INTRODUCTION
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is a foundational Christian belief in the personal, visible, and glorious return of Jesus to Earth to judge the world, defeat evil, and establish an eternal kingdom. Occurring after a period of tribulation, this event will be universally seen, with Christ arriving as King of Kings to fulfill biblical prophecy. There are seven major prophetic signs of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and currently all of them are in some stage of fulfillment.
1. ISRAEL WILL BE IN THEIR LAND (Ezekiel 36:8-12; 37:21)
Although Ezekiel wrote these words while the Israelites were in Babylon, they were not fulfilled in the nation's return from exile there. Like Isaiah before him (Isaiah 11:11), Ezekiel was speaking of the second and final return, not the one after the Babylon captivity. We know this because in Ezekiel 36:12, the Lord said His people would possess the mountains of Israel, and they would never again deprive His people of their children. That means from the time this prophecy was fulfilled, there would always be Jewish children born in Israel. And yet in the first century, the nation ceased to exist altogether.
So, in 1948 when Israel took its place among the nations of the world again for the first time in nearly 2000 years, students of prophecy recognized the fulfillment of the primary sign that the end of the age was upon us. In 2014 the demand for Israel to at least retreat behind pre-1967 borders has reached a fever pitch again, and some have even gone further. Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, The Islamic State (ISIS) and other related groups are openly calling for Israel to be wiped off the face of the Earth.
Anti-Semitism is returning to a level not seen since WW2, several European countries have voted to recognize "The State of Palestine", the Israeli government is taking enormous flack for declaring Israel to be a Jewish nation even though it's charter already says it is, and its Muslim neighbours are enraged over rumours that Israel wants to make it possible for Jews to worship on the Temple Mount.
2. JERUSALEM WILL BE IN JEWISH HAND (Luke 21:24)
They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Jesus prophesied that the reunification of Jerusalem as a Jewish city would be a sign that foreign (gentile) influence over the promised land, and indeed the world, was coming to an end (Luke 21:24). Fulfillment of this prophecy began in 1967, when Jerusalem became an undivided Jewish city again, and scholars saw it as another major sign that the end of the age had begun. And in 2018, US moved its embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem.
The Lord said that at the end of the age He will make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling, an immovable rock for all nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves (Zechariah 12:2-3). Daniel's prophecy that gentile dominion will not end until the Lord establishes His kingdom (Daniel 2:36-45), Zechariah's prophecy of half the city's inhabitants going into exile just before the Lord's return (Zech. 14:2), and John's observation (Rev. 11:1-2) of the Gentiles trampling the outer court of the temple during the Great Tribulation all confirm this. But even so, the fact that Jerusalem is back in Jewish hands is another big sign that the End is coming soon.
3. A MUSLIM COALITION ARMED AND LED BY RUSSIA WILL ATTACK THE HOLY LAND (Ezek. 38:2-6)
"Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army - your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops - the many nations with you."
Numerous historical references make it plain that Magog stands for modern Russia, and the other countries named here form a coalition based on their common religion, Islam. Among them are Iran, several North African countries, Eastern European countries along the Danube, and the Turkic nations of Asia Minor. A quick look at a world map will reveal that these areas are home to some of the most radical Islamic groups.
The removal of the US as Israel's powerful ally is also necessary to pave the way for Ezekiel's battle. I believe this is well underway. Because of recent experience, many in the Middle East, including Israel, no longer expect the US administration to follow through on its promise to "have Israel's back" if it should come to that. Add to that the rising threat of a terrorist event in our homeland, our continuing economic struggles, and the nearness of the Rapture of the Church, and it's becoming a whole lot easier to see how the US could abandon its commitment to Israel.
4. THE ANCIENT ROMAN EMPIRE WILL RE-EMERGE AS A POLITICAL FORCE (Rev 17:9-10)
"This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while."
This one is a little obscure if you don't know history. When John was writing this, about 95 AD, there had been five great world powers: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. All had been conquered and absorbed. The current power was Rome, which was never really conquered and will re-emerge at the end of the age. About 600 years earlier, Prophet Daniel had spoken of a period of time theologians call Gentile dominion that gives us added insight into Rev. 17:9-10. In Daniel 2:36-45 Gentile dominion is symbolized by a giant statue that Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, had dreamed about.
Egypt and Assyria had recently been defeated by Nebuchadnezzar, and Daniel said the statue represented the four remaining Gentile kingdoms, which we know as Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. In the dream, Babylon was the head of the statue and was made of gold. Persia was the chest and arms, made of silver. Greece was the belly and thighs of bronze, followed by the two appearances of Rome, two legs of iron (Biblical Rome) and two feet of iron mixed with clay (the revived Roman Empire). After that God would set up His own, eternal, kingdom.
There are some interesting details in the description of the two feet upon which the statue stands. Remember, they represent the end times version of the Roman Empire. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixed with clay (Daniel 2:41-43).
In the first place iron and clay don't mix. We can imagine sticky clay serving as glue that holds pieces of iron together, but the language describes a clay that's already baked, hard and brittle like shards of pottery. You can't make random pieces of iron and pottery adhere to, and according to Daniel 2:41-43 this will be the end times empire's insurmountable problem. Today the western leg is known as Europe while the Eastern leg consists of the Islamic nations of the Middle East. Although the world is currently focused on the economic challenges Europe faces, ultimately the number one issue of this end-time empire will be that of integrating the vastly dissimilar cultures of the western and eastern legs. They are just too different to be blended and already the failure of the European social experiment called multi-culturalism has become evident.
Throughout the end times the revived Roman Empire will be partly strong (eastern leg) and partly brittle (western leg) and will not adhere. Recent claims by ISIS predict major inroads into Spain and eastern Europe in the coming year, and current growth trends show that Islam will be the dominant religion in the UK within 10 years. Only France and Germany seem to be pushing back against the growth of Islam in their countries. Nevertheless, the prophecy clearly shows both divisions present until the Lord returns to set up His Kingdom, putting an end to Gentile Dominion forever, whether Islamic or not. (Daniel 2:44).
5. THE WORLD WILL EMBRACE A SINGLE RELIGION (Rev 13:8)
All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. Islam is a major religious force in the world today and its goal is nothing less than world domination, by any means necessary. It's the world's fastest growing religion and is second only to Christianity in number of adherents. Already nearly one out of every four inhabitants of the world is Muslim. I'm no prophet, but as I look into the future, it's much easier for me to see Islam riding its current wave of momentum to fill the void left by the departure of the Church than it is to imagine some watered-down mix of apostate Christianity and new age mysticism doing so.
By now most serious students of the end times are aware of Muslim prophecies of the one they call Al-Mahdi and their striking resemblance to Christian prophecies of the anti-Christ. For example, both show a leader coming on the scene during a time of great turmoil on Earth. Both depict him as man of peace who will have a seven-year reign, head up a one world religion and one world government, and claim supernatural origins. Both prophecies culminate in a battle between good and evil that brings about Earth's final judgment. It's as if they're pointing to the same person. The difference is that in Islam he's a good guy, while the Bible calls him evil. Take this charismatic political and religious leader with his supernatural power, add the widely held but incorrect belief that God and Allah are the same, and that Islam is a religion of peace, and then subtract the spirit of discernment that will disappear with the Church and you can see how this charismatic Islamic leader could unite a frightened world on the brink of disaster.
Currently there's an ongoing battle between the two major sects of Islam, the Shiites and the Sunnis. A substantial majority of Muslims are Sunnis (1.2 billion) while only 200 million are Shiite. They agree on many aspects of their faith but are sharply divided when it comes to which sect will control the Islamic world.
You can see this in real time with ISIS (Sunni) attacking Shiites in Iraq and Syria, and with Iran (Shiite) in league with the West against them. Also, some observers believe a major factor in the current oil price war is due to Saudi Arabia's (Sunni) attempt to bring arch rival Iran (Shiite) to ruin. The fact that Russia, a friend of Iran's and a major competitor of Saudi Arabia, is also on the economic ropes because of this price war is frosting on the cake for the Saudis. Saudi Arabia has massive oil reserves and can afford to undersell the market for years if necessary to destroy its enemies/competitors.
6. THE WORLD WILL ACCEPT A SINGLE GOVERNMENT (Rev 13:3)
"The whole world was astonished and followed the beast."
When you look at the deteriorating shape of the world today, it doesn't take much to imagine conditions getting to a point where people will cry out for a leader who can bring order out of chaos. Whether the issue is climate change, the decline of the US dollar, the slow-motion economic collapse of Europe, war in the middle east, or the price of oil, the one solution most leaders agree on is the need for some form of coordinated world government. With the things that already threaten our stability getting worse by the day, how much more frantic will people be after millions of their neighbors suddenly disappear in the rapture without warning or explanation, and there's been a war (Ezekiel 38) that brings destruction from Europe through the Middle East and into Russia? When people become convinced that their problems cannot be solved by human means alone they look to the supernatural for answers. In this regard, Paul wrote: "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing" (2 Thes 2:9-10). A leader who promises to restore peace and safety and demonstrates miraculous power that astonishes everyone will quickly be given the reins of world government. By many accounts, this lawless one is standing in the wings as you read this, awaiting his cue.
7. BABYLON WILL RE-EMERGE AS A PROMINENT CITY IN WORLD AFFAIRS (Rev 18:2-3)
"With a mighty voice he shouted: 'Fallen! fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.'"
You may not realize this, but Babylon is being made ready to accept its destiny as a focus of world power in the end times. It's just a ceremonial city right now, but 25 years ago nobody even knew it existed at all. One of the shocks of Gulf War 1 was the discovery of Babylon standing there on the banks of the Euphrates River. Today there's a concerted effort underway to complete what Saddam Hussein began and return Babylon to world prominence.
But more has already been accomplished than most people think. For example, if you take a close look at the dimensions and capabilities of the new US embassy in Baghdad you will see how easily it could be prepared to house a world governmental headquarters. At 104 acres, it is the largest and most expensive embassy in the world and is nearly as large as Vatican City. In addition, one of Saddam Hussein's palaces overlooks ancient Babylon and has been completely restored as a hotel and tourist destination. It could easily house the anti-Christ and his entourage. Finally, there are several large military installations nearby as well. In short, preparing Babylon to become the capitol of the world won't take anywhere near as long as most people think.
Because of Babylon's current lack of importance in the world, some students of prophecy search for an allegorical fulfillment of its destruction described in Rev. 18, and of course many see the USA or some American city as a logical candidate. But remember, even though in Revelation 17:9 John describes "mystery Babylon" as seated on seven hills, a prophecy in Zechariah 5:5-11 shows it being moved "to the plains of Shinar" a reference to ancient Mesopotamia called Iraq today. We can't switch from literal to allegorical interpretations of Scripture without clear direction, and where Babylon is concerned no such direction exists. Infact, the opposite is true. Almost from the beginning, the Bible has been a tale of two cities. Jerusalem is the city of God while Babylon has always been the city of man. Both disappeared from the world stage for many centuries, but when Jerusalem came back it was to its original location. The Bible says the same will be true of Babylon.
In the Far East, China is building up its military capabilities. According to a recent US Department of Defense report, "the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is engaged in a massive, extensive modernization program, drawing upon the resources of a constantly expanding economy (now the world's second largest) to support these improvements. In addition to the ground forces, the PLA Navy, the PLA Air Force, the Second Artillery (China's rocket forces), as well as space and cyber-espionage capabilities are all being expanded and upgraded." In 2014 China launched its first aircraft carrier, nuclear armed submarines, and a stealth fighter aircraft. In addition to the obvious threat this poses to China's neighbors, it has also been reported that China eventually expects to go to war against the US.
Africa has become a major battleground as forces loyal to Islam continue in their efforts to gain control of the continent. Somalia and Sudan, Congo, and Libya are but a few of the hot spots that have created millions of refugees and internally displaced people. Thousands of people have been slaughtered from several conflicts and civil wars on the African continent.
Most experts have finally agreed that earthquakes have steadily become more frequent in recent years. They are now an everyday occurrence, averaging more than 3 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.0 or higher somewhere in the world every day. Some services are now routinely tracking volcanic eruptions as well, noting that their frequency is also increasing. The Lord said this birth pangs would be the early warning signs of the approaching End of the Age, so I have included the above examples to confirm my belief that we're very close to our last days on Earth.
CONCLUSION
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with God's promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 2:11-13).
