MORE BIG EVENTS THAT MUST PRECEDE THE SECOND COMING
We covered events 1 and 4 in Part One with the history and truth of the misunderstood rapture doctrine. In part two we will look at the need for JERUSALEM TO BE SURROUNDED by hostile armies. Note what Luke reveals regarding events before the second coming of the Messiah:
Luke 21:20-22, “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” (NKJV)
Needless to say, this has not yet happened. All prophecies regarding end times have not yet been fulfilled. Jerusalem and the Jewish state are not threatened by superior conventional armies. They are clearly the dominant army in Judea and Palestine EVEN AS FAR AS IRAN. Guerrilla warfare is a problem to the city but not a threat to the continued existence of the free state of Israel. What about 70 A.D.? Well, that was only a precursor or model of a later final fulfillment of the real event.
What about number 3, that a FALSE OR FRAGILE, DECEPTIVE PEACE MUST EXIST? The entire planet has never had a sense of global peace.
Matthew 24:24, “For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
Matthew 24:37-39, “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
The suddenness of the earth-shaking end time events will come upon a deceived world as a shock, just like the flood of Noah.
THE GREAT FALLING AWAY FROM TRUTH AND GLOBAL DECEPTION
It is obvious that lies and political/religious deception has always been here but this applies to tremendous, extreme deception that will come upon the entire planet. It will be huge!
Revelation 6:2, “And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.”
Matthew 24:3-4, “Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you.’”
The first event that has to precede the second coming or end of this age of Satan, is great deception. The first of the four horsemen of the apocalypse is the white horse of deception that precedes the wars and famine. None of these events of vast deceptions beyond the normal have yet occurred; therefore Christ will not come tonight. Daniel the prophet predicts the condition of the world just before the second coming of Jesus, note.
Daniel 12:9-10, “And he said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.’”
The unbelieving wicked world will all be deceived. The great falling away from truth is coming before the end of this age. Why will lies and deception rule the day?
2 Thessalonians 2:3-10, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God… 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time… He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.”
It is clear that God is now restraining the full impact of the “Great Deception” for now.
“…9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receivethe love of the truth, that they might be saved.”
It is almost certain that the evil leaders of the end time Holy Roman Empire will trample Bible truths like the Sabbath, Holy Days, and the Ten Commandments. They will convince people to worship a man and blindly follow him to their destruction. Why is this happening? Because people are no longer taught to love the truth, everything is relative and depends on what is popular at the time.
Daniel 11:36, “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemiesagainst the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done.”
God will allow this evil dictator and the false prophet, for a very few years, to undermine all truth and to utilize powerful propaganda to test mankind. They will lead the world into this great falling away from truth just like the model Hitler and Dr. Goebbels did to Europe. It will happen again but this time be global robust and much more successful.
Daniel 11:37-38, “He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things.”
This deception will be unlike anything the world has ever seen. Before the resurrection and return of Christ the world will have a false god, an evil man backed by the power of Satan. Woe!
THE FINAL DECEPTION AND FALLING AWAY FROM THE TRUTH OF GOD
The two leaders led and possessed by Satan shall lead the world into worshiping a man and fighting the return of Jesus as unbelievable as that seems.
Revelation 13:11-15, “Then I saw another beast… and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon … and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do… telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast… 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak…”
The fall of the Israelite nations will be covered in part three. Do not miss the exciting conclusions of the precursors to the return of Christ.
