The Return of the Lord: A Bible Prophecy Overview Plus Significant Details

By Clyde J. Zehr

During the first week of January, 2018, I received in the mail a New Year’s greeting from Carol, my sister-in-law. After her well wishes for the coming year, she asked simply: What is your “take” on the end times? I was as eager to respond to her request as I was curious regarding what her request actually was. Carol is a faithful, dedicated Christian. She is familiar with the many biblical prophecies concerning things to come. It seemed to me that she was asking, given the occasion of the beginning of a new year, for a timely scriptural update. In other words: What’s up? In my mind I re-phrased her question to read: Clyde, prophetically speaking, is anything going to happen in 2018 that I should be aware of?
Actually, possibly so. The next prophetic event to occur on earth could indeed have taken place in 2018. God is proceeding according to the divine chronological plan He has had in mind from the beginning. That plan, righteous in nature and revealed to us in Scripture, indicates that human history is heading toward a climactic period of events. The timing of these coming events is in His hands, but current world conditions would warrant the next prediction taking place now, or in the immediate future. True, things could get worse, but they certainly seem bad enough already to necessitate God’s sovereign intervention.
A meaningful reply to Carol’s implied question would include two efforts. One would be to examine the Bible’s description of the next world-impacting event to occur. The other would be to place that event in the context of the scriptural big picture of the last days. With such an overview in mind of God’s glorious plan to transition from the Church Age to the Kingdom Age, we would then be able to say as much as could be said about 2018, and beyond.
My response to Carol’s request was a series of letters mailed over an extended number of months. With her permission, those letters are now the chapters of this book. When writing each letter, my desire was, by the Lord’s enabling, to be as much a source of encouragement as information. That is still my desire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664201002

Clyde J. Zehr

Rev. Clyde J. Zehr is a missionary, Bible teacher, and church administrator whose ordained ministry began in 1963. Organizationally, he served with One Mission Society (formerly the Oriental Missionary Society), International Headquarters in Greenwood, Indiana; the Korea Evangelical Holiness Church, International Headquarters in Seoul, Korea; and the Evangelical Methodist Church, International Headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. A native of Kansas, Rev. Zehr graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, with a Bachelor of Science degree. After meeting the Lord and starting things over, he received his Master of Divinity degree from George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon; a Bachelor of Languages degree (Korean) from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea; and a Master of Business Administration degree from Seattle University in Seattle, Washington. Throughout his ministry Rev. Zehr has been an avid student of Bible prophecy concerning the last days. Clyde’s wife, Leona, who as he says, was God’s gift to me, the love of my life, my best friend, loving mother of Karen and Mark, my co-worker in ministry, missionary partner in South Korea, and my daily prayer partner for sixty-one precious years, ascended into the presence of the Lord in July, 2018. Rev. Zehr is retired, and lives in Seattle.

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WestBow Press rev. date: 12/01/2020

PREFACE

When telling about events to occur on earth at the time of His glorious coming again, Jesus said: "Now when these things begin to happen; look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. Then He spoke to them a parable. Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." (Luke 21:28-33 NKJV).

Immediately following these remarks, our Lord told three more parables, explaining what He meant by the instruction for us to look up and lift up our heads. Those parables are a call to watchfulness, faithfulness, and fruitfulness.

Profoundly, we are the generation that will witness the prophesied end time events occurring. Each and every effort, therefore, to further assist the followers of Jesus Christ in responding to His exhortation to be watchful, faithful, and fruitful to the very end should be gratefully received and seriously considered.

INTRODUCTION

During the first week of January, 2018, I received in the mail a New Year’s greeting from Carol, my sister-in-law. After her well wishes for the coming year, she asked simply: What is your take on the end times? I was as eager to respond to her request as I was curious regarding what her request actually was. Carol is a faithful, dedicated Christian. She is familiar with the many biblical prophecies concerning things to come. It seemed to me that she was asking, given the occasion of the beginning of a new year, for a timely scriptural update. In other words: What’s up? In my mind I re-phrased her question to read: Clyde, prophetically speaking, is anything going to happen in 2018 that I should be aware of?

Actually, possibly so. The next prophetic event to occur on earth could indeed