The Day of His Coming: Prophecies Relating to the Time of the End

By Peter J Southgate

The return of Jesus to earth to establish the Kingdom of God
and to reward the faithful is basic Bible teaching and the belief
of all true Christians. The Bible gives many signs as to when
this event might be expected and how believers can prepare for
it.
This book is a study of those passages in the Bible and the hope is that by re-examining them the reader will be refreshed in their waiting for the return of Jesus Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9781874508540

Book preview

Version

Chapter 1 The world today

We live in a world that has seen dramatic changes in a very short space of time. In recent years the national, international, social and political climate has altered so radically that the world of thirty years ago seems stable and secure by comparison, and that of the 1950s positively benign.

In any study of the prophecies relating to the time of Christ’s return, it would clearly be wrong not to consider the implications of these recent changes. If this event is as near as we hope and believe it to be then we must recognise that the present world situation, rather than that of some decades past, is depicted by the scriptural predictions concerning his coming. There is, of course, always the possibility of sudden changes that will cause the world to revert to situations similar to those of the past, but, as this survey will show, recent changes have been so far-reaching and fundamental that we should not base our expectations on the belief that they will be reversed. If the return of Christ is near then we must take account of the situation as it now is.

Israel

The return of Israel to their ancient homeland after hundreds of years of dispersion is undoubtedly the major general sign that we are living at the time of the end. But, after being successful in three wars against its Arab neighbours, and after having attempted to settle the Palestinian problem by partition, it now finds itself beleaguered. Supported by their Arab neighbours, the Palestinians are making increasing demands, even claiming Jerusalem as their capital city. They support these demands by terrorist activities and suicide bombings that not only have induced terror among the Israelis but have also provoked them to harsh responses that exacerbate rather than control the situation. From the comparative peace following the Camp David agreement in 1978, the situation is now transformed into a reign of terror. It is probably true that it is only the USA’s active support for Israel that, humanly speaking, has enabled them to survive.

The Arabs and Islam

The Arab nations surrounding Israel possibly provide another consistent factor in the changing world scene. From before the early days of the establishment of Israel as a separate state, their hostility to the young nation has been consistent and sometimes violent. The practical effects of this antagonism have been made possible by the huge revenues arising from their oil deposits and the virtual stranglehold they have on the industrialised nations in the supply of this resource. But they have to maintain the balance of obtaining maximum revenue from the oil, whilst at the same time keeping on good terms with their customers (who object to the Arab hostility to Israel) and thus ensuring continuing demand. Armed with both Russian and Western weaponry, and outnumbering the Israeli forces many times over, the Arab nations potentially form a ring of steel around that state.

It is extremely significant from a prophetic point of view that the Israeli/Arab problem is now generally recognised as the potential flashpoint for the next world war.

In addition to their hatred of Israel, the other common factor is the Muslim religion, and it is here that recent developments are striking. For the present writer the rapid rise of the influence and power of Islam is something that simply cannot be ignored. After remaining relatively quiescent or localised for centuries, the upsurge of this system as a dominant force in world politics is a feature of only the last few decades. In almost every country new mosques are being built, reflecting the fact that this is the world’s fastest growing religion. In a broad band around the eastern hemisphere – from North Africa, through the Middle East, many of the republics to the south of Russia and on to Central and South-east Asia – Islam now predominates. It is also the cause of much tension. In Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa the fanaticism of either the Muslim extremists or their religious adversaries has precipitated massacres and civil wars.

Implicit in their thinking is the concept of a holy war which they claim the Koran commands to be waged against non-believers or those who allegedly blaspheme their religion. This is particularly directed against the Jews and Israel and their supporters. Martyrdom in such causes, they believe, results in instant admission to paradise. This means that there is no effective sanction or deterrent against the terrorists who invoke this religion as the basis of their actions, as many governments have perforce come to realise.

Terrorism

This naturally leads on to this major development of the past few years. The fanaticism of Islamic extremists (as well as some other groups) has plunged the world into gloom when threatened by those things which are coming on the earth (Luke 21.26). After a couple of warning shots in the form of bombs at a US embassy in Africa and an attack on one of its warships, the al-Qaeda organisation devastated the world by its simultaneous suicide attacks in New York in September 2001. The failure of the attempts in Afghanistan to exterminate the terrorists means that the Western world, particularly, is still in daily fear of a similar attack, for which there is no really effective protection.

Russia

The last few years have also seen vast changes in the position of Russia. Forty years ago the USSR, with its vast resources of land, armaments and manpower and with its Communist ideology, was regarded as a major threat to world stability. Its annual show of strength in its May Day parades, not to speak of its space programme, emphasised its perceived threat to Western democracy. And this resulted in several stand-offs between the USSR and the Western powers, which buoyed up the hopes of many that the coming of the Lord was near.

But after seventy years, the revolution of 1917 ran out of steam, and the once united power bloc is now a series of separate independent states, all of them experiencing difficulties in the transition from autocratic to democratic rule. Russia has developed a presidential style of government and private enterprise is booming in the upper echelons of its society. Its old antipathy to the West is also reduced, and meetings and sometimes agreements between Russian and Western leaders are occasional features of today’s news.

But that said, it seems that Russia has never given up on its territorial expansion. During the transitional period mentioned above some of its associated territory was lost when various regions became independent. In March 2014, despite vociferous opposition from the Western powers, one of these, the Crimean region of Ukraine, was reincorporated into Russia, re-establishing Russian control over the Black Sea port of Sevastapol, thus preserving its access to the Mediterranean. It is also accused of fomenting dissatisfaction in other Russian speaking areas of Europe with a view to bringing them again under the control of the Kremlin But so far it seems that the objective is to achieve its end by intrigue rather than military conquest.

On the religious front, the Orthodox Church, which was banned under the Communist regime, is undergoing revival, with many of the churches reclaimed from secular use to become places of worship once more.

Europe and the European Union

Here is another dramatic change in the past forty or so years that is relevant to the time of the end. From a comparatively loose association of a few European nations has now developed the continent-wide European Union. At the time of writing it has 27 component states, with others expected to join shortly. There is a European Parliament and Commission that sets the rules and standards for its member countries, an integrated financial policy and, for many member states, a single European coinage. There is even talk of political integration, and creating the office of European President, which, if it happens, will mirror the situation from the year 800 when Charlemagne became the undisputed ruler of Europe as head of the Holy Roman Empire.

This leads on to the altered position of the pope. From being a remote figure, rarely seen outside his native country, the office of pontiff has recently entailed worldwide travel to encourage his Catholic followers. This could well have relevance to future events.

As far as the United Kingdom is concerned, the past forty years have seen its continued decline as a major industrial power, and a steady reduction in its armed forces. It is a member of the European Union, but at the same time closely associated with the USA, with whom it claims a special relationship, and tends to support that country in matters of international policy.

The United States of America

With the demise of Communism and the USSR, the USA has become the main superpower in the world, and time will tell what effect this will have. The relaxation of the cold war has resulted in no significant diminution in its arms stockpile, which now contains sophisticated weaponry unimagined a few years ago. And it is quite prepared to use these in unilateral action if it believes its interests are threatened.

But, as the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 demonstrated, terrorist attacks can be directed at the USA, and robust defence against these is virtually impossible. Much of the Arab/Islamic antipathy to the USA is because of its staunch support for Israel, and should this not be forthcoming for any reason, then Israel’s survival would be in doubt, humanly speaking.

Technology

The last few years have also seen a vast change in technology, especially in communication systems. Throughout the world the computer now reigns supreme. Every aspect of public and personal life is now completely dependent on the power inherent in the microchip. Whether it is banking, pensions, transport, telephones, news media, healthcare, food distribution or even the cash register in the local shop, all rely on computing and the electrical supply to energise them. If these systems became inoperative for any reason, then for most of us normal activities would cease, and life itself could be imperilled.

But this ease of communication has another facet. With satellite technology and global cameras, nothing is hidden from view. Local events become world news in an instant, and world response can be as fast. This means that when the final crisis comes, events could develop extremely quickly.

Mass destruction

Until recent times, the ability to produce and control weapons of mass destruction – nuclear warheads, chemical and biological weapons, etc. – was confined to just a few countries, all of them with comparatively stable and responsible governments. But now the possession of such means to annihilate their fellow humans has been extended to smaller and less reliable nations – some of them in the region of