BEHOLD, I COME QUICKLY;

(The Signs of Christ’s SOON coming)

 

Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

 

All of us who have been raised as Christians, have been hearing of the Lord’s soon return ever since we were children. In fact, as far back as the days of the apostle Paul there were some who were expecting the Lord to come in their day as we read in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

 

So is Christ’s coming near at hand or not? And if so, how do we know? How can we address those skeptics who say, “you’ve been saying that all your life and He still hasn’t come.” How can we prove that His coming TRULY IS at hand? The Lord gave us the answer to that by describing certain signs indicating His soon coming and we’re going to look at those to see if His coming actually is to be expected in our lifetime or not.

 

Let us first go to Luke 21: 25-27: 25 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; 26 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. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. What kind of signs in the sun and moon and stars did the Bible tell us there would be? We shall see that there are numerous verses both in the New and Old Testaments that tell us exactly just what those signs would be.

 

Let us first turn to Joel 3:15 - The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

 

Now let us go to Revelation 6:12,13: And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

 

Again, Isaiah 13:10 - For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

 

Now Amos 8: 9: And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:

 

Again, Ezekiel 32: 7 And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. 8 All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.

Before we determine whether those predicted signs have taken place or not, there is something else that we need to know and that is, does the Bible also tell us just WHEN those signs in the sun, moon and stars would take place? It certainly does. Let us first go to Matthew 24: 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: Now turn with me to Mark 13: 24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. 26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

 

Here we have two verses that mention those very same signs in the sun, moon and stars with the additional information that they would happen “after the tribulation.” What is the tribulation, when did it start and when did it end should be the next questions we need to know the answer to, right? Please turn with me to Daniel 7:25 – We read: And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

 

We’re not going to break this verse down into its components at this time because we’re studying about the signs of Christ’s coming. However, a detailed study reveals this verse, along with other verses in that same chapter of Daniel, tells us that the papacy would persecute God’s people for 1260 years, which began in 538 A.D. when the papacy was granted its power and ended in 1798 A.D. when the pope was taken captive by Napoleon and languished in prison until he died. Some of the cruelties and horrors that took place during that period of time when millions shed their blood for refusing to subject their conscience to a power other than God can be documented by such publications as “Fox’s Book of Martyrs.” But let us first look at this verse in Matthew 24: 22, And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. In other words, the Bible here tells us that the great tribulation would not extend all the way to 1798, but would be cut short before that. History records that the last martyrdom took place around 1776. We read in Revelation 6:12, that first a great earthquake would first take place, quickly followed by the signs in the heavens, which would occur AFTER the tribulation of the 1260 years cut short. Did that earthquake take place? We read from the annals of history:

 

Although not the strongest or most deadly earthquake in human history, the 1755 Lisbon earthquake's impact, not only on Portugal but on all of Europe, was profound and lasting. Depictions of the earthquake in art and literature can be found in several European countries, and these were produced and reproduced for centuries following the event, which came to be known as "The Great Lisbon Earthquake."

Lisbon had been shaken by several important earthquakes before November 1755: eight in the 14th century, five in the 16th century (including the 1531 earthquake that destroyed 1,500 houses, and the 1597 earthquake when three streets vanished), and three in the 17th century. During the 18th century, two earthquakes were reported in 1724 and 1750. In 1755, the earthquake struck on the morning of 1 November, the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day when the churches were loaded with worshippers.

Contemporary reports state that the earthquake lasted between three-and-a-half and six minutes, causing gigantic fissures 15 ft wide to appear in the city centre. Survivors rushed to the open space of the docks for safety and watched as the water receded, revealing a sea floor littered by lost cargo and old shipwrecks. Approximately forty minutes after the earthquake, an enormous tsunami engulfed the harbour and downtown, rushing up the Tagus river. It was followed by two more waves. In the areas unaffected by the tsunami, fire quickly broke out, and flames raged for five days.

Lisbon was not the only Portuguese city affected by the catastrophe. Throughout the south of the country,  destruction was rampant. A tsunami destroyed some coastal fortresses in the Southern Coastal area, and, in the lower levels, razed several houses. Most of the coastal towns and villages were heavily damaged. In Lagos, the waves reached the top of the city walls. The town of Vila Real de Santo António was destroyed by the tsunami. Other towns of different Portuguese regions, like Peniche, Cascais, and even Covilhã which is located near the Serra da Estrela mountain range in central inland Portugal, were affected. The shock waves of the earthquake were felt throughout Europe as far as Finland and North Africa. Tsunamis as tall as 66 ft swept the coast of North Africa, and struck Martinique and Barbados across the Atlantic. A ten-foot tsunami hit the southern English coast.

Of Lisbon's population of 275,000, as many as 90,000 were killed. Another 10,000 lost their lives in Morocco. Eighty-five percent of Lisbon's buildings were destroyed, including famous palaces and libraries, as well as most examples of Portugal's distinctive 16th-century Manueline architecture. Several buildings that had suffered little earthquake damage were destroyed by the subsequent fire. The new Opera House, opened just six months before (named the Phoenix Opera), burned to the ground. The Royal Ribeira Palace, which stood just beside the Tagus river in the modern square of Terreiro do Paço, was destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami. Inside, the 70,000-volume royal library as well as hundreds of works of art, including paintings by Titian, Rubens, and Correggio, were lost. The royal archives disappeared together with detailed historical records of explorations by Vasco da Gama and other early navigators. The earthquake also damaged major churches in Lisbon, namely the Lisbon Cathedral, the Basilicas of São Paulo, Santa Catarina, São Vicente de Fora, and the Misericordia Church. The Royal Hospital of All Saints (the largest public hospital at the time) in the Rossio square was consumed by fire and hundreds of patients burned to death. The tomb of national hero Nuno Álvares Pereira was also lost. Visitors to Lisbon may still walk the ruins of the Carmo Convent, which were preserved to remind Lisboners of the destruction.

So history records that the great earthquake DID take place just as the Bible stated it would, BEFORE the great tribulation ended––that earthquake happened in 1755. The last martyrdom took place in the year 1776, some 22 years before the power of the papacy was taken down, and as we have read from the Scriptures, the signs in the sun, moon and stars would take place AFTER that tribulation. Did it occur as the Bible stated it would or not?

 

Reading from a historical account of that day:  On the 19th of May, 1780, (18 years before 1798, but AFTER the tribulation had ended!) this prophecy was fulfilled. It was not an eclipse. Timothy Dwight says, "The 19th of May, 1780, was a remarkable dark day. Candles were lighted in many houses; the birds were silent and disappeared, and the fowls retired to roost. ... A very general opinion prevailed, that the day of judgment was at hand." Quoted in Connecticut Historical Collections, compiled by John Warner Barber (2nd ed.; New Haven: Durrie & Peck and J.W. Barber, 1836) p. 403.

 

The Dark Day
"Almost if not altogether alone as the most mysterious and as yet unexplained phenomenon of its kind, . . . stands the dark day of May 19, 1780, --a most unaccountable darkening of the whole visible heavens and atmosphere in New England." That the darkness was not due to an eclipse is evident from the fact that the moon was then nearly full. It was not caused by clouds, or the thickness of the atmosphere, for in some localities where the darkness extended, the sky was so clear that the stars could be seen. Concerning the inability of science to assign a satisfactory cause for this manifestation, Herschel the astronomer declares: "The dark day in North America was one of those wonderful phenomena of nature which philosophy is at a loss to explain."

"The extent of the darkness was also very remarkable. It was observed at the most easterly regions of New England; westward, to the farthest part of Connecticut, and at Albany, N. Y.; to the southward, it was observed all along the sea coast; and to the north, as far as the American settlements extended. It probably far exceeded those boundaries, but the exact limits were never positively known. With regard to its duration, it continued in the neighborhood of Boston for at least fourteen or fifteen hours."

"The morning was clear and pleasant, but about eight o'clock there was observed an uncommon appearance in the sun. There were no clouds, but the air was thick, having a smoky appearance, and the sun shone with a pale, yellowish hue, but kept growing darker and darker, until it was hid from sight." There was "midnight darkness at noonday."

"The occurrence brought intense alarm and distress to multitudes of minds, as well as dismay to the whole brute creation, the fowls fleeing bewildered to their roosts, and the birds to their nests, and the cattle returning to their stalls." Frogs and night hawks began their notes. The cocks crew as at daybreak. Farmers were forced to leave their work in the fields. Business was generally suspended, and candles were lighted in the dwellings. "The Legislature of Connecticut was in session at Hartford, but being unable to transact business adjourned. Everything bore the appearance and gloom of night."

The intense darkness of the day was succeeded, an hour or two before evening, by a partially clear sky, and the sun appeared, though it was still obscured by the black, heavy mist. But "this interval was followed by a return of the obscuration with greater density, that rendered the first half of the night hideously dark beyond all former experience of the probable million of people who saw it. From soon after sunset until midnight, no ray of light from moon or star penetrated the vault above. It was pronounced 'the blackness of darkness!'" Said an eye-witness of the scene: "I could not help conceiving, at the time, that if every luminous body in the universe had been shrouded in impenetrable darkness, or struck out of existence, the darkness could not have been more complete." Though the moon that night rose to the full, "it had not the least effect to dispel the death-like shadows." After midnight the darkness disappeared, and the moon, when first visible, had the appearance of blood.

May 19, 1780, stands in history as "The Dark Day." Since the time of Moses, no period of darkness of equal density, extent, and duration has ever been recorded. The description of this event, is but an echo of the words of the Lord, recorded by the prophet Joel, twenty-five hundred years previous to their fulfillment: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come." Joel 2:31.

 

So here, from the chronicles of history we have the exact and precise fulfillment of those Biblical prophecies that told us that before Jesus comes, first there would be an earthquake––which happened in November 1755, then AFTER the tribulation ended––which happened in 1776, the sun would be darkened and that the moon would become as blood. That happened in May of 1780. But the Bible also states in Matthew 24:25 that the stars would fall. In fact, in Revelation 6:12,13 we read: And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

 

Did the stars of heaven fall as they are described here? What does history record? We read:

 

The great star shower took place on the night of November 13, 1833. It was so bright that a newspaper could be read on the street. One writer says, "For nearly four hours the sky was literally ablaze."* Men thought the end of the world had come. Look into this. It is most fascinating, and a sign of Christ's coming.

*Peter A. Millman, "The Falling of the Stars," The Telescope, 7 (May-June, 1940) 57.

Stars Fall From Heaven
In 1833, the last of the signs appeared which were promised by the Saviour as tokens of his second advent. Said Jesus, "The stars shall fall from heaven." Matt. 24:29. And John in the Revelation declared, as he beheld in vision the scenes that herald the day of God: "The stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind." Rev. 6:13. This prophecy received a striking and impressive fulfillment in the great meteoric shower of November 13, 1833. That was the most extensive and wonderful display of falling stars which has ever been recorded; "the whole firmament, over all the United States, being then, for hours, in fiery commotion.

No celestial phenomenon has ever occurred in this country, since its first settlement, which was viewed with such intense admiration by one class in the community, or such dread and alarm by another." "Its sublimity and awful beauty still linger in many minds. . . . Never did rain fall much thicker than the meteors fell toward the earth; east, west, north, and south, it was the same. In a word, the whole heavens seemed in motion. . . . The display, as described in Professor Silliman's journal, was seen all over North America. . . . From two o'clock until broad daylight, the sky being perfectly serene and cloudless, an incessant play of dazzlingly brilliant luminosities was kept up in the whole heavens."

"No language indeed can come up to the splendor of that magnificent display; no one who did not witness it can form an adequate conception of its glory. It seemed as if the whole starry heavens had congregated at one point near the zenith, and were simultaneously shooting forth, with the velocity of lightning, to every part of the horizon; and yet they were not exhausted--thousands swiftly followed in the track of thousands, as if created for the occasion." "A more correct picture of a fig-tree casting its figs when blown by a mighty wind, it is not possible to behold."

On the day following its appearance, Henry Dana Ward wrote thus of the wonderful phenomenon: "No philosopher or scholar has told or recorded an event, I suppose, like that of yesterday morning. A prophet eighteen hundred years ago foretold it exactly, if we will be at the trouble of understanding stars falling to mean falling stars, in the only sense in which it is possible to be literally true."

Thus was displayed the last of those signs of his coming, concerning which Jesus bade his disciples, "When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." Matt. 24:33. After these signs, John beheld, as the great event next impending, the heavens departing as a scroll, while the earth quaked, mountains and islands removed out of their places, and the wicked in terror sought to flee from the presence of the Son of man.

Many who witnessed the falling of the stars, looked upon it as a herald of the coming Judgment,--"an awful type, a sure forerunner, a merciful sign, of that great and dreadful day." Thus the attention of the people was directed to the fulfillment of prophecy, and many were led to give heed to the warning of the second advent.

 

So we have seen that the predicted signs in the heavens took place, not only exactly as they were described, but also at the time they were predicted to take place. This fulfillment in the very heavens can give us assurance that indeed the coming of Christ is near, even at the door. But what other signs do we have, after all the last of those signs occurred 175 years ago?

 

We read in Matthew 24:6-8 - 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 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. Certainly we cannot argue but the increase of these events is quite evident to us. Let us go on to Joel 3:11,12. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. 12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Is this not an accurate portrayal of the Muslim hordes that are waking up and threatening and striving for world conquest at this time? Isn’t it assuring to know that God predicted this thousands of years ago and that He is in total control of all the events taking place?

 

Please go with me to Isaiah 8: 9 Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.10 Take counsel together and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us. 11 For the LORD spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, 12 Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. 13 Sanctify  the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

 

Even though there will be trusts and alliances and affiliations and confederacies formed between nations and countries and political parties and even churches and denominations, they will not hold, it will all be in vain, and we should not seek to take refuge in those but let God be our refuge. In Revelation 18 one of God’s last messages consists of a call to His people to come out of all of these religious alliances lest they be partakers of the seven last plagues prepared for them.

 

For another sign let us turn to James 5: 1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

 

Psalm 49:11, Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue forever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.

 

James 5:4 tells us: Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

 

Certainly we can see that how greed today is grinding down the helpless. We witness that the wealthy will never be satisfied with the riches that they have accumulated by fraud and deceit and they believe that by their wealth they are setting up eternal empires, but some day soon those riches will eat their flesh like fire. Their exploitation of the poor and helpless is not going unnoticed by our Lord.

 

What are some other signs that the Bible tells us of the end times? Let us go to Nahum 2: 4 The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall jostle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings. The prophet here is describing a view of automobiles rushing to and fro. Certainly something that is familiar to all, especially to those who live in any large, crowded city.

 

Another sign: Isaiah 8: 19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? Now Revelation 16: 13-15, 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

 

Here in these verses we see that spiritualism will increase more and more, even in the very churches that claim to follow God. For example, how many suicides and even murders have been committed because someone has been convinced from the pulpit that a better life exists on the other side of death, that when someone dies they immediately go to “be with the Lord?” From the pulpit multitudes are taught that death is a blessing from God, His method of obtaining souls for His kingdom, rather than a curse from Satan who was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). Certainly we know that that is true of our day today as they deny that death is but a temporary sleep, as the Bible teaches (Psalms 13:3; 1 Cor. 15:51; John 11:11-14 etc.), and insist that the soul is immortal, as the devil teaches (Genesis 3:4). Let’s look at a few more signs of the soon coming of Jesus.

 

Matthew 24: 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

 

Christ is not only warning us of false prophets who bring false messages and heretical winds of doctrine, but also warning us about those who will come claiming to be Christ Himself. There are a few individuals out there right now who claim to be the Messiah, and they are deceiving many.

 

Again, Isaiah 22: 12 And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: 13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die. 14 And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

 

Matthew 24: 37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Instead of working out their salvation with fear and trembling, most of the Christian world is celebrating and rejoicing in the presumptuous confidence that they are already saved and have immortal life while the fires of eternal destruction are awaiting them. (See Matt. 24:13; Rev. 3:11; Romans 2:7 etc.)

 

Going on, 1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; We are eye witnesses to these things happening right in our midst with such heresies as that Jesus was created by the Father and that there is no Holy Spirit––certainly doctrines of devils and seducing spirits in these latter times are all about us.

 

Again, 2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. Certainly we ARE living in perilous times. Let us now look at this Bible list of 19 sins that will predominate in these last days:

 

Verses 2-5, For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers (nothing pertaining to God is sacred anymore, it is all subject to ridicule and mockery), disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection (its nothing remarkable now for mothers to calmly and deliberately murder their own babies and children––both before and after birth), trucebreakers (a man’s word and a handshake are no longer of any value), false accusers, incontinent (no self control––“there’s no right or wrong, just do what you want, whatever pleases you”), fierce, despisers of those that are good (those who stand for what is good and decent and moral and sacred are accused of being hateful and intolerant), 4 Traitors, heady (headstrong and domineering), highminded (arrogant and proud), lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God (You can fill a stadium to overflowing with sport and celebrity seekers, and the churches with those seeking to be entertained and emotionally excited, but how few pews are filled to hear eternal, life-saving truth on God’s Sabbath day?); 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

 

In closing, let us look at a couple of more signs that tell us that Christ is near, even at the door. Daniel 12:9,10 9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. These verses tell us that the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation will be more fully understood in the last days, as we read from Prophets and Kings, 547, 548:

“As we near the close of this world's history, the prophecies recorded by Daniel demand our special attention, as they relate to the very time in which we are living. With them should be linked the teachings of the last book of the New Testament Scriptures. Satan has led many to believe that the prophetic portions of the writings of Daniel and of John the revelator cannot be understood. But the promise is plain that special blessing will accompany the study of these prophecies. "The wise shall understand" (verse 10), was spoken of the visions of Daniel that were to be unsealed in the latter days; and of the revelation that Christ gave to His servant John for the guidance of God's people all through the centuries, the promise is, ‘Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein.’ Revelation 1:3.”

God’s remnant, Adventist people have been blessed by the understanding that the Lord is giving us of the books of Daniel and the Revelation that sadly, many are rejecting as heresy, stating that all the books of Daniel have been fulfilled and there is no future application, when this inspired statement tells us just the opposite, that those prophecies are to be unsealed in the latter days.

There is one more sign that has to be fulfilled before Jesus comes back again, and we touched upon it in a previously read Scripture, 2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Now verses 3 and 4: 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Events swirling around us today shout that this very revealing is in process of happening right now. In fact, we are privileged and blessed to have a part in this revealing as we witness from the Scriptures and history that the Pope whom all the world is looking to as the hope for mankind, the man of peace, is actually the man of sin, the son of perdition, one of the last signs given of the soon coming of our Lord and Saviour in the clouds of glory.

Let us close with Joel 3: 16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

No matter how troublous the times become, how threatening and dark, the Lord will be the hope of His people and the strength of Israel.

May we all be faithful and let no man take our crown of eternal life, is my prayer.

Clarence Settle