Are We Near the End of
Days?
Dear Mr. Wilson:
I am 53 years old and
I wonder if Jesus will return during
my lifetime. I am a Presbyterian and
one of our ministers recently held a
class on the book of Revelation and
his take was the end of days was
nowhere in sight. I was wondering for
quite sometime, are there any
specific signs from God indicating
that the end is near so that we may
be spiritually prepared? The world
has an endless supply of economic,
political, geophysical and ethic
troubles-everywhere we turn there is
perplexity. I know that
“troubles” do not
necessarily mean the end is near, for
troubles never end. So, what hints
about the end of days does God offer?
Thank you, Jane
Dear Jane:
Thank you for your
e-mail. You have asked a great
question and the answer is
“Yes!” God has put two
types of hints in the Bible indicting
that we are living near the end of
days. Before I describe these hints,
I would like to offer two comments.
First, many people look at the
newspaper rather than the Bible to
determine where we are in God’s
great plan of salvation. History says
that civilizations come and go, and
we know that world wars come and go.
Today, there is no end to bad news.
The economy of the world has fallen,
but look back at the pandemic of
influenza in 1918. More than 15
million people died in one year!
Fearful events do not necessary mean
the end of days is near. Second, some
well-intentioned pastors may tell
parishioners the end is nowhere in
sight and other pastors may claim
they have received a vision from God
that such and such is going to happen
soon. These predictions should not be
trusted because we cannot verify the
contents of a vision and we cannot
ignore the fact that Jesus has
promised to return. So, where should
we turn for answers? The answer is
simple, but the topic is complex.
God’s Word reveals God’s
plans. Bible prophecy tells us where
we are in God’s plans, and even
though you may not fully appreciate
all that I am about to say, I hope
that my response will encourage you
to start digging into God’s Word
for yourself because there is
compelling evidence in the Bible that
shows we are living near the end of
days. God’s Word offers two
classes of hints.
There are “long
scale” and “short
scale” hints. Long scale hints
are prophecies that cover centuries
of time. They show a steady
progression of time toward the return
of Jesus. Short scale hints narrow
the time frame down to a few years.
Before I present some of these hints,
you need to understand a few facts
about apocalyptic prophecy. There are
five types of prophecy in the Bible
and apocalyptic prophecy is the only
type of prophecy that is based on
chronology. Each apocalyptic prophecy
has a beginning point and an ending
point in time and the events within
each apocalyptic prophecy occur in
the order given. Apocalyptic prophecy
allows us to determine our
chronological position within
God’s plan for our redemption.
Second, you need to understand that
there are seventeen apocalyptic
prophecies in the books of Daniel and
Revelation and when they properly
aligned, they produce an amazing
matrix-showing a consistent
fulfillment of prophecy over the
passage of time. As we study this
matrix, we can see what has
been fulfilled and when it was
fulfilled, and we can also see what
remains to be fulfilled and when
it will be fulfilled! I have
mentioned these two features about
apocalyptic prophecy because a person
can read the books of Daniel and
Revelation a hundred times and miss
the hints that God has put there if
he does not understand the orderly
nature of apocalyptic prophecy.
Long Scale Hints
1. Daniel 2
contains a long scale hint. The
sweeping vision in Daniel 2 began in
605 B.C. and it ends with the Second
Coming. To show chronological
progression, God foretold the rise
and fall of several empires and world
history affirms the rise and fall of
Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, Rome,
and the break up of the Roman Empire
in A.D. 476. Since A.D. 476, we have
been living in a period represented
by the feet of the metal man. About
nine months before Jesus returns, a
new period will begin represented by
the ten toes. (Daniel 2:42) The ten
toes represent ten kings who will
attempt to destroy Jesus when He
returns. (Revelation 17:12-14) The
fulfillment of this long scale
prophecy has been underway for
twenty-five centuries. We are living
between A.D. 476 and the appearing of
the ten kings, but what we really
want to know is how much more time is
left!
2. Daniel 7
also contains long scale hint. Daniel
7 parallels Daniel 2 in many ways,
but it adds a very important detail.
Daniel 7 predicted that a religious
power would rise out of the fourth
empire and this power would persecute
the saints for 1,260 years. This
prophecy has been fulfilled! The
Roman Catholic Church came to power
during the Roman Empire and the
Church persecuted its adversaries
until 1798. The French Revolution
broke the power of the papacy. The
pope was taken prisoner and he died
in exile. Daniel 7 indicates the
papacy will regain power again and
speak “boastful words”
against the Most High. Daniel 7 is
another prophecy that contains a long
scale hint about the return of Jesus.
We are living between 1798 and a time
when the papacy will regain its power
over the nations and speak
boastfully. The fulfillment of this
prophecy has been underway for
twenty-five centuries. In these first
two prophecies, we have progressed
from 605 B.C. to 1798, but what we
really want to know is how much more
time is left?
3. Daniel 8
contains another long scale hint.
Daniel 8 contains the longest
prophecy in the Bible. This prophecy
spans 2,300 years. It began in 457
B.C. and ended in 1844. This prophecy
primarily concerns the appearing of
Lucifer at the appointed time of
the end. (Daniel 8:19) It
indicates that two things must first
happen before Jesus returns. First,
Heaven’s temple must be
cleansed. The cleansing of
Heaven’s temple is a Hebrew
phrase that describes the judgment
bar of Christ. In other words, Jesus
will go through the books of record
and determine the eternal destiny of
each dead person before He returns.
This procedure began in 1844 when the
2,300 years ended. Second, before
Jesus returns, Lucifer, the devil,
will be allowed to physically appear
on Earth. The devil is the destroyer,
the horn power in Daniel 8 who will
come out of the north. He will come
with 200 million angels and blinding
glory, and he will deceive billions
of people. Once he has gained enough
followers, he will abruptly change
character and become the stern-faced
king, the cruel dictator described in
Daniel 8:23. Claiming to be Almighty
God and having miracle working powers
to back up his deception, he will
rule over the whole world for a short
time. (Revelation 13:11-18) So,
Daniel 8 contains a long scale hint.
This prophecy tells us we are living
between 1844 and the time Lucifer
will appear. We clearly see
chronological progression toward the
Second Coming in Daniel 2, Daniel 7
and Daniel 8, but what we really want
to know is how much time is left?
Short Scale Hints
1. Revelation 7
contains a short scale hint if you
understand the prerequisites. Since I
have provided a comprehensive
explanation on these topics in other
places, I will just summarize how
this hint works. I believe that
God’s patience with Earth ended
when the Jubilee Calendar expired on
April 9, 1994. This calendar began
with the Exodus in 1437 B.C. and it
lasted for seven Great Days (each
Great Day is 490 years in length).
The end of the Jubilee Calendar marks
the end of God’s forbearance
with mankind. When God’s
patience expired, He gave the seven
angels who stand before Him seven
trumpets (Revelation 8:2). The seven
trumpets are seven redemptive
judgments that contain the wrath of
God. The first four angels went out
from God’s throne to begin their
horrific destruction in 1994, but
they were told to wait! Before
God’s wrath begins, He will
select and empower 144,000 people as
prophets. These prophets will speak
for God during the Great Tribulation.
Of course, we know the Great
Tribulation has not begun because
one-third of Earth has not been
burned up (the first trumpet
judgment). So, we are living between
1994 and the global earthquake
(revelation 8:5) that will mark the
commencement of the Great
Tribulation.
2. Revelation
12 and 13 also contain a short scale
hint if you understand the
prerequisites. Again, I have provided
a comprehensive explanation about
this prophecy in other places, so a
summary should suffice. Basically,
Revelation 12:7-17 retraces the 1,260
years of persecution described in
Daniel 7. The devil, working through
the Roman Catholic Church,
“chased God’s saints into
the wilderness.” As 1798 drew
near, Earth helped the woman
(God’s people) by providing a
place where people were free to
worship God according to the dictates
of conscience. The United States was
established in 1776, just twenty-two
years before the papacy was wounded,
and this nation “helped”
the woman by providing a government
with a wall of separation between
church and state. When the devil saw
that his 1,260 years were up and that
he had not been able to destroy the
woman in the desert, he turned his
attention to his final assault. He is
going to persecute those who keep the
commandments of God and hold to the
testimony of Jesus during the Great
Tribulation. (The 144,000 will speak
the testimony of Jesus during the
Great tribulation.)
When the appointed
time of the end arrives, the
first four trumpets will commence.
Revelation 13 indicates that Babylon
will form and the women will be
persecuted for 42 months. The short
scale hint in this prophecy says that
when Babylon forms, the deadly wound
given to the papacy in 1798 will be
healed. In other words, a time is
coming when the Roman Catholic Church
will lead the world in a unified
effort to appease God so that His
wrath will cease. Look around-since
1929, the papacy has regained much of
the respect and influence that it
lost during the French Revolution.
When Pope John Paul II died in 2005,
more than two billion people saw his
funeral on TV (the highest number of
people to watch a single event). At
the present time, 170 nations have
ambassadors assigned to the Vatican.
In 2008, President George W. Bush
held a lavish birthday party for Pope
Benedict. These things indicate that
the deadly wound inflicted on the
papacy in 1798 is almost healed.
These hints indicate
that we are living between 1994 and
the global earthquake that marks the
commencement of the Great
Tribulation. (Revelation 8:5) The
devil is prepared for his final
assault on the woman, the deadly
wound inflicted on the papacy is
almost healed, and economic and
political perplexities are driving
the whole world to the brink of ruin.
Merging Long Scale and
Short Scale Hints
Long scale and short
scale hints work together. The Bible,
in its entirety, only speaks of 7,000
years. In other words, if we add up
the genealogical records given in the
Old Testament, if we chart out the
historical records given in the
Bible, if we add in the prophetic
time periods given in the books of
Daniel and Revelation, the sum of
every event found in the Bible totals
approximately 7,000 years! Since we
know that Jesus will return to earth
at the beginning of the one thousand
years mentioned in Revelation 20, a
little Bible research reveals that we
could be within seven years of the
6,000th year! According to
my calculations, the year of the
second coming could be 2015. Of
course, I could be wrong. It could be
sooner or later. I do not know the
day and hour, but this does not stop
me from searching, watching, and
praying! I do know that the Great
Tribulation will be 1,335 days in
length, so subtracting three years
and eight months from 2015; I find
that 2011 could be the year
the Great Tribulation begins. Will
God’s wrath be released in 2011?
Time will tell. I do agree with Billy
Graham. He once said that if God does
not do something about the evil that
permeates this nation and the world
soon, that He will owe Sodom and
Gomorrah an apology. I also know that
it is very easy to get distracted
with the cares of life. Remember the
ten virgins? They went out to meet
the bridegroom, but they went to
sleep! Jesus warned His disciples, “Therefore
keep watch, because you do not know
on what day your Lord will come. But
understand this: If the owner of the
house had known at what time of the
night the thief was coming, he would
have kept watch and would not have
let the house be broken into. So you
must be ready, because the Son of Man
will come at an hour when you do not
expect him.” (Matthew
24:42-44)
Summary
Daniel 2
chronologically places us between
A.D. 476 and the ten kings who will
war against Jesus when He returns.
The chronology within Daniel 7 places
us between 1798 and the healing of
the deadly wound which the papacy
received in 1798. Daniel 8 narrows
the window of time and places us
between 1844 and the physical
appearing of the devil, which is
during the appointed time of
the end. Revelation 7 narrows the
timing even further. This prophecy
places us between 1994 and the first
four trumpets. Revelation 12 and 13
places us between 1798 and the
formation of Babylon. Moreover, the
Bible, as a whole, indicates that
Jesus will return at the end of 6,000
years of sin. According to my
calculations, these hints place us
between 1994 and 2015 (and this is
2009). Of course, my calculations may
not be perfect, but there is an
abundance of evidence building that
we are very close. For example, when
I consider the burden of seven
billion people impose on Earth’s
resources, when I see the idolatry,
unbridled greed, and sexual
immorality that contaminates every
nation, when I consider the misery
index rising in every nation, I
cannot think of a better time for the
appearing of Jesus than now!
So Jane, the answer to
your question is “Yes!” I
believe you are young enough to see
Jesus come provided you survive the
1,335 days of the Great Tribulation.
I hope this helps!
Larry Wilson
