Living in the Last Days: An in Depth Look at Bible Prophecy, Current Events, and How They Relate to You

By Carol McCormick

LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS: An in-depth look at Bible prophecy, current events, and how they relate to you, unpacks the book of Revelation and other end time prophecies. In this book, you will discover the possible meanings of symbols, profiles of the Antichrist and the false prophet, what the Mark of the Beast could be (and how it may be enforced), the Second Coming of Christ at the battle of Armageddon, and much more. You will also see how modern technology, widespread pandemics, and world leaders are setting the stage for prophecy to be fulfilled.

Throughout this book, the Bible is used to interpret itself, to unravel the timeline and tie it together with current events, to prove that we are truly Living in the Last Days before Christ returns.

If Bible prophecy is new to you, this book will fill in some of the blanks and help you understand and prepare for these events. If you are knowledgeable of end time prophecies, you may also find new things to explore.

READERS' FAVORITE BOOK REVIEW by Leonard William Smuts
★★★★★ ~ 5 Stars

Living in the Last Days is an in-depth analysis of the Christian Bible on the subject, backed by considerable research and some fresh interpretations of the scriptures. Internationally acclaimed author Carol McCormick underlines the traditional wisdom of Christian teachings while relating them to present worldwide political and spiritual trends.

The rise of the Antichrist and the Mark of the Beast are dealt with in detail, with new insights provided. The information regarding The Great Reset and its agenda is a significant departure from the conventional approach to End Times predictions. This is highly relevant as digital technology, smart bank cards, and a host of electronic devices already enable intrusive surveillance and allow the tracking and control of individuals. Further danger threatens in the form of a one-world government, a single world currency, and combined religions, which will undermine traditional Christian beliefs and suppress opposition.

These modern phenomena are compared to biblical predictions and a remarkable match is apparent, sounding an early warning of troubled times ahead. Christians will have to stand by their beliefs and preparation is essential.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carol McCormick
• Release date: Feb 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9780967536859

Carol McCormick

Carol McCormick is an international award-winning and bestselling author. She began writing years ago after reading a ten-page story her grandmother wrote about growing up in the early 1900s. It was then that she began to write down her own stories to share with her daughters someday.Later, she began to write as a way to draw herself and other people closer to the Lord. Carol writes for Christians to encourage them in their faith. She also writes for those who are unaware of God's grace, to show them how to connect to Him in order to experience His love and goodness. Her writing is applicable to life with its direct, yet sensitive, and oftentimes humorous messages and lessons.As a certified health coach and a certified personal trainer, she is currently working on a remarkable book that will transform the way you think about health and fitness, and provide the tools to make lasting changes.Carol has been a speaker for Christian Women's Connection (Stonecroft Ministries International) for over fifteen years. She has also appeared on regional and Christian television programs and has been a guest on over fifty Christian and secular radio stations.

Book preview

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

Truth

My Conversion

Why I Wrote this Book

What if?

The Stage is Set

Past Prophecies Fulfilled

The Last Days Prophecies of Jesus

What is The Falling Away?

How Will We Recognize the Antichrist?

Why is the Peace Treaty with Israel Important?

The Four Great Divisions of People

What is the Rapture?

Understanding the Structure of Revelation

The Seven Churches of Revelation

What is the Tribulation Period?

Examples of Possible Symbols and Meanings

What are the Seven Seals?

Who are the 144,000 and the Souls in Heaven?

The Seven Trumpets and the Seven Bowls

Who are the Two Witnesses?

Who is the Woman Being Chased by the Dragon?

The Dragon | Satan Behind the Scenes

The Beast | The Global Government and its Leader

The False Prophet | The Global Religious System and its Leader

What is Progressive Protestantism?

What is Progressive Rome?

What is the Mark of the Beast

Who Wants the MOB in Place?

What are Precursors to the MOB?

How Will the Mark be Implemented?

What is the Image of the Beast?

5G High Speed Internet

The Internet of Things

What Happens if You Take the MOB?

What Happens if You Don ’ t Take the MOB?

Those Who Stood in the Face of Death

When Hell Literally Breaks Loose

The Six Events Before Christ Returns

The Drunk Harlot and Her Fate

The Wealthy City Burns

Jesus Returns and Reaps the Earth

Judgment Day!

Are You Ready?

Conclusion

Links to Global Groups and Sources

Truth

Those rich in wisdom and ruled by Truth are not controlled by their emotions.

* * *

Truth without love is like surgery without anesthesia.

Love without Truth is like anesthesia without surgery.

In other words...

Truth without love may hurt a person.

Love without Truth will ruin a person.

Jesus Christ is both Love and Truth.

He is also the Living Word of God.

Truth must be linked to the authority of the scriptures.

This book is based on that authority.

* * *

The Bible is the only book that tells humans how they can live forever. As astounding as this fact may be, it is just as astounding that many people choose not to receive it.

Peter asked Jesus, " Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life " (John 6:68) .

My Conversion

Ever since I became a Christian, Bible prophecy has fascinated me. It is what originally sparked my search for the Truth about God, life, the end-times, and my eternal destination.

Prior to my conversion, I had no interest in spiritual things and very little knowledge of God ’ s Word. I knew a few Bible stories and rote prayers from the occasional times I attended religious instruction or church while growing up, but the lessons and messages bored me, so I often skipped classes and mass to go hang out with friends instead.

Then, a few months before I turned 21, my world began to shift. I had just come out of an abusive relationship and was fumbling in the dark while trying to find my way in life. My search was going nowhere, until one day while visiting my aunt, a glimmer of light shined from a shelf in the form of a book about survival. Thinking it was about basic life skills or camping in the wilderness, I happily took it home.

The book was not about life skills or camping in the wilderness. It was about strange sounding events that I ’ d never heard of before, like people being caught up in the clouds to meet Jesus in the air, and being changed from mortal to immortal in the twinkling of an eye.

Humph! This is ridiculous! I thought. Sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie .

The book also said things like judgment and disasters would befall those on earth, and then seven years later Jesus Christ would return to set up his Kingdom.

Never heard that before either.

This new futuristic info was absolutely foreign to me, but I kept reading anyway. And as I did, I noticed smaller words and numbers below these statements, and somehow I knew they were Bible verses. I immediately dug out an old Bible (that I had never read), looked up the verses and there they were! Those strange quotes were really in the Bible! Well, I got scared. I knew that I would be left behind when this momentous event occurred, because I had been living a life of rebellion and hell.

It was then that I began searching for God, and six months later after many dead ends, my quest led to a meeting where the speaker gave her testimony. As she spoke, I thought she was talking directly to me when she described her wild past and wayward ways. I thought she could see into my heart when she mentioned her list of sins, yet there she stood saying that she was going to heaven someday.

Well that ’ s impossible! I thought. Especially after all she ’ d done. No one can know that until after they die anyway.

Then she quoted more verses that were unfamiliar to me: All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).

She went on to say, " For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, " and " For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord " ( Romans 3:23; 6:23) .

Every time she quoted a verse my heart fluttered like a butterfly had flown into my chest. It was like nothing I ’ d ever felt before.

When the luncheon ended, I stayed behind to confront this woman who made such a bold proclamation, because I too, wanted forgiveness and the assurance that I would be in heaven someday. I told the speaker that I wanted to become a Christian, but I couldn ’ t stop sinning.

She led me to a nearby couch where we sat down, and then she explained that God saves us by His grace when we repent and receive Jesus Christ as our Savior.

This couldn ’ t be all there was to it, because I knew who Jesus was and believed that he was a real person, and yet my life was filled with sin, guilt and defeat. This answer seemed too simple, so I challenged her again by saying this was impossible for me, because of the awful things I had done. (I had surmised that since she didn ’ t know what my life was really like, that her message didn ’ t apply to me. She didn ’ t know about the times I had run away from home and lived on the streets for weeks. She didn ’ t know about the run-ins with the police, or the risky things I had done, or that my habitual drinking had escalated dramatically since I was fourteen years old.)

Yet, this wonderful woman patiently continued by quoting a verse that said, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9) .

I challenged her again, and asked, Where is that in the Bible?

And she ’ d patiently show me. We went around like this a few more times, because I could not believe that God loved me and that His gift of salvation was free.

Each time I protested and asked her for proof, she ’ d flip through her Bible, and I ’ d lean over to read the words for myself. " If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved " (Romans 10:9-10, 13) .

I was so ignorant of the gospel that I thought I had to be good first before receiving Christ, but this woman said, " Repentance is in order, but when you receive Jesus as Savior, He gives you new desires and the power to do His will. " For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13) .

This made sense to me, because I had tried to quit my sins, addictions, and dysfunctional behaviors on my own and failed miserably every time. But if He was the One giving me new desires, it must also be up to Him to provide the power to overcome.

The speaker showed me another promise that said, " Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy He saved u s " (Titus 3:5) .

This verse was the clincher. I finally understood that it wasn ’ t what I had done or not done, but what Jesus did on the cross that saved me. It was only by His mercy and grace that I could be forgiven and given eternal life.

After this last time of seeing the Truth in black and white, I was ready to pray with her. I bowed my head, and in my mind, I thought: I ’ m tired of going my own way and making a mess of my life. I don ’ t care what friends or possessions I lose, I want You (God) , forgiveness, and heaven.

With these thoughts, I had unwittingly repented of my sins and unconditionally surrendered my life to Christ. I had mentally stepped over the line and pushed all my chips in the pot. I was all in, willing to lose everything, to gain what Jesus offered instead.

The woman led me in a prayer that changed my life, as I bowed my head and asked Jesus to forgive me, and to come into my heart and save me. And when I did, something dramatic happened. A huge burden lifted from my shoulders and something literally swept through me. I instantly felt clean inside and God moved in.

This wasn ’ t something I could have conjured up on my own, because I didn ’ t know what to conjure up. Before this time, I knew nothing of the Holy Spirit or God ’ s forgiveness or peace. I had no preconceived idea of what to envision or expect, but something had changed inside of me. I instantly knew that I was forgiven and free. Free of guilt and shame and given a second chance. My immediate thought was, No one can point a finger at me and whisper anymore .

I had been born-again, without even knowing what the term meant or that there even was such a thing.

Because of my lack of biblical knowledge, I had no preconceived ideas about the Scriptures or prophecy. This worked in my favor as I began to devour the Word and read it with unbiased eyes. And within two years, I had read most of the New Testament a dozen times, along with much of the Old Testament.

God ’ s Word became the new foundation my life was built upon. The grid and filter that sifted Truth from error, so that choices were made with this new eternal perspective in view. And since the day of my salvation, in good times and bad, in victories and defeats, I have continued to read the Bible and have watched prophecies unfold ever since.

My walk with the Lord has not been perfect. I have swayed, strayed, stumbled, and fallen many times (and still do). It happens to any runner in a race. But during these setbacks, I was still headed in the right direction while God ’ s love patiently lifted me every time. His Word and the still small voice of the Holy Spirit guided me like a compass back to the straight path. His grace was sufficient. His strength was enough. My lesson was learned, and I moved forward.

Why I Wrote this Book

When writing and promoting a book, marketers advise authors to know their target audience in order to reach them. As I pondered this suggestion, I realized that this book is for all people, because someday, it will affect everyone, everywhere, in one way or another.

There are many people who have never heard of Christ ’ s forgiveness and gift of eternal life, or what the Bible says about Living in the Last Days , so I wrote this book for the lost, to give insight and clarity to these events, so they will know how to prepare for them. Prophecy is what initially piqued my curiosity about God and my eventual hunger for the Bread of Life, Jesus. I pray that it will create a desire for you and others to seek Him too.

I also wrote this book for Christians who have drifted away from sound Biblical doctrine and the fundamentals of the faith, to encourage them to study the Word and get back on track, so they too will be ready for Christ ’ s return.

This book is also for those who believe in their own version of truth or God. I say, their own version , because many people who hold these truths have never really read the Bible, to learn what the Word really says about God, or to discover what His will is for them.

This book is also for those who simply want a better understanding of prophecy, to help them unpack the book of Revelation, so they can be aware and prepare for future events too. Ultimately, this book is for everyone who thirsts for the Truth, which is found in Jesus Christ (John 8:32) .

This is by no means an exhaustive study, since it is impossible for even the most learned scholars of eschatology (the study of end times) to mine the depths of God ’ s Word. But I will explain to the best of my ability and research, a tentative timeline of prophetic events and how they coincide with current events.

I also encourage you to do your own research. Temporarily put aside what preachers have told you, what others have told you, or what you ’ ve read on the Internet. Instead, look up the scriptures for yourself, to see the words in black and white (or red). Examine the evidence presented here and then make your own decisions. I have kept all Bible references close to each quote, so you can do your own fact-check by comparing and seeing for yourself that what I have written is not my opinion, but what the Bible clearly states.

The following are just a few examples of erroneous and unscriptural teachings that have been passed down through the ages.

● Eve did not eat an apple in the Garden of Eden. The name of the fruit is never mentioned.

● Jesus was not born in a barn-like stable, but rather a rock-like cave.

● No one knows the actual date of Christ ’ s birth, but it was more likely in September.

● There is no mention of three kings visiting the infant Jesus, but there were at least two (possibly more) wise men who visited Jesus a year or two later when he would have been a toddler.

There are more examples, but these are enough to make the point. Believing these particular fallacies will not make a difference in a person ’ s eternal destination, but other misconceptions can, if the fraud concerns the gospel or doctrinal issues.

It is easy to accept tradition or take what people say as truth, when in reality, tradition and people are not always accurate. This is why it is so important to read and study the Word for ourselves. Bible literacy is of utmost importance in discerning the Truth from error.

Since the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible, most of the prophecies mentioned in Revelation are supported by other prophecies in the Old and New Testaments. These writings were penned by many different authors who lived centuries and miles apart from each other. The cohesiveness of their writings points to One author, God, as the Holy Spirit spoke through them when they wrote.

This miraculous fact is why the Bible is my primary source of research and reference when interpreting Revelation and other prophecies. In the decades of my wondering and learning about prophecy, I have had many unanswered questions, but since I began this book almost three years ago, the still small voice of the Holy Spirit has shown me key pieces to the puzzle. He has helped me unravel and understand many prophetic scriptures as I sought them out, and then compared, dissected and put them back together again.

I do not know all the answers or how prophecy will ultimately unfold, but what I have written in this book makes the most sense to me, when compared to other views I have heard or read in the past.

The information in this book has not only been gathered first and foremost from the Bible, but also from news sources and historical evidence. All of the quotes and websites I reference are readily accessible through a simple Internet search that can be found online at credible sites. I have provided links to many of them at the end of this book.

You may not agree with some of the things that I ’ ve written in this book, and that ’ s okay. The dispute is not with me, but with the Word of God. Therefore, I encourage you to question what you ’ ve been taught or heard, and then ask yourself if what you have learned is based on religious tradition or Scripture. The easiest way to know the Truth is to look up the verses cited in this book or read the Bible for yourself.

Many things referenced here concerning Jesus may surprise some people. The meek Jesus we see in art, movies, or select scriptures is only one side of Christ. Yes, He is Love incarnate, gentle and kind, but He is also Judge and King, who will tread the grapes of wrath himself and rule His kingdom with an iron rod (Revelation 19:15) .

We do not hear many sermons about this side of Christ. Some preachers and people find the teachings of Jesus controversial. Some don ’ t like or agree with the cringeworthy parts in the Word, so they stop short of the difficult passages, or completely omit them from their sermons.

My question then is, Did Jesus not mean those things that He said? Was he joking when he preached the parts that make us quake? Of course not! Not when it concerns the eternal state and destiny of a soul. Not when the main purpose of His coming to earth was to seek and to save those who are lost (Luke 19:10) .

If we believe the Bible is true and that Jesus did everything with intention, then we must ask ourselves why He preached these controversial things, and then adjust our response to His teachings.

Taking a false preacher at his word can be lethal in the end, which is why it is important, to not only read the Bible, but to also know the Bible. Teaching a distorted version of God ’ s Word, to those who don ’ t know any better, is like serving arsenic-laced cake to guests at a party who happily eat it up, while never questioning what they swallow. It may taste fine at the time, but this lack of knowledge will kill them in the end.

We must learn to discern Truth from error by studying the Bible for ourselves. Biblical knowledge lays out all the ingredients, so we know what we are consuming.

There is also a special blessing for those who read Revelation: Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is