Allow me to paint a picture for the reader of the world during the era the Word of God calls 'the last days'. More specifically let's look at the time running up to the period of hell on earth that Jesus named the 'birthing pains,' being the forerunner to the seven years tribulation. We will try to determine just how close we may be to this time in which Christ said, “will be like the days of Noah.”

First, there is the global marketplace just prior to the tribulation. One of utter moral bankruptcy - where cash is king and power and influence is a god. As is a natural evolution (in the only sense compatible with Christianity), the craving of wealth and glory drives mankind to push farther and harder trying to amass a mass of mammon – desiring to increase his comfort and happiness as love grows cold and selfishness is the road most traveled. This focus drives men atop lofty corporate boardrooms, out of their greed and covetousness, to merge with the strong and trample the weak, swelling from a mom and pop co-op to an All-mart sized conglomerate, swaying economies and ecologies and ultimately becoming a virtual government in their realm of influence. This group of people are truly equal to kings and their markets kingdoms in stature and position of importance. Ah, but as the waves roll and the pains grow, with intensity and frequency, These commercial kingdoms will quake as the Lord begins to bring upon the earth His holy Hand of judgment. Hmmm. But, this sounds nothing like the world in which we live today...right?

Now, just as in Noah's day, the Bible tells us that there will be rampant violence; terror caused by the many who are filled with hate. Men will follow their own selfish desires and live according to what seems right to them. There will absolutely be no moral absolutes because men will desire things above relationships, comfort above righteousness and temporal happiness above honor and godliness. These men will walk through the world in a spirit of legalism, condemning others for the sin they themselves also practice - only recognizing wrong when it is perpetrated against them, yet excusing the same works of their own hands - if and when they can get away with it. This spirit of selfish pride will consume the world in a dog-eat-dog mentality causing the secular church of mankind to be dogmatic in the proclamation that 'more is better, love is useless, family is unnecessary, sex is a trophy and sexuality defines self, lust and greed are natural and healthy and God is dead'. The concept of righteousness and sin will be taboo while the lust of the flesh will be so commonplace that men will live and die by it. Mankind at large will not know God, will not seek His righteousness and ridicule and condemn one who does as being ignorant, holier than thou and small minded. Their flesh will rule their minds and all that they do will be based on feeling, emotion and personal interpretation rather than truth.

The Bible explains that there will be widespread tension as false religion, skin color and manifold cultural differences divide the world. Christ said that 'nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom' but our translation is truly lacking. The word used for nation in the NT is 'ethnos' from which our word 'ethnic' comes – showing this is a conflict of tribes and races, peoples of differing clans and religious beliefs. 'Basileia' is the word used for kingdom, but again, our standard translation is not entirely complete. This word is used to define any land which is governed by a king – a president, a dictator, a tribal leader, a conquerer, a prime minister, a monarchy or a zealous religious authority. It carries with it the implication that entire world will be in political and religious unrest and is not limited in scope to just recognized national boundaries but includes any place where there is a leader of a people...in other words, every inch of the earth. To be sure, Jesus was warning that the entire globe will be in turmoil as evil grows in the heart of man. Are we there yet? Let's continue.

We find in the holy Scriptures that as the day of redemption draws near, termed the Rapture in evangelical lingo, just prior to the so called 'tribulation period' that nature will be on the offensive in many ways. Christ explained that the 'sea and the waves' will be 'roaring' and the nations of the world will be 'perplexed.' With just a layman's understanding and a little homework one can see that in order for the seas to grow more turbulent, meteorological science shows that the surface temperature of the earth must grow warmer. This helps to melt glacial ice, affects the underwater currents of the globe, increases the pendulum sway of extreme weather, hurricanes and violent tornadoes, and makes the jet-stream more volatile in it's seasonal shift. Couple this with seismic activity that must be occurring more frequently and on a larger scale – tectonic plates shifting, waking older volcanoes from their slumber and forming new vents for magma to find it's way up from under the earth's surface, causing earthquakes in regions that give birth to massive tsunamis – and drought caused by shifting weather patterns affecting crop yields, exposing the crucial balance needed to sustain the viability of livestock, foodstuffs and a thriving market system – one might come to the conclusion that there must be a period of global warming. I would even argue that in order for prophecy to be fulfilled – for Revelation chapter sixteen to come to pass in which men are 'scorched with fierce heat' because the angel has poured out his bowl upon the sun – there has to be global warming. Are we yet seeing any of these signs coming to pass? Let's move on to the final point.

Yeshua – Jesus – the Messiah of God, warned that his disciples should 'learn the parable of the fig tree' – which He explained would again bear fruit as it's branches began to come to life again with the nearing summer. Since allegory is not something our Savior ever resorted to, this must be a simple sign designed for anyone with historical and Scriptural knowledge to decipher. A key passage indicating that when these things begin to happen, as He Himself said, 'your redemption draws near.' It is common knowledge that in the Bible, the Hebrew nation is represented consistently by both a fig tree and an olive tree as well as a grapevine. Extra-biblical literature reveals that as early as the end of the first century AD many Jewish believers understood that 'the fig tree' - as found in Jesus' parable - represented the nation of Israel and her return to her homeland after the dispersion of 70 AD and as Ezekiel the prophet wrote, the valley of dry bones became a nation again in one day, May 15, 1948. On this day the fig tree came back to life and at once, began growing and putting forth leaves. In His parable, Jesus gives a wonderful clue as to the “when” of His coming for His church would be. At the time of the new growth on the long dead fig tree and during the conflict of the nations, when the world is in disarray with natural disasters razing their way across the globe He stated a simple truth...

Luke 21:32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

This generation had absolutely nothing to do with the generation of people living during Jesus' lifetime. Rather, the generation who witnesses all of these signs in conjunction with the regeneration of the fig tree, the rebirth of the nation of Israel...THIS generation shall see the coming of the Son of Man, as it will not pass away until all of these things be fulfilled.

The preceding text spells out what the Bible describes as the time just prior to the redemptive descending in to the clouds 'like lightning from the east to the west' of Jesus Christ to carry away His Bride – the Church. These signs have been spelled out in black and white for nearly two-thousand years in the Word of God. You be the judge...does this seem to be a portrait of the times in which we live. I am convicted that it absolutely is. We Christians must be careful not to only look at the forest, neither should we spend our energy staring at one single tree. There has never been a time in history in which the window was wide open and all things were in place. The time is near, our redemption draws nigh, it's time for all of God's children in Jesus Christ to stand vigilant and do our best to compel the many to come into the feast before the Master closes the door and all others are cast into outer darkness...where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. To my brethren - peace, hope and love from God the Father through His only begotten Son, the Christ, Jesus. Even so, Yeshua Ha'Moshiach...Come!!!

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