Are we close to the return of Jesus? If we believe what He said to His disciples on the Mount of Olives, we certainly are. The parallel passage in Luke to Jesus’ conversation with His disciples in Matthew 24 starts with them praising the temple in Jerusalem and how beautiful it is. Jesus shocks them by saying nothing will be left of the temple at some point to come. His prophecy was fulfilled in 70 AD when Rome sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. He goes on to say in answer to the disciples’ questions that first they mustn’t be deceived by anyone in latter days who declares he is the Messiah speaking the Word of the Lord. Why? Jesus won’t return in that manner.
Jesus then goes on to say that much will occur in the natural realm in the times prior to His return. He describes the turmoil of those days in Luke 21:9-11 and how tumultuous they will be:
“And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”
Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.”
A chronicler of the signs of the times is Michael Snyder who regularly posts on several blogs, one of which he calls End of the American Dream. As readers of my work know, I strongly believe in a pre-Tribulation Rapture. As far as I’m concerned, Scriptural evidence for that position is overwhelming. I’ve both written and taught on this, having made a number of videos of this teaching (see my YouTube channel). Snyder is not a pre-Trib Rapture believer; although I’m not exactly sure of his position, he’s probably a post-Tribber. As such, he advocates a prepping mentality to prepare for entering and enduring the Tribulation. There’s nothing wrong with having a store of food, etc. on hand for short-term, unexpected events, but no amount of prepping in the world can enable someone to get through the Tribulation unscathed. Only deliverance out of the Tribulation by Jesus in the pre-Trib Rapture assures that. Regardless of all this, Snyder’s blog is incredibly informative, and I view it often.
One of Michael Snyder’s recent blog posts was titled “10 Signs That Major End Times Events Are In Motion Here In 2021.”
(http://endoftheamericandream.com/10-signs-that-major-end-times-events-are-in-motion-here-in-2021/)
In this article he lists the following signs with discussion about them:
#1 Natural Disasters
#2 Civil Unrest
#3 War With Russia
#4 War With China
#5 War With Iran
#6 Rising Food Prices
#7 Economic Collapse
#8 An Increase In Wickedness
#9 Persecution
#10 Large Numbers Of Western Christians Falling For End Times Deception
One other sign Snyder has reported on are the locust plagues that have decimated Africa and southern Asia. He has also commented extensively on the Chinese virus “pandemic,” the UFO phenomena, and other high profile events that are roiling the world.
For our purposes, please note how many things are occurring all at the same time. We call this Convergence, i.e. the coming together of multiple signs of the times – something that has never before happened in such a manner. The world is experiencing all the indicators that point to a soon-to-be-realized fulfillment of Jesus’ Words.
We don’t know when Jesus will come back in the clouds to snatch away His Bride to keep and protect her from the wrath of God to come, but He said these things must happen first. Guess what? They are! Jesus also said the end will not be at once. That means there is some level of worldly disruption that we as the Bride of Christ must endure before our deliverance.
I’ve always wondered whether ease and comfort are the worst persecution the American church will experience before He comes. Apparently not. We see each day the noose tightening around the neck of Christians. The world hates us, and we will pay a price for that.
The Good News is that our cost is nothing like that which the world will pay for not believing that Jesus is Savior and God. It’s not too late for those who remain unbelieving and vulnerable to God’s judgment, but time is growing short.
If you’re reading this and don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ, please wait no longer. If you do know Him, then rejoice. He is coming soon!
Excellent, my brother!!
Thanks, Geri!