And
there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth
distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring
(Luke
21:25).
When
the disciples asked Jesus when He would be coming back, He responded with a
series of remarkable signs and trends' that He said would characterize
the
period immediately before His second coming. The Lord entered these reference
points into the prophetic record so the terminal generation-that is,
those
of us who are alive on earth when the end-time drama commences-will be able to
monitor the progression of events right up to the end of the age.
The
apostle Paul wrote, "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this
Day should overtake you as a thief' (1 Thessalonians 5:4). Every generation
of
believers, like the first-century congregation at Thessalonica, has been
admonished to be expectant and watch for the day of the Lord.
However,
we have always known that only one generation would actually survive to witness
these events firsthand. The Bible outlines a number of prophetic
indicators
that will be reflected in world conditions as the time of His return draws
near. None of these indicators, by itself, is prophetically significant.
They
only become significant when they happen simultaneously, with unprecedented
frequency and intensity. Jesus said, "So you also, when you see all these
things,
know that it is near-at the doors!" (Matthew 24:33, emphasis added).
Technically,
because the rapture is an imminent event and is not associated with any
specific prophetic sign, it can happen at any time. However, the prophetic
trends
Jesus said will characterize the world after the rapture, during the
tribulation, will surely become evident even before this seven- year period
commences.
In fact, a trend, by its very nature, develops over an extended period of time.
It does not happen suddenly.
Pre-terists
and other non-millenarians claim the Olivet prophecy was fulfilled in its
entirety nearly 2,000 years ago when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem
in
A.D. 70. Even references to the sun, moon and stars (Matthew 24:29; Luke
21:25), they say, are not literal but figurative. Interpreters such as John
Gill
point to obscure Jewish sources referring to the "sun" symbolically
as the kingdom of the house of David, the "moon" as the Sanhedrin and
the "stars"
as
the rabbis, or teachers of Israel. They suggest that the kingdom
("sun") was darkened, the Sanhedrin ("moon") stopped giving
its light (for example,
stopped
handing down legal decisions) and the teachers of Israel fell from their
positions of leadership-and it all happened in A.D. 70.
One
problem with this approach is that it is simply not consistent with traditional
Jewish interpretation. The Babylonian Talmud mentions the "sun, moon
and
stars" 13 times and in 11 of those instances it refers to literal heavenly
bodies. The Soncino edition of the Talmud uses "sun, moon and stars"
in
a
figurative sense only twice and neither of those references pertains to the
Davidic kingdom, the Sanhedrin or the rabbis.'
Another
problem is that the Olivet prophecy climaxes with the second coming of the
Messiah: "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power
and
great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your
heads, because your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:27,28). Who is naive
enough
to believe that Christ returned in A.D. 70? The Son of Man did not return to
earth in power and glory, the Jewish people were not rescued and the
promise
of Zechariah 14:11, that Jerusalem would never again be destroyed, was not
fulfilled. Quite to the contrary, the land was overrun by the Romans
in
A.D. 68-70, Jerusalem and the temple were burned to the ground, and the Jewish
people were scattered to the four winds.
There
is only one tenable position-that many elements of the Olivet Discourse await a
future fulfillment during the coming tribulation period and subsequent
return
of the Messiah to planet Earth.
One
of the trends prophesied in the Olivet Discourse is "distress of nations,
with perplexity." The Greek word translated distress comes from a verb
meaning
"to
squeeze" or "to compress." In classical Greek, this word was
used to describe a "cattle squeeze," a contraption whose sides could
be pushed inward
to
hold an animal in position while the farmer administered medication.
This
imagery from an ancient farm suggests an interesting analogy. As we approach
the time of the end, the nations will be increasingly wicked and out of
control.
We see this even in the Old Testament messianic prophecies, including:
"Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of
the
earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD
and against His Anointed, saying, 'Let us break Their bonds in pieces
and
cast away Their cords from us"' (Psalm 2:1-3). So how does the Lord
respond to this rebellion of the nations? David tells us, "He who sits in
the heavens
shall
laugh; the LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His
wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure: 'Yet I have set
My
King On My holy hill of Zion"' (verses 4-6).
It
is difficult to imagine a more appropriate description of the world today than
the one presented in Psalm 2. David prophesies that the rulers of the
earth
will "take counsel together." All we have to do is look around us and
see that there are more international organizations in the world today than
at
any other time in history. There are regional and global alliances, trade
agreements, economic treaties, and on and on it goes. Yet the international
community
in our generation continues to be plagued by ethnic conflict, anarchy and
colossal power struggles.
Unseen
powers are at work behind the scenes that no one seems to understand. World
leaders themselves are pawns in a global board game-a game in which their
moves
are orchestrated by people and organizations motivated by lust for power,
position and monetary gain. There is no room for the Lord in the world's
halls
of power. The international scene, then, is evolving just as the prophets said
it would. The Lord is allowing the nations to back themselves into
a
corner where the problems of the world seem overwhelming. This is the Lord's
way of "squeezing" an out-of-control world and holding it tightly in
place
while
He administers a sobering dosage of His wrath and judgment.
One
of the most mysterious characters mentioned in the prophetic Scriptures is the
end-time political leader known as the Antichrist. Actually, this unusual
title
comes to us from the Greek New Testament, where it appears as Antichristos (I
John 2:18,22; 4:3; 2 John 7). The prefix anti means "against" or
"opposed,"
and
Christos is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Mashiach, or "anointed
one." So it literally designates someone who is diametrically opposed to
God's
Anointed
One, the Messiah. In the Hebrew New Covenant, or Berith haChadashah, the
Antichrist is known as Tzoror haMashiach, or Enemy of the Messiah.
The
apostle John explains that a spirit of antichrist has been active in the world
for at least 2,000 years: "Little children, it is the last hour; and
as
you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have
come, by which we know that it is the last hour" (I John 2:18). Near the
end
of this age, a political leader will rise to prominence on the world scene.
Although he is portrayed in Scripture as a very charismatic and persuasive
individual,
he will also be the very incarnation of evil. He will embody the pervasive
spirit of antichrist that has been active since the first century.
Since
the prophets intimated that he would come from the same ethnic stock as the
people who destroyed the temple in A.D. 70, we expect him to be a Roman
or
European (see Daniel 9:26). He will come from somewhere in the Mediterranean
world, or roughly the geographical area that corresponds to the ancient
Roman
Empire.
This
evil, end-time political leader is known by a number of biblical names,
including the little horn (Daniel 7:8); a king with "fierce features"
(8:23);
"the
prince who is to come" (9:26); the abomination of desolation (9:27;
Matthew 24:15); "the man of sin" and "the son of perdition"
(2 Thessalonians 2:3);
"the
lawless one" (2:8); "the beast" (Revelation 11:7; 13:1ff.); and,
of course, "the Antichrist" (anti-Messiah) (I John 2:18).
In
Christian eschatology, as well as in Jewish tradition, the Messiah is a
divinely anointed Deliverer who comes to rescue His people, Israel, in the
midst
of
a great military calamity. Once the enemies of Israel are vanquished, He
establishes a worldwide kingdom of peace and prosperity for all nations: Now
it
shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD's house
shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above
the
hills; and all nations shall flow to it.
Many
people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the
LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we
shall
walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word
of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He
shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their
swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall
not
lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore (Isaiah
2:24).
The
anti-Messiah will oppose God's end-time program in every way he can. He will
take steps to consolidate his own power base so he can bring the nations
together
and form a counterfeit kingdom. He will oppose God's King, Jesus Christ, by
setting himself up as a king.
Webster's
Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary explains the Greek derivation of the prefix
anti and says it means "... of the same kind but situated opposite,
exerting
energy in the opposite direction, or pursuing an opposite policy." How
interesting! According to Webster's, the prefix anti suggests something
opposite,
but still "of the same kind." The anti-Messiah and the true Messiah
are both deliverers. They are both redeemers, and both are known as kings.
But
they have vastly different motives and opposing agendas. The true Messiah is
led by the Spirit of God; the anti-Messiah is controlled by the forces
of
darkness. The true Messiah will establish God's kingdom on earth; the
anti-Messiah will attempt to establish a satanic kingdom on earth.
How
will the Antichrist elevate himself to a position where he wields so much
political power on earth during the tribulation? There are several answers
to
this question. First, the Bible explicitly says the Antichrist will be
supernaturally empowered by Satan. Describing his vision of the
"beast," or Antichrist,
the
apostle John wrote, "The dragon [Satan] gave him his power, his throne,
and great authority" (Revelation 13:2; cf. 12:9). Like the serpent in the
Garden
of
Eden, he will be a Machiavellian character in every way-calculating, cunning
and crafty.
Second,
the Antichrist will possess extraordinary powers of oratory. The prophetic
Scriptures tell us that "he was given a mouth speaking great things and
blasphemies"
(Revelation 13:5; of. Daniel 7:8,11,20,25; 11:36). He will be able to sway the
masses with his engaging personality and convincing words.
Third,
the Antichrist will be perceived as a miracle worker. The apostle Paul wrote,
"The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan,
with
all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among
those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth,
that
they might be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:9,10). Prophetic scholars continue
to debate the question of whether the Antichrist will have the ability
to
work genuine miracles. Will his "lying wonders" be nothing more than
clever sleight of hand, perhaps using laser technology, holographic images or
other
deceptive
techniques? It is a moot question, however, because the result is the same
whether the miracles are genuine or not. Many people will assume that
the
Antichrist's miracle-working powers come from God. Unfortunately, they will be
wrong (cf. Matthew 7:21-23).
Fourth,
God will allow the Antichrist to possess these uncanny powers of persuasion and
leadership. "And for this reason God will send them strong delusion,
that
they should believe the lie" (2 Thessalonians 2:11). Over and over again,
John says "it was given to" the beast to do these remarkable things.
In
other
words, he is permitted to carry out his tribulation program. God even allows
him to "make war with the saints and to overcome them" (Revelation
13:7).
It
is true that the Antichrist's authority comes from the dragon, or Satan (verse
4), but we also know that all authority in heaven and on earth has been
given
to Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18). This means even the devil exercises authority
only by the permissive will of Almighty God!
Fifth,
the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit will be removed during the
tribulation. The Holy Spirit lives in believers (1 Corinthians 6:19). So,
when
the church is caught up in the rapture (prior to the commencement of the
tribulation), the Holy Spirit will also be removed. There will be no more
"salt"
or "light" left in this old world (cf. Matthew 5:13-16). In a very
real sense, this will allow Satan and his minions full reign on earth.
"And now
you
know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the
mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will
do
so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed,
whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy
with
the brightness of His coming" (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8).
Sixth,
the international community will be prepared to accept a leader who
demonstrates an ability to deal effectively with the world's mounting problems.
As
we enter the twenty-first century, the nations of the world are increasingly
distressed and perplexed, just as Jesus prophesied in His Olivet Discourse.
Economic
and political problems, military emergencies, not to mention the worldwide
expansion of Islamic fundamentalism and related security issues, will
add
to the frustration of world leaders. That is why they will be receptive to the
Antichrist's message of "peace and safety" (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
Many
Christians think of the Antichrist as a ruthless dictator who will seize power,
enslave the masses and transform the world into a global police state.
However,
I think this is largely a misconception-at least in the beginning. The prophets
compare the kingdom of the Antichrist to the ancient Roman Empire
(Revelation
13:1; Daniel 7:23-25), and historians tell us that the empire was hardly a
police state. There was a period of military conquest, obviously,
but
for much of its 1,000-year reign the Roman Empire was actually a relatively
loose confederation of nations. The Romans often allowed local kings and
rulers
to remain in power and serve as governors. Nations were actually clamoring to
join the empire because Roman citizens enjoyed many social, economic
and
political benefits not available to non-citizens.
The
Antichrist, then, probably will not use Gestapo like tactics to seize power.
Instead, he will mesmerize the nations, like the snake charmer from India
who
holds a cobra under his spell by playing a flute. The Antichrist's "flute"
will be his silver-tongued oratory and uncanny ability to forge alliances
and
solve problems. Evidently, what puts the Antichrist on the map politically, at
first, is a seven-year, comprehensive Mid-East peace agreement that he
arranges
(Daniel 9:27). The agreement might include permission for Orthodox Jews to
construct a temple on Mount Moriah, possibly in exchange for a Palestinian
State
in the West Bank. Whatever form the agreement takes, the Antichrist will no
doubt will be acclaimed as a hero for succeeding where so many before
him
have failed. It is not difficult to imagine him being awarded the Nobel peace
prize for such an achievement.
First,
however, he will focus on consolidating his own base of power, which will very
likely be in Europe. Again, many scholars conclude that he will arise
from
this part of the world because Daniel said the Antichrist would be descended
from the same people who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in A.D. 70
(Daniel
9:26)-namely Romans or Europeans. Furthermore, the Antichrist is portrayed by
John as a beast "rising up out of the sea" (Revelation 13:1), a
reference
to
the Mediterranean world and the geographical area occupied by the ancient Roman
Empire.
Interestingly
enough, our generation has seen the nations of this region coalesce into a
United States of Europe. In fact, the prestigious financial publication
Strategy
and Business recently published an advisory under the title "Business
Expectations and Strategy for the United States of Europe."' Skeptical
readers
should
note that this information did not originate with religious fanatics delirious
with millennial fever. The article's coauthors were Franco Modigliani,
winner
of the 1985 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science and professor at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Hossein Askari, director of
the
Institute for Global Management and Research and chairman of the International
Business Department at George Washington University.
Here,
in part, is what Modigliani and Askari reported to their clients in the global
financial community: The economic size and significance of the 15 countries
that
make up the European Union are indisputable. The combined 1995 gross domestic
product of these countries was estimated at $8.4 trillion, exceeding
that
of the United States ($7 trillion). This means that Europe is the largest
single market on the face of the globe.
Effective
January 1, 1999, 11 European Union (EU) member states adopted a common currency
(known as the "euro") under an agreement that binds their economies
irrevocably
together. The euro will be gradually phased in until the transition is complete
on January 1, 2002, making the union even stronger. Without
question,
the EU has become a world superpower in its own right. The Antichrist will likely
use this platform (the EU) to launch his political career.
From
there he will use his negotiating skills and charisma to extend his influence,
sway the masses and subdue his foes (Daniel 7:23,24). He will take
advantage
of deteriorating world conditions to maneuver himself into a position of global
leadership.
The
Earth Council is an international, nongovernmental organization (NGO) created
in September 1992 "to promote and advance the implementation of the Earth
Summit
agreements. 114 These summits, held in 1992 and 1997 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
brought together leaders from more than 100 nations to discuss ways
of
advancing "the mutually reinforcing goals of sustainable development:
environmental health, economic prosperity, social equity, and general
well-being"
for
all the inhabitants of planet Earth. Yet the Earth Council acknowledges that it
has made little headway in improving the planet's plight since the
first
summit in 1992. Here are the facts:
More
than 100 nations are worse off today than they were 15 years ago. Some 1.3
billion people have daily incomes of less than $1, and 60 percent of humanity
lives
on less than $2 per day.
The
gap between the richest and poorest 20 percent of the world's people has
doubled over the past 30 years, from 30-fold to 60-fold. Approximately 1. 5
billion
people live with dangerous air pollution; 1 billion live without clean water;
and 2 billion without sanitation.
Eighty
percent of direct foreign investment in the developing world goes to only a
dozen countries, all classified as "middle income" with the exception
of
China. Just 5 percent goes to Africa and 1 percent to the 48 least-developed
nations.
The
debt burden on the developing world continues to mount, now reaching $2.1 trillion.
Sub-Saharan Africa's debt payments are larger than its expenditures
on
health and education, even though 63 percent of adults in this region-
currently more than 20 million people-are infected with HIV. Experts say this
tragic
AIDS epidemic is so pervasive and so advanced that entire populations are in
danger of being wiped out.
Less
than a quarter of the world's population consumes three quarters of its raw
materials and produces 75 percent of all solid waste. A child born in the
United
States will have 30 times more impact on the earth's environment during his or
her lifetime than a child born in India, according to the Earth Council's
report.
The
U.S. Center for Refugees reports that one of the critical issues of the
twenty-first century will be the growing refugee crisis. Millions of families
worldwide
have been driven from their homes in areas ravaged by war and political
turmoil.
Yet
another problem the world faces as we enter the next millennium is that of
global and domestic terrorism. Militant Islamic and other terrorist groups
can
strike without warning virtually anywhere in the world. While it is true that a
majority of Muslim people, particularly Sunnis, do not endorse such
deadly
tactics, the unfortunate reality is that a sizable and very violent Muslim
minority believes martyrdom during the course of carrying out a terrorist
act
is "the pathway to paradise."
Over
and over again, the State of Israel has been the target of brutal and cowardly
terrorist attacks. Radical Palestinian groups have indiscriminately
murdered
and mangled men, women and children by detonating pipe bombs on buses and in
public places in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Libya has been linked to
terrorism
in various parts of the world, and so has Syria. Northern Ireland has suffered
at the hands of terrorists for decades.
The
bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City on February 26, 1993, showed
that we are not safe from these attacks, even on American soil. The mastermind
of
the bombing, Ramzi Yousef, confessed to the FBI that he "sought to punish
the United States for its continued aid to Israel."' Yousef fled the
country
after
the bombing, but was arrested in Pakistan in February 1995, and extradited to
the United States. This was not his first brush with the law; he had
previously
been convicted for his role in a plot to create "48 hours of terror in the
sky" by bombing a dozen U.S. passenger jets. Yousef allegedly said
he
hoped the blast in New York City would topple one tower on top of the other,
which could have cost 250,000 lives.
On
April 19, 1995, the attack on the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City by
white supremacist, antigovernment terrorists shocked the nation yet again.
In
the deadliest mass murder in American history, 168 men, women and children
perished. Apologists for the "Christian Patriot Movement" claimed the
attack
was
in retaliation for the horrible extermination of the Branch Davidians in Waco,
Texas, two years earlier to the day, by out-of-control government agents.
In
February 1998, two men were arrested in a Nevada medical laboratory and charged
with possessing a biological agent-in this case, anthrax-for use as a
deadly
weapon. According to law enforcement authorities, the pair may have planned to
release the substance in the New York City subway system. One of
the
men allegedly had bragged about having enough anthrax to wipe out much of the
population of New York City.
Experts
say the threat of biological terrorism is very real. Somewhere, sooner or later,
it will happen, and we are not ready: "A monumental task lies before
us,"
Dr. D.A. Henderson told the International Conference on Emerging Infectious
Diseases.
Biological
agents are the ultimate "stealth" weapons-invisible and virtually
undetectable. Scientists said easily obtained materials could be used to
unleash
pandemics
of Ebola, anthrax and smallpox, and the world's nations, including the United
States, are not fully prepared for such an event.
"The
specter of the biological weapon's use is an ugly one, every bit as grim and
foreboding as the picture that has been painted of a nuclear winter,"
said
Henderson, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. "It is
not 'if' but 'when'... and I hope we're going to be prepared.
Occasionally,
we hear someone say, "We don't need a Messiah. Humankind can pull itself
up by its own bootstraps. We haven't done all that badly so far."
Tell
that to a child in Africa who has lost his entire family to AIDS, lives on the streets,
and whose belly is swollen from malnutrition. Tell it to a
mother
and father in the former Soviet Union who have lost their factory jobs and
cannot buy food or clothing for their kids. Tell it to the young children
of
a mayor in South America who was gunned down, along with his wife, by drug
smugglers while corrupt law enforcement officials looked the other way. Tell
it
to Palestinians and Israelis in the Middle East who are tired of living in the
cross fire of hostile factions on both sides.
The
evidence is clear: This old world is in trouble. (See the following chart,
"Prelude to the Tribulation.") Increasingly there is a sense of
desperation
and
frustration among the nations as one political scheme after another is doomed
to failure. Any leader who can offer substantive solutions to the World's
many
problems will be enthusiastically received and hailed as a great deliverer or
messiah. This is what the prophets said long ago, and it could happen
in
our generation.