40 Years of Bible Prophecy
40 Years of Bible Prophecy
By Steve Meehan
40 years ago, I happened upon the book The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey. I do not recall how I discovered that book – whether in a used bookstore or just left behind by somebody who had already read it – but it greatly affected my outlook on life and inspired me to read more and more about the subject of end-time events. I could not get my hands on enough books and videos that dealt with the topic. It totally intrigued me and motivated me to read God’s Word more often and discover the hidden gems of what is to take place during the Last Days. It also compelled me to be absolutely sure that I was prepared for the onset of the dark days of what is referred to as the Tribulation period.
The number 40 is a significant number in the Bible. I have read that it is mentioned 146 times in Scripture, and it usually symbolizes a period of testing, trial, or probation. Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness to begin His earthly ministry. It rained 40 days and 40 nights during the time of Noah to bring on the Great Flood. Moses spent 40 days and nights on Mt. Sinai on two separate occasions when He communed with God and received His 10 Commandments. The first three kings of Israel – Saul, David, and Solomon – each reigned for 40 years. Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh that unless they repented from their sins, that in 40 days, their city would be destroyed.
While my 40 years of searching out information on Bible Prophecy pales in comparison to those momentous events, it is still to me a noteworthy time frame and makes me reflect even more on just how close we are to the summation of the Church Age – the Age of Grace – and the nearness to the time of Christ’s second appearing. Without trying to set a date as to when the Lord will take His Church out of this world and begin the prophesied last seven years of another testing period before He finally returns physically, I cannot help but wonder if it all could come to pass soon, especially when considering how badly the conditions of the world are deteriorating and how the end-time signs are completely engulfing us.
Growing up in the Roman Catholic system, I was never exposed to Bible prophecy. It was completely foreign to me. About the only time I would ever hear anything to do with Christ coming back was during their Mass when the mantra ‘Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again” is repeated daily just before their Communion service. Other than that, nothing. Never during sermons, CCD (Catechism) classes, or even 6 years of Catholic grade school. I was totally in the dark about it, just as most Catholics are. So, to read that book and to find out about things that take place in the Last days was new and extremely exciting to me.
Having my eyes opened to the subject – and it had to be Divine providence that led me to discover such books – it created in me such a desire to learn more about Bible prophecy and greatly motivated me to get involved in partnering with ministries that taught on end-time events, and especially those that reached out to the world with the great news that Jesus Christ is coming back soon and He wants you to be saved and to be prepared for what lies ahead.
Another effect of reading the Bible more diligently because of this new interest was that it led me to come out of the Roman Catholic religion and embrace Jesus Christ alone for my salvation – instead of a false system of works. We are saved freely by His grace and not by things that we do to earn it.
It really got me on fire to do my part to warn others and to be a part of the Lord’s Great Commission, as spelled out in Matthew 28:19:20: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them, in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
To those of us who study Eschatology – or Last Days events – it is abundantly clear that the world is rushing headlong into such an abysmal world-state and that with each passing hour, we are drawing ever closer to the onset of this horrible period. Most of the Earth’s population, conversely, has no clue as to what is going to happen soon. It will totally blindside most people.
To my way of thinking, what better part of God’s Word do we have to inform us of just how real and true His Word is than those verses that inform us as to what will transpire in the prophesied last days? We are now witnessing these things unfolding before our eyes? It is completely on target as we see events lining up exactly as the prophets and Jesus said they would to usher in the wrap-up of human government and His very soon return. You can literally open the Bible today and watch on the evening news or other media outlets the same things prophesied eons ago by inspired authors, the things that are taking place around the globe.
To those of us who study the subject and are clued into what was foretold to occur, we can see these end-time events developing. Without Bible prophecy, how would we know that Israel was to become a nation again? They were dispersed throughout the globe for almost 2,000 years, and yet we were told that they would be back in their ancient homeland again. That happened in 1948.
They would again establish Jerusalem as their capital and recapture the Temple Mount, where once stood the first two Temples. Prophecy tells us that a third Temple will be rebuilt soon on the exact site that the first two were erected, and there are movements taking place right now in Israel behind the scenes, as it were, to prepare for that soon occurrence. Prophecy also warns us that when this Temple is erected, a future world leader will defile that building and declare himself God.
Without knowing scripture about end-time events, most people and countries are clueless as to the significance of Israel being back in the land. God’s Word said it would happen, and it has happened for a reason. God’s Word is true, and His relationship with that nation and people is everlasting. He does not break His promises or renege on His covenants that He had established with them centuries ago.
How close is the world getting to the end? Here are some key indicators. The prophet Ezekiel warns that a conglomeration of Russia, Turkey, Iran and others will invade Israel in the last days. Those very nations are now just north of Israel in neighboring Syria, fighting insurrectionists, and have established a foothold in that region of the world. Something will trigger them to enter Israel “like a cloud,” and God Himself, not Israel, will destroy 5/6ths of the invading forces. They are on the doorstep now. How much more time will elapse before they make their ill-fated move? Read about it in Ezekiel 38, 39.
Students of prophecy are also keenly aware that the city of Damascus will be destroyed in a noticeably short time span. Isaiah 17 foretells that it will happen overnight – that quickly, which almost suggests a nuclear device will be employed. Israel, right now, is conducting almost weekly raids and airstrikes, in and around the city of Damascus, in an effort to quell the nefarious movements by Iran within Syria, in Iran’s often repeated quest to destroy the Jewish State.
How much longer until Damascus gets leveled due to a series of missteps and ratcheting tensions between a belligerent rogue nation like Iran – who is bent on the destruction of Israel – and the IDF forces of the Jewish State, who are compelled to go after these guys and thwart their desire to destroy them? It cannot be too much longer if Damascus is already in the crosshairs on a daily, if not weekly, basis. Keep an eye on that situation. It will not be much longer until literally the whole situation and the city will explode.
Israel is the key to Bible Prophecy; they are the focal point. The Bible is Israel-centric. It is at the very center of foretold end-time events and how the rest of prophesied occurrences will be tied to what is happening there and how things around the world will play out.
The condition of the world is extremely ripe for the rise to power of a foretold future world leader who will govern with an iron fist. He will come in peacefully at first, with a small group of like-minded individuals, and then will utterly transform life on Earth to a Hell-like condition. The Bible says in the second half of his seven-year reign that Satan will enter into this person and wreak havoc across the globe. You do not want to be here for that.
America is now primed to assist in seeing a person like this rise to power. Those on the radical left, who have a globalist agenda and are bent on the weakening of our nation, are doing all they can to sow the seeds of discord within our country and position us to abandon our sovereignty and fall in behind a one-world ruler and governance.
Such movements and the promotion of them by these Marxist-minded individuals include homegrown terrorist groups like BLM and Antifa, whose only goal is to inflame racial tensions. Other ways to weaken our nation include:
– Defunding the police forces.
– Opening up our borders.
– Promoting and further legalizing and funding the abortion industry.
– Doing all that’s possible to celebrate and export the perversion of homosexuality and transgenderism and compelling citizens of our nation to accept and embrace this abhorrent mindset.
One cannot escape hearing about or seeing these daily manifestations unless one totally shuts himself off to any or all news.
The Antichrist, when he does rise to power, will have no better ally than the present occupant of the White House and his administration. America’s influence will continue to diminish in the coming days, and we will lose our sovereignty. It must happen in order for all nations to align and be controlled by a central government operating out of the region of the old Roman Empire.
America is not even mentioned in Bible prophecy and has been an impediment to the establishment of a one-world government.
Donald Trump was the last obstacle to preclude the USA from joining forces with the globalists. His America First attitude and policies were a continual thorn in the side of those nations and groups who want to relinquish control over their states and bring about a central governance. He had to go at all costs. Two impeachments, a constant 24 hour, 7 days a week, 365 days a year smear campaign never let up until he was out. Even a very dubious election had to be unleashed to ensure this guy and his way of thinking were out of here. His kind of reasoning and policy-making could not be allowed to continue; it had to be snuffed.
The devil must be extremely pleased. He now has a dupe in the White House, and his policy can prosper. His man of sin can soon be promoted. The World is rejoicing, but they have no idea what lies ahead. Doom and gloom do not even begin to describe what the last seven years are going to be like when this guy is in place. Things will get completely out of control, and life on this planet will become extremely darkened as this leader gains more and more power. And he will not be impeachable.
The days are dark and getting darker. The Book of Revelation and Matthew 24, where Jesus informs His disciples just how bad life will get on planet Earth before His second coming, are just two of the key scripture books and passages that describe what lies ahead and how it is presently developing in the World. Time and space in this article preclude me from listing all that will come to pass.
Famines, pestilence, wars, disease, earthquakes, unusual and severe weather phenomena will decimate most of Earth’s population – only a fraction of the present 7 billion plus citizens of the world will make it all the way through the entire final seven years of this foretold Tribulation Period. Jesus talked of these things, and He does not lie. His intent in having these Bible prophecy verses included in scripture is not meant to scare us so much, but to prepare us. It is going to happen, and He wants you to be ready before it starts and to make a much-needed decision.
The devil is working overtime to get his players in position. He is fully aware that his time to destroy lives and to carry out his sinister operations is drawing to a close. Once the Tribulation Period is underway, he will have just seven years left to leave destruction in his wake on this planet. He wants to take as many as he can to the same abode where he will wind up and prevent souls from spending eternity in a state of bliss with the Lord in Heaven. He has been busy planning on how he is going make this planet a living hell for those left here.
And no one has to endure what is coming. By making a decision for Jesus Christ right now, you will be spared from the horrible hour that is soon upon us. He is going to remove His body of believers – the True Church, all those who have put their complete faith and trust in His finished work on the cross – just before the start of that seven-year period.
Those who have rejected His gospel by not accepting the free gift of salvation that He extends to everyone will be left here to try to survive the whole horrible ordeal. Jesus said about that time in Matthew 24 that no flesh would survive this time unless its days had been limited. It will be a time unlike ANYTHING that has ever occurred in this world.
To sum up what is coming, Jesus will remove His Church from Earth in what is known as the Rapture. A world leader will arise quickly – the devil has him picked out – and he will force Israel to agree to a seven-year so-called peace treaty. That action starts the clock on the Tribulation hour.
The world leader’s reign will begin somewhat peacefully, but as time goes on, things will radically worsen. While this is happening, 144,000 Jewish evangelists will be tasked with presenting the true gospel to those left behind. A great number of people will get saved, but most, if not all, will be martyred for their faith. The Antichrist and his false prophet – the leader of the coming One-World Religion – will force all to take a mark, to show their allegiance to this “man of sin” and to be able to buy or sell goods. Without his mark clearly displayed on people, they will be targeted and hunted down for elimination.
Far better to accept Christ now freely, than to have your head lopped off or any other means that they decide to implement.
Midway through these seven years, Satan will enter into this human leader, and from Jerusalem, in the rebuilt Temple, will declare himself God and force all people to worship him. This is what he has craved from the time of his fall; for all to worship him and not God.
All nations, at the end of this period, will be drawn into the land of Israel, where they think under the inspiration of the Antichrist, that they can do battle with Jesus Christ and his host of believers as He returns to Earth. Jesus destroys these satanically inspired forces, immediately sends this Antichrist and his false prophet to the Lake of Fire, and Satan is bound for a thousand years in a place of torment.
Jesus begins His 1,000-year rule on Earth from Jerusalem, then after that, the Great White Throne judgment occurs, and all those who have rejected the free gift of salvation will be cast into the Lake of Fire, where eternal torment will be a continual state of being. Not a pretty picture. But one that can easily be avoided.
If not for Bible prophecy, we would not know that these things are coming. Jesus Christ, in the Book of John, chapter one, is referred to as the Word. What He spoke and what is contained in the Word of God, the Holy Bible, is true. He does not lie. He is not out to trick people or misinform them. What He says is going to happen will happen. These events are going to take place. What are you going to do about it?
Souls hang in the balance. Your soul is on the line. Is it really worth forfeiting a free gift, only to have to maybe endure the whole seven years of hell on Earth, then an eternity separated from God and loved ones only to be dying forever in the Lake of fire? Why go through that??
Take the free gift of salvation. Is your pride really worth it? Who wins? Not you. Not God. Only another lost soul in a place that can never be escaped from. Do not be foolish. Do not spend eternity in anguish and regret.
The solution is simple and entirely free. What a deal. Will you take it? There is no end to eternity. For the lost, it will be a constant state of torment. Separated. Alone. All hope abandoned. And you are only there because you rejected the only way out.
Conversely, for those who do something to forever change their destiny on this side of eternity, Heaven awaits. You will be enjoying the rest of your existence with loved ones forever who have made the same decision as you. Your life then will really take off. Unlimited potential and desires will be realized. No aches, no pains, no sorrow, no bills, no dangerous threats, no fake news, and no devil to trip you up.
You will not be relegated to spending eternity on a cloud someplace strumming a harp. That is fiction. The Bible tells us that we will be co-heirs of the universe with Jesus Christ. If you want to explore the far reaches of the universe, suddenly it will be possible. Things that were impossible to do while here on this Earth, in our present physical bodies, will be attainable when we are finally clothed in a glorified new body that we will acquire in the heavenly realm.
The differences between those who spend eternity in Heaven versus those who regrettably opt out because of a poor decision will be vast. No hope, no loved ones, no joy, and no escape are the ever-present conditions and reality for those who say no to Jesus. Do not make such a foolish mistake. The split second that you die without Christ in your life, you will realize that you made an awful, tragic, unrepairable choice. At that point, it will be too late to change your circumstances. You will be in an unrecoverable condition.
Do not go into the Tribulation hour. It will be a horrible time on Earth. And beyond that – way, way beyond it – do not go into eternity without Jesus. Those things right now are staring you in the face. They are coming. It is going to happen. We are soon, very, very soon into that period.
Jesus says in John 14:6: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” No particular denomination or no certain religious affiliation is the means for salvation. You MUST be trusting in Jesus Christ completely for your redemption. How?
Admit that you are a sinner. You are continually sinning, and you can’t help it. You don’t want to do it, but it happens. You need help with this condition. “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Believe that Jesus Christ is who He said He is. He is the Savior of the World. He is the Son of God. He is God (John 1:1). Only He can save us from our sins. He paid our sin penalty on the cross. He only is the means for redemption. Invite Him into your life to save you. Trust in His work and put all your faith into Him being able to save you. Outside of doing that – completely trusting in Him for your salvation – you will be lost and will die in your sins. Don’t do that!
Confess that He is your Savior. That you are trusting in Him alone. Not in your works, not in your goodness, not in anything else.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).