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TOWARD 2037
THERE ARE VERY FEW CHRISTIANS HERE are very few Christians who do not believe that we are living
in the last days. We have lived in the last days since that day
Jesus appeared upon the earth. However, the real question on
most people’s mind is “Are we living in the last of the last
days when the Antichrist will be on the scene, the great
tribulation occurs, and Jesus appears? “
Every generation since the death of Christ have had their prophets
proclaiming, “The end is near!” They were correct in their
proclamations in that the signs of the end increased more with
each generation and each generation brought us one step closer
to the end. However, they were wrong to proclaim that the return
of Christ was imminent, failing to perceive that the final end
time events were to converge all at the same time, were to take
place on a global stage, and would not take place until Israel
was restored and Jerusalem brought back under her control.
Today, prophecy students understand there is a distinction between
the events of the last days and the events of the last of the
last days. Understanding last day events is not a problem for
most; understanding the last of the last days has become a
source of confusion since it requires understanding the ordering
of events.
There are innumerable interpretations concerning where we are on
the prophetic timeline. One group proclaims the rapture of God’s
people before the great tribulation while another proclaims the
opposite. Another group proclaims we are living in the time of
the opening of the seven seals while another teaches the seven
trumpets are now blowing or the seven vials are being poured
out. How can there be so many contradicting views when there is
only one correct view, one truth, one direction revealed by God
to His people? How can there be so many different views when
God’s people are able to instruct many? (Dan. 11:33) There must
be understanding before there is instruction. How can there be
so many different voices when God does nothing without informing
His prophets? (Amos 3:7)
The number one reason for all the confusion is that God’s people
are in apostasy, not connected with the Holy Spirit. The number
two reason is there is not one foundation from which last day
events are built upon. A COUPLE OF THINGS
A couple of things to keep in mind when considering where we are on
the prophetic timeline is that knowledge will increase and
Israel will be restored as a nation.
First, knowledge shall
increase. Daniel 12:4 records that the last seven years of
earth’s history will take place when knowledge increases
exponentially. There is no question that the twentieth century
has experienced an exponential increase in knowledge…this also
includes Biblical knowledge. This indicates there was not the
knowledge base to understand the last of the last days until
there was this exponential increase of knowledge. Now that we
have the knowledge, we must be connected with the Holy Spirit to
receive understanding. Understanding leads to discernment of
where we are on the prophetic timeline. Before the knowledge
base increased, it was not possible to understand the prophecies
concerning the last of the last days.
Second, and this is the most important signpost of end times
prophecy, Israel must be
restored as a nation with Jerusalem as its capital. If this
did not happen, even if many last day events came together at
the same time, the last of the last days could not be upon us.
This is why many prophecy students prior to 1948 were either
incomplete or completely wrong in their understanding of last
day events. Israel’s return as a nation, regaining Jerusalem as
her capital, and her people returning to Israel are the events
that shouts to us that we have transitioned into the last of the
last days to begin the countdown to the rise of the Antichrist
and the return of Christ. ISRAEL IS THE MAIN THING
In Revelation 12:1 Israel is pictured as a woman with the moon at
her feet, representing that time is submissive to her. Israel is
our time clock. When we look at what is happening to Israel, we
know where we are on the prophetic timeline. What is happening
with Israel is that she has been restored as a nation, Jerusalem
is again her capital, and her neighbors are in continual
conflict with her.
In Jeremiah 16 and Amos 9, it is recorded that Israel is born-again
as a nation prior to entering the great tribulation brought by
the Antichrist. The great tribulation takes place in the last of
the last days after the Antichrist appears. Therefore, Israel’s
restoration is the main event that lets us know we have
transitioned into the last of the last days.
It was in 1948 that Israel was restored as an independent,
self-governing nation. This was the year the Jews began to
return in mass and her desert land began to bloom after almost
two thousand years of being desolate and uninhabitable. Nineteen
years after reforming as a nation, Israel recaptured Jerusalem
as her capital in 1967. After over two thousand years with
Israel and Jerusalem under the control of gentile rulers, she is
now under Israel’s control. It is clear that Israel has only
partial control of Jerusalem with the dome of the rock still
plaguing the temple mount. This is in line with Luke 21:24 which
tells us that the times of the gentiles will not be fully
complete until after Israel has gone through the great
tribulation, which is still in the future. After the great
tribulation, Israel will then enter her eternal inheritance,
beginning with the millennium reign with Christ on the throne of
David. DANIEL'S TIMELINES
Israel’s restoration and Jerusalem regained as her capital are the
main events letting us know we are now living, not just in the
last days—but the last of the last days. Daniel’s timelines also
verify that we are living at the end of the last days.
The timeline in Daniel 2 reveals four empires that would rise and
fall before the ten toed new world order is established. The new
world order is established in the last of the last days to give
birth to the Antichrist. Also, the timeline in Daniel 7 reveals
the four empires that would rise up to establish the path for
the new world order of the fourth beast with ten horns to
appear.
In both timelines, the identified empires led to the Antichrist’s
kingdom (new world order). The empires in Daniel 2 have all
risen up and fallen from the height of their power as revealed
in king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. This shows we are living in the
time of the divided Roman Empire. Daniel 7’s timeline reveals
that out of the divided Roman Empire, empires with the character
of a lion, eagle, bear, and leopard will rise up. These are
presently on the world scene and have been identified as Great
Britain, the United States, Russia, and islam. In both
timelines, the next empire to rise up is one that consists of
the ten regional realignment of all nations into a new world
order. Both timelines reveal we are presently living in the last
days of the last days, setting in place the final pieces for the
final new world order ruled by the Antichrist. LAST DAY EVENTS
Also confirming that we are living in the last days of the last
days is Jesus’ comprehensive teaching on the last days in
Matthew 24. In this teaching, Jesus gives three categories of
events to let us know where we are as we travel through the last
days.
The first category of events is
everyday events which characterize the entire last days and are
always with us, outlined in Matthew 24:4-6.
The second category of events are outlined in Matthew 24:7-8 and
take place during that time called the
beginning of sorrows.
This is the period of time we have entered into beginning with
World War I, confirmed with World War II, and continues with
various wars among nations. We know we are at the end of this
category of events because of their intensity and frequency
within our world. Being at the end of these events, we are now
ready for the third category of events.
The third category of events reveals the Antichrist and his
great tribulation on
God’s people as outlined in Matthew 24:9-28. After this
tribulation, the rapture will then take place. (Matthew
24:29-35) With the persecution of Christians now greatly on the
rise, we know we are quickly moving into the age of the
Antichrist and almost unbearable persecution.
Like Israel’s reforming as a nation and Daniel’s timelines, the
beginning of sorrows places us in that time period at the end of
the last of the last days prior to the arrival of the Antichrist
and the great tribulation. AN IMPORTANT SCRIPTURE
Matthew 24:34 tells us, “This generation shall not pass, till all
these things be fulfilled.”
We know Jesus is not only talking about the generation of the
disciples who were listening to Him because He made this
statement after teaching about the abomination of desolation
spoken by Daniel the prophet. That abomination did not take
place at the time Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed,
referring to a much future time when the Antichrist and earth’s
final seven years are here.
The “this generation” refers to the generation that will observe
all the Matthew 24 events converging together at the same time. ONE MORE PIECE
One more piece to this last days puzzle is that, prior to 1948,
student’s of prophecy interpreted prophecy mostly from a local
and not a global perspective. It is our twentieth century
generation that has a global perspective on world events. From
our perspective, the events Jesus taught are happening together
at the same time in our generation from a truly global
perspective. It is this global convergence of last day events
coupled with Israel’s restoration that confirms we are in the
last of the last days. FINAL THOUGHTS
Because Israel’s restoration and control over Jerusalem is the key
to ushering in the last of the last days and the age of the
Antichrist, the “this generation” began after Israel was
restored and Jerusalem was regained as her capital in 1967.
Psalm 90:10
identifies a generation as seventy years. 70 years added to 1967
equals the year 2037. Along with Daniel’s timelines and Matthew
24’s timeline of events, it appears that the Antichrist and the
return of Christ will take place sometime before 2037.
As outlined in this article, the following events confirm that we
are living in the last days of the last days when the stage is
being set for the new world order and the rise of the
Antichrist:
2. Israel is
restored as a nation
3. Jerusalem
is restored as Israel’s capital
4. Daniel 2’s
empires have all risen up
5. Daniel 7’s
empires are presently on the scene
6. The
everyday events of Matthew 24 are fulfilled
7. The
beginning of sorrows events of Matthew 24 are coming to an end
8. The new
world order is presently being established
The next event on the horizon is the establishment of the
realignment of all nations through the new world order and the
arrival of the Antichrist from out of this new order of nations.
Steve Magill |