Where Are We Now in Bible Prophecy?
by Susan Mouw
by Susan Mouw
The questions I get asked the most these days is, “Where are we now in eschatology?” and “how do you know we are in the end times?” For that first question, I like to use a rather simple analogy.
Every day, you drive past this empty lot with a For Sale sign posted in front. One day, you notice the For Sale has a “Sold” banner pasted across it and you think, “oh good, now someone will do something with that empty lot.” Time passes – weeks or perhaps even months - and nothing changes. The For Sale sign with its “Sold” banner still stands, but nothing seems to be happening. After a while, you start to believe the new owners have no plans to improve the property.
Then, one day, you pass the empty lot and there is activity! A foundation has begun and there are piles of construction material everywhere – stacks of bricks and lumber – with heavy construction equipment idling nearby and crews of workers bustling about. It is obvious that something is finally being built on that vacant lot.
This is not unlike where we are with Bible end times prophecy, or eschatology. All that time you saw nothing going on at that vacant lot, there was actually a lot of activity behind the scenes: contract negotiations, transfer of title and registration of that new title, designing the new building that will go on that lot, more negotiations with the builder, and so much more – all behind the scenes. But you weren’t a party to all those transactions, so you didn’t know they were happening. Sound familiar?
While much has been happening behind the scenes in preparation for what will happen in the Tribulation, it is only in the last few years that much of that “behind the scenes” work has been revealed. The real difference between this vacant lot analogy and where we are in prophecy? We are well beyond the laying of the foundation.
For the answer to that second most commonly asked question, “how do you know we are in the end times?”, let’s review what we have seen happening in the world arena over the last few years. In my previous book, the focus was primarily on Jesus’ response to the Apostles, in what is known as the Olivet Discourse.
“1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24:1-8, KJV)
In Go Set A Watchman, we examined each of those items listed: wars and rumors of wars, false prophets, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes and saw the rise in frequency for many of them. “In summary, what Jesus told his disciples to look for as signs of “the beginning of sorrows” are indeed happening all around us. While the number of famines have not increased from over the last 3 centuries, experts predict we are headed for a famine “of biblical proportions”, partially due to the impact of the Covid-19 virus. Pestilences have increased notably since the turn of this century, with some new diseases: all of which are a type of corona virus. Lastly, the number of earthquakes has dramatically increased and now we have the additional hazard of “man-made” earthquakes in areas not previously known to be at risk.”
We looked at the prophecy concerning the Nation of Israel and the rebuilding of the temple in Go Set A Watchman.
“32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:32-34, KJV)
The nation of Israel was formed on May 14, 1948. The third temple is not yet built, but plans for it have been underway for quite a while. As of the release date of Go Set A Watchman, many of the preparations for worship in that temple had already been completed, mostly by the Temple Institute:
- Temple coin. A new temple coin has been minted, with the image of President Trump and Cyrus the Great, and is available for purchase, with funds going to the rebuilding of the third temple.
- Completion of the restoration and construction of the many sacred vessels necessary for use in the service in the Holy Temple.
- The sacred garment or ephod of the Cohen HaGadol as well as his choshen (breastplate) and the tziz zahav (golden crown) is complete and ready.
- Building plans for the Temple are complete.
Since the publication of that book, the Temple Institute has been busy adding more to that list of items ready for the third Temple:
- Table of showbread
- Altar of incense
- Golden Menorah
- Two rabbis from the Temple Institute have been to the site where they claim the Ark of the Covenant is stored and ready to be retrieved. ("Preparing for the Third Temple", Jimmy DeYoung
- The cornerstone for the temple, prepared by Gershon Solomon’s Temple Mount Faithful, is ready for construction to begin.
- A Training Center in the Jericho Valley has been training those from the tribe of Levi in the roles of priests, in service to the Temple.
- All of the priestly garments are finished. Rabbi Kahane, the founder of the Temple Institute, has his hanging in his closet, ready to wear.
- And, lastly, the 4000 harps needed for the Temple music are well underway and close to being completed by craftsmen at the House of Harrari.
So plans and preparations for the third Temple in Jerusalem are in place and ready for construction to begin.
Indeed, since the publication of Go Set A Watchman, much has happened and much of that is no longer behind the scenes. One of the big challenges, though there were many, in writing As In the Days of Noah is that as quickly as I would get one chapter written and start on the next, things relative to that previous chapter would occur and I would have to re-write parts of that chapter. In fact, even since I finished chapters 7 and 8 particularly, much more has happened and we’ll take a look at some of that.
If you’ve read the book of Revelation, you know there is much that happens during the Tribulation – the 7 seals, the 7 trumpets, the 7 vials, the Abomination of Desolation, the Two Witnesses, and of course, the Glorious Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those events are supernatural and require no preparation, or “groundwork”, to achieve – at least not by man. They will happen just as the prophecies have foretold.
There are other things that happen, however, that do require some preparation. The Mark of the Beast would, arguably, be one of those, as well as the One World Church and the One World Government.
- The Mark of the Beast
The big question I most often hear about the Mark of the Beast is, is the Covid-19 vaccine how the Mark of the Beast will be implemented? Perhaps. All 27 nations of the EU have instituted a “vaccine passport” system, plus Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. These vaccine passports permit those who have been vaccinated to travel and to purchase goods and services. The UK has not fully implemented a similar system, but have stated plans to do so in the future. France and Israel have a fully implemented system. There are more countries that have accepted and implemented some form of the “vaccine passport”, but many of these are printed documentation, or, as in China, a scannable QR code. Most of these passports are restrictive to travel, not necessarily preventing those without the passport from purchasing their weekly groceries at the local grocery stores. At least, until recently.
Sweden was perhaps the first to introduce the implantable microchip that includes the vaccine and is scannable – by smart phone or other device – to prove they are vaccinated and allowing them access to restaurants, movie theaters, travel venues, and other public facilities. ("People Get Microchips Implanted That Include Vaccine Records Amid New COVID Restrictions", Meghan Roos, 12/3/21)
In New Brunswick, Canada, grocery stores may now ban unvaccinated shoppers. ("No jab, no food: New Brunswick grocery stores can now ban unvaccinated shoppers", Harry Johnson, 12/21) So – no “mark”, no food – sound familiar?
If you want to learn more about the Covid-19 vaccine and its impact, I recommend watching Billy Crone’s series of videos on the subject. You can find links to his series on his website, Get A Life Ministries, Inc
"16 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: 17 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." (Revelation 13:16-17, KJV)
- One World Church
One of the toughest writing assignments I’ve ever had was writing “Chapter 8 – One World Religion.” It was tough because it was hard reading and learning about what is happening in our churches today. It was tough because it was difficult seeing so many Christians, my brothers and sisters in Christ, literally sticking their heads in the sand and not wanting to hear about the times we are in. It was tough because I suspect some of those will not be Raptured with the Church and I will not see them seated at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.
How did the Church get to this place? Well, there are a lot of reasons; primarily that it is as God ordained it to be. A contributing factor might be that our educational centers – our seminaries - for preparing our church leaders do not teach eschatology and many preachers, ministers, and shepherds of the churches today fear teaching it.
I recently listened to a radio broadcast, put out by Olive Tree Ministries, where Jan Markell, along with Pastor Tom Hughes and Pastor Mark Henry, discuss the remnant. In that radio broadcast, Jan Markell reads multiple emails she has received from people searching for churches where the whole counsel of God is taught, including eschatology. In one email, the writer states it has taken her many months, years even, to find a church that would teach from the whole counsel of God. ("The Loneliness of the Remnant Believer, Jan Markel, Pastor Tom Hughes, Pastor Mark Henry, 11/24/18)
If you are a Pastor, Minister, or church leader and you are not teaching eschatology in your church today, you might want to listen to that radio broadcast. That broadcast was from 3 years ago, but that desire by so many to learn more about God’s Word is stronger today than it was then and God’s people are still searching for answers. If you are not well-learned in that area of God’s word, then pray about it. God will send the necessary resources to you.
- One World Government
“Chapter 7 – One World Government” is probably the most re-written chapter in my latest book. Things are changing so fast and the pathway to that One World Government being laid so quickly, it is difficult to keep up with all the changes and advances.
But this one world government, or new world order, is not new. As far back as 1950, when the banker James Warburg testified before the United States Senate, proclaiming, “We will have a world government, whether you like it or not. The only question that arises is whether this world government will be established by consensus or by force.” ( " Infamous James Paul Warburg Quote", LibertyTree, 2/17/1950), plans and decisions have been made to foster and bring about this concept of a one world government.
In 1994, David Rockefeller was quoted at a UN dinner, “We are on the verge of a global transformation. All we need is the ‘right’ global crisis and the nations will accept the New World Order.” ("What the New World Order Would Look Like", Kalee Brown, 3/21/17)
There can be no question that the Covid-19 pandemic, or “planned-demic”, was created and is being used as that “right” global crisis.
“The United States of Europe, uncontrolled immigration, the reduction of wages, the cancellation of trade union guarantees, the renunciation of national sovereignty, the single currency, the control of citizens under the pretext of a pandemic, and the reduction of the population through the use of vaccines with new technologies are not recent inventions, but the result of a planned, organized and coordinated action — an action that clearly shows itself perfectly adhering to a single script under a single direction.” ("Considerations on the Great Reset and the New World Order", Stephanie Shepard, 9/6/21)
Even the global map, dividing the world into 10 regions as prophesied by Daniel in his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, has been laid out since 1973 when The Club of Rome first published a proposed division of the world into 10 “economic trading blocks” ("The 10 Regions of the New World Order", End Times Truth)
Today, the European Commission has also divided the globe into 10 regions, which looks eerily similar to the earlier one. These 10 regions represent the 10 “kingdoms” that will all cede their power and authority to the Anti-Christ in the Tribulation, giving him total dominion over the entire world.
Remember that analogy at the beginning of this chapter about the vacant lot? Well, the big difference between that analogy and where we are with End Times prophecy is this: in eschatological terms, the foundation is complete, the walls are up, the roof is on and they are starting to move the furniture in. All that is needed now is to occupy.