I’ve been thinking we are in the “last days” for many years. When the Bible uses this term it sometimes refers to the age of Messiah’s coming or return. Joel prophesied about the coming of Messiah which Peter quoted, “No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.’ ” ( Acts 2: 16-20). The writer of Hebrews says, “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” (Hebrews 1: 2). Paul advised, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” (2 Timothy 3: 1-5). So, we have been in the last days for over two thousand years. However, for me a seminal event pointing to the end times was the fulfillment of God’s promise to restore Israel as a nation in their own land, which started in 1947 and was completed in 2019 with the move of its capital to Jerusalem. (Zechariah 8: 3; Ezekiel 37: 21-22; Isaiah 11: 12). What significance is there to the end times?

Yeshua’s disciples asked Him what will be the signs of your coming and the end of the age. His comprehensive answer is in Matt. 24. He includes the coming of normal distressing events such as wars, earthquakes, famines, but then persecution, martyrdom, false prophets and false messiahs will arise to deceive many. He says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (v. 14). He describes the worst time in all history, “For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” (Matt. 24: 21-22). There will be unique unprecedented distress coming upon the earth in the end times.

In America we are experiencing unprecedented events such as this overreach of government in its response to Covid-19, resulting in unique devastation of our economy. We just saw an unprecedented terrorist attack disguised as racial riots across several cities in the nation. It was coordinated with purchased thugs intended to spark massive racial riots bringing chaos, anarchy and a collapse among local authorities at this time of social and economic weakness. Never have we seen a major political party initiate a political coup through media lies, fabricated evidence, with fraudulent investigations culminating in impeachment. These may not be world wide events, but they are unique in American history. Followers of Yeshua should not be shocked by these events because much more is coming on the whole world. The enemy is now attempting to bring a one world government of secular humanist evil. The ability to buy and sell will be controlled by this evil entity and persecution of Believers will be worldwide.

The good news is Yeshua will return, uniting Israel and the Congregation of believers. “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.” (Isaiah 11: 1-10).