Category: Second Coming

Prophecy of Anti-Semitism

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Peruse these haunting current headlines:

British Jews are “full of fear, like I’ve never seen before” ; 

Antisemitic graffiti in Paris worries French leaders; and

Open hatred of Jews surges globally, inflamed by Gaza war.

Anti-Semitism (hostility toward Jews) is on the rise in a way not seen since the Holocaust. War has been the impetus, but the undercurrent of such hatred has been with us throughout history, and it swelled in the early twentieth century. As far as I can see on the timeline of biblical prophecy, the final crescendo of Anti-Semitism will happen under the rule of the Antichrist.

We must not forget what the Bible predicts of the future event of the “Great Tribulation” – that “the man of lawlessness”, the Antichrist, will seek to devour the entire people group of Israel (called such because they have descended from the patriarch, Jacob, whose name was changed by God to “Israel.” In fact, the Great Tribulation is referred to in Jeremiah 30:7 as “the time of Jacob’s trouble.”

The prophet Daniel follows a description of this time of end-time warfare on God’s chosen people in chapter 11, verses 40-45, with an apt reminder, “At that time [of the Great Tribulation] Michael, the great prince [archangel of Israel] who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since nations came into being until that time. But at that time all your people [the Jews] who are found written in the book will escape.” (Daniel 12:1, HCB) Jesus Himself refers to the prophecy of Daniel during His famous Olivet Discourse, as He warns that the Jews during the time of the Great Tribulation will need to “flee to the mountains” (Matthew 24:16).

Many of God’s chosen people will return to the Messiah during the time of tribulation. This will be God’s selected era to bring the Jews back to Himself. During this current age of grace, the Lord is drawing Gentiles into the kingdom of God, but He has not given up on Israel, and He will work during the end times to save them, too. (Romans 11:25-27) The world shall witness of revival of God’s chosen people, through whom God gave us His Son (Jewish, by earthly heritage) and the holy Scriptures.

The trendline we see of growing anti-Semitism is concurrent with the swelling antichrist spirit in the world. Jesus is for the Jews and the Gentiles. Jesus died for the world. He came to break down the barrier between the Jews and non-Jews (Ephesians 1:11-18). God has a special place in His heart for those He chose through whom to bless all the nations (Genesis 12:3). As the world more and more rejects the plainness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the narrative of God’s Word concerning His overarching plan for both Jews and Gentiles, we will see a move toward anti-Semitism, which will ultimately culminate with the evil, one-world ruler to come.

God brings all evil to a head, so that He may eliminate all evil and set up His righteous kingdom. Sure enough, during antichrist’s delusional reign of wickedness, God will “gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle” (Zechariah 14:2). Then, at Armageddon, the Lord Jesus Christ will win the final victory against all the earthly evil Hell could bring together in the flesh of humankind. (Revelation 19:11-21; Revelation 20:1-15)

All of the clearly outlined prophecy in the Word of God allows us to properly “discern the times” (1 Chronicles 12:32) in which we live. We must evaluate news in light of the Bible. Holding God’s Word at the helm of our heart and life, we live with confidence, knowing where current events and all of history is headed. As devastating as the newsfeed is recently, we know that the Lord is coming soon to eliminate sin. He will defeat the “man of sin,” under whom the world will soon be held in wicked lunacy.

This is no time to hang your head. This is precisely the time to live the truth and tell the truth so that people may be convicted to put their trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. To tell and live the truth, you must know the truth. Pray, and then open your Bible. Read. The time is drawing near.

– Shelli Prindle

What Is the Mysterious Generation of Matthew 24? – March 23, 2023

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Debate abounds regarding Matthew 24:34. Is this generation those who were alive in Jesus’ day? Is it the Jewish race in general? Is it those who will be alive at the time of Jesus’ return? Much of how we interpret the entire chapter of Matthew 24 hinges on the understanding of verse 34.

What I would like to do is step back from commonly cited arguments for a moment, and instead focus on the plain flow of thought of Jesus in the immediate context of the narrative. Let us read Matthew 24:32-37.

“(32) Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; (33) so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. (34) Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. (35) Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. (36) But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. (37) For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.”

Notice first, that verses 32-33 regard seasons. Jesus beckons us to the simple truth that we are able to discern the coming of summer, because of the coming of spring. In general, we know that the season of springtime weather and plant growth points to the general time of summer. We mark the exact day on the calendar that a season changes, but we know that the weather and growth patterns do not follow a hard and fast rule. It can snow in spring. It can get be cold in summer. Flowers may pop out of the ground earlier than the calendar dictates because seasons are broad phases of time.

Jesus is first telling his disciples to discern seasons. He is beckoning them to look upon the events and foreshadowing of events of which He has spoken just previously – wars, earthquakes, famines, false teachers, antichrist influences, lawlessness, etc. These, the Lord says, are the beginnings of the birth pains (verse eight). These general occurrences will happen more frequently and more intensely as the season of Christ’s return draws nearer.

However, the Lord continues in the chapter to speak with specificity about the Abomination of Desolation that will come during the Great Tribulation (verses 15-21). Jesus warns His followers that the temple in Jerusalem that is to be rebuilt toward the end of days will be invaded by the Antichrist, as he ruthlessly pursues the Jews and all who refuse to worship him. Jesus reminds his disciples that those who live during this time are to run for the mountains to experience God’s divine protection. Then, the crescendo of events leads to the glorious second coming of the Lord, accompanied by signs in the heavens (verses 29-31).

On the heels of all this narrative, Jesus speaks of the season of His return (verses 32-33), before moving quickly to the day and hour of His return (verses 36-41). There is a great difference between a season and an hour. Seasons are broad, sweeping periods of time, while a day and hour are rather specific and narrow.

In between the season and the day/hour, Jesus declares, “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:34-35) Notice how he uses the phrase “pass away” three times in these two verses. The emphasis is that: 1) this generation will not pass away until every detail of what Jesus has foretold happens; 2) heaven and earth will surely pass away; and 3) God’s Word will never pass away.

Do you recognize the flow of thought with Jesus mentioning “passing away” three times? He says, in effect, that there is a day that “this generation” will pass away, but it is not until every single Word that God has spoken about the end times comes true. He proclaims, in neat alignment with this thought, that heaven and earth will also pass away. The contrast is about what will not pass away – the Word of God.

In other words, Jesus is wanting us to know that not only will the world as we know it one day be gone, but “this generation” as we know it will also be gone. We must rely solely on the Word of the Lord. We are very apt to rely on things that we should not. We assume society will go on and on. We assume the universe will go on and on. The Lord makes clear that society as we know it – and the world as we know it – have an appointment of judgment with God Almighty. In the meantime, every single detail that the Lord has specified about the end times will come true. All of the book of Revelation will be fulfilled. All of the details in the prophetic parts of the book of Daniel will come true. All the events of Matthew 24 will take place. Every word of God as presented in the canon of Scripture will happen, and – after all of the events of the tribulation have concluded – then the ungodly social order that we have all lived under for so long, will be terminated. After the people are judged, then the created order itself will be judged and remade.

In fact, this is what we find in Revelation chapters 20-22. The Great White Throne Judgment is the final demise of all who have rejected Jesus and His righteous kingdom, followed by the making of a New Heaven and New Earth. I see the same flow of thought in Jesus’ words of Matthew 24:34-35. The current, godless age (this generation) will pass away first – after every Word of God is fulfilled concerning end times – then, the old heavens and earth will pass away.

The word for “generation” in the Matthew 24 text, is the same Greek word used in Mark 8:38, where Jesus declares, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” We see here the word “generation” used to contrast the current, evil age to the time of the return of Jesus Christ. This is precisely what we see in Matthew 24! The Greek “genea” can simply mean “an age, the period or the persons.”

I believe that Jesus is giving to the disciples in Matthew 24, a clear explanation of end-time events sequence. We are to watch for the season, knowing that serves as a warning that the day/hour could come completely unexpectantly within the season. The Lord also wants to emphasize that nothing He has told us will go unfulfilled. Though the evil society we have known has an end date, and the broken creation in which we have lived has an end date, the Word of God stands forever!

Whether we are the people who see the season or see the day/hour, we live during a godless generation (or age) that must meet its end under the judgment of holy God. Jesus and His Word is our only safety in all of this.

Surely, the society of people alive at the day/hour of the return of Christ, will be the evilest of all, under the tyranny of Antichrist and the great delusion the Lord sends (2 Thessalonians 2:8-12). In a sense, that particular and literal generation also will not pass away until the Lord has fulfilled every word of His own concerning the end of time. We can apply the meaning generally to this evil age (as compared to the day the Lord reigns unhindered), or specifically to the evil time of society during the tribulation. Nonetheless, the interpretation still stands. The old has to go; the new has to come.

Are you prepared?

Make Haste – December 16, 2022

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Make Haste

The shepherds heard from the Lord through angels, and then they desired to see the fulfillment of prophecy with their own eyes, so the Bible tells us that they “went with haste” to find Jesus. These words strike me for a couple of reasons.

First, the Lord told the shepherds that the Savior had been born and that the sign of His coming was “you will wind a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:11) What? God is coming to earth and He will be wrapped up in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding trough for animals? That seems rather odd. The sign is not to look for a palace and a king in a beautiful robe? The sign of the redeeming work of the all-powerful God through His Son is a tiny baby in a stable?

Second, after receiving this supernatural word from angelic sources, the shepherds head off to find a baby in a feeding trough in the City of David with haste! The sign is nothing glorious or earth-shaking. The sign is disguised in humble circumstances. The sign is not something most of the world would value and go after. Nonetheless, the shepherds felt compelled to move with unction to find what God had promised, even if it did not seem outwardly glorious. The shepherds knew this plan and this sign were from God, and so they sought the Savior with an earnestness. No dilly-dallying or half-hearted seeking.

My friend, we, too, have received supernatural communication from God. The Bible. The Lord implores us to look for Jesus in the ordinary stuff of this broken world. It may not seem glamorous, and we may often think, “Is He really HERE?” Can I find and have the Savior of the world? Yes. Yes, you surely can. Jesus is still working – by His Holy Spirit – in this world, so broken and mundane as it can be.

Hasten to find Him. Look in His Word. Pray in His name. Seek His face through time with Him.

And not only that. Let the shepherds be an example for us in the era in which we live. The Lord has told each one of His followers that we ought to be “waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God,” because “according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:12, 13)

I know it does not appear that Jesus is going to break through the sky at any time and make the world new. But He is! He is working in the dailiness of living. He is working toward this end, as we seek Him and proclaim His Gospel to the world. Through our passion for Him and yielding to Him in the work of the Gospel, we are hastening the day of His return!

Let the shepherds be for us an example of how a heart for the Lord really looks and acts. Receive the truth of Jesus, and then earnestly run toward Him and His grand plan for the universe!

– Shelli Prindle

“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:15-16)