Fifty Signs of the End Times

AS MOST READERS of this book would agree, there has been no scarcity of “end-of-the-world” predictions in recent decades. Obviously, so far, none have come true. However, that does not stop new predictions from regularly coming forth. Even now, there is significant hype attached to the date, December 21, 2012. That is when many believe the world as we know it will cease to exist. Frankly, the many authors who are now writing on this topic disagree on exactly what will occur on that day. Some say that there will be a series of widespread catastrophic events due to the magnetic poles of the earth reversing their polarity. Others suggest that there will be some esoteric resetting of the balance of nature; still others have their own unique theories concerning the fate of the earth on that particular date. As it turns out, this day has been chosen, almost exclusively, due to the fact that the ancient Mayan calendar concludes with that date in history. In other words, there is little evidence to suggest that these “prophets of doom” will be correct. Over the past several decades, there have been many other predictions and theories relating to the day the world will end. Some people have even claimed a biblical basis for their prediction. The problem with that, however, is that the Bible says no one will know the day or the hour of the return of the Messiah. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matt 24:36). That quote from Jesus is quite clear. No one knows when Jesus will return… no one, but God, Himself. So, that being the case, why have I written this book? The fact is that the Bible does say that, although no one can know the exact date of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, those who watch for the signs of the times can know when the season of His return has arrived. In His sermon concerning the end times, Jesus taught on this topic, “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door” (Matt 24:32-33). That time has come. Ever since I was a teenager, I have been fascinated by end-times prophecy. Although early on, I read books other than the Bible to see what they had to say on this topic, it did not take long for me to realize that none of these other “prophets” gave any evidence to support their claims. In fact, their predictions were either too vague to be of any value or else they were eventually proven to be incorrect. The writings of people such as Edgar Cayce, Jeanne Dixon, and Nostradamus have often been consulted by people wondering what the future will bring. There is absolutely no logical reason for anyone to believe the predictions of these non-biblical prophets. They have done nothing to demonstrate that they have the supernatural power to predict the future accurately. However, God has given mankind excellent reasons to believe that His Word, the Holy Bible, does foretell the future. The Bible is the only book in the world that challenges its readers to prove (or refute) that it is truly God’s Word. No other holy book does this because that challenge cannot be met by any other religion. God gives significant evidence to demonstrate that the Bible is truly His Word through His use of hundreds of prophecies in both the Old and New Testaments. Incredibly, a full one-quarter of the Bible is prophecy. Hundreds of Bible prophecies have already been fulfilled; God has made no mistakes. Twenty-five hundred years ago, God said “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” (Isaiah 46:9-10). Jesus taught, “I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe.” (John 14:29). A great many books have been written to demonstrate the accuracy of biblical prophecies. For example, Barton Payne has written an Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy detailing well over one thousand of these amazing predictions. The vast majority are very specific. Even specific names, dates, and places where certain events are to take place are prophesied all throughout the Bible, long before these events occurred. No God would create a challenge of this magnitude, which would be so easy to refute, unless He was absolutely sure that He would pass the test. Indeed, God and His Bible have passed this test. There are many additional reasons for people to trust the Bible. In contrast to all other religions, dozens of excellent books on the subject of Christian apologetics have been written. For readers who have any doubts concerning the absolute truth of the Bible, I suggest that they carefully read one or more of the books listed in Appendix 3. Outstanding reasons to believe will be found in all of those books and should convince virtually any person that the Bible is the actual inerrant Word of God. Of course, this assumes that they will be read with an open, prayerful, and searching mind. Armed with this confidence, Christians can study the prophecies concerning the end times and actually know when world events begin to signal that the end of this age is near. God did give us many signs to look for during this time in history, and He wants us to be aware of them. Several hundred hours have gone into the study of all of the end-time signs presented in this book. The Bible has been thoroughly researched to locate and report on every sign God prophesied would be present just prior to His Son’s return. Armed with these prophecies, a comprehensive review of all available information, written and audio-visual (using movies, television, and the Internet), was undertaken by this author to find out whether these prophecies have been fulfilled. This book is also completely up to date with current world events. Incredibly, virtually all of the prophecies that the Bible says will take place in the latter days have recently come to fruition. With only a couple of exceptions, as will be seen, these prophecies have been fulfilled within the last sixty years. Most have actually taken place within the past twenty years. Although there are many fine books currently on the market on the topic of the end times, there are none that I have seen that include the comprehensive treatment and analysis found in this book. My goal is to present a complete listing of these biblical signs in one easily referenced and understandable source, while also providing an interesting, yet reasonably succinct, explanation of each of these fulfilled prophecies. Each sign discussed in this book is coupled with its appropriate Bible prophecy to demonstrate just how each has been fulfilled. I do not believe that there are any significant end-time prophecies that have been omitted. In fact, I managed to mention a few more than the fifty noted in the title. It is my sincere belief that the omnipotent God of the universe has communicated with His creation through the Holy Bible. As will become evident in the pages that follow, we have entered into the time in history that will likely soon result in the Second Coming of the Messiah, Jesus. I hope that the reading of this book will encourage Christians to always remember that God has everything under His perfect control as we approach the coming Rapture. I also pray that it will convince many skeptics to engage in any and all necessary biblical study required in order to come to a clear understanding of the powerful truth of God’s Word. As the writer of the Book of Hebrews noted, God is a “rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb 11:6). I am confident that He will lead them to an understanding of the Truth.