By Jonathan Brenter
My copy of Josh McDowell’s Evidence that Demands a Verdict, first published in 1972 still resides on my bookshelf. It has been a great source of information ever since my college days.
Just as the proof of Jesus’ resurrection and the Bible’s integrity leads us to an inescapable conclusion, so the evidence that we live of the last days demonstrates the nearness of the Lord’s intervention in the world. The signs unmistakably point to the close proximity of the seven-year Tribulation and thus to the even sooner Rapture of the Church.
Similar to what Josh McDowell wrote in his book, when I place the weight of today’s signs of the last days on a scale, they tip the balance overwhelmingly in favor of this being the last moments before we meet the Lord in the air.
Please allow me to take you through the mountain of evidence that allows for no other verdict than the one that says we live in the season of Jesus’ appearing.
Israel’s miraculous reemergence as a nation in 1948 sets this era apart from all others since AD 70. In the early 1900’s, many Christians mocked Bible teachers who predicted the future existence of the Jewish nation, but in 1948 it happened precisely in the ways God said it would happen (see Isaiah 66:8). Furthermore, Scripture predicted that most of the Jewish people in the revived Israeli state would reject Jesus as their Messiah until just before His return to the earth (Zechariah 12:10-13:1), which is exactly what we see today.
approaching Tribulation than it does to recognize them for what they are. This is particularly true when it comes to what John wrote about the riders of the apocalypse in Revelation 6:1-8. Every time I write about our nearness to the fulfillment of these verses, I assume we can’t get much closer without them galloping across planet earth. However, I’m frequently proven wrong as even more signs appear.
the Window.
Perhaps the most astonishing testimony to the nearing of the prophesied Tribulation is that of the preparations for the beast system and his mark as described in Revelation 13. Fifty years ago, the beast’s ability to deceive the world in such a way and control worldwide buying and selling probably seemed like extreme science fiction to many, but that’s not the case anymore.
Not only is all the necessary technology readily available to exert such domination, but the globalists now brag that it will happen. They boast that a centralized Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) will someday give the government the ability to monitor and thus control all financial transactions.
When the Twelve heard Jesus compare the conditions before His coming with the “days of Noah” (Matthew 24:37-39), they scarcely could’ve imagined all the ways in which today would resemble that ancient time.
What caused God to wipe out humanity apart from Noah and his family? In Genesis 6, we read about the extreme wickedness of mankind during this time combined with “violence” that filled the earth. However, the Lord first lists the presence of the “Nephilim” as His motivation for bringing judgment upon all the earth. The Nephilim were giants who came into being through the union of fallen angels with the women of that day. Satan’s intent was to corrupt the DNA of all of humanity in order to prevent the birth of the One God promised would defeat him (Genesis 3:15).
Satan’s objective remains the same. It’s too late for him the stop the Messiah’s birth and subsequent death on the cross and resurrection. However, he is seeking to eliminate the human race through AI (artificial Intelligence) and transhumanism in order to stop Jesus from returning to a repentant Israel and reigning over nations of humans with their DNA intact.
Just like the days of Noah, today we witness Satan’s repeated attempt to subvert the Lord’s purposes by eliminating humanity before He returns to rule over the nations. The Lord said His intervention into the world would begin in times precisely like these and that the timing of His return to earth would save humanity from extinction (Matthew 24:22). We are fast approaching this tipping point.
Jesus’ words in verses 3-12 define our day in many ways; it’s as if He had a laptop and was reading to the Twelve from current news stories. The key is that these signs are the “beginning of birth pains” (v. 8). These things will continue to increase in intensity until they reach their peak during the coming day of wrath, which John describes with more detail in Revelation chapters 6-18.
In verses 15 to 28, Jesus describes the final three and a half years of the Tribulation, which will start with the antichrist’s desecration of the temple (Daniel 9:27; 12:11). Israel’s current passion to build the third temple points to the nearing fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy.
The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has spent the last forty years planning the construction of the temple that Jesus says will fulfill Daniel’s prophecy regarding its desecration (24:15). This group has prepared all the temple furnishings except the ark of the covenant, acquired the architectural designs needed to start constructions, prepared the robes for the priest and high priest, and already trained Levites to serve as priests in the temple. The nation of Israel is constructing infrastructure for its opening.
Many in Israel believe that President Trump will facilitate the temple’s construction.
At its annual meeting in September 2024, the member nations of the UN voted to greatly enhance the power of the UN in what they termed: “UN 2.0.” There’s a sense among the globalists that they must accelerate their efforts in order to complete the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030 in the next five years.
The good news is that Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency and his withdrawal of America from UN’s World Health Organization have for the moment, continued to hinder their designs to enslave humanity.
The bad news for the world is that the Bible predicted long ago, in the books of Daniel and Revelation, that just such a New World Order will exist in the last days. It’s delayed, but only for the moment.
Paul wrote that in the last days, the Holy Spirit would restrain the antichrist until after Jesus appears to take us home (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8). Isn’t it amazing that both the UN’s quest for world domination and their current frustrations at their lack of progress fulfill the words of Bible prophecy. What we see today is precisely what God’s Word predicted would happen in our day.
Pay close attention to the first words that Jesus spoke in response to the disciples, “See to it that no one deceives you” (24:4). I never thought I would see the level of deception and gaslighting that’s rampant in today’s world. The Internet, along with social media, has open the floodgates for an outpouring of misinformation into the public domain. Jesus’ warning gains new relevance each and every day.
It boggles my mind that according the Bible, this will get much worse during the seven-year Tribulation (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12; Revelation 13:1-14). What we see today verifies Jesus’ words, but it’s just the start of the deceit that will grow exponentially after our departure. Oh my!!
Paul designates antichrist as “the man of lawlessness” in his prophetic passage depicting his rise to power during the last days (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12). Although the Holy Spirit currently restrains both the antichrist and his upcoming tenure of anarchy, the apostle adds that “the mystery of lawlessness is already at work” (v. 7). We see this today like perhaps no other time in history.
Lawlessness in America now exceeds anything I once thought imaginable. Target and Walmart measure their shoplifting losses in the billions of dollars. How is that possible? In California, flash mobs routinely rob jewelry and clothing stores of merchandise worth tens of thousands of dollars. In San Francisco, the police don’t pursue and arrest thieves unless they steal more than $900 in merchandise. This is not going to end well!
But sadly, this is just the beginning of the mayhem that will characterize life in the Tribulation period. It is, however, enough to warn us that this day is rapidly approaching.
The mocking of God that’s so prevalent today will reach its pinnacle during the final three and a half years of Daniel’s seventieth week:
Sadly, the ridicule of our belief in the Rapture not only comes from those who reject the truth of God’s Word. Many Christians mock our hope in Jesus’ imminent appearing. If you have ever expressed your belief in a pre-Tribulation Rapture, you have endured such scoffing. The Apostle Peter long ago wrote that this would be another sign, proof that the last days have arrived:
In Revelation 6:12-14, we find John’s eyewitness to what lies ahead for the world after the Rapture:
If you have not yet called upon the Savior in saving faith, please see my post, Jesus is the Only Path to Eternal life, where I explain how you can know that you have eternal life. The hour is late; please don’t delay in placing your future solely in Jesus’ hands. Yes, people will turn to the Savior during the horrors of the Tribulation period, but you have no guarantee you will have such an opportunity.
If you believe that the next event in God’s prophetic calendar is Jesus’ end-of-the-age return to judge the ungodly and inaugurate the eternal state, please heed what the Bible says about Jesus’ appearing, the judgment that’s coming to the world, and His millennial reign. Place your hope in the words of Scripture; not human wisdom, which will surely fail you someday.
www.jonathanbrentner.com
My copy of Josh McDowell’s Evidence that Demands a Verdict, first published in 1972 still resides on my bookshelf. It has been a great source of information ever since my college days.
Just as the proof of Jesus’ resurrection and the Bible’s integrity leads us to an inescapable conclusion, so the evidence that we live of the last days demonstrates the nearness of the Lord’s intervention in the world. The signs unmistakably point to the close proximity of the seven-year Tribulation and thus to the even sooner Rapture of the Church.
Similar to what Josh McDowell wrote in his book, when I place the weight of today’s signs of the last days on a scale, they tip the balance overwhelmingly in favor of this being the last moments before we meet the Lord in the air.
Please allow me to take you through the mountain of evidence that allows for no other verdict than the one that says we live in the season of Jesus’ appearing.
The Nearness of Daniel’s Seventieth Week
Israel’s miraculous reemergence as a nation in 1948 sets this era apart from all others since AD 70. In the early 1900’s, many Christians mocked Bible teachers who predicted the future existence of the Jewish nation, but in 1948 it happened precisely in the ways God said it would happen (see Isaiah 66:8). Furthermore, Scripture predicted that most of the Jewish people in the revived Israeli state would reject Jesus as their Messiah until just before His return to the earth (Zechariah 12:10-13:1), which is exactly what we see today.
approaching Tribulation than it does to recognize them for what they are. This is particularly true when it comes to what John wrote about the riders of the apocalypse in Revelation 6:1-8. Every time I write about our nearness to the fulfillment of these verses, I assume we can’t get much closer without them galloping across planet earth. However, I’m frequently proven wrong as even more signs appear.
the Window.
Mark of the Beast Preparations
Perhaps the most astonishing testimony to the nearing of the prophesied Tribulation is that of the preparations for the beast system and his mark as described in Revelation 13. Fifty years ago, the beast’s ability to deceive the world in such a way and control worldwide buying and selling probably seemed like extreme science fiction to many, but that’s not the case anymore.
Not only is all the necessary technology readily available to exert such domination, but the globalists now brag that it will happen. They boast that a centralized Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) will someday give the government the ability to monitor and thus control all financial transactions.
As in the Days of Noah
When the Twelve heard Jesus compare the conditions before His coming with the “days of Noah” (Matthew 24:37-39), they scarcely could’ve imagined all the ways in which today would resemble that ancient time.
What caused God to wipe out humanity apart from Noah and his family? In Genesis 6, we read about the extreme wickedness of mankind during this time combined with “violence” that filled the earth. However, the Lord first lists the presence of the “Nephilim” as His motivation for bringing judgment upon all the earth. The Nephilim were giants who came into being through the union of fallen angels with the women of that day. Satan’s intent was to corrupt the DNA of all of humanity in order to prevent the birth of the One God promised would defeat him (Genesis 3:15).
Satan’s objective remains the same. It’s too late for him the stop the Messiah’s birth and subsequent death on the cross and resurrection. However, he is seeking to eliminate the human race through AI (artificial Intelligence) and transhumanism in order to stop Jesus from returning to a repentant Israel and reigning over nations of humans with their DNA intact.
Just like the days of Noah, today we witness Satan’s repeated attempt to subvert the Lord’s purposes by eliminating humanity before He returns to rule over the nations. The Lord said His intervention into the world would begin in times precisely like these and that the timing of His return to earth would save humanity from extinction (Matthew 24:22). We are fast approaching this tipping point.
Other Matthew 24 Signs
During the week before His crucifixion, the disciples asked Jesus about the signs concerning the end of the age and His Second Coming. His words concerning the soon destruction of the temple sparked their curiosity into these matters (Matthew 24:1-2). Jesus’ answer in Matthew 24:3-28 provides us with a roadmap into which many of the other New Testament prophecies fit.Jesus’ words in verses 3-12 define our day in many ways; it’s as if He had a laptop and was reading to the Twelve from current news stories. The key is that these signs are the “beginning of birth pains” (v. 8). These things will continue to increase in intensity until they reach their peak during the coming day of wrath, which John describes with more detail in Revelation chapters 6-18.
In verses 15 to 28, Jesus describes the final three and a half years of the Tribulation, which will start with the antichrist’s desecration of the temple (Daniel 9:27; 12:11). Israel’s current passion to build the third temple points to the nearing fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy.
The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has spent the last forty years planning the construction of the temple that Jesus says will fulfill Daniel’s prophecy regarding its desecration (24:15). This group has prepared all the temple furnishings except the ark of the covenant, acquired the architectural designs needed to start constructions, prepared the robes for the priest and high priest, and already trained Levites to serve as priests in the temple. The nation of Israel is constructing infrastructure for its opening.
Many in Israel believe that President Trump will facilitate the temple’s construction.
The United Nation’s Unsatiable Quest for World Domination
At its annual meeting in September 2024, the member nations of the UN voted to greatly enhance the power of the UN in what they termed: “UN 2.0.” There’s a sense among the globalists that they must accelerate their efforts in order to complete the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030 in the next five years.
The good news is that Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency and his withdrawal of America from UN’s World Health Organization have for the moment, continued to hinder their designs to enslave humanity.
The bad news for the world is that the Bible predicted long ago, in the books of Daniel and Revelation, that just such a New World Order will exist in the last days. It’s delayed, but only for the moment.
Paul wrote that in the last days, the Holy Spirit would restrain the antichrist until after Jesus appears to take us home (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8). Isn’t it amazing that both the UN’s quest for world domination and their current frustrations at their lack of progress fulfill the words of Bible prophecy. What we see today is precisely what God’s Word predicted would happen in our day.
Deception
Pay close attention to the first words that Jesus spoke in response to the disciples, “See to it that no one deceives you” (24:4). I never thought I would see the level of deception and gaslighting that’s rampant in today’s world. The Internet, along with social media, has open the floodgates for an outpouring of misinformation into the public domain. Jesus’ warning gains new relevance each and every day.
It boggles my mind that according the Bible, this will get much worse during the seven-year Tribulation (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12; Revelation 13:1-14). What we see today verifies Jesus’ words, but it’s just the start of the deceit that will grow exponentially after our departure. Oh my!!
Off the Charts Lawlessness
Paul designates antichrist as “the man of lawlessness” in his prophetic passage depicting his rise to power during the last days (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12). Although the Holy Spirit currently restrains both the antichrist and his upcoming tenure of anarchy, the apostle adds that “the mystery of lawlessness is already at work” (v. 7). We see this today like perhaps no other time in history.
Lawlessness in America now exceeds anything I once thought imaginable. Target and Walmart measure their shoplifting losses in the billions of dollars. How is that possible? In California, flash mobs routinely rob jewelry and clothing stores of merchandise worth tens of thousands of dollars. In San Francisco, the police don’t pursue and arrest thieves unless they steal more than $900 in merchandise. This is not going to end well!
But sadly, this is just the beginning of the mayhem that will characterize life in the Tribulation period. It is, however, enough to warn us that this day is rapidly approaching.
Blasphemy
The mocking of God that’s so prevalent today will reach its pinnacle during the final three and a half years of Daniel’s seventieth week:
Through words, policies, and behavior, many celebrities, governors, other government officials, and various groups routinely ridicule both Jesus and His Word recorded in Scripture. This is preparing the world to tolerate the great blasphemy of God that will pour forth from the lips of the antichrist.
The Scoffing of our Blessed Hope
Sadly, the ridicule of our belief in the Rapture not only comes from those who reject the truth of God’s Word. Many Christians mock our hope in Jesus’ imminent appearing. If you have ever expressed your belief in a pre-Tribulation Rapture, you have endured such scoffing. The Apostle Peter long ago wrote that this would be another sign, proof that the last days have arrived:
This day has arrived and is in full bloom.
The Coming Pole Shift
In Revelation 6:12-14, we find John’s eyewitness to what lies ahead for the world after the Rapture:
What evidence does this provide regarding the nearness of the last days? Prophecy watchers such as John Traczyk and geologists warn that a terrifying pole shift will happen in the not-too-distant future. The descriptive warnings of the experts as to what to expect are eerily similar to the description of events in Revelation 6:12-14.
The Verdict
The clear and convincing verdict given the evidence of the great many end time signs of our day is this: Jesus will appear in the very near future to take His Church up to Heaven where He’s now preparing a place for us. We dare not predict the day or the hour, but we know these two things with total certainty:- Jesus’ surprising intrusion into the affairs of mankind will happen suddenly and unexpectedly (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3; Matthew 24:43-44). The signs shout with the message that we most certainly live in the season of when this will happen.
- We have more than enough proof pointing to the imminent end of human history as we know it. The Lord has already provided us with an abundance of evidence telling us that His arrival on the world scene is imminent.
If you have not yet called upon the Savior in saving faith, please see my post, Jesus is the Only Path to Eternal life, where I explain how you can know that you have eternal life. The hour is late; please don’t delay in placing your future solely in Jesus’ hands. Yes, people will turn to the Savior during the horrors of the Tribulation period, but you have no guarantee you will have such an opportunity.
If you believe that the next event in God’s prophetic calendar is Jesus’ end-of-the-age return to judge the ungodly and inaugurate the eternal state, please heed what the Bible says about Jesus’ appearing, the judgment that’s coming to the world, and His millennial reign. Place your hope in the words of Scripture; not human wisdom, which will surely fail you someday.
Signs that Demand a Verdict — Jonathan Brentner
Similar to what Josh McDowell wrote in his book, when I place today’s signs of the last days in the scales, they tip the balance overwhelmingly in favor this being the last moments before we as New Testament saints meet the Lord in the air . The mountain of evidence allows for no other verdict tha
www.jonathanbrentner.com
