SIGNALS PRIOR TO CHRIST’S RETURN
By Frank Eiklor and Cecilia Contreras
LESSON 43 (Part 2)
INTRODUCTION
By the time we end this series of twelve lessons on prophecy, you will know the signs of the times and the behavior God expects of us before our Lord Jesus returns in triumph. Then those who love and obey Him will reign with Christ forever in the “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).
In our first four studies, we looked at the first ten chapters of Revelation (Lesson 42, Parts 1-4). Then we paused to view four of ten signals that the Scriptures indicate will precede Christ’s Second Coming to the earth (Lesson 43, Part 1). These signs were:
1) THE PHYSICAL REBIRTH OF ISRAEL
2) JERUSALEM AGAIN THE UNDIVIDED CAPITAL OF ISRAEL
3) THE DISINTEGRATION OF MORALITY
4) UNENDING FAMINES, VIOLENCE, WARS AND PLAGUES
In Part 2, we will now look at two more specific prophetic signs of the times that we learn from the Scriptures. We suggest you review the last lesson in full (Part 1) so that you can grasp the larger picture as we move on.
Signal # 5—STEADY INCREASE IN KILLER EARTHQUAKES
God has blessed man with incredible genius. We stand in awe as we watch men and women in a room full of computers and high-tech instruments guiding and landing spacecraft on distant planets. At that moment, we appear invincible. But then a mammoth tornado comes—or a terrifying hurricane—or rains that flood whole regions and never listen to our shouts to “Stop!”—or the shake that removes from under our feet any confidence or pride we carry, and leaves us numb with hardly enough breath to even utter the paralyzing word—“EARTHQUAKE!”. And man is helpless in the face of it all!
Once again, the Creator of this planet, Jesus Christ, said even the earthquakes would still be here—and terrible—to announce His return and the end of man’s futile and godless attempt to direct his own ways.
Signal # 6—EZEKIEL’S VISION OF A LAST DAY’S INVASION OF ISRAEL
Once again, skeptics laughed at the possibility of Israel being invaded from the north in the last days. They did not believe there would even be an Israel after the destruction of Jerusalem and Israel by the Romans in 70 AD.
Only the believer in the Word of God could hold to the truth of the Ezekiel vision in chapters 38 and 39 of the prophet’s book. Israel would indeed be resurrected as a nation (Ezekiel 37) and a great attempt to annihilate the Jewish nation and people would follow in the “latter days”. Christians argue about the identity of “Gog”, “Magog”, “Meshesh” and “Tubal”—but all agree they have one purpose—to conquer Israel and reap the spoils.
Only recently, there was a giant “Soviet Union” to Israel’s north who armed Israel’s enemies in wars fought by Arab leaders to erase Israel from the map. Soviet leaders vowed never to release millions of Jews held against their wills in the vast Soviet Empire. It is as if God heard the Communist leaders say, “As long as there is a Soviet Union, no Jews will leave”. It appears that the sovereign God of history then said, “Then there will be no Soviet Union. Let my people go!”
Today millions of Jews have left Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union—great numbers going to Israel. Most of the new countries now out of the Soviet orbit are Islamic. I am not predicting “who” or “when”. But watch the Mideast as the pot is already beginning to boil. An invasion will take place and the nations—and Israel—will see visibly the awesome hand of God. Armies will be destroyed and strong men will tremble. Israel will be delivered—and their rebellion against God will be broken forever. Study carefully chapters 38 and 39 of Ezekiel. And keep your spiritual eyes open even while you share the love of God with Jew, Arab and all.
“Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the LORD God; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou and many people with thee… And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified before their eyes (Ezekiel 38:14,15a,16). So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day forward (Ezekiel 39:7,22).
(TO BE CONTINUED)
