“And I heard, but I understand not: then said I, Oh my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up (not understandable) and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise (Believers in God’s Word) shall understand.”

Daniel 12:8-10

Do you understand? When Daniel was given many of the prophecies regarding God’s Plan for the world in the future, he was told to write down in the Book of Daniel, he subsequently asked “OK, I have written the prophecies you gave me BUT I don’t understand what they mean. What will be the end of all these things?” In essence, God then responded to Daniel and said “Just write it down. IT IS NOT UP TO YOU AT THIS TIME TO UNDERSTAND. Only the wise will understand what it mean when they see these things at “…the time of the end.” Very clearly God was saying there will be things coming which are beyond the comprehension of the people living at the time of Daniel in approximately 600 B.C. This notion struck me as very obvious to all Christians today who are witnessing events and waiting for the soon Coming Return of Jesus. In fact, in the Introduction to my blog I wrote to explain why I started writing this blog, I said it was upon reading Hal Lindsey’s book The Late Great Planet Earth in 1976 that I realized it took the modern refounding of the Jewish Nation of Israel on May 14, 1948 to begin the ultimate “countdown” to fulfillment of all Bible Prophecies. As Jesus said in Matthew 24:32-35:

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree (Israel): As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out (the refounding), you know that summer (the last days) is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

From Jesus Himself we are told to be watching for the fig tree (Israel) to be re-founded and the GENERATION that saw this happen “…WILL NOT PASS AWAY UNTIL ALL THESE THINGS HAVE HAPPENED”. Can you imagine being alive 100 years ago and being told that the Jews will someday return to Israel and recreate their nation in one day and those alive at that time WOULD NOT pass away until all things prophesied in the Bible to happen in the Last Days had happened? You would probably say “That ain’t gonna happen!”

“Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? OR SHALL A NATION BE BORN AT ONCE (capitals mine)? For as soon as Zion (Israel) travailed she brought forth her children.”

Isaiah 66:8

For those of us who have been alive during most of the time Israel was already established, it is difficult to fully comprehend how people living before 1948 could see the magnitude of a people dispersed and persecuted throughout the entire world over the last 2,000 years to miraculously be brought back to their God-given land beginning the countdown to the Last Days. As far as I am concerned, Israel has existed throughout my life and it is only through study of the Bible, it’s prophecy and history can I fully appreciate the true meaning of this Miracle!

“And in that day I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.”

Zechariah 12:3

While the nation of Israel DID NOT even exist 70 years ago, today almost every country of the word is AGAINST it. While 70+ years ago the idea of a globally dispersed people reuniting in their God given land to recreate the nation of Israel was beyond the comprehension of most, no one could envision a nation that started with 650,000 displaced Jews from World War II only 3 years before,  becoming a “…burdensome stone” for all the people of the WORLD. But, today the United Nations, which represents every country of the world, has issued 3 times more the number of human rights abuses against Israel than Iran, North Korea, Russia, China, Venezuela, Cuba, etc. COMBINED. Of course today we are witnessing a global anti-Semitism led by Satanic thought against the Jew exactly as prophesied by Zechariah 2,600 years ago!

Amazingly, God gave us so many prophecies which would be fulfilled once the Jews are brought back to their land of Israel. ONLY those of us alive today can fully comprehend how this applies to His Promises made thousands of years ago. I will give you one quick example. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus tells John in the Last Days Two Witnesses will be on the earth evangelizing people of the world to Christ’s soon Coming. Their message and miracles performed will not sit well with the unbelievers and when their time is up, God will allow the anti-christ to kill them and their bodies will lay in the streets for 3 1/2 days AND THE WHOLE WORLD WILL SEE THEM LAYING DEAD.

“And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put into graves.” and “And after three days and an half the Spirit of life  from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.”

Revelation 11:9 & 11

Do you see where I am going with this? Almost 2,000 years ago John was told the entire world would see the two witnesses rise after laying dead in the streets for 3 1/2 days AND THE WHOLE WORLD WOULD SEE THIS. Obviously, 2,000 years ago it would not have been possible. Prior to 1948, it would not have been possible. But, in our lifetime television via satellite allows us now to see things happening real time all over the world. Of course, Jesus’s answer to anyone 2,000 years ago who said “I don’t understand” would be those people alive at the time who could not understand the significance of this event because they simply could not comprehend how such a thing would be possible that everyone in the world could see two dead bodies laying in the street. It would take satellite TV to be able to prove exactly what was predicted 2,000 years to happen today!

“And he (anti-christ) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no many might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

Revelation 13:16-17

It has only been in the last decade or so the technology has been created which would allow for a central figure to make everyone in the world have a number put on their right hand or on their forehead enabling them to buy or sell ANYTHING. Cash, checks and credit cards WON’T DO IT! Only the Mark of the Beast will allow this to occur. Whether it is a bar code, an implanted chip, or as I pointed out (somewhat facetiously) in a previous post (Could the iPhone be the Mark of the Beast?), it could be something as simple as a cell phone. Today, I can do almost everything on my cell phone from paying my mortgage and bills to booking cars, hotels and flights. In fact, I doubt there is anything I couldn’t do to buy or sell using my phone. This DID NOT exist 10 years ago! So, how could we even explain this to people living 2,000 years ago?

“”But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”

Daniel 12:4

How many of you have ever heard of Webster’s Dictionary or the Encyclopedia Britannica? How about a paper map? It used to be you had to go to a book or a map to get the information you were looking for. Today off our computer or cell phone we can get any information we want in a split second by asking Siri or by Googling it. Not only is this capability very recent but think about it another way. In the late 1940’s, Thomas Watson, CEO of a start up company called IBM, made the statement he could see no need in the entire world for more than 5-7 “computers” to exist. Today, computers and cell phones (mini-computers) have been sold by the billions and even people in 3rd world countries have ready access to them. While we may not be any smarter, because of these devices our “…knowledge shall be increased.” Also, if you read into the Scripture above, it says “…many shall run to and fro.” 2,000 years ago man did not have the accessibility to planes, trains and automobiles capable of getting them anywhere in the world in a matter of hours! Again, technology that did not exist 70 years ago has helped fulfill God’s Prophetic Word TODAY!

“And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand (200 million): and I heard the number of them.”

Revelation 9:16

One of the most striking prophecies of the Bible which I spoke about in a recent post (200 Million Soldiers from the East are NOT going on Vacation to Israel!) is where John is TOLD in 95 A.D. of an army of 200 million soldiers from the east which will cross a dried up Euphrates River on their way to Armageddon. When this prophecy was given, there WERE NOT 200 million people alive on the entire earth, much less an army of 200 million from the East. But… China boasted in 2011 they now had an army of 200 million! How would you have explained this to people living 2,000 years ago or even 100 years ago? Today, it’s easy because China has such an army EXACTLY as the Bible said. Since there are almost 8 billion people alive on the earth today, it would strike us similarly if someone said today an army of 8 billion men would march from the east and cross the dried up Euphrates on their way to Armageddon. We simply would not understand how that was possible!

“Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog (Russia), the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him.”

Ezekiel 38:2

“Persia (Iran), Ethiopia, and Libya with them (Russia); all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (Turkey) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.”

Ezekiel 38:5-6

In the soon coming War of Gog and Magog spoken of in chapters 38 & 39 in the Book of Ezekiel, we are told of a confederation of 6 specific countries which will attack Israel in the Last Days, only to be utterly defeated directly by God in ONE DAY! While the Bible refers to these countries by their ancient Hebrew names, today we know they are none other than Russia, Iran and Turkey. Until recently, these three countries have long been in dispute and have fought with each other repeatedly. However, due to their common interests today in Syria which sits directly on Israel’s northern border, in late 2017 they officially aligned themselves as they have never before done in history. This has to be one of the most recent and significant fulfillments of a Bible prophecy made 2,600 years ago that would have been unthought-of even 10-20 years ago. Once again, the Bible is accurate and our past assumptions on this type of thing being impossible has always been proven incorrect.

“Because thou has kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”

Revelation 3:10

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we WHICH ARE ALIVE (capitals mine) and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

While many headlines today repeatedly point to absolute fulfillment of prophecies made thousands of years ago which the WISE (Bible believers) know are to occur in the Last Days and which the WISE also see happening today, we are told not to be afraid of their fulfillment! We understand God gave His Prophecies so we would know their fulfillment points to His Truthful Word. Rather, we are to take comfort in knowing about them. As was said in 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” Many of us wishfully watch the signs and happenings today knowing of His soon Return. Lest we forget, we are also told to let us others know of this Blessing as well. I ask you to share these thoughts with friends and family in all ways possible so we might fulfill Jesus’s request of us all and that is to  “…therefore, comfort one another with these words.”

May God Bless you!