We live in the very first generation to see all the end-time signs converging. No other generation has witnessed such a massive stage-setting time as this. Jesus instructed His followers to look up when we see “these things,” for this generation will not pass before the fulfillment of “all these things” (Luke 21:28, 32).
Sir Isaac Newton said, “About the Time of the End, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the Prophecies, and insist upon their literal interpretation, in the midst of much clamor and opposition.” Best known for his scientific thought, Newton was also an avid researcher of biblical apocalyptic prophecy.
Something dramatic, global and irreversible lies just ahead. There is no way to avoid it. Every condition and marker we would expect to see in the last days are now in active play on the earth. The stage is set and the actors are in place, preparing to follow their script for what will shortly transpire.
God’s people must be equipped, like the sons of Issachar, to understand the times (1 Chron. 12:32).
Approximately 27 percent of the Bible is prophecy. Prophecy is sort of like a jigsaw puzzle. You begin by getting all the border pieces in place before you start connecting the other pieces. When you assemble the border first, it’s much easier to find, little by little, where the remaining pieces of the puzzle fit.
There is tremendous and uncanny interest in apocalyptic prophecy today among people of all backgrounds. People have a sense that the stage is being set for the final events of this age. Everyone is asking, “What will the future bring? How can we know for sure?”
Hollywood exploits our desire to know the future. The past decade has brought more apocalyptic films and stories to the public than at any other time in history. You can feel it—excitement is in the air, coupled with an eerie foreboding about the events just beginning to unfold.
Prophecy is a gift from God for all of humanity—a glimpse, and sometimes more than a glimpse, of what lies ahead, perhaps in our own lifetimes. When we ignore it, we turn our backs on the only sure record of the future that exists in our world today. What you believe about prophecy will dramatically affect your future, the way you live your life, and how you prepare for what is ahead.
“But know this first of all, that no prophecy of the Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation. For no prophecy at any time was produced by the will of man, but holy men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20-21).
Are you ready? Our generation is racing toward the hour spoken of by the ancient biblical prophets called “the day of the Lord,” (Joel 2:31; Acts 2:20) or “the hour of temptation which shall come upon the entire world.” (Rev. 3:10).
Yet before the great and notable day of the Lord, God promised, “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. Even on the menservants and maidservants in those days I will pour out My Spirit. Then I will work wonders in the heavens and the earth” (Joel 2:28-30). {eoa}
This article is an excerpt from Hope in the Last Days: Be Prepared for the Biblical Prophecies Coming to Pass by Dr. Dave Williams.
Dr. Dave Williams served for over 30 years as pastor of Mount Hope Church in Lansing, Michigan, with over 500 outreach ministries around the world. Dave led the church in giving over $40,000,000 to world and local missions. His leadership training course, The Art of Pacesetting Leadership, is credited with catapulting one church from 226 to over 4,000. Another church went from eight to over 1,000. His all-time best-selling book, The New Life: The Start of Something Wonderful, is a practical, step-by-step guide to help new believers become established in their Christian walk and has sold over 2.5 million copies. His latest book, Hope in the Last Days, is published by Charisma House. Dave now focuses on helping young ministers whenever he has an opportunity.
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