Are You Prepared?

God gave clear descriptions about how and when His Son would come the first time.

He is even more clear about His "Second Coming!"

As we race through this new millennium, it is important people get concerned about where this world is headed! God is concerned! So much so that He has carefully described in the Bible just where we humans are headed, warning us, and explaining to us what the remedies for this world's troubles are.

The twentieth century has seen an unprecedented period of change. At no time in history have more changes occurred in science and in the political structure of the world than in the past 150 years.

• More changes occur in science in a single year than formerly occurred in a whole century.
• The amount of information in the world is doubling every 12 years!
• With Israel restored as a nation in 1948, the panorama of end-time prophecy came into a focus in which Israel is THE prominent player.
• We are experiencing the collapse of all ethical and moral values on a world-wide scale, and their replacement by a set of "do as you please" ideals.
• The introduction of the concept of a one world government, made real by the United Nations, paints a scenario that is in harmony with prophecy concerning a future one-world government.

More than ever, mankind needs an anchor - something we can assuredly know to be true, and trustworthy. Don't be surprised to discover that only God's word, the Bible accurately reveals both the future, and the way safely through it.

What Are Biblical Prophecies?

Christianity is based on the certainty of God's Word, the Bible. It is the only religion in which prophecy plays such an important role. If God's prophets were not 100% true, then the Bible itself is not true. The attacks on the Bible over the past hundred years have all side-stepped the issue of prophecy. The fact stands, that God has built into the Bible a sure way of knowing whether it is true or not - which simply is its ability without fail to tell us the future.

A general definition of prophecy is, "A message from God, supernaturally delivered by a person, that reveals a future event, and is 100% always accurate." Many people make prophecies - politicians, religious leaders, astrologers, etc - but none are 100% accurate. Only God has that ability, and He has limited it to only the words and warnings of the Bible.
If we neglect the Bible, then we are opening ourselves up to one of the most powerful deceptions of all time that is currently at work - the deception that Jesus never came to begin with, and that the world's "true saviour" will soon arise bringing world peace and justice through something called "a new world order."

"Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." (Matthew 24:5,6,11)

The First Coming of Jesus

One of the most important proofs that God wrote the Bible is the fact that almost 1,000 of its prophecies have been fulfilled to the letter. These prophecies were predictions made hundreds and even thousands of years before their fulfilment. There were 33 specific prophecies describing just how, when, and where Jesus would die. The odds of someone predicting just those 33 exactly as the Bible did are astronomical! Only God could have done such a thing.

Some of the prophecies relating to Jesus' first coming 2,000 years ago include:

• The birthplace of Jesus being revealed 750 years before the event in the Book of Micah chapter 5 verse 2, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, … 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."
• Jesus would be born of a virgin, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (750 years BC - Isaiah 7:14).
• Jesus would be rejected by His own people, "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him" (750 BC - Isaiah 53:3).
• Jesus would heal people, "The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped… The lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing" (Isaiah 35:5,6).
• Jesus would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver "Give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver" (500 BC - Zechariah 11:12,13).
• Jesus would be whipped and spit upon, "I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting." (750 BC - Isaiah 50:6).
• His hands and His feet would be pierced by nails, "They pierced my hands and my feet." (Psalm 22:16), "and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced" (500 BC - Zechariah 12:10). Normally criminals were stoned.
• Jesus would be in the grave for 3 days and 3 nights, "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matthew 12:40). The Book of Jonah was written 850 years before Christ.
• Jesus would rise from the grave, "But God will redeem (resurrect) my soul from the power of the grave" (written 1000 years BC - Psalm 49:15)

Not one detail failed! In Deuteronomy 18, God promises that everything His prophets speak will be fulfilled, and if not, then the prophets were false prophets, and should die! No human-authored book would dare to make so many predictions, so far in advance, and therefore subject its authenticity to such chance - yet God did to prove He wrote it and the we need to heed it!

The Second Coming

Just as people were prompted to expect and look forward to Christ's first coming as Saviour, the whole world should know that he is most assuredly coming again! Only this time, He comes as KING! Everything that is happening in world events is a constant, and planned build-up towards this arrival!

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him … And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, ... And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 1:7 & 19:11,16)

Five Current Events

If we briefly look at the following five current world events, we quickly see God has His hand in this world's affairs, and is calling on mankind to look to His Son Jesus Christ for the answers we are so desperately needing today, and to see that we are living in the last days! Pay close attention to each Scripture.

Israel - Israel is back in its land. After almost 2,000 years of dispersal, its people have re-gathered, and formed a nation that was supposed to have died long ago! The prophet Ezekiel said, "Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land" (Ezekiel 37:21,22). It came true on May 14, 1948! Since that time all eyes have been on this little nation of the Middle East, because the Bible is true!

Technology - The world hasn't always been the way it is today, with its unbelievable increase in knowledge and travel, and yet God predicted it would be this way over 2,500 years ago! The prophet Daniel said, "[In] the time of the end, many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Daniel 12:4). It is all leading to an economic system requiring everyone to wear the Mark of the Beast to allow them to buy or sell anything. Never before has there been such a push as in our modern economies to enable people to buy and sell via computers, and micro-chips. God says it is leading to His Son's soon return!

Immorality - In this "new age," with its "new world order," people are getting more and more into so many religions, yoga classes, and crystal consciousness seminars, demonstrating that with all the technological improvements, our hearts are still afraid. The Apostle Paul declared, "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, … lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away" (2Timothy 3:1-5). We are away from God.

Environment - This world is falling apart, and things are not going to get any better! We are destroying our planet day by day, and disease and pestilence is catching up with us all. H.I.V. is affecting almost 40 million people world-wide, and super-bugs are developing at a pace that is over-taxing our health systems. Wars continue at an alarming rate to crop up in areas of the globe thought to be at peace. Jesus said, "Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven." (Luke 21:10,11) Are we aware?

Global Unification - At the end time, all of the world is being gathered into a sort of "global community" to be ruled by one man known in the Bible as the anti-christ, the "beast," and the "man of sin." He will be a most attractive person since he will be a man of peace, and unity. But he is coming to direct the world's worship towards himself and his god! The Apostle John said, "And all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?" (Revelation 13:3,4).

As we look at the evening news, and all these things occurring, we must ask, "Is God trying to get our attention?" The answer surely is YES!

Here's How to Respond

The world is drowning in discouragement and uncertainty. Most people feel as though they have lost control of their destiny - unprepared for eternity. Yet, we need not be frightened if we know Jesus as Saviour and that His promises are true. He has given us glimpses of the future to show us that He is in control.

As a sinner, you will face the wrath of your Creator unless someone perfect, and sinless takes your place. The only person who could take your place was Jesus! He never meant for you to go through life not knowing where you will spend eternity! So He asks you to repent (hate your sins), and call upon Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world to SAVE YOU! Don't count on your nationality, or religion to do anything for your soul - only Jesus saves! Ask Him to save you now! Then, get into a good Bible-believing church and learn God's word from cover to cover! It's your ticket to peace in the midst of all storms!