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Signals pointing to fulfillment of Bible prophecy continue to mount. The signs are in
every direction on the horizon of this generation. We are convinced we must, in
obedience to the commission to be good watchmen of issues and events in light
of God's prophetic Word, propose scripturally sound possibilities for this last
time. We will delve into likely scenarios that might play out on the stage of
human history from now until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Specifically,
we will forecast the probabilities of things to come for the next four years. This is not an endeavor to try
to set dates. The goal is to offer perspective, both different and superior,
scripturally, and rationally, to the endless number of predictions, made
through wild speculations, that have turned out to be false. I don't make any
claims of supernatural knowledge or secret intelligence reports. I base my
forecasting upon Jesus' words of condemnation to those of His time on earth who
were willfully blind to the common signs signaling His first coming. "Jesus
answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair
weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to
day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face
of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" (Matt. 16:2-3)
If you were to look back
into history 150 years, you would find that Bible prophecy follows a very
steady rate of progress. Because man becomes bored with or desensitized to
prophecy-related events, he fails to realize how simple the task of prophecy
watching can be. No Christian who earnestly seeks to know what the Bible says
about what will happen in the future will fail to discern the signals. The European
Union.
The EU has evolved from its genesis as
the Club of Rome in the mid-20th century to become the 25-nation geopolitical
entity we believe will ultimately provide the power base for Antichrist (Rev.
17:12-13). As it looks now,
the European Union, while a growing behemoth, will likely remain in the shadow
of the United States until some future dynamic changes the present
circumstances. Because the Bible
predicts the revived Roman Empire will initially be a weak government, the next
four years will likely continue to see the EU struggle with internal strife. Despite
the conflicts and setbacks, the pro-EU forces will ultimately end up on top of
the climb toward global power. Watch for the EU to assert its strengthening
economic and military power while the next four years unfold. Terrorism . If the
prophetic birth pangs are going to increase with greater frequency and
intensity, it is logical to assume that terrorism, as part of the end-time mix,
will increase from this point. The world has yet to experience a large-scale
terrorist attack involving weapons of mass destruction. We believe it is only a
matter of time before the world is brought to a new level of shock as WMDs kill
large numbers of innocent people. It is very possible the Antichrist will rise
to power as a result of a climate of fear involving terrorism. The Word of God
indicates we are headed towards a period so frightening that men will die
prematurely from fear. "Men's hearts failing them for fear,
and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the
powers of heaven shall be shaken" (Luke. 21:26). Watch for
terrorism to rise to the level of catastrophic use of weapons of mass
destruction. Terrorism will inevitably bring with the dangers involved,
liberty-oppressing ramifications throughout the U.S., and the world. Russia In chapters 38
and 39 of Ezekiel, we are told that Russia and a host of Arab and other nations
will attempt an invasion of Israel. Prophetic scholars have been puzzled
by the "evil thought" that will cause Russia to come against
the tiny nation of Israel. "Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also
come to pass, [that] at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou
shalt think an evil thought" (Ezek. 38:10). The Gog prophecies appeared to many to be tailor-made for
the geographical area once within the Soviet Union. When the USSR fell and was
replaced by a freely elected democratic government, most prophecy watchers were
in a state of denial about the validity of the reforms. Now that Vladimir Putin
is rapidly reversing Russia's experience with freedom, we're getting an
indication that the geopolitical realities that will produce the prophesied
leader, Gog, are in place today. Watch
for Russia to drift away from democratic ideals. As it does so, we
expect to see that nation embark on a new drive toward militarism. At some
point, Putin's desire for even more power will cause him to exert
strong-arm influence on the weaker nations surrounding Russia. The test of how
near we are to Russia's prophesied campaign against Israel depends on how the
world community reacts to Putin's likely coming move. Mark of the
Beast, 666. Actually, very
little advancement is required before we reach the point at which the world
will utilize a centralized financial system to control all economic
transactions. The technology now exists and is ready for full implementation
around the globe. The changes we see in the next few years may be very subtle,
but they will have a profound impact. In
2006, most consumer products became tagged with radio ID chips (RFID). Once all the items on our store shelves become tagged, the
logical question will be asked: "Why
aren't humans marked?" As the tags become more popular, watch and
listen for more serious talk about a cashless society, then for dynamic
movement to implement it. "And he causeth all, both small and
great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or
in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the
mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" (Rev.
13:16-17). The United States. Because prophecy does not specifically cite the United States as being
a major player in the end times, one can assume with good reason that our
nation will become a secondary player in the final days leading up to the tribulation.
It is possible a devastating
event might remove the U.S. from the world stage. For example, with a total
national debt in the trillions and a trade deficit in the billions the American
economy could implode from its own excess. I
believe America's position as
the number-one global economic power will continue to diminish while the EU's
economic fortune rises. U.S. resources are massive, but not without limits. The
constant drain on them from expansive policing responsibilities around the
world may trigger a breakpoint. Dependence upon fossil fuel to power both the
engines of its vehicles and the engine of its commerce add to the strain on the
U.S. economy. Watch for the spiritual and political division at the nation's
core to worsen if Christians continue to make material matters their priority.
The
Israeli-Arab Conflict In the near future Israel and her Arab neighbors may
experience a new level of hostility that will grab the world's attention like
never before. Because Antichrist is predicted to be the guarantor of peace for
Israel and its enemy neighbors, there must be a conflict of considerable
magnitude for him to resolve. With Syria and Iran possessing weapons of mass
destruction, that level of conflict could come when Israel tries to
preemptively disarm one or both of these nations. Watch for such action, if it
occurs, to thrust Israel toward isolation foretold in the following prophecy:
"And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all
people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all
the people of the earth be gathered together against it" (Zech. 12:3).
China, The Bible tells us that someday a huge military
alliance will invade the Middle East with an army of 200 million soldiers. Because
China is about the only nation with the ability to man and effectively outfit
an army of such massive size, prophecy watchers have looked for it to fulfill
the role of the kings of the east found in the following prophecy: "And
the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the
water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be
prepared" (Rev. 16:12 ). "Now the number of the army of the
horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them" (Rev. 9:16
). Watch for China's economic might to continue to grow. I
expect that its need for natural resources will cause the Communist state to
become more determined to project its influence on a global scale. I also think
that China's relationship with the U.S. will become strained by the need to
compete for those dwindling resources. Morality, The decline in morality has been one of the easiest
end-time signs to project. Over the past decade, the filth spewing from the
media has steadily increased, its society-infecting contents flushing the
nation and the world ever lower toward the cesspool of cultural depravity. Many
short-lived attempts at reversing the trend have been made, but all have
failed. It is likely that over the next four years, profanity and nudity will
descend to new lows. The growing
availability of satellite and internet outlets that are beyond the
reach of federal regulators will almost certainly speed the decline.
"Shock jock" Howard Stern has already realized he can escape the
wrath of the FCC by moving his radio program to the Sirius satellite network.
Watch for entertainment media to severely test the broadcast and cable morality
monitors at every turn. Since the regulators themselves approach life from a
sin-fallen perspective, things will go from bad to worse. Apostasy, One of
the best ways to measure levels of apostasy is to track the activity of popular
Christian leaders who are heavily involved in heretical doctrine. For a number
of years, I have watched the activity of leading figures in the word of faith
movement. Until now, their errors have mostly been confined to teaching that
corrupts the Gospel message. Because
there is no such thing as stagnant apostasy, in the next four years, we
should expect to experience examples of Christian leaders adopting doctrines
that conflict directly with the heart of Christianity. Watch for some of the
key indicators of apostasy to proliferate greatly. Some of these are: bold statements that reject Jesus as the
only way of salvation; the acceptance of homosexual lifestyle; and hate-filled
words and actions against true believers. Oil, Man has
just about discovered all the major oil fields on the planet that are going to
be found, according to some experts. In fact, the rate of discovery of
worldwide oil reserves, after declining for 40 years, is reported to have nosed
dived in recent years. In 2000, there were 16 large discoveries of oil, eight
in 2001, three in 2002, and none in 2003, so says James Meyer, director of the
Oil Depletion Analysis Centre in London. While
more and more nations become industrialized, the focus on oil supplies
is going to force the world's attention even more dramatically in the direction
of the Middle East. Watch for a higher than before rise in the value of oil over the coming four
years. That will in all likelihood lead to stronger military ties, as oil
wealth is exchanged for armaments. The Harlot Church, Bible
prophecy forewarns that during the end times, a demonic spiritual movement will
use love and understanding to create a global pantheon of religions. The result
will be an organization that promotes the false belief that all roads lead to
the Creator. Because Jesus Christ said that He is the only way to God, anyone
who holds to this truth will be labeled intolerant. In the next few years
anyone who disagrees with that developing religious system of "tolerance"
will not be tolerated. In the name of tolerance, Christians will be pushed to
the margins of what is considered "tolerant" society.
Already, our culture has reached the point that it is a hate crime for someone
to declare the supremacy of Jesus Christ. Scripture foretells the result of the
trends in this direction: "And the woman was arrayed in purple
and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having
a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her
fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, mystery, Babylon the
great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. And I saw the woman
drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of
Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration" (Rev. 17:4-6).
Watch for increasingly stringent legislative proposals, and,
particularly, for more court actions and edicts aimed at putting a clamp on
Christians expressing godly values in most every area of life in America. People of the United States and
the world are entering a time rife with probabilities that will present great
danger to personal liberty. The next four years will, at the same time, offer
possibilities full of great opportunity to live victoriously through Christ. Pastor Coutts
