Podcast: Play in new window | Download (16.0MB)

This teaching is based on the work of Dr. David Reagan of Lamb & Lion Ministries. David is a friend and is very knowledgeable about end-time Bible prophecy.

World Political Signs
The Reunification of Europe (see Daniel 2:41-44, 7:8, 24-25, and 9:26): The final world empire that will be in power before Yeshua returns will be a form of the Roman Empire. It’s the kingdom of iron of Daniel 2. It’s the fourth beast of Daniel 7. It will be different from all other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.

A one-world government led by the anti-Christ: From Revelation 13: The dragon (Satan) gave the beast (the anti-Christ) his power and his throne and great authority … The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. That’s three and a half years, which is the last half of the seven-year time of trouble that precedes Messiah’s return. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. In the past several decades, there has been a lot of movement toward a one-world government. Expect this trend to a one-world government to continue and increase.

A highly controlled, one-world economy: Also from Revelation 13: It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666. If 777 is completion, 666 is incompletion – missing the mark – which is one way of defining sin. This is humanity, personified by one man, in rebellion against God. In the past several decades, there has been a lot of movement toward a highly controlled, oneworld economy.

Messiah predicted that in the last days, there would be numerous wars. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom (Matthew 24). Of course, there have always been wars, but as we get closer to the Lord’s return, expect them to increase in frequency and intensity.

One of those wars will be the invasion of Israel by Gog, the leader of Magog, the great power to the north of Israel, and the nations allied with Magog. That invasion will fail spectacularly. The invaders will be completely destroyed (Ezekiel 38:1-39:16). Russia could be this future northern menacing power.

Unprecedented trouble and destruction on a world-wide basis: Messiah prophesied: Then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equaled again … If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened (Matthew 24). With our weapons of mass destruction, for the first time in human history, the total destruction of humanity is now a possibility.

The Sign of Israel Physical restoration of Israel preceding spiritual salvation: One of the most important of the signs is the re-establishment of Israel: Moses predicted that the Jewish people would experience a time of obedience and blessing within the Land, followed by a period of disobedience and exile from the Land – followed by spiritual restoration to God and physical restoration to the Land. Deuteronomy 30: When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it.

Israel’s exile and return was predicted in the writings of Ezekiel: I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own Land (Ezekiel 36:24). And also: Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own Land” (Ezekiel 37:21). And the Lord added this through Jeremiah: “However, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelis up out of Egypt,’ but it will be said, ‘ As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelis up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors (Jeremiah 16:14-15).

The same people whom God banished and scattered among the nations, He promised to gather to their ancestral land; and that restoration would be greater than the exodus from Egypt. And it has been happening! Since 1880, hundreds of thousands of Jewish people, scattered to dozens of nations have returned to our own land, where we now number more than 6.5 million. And, more and more Jewish people scattered from the nations will eventually return to our land.

The Bible predicted that the Jewish people would be brought back to our land in a state of unbelief. Physical restoration to the Land of Israel would then be followed by spiritual restoration to the God of Israel: The Lord gave Ezekiel this prophecy: I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God (Ezekiel 36).

Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of the dry bones (Ezekiel 37) prophesied the same truth. The dry bones represent the Jewish people. We are in a state of spiritual death among the nations. The Lord promised to bring us back to Israel. After we return, the dry bones come together, and tendons, flesh and skin cover the bones. That represents the physical restoration of the Jewish people and the reestablishment of the nation of Israel. Then the breath comes and the bodies become fully alive. This represents spiritual life.

It’s God’s stated intention to first restore us to our Land, and after that, give us new spiritual life. That means that the modern day restoration is something that God is doing. And if God is supporting our return to the Land of Israel, then everyone should be supporting Israel too. Agreed?

It was predicted that before Messiah returns, a united world will try to destroy us. God, speaking through the prophet Zechariah, predicted: I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. The nations surrounding Israel will react to the regathering of the Jewish people with irrational hatred and senseless behavior.

Eventually all the nations will be drawn into this conflict, fight against Israel and try to destroy us. But the Lord won’t let that happen. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.

Zechariah’s prophecy continues and informs us that the Lord will destroy every nation that fights against Israel. Israel will be miraculously saved from physical destruction, and then be spiritually saved by recognizing the One whom we have pierced – the resurrected and glorified Messiah – Yeshua! Again, physical restoration to Israel precedes spiritual salvation.

The Sign of the Temple

The prophecy in Daniel 9 and three prophecies in the New Testament let us know that the temple will be rebuilt before Messiah returns.

Messiah predicted: When you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel – let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Matthew 24). The temple must exist for the abomination that causes desolation to happen.

Rabbi Paul prophesied that the temple would be in existence before Messiah’s return. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2).

In Revelation 11, John was told to measure the temple of God and the altar, but exclude the outer court because it will be given to the Gentiles, who will trample on the holy city for 42 months (three and a half years), which is the last half of the seven-year time of trouble that precedes Messiah’s return.

There are several Jewish organizations dedicated to rebuilding the temple. A significant percent of the Israeli population is in favor of the temple being built. The main obstacle, of course, is the Dome of the Rock being located on the Temple Mount. But regardless of that obstacle, I can assure you, based on the prophecies of the Word of God, the temple will be rebuilt.

Signs of Nature; Signs of Society; Spiritual Signs: Negative and Positive; World Political Signs; the Sign of Israel; the Sign of the Temple. I believe that if we have the eyes to see, we can see many of them unfolding; some of them increasing in frequency and intensity.

If in the middle of the first century, Paul could write to the Romans: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed, how much nearer now is our salvation which we will experience when Messiah returns? Let’s be ready for Messiah’s return. Let’s be pure and holy and doing what we should be doing – serving the Lord by proclaiming the Good News to everyone we can and building up Messiah’s Community