Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
How Close are We To the End Times?
For the end times prophecies in the Bible to even be possible to happen, certain things needed to be just right.
1) The Jewish people needed to be in Israel.
2) The Jewish people must have a holy temple in Jerusalem.
3) There had to be a way to put a mark on our hands or forehead that will take the place of money and banking.
4) There has to be a way for the entire world to view the same thing at the same time.
If any one of these things is not in place, it is impossible for the end times prophecies to be fulfilled. Let’s take a closer look at each of these now.
1) After Rome took over Israel and destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in 70 AD, the Jews were a people without a home for 1,878 years. Thousands of them were slaughtered, thousands more were taken as slaves. The rest fled to other countries. 1,870 years later they were decimated again when Hitler killed over six million of them. They lost an estimated 3/4 of their population in Europe. Larger, more powerful nations had vanished but for some strange reason, the one race that needed to survive for the prophecies to come true, the one race the Bible calls "God's People", endured. In 1948 Israel was given back to them and the Jewish people returned to their home land.
2) Though the Jews, by all logic, should have faded into our history books, they endured and returned home to Israel. Jerusalem once again is their Capital. One only needs to look them up on Google to find articles about them considering to build the Holy Temple of God for a third time. Once that Temple is built, the stage is set for the end times prophecies to be fulfilled.
3) The Mark of the Beast. The Bible clearly states that the antichrist will force everyone to take it and nobody will be able to buy or sell without it. So it clearly replaces the money system. Consider when the books of the Bible had been written, how crazy that had to sound. How could you possibly have made it so nobody could buy or sell without a mark on the hand or head? However it would have been forced, there would always be the black market and such. There were always those who would sell to make a profit even against the laws. The only way this could have been made possible is if the mark was to somehow replace cash. No more money floating around. Even 20 years ago this would have been impossible. Not so today.
Just recently I have seen two videos of people having a microchip implanted where? The back of the hand between the forefinger and thumb. For what? To replace their cash and credit cards so all of their banking and purchases were made through the chip. Today that technology is beginning to be implemented in some areas. How long before someone in authority realizes it would not be too difficult to just force this on everyone. Get rid of the cash and credit cards. No more muggings or lost cards. This will only be a handful of years away and the Bible had called it would happen. Who will be the one to enforce it? The antichrist. And he would do that after we are half way through the tribulation already. Oh, and just so you understand, the Bible also says clearly that anyone who takes that mark will be thrown into the lake of fire.
4) The Bible tells us of the Two Witnesses who will walk around prophesying and teaching the Word of God. Two men who will seem invincible. The Bible says that anyone who tries to harm them will be killed by fire that comes from their mouths. Whether that is actual fire, or the word "fire" represents something, I cannot say, but the fact is they will not be able to be harmed. After 3.5 years of this, the antichrist will overcome them and they will be killed. Their bodies will be left in the street for everyone to see and nobody will be allowed to bury them. Then after being dead for 3.5 days, they will return to life, stand up and ascend to heaven. The Bible clearly says that the whole world will be watching them when it happens.
Now consider that last sentence. Even twenty years ago it would have been nearly impossible for everyone to watch them. Once again this is a prophecy that could not be possible until this day and age. Today we have satellite TV and people can stream and watch live video on their phones. Today, the entire world could definitely watch them.
Let's be real here!
These prophecies were written well over a thousand years ago. Some were written nearly two thousand years ago. Prophecies that have not come true because they were impossible to come true. Until this day and age of technology. The Jews returned home to Israel. They are getting set to build their Holy Temple again. That didn't happen a thousand years ago. It didn't happen one hundred years ago. It's happening today. How many years before they have the temple completed would you guess? How many years from now before the microchip being implanted in the back of people's hands will be ready to completely replace cash and credit cards? And all of this happening in the same era when everyone can watch a live event all over the world at the same time.
Fifty years ago this was not possible. Suddenly all of this is becoming possible at the same time as the Jews are ready to start building the Holy Temple again? Do you truly believe this is all just a coincidence? Do you really believe it is just a coincidence that the Bible had prophesied of things that was completely impossible to happen, and now they are all becoming possible at the same time?
Final thoughts...
If the Bible wrote about so much that is just now coming true, that would have been impossible to happen in any other era, doesn't that make you believe you have to trust what else the Bible says about the end times? At least make you curious about it? Well there is another major prophecy that is spoken about all through the Bible. In the old testament as well as the new testament. It is one of the most common prophesies mentioned throughout the entire Bible. The rapture!
The rapture if you don't know, is when Jesus returns, not to Earth, but to the sky and calls up all of his faithful. His true followers. The dead and the alive will suddenly disappear from the earth and be taken to heaven. I have studied the rapture nearly as much as I have studied salvation, and that is saying a lot. Through my studies I have become 100% convinced that the rapture will indeed happen before the tribulation begins. Scripture actually proves that out. You do not want to miss that. If you do, you will have to live through the worst seven years this world has ever witnessed.
Throughout history there have always been Christians who were saying the end is coming soon. Even Paul the Apostle believed it. But none of them ever lived in the age where those prophecies were even possible. Until now!
I find myself saying this a lot lately. It is time to get serious with God people! It is time to get right with God. No more walking around with one foot in the flesh and one foot in the spirit. Start focusing on getting right with God above all other things.
1) The Jewish people needed to be in Israel.
2) The Jewish people must have a holy temple in Jerusalem.
3) There had to be a way to put a mark on our hands or forehead that will take the place of money and banking.
4) There has to be a way for the entire world to view the same thing at the same time.
If any one of these things is not in place, it is impossible for the end times prophecies to be fulfilled. Let’s take a closer look at each of these now.
1) After Rome took over Israel and destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in 70 AD, the Jews were a people without a home for 1,878 years. Thousands of them were slaughtered, thousands more were taken as slaves. The rest fled to other countries. 1,870 years later they were decimated again when Hitler killed over six million of them. They lost an estimated 3/4 of their population in Europe. Larger, more powerful nations had vanished but for some strange reason, the one race that needed to survive for the prophecies to come true, the one race the Bible calls "God's People", endured. In 1948 Israel was given back to them and the Jewish people returned to their home land.
2) Though the Jews, by all logic, should have faded into our history books, they endured and returned home to Israel. Jerusalem once again is their Capital. One only needs to look them up on Google to find articles about them considering to build the Holy Temple of God for a third time. Once that Temple is built, the stage is set for the end times prophecies to be fulfilled.
3) The Mark of the Beast. The Bible clearly states that the antichrist will force everyone to take it and nobody will be able to buy or sell without it. So it clearly replaces the money system. Consider when the books of the Bible had been written, how crazy that had to sound. How could you possibly have made it so nobody could buy or sell without a mark on the hand or head? However it would have been forced, there would always be the black market and such. There were always those who would sell to make a profit even against the laws. The only way this could have been made possible is if the mark was to somehow replace cash. No more money floating around. Even 20 years ago this would have been impossible. Not so today.
Just recently I have seen two videos of people having a microchip implanted where? The back of the hand between the forefinger and thumb. For what? To replace their cash and credit cards so all of their banking and purchases were made through the chip. Today that technology is beginning to be implemented in some areas. How long before someone in authority realizes it would not be too difficult to just force this on everyone. Get rid of the cash and credit cards. No more muggings or lost cards. This will only be a handful of years away and the Bible had called it would happen. Who will be the one to enforce it? The antichrist. And he would do that after we are half way through the tribulation already. Oh, and just so you understand, the Bible also says clearly that anyone who takes that mark will be thrown into the lake of fire.
4) The Bible tells us of the Two Witnesses who will walk around prophesying and teaching the Word of God. Two men who will seem invincible. The Bible says that anyone who tries to harm them will be killed by fire that comes from their mouths. Whether that is actual fire, or the word "fire" represents something, I cannot say, but the fact is they will not be able to be harmed. After 3.5 years of this, the antichrist will overcome them and they will be killed. Their bodies will be left in the street for everyone to see and nobody will be allowed to bury them. Then after being dead for 3.5 days, they will return to life, stand up and ascend to heaven. The Bible clearly says that the whole world will be watching them when it happens.
Now consider that last sentence. Even twenty years ago it would have been nearly impossible for everyone to watch them. Once again this is a prophecy that could not be possible until this day and age. Today we have satellite TV and people can stream and watch live video on their phones. Today, the entire world could definitely watch them.
Let's be real here!
These prophecies were written well over a thousand years ago. Some were written nearly two thousand years ago. Prophecies that have not come true because they were impossible to come true. Until this day and age of technology. The Jews returned home to Israel. They are getting set to build their Holy Temple again. That didn't happen a thousand years ago. It didn't happen one hundred years ago. It's happening today. How many years before they have the temple completed would you guess? How many years from now before the microchip being implanted in the back of people's hands will be ready to completely replace cash and credit cards? And all of this happening in the same era when everyone can watch a live event all over the world at the same time.
Fifty years ago this was not possible. Suddenly all of this is becoming possible at the same time as the Jews are ready to start building the Holy Temple again? Do you truly believe this is all just a coincidence? Do you really believe it is just a coincidence that the Bible had prophesied of things that was completely impossible to happen, and now they are all becoming possible at the same time?
Final thoughts...
If the Bible wrote about so much that is just now coming true, that would have been impossible to happen in any other era, doesn't that make you believe you have to trust what else the Bible says about the end times? At least make you curious about it? Well there is another major prophecy that is spoken about all through the Bible. In the old testament as well as the new testament. It is one of the most common prophesies mentioned throughout the entire Bible. The rapture!
The rapture if you don't know, is when Jesus returns, not to Earth, but to the sky and calls up all of his faithful. His true followers. The dead and the alive will suddenly disappear from the earth and be taken to heaven. I have studied the rapture nearly as much as I have studied salvation, and that is saying a lot. Through my studies I have become 100% convinced that the rapture will indeed happen before the tribulation begins. Scripture actually proves that out. You do not want to miss that. If you do, you will have to live through the worst seven years this world has ever witnessed.
Throughout history there have always been Christians who were saying the end is coming soon. Even Paul the Apostle believed it. But none of them ever lived in the age where those prophecies were even possible. Until now!
I find myself saying this a lot lately. It is time to get serious with God people! It is time to get right with God. No more walking around with one foot in the flesh and one foot in the spirit. Start focusing on getting right with God above all other things.