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Many believers I talk to now believe that we are living in the Last Days. Many people are almost obsessed with trying to interpret and uncover the hidden Bible prophecies about the End Times and follow political and world events very closely, especially those related to Israel and the Middle East. The news is scrupulously analyzed by many people, looking for special prophetic signs in it: the union of ten states, the appearance and personality of the Antichrist, the mark of the beast, the restoration of the Third Temple, the bear from the north - Russia, and a strong increase in the number of disasters and natural disasters. While all of these signs are indeed in Scripture, they are found in apocalyptic texts—hidden and mysterious. Even scholars of eschatology cannot interpret these texts with much certainty.
While all of the signs mentioned above are of course important, there are other obvious signs today that are being ignored to varying degrees.
Moreover, they are one of the most obvious signs pointing to the end of times and the imminent return of Yeshua. In fact, God has given us clear guidelines and He wants us to be wise, like the sons of Issachar, “who knew the right thing to do…” (1 Chron. 12:32).
The term last days has two meanings: the first refers to the period of time after the death and resurrection of Yeshua (Jesus), and the second refers to the days just before His return. As you read Luke 21, you can clearly see this principle:
“And when some spoke of the temple, that it was adorned with costly stones and inlays, He said: The days will come in which, of what you see here, not one stone will be left upon another; everything will be destroyed.” (Luke 21:5-6)
Herod's Temple was destroyed and Jerusalem was sacked in 70 AD, the words of Yeshua were fulfilled. If you continue to read further about the terrible things that are about to happen, most of it can be attributed to the terrible destruction of Jerusalem carried out by the Romans at that time. However, verse 24 states that “Jerusalem will be trampled upon by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled,” which remained unfulfilled until 1967, when Jerusalem was liberated as a result of the Six Day War. And verses 25-28 speak of a time that has not yet come, the time of Yeshua’s return:
“And there will be signs in the sun and the moon and the stars, and on the earth there will be despondency of the nations and bewilderment; and the sea will roar and be troubled; people will die of fear and anticipation of the disasters coming to the universe, for the powers of heaven will be shaken, and then they will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. When this begins to happen, then look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:25-28)
Sign 1:
Restored Israel and Jewish Jerusalem
The main prophetic sign that we are living in the “end times” is the restoration of Israel and the return of Jerusalem to Jewish rule. These great events, which seemed incredible for about 2000 years, must take place before Yeshua returns. According to the Bible, Yeshua will return to Israel, namely Jerusalem.
Israel was reborn... in one day
After nearly two millennia and a succession of foreign rulers, on May 14, 1948, David Ben Gurion announced the restoration of the Jewish state of Israel, saying: “To be a realist, one must believe in miracles.” Isaiah issued a seemingly impossible challenge: “Who has heard such a thing? who has seen anything like this? did the country arise in one day? Was a people born at one time, like Zion, as soon as she began to suffer from childbirth, she gave birth to her sons?” (Isa. 66:8). We have seen this - in our lifetime!
Jerusalem returned to Jewish hands
Yeshua himself declared that “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). In June 1967, Israel won a miraculous victory against the vastly superior Arab armies surrounding it in what would become known as the Six-Day War. The Jews reclaimed Jerusalem after almost 2,000 years, fulfilling this important prophecy. Some argue that since Israel returned control of the Temple Mount to the Arabs after this victory, this prophecy was not fully fulfilled. I would not agree with such a statement.
The desert will bloom
The prophet Isaiah saw a time when “the desert and the dry land will rejoice, and the uninhabited country will rejoice and bloom like a daffodil” (Isaiah 35:1). It’s almost impossible to believe - the young state of Israel has developed such revolutionary agricultural methods that even sand produces juicy fruits! During its short existence as a modern state, Israel has become one of the largest exporters of roses to Europe.
Hebrew revived
According to the prophet Zephaniah, God will give “pure lips to the nations, so that everyone will call on the name of the Lord and serve Him with one accord” (Zeph. 3:9). In the late 19th century, Russian immigrant Eliezer Ben Yehuda revived the ancient language of Hebrew, giving returning Israel a common language.
Israel and Jerusalem returned to Jewish hands. The people of Israel, scattered throughout the world, return to their biblical land and to their God.
The time of His coming is near!
Sign 1. The appearance of the Antichrist
In Arabic, in the legacy of God's final messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), this character appears as Dajjal. The word "dajjal" means "deceiver, charlatan."
Antichrist (Dajjal) is a man whose appearance there is no doubt. His coming as an inevitable event is mentioned in all monotheistic beliefs[1]. By the will of the Almighty, he will become a significant test for his contemporaries. He will have enormous power: to revive those whom he himself killed shortly before, to own luxury and prosperity unimaginable by ordinary standards, he will have his own hell and his own paradise on earth, his wealth will tirelessly increase, at his command it will rain and grow good harvests. During this period, the worldly will take on a hypnotic brilliance and beauty, which will blind many in matters of the eternal and will elevate the Antichrist in their consciousness to the level of God in the flesh[2].
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him) said: “There are three [things] after which there will be no meaning in faith for all those who did not believe before [before their appearance], as well as for those who have not done anything good from religious motives [after all, faith is not philosophy, but firm beliefs and specific good deeds]: (1) the sun rising from the west; (2) the [appearance of] the Antichrist and (3) the [appearance of] the earth creeping animal.”[3]
Read more about the Antichrist here.
Sign 2:
Israel living in conflict and rising levels of anti-Semitism in the world
Anti-Semitism has existed since Abraham was set apart by God's calling to be a blessing to the nations of the earth. There has never been a time when the Jewish people were not savagely attacked by Satan. Even today, in America, the Anti-Defamation League reports the highest levels of anti-Semitism since World War II.
At its core is Satan, who incites hostility among people against God's children - Israel, from generation to generation. He cleverly disguises each campaign with convincing lies wrapped in a plan to rid the world of Jews. From the very first attempt to destroy the Jews - the murder of all Jewish boys by Pharaoh - to Herod's order to kill all Jewish male children under two years of age, 2,000 years ago, the devil's goal was to destroy God's plan to bring the Messiah of Israel into the world. And this devil's plan failed miserably!
However, the campaign of hatred continues because the great story of redemption is not yet over. Since the Jewish people and Israel play a major role in the prophecies of the last days, Satan is still working diligently to oppose God's plan. The driving force he uses today to incite hatred of the Jewish people is a flamboyant anti-Israel (and pro-Palestinian) lie dressed up in humanitarian reasons and claims. Understand that lying is a hallmark of the end times (Matt. 24:11). With a very small area, no natural resources and no strategic seaport, one has to wonder why Israel is constantly at the center of global disputes - its existence constantly hanging in the balance. We see that Israel is at the epicenter of a boiling cauldron of growing militant groups emerging in the numerous Arab countries surrounding it. The world was told, and the world practically agreed, that Israel was to blame for all the unrest in the Middle East, that if the Jews gave the Earth “back to the Palestinians,” there would be peace in the world and terrorism would cease. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Conditions are being created for the involvement of all nations in a catastrophic confrontation in the Middle East; The nations may think it is a war against Israel, but in reality it is against the God of Israel!
“And it shall come to pass in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all nations; all who lift him up will tear themselves apart, and all the nations of the earth will gather against him.” (Zech. 12:3)
The End of the World in the Bible
The Second Coming is the return of Jesus Christ to our world at the end of its existence, expected by all Christians. It is no coincidence that even non-believers are concerned about the signs of the end of the World. The First Coming took place two thousand years ago, when the Savior was born of the Virgin Mary. God became like a man and entered a world mired in sins in order to reveal to us the fullness of the Truth, to transform and immortalize human nature. With His suffering the Lord atoned for our sins, and with His Ascension He opened the way to heaven.
End of the world
The Second Coming is one of the dogmas of the Orthodox Church. He is mentioned in the seventh article of the Creed:
“I believe <...> in the One Lord Jesus Christ <...> who is coming with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose Kingdom will have no end.”
The last book of Holy Scripture, “The Revelation of John the Theologian” (“Apocalypse”), tells about the end of times and the return of the Savior. For this reason, one of the most popular searches on the Internet regarding the Second Coming is “bible end of the world revelation.”
However, the Second Coming is mentioned in many other places in Scripture. For example, in the prophecies of the Old Testament (Joel 2:10-11) and in the words of the Savior himself in the New Testament (Matthew 16:27; Matthew 24:27; Luke 12:40). “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward everyone according to his deeds” (Matthew 16:27).
The apostles also speak about this event in their epistles (1 John 2:28; 1 Thess. 5:2-6; 1 Cor. 4:5). “Therefore, children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming” (1 John 2:28).
Sign 3:
The physical return of the Jewish people back to the Land of Israel from the four corners of the earth
Israel should not exist. It must have disappeared hundreds or even thousands of years ago, along with the remnants of the ancient peoples of the Bible: the Amalekites, the Hittites, the Canaanites, and others. These and other great nations mentioned in the Bible, including the mighty Philistines, disappeared, but Israel remained—against all odds. For two millennia, the Land of Israel was under the rule of foreign aggressors, and its people were scattered to the most remote corners of the earth, where they were constantly threatened with expulsion, persecution and destruction.
Without having a country of its own until 1948, Israel had to assimilate and cease to exist as a separate people. That they did not completely dissolve into the cultures in which they lived throughout the world is proof of the existence of God and His faithfulness. The scattered tribes of Israel are a wonderful mystery to the world, but they are not truly lost. Lord knows where they are. He promised to gather them in the last days, and He is doing it in our time!
“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, he who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt’; but: 'As the LORD liveth, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of the north, and out of all the lands wherein he had driven them': for I will bring them back to their land, which I gave to their fathers.” (Jer. 16:14-15)
“And it will come to pass in that day that the Lord will again stretch out His hand to restore to Himself the remnant of His people, which remains in Assyrian, and in Egypt, and in Pathros, and in Hush, and in Elam, and in Shinar, and in Hamath, and on the islands of the sea. And he will raise up a standard for the Gentiles, and will gather together the exiles of Israel, and will gather together the scattered Jews from the four corners of the earth.” (Isa. 11:11-12)
There are the children of Abraham scattered in Africa, Asia, India, Europe... in the remote corners of the earth. God is gathering them today, bringing them back to Israel, miraculously restored to receive his children: Ethiopians, Chinese, Sephardim, Asians, Russians and many more!
Through Jewish Voice Ministries, you are witnessing this miracle and touching the lives of many of the Remnant of Israel that God is gathering - the Beita Abraham, Beita Israel and Gefat communities of Ethiopia, the Yibir Jews of Somalia, the Lemba tribe of Zimbabwe, and the Bnei Menashe - Sons of Manasseh , found in distant northeastern India!
This aliyah, or return of the Jews to their biblical homeland, is another important sign that the return of the Messiah is approaching.
Sign 3. Exit of Yajuj and Majuj
The Koran says:
“They turned to him [through an interpreter]: “Dhul-Qarnain, verily, Ya'juj and Ma'juj [periodically] ravage [our] lands. Could you, for a fee, build a wall that would fence us off from them?”
He replied: “The best is what the Lord helps me with (provides opportunities) [I have power and sufficient material resources without your payment, and therefore I will do this for you free of charge]. Help me with force [with people and tools], and I will certainly build a wall between you and them [I will fill this empty space by building a powerful defensive structure]. Bring me the iron beams!” [exclaimed Dhul-Qarnain]. And when he leveled (levelled) the space between the two mountains [at their corresponding height], he turned [to the workers]: “Start fanning the fire!” When this [metal structure] turned into fire (heated up to the required temperature), he said: “Now bring molten copper to fill all [the spaces between the beams] with it.” [As a result, the structure became one whole, turned into an impregnable metal fortress.]
[Ya'juj and Ma'juj] were unable to overcome this wall (overcome it, climb it) and were not even able to damage (pierce) it.
[Dhul-Qarnain] said: “This [my help and the successful construction of the fortress] is a manifestation of the mercy of the Lord. [We are not builders, but this structure, which has no likeness, made with soul, in the name of God, for the good of people, will undoubtedly serve as protection for you.] And when the time set by Him comes, all this will turn into dust. [With the lapse of centuries, millennia, and even more so with the onset of the End of the World, even the most durable structures will be destroyed.] What the Lord promised is the truth [sooner or later it will come, of which there is no doubt, but there is a need to be prepared for it]” (St. Koran, 18:94–98).
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“Even [the approaching signs of the End of the World and he himself will not help anyone return and fix anything. But one of the signs of the approach of this grandiose event, after which, after the resurrection, people will have a new and already eternal life, will be] the appearance [on planet Earth, as a result of the destruction of a certain obstacle that stopped them once in ancient times, of all-destroying and ruining tribes ] Ya'juj and Ma'juj, who will quickly crawl out from under every hillock [carrying grief and death]” (Holy Quran, 21:96).
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The end of the world will not come until you [people] see ten signs [heralding its arrival]: “(1) smoke (steam) [which will cover the entire space of planet Earth], (2) Antichrist, (3) [earthly] creeping animal, (4) sunrise from the west, (5) descent [from heaven to earth, second coming] of 'Isa (Jesus); (6) [exit] Ya'juj and Ma'juj; as well as [the appearance of] three [global] failures [on the planet]: (7) one in the east, (8) a second in the west, (9) a third on the Arabian Peninsula. At the end of [all] this (10) a fire will appear from the side of Yemen and will drive the people to the gathering place.”[8].
Sign 4:
The gospel is preached to the nations
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.” (Matt. 24:14)
The Greek word used in this verse, ethnicity, essentially means a race, tribe, or group of people. Modern technologies make it possible to preach the Gospel to every ethnic group in the most remote corners of the planet. This is another very important sign that the last days are approaching.
Today the gospel is preached to ethnic groups around the world, with few ministries aimed at reaching Jews. This is sad, not only because the Jewish people need the Good News that the Messiah has come, but also because God has made reaching the children of Israel with the Gospel a priority. Look at Paul's commitment to this task:
“Having passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. Paul, as was his custom, went in to them and spoke to them from the Scriptures for three Sabbaths.” (Acts 17:1-2)
Not only does Paul write, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and then to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16), he puts it into practice in his missionary missions. traveling around the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, this commission to bring the Gospel to the Jews first was lost.
The gospel must be preached first to the Jews and then to other nations. That's what Paul did, and that's what we do at Jewish Voice Ministries. I believe that every time another Jew turns to faith in Yeshua, we become that much closer to the return of the Messiah. In fact, Scripture seems to indicate that the Jews accepting Jesus as the Messiah are the key to His return!
“For I say to you, you will not see Me from now on until you cry, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matt. 23:39)
THE DAY WHEN EVIL WILL BE CALLED GOOD AND GOOD EVIL
We are living in the days that the prophet Isaiah warned about:
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who call darkness light, and light darkness…” (Isaiah 5:20).
Those of us who know and trust the Bible are aware that these times will come sooner or later. But today we are faced with the harsh reality that all this is happening right now, before our eyes.
Just as Isaiah warned, things that were once considered immoral in our culture have now become acceptable and even popular (see Isaiah 5:20). At the same time, what was previously considered a standard of morality has become a symbol of injustice and lack of tolerance. Many celebrities, politicians, judges, educators, media moguls, and society in general are promoting new standards and distorting the truth.
Sign 5:
The blindness falling from the eyes of the Jewish people
“For I do not want you, brethren, to be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should dream for yourselves that a hardening has taken place in Israel in part, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.” (Rom. 11:25)
Another amazing indicator is that the Jewish people are coming to faith in Yeshua all over the world - in numbers not seen since the days of the Acts of the Apostles. Through Jewish Voice alone, we have seen nearly 55,000 Jews respond to the Gospel since 1999! For more than nineteen centuries, the number of Jews who openly professed faith in Yeshua was very small, and most of them were assimilated into the Church. All this changed in 1967. The miraculous return of Jerusalem to the Jewish people marked a great awakening. Often referred to as the “Jesus Movement,” this revival was unique from previous revivals in that Jews began to come to faith in significant numbers. The Jesus movement gave birth to the modern messianic movement. Before 1967, there was not a single Jewish Messianic community in the world. Today, more than 350 Jewish Messianic communities, about 100 of them in Israel alone, proclaim the Messiah through their explicit Jewish witness. And after a very small number of Jews believing in Yeshua for over 2,000 years, today there are tens of thousands of Jews in the United States alone exhibiting some level of faith in Yeshua!
Just as the miraculously restored State of Israel is a visible evidence of God's physical restoration, the Jewish messianic community is a visible evidence of God's spiritual restoration for the entire world. God has always kept His covenants. Satan wants to destroy the Jewish people, thus proving that God and the Bible are unreliable, but this will not happen!
God opens blinded eyes and softens thousands of Jewish hearts, just as Scripture promises. This is a clear fulfillment of Bible prophecy and a clear sign that the last days are at hand.
Through the prophet Jeremiah, God promises Israel a new covenant:
“And they will no longer teach one another, brother to brother, and say, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all themselves will know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord, because I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Jer. 31:34)
During the Last Supper, the Jewish Passover seder, Yeshua lifted the cup of Atonement and, passing it to others, declared that it was the cup of the New Covenant in His blood. There is a misconception that all Jews rejected Jesus. In fact, the entire first community of believers consisted of Jews. The Jews brought the Gospel to other nations and, in the end, the Church became almost completely non-Jewish and unrecognizable to the Jewish people. However, we are living in a time of Jewish awakening!
Where else can you hear the words of prophecy?
Fragments of the Gospels, in which the Lord Jesus Christ prophesies about the last times, are read in church during the liturgy several times throughout the year. In particular, this passage from the Gospel of Matthew can be heard on Friday of the 10th week after Pentecost.
The editors would like to thank Mikhail Anatolyevich Skobelev, Associate Professor of the Department of Biblical Studies at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Humanitarian University, Candidate of Theology, for his assistance in preparing the material.
The screensaver uses a fragment of the fresco Dream of Joachim (Angel). Giotto di Bondone. Padua, between 1305 and 1313
Prophetic Word for Our Day
(Dan 2:44)
And in the days of those kingdoms, the God of heaven will erect a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be transferred to another people; it will crush and destroy all kingdoms, and itself will stand forever.
Babylon was defeated
Media - Persia was defeated by Alexander.
After Alexander's death, his empire split into four kingdoms.
Then the Romans came. Roman rule did not disappear completely. The Antichrist will come from one of these countries. But we will no longer be on earth.
Being established in grace, looking at all this and reading the prophecy, we are not afraid. Because we are justified and saved from wrath. The times described are days of wrath.
The stone hit my feet and everything was crushed.
(Dan 2:35)
Then everything was crushed together: iron, clay, copper, silver and gold became like dust on the summer threshing floors, and the wind carried them away, and no trace remained of them; and the stone that broke the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
