How Will It End

How will it all end?

Christians are asking, "What does Bible prophecy say about the Mideast crisis?" History has proven Bible prophecies to be accurate. The Prophet Isaiah declared:

Jesus would be born of a virgin. "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14).

The prophet Micah foretold that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. " But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2).

Again, the prophet Isaiah tells us in chapter 53 that Jesus would die as our suffering Savior and Messiah.

Jesus would be despised and rejected.
He would bear our sorrows.
He would be wounded for our transgressions.
He was silent as a lamb before His accusers.
He died with the wicked, but was buried with the rich.
It pleased the Lord to bruise Him.
That He would see the travail of His soul.
The resurrection was prophesied in Psalm 16:10, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, and neither will you allow your Holy One to see corruption."

There are dozens of prophecies in the Bible foretelling coming events that have come to pass exactly as the prophets said they would. We know what will happen in the Mideast because the Bible is true. The following signs show we are living in the last days:

Matthew 24:14 says the gospel will be proclaimed around the world. "The gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
Matthew 24:37-39 says the immorality and violence of Noah's Day will be repeated again. "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be."
2 Timothy 3: 1-5 says there will be perilous times. " This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."
Luke 17:28-30 says there will be a rise of militant homosexuals. "As it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; But in the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed."
Luke 21: 24 says there will be a scattering and re-gathering of Israel. "And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations (this happened in 70 A.D. when the Romans invaded Palestine and carried the Jews into bondage) and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled."

In other words, Jesus will return soon after the Jews recover the Holy City of Jerusalem. They returned in the early 1900's to Palestine, became the nation of Israel in 1948, and recovered Jerusalem in 1967. We are close to the time when Jesus will return!

The Apostle Peter foretold that in the last days Christians would begin to doubt the promise of our Savior's return. "Be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets.Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts, And saying, where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep (or died) all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation" (2 Peter 3:2-5).

When we live expecting Jesus to return, we are not losers. When His coming appears to be delayed:

1. We pray more.

2. We live a more sanctified life.

3. We witness more.

4. We support God's work more diligently.

5. We are happier because our hearts are filled with anticipation.

The Prophet Zechariah tells us how the crisis in the Mideast will end. "Behold, the day of the LORD comes.. For I will gather all Nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken and the houses torn down, and the women raped: then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, like he used to fight enemies of God's people in battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives" (Zechariah 14:1-4, a paraphrase).

We can see the showdown coming! The present crisis will eventually escalate until all the nations of the world will gather in the Mideast to attack Israel. Saddam Hussein, the madman of Iraq, is creating a crisis that will pressure nations of the world to declare their allegiances and reveal their hatred of Israel.

The Bible clearly teaches that we are living in the last days. "God, who at different times and various manners spoke in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son" (Hebrews 1:1, a paraphrase). The writer of Hebrews continues: "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands.but not once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (Hebrews 9:24 & 26).

The Prophet Joel declared that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost signaled the beginning of the last days: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh" (Acts 2:17a). Read also verses 16-21.

The Apostle John was convinced the church was living in the last days. "Little children, it is the last time (or the end of days) and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists: whereby we know that it is the last time" (1 John 2:18).

In conclusion: We need to be ready for our Savior's return!

"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity (distress of nations) at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (Luke 21:25-28 NIV).

Jesus told his disciples this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Ever so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

"I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21: 28-36 NIV).