Signs of the Times: Part 1 of 2

Signs of the Times: Part 1 of 2 - By Ron Ferguson - https://www.raptureready.com/2020/06/20/signs-of-the-times-part-1-of-2-by-ron-ferguson/ How Do We Understand This, Our Age? Matt 16:2-4 "But He answered and said to them, 'When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'There will be a storm todayfor the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?" Matt 16:4 "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and a sign will not be given it except the sign of Jonah,' and He left them and went away." The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus, trying to trick Him to gain an advantage; and He spoke those verses and made reference to Jonah which had to do with His death,burial and resurrection. His enemies were reprimanded for not being able to discern the signs of the time. They knew how to discern the atmospheric signs and tell the next day's weather, but they had no idea how to discern the signs that indicated Jesus wasthe Messiah, confirmed by His undisputed miracles. If they had known the scriptures, they would have recognized that Jesus was the Messiah. It was as clear as that. Had they been Old Testament scholars as they claimed they were, then they would have knownall the scriptures that supported that. They were frauds. What is meant by "the signs of the times"? For me, it means being able to understand the days in which we/you live in relation to God's program and prophecies in the bible,and the unfolding events in the world; in other words, indicators of events. This is what makes it so exciting. Christians are distressed at the growing evil and anti-godliness in the world, and that has happened so very quickly in our generation. The items covered in Timothy for "the last days" (2 Tim 3:1-5) sit right in our time. Another verse says evil men will grow from bad to worse. The verse in context explainswhy Christians face increasing difficulty in these days. "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived" (2 Tim 3:12-13). I am not going to examine the many facets of government in Australia which have led to God's order being overthrown, and who are the people involved in this. I think we need to note this very carefully. The opening verse in 2 Timothy 3 is this - "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come." The word "perilous" - (KJV) "difficult" (NASB, Holman, ESV) "terrible" (NIV) - means "hard to do or to bear; troublesome, harsh, fierce, oppressive, annoying, fiercely difficultto cope, even injurious." Consider each of those carefully. For some Christians and people generally in some countries, this is happening for them. We in Australia and the developed world are more sheltered. Has the world reached that place yet? The Chinesevirus and the failed oil price (April 20th) with the collapsing financial money market has placed us in those times. Throw into all that this current pandemic, the "corona virus" or the "Chinese virus," and you have a vulnerable world, scarcely able to cope. The world struggles for a solution,but China has manipulated this for its own advantage. It is eyeing the distressed world because its brand of communism wants world rule. For some time, China has been spreading its influence throughout, buying up large enterprises in many countries. Numerouscountries have many of their assets in Chinese hands already. I think it is worthwhile reporting a News release from 13 April 2020 where Chinese scientists were sharing their research in this virus with peer scientists in the world, and now the Communist Governmenthas censored it: "Hong Kong (CNN) China has imposed restrictions on the publication of academic research on the origins of the novel coronavirus according to a central government directiveand online notices published by two Chinese universities, that have since been removed from the web. Under the new policy, all academic papers on Covid-19 will be subject to extra vetting before being submitted for publication. Studies on the origin of the virus will receiveextra scrutiny and must be approved by central government officials, according to the now-deleted posts. A medical expert in Hong Kong who collaborated with mainland researchers to publish a clinical analysis of Covid-19 cases in an international medical journalsaid his work did not undergo such vetting in February. The increased scrutiny appears to be the latest effort by the Chinese government to control the narrative on the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 177,240 (April 22nd) livesand sickened 2.56 million people worldwide since it first broke out in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December." That means that the world is again disadvantaged as it was in the outbreak of the virus when China refused to tell the world, but let it spread through the world beforethe world knew what was happening. Evil governments produce evil men. I don't need to explain to you the injustice, the wicked policies that have been made law, or the decay of all morality, which also includes justice, honesty, fairness, and the pursuit ofgoodness. We see that decay continually. Returning to the signs of the times, how do we understand our current world? Everything needs to be examined scripturally. God has given us His prophetic program, so thatis the basis for interpreting our times. Our Bible study group has been working through the Minor Prophets in great detail, and we understand what is ahead for this world. The nation of Israel is key to much of this prophecy, and the wise Bible student willkeep his eyes on Israel. The Rapture of the Church is the event on the horizon. We understand that to be very, very close as we study the signs of the times. After that, the events of the Tribulationunfurl from Rev 6:1 onwards, and some of those events can be understood in some small measure as we understand our world. The current pandemic is a mild forerunner of the pale horse, the 4th one of Rev 6; the whole earth seeing events in Jerusalem instantlyas required by Rev 11:8-10, and is understood in cell/mobile phones - these things we must study. At this juncture I must say something about the great rise of self-proclaimed prophets coming on the scene. 2 Pet 2:1-3 "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, evendenying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned, and in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their judgment from longago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep." I won't name them, or at least the ones I know, which is only a drop in the bucket. I don't wish to offend anyone, but there are no prophets today. They ceased with thecompletion of scripture in AD 96 when God's entire will and program was delivered to us. There is no more revelation. None, but these false prophets are on about predicting happenings and reading dates, setting dates, and blood moons and making nebulous prophecieslike, "There is someone listening to me who has pain in the lower back...." A BIBLICAL PARALLEL: One matter that I have been considering quite seriously concerns our current times. I speak for Australia and the United States. As I talk about this,I am aware that some may disagree, and that is fine if you have studied it in detail and have an understanding of our times that is biblical but different from mine. We need to look at a biblical time before destruction descended on Judah around 597 B.C. Manasseh, son of King Hezekiah, was probably the most wicked king to reign in Judah (2 Kings chapter 21) and did horrible abominations. He also had the longest reign of55 years. Wickedness like that permeates among the people, but it is true that a wicked people gain over them a wicked ruler as evil leaven. A wicked generation wants wicked rulers. So it was in the case of Manasseh. When he died, his son Amon ascended thethrone, but he was just as evil as his father. His rule was short because, after two years, his servants conspired and killed him. His place was taken by his son Josiah, the most godly man to reign over Judah and stands shoulder to shoulder with David in godliness. God's judgment was mounting for Judah, and the prophet Jeremiah warned over and over about it; but his message fell on deaf ears, for the sinful people would not repent.God held off His judgment against the nation while Josiah was alive. Josiah's reforms and spiritual initiatives were enough for the people to take note and repent or face judgement. They refused but paid lip service. When the godly king died, one of his worthless sons took the throne, and he was evil. He was Jehoahaz, but the interesting thing is that he was installed as king by thepeople of the land. This is the populace plotting its destiny and its destruction, and the end was nigh, for Nebuchadnezzar came; and it was not long after before destruction fell on the nation. I believe God gave breathing space for Judah to repent whileJosiah was king, but they would not, and the destruction came as God promised. I see a very interesting parallel here with the present conditions. We are living the days of the signs of the time at the end of the Church age. President Trump is a professedChristian, but people have taken note of propaganda against him from his many enemies of the left with communist beliefs. He is hated for recognizing Jerusalem as the true capital of Israel, and that would not be surprising as there is a hatred for Israelfrom the socialist left, many main media outlets and social networking sites. He opposes abortion and other socialist agendas as does the Christian Vice President, Mike Pence. God's judgment will fall on godless America but is presently held up with this last chance given to the people to repent. This will be their last chance, I believe. OnceTrump has to leave office, the nation will be in the hands of the Democrats (possibly), then destruction will not be far away. I believe we are that close to the Rapture, and then the world enters the Tribulation. This is the last chance for the USA and Australia to repent. My nation, Australia, also stands at the crossroads. The Morrison Government replaced a very dysfunctional Australian Labor Party rule with its abortion and homosexual marriageand gender travesty and socialist/communist/green agendas. Scott Morrison has something of a Christian leaning, and like Trump, has prayed for his country. Sadly, in the Liberal Party, which Morrison leads, there are weak members and those with socialist,politically correct agendas. Morrison could be replaced possibly at the next election by another Labor Government, and Australia, now godless, will decline so rapidly. This too is Australia's last chance. Evil men in Australia are going from bad to worse.Christians are generally hated in the country. The corona virus has attacked, worst of all, the nations of western Europe that formed the powerbase of the old Roman Empire. Italy, Spain, France, the UK, part of Germany,and Belgium were the strength of the old Roman Empire. The Antichrist (world leader of the new, revived Roman Empire, 10 members) will have those 5/6 mentioned nations as his nucleus. However, they are all weakened by this pestilence and may not recover, ornot recover well. If the Rapture occurs very soon, then the beast (Antichrist) who arises will be looked on as the saviour who can rescue these nations, the rider coming on the white horse of Revelation 6:1 and of the first half of Revelation 13. I know ithas been said for decades, but this evil man, the beast, Antichrist, could be living today. Israel is in place. The nations of Europe are in place. Phone coverage reaches to every part of the world (necessary for Revelation chapter 11). The prophecies of the lastdays in the book of Timothy are clearly here. The signs of the time announce the coming Rapture and the subsequent Tribulation of judgment. When? No one can say, but it must be close. Stay tuned for The Signs of the Times, Part 2: How Do We Understand This, Our Age. ronaldf@aapt.net.au The Signs of The Times: PART 2 - By Ron Ferguson - https://www.raptureready.com/2020/06/30/the-signs-of-the-times-part-2-by-ron-ferguson-2/ THE DANGERS: In studying and teaching prophecy, there is a great danger to go too far with trying to understand events. This has been a common failing by some who beginmaking predictions and claims; only one of those has to fail, and all credibility is lost. As an example of this, I will post this review from TIME Magazine. In the 1970s and in 1988, I was teaching Revelation in the places where I was living, and we had todebunk these silly ideas which were sweeping the churches at that time. "Edgar Whisenant published a book in 1988 called 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988, which sold some 4.5 million copies. Whisenant once famously said, "Only if theBible is in error am I wrong." When 1989 rolled around, a discredited Whisenant published another book, saying the Rapture would occur that year instead. It did not sell as well, nor did later titles that predicted the world would end in 1993 and again in1994. The genre's most popular tales are in the Left Behind series, written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, which, though they do not predict an end date, provide a vivid fictional account of how Earth's final days could go. The 16 novels have sold more than63 million copies worldwide." As mentioned earlier, this is what happens to those who made predictions in the past, and now again, predictions for 2020 or for some other year, or who try reading eventsinto blood moons or distorting a person's name to make it read something someone wants it to read (like President Trump = "the last trump" [1 Thess 4, KJV] the trumpet leading to the Rapture). All biblical prophecy is literal, but making it fit the times is something that needs caution. For example, in Zechariah 14, Jerusalem is surrounded by all the nations'armies (yes, that is what the verse says), and it is written in terms the writer knew in his own day. With modern warfare, things are different, and Jerusalem could be destroyed with just one bomb. However, taking the Zechariah passage literally, JerusalemWILL be surrounded and WILL be sieged as Zechariah says. (We must take note that Zechariah 14 is set for the Second Coming [time of Armageddon] and beyond. It ends the Tribulation; and if you study Revelation taking note of the judgments of God through those7 years, it seems only a small minority of people are left on earth. Mind you, right through the Tribulation, people have the opportunity to repent, but this is typical of their attitude (Rev 9:20-21). I caution again - anyone calling him or herself a prophet is not one. There are no prophets past the completion of scripture. These are false prophets, and we are warnedabout many false teachers arising. Study the Bible, comparing scripture with scripture, and have all that you find meld together as a flawless whole. If a Bible prophecy does not fit harmoniously with otherbiblical prophecies, then you are applying it wrongly. There were commentators who lived a few hundred years ago who really did not understand the position of physical Israel, mainly because back then no one remotely saw thebeginning again of the Jewish nation; that happened in 1947 thanks to WW2. These commentators used to take the Old Testament prophecies about Israel and apply them to the Church, which is where they placed their fulfillment. Look at Joel 2 and 3, where thesegreat chapters deal with Israel's future and restoration in terms that could never be applied to the Church, and it does not fit; but a lot of commentators try making it fit the Church. That is what happens when you force prophecy to fit some wrong theologyor wrong event or wrong timescale. That, though, is a different kettle of fish from the modern herd, those who arise and claim for themselves the title "prophet." We know from chapters 38 and 39 of Ezekiel that Gog and Magog and their allies will be part of the world's armies in Israel at the end of the Tribulation, leading up toArmageddon. This is one small part - Ezek 38:1-6, "The word of the LORD came to me saying, Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him . . . Persia, Ethiopia, and Put with them,all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer with all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops - many peoples with you." There you see Persia (Iran) and the nations of the remote north (of Israel), which has to be Russia and its allies (and possibly current Islamic nations). They will havea hatred for Israel, and assemble for the battle of Armageddon. Today, Iran is building its forces and supplying Israel's enemies in 'Palestine' with weapons. Iran is threatening to exterminate Israel. Also, Russia is developing a military base in Syria wherePutin and Assad are in an alliance. Assad is one of the world's most evil men. This is most significant: Gog and Magog is taking shape. These are the signs of the times. Jesus said of His Jewish believers in the Tribulation, "You will be hated of all men for My Name's sake." The world will increasingly hate Israel, and has started to legislateagainst God's nation. Here is a report on the United Nations vote on Israel from 30 November 2017: "The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to disavow (disallow) Israeli ties to Jerusalem as part of six anti-Israel resolutions condemning Israel it approved on Thursdayin New York. The vote was 128 in favor and 9 against, with 35 abstentions. The resolution came as the Trump Administration decided to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem. "In New York, only nine countries out of 193 UN member states fully supported Israel's ties to Jerusalem: Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Togo, Guatemala, Palau, Honduras,the United States and Israel itself, voted against the UN resolution. There were 35 abstentions. The full list of abstaining countries (a bit cowardly of them) was: Antigua-Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, the Bahamas, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cameroon,Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Haiti, Hungary, Jamaica, Kiribati, Latvia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Rwanda, the Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Trinidadand Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda and Vanuatu." When speaking on "the signs of the times," one must be careful not to read too much into what is observed, because it is possible that events in coming years or even monthsmight alter or clarify one's view. We read the signs of the times according to our current estimations. False prophets and false teachers are definitely on the increase, and because of the social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.), have worldwide exposure. There aretwo of these at present who have huge YouTube followings, and I am following the errors on both sites. One is an Arian (from the Arianism heresy in the 300s A.D. that taught Jesus was begotten of God in heaven = He was created by God and has existed from thattime, and many other falsehoods). The other believes we are in the Tribulation and explains the 4 horses of Revelation 6 as matching world events now. He reads messages into numbers and signs of the moon. The Pandemic of Lawlessness There is one important matter emerging as we look at the Signs of the Time. I call this a pandemic because it has gone worldwide. Let us consider these verses: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, "Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him [THE RAPTURE], that you may notbe quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. [THE DAY OF THE LORD COMES AFTER THE RAPTURE.] Let no one in any way deceive you, for it willnot come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction." The man of lawlessness is the Antichrist/World Leader who arrives on the scene with the opening of the first seal in Rev 6:1. Lawlessness is rebellion, and the one who fitsthat description is Satan who rebelled against God and was cast from heaven. Those who do not follow God are sons of rebellion. It is Satan and his demonic forces who stir up lawlessness in the world. Decent people in June of 2020 were horrified and saddened at the unfolding events over the death of a man in the USA. As a result of that, there have been protests worldwide,marches with banners saying "black lives matter," and emerging from that, an attack on statues and institutions everywhere, but not in totalitarian nations like China and North Korea. Why is this movement of protest and rebellion the way it is? Nothing will justify the way the black man in the US died, but why is it that we are seeing such violence and retribution and anger being spread throughout because of it?These people are protesting against the violence that killed him, but are themselves far more destructive and horrifying and violent than the initial act. Then to follow that wickedness and to turn against statues of ones like Winston Churchill and CaptainJames Cook, and even a threat to Abraham Lincoln's Memorial, is a sinister move. It can only be understood in terms of increasing lawlessness in this world. I believe we must expect that as we near the end of the Church age, because it won't be long beforethis world finds itself in the Tribulation where lawlessness will be rampant, because the lawless one will have control. There is no time to talk about the anarchists and agitators, mainly from the left, who inflame these protests. Personally, I get really saddened about the unfolding of chaos the nations are entering, but I know lawlessness will increase. Paul says so: 2 Thess 2:7, "For the mysteryof lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way." (The Restrainer is the Holy Spirit, but that is another topic.) Our redemption is drawing near (and fast). The Lord is our Hope! The rapture is our blessed hope. LASTLY, THE VIRUS: There is a lot of discussion about this corona thing from what could be called "Christian websites," from the utter ridiculous to some sane comments.Can we say anything about its relationship with the signs of the time? No doubt, this is the greatest tragedy to hit the world since the second world war, but can we read anything into it or match it with some Bible prediction? There is no link whatever to any biblical event or prophecy. This is another health disaster like the Spanish flu was in 1918/19 when one-third (or 500 million) of the world'spopulation was inflected, and at least 50 million people died. That is over 300 times more than those who have died with corona. The Spanish flu (from bird origins) was a pandemic as corona is. I have said this before, but what I see in it is God allowing a slight glimpse into what is one small detail of what the soon-coming Tribulation will contain. The fourth horse at the start of chapter 6 (verse 8) is a pale or dappled horse and represents "pestilences" which include infections, diseases, etc.; following the thirdhorse which is famine; following the second horse which is wars and rumours of war when peace is taken away from the earth. All that follows the first horse in Revelation 6:2 which is the appearing of the Revived Roman Empire, or Antichrist if you like. TheChurch WILL NOT ENTER THE TRIBULATION, FOR THE RAPTURE TAKES THE CHURCH AWAY BEFORE ANTICHRIST CAN BE REVEALED. 1 John 4:1, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world." Matt 7:15, "Beware of the false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves." 2 Timothy 2:15-16, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth, but avoid worldlyand empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness." Look up, for your redemption draws near. The Lord is coming again, and that should be soon. ronaldf@aapt.net.au