation again.

It is important to note that this world leader is going to come on the scene with miraculous signs. He might even appear as if he had come back from the dead (Revelation 13:3). Another man will also come on the scene, performing miraculous signs on behalf of this world leader (13:14). During this administration of this world leader, a world economic system will be set up, and people will be required to get some kind of mark in their hand or their forehead that will make it possible for them to buy and sell (13:16). Everyone in the world will be required to get this mark which will somehow be connected to the number 666. This number somehow represents the name of the man who has come to power, and one will not understand what that means until those days have come.

During these days, there will be many terrible things going on in the world, such as wars, famines and earthquakes (Matthew 24:6-8), and in space, heavenly bodies will change course (Matthew 24:29). In the Bible, Revelation is filled with horrifying events that will take place in those days. Once again, this is only a snapshot view of what will happen.

Conclusion

This was only a very brief survey of what will happen in the future. I have confidence that this will happen in the future because the Bible has been right about everything so far as to how history would unfold. Jesus came and did exactly what the Bible said He would do, so I know that these events will happen just as the Bible says. Jesus will also return, and He will come back and rule over the world with complete justice. He will destroy the world’s armies that will gather in the plains of Megiddo, not because He takes pleasure in the destruction of people, but because He is a King that rules with absolute justice. His death saved us from this judgment that is to come to the Earth, if only we understand that His death alone is the provision to save us. His raising from the dead and ascent to and remaining in heaven until those days is the promise that He will return.