While indicators abound that the Tribulation (Daniel’s seventieth week) is approaching upon the prophetic horizon of the near future, one area of forewarning is somewhat neglected.
We’ve gone over ad infinitum matters involving the stage being set for that last seven years of unprecedented trouble. Things such as developments involving societal and cultural degradation. Things like political, governmental, and economic evil. Developments such as those produced through satanically manipulated science, to the detriment of mankind. Things like cumulative, anti-Christian corruption among churches. All are signals that God’s inevitable judgment approaches America and the world. But more rarely addressed is one very important sector of forewarning that Jesus, Himself, gave—the prophecy as recorded in the book of Luke.
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 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 21:25–26)
The Lord was telling of a progressive series of end-times signals and, just two verses later, He tells us what we are to do when we see these things “begin” to come to pass.
Keep starkly in your thinking this word “begin.”It’s significant in thinking on our rescue from that terrible time of trouble—the seven-year Tribulation.
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. (Luke 21:28)
Now, I realize that many—particularly perhaps a majority of seminary students and their professors—interpret this to mean that those enduring the Tribulation are to “look up” because Christ is coming for them. I agree. But I’m convinced that it is a dual audience the Lord has in mind. I believe He is talking not only to saints of the Tribulation era, but also to Christians of the Age of Grace (Church Age).
Jesus is referring to the answer He gave His disciples that day when they asked when would be the time and sign of His coming (Luke 21:25–26 as given above). He is including the signs that will mark the era (the Age of Grace or Church Age) that will usher in the time of Tribulation. He is saying that when these signs “begin” to come to pass, saints of the Church Age are to “look up” and “lift up [their] heads.” He’s also saying to Tribulation Saints (those saved during that terrible era) that when they see these things happening, they, too, are to “look up,” because He is on the way to rescue them.
The first time His people (Church Age saints) are to look up for their redemption is at the Rapture. The second time his people (the Tribulation saints) are to look up is at the Second Advent when He returns with those Church Age saints. So we consider whether we are now seeing prophetic signs in the sun, moon, and stars as well as all of the other signals mentioned above. Also, Jesus, the Living Word (John 1:1), gave dramatic things to look for upon and in the earth itself as prophecy begins to be fulfilled for the wind-up of history leading to His Second Coming. He gave these through the writer of the book of Acts, who quoted the Old Testament prophet Joel.
And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come. (Acts 2: 19–20)
Reports of increased stellar activity are beginning to light up the hourly newsfeeds. One report says the following.
New observations with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) indicate that the rogue comet 2I/Borisov, which is only the second and most recently detected interstellar visitor to our Solar System, is one of the most pristine ever observed. Astronomers suspect that the comet most likely never passed close to a star, making it an undisturbed relic of the cloud of gas and dust it formed from.
2I/Borisov was discovered by amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov in August 2019 and was confirmed to have come from beyond the Solar System a few weeks later. “2I/Borisov could represent the first truly pristine comet ever observed,” says Stefano Bagnulo of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, Northern Ireland, UK, who led the new study published today in Nature Communications. The team believes that the comet had never passed close to any star before it flew by the Sun in 2019. (“First interstellar comet may be the most pristine ever found,” ESO, March 30, 2021, RR News April 2, 2021)
Other strange things in space are making themselves known in a stellar show that fascinates scientists who watch with critical eyes. A couple of other of these displays are turning eyes and telescopes upward.
Other strange things in space are making themselves known in a stellar show that fascinates scientists who watch with critical eyes. A couple of other of these displays are turning eyes and telescopes upward.
My good friend, Dr. Thomas Horn of SkyWatch TV, has done extensive research on a heavenly visitor that portends possible and prodigious prophetic possibilities—if you will forgive the alliteration.
It’s a matter of concern to scientists that most media won’t report because, we presume, of possibly panicking the public.
The space rock, an asteroid, is huge and might be on a trajectory that will bring it near earth. As a matter of fact, those who study such things say that if it comes as close as suspected, it can’t do anything but strike the planet.
While some claim it will come close enough to knock out orbiting satellites, they say it isn’t likely to actually hit the planet.
Tom Horn and others, including top scientists devoted to study of interstellar space, say it’s ludicrous to think such a huge mass could come close enough to knock out orbiting satellites and not plunge into the planet itself.
The asteroid, named Apophis after a god of ancient mythology, is headed earth’s way, according to those carefully tracking it.
You may have seen this week where NASA is calling an “all clear” on the impact possibility of Apophis in 2029. But just one of many scientists is warning that NASA’s trajectory calculation of Apophis is off by as much as 600,000 miles, which Harry Lear implies could send Apophis crashing into earth eight years from now on April 13, 2029. Lear sent an open letter to the President and U.S. Government scientists begging them to cross-check these calculations immediately, even though he ends his dispatch with an ominous admonition that we may already be out of time.…
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson admits that on April 13, 2029: “Apophis will come so close to Earth that it will dip below our orbiting communication satellites. It will be the largest closest thing we have ever observed to come by earth… the orbit we now have for it is uncertain…because these things are hard to measure and hard to get an exact distance for—we cannot tell you exactly where that trajectory will be.” (“When Prophets and Scientists Agree: Nasa “Deceptively” Clouding Truth about 2029 Asteroid Impact Odds,” 3/30/21, SkyWatch Editor)
Tom Horn, in his books The Messenger and The Wormwood Prophecy, goes into great detail, including prophetic possibilities regarding this massive space rock.
He believes that it’s possible that it might have something to do with the catastrophic object from space given in the following Scripture.
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.” (Revelation 8: 7–11)
Jesus’ foretelling that there would be a great many earthquakes and violent upheavals in the earth also seems to becoming more in view with each news cycle. Here are just a few that are occurring simultaneously.
- 2 magnitude earthquake hits near Georgetown, Saint Helena
- 2 magnitude earthquake hits near Merizo Village, Guam
- 1 magnitude earthquake hits the Owen Fracture Zone region
- Elevated unrest continues at Taal volcano with 212 earthquakes in 24 hours, Philippines
- Etna volcano in Italy erupts to 30,000 ft
- Sabancaya volcano in Peru erupts to 24,000 ft
- Popocateptl volcano in Mexico erupts to 19,000 ft
- Sangay volcano in Ecuador erupts to 19,000 ft
- Reventador volcano in Ecuador erupts to 15,000 ft
- Fuego volano in Guatemala erupts to 14,000 ft
- Pacaya volcano in Guatemala erupts to 11,000 ft
- Lava flow at Pacaya volcano heads toward inhabited areas, Guatemala
- Iceland volcano: photographer runs away as lava flows towards him
The Lord’s admonition to be looking up when these things begin to come to pass must not be ignored. His Word must be embraced and spread so others will escape that horrific seven years soon to break upon an unsuspecting world. These are not signals of doom for the believer in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Here’s what He promises regarding this time of Tribulation that will be His judgment and wrath (called “the hour of temptation” in KJV):
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10)
Even so, come Lord Jesus!
Terry James Prophecy Line 
In the passage from Revelation that you quote…are the three angels ‘sounding’ separate events or one and the same, so to speak? It sounds like three different events….but Is hard for me to tall.
Most prophecy teachers I trust have viewed these as separate events, but occurring in close proximity, time-wise. Dr. Thomas Horn is conjecturing whether the first and third impacts on earth come from the coming apart of this major asteroid –Aphopis— once it hits earth’s atmosphere. He believes those burning fragments from the friction of entering earth’s atmosphere might set things on fire. Next the largest part of the asteroid might hit directly in the ocean, while offshoots would continue to fall then hit the fresh waters, and that would poison those waters because those offshoots they contain a bacterial content foreign to earth. ~Terry
Thank you for your reply. That explanation would seem to make sense.
I do find that trying to understand all the prophetic things in the Bible is very difficult…but then, I am not a scholar!
There are so many different interpretations of End Time things that it can all be rather confusing. I do wonder sometimes if no-one has it quite right…in other words, things may pan out in unexpected ways. Rather like the people of Jesus’s time not recognising Jesus because it would have been quite difficult to get interpretations right (at least without the Holy Spirit). It is pretty amazing when you think about it that people actually DID realise more or less who He is, even before His resurrection. But God obviously convicted them, gave them spiritual knowledge.
I just try and watch events and pray…and hope that the Holy Spirit will enable us to know what is from God and what is not. It could be easy to be deceived, even as a believer.
It would certainly seem that the time is relatively short and we need to be on the watch.
Rosh hashana 2021 or 2022 could be very significant for those on Rapture watch!!!
The “great mountain” of Revelation certainly sounds like it could be an asteroid. Apophis is about 1100′ wide and something that large could produce a 1000-megaton blast if it hit Earth causing continent-sized damage at the impact site. If it crashed into the oceans, which Revelation suggests is the case, it would certainly cause the kind of damage which the passage indicates. The effects on our atmosphere would be profound, no matter where it lands.
The “great star” called Wormwood (“wormwood” = “chornobyl” in Ukranian – thanks for that information, Terry) sounds more like a thermonuclear device to me. Calling this a “star” I think was deliberate because just like a normal star such as our sun, a hydrogen bomb produces also its energy by nuclear fusion. In another parallel, the effects of an H-bomb blast matches the Revelation description. Another Interesting thing here is that this one’s effects appear to be over land – exactly where a nuke would likely be targeted.
I think the majority of the signs in the sky will appear soon before the end of the Tribulation, but, as the article suggests, precursors might very well be on the way.
Combine all this with the current natural, economic, political, and religious turmoil we are now experiencing, it’d be a pretty big stretch to conclude it is all “coincidental.”
Amen and Thank you.
Hi Terry, have there been any signs in the sun or the moon themselves? Seems there must be signs in the sun and moon prior to lifting our heads. Am I incorrect in this. I believe in the soon return of the Lord and am excited for the Lords return for us, but have been curious about the signs in the sun and the moon, and what these could be.
Thanks,
Phil
I’m convinced, for example, that man landing on the Moon and all subsequent space flight, etc., could be harbingers that Jesus referred to. However, much more spectacular events, I believe, are yet in store. Although, there are continuing signals of unusual sorts seen at times in our Sun and other stellar bodies –such as when the big comet slammed into Jupiter.
These will increasingly have more of a supernatural character, I think.
Thought I’d mention a couple of things on this subject, too.
As far as the sun goes, I think that we might see a massive coronal outburst that might cause quite an effect of Earth’s electrical systems. I don’t think it would shut everything down permanently because I believe the Antichrist’s 666 economic system will need it to be in place for its tracking ability to work.
Regarding the moon, that’s a tough one since it is a pretty boring place as far as activity goes. Perhaps it’ll get a big meteor or asteroid impact that’ll cause a sizeable new crater to form which would be visible to the unaided eye.
I think most of the signs will occur in the times right before Jesus’ Second Coming, but I also agree with Terry that there will be precursors even now.
Ed Wood
Or maybe the moon could get knocked a bit out of orbit by a huge asteroid strike? I know extremely little about astronomy though, so don’t know if that could be a possibility or not.
Hello Yellowyarrow.
Sure, it’s possible something massive enough could change the moon’s orbit. I do think that if it was that big and hit, it might actually cause the moon to break up. We might end up with rings. I’m only an amateur astronomer, so this is all just a guess on my part.
What would be another possibility is if something massive did a close approach only and it’s gravity was enough to change the moon’s orbit, but not destroy it – maybe a mini black hole if such a thing actually exists.
If the moon’s orbital characteristics were changed, it would certainly affect Earth’s tides, maybe even earthquakes, too. They would be greater, and the timing of them more frequent if the orbit was reduced because that would also shorten the time it took for the moon to complete one revolution around Earth. We’d also probably get to see the moon’s Farside since the rotation and orbital times wouldn’t match anymore as they do now.
You certainly posed an interesting possibility!
Ed Wood
Thnanks for your reply….what you say could certainly make sense..and I’d forgotten about the moon’s effect on earth’s tides and hadn’t thought of the possibility of earthquakes being caused.
That would definitely be weird if we saw the other side of the moon! Funnily enough, I was joking to myself that the ‘man in the moon’ might change its smile to a grimace’…that would definitely be a sign I shoulld think! But it didn’t occur to me that that could actually be a possibility if something hit the moon! It was just me and my sense of humour.
You are welcome, Yellowyarrow.
Never thought of the man in the moon with a grimace. A big enough impact might give him a respectable scar, too. As far as impacts go, Revelation 8:8-9 certainly sounds like Earth takes a direct hit from something big enough to cause serious effects, preceded by in verse 7 by what sounds like a swarm of meteor impacts first.
Verses 9-12 sound like a nuclear strike, as I said previously, and its aftermath. Apparently, even after the meteors and asteroid strikes, the human race still has enough technology left to launch one such device at least. Wouldn’t surprise me if there are more. Makes sense as the nuclear installations would be hardened and remain intact even if the Earth’s surface is ravaged. Might even have some submarines left intact to deliver such missiles, too.
Fortunately, the Bible evidence strongly supports the premise that we believers will be long gone before then!
Thanks again for your latest reply. With regard to nuclear striles and suchlike…aren’t they also talking about the possibility of some kind of warfare using man-made satellites? ‘Star wars’ I think they call it.. We live in an utterly terrifying time when you think about all dthe different types of warfare that can be used….on top of pandemics, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis and so on. I do worry for those of my family and friends who don’t know Jesus, not to mention everyone world-wide.
Hello again, Yellowyarrow.
Ronald Reagan actually proposed a “Star Wars” system back in the 80’s to disable ICBM’s to prevent them from dropping nuclear weapons on us. It didn’t get too far back then, but it would not surprise me at all that clandestine space weapons from more than one nation are already up there in orbit. It might even be more scary to think a malfunction could start an unintended conflict. Who knows, maybe that “star” of Revelation 8:10 is caused by something like that.
This being said, I do think any nuclear exchange will be limited because a full-scale one would soon pretty much sterilize the planet and the Bible tells us that though Earth gets really hammered in the last seven years, there are still enough people and technological infrastructure around to deploy those 200-million man armies for Armageddon. Only the return of Jesus himself will stop the wholesale destruction of the human race that would occur otherwise.
To be sure, it is going to get really bad down here and we can already see the moves toward globalization and loss of personal freedoms thanks to electronic technology. This latest business of “Vaccine Passports” and China’s “Social Economy” system are just the beginning steps of what Revelation 13 tells us is coming mid-Tribulation.
Though very ominous signs have been coming for quite some time, the 2020 “Covid Year” has, in my opinion, pushed the velocity of the prophetic countdown clock up to warp speed – and is bringing the departure of believers closer . . . faster.
More reason than ever to keep looking up!
Thank you. Yes, I agree…things have been ‘hotting up’ more and more quckly the last several years…possibly since 9/11….but very definitely just lately. May God preserve all of us by His mercy.