The Convergence Of Prophecy And Current Events
This week, as I was reviewing some recent articles I’ve book marked, an enormous “A-HA” experience came over me as several seemingly unrelated pieces of information fell into place, at least in my perspective of things…
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
This week, as I was reviewing some recent articles I’ve book marked, an enormous “A-HA” experience came over me as several seemingly unrelated pieces of information fell into place, at least in my perspective of things.
I feel so strongly about this that since we’re at the end of 1st Samuel and about to begin 2nd Samuel, I decided to interrupt our series on King David and present these ideas for your consideration. We’ll get back to David next time.
End Times Window
The first piece of the puzzle is from a recent article on this site, where I speculated that a window of opportunity is now open wherein all of End Times Prophecy could be fulfilled as early as 2018 but no later than 2037. Scroll down to the heading “All End Times Prophecies Fulfilled Within A Single Life Span” to see how those dates emerged.
Iranian Cruise Missiles and Nukes
The second has to do with the revelation last month that in 2001 Iran purchased 12 Russian cruise missiles on the black market from under the noses of the recently defeated Ukrainian regime. Their range is approximately 1700 miles, enough to strike any European capitol, every Israeli city and all US military installations in the Middle East.
Add to this the warning by Ariel Sharon this week that the Iranians are only one step from developing the ability to produce the nuclear warheads these missiles carry, and have actually used the time they’ve spent negotiating with the EU 3 to purchase the remaining materials they need to construct a weapon. The only delay they’re experiencing now comes from working out a few remaining technological problems.
Hal Lindsey’s Papal Prophecy
Third is a remarkable extra-Biblical prophecy given by an Irish Catholic Bishop named St. Malachy in 1139 AD. He predicted that a total of 112 men would hold the office of Pope from then till the End of the Age and gave cryptic descriptions of each one that have all been reasonably accurate, lending credibility to the prophecy. The last pope, called Peter the Roman, “will feed his flock amid many tribulations; after which the seven-hilled city (Rome) will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people.”
The pope about to be named is number 111, next to last on St. Malachy’s list. Read all about it on Hal’s site at www.hallindseyoracle.com by hitting the view button on his commentary box. Look for the 4-9-05 editorial entitled “An Extraordinary Prophecy.”
India Times Polar Reversal Prediction
And finally, the one that put it all together for me was an article from the India Times I chanced upon while perusing the Worthy News site, www.worthynews.com. This article revealed that following the recent spate of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in the Far East, scientists are now convinced that a polarity shift of the Earth’s magnetic poles will take place in 2012 giving the North pole the polarity of the South pole and vice versa. At the same time the Sun will also experience a polar reversal. Never in modern times has this happened. This shift will produce even greater occurrences of massive quakes and volcanic eruptions of a scale that could actually cause a massive continental shift.
During the last three years the incidence of underwater quakes and volcanic eruptions has increased by 88% over the norm while continental earthquakes have gone up by 62% as these simultaneous polar shifts progress. Most of this increased activity has come in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire stretching from the East Asia rim to the West Coast of the Americas.
Revelation 6
So how are these items all tied together? Well, an earthquake of the magnitude indicated by the likely effect of the polar shift would certainly earn the title “Biblical proportions” and indeed one of this size is found in Revelation 6:12-17. It’s part of the sixth Seal judgment during the time of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Let’s read about it.
I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
If scientists are correct, and the quakes and volcanic eruptions caused by the polar reversals will take place in 2012, and if that’s what John is predicting in Rev. 6:12-17, it would make the timing pretty good for the 2nd Coming to fall somewhere between 2018 and 2037 as I’ve suggested above.
So what would have to happen between now and then for the 2012 polar reversal to fulfill Rev. 6:12-17? The first thing is the Rapture of the Church, necessary to turn the Lord’s attention toward Israel again and fulfill the rapture prophecy of Revelation 4.
The hardest one to imagine is next. A false sense of security has to descend over Israel causing them to be surprised by a Moslem attack, as predicted in Ezekiel 38-39. But the way the world is meddling in the area, the changes in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, and the endless negotiations concerning Iran’s nukes makes just about anything possible.
For example, as you read this King Abdullah of Jordan has become increasingly alarmed over the likelihood that Hamas will win big in the upcoming Palestinian elections, just postponed until September. He sees this as a threat to his throne.
In a radical reformation effort, he’s dividing his country into three regions, each with its own semi-autonomous government. Why? Because if the Palestinian government of Mahmoud Abbas fails, as everyone expects, he wants to be ready to annex the Palestinian territories to Jordan as a fourth region. This will give them the next best thing to independent nation status, with the advantage of a stable national government to support them, and pull the rug out from under Hamas. Since Jordan already has a peace treaty with Israel, the possibilities for easing the tension and creating an atmosphere of peace are obvious.
The revelation that Iran can soon “send fire on those who live safely in the coastlands” which many believe is Ezekiel’s way of saying “nukes to Western Europe” brings the probability of Ezekiel’s battle much closer. Remember also that with Syria’s withdrawal from Lebanon, Iran now controls the 16,000 Hezbollah missiles pointed at Israel from the North.
The anti-christ appears on the world scene in Rev. 6:1-2, depicted as the first of Four Horsemen, kicking off the 70th week of Daniel. So the Ezekiel battle has to precede that. Remember, the anti-christ first appears as a peacemaker, putting an end to the battle and enforcing an agreement permitting the construction of a Temple in Israel. Jews from all over the world will return to Israel and demand a Temple after God reveals Himself to them during Ezekiel’s battle. Read for more detail.
Soon after that, one fourth of the world will be plunged into war. Widespread famine and death will afflict millions as the remaining Horsemen gallop onto the scene fulfilling the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Seal judgments. During the 5th Seal judgment many more will be martyred for their faith.
We’ve speculated that the 6th Seal is perhaps the 2012 polar reversal with its unbelievable earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. A lot has to happen in a short period of time to make that possible, but when these things begin they will happen quickly and with great intensity.
This timing also fits with the Papal Prophecy. Although John Paul reigned for 26 years, the average reign of the 110 popes who’ve served since 1139 when the prophecy was given has been less than 8 years. Average length reigns by the two remaining popes on St. Malachy’s list would place the End of the Age comfortably within our 19-year range of 2018-2037.
Many students of Prophecy have connected seemingly unrelated events like we’ve done here and come away convinced that certain things had to happen according to the time lines they created. So far we’ve all been wrong. But of this we can be sure. We’re closer to the end now than we’ve ever been, and while we may not know the day or hour, we are instructed to recognize the signs of the times and not be surprised by events around us.
Could this hypothesis be wrong? Absolutely. But it could also be right, so the best bet is to be prepared, “for the Son of Man will come at a time when you least expect Him.” If you listen closely you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 04-16-05
