Regarding the title above, I don’t mean to imply light being shed on the Tribulation–although that is part of what I hope will be done. By using the term “Tribulation light,” I mean we are now seeing issues and events occur in this Age of Grace much like, but not actually those prophetically scheduled for, the seven years of worldwide horror leading up to Christ’s Second Advent–i.e., those issues and events are but similar to those much more horrific, apocalyptic events; foreshadows of things to come.
There are several specific prophecies expounded upon by Jesus while giving His Olivet Discourse that I would like to examine as being “Tribulation light” events in our headlines today.
The Lord gave these as recorded in the following prophecy:
Then said he unto them, 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: 20-21)
I would like to probe a bit into the less-prominent “Tribulation light” prophetic indicators within the above Scripture before getting into that which I view as most pronounced in these days so near the end of the Church Age.
Jesus was foretelling that these troubles will be unprecedented in their ferocity during the Tribulation era when God’s wrath will fall upon incorrigibly wicked mankind. He exhorted that when those with discernment see these things begin to happen, they are to know that His return is drawing near. Note, the Lord said when these things “begin” to come to pass, those with discernment are to “look up…for your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).
Jesus said as recorded in other places that these issues and events will be like birth pangs. They will come upon end-time’s mankind like pains a woman experiences during the incrementally increasing contractions of having a baby. That is, these pains will begin in a milder manner than they will become the nearer the moment of birth.
Earthquakes, Jesus said, will mark the beginning of “sorrows” (birth pangs). Again, these, obviously, staying within the birthing analogy, will be lighter in severity than they will become during the full-blown Tribulation when Christ’s return is about to happen. We are told in Revelation that there will occur the ultimate earthquake as Christ is breaking through the black clouds of that terrible time. Every mountain will fall. That describes a mighty earthquake indeed!
Anyone who reads the news as presented in our Rapture Ready News section knows of the reports of tremblers from around the world. There seems no geographical region of the planet that isn’t experiencing seismic activity on an increasing scale. All of these quakes are light in severity when compared to the Revelation description of the final quake that will bring every tall structure on earth crashing down. However, the cumulative effects have prophetic evidentiary significance, it becomes ever more obvious.
Within recent times, covering a very brief number of hours, we have the following posts:
- 5.7-magnitude earthquake felt in New Zealand capital
New Zealand’s capital city Wellington was rocked by 5.7-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday (Feb 9), according to the country’s earthquake monitoring service. - Massive earthquake hits near Papua New Guinea island of Bougainville
A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit near the Papua New Guinea island of Bougainville early on Tuesday morning. The undersea quake struck at 3.19am local time… - Taiwan Quake Kills at Least 18 as Search for Missing Continues
A strong earthquake rocked a region of Taiwan that’s a hub for chipmaking suppliers to the likes of Apple Inc. and Qualcomm Inc., killing at least 18 people - 5.2 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Nepal, Tremors Felt In Bihar
- Earthquake shakes Tokyo, no tsunami risk
An earthquake has struck close to Tokyo, shaking much of the metropolitan region. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, and no tsunami - Chile earthquake: Strong tremor strikes near Tongoy and La Serena
A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 has struck off the coast of central Chile, centered off Tongoy and La Serena, seismologists say. - Strong earthquake hits Solomon Islands
A magnitude 6.4 earthquakes hit the Solomon Islands at 12.19am today, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department.
Such reports continue in a never-ending cyberspace headlines crawl. The tremors are coming with increasing frequency and intensity.
The second “Tribulation light” indicator I pluck from the Luke 21:20-21 Olivet prophecy Jesus gave is the matter of “pestilence.”
To be brief, I bring to your attention the things we have seen develop in this regard. Remember the Ebola scare. Think of the HIV natter that was on the front pages and growing, seemingly, uncontrollably. And now it is the Zika virus that is apparently spread by mosquitoes and which has no medical defense to combat it. There is growing concern among the medical research community that many of the pestilences are in the process of mutating–developing resistance to antibiotics and other forms of combating disease.
The Tribulation era will see these diseases become full-blown. The toll in human life will be beyond comprehension.
All of these above-mentioned developments are but sidebars to the real story regarding signals that show how near this generation is to the Tribulation era.
“Nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom”: This is the real scriptural crux of proof in thinking on where we stand on God’s prophetic timeline.
“Nation” in the Greek language, as used here, is “ethnos” or “ethnic” in English. Jesus was predicting that the very end of the age would produce great ethnic upheaval. People will be raging against each other for reasons of race. Likewise, the Lord said that “kingdom against kingdom” will mark the era leading up to His Second Advent.
Is there any doubt whatsoever that these indicators are in our headlines today? In the very streets of America, there is ethnic rage that sometimes boils to the uncontrollable level. The rioting in places like Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland, leap instantly to mind. Such rage is at the heart of problems around the world. Religious fervor, inciting ethnic hatreds, mark this generation as the one Jesus must have had in His omniscient mind when giving this prophecy.
We are experiencing today “Tribulation light” prophetic birth pangs on a moment-by-moment basis. It will be fascinating, as watchers on the wall, to see what the rest of 2018 and beyond will bring. We, as born-again believers, hope it brings the shout of the Lord Jesus: “Come up here!” (Revelation 4:1)
Terry James Prophecy Line 
Axial poleshift on Friday or next week .Are you ready?
Hi John.
When it comes to pole shifts, I think we can divide them into two categories – magnetic and axial.
The first has actually occurred in the distant past, with the north and magnetic poles diminishing and then reversing, but it happens on a time scale of a couple hundred thousand years. Therefore it is unlikely it could happen in a few days – at least based on what science knows.
The second would involve an actual change in Earth’s orientation relative to the stars. This also is happening and is called “precession” and it takes about 26,000 years for a full cycle. Again, there is no known mechanism to make it happen in a matter of days.
Admittedly, science does not have all the answers, but I think based on the historical evidence, both our magnetic and geographic poles will be in the same place by the end of the week as they are now.
Of course, if God wanted to do it a lot faster, that possibility certainly can’t be ruled out!
Ed W.
5.7-magnitude earthquake felt in New Zealand capital
New Zealand’s capital city Wellington was rocked by 5.7-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday (Feb 9), according to the country’s earthquake monitoring service.
Psalms 83 war began February 10. Now there is war on 6 fronts of Israel.
Signs? Iran and Russia as well as China will be involved BUT all that is being mentioned are the Palestinians. Well known prophecy experts have stated it might happen BEFORE the Tribulation period or shortly after the churches are removed. What Bible verses are you referencing that the war in Ezekiel started in February? Just wondering t
I agree that the signs we are seeing are precursors to the Tribulation in a general sense. Perhaps Jesus was mainly referring to Israel (for the tribulation saints) when making these prophesies during the last half of the seven years. This view point fits well the whole Olivet Discourse. The convergence of all the signs Christ mentioned are in front of us today but will be blasting in those 7 years.
Reblogged this on BibleProphecyWatch.
While watching the news on TV, it seems that a day does not go by without extremes of weather. These appear to be world-wide, not specific to any geographic location. Accounts of 100-year, even 500-year storms are getting more and more commonplace. When we see these things accompanied by the other events Terry mentioned in this article, I think they are indicative of the “beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8) that Jesus mentioned which will precede the really horrendous times that will characterize the Tribulation.
Though many still doubt “global warming,” the facts are that the present carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are 400 parts per million – the highest values in recorded history. Samples of atmospheric gasses extracted from ancient ice cores prove this beyond a doubt. There is a direct proportion between C02 amounts and atmospheric temperature. Venus with its 800 degree surface temperature is an extreme example of this reality. Since heat is energy, we now have more available to produce the kinds of weather extremes we are presently seeing. So, it seems to be that global warming is consistent with the kind of world Jesus told us would exist toward the end of this age.
The increase in earthquake activity is an entirely different situation, not readily explainable by science, but evidently. Nevertheless, the data shows us that it is increasing in frequency and intensity, even in places not normally subject to seismic events.
To anyone who has been following Jesus’ advice to “Watch,” (Matthew 24:42), it seems pretty obvious that as far as our world goes, it is not “business as usual” in the natural world, nor even in state of human civilization as we see conflicts at all levels, much of it focused on the Middle East.
It seems that it is only a matter of time before God once again directly steps into history, even as he did in the time of Noah.
amen brother…even so come lord jesus come
Thanks, Mary. I think Jesus will be coming to take us home very soon!