Five Signs of the End Times

(A 5 Part Series) 

                                          Part 1 

                        The Five End Time Nations 

1. ISRAEL

May 14, 1948 saw the first prophetic End Time event take place since the destruction of Jerusalem 2,000 years earlier. Its was on this date at 4:00 pm that the people of Israel made a declaration to the world that, on the strength of a resolution made by the United Nations General Assembly, they were now to be known as the Jewish State of Israel. Isaiah’s prophecy made 2,690 years earlier had come true. A nation had literally been born in one day (Isaiah 66:8). Since that fateful day, a tiny nation of only 8 million people has become the geopolitical center of the world. Today, it is widely prophesied that WWIII will be fought because of Israel. But why? For the answer we turn to the Bible. 

                              Abraham (c. 2,000 BC)

The story of Israel begins with a man named Abraham. For reasons not explicitly stated, God made a covenant with this elderly childless man. We read that God blessed Abraham and over the past 4,000 years, he has been revered by all Jews, Christians and Muslims. God told Abraham that he would be the patriarch of a great nation. Over the years, the Jewish race had produced more geniuses in the fields of religion, science, medicine, business and the arts than any other race in the history of mankind. Every Book of the Bible, with the exception of Luke and Acts, was authored by a God inspired Jewish writer. God told Abraham he would be seen as a “blessing” to all mankind. Without Abraham there would be no Jews, no Old and New Testaments, no Jesus Christ, no Christianity and no eternal salvation for mankind. And last, but certainly not least, God swore on Himself to Abraham that He would bless all people and nations that blessed His chosen people, the Jews. Conversely, He also swore on Himself He would curse all those who cursed the Jews. This unconditional covenant by God is irrevocable. (Genesis 12:1-3).

God then directed Abraham to leave his home in Babylonia and travel 1,000 miles northwest to survey and reside in this promised land. Since that time, the Jews have been completely exiled from their land, yet always returned. It is the only race of people in the history of mankind to have been exiled from its land for more than 300 years, yet returned with its religion, language, dress, traditions and customs still in place. Every single nation that has ever attacked Israel has been either destroyed or reduced to only a shadow of its once great glory. It is this undeserved covenant with God and unrivaled economic and military success that has caused most Arab people to curse the Jewish race.

This everlasting covenant between God and His chosen race was initiated in (Genesis 12:1-3), formalized in (Genesis 15:1-21) and amplified in (Genesis 17:1-21). 

                                                        Why the Jews? 

The Bible tells us that God’s choosing the Jews had nothing to do with merit nor was it due to their numbers (Deuteronomy 7:8). It was not because they more aware of God than other nations (Isaiah 45:4). Nor were they were more righteous more righteous than other tribes of peoples (Deuteronomy  9:6-7). God chose to create a race from Abraham because it was His sovereign purpose to do so. Full stop.  

Today, the Jewish nation is experiencing Part One of a two part plan by God. The nation is currently a secular Zionist political movement. It has not achieved a true spiritual return to God for which it was created (Exodus 19:6). But that is predestined to happen (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:26-27). The people also do not have possession of the entire promised land, and most importantly, they have not recognized Jesus as their Messiah. But the fact that they are now an established sovereign nation is proof that Part Two will absolutely occur. Unfortunately, the prophets tell us the Jews will have to undergo a terrible 7 year period and be literally brought to their knees as a people and a nation before they will set aside their pride of accomplishments, repent and pray fervently for a Saviour (Hosea 5:15). It is then that Christ returns to save a remanent of repentant Jews and believing gentiles who have survived the Great Tribulation period (Revelation19:11-16). These Jews and gentiles will then enter the Millennial Reign of Christ. 

Interestingly, as the nation of Israel becomes more productive, more populated, wealthier and has developed the greatest military power in the Middle East, it has also become more and more isolated and hated. Israel is a country smaller then New Jersey with a population of only 8 million people surrounded by over three hundred million Arab enemies. Nations currently seen as peaceful, according to the Abraham Peace Accords, still have a deep seated hatred for the race and jealousy over its outstanding accomplishments in only 80 years. Scripture is clear that a coalition army of the willing will attack Israel and eventually Jesus will return specifically to save the nation. At that time, their long awaited God ordained potential will be achieved (Genesis 15:1-21; Jeremiah 32:37-38). 

                                   Why should I care? 

First, the people and nations that bless or curse Israel will be blessed or cursed by God. The Jews are far from perfect, but that is not the world’s problem. God has and will continue to deal with them in His own way and in His own time. The nations that send their armies against Israel will be cursed (Revelation 16:17-21). Israel’s last days are the world’s last days. What events effect Israel, will directly have an effect on the entire world including America.  

And finally, Israel became a nation in 1948. In 2028 the nation will be 80 years old. The greatest number of years for a generation according to the Book of Psalms is 80 years.  

                              Jesus’ Prophesies About the Last Generation 

Jesus was speaking of specific events in a certain order that will occur during the very End of the Age of the rule of mankind on Earth. Then He suddenly stopped and told a parable about the exact timing of the End of this Age. Jesus said, “When the fig tree {literally the symbol of Israel} branch is {once again} tender {revived} and puts forth it leaves {becomes a nation again}, you know {clearly understand} that summer {the season of the aforementioned events} is close {will soon occur}: So, likewise, when you see {witness} all these things {again Israel as a nation}, know {understand} that it {End of the Age} is near, even at the doors {extremely near}. Truly I say to you {listen closely}, This generation {of people who witness Israel becoming a nation} will not pass {be replaced by the next generation} until all these things be fulfilled {come to fruition}.” (Matthew 24: 32-33) 

On an interesting note, among the Dead Sea scrolls was found an ancient Essenes calendar. It showed that the next Jubilees cycle of 50 years would start in 26 AD and the next in 76 AD. Moving the dating mathematics of this document forward, it clearly shows that the year 2026 will start the final Jubilee period, a 50 year period ending in a final Jubilee year of rest in 2076. This final 50 year period would include the Rapture, the War of Magog, WWIII, the rise of the Antichrist, the building of the third Temple in Jerusalem, the Great Tribulation Period, the Second Coming of Christ and the start of the Millennial Reign of Christ on Earth. A lot will take place over the next 50 years. And 2026 is 7 years before the 2,000 year anniversary date of the Crucifixion {April 3, 33 AD}, Resurrection {April 5, 33 AD} and Ascension of Christ {May 15, 33 AD}. Please note, the Rapture can take place at any time, and that most ancient calendars had 30 day months relying on lunar cycles. 

Therefore, the prophetic future of the nation of Israel answers the question, “Are we in the end times?”

2) European Union  

Europe is first referred to in a vision that King Nebuchadnezzar had interpreted by the prophet Daniel. The King saw a colossal giant. The head of gold represented the Babylonian Empire, the chest of silver represented the Persian Empire, the belly of bronze represented the Greek Empire and the legs of iron represented the Roman Empire. But it was the feet with 10 toes that represented a revived Roman federation of ten nations held together by common worthless clay. Daniel wrote more about the feet than the 4 other parts of the colossus put together. To date, no historical account exists of a 10 nation Roman confederation that ruled a large kingdom and was suddenly destroyed by God. The feet in Ezekiel’s vision are destroyed by the appearance of the Kingdom of God that then rules the Earth forever (Daniel 2;34) This obviously has not happened … yet. 

Literally, these four great kingdoms once existed. Figuratively each exhibited the best successes and worst failures of the rule by mankind. But prophetically, these kingdoms with the final one being the Kingdom of the Antichrist, represent the abject failure of mankind to successfully rule an Earth created by and for the rule of God. 

At the end of WWII, Churchill called for Europe to unite. By 1981 there was a 10 member group that was the nexus of the United Nations. While many more countries have since joined, these original 10 are the only ones referred to as Permanent Members. Also, these countries were all once under the control of the Roman Empire. The United States of Europe’s goal is an agreement by the world's major countries to support a one world government, economic, military and religious system. In this way, it is believed that all wars will forever be a thing of the past. 

However, Daniel saw a supreme leader rising up from among a 10 nation union. He witnessed the leader taking control of the coalition to become the world leader and later the Antichrist. Daniel saw a Jewish nation sign a treaty with the Antichrist (Daniel 9:27). The treaty was for a 7 year period in order to give the Jews and Arabs time to negotiate an agreement on how to judiciously divide Jerusalem. But 3 1/2 years into the treaty, the world leader became the Antichrist, breaks the treaty, declares himself worthy of worship and the first wars leading to the final War of Armageddon begin.  

Today, Israel is now a nation and the ancient remains of the Roman empire have reunited. European persecution of the Jews is at an all-time high. Of these times Paul wrote, “It is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11). 

3) Russia 

In 2014, Vladimir Putin seized the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. Nobody knew where Crimea was and nobody cared. Ukraine was in talks with the U.S. about joining the European Union and NATO as a way to insure Russia would not attack and take control of the country. Putin announced that Crimea was now officially Russian territory. In 2022, Putin directed a full invasion of Ukraine which at that time only had a small civil defense force to control civil unrest. Amazingly, this small yet determined civil defense unit, using hunting rifles and hand guns, fought the the Russian army to a standstill. Putin was publicly embarrassed by his incompetent military leaders and soldiers unwilling to fight a war they did not believe in. 

Putin retired from the KGB {Secret Service} in 1991. In 2000, he became president of Russia and has remined its ruler ever since. Putin wants to be recognized as the greatest leader in Russian history. To do this, he will need to expand Russian territory. The Bible tells us Russia will ignite a world war like none other. Ezekiel prophesized Russia’s rise to power 2,500 years ago. In chapters 38 and 39, he saw an invasion of Israel by ten entities including Russia {Magog & soviet republics}, Turkey and a confederation of Arab states and Muslim extremists. 

                              An Invasion Army of the Willing

Ezekiel refers to Russia as Rosh. The vowel ‘o’ is sometimes replaced with the vowel ‘u’. He describes the leader of Rush as the “king of the north” (Daniel 11:3-35). He goes on to say that Israel will be attacked from the north (Ezekiel 38:6, 15). There is only one great country to the north of Israel…Russia. In fact, Moscow is only 2,200 miles north of Jerusalem. This means Russian mechanized units, traveling at 40 mph nonstop, could reach Israel in 2.5 days. Ezekiel then literally names the 9 other countries in the confederation.  

He calls the leader “Gog” meaning supreme leader. “Magog” is the name of the second son of Japheth and grandson of Noah. He was the founder of the stan countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan etc. These are all Islamic countries with a total population of 60 million people. “Meshach” and “Tubal” are Moscow and Turkey. "Persia" changed its name to the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979. Iran and Russia will be the main armies that lead the war against Israel. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Iran agreed to help Russia by supplying drones, artillery and military technology such as spy satellites. They also agreed to work together to upset the current global order. “Ethiopia” was founded by Noah’s son Ham. The land now includes Sudan who has an incredible hatred of Israel. “Libya” was also founded by Ham and now has close ties with Russia. “Gomer” is the founder of Germany, a country that has started the last 3 great wars and is today the richest country in Europe. This year Germany requested that it be allowed to create a nuclear weapon as a deterrent against a Russian invasion. The latest polls show one in four Germans are antisemitic. "Togarmah" is Turkey and Turkestan.  

                                              When will they attack? 

Ezekiel tells us that that 3 events must first take place before the attack. Two have already occurred. Israel must become a nation to which the Jews are returning (Ezekiel 36:24; Ezekiel 38:8). And, Israel must be prosperous which it now is. The third condition is a brief era of peace (Ezekiel 38:11). The coming Israeli-Palestinian Peace treaty will be brokered by the world leader. The Rapture will take place before or just after the signing ceremony. It is this covenant of peace that causes a military invasion by the armies of Magog and neighboring countries to catch Israel off guard. The invasion of Magog takes place, but in this case, the armies are struck down by an act of God. The world is in shock and demands world peace which will involve a strong world leader (Daniel 9:27). This world leader will continue to successfully broker treaty after treaty. Paul writes, “… and when they say peace and safety; then sudden destruction will come upon them…” (I Thessalonians 5:3). Then 3.5 years into the 7 year rule of the world leader, he enters the third rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, and declares himself a deity worthy of worship. To this end he establishes an international ID system in order to separate his followers from his enemies. Scripture states that while all countries will have people who support him, God does not give him enough time to conquer all the countries of the Earth (Matthew 24:22).  

Ezekiel makes it clear that the Magog attack led by Russia, Turkey and Iran against Israel is a catastrophic failure as God himself steps in on behalf of Israel (Ezekiel 38:2-3; Ezekiel 38: 11; Ezekiel 38:21-23). God causes a series of earthquakes, dust storms and rampant disease within the ranks. While God could just strike these armies dead, the problem is, the world could blame Israel for using a secret weapon of mass destruction. Therefore, by using acts of nature, most people will rightly concluded the destruction was an act of God as described in the Bible. Still, some conspiracy theorists will say it was an Israeli biological weapon, or just a case of bring in the wrong place at the wrong time as it was the destruction of Sodom. Remember, the 7 year Tribulation Period is designed to give people the time to believe in their Creator God and receive eternal life. 

4) For Pete’s Sake … Who or What is Babylon the Great? 

Babylon is the second most frequently mentioned city in the Bible. It appears 278 times in 253 verses. And these references are never positive. Babylon was founded in 1,900 BC but became a world power in 626 BC and ruled the known world for one hundred years. Its long history was steeped in pagan worship, mysticism, and a humanistic belief system. Babylon’s culture was designed to seduce people away from the worship of a spiritual creator God to the worship of creation and a reliance on self. In short, Babylon is regarded as the most infamous city in the world with Sodom a close second. Babylon was located near the geographical center of the Earth’s land masses and was at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. In its day, it was the world’s capital and home to the most important commercial and financial centers, thus linking the far east with the Mediterranean, Egypt and Persia. The arts of divination, astrology, accounting and commercial law all originated in Babylon. Ruled by the world’s first dictator Nimrod, it was mankind’s initial attempt to establish a one world order with a one world religion that worshipped creation and not the Creator. This was the purpose of the Tower of Babel. 

The Book of Revelation tells us that the Antichrist will began to seize the reins of those world governments he creates treaties with, or conquers militarily. Rome will be his political base (Revelation 17); Jerusalem will be his religious center (II Thessalonians 2:4); and Babylon will be his financial and economic center (Revelation 18). This means international banking and corporations will all move their operation headquarters to Babylon to conduct business. But this empire is predestined to be short lived. 

The destruction of Babylon is sudden and complete. According to the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, the city and even the ground it was built on is destroyed forever (Isaiah 13:20-21; Jeremiah 51:26; 51:29; 51:37, 51:64; Revelation 18:8-10, 21). This is because Babylon represents unbridled power, greed, immorality and death to those who do not support its system. However, God has promised that He will not allow Babylon’s incessant degradation of mankind to plague the world forever. The Book of Revelation tells us “Babylon has fallen"(Revelation 18:2). The word fallen means to be instantaneously destroyed. The ruins will smolder for a short time then disappear never to be seen again. The ground will literally swallow it whole (Revelation 18:19-21). How is this possible? Babylon is located in an area with regular tectonic activities. Further, Iraqi decided to run enormous oil pipelines directly under the city making it extremely vulnerable to oil and natural gas explosions. In fact, UNESCO filed international lawsuits to stop this project. Its experts feared explosions that could destroy the city. The Iraqi government went ahead with the project and Babylon was listed as a protected World Heritage Site. 

                                                          Babylon 

 The seduction power of evil 

Babylon will be destroyed because of her iniquities. A satanic launching pad of injustices and the degradation of mankind will fill the earth as her religious, economic and governance systems spread (Revelation 18:2). She will be destroyed because of her evil influences on all the people of the Earth. Word leaders are rewarded for corruption and ruthless criminal activities that harm the innocent (Revelation 18:3; Revelation 18:5). She will be destroyed because of her spiritual infidelities which began in the ancient past and has continued throughout world history. All false religions and pagan practices of the world began in Babylon. Sin debt after sin debt accruing over thousands of years, building like the tower that once dominated her landscape. She will be destroyed because of her insolence. She believes she is beautiful in her seductive powers of perversities, and that no force on Earth can stop her from bringing mankind to its knees in obedience and and worship (Revelation18:7). Thus the old adage, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18) 

And finally, Babylon will be destroyed because of her inhumanity. God’s two greatest commands are for mankind to respect Him as their Creator, and for people to respect and help one another. But Babylon will be the epicenter of the godless one world religion and human trafficking empires. Hundreds of millions of men, women and children will be forced into lives of legalized slavery and prostitution around the world. People are no longer seen as in the image of God, but instead as animals to be used, traded as commodities and then discarded. She will murder everyone who dares to question her decisions on any issue. Much as it was with the first world dictator Nimrod, the Children of God will also be systematically hunted down during the Tribulation Period. They will be bought and sold with the uncooperative being tortured for pleasure, then executed with their bodies dumped into waste pits (Revelation 18:24; Revelation 17:6). 

Her well deserved end will be extremely sudden and extremely violent (Revelation 18:8; Revelation 18:21-23). The world’s ruling and financial centers will all instantly fail leaving the Antichrist’s international AI controlled organizational systems in complete chaos. Interconnected globalism will go dark in seconds and the governmental, military and economic systems of the world instantly collapse. The Earth’s leaders and population can only look on in shock and horror. Every nation is suddenly without power, communications and defense systems and the world quickly spirals into utter chaos (Revelation 18:11; Revelation 18:15-17). 

At the same time, the saints on earth and in Heaven rejoice (Revelation 18:20). Not because of the suffering of those on earth, but because the Millennial Age of Christ is now about to begin. God had made a promise to bring the rebellious to justice and now the time has come for Him to keep that promise. Babylon’s cup of iniquity was not only full to the brim but overflowing. Christ descends from Heaven followed by His saints. The unrepentant wicked of the Earth are instantly judged and receive the full undiluted wrath of God by being struck dead. This is referred to as separating the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:32-38). While shocking to the righteous, this punishment is deemed by God as appropriate when considering their unrepentant sins which are many and grievous (Revelation 6:10; Hebrews 10:30). 

5) AMERICA 

While it is clear that God has a plan for America, it is equally clear that America is not mentioned in the prophecies of the Old and New Testaments. There is the mention of Israel being taken on “eagles wings” to a safe place in the desert (Revelation 12:14). But it is a stretch to take the phrase eagles wings as a reference to America. Especially when you consider this same phrase is used several other times in the Old Testament (Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:11; Isaiah 40:31). There is also a very brief mention of a group of nations known as "Tarshish" with its “young lions” (Ezekiel 38:13). Literally, merchants of Tarshish is a reference to the merchants of Phoenicia. Figuratively, these merchants were more concerned about war as it pertains to their profits than the human carnage wars create. Prophetically, the term “young lions” may refer to Great Britain and America who came out of Great Britain. But again, all of this is a real stretch. And to say America is not outright mentioned because it is a new nation refutes the entire understanding that prophecy, by its very definition, reveals future events. Still God has and will continue to use America as part of His redemptive plan for mankind until it is taken out of the way (II Thessalonians 2:7). To understand America’s place in prophecy, let’s look at the reasons for God’s favor on America in the first place. 

First, God has blessed America because, from its inception, because it was a baston for Christianity. In particular, its use as a launching pad for the world’s greatest movements. Following WWII, America created 1,800 missionary services who sent out more than 350,000 missionaries. Ninety five percent of the world’s population has had the opportunity to learn of the of the Gospel of Christ largely due to the continued zeal of churches in the United States. 

Second, America has always been a friend of the Jewish people and a supporter of the Jewish state. This is due to the Judeo-Christian heritage of the nation. So, America enjoys the blessings of God because of His oath to bless those who bless Israel (Genesis 12:3). America has been blessed in part because we have been a blessing to the Jews.

Third, the laws of America are primarily based on the moral laws as outlined in the Bible (Psalm 33:12; Proverbs 14:34). These laws are a lifeline between the nation and its people with God. America was founded with the understanding that it was under the authority of God. If America changes this understanding, it can expect to suffer the loss of His blessings to continue as the greatest nation on Earth. The history of Israel is replete with its rejection of God. This act of rebellion has always resulted in God allowing the nation’s enemies to temporarily punish her. This has in turn caused her to repent and return back to God and His will. 

                      Why America is Not Mentioned In the Bible? 

There are several possible answers to this question. Because America and the majority of its population are immigrants mainly from Europe, it may be that it joined ranks with the EU coalition. The world faces an ongoing problem with radical Islam, Russia and China. These pernicious and perennial adversaries can only be brought under control through the combined efforts of a major economic and military collation. Therefore, America is not specifically mentioned as it is one part of a western alliance. 

Another real possibility is that America’s democratic political system may allow the election of non-interventionalist politicians. These officials will refuse to allow the country to become involved in world affairs, especially foreign wars. If armies decide to attack Israel, America may sell the nation defensive weapons, but its isolationist politics do not allow it to become militarily involved. If Israel wins the war, great. If they lose, what does that mean for America? Many will simply say the Jews simply transfer their substantial wealth and entrepreneurial skills to the US where anti-semitic activities are not tolerated. And, as an added bonus, there is finally peace in the Middle East. 

On a darker note, America may have experienced a preemptive attack by weapons of mass destruction that leave its people, economy and military unable to help Israel with its war(s).  

Or, it may be that America has experienced moral decay. The average life cycle of many great civilizations has been about 200 years. Each civilization first breaks free of bondage, it then creates a new and better system of governance. Then it establishes a national religion, then an economic system, then creates production abundance, then experiences complacency, then apathy, then dependency, then collapse and returns back into bondage. So, the greatest danger for America is not an invasion from without, but slow suicide through complacency from within.

 And last but certainly not least, there is the Rapture event. It is interesting to see politicians and military leaders constantly assuring the American public that for every invasion possibility, they have created a well-considered contingency plan. But the one event that is never mentioned is how America will function after the Rapture. The US government, that oversees a Christian electorate, has absolutely no plan because they do not consider the Rapture a real possibility.  

Recent polls show that approximately 70% of Americans consider themselves Christians. Further 70% of America’s military identify as Christian. Just imagine that 70% of the population and 70% of military instantly disappears. Now consider America has no plans in place for this event. Now imagine that the entire population of China, Russia, North Korea, India and the Middle East are left intact. What do you think is going to happen? This is why Jesus said, it will be the worst time on Earth since it was created (Matthew 24:21). The only people left are atheists, agnostics, satanists, wiccans and staunch believers in false religions.  

Today, Christians are not worried about the Rapture and even pray for it to occur. Conversely, the unrepentant of the world are also not worried about the Rapture because they are sure it will never happen (II Peter 3:3-4). And if it does happen, they will say, “good riddance to bad rubbish”. They want the Christians to be gone, and Christians want to be gone. But it will not be a “Win-Win” situation for long as we will discover in Part 2 titled “Six World Culture Changes”.