End-Time Signs? Or Just Plain Silliness?

Are You Rapture Ready? Signs, Prophecies, Warnings, Threats, and Suspicions that the Edntime us Now
by Todd Strandberg, Terry James

Don't be left behind!

Where will you be when the Rapture comes?

In the last few years, the term "Rapture" has become an integral part of our national consciousness, fascinating everyone from businessmen and political leaders to media personalities and cultural icons to true believers. Now a noted writer on prophecy together with the creator of RaptureReady.com (with over 300,000 visitors a month) share invaluable advice on how to prepare for a future that might strike at any moment.

The analyses, insights, and predictions contained in this indispensable self-help guide date back to the teachings that were foretold in the Bible, and will help readers prepare for the Endtime.

The little old bald cartoon guy with the long white beard, wearing a flowing robe cinched at the waist by a piece of rope, comes to mind. He carries a sign on a large square of white cardboard tacked to a length of wood. The caricature prophet's placard reads THE END IS NEAR!

Prophecy, particularly Bible prophecy, has long been viewed in this fun-poking way by the humorists of modern times. Talk of Apocalypse, Armageddon, and the Second Coming has always been met with raised eyebrows and wry smiles of amused tolerance for the "utter nonsense."

Those who believe in prophecy as reality predicted well in advance, however, come in many varieties. There are the religionist prophecy buffs. There are the nonreligious spiritualists. There are cultists and occultists who claim knowledge of things to come. And there are students of the Bible who look for truth in the Word of God.

THE TIMES, THEY ARE A-CHANGIN'

The "cool" view of what is considered sham fortune-telling at best, and mad ravings at worst, pigeonholes all who delve into prophecy in the same "kook" classification ... Under normal circumstances, that is ...

"The times," however-as somebody really cool once said-"they are a-changin'." World circumstances now come in strange shades of issues and events that jolt our daily lives like never before. Abnormal circumstances have, since September 11, 2001, seemingly become the norm. Americans, for example, now live under various color codes of national security alert status.

The Pew-Power of Prophecy

Everybody-well, almost everybody-attended Mass, church, or synagogue following the horrendous terrorist devastation in New York and Washington, D.C. "After the attack, millions of nominally churched or generally irreligious Americans were desperately seeking something that would restore stability and a sense of meaning to life," commented George Barna, who directed a study called "How America's Faith Has Changed Since 9-11" (November 26, 2001, www.barna.org).

Suddenly, the word "God" was appearing everywhere. "God bless America" became a rallying cry that ranked up there with the American flag and the Pledge of Allegiance. Ray Charles's version of "America" took on as much patriotic gravitas as "The Star Spangled Banner." When an atheist who had a daughter in elementary school sued to have the words "under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance, the usually lethargic-some even say, slothful-Congress immediately began moving to assure the removal could never happen.

For a time at least, people sought answers to the nagging questions they couldn't even really define. They only knew that the terrorist threats originated in the Middle East, and that the events had something to do with the centuries-old problems between Israel and its enemies.

Armageddon Anxiety

Armageddon? Doesn't the Bible say something about a battle called Armageddon? Isn't that conflict supposed to take place somewhere near Israel? And isn't that to lead to the end of the world?

Every time things heat up in the Holy Land, even the mainstream news organizations of the world start talking about Armageddon. From Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1956 war to destroy Israel, to the 1990-1991 Iraqi Scud missile attacks on Israel by Saddam Hussein, every hostility involving Israel has brought fears of igniting the biblically prophesied conflagration.

End-Time Terrorism?

Terrorist acts against Israel have never ceased. These attacks have increasingly involved assaults on U.S. interests. Embassies were invaded, with hostages held for 444 days; ships were attacked while in harbor; military barracks were blown apart-America has increasingly felt the terroristic wrath.

Still, Israel bore the brunt of the terrorists' hatred. Civilians were more often the terrorists' favorite targets than the Israeli military. Yasser Arafat's terrorist organization, Black September, for example, murdered eleven Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

Then the attacks began to really hit home. The World Trade Center was first bombed in 1993. The twin World Trade towers, symbolizing America's and the world's economic strength and stability, were next struck in 2001. This time they collapsed into flaming rubble. The Pentagon, symbol of U.S. military power, was also dealt a deadly blow. The fanatics who did it originated from the place where Armageddon was prophesied to be fought.

Suddenly the idea of prophecy-especially Bible prophecy-didn't seem quite so ridiculous as before the attacks, when America had stood proud, unscathed, and unafraid.

Back to Business-Well, Kind Of

Things settled down again, like they always do. Church and synagogue attendance soon returned to normal after September 11, 2001. In fact, church attendance was reported to be at pre-attack levels by November of the same year.

"[People] tended to appreciate the moments of comfort they received, but were unaware of anything sufficiently unique or beneficial as to redesign their lifestyle to integrate a deeper level of spiritual involvement," notes Barna ("How America's Faith Has Changed Since 9-11," November 26, 2001, www.barna.org).

Despite economic reverberations caused by the strike against one of the world's financial headquarters, Wall Street and the other economic nerve centers of Planet Earth got back to their wild ride up and down the stock market roller coaster.

Yet there remains the distinct sense that something weird is going on. It's as if America and the world are collectively holding their breath, waiting for the other shoe of catastrophe to drop. A sort of geopolitical nervous disorder seems to have infected our world. Could there be something to all of this end-time stuff after all? Or is the talk of prophecy and the last days all just plain silliness?

PAST PROPHETIC PRONOUNCEMENTS

Argument and debate over the authenticity or the foolishness of prophecy have always been with us. Whether arguing the non-biblical prophecies of Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, and Jeane Dixon or debating the foretellings of the Bible prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, proponents and opponents of prophecy have long fought it out in the arenas of philosophy and theology.

(Our book's title pretty well says it all so far as in which corner we stand. We are dedicated to exploring things involving Bible prophecy. We will stick to looking closely at biblical prophecy in general, and at the Rapture in particular.)

Then and Today: A Comparison

"People have been saying we're living in the last days for years." So goes one of the most repeated arguments against the validity of Bible prophecy. How do we know whether we really are living in the last days? One way to try to find out is to compare prophetic commentary made in the past with events occurring today.

Then: The study of Scripture numerology or "Bible math" was big in the late 1880s. One key mathematical theory stated the time of man would last six thousand years. The starting point was around 4004 b.c. The end of time would have been around a.d. 2000.

Today: It is interesting to note that men who lived more than one hundred years ago forecasted Christ's return in our lifetime, not theirs. They obviously did not see the many prophetic signals we are seeing today. It is ironic that now that the signs are everywhere, most prophecy ministries shy away from prophetic timelines.

Then: In the 1800s, one author commented about the prophesied rebirth of Israel by saying that nearly twenty thousand Jews lived in the Holy Land. It seemed impossible at that time that there would ever again be a Jewish state called Israel.

Today: Israel has been a reality since May 14, 1948, with more than 5 million Jews living there at present.

Then: In past times, prophecy scholars noted that most of the destruction on Earth prophesied to happen during the Tribulation would be coming from God.

Today: With the proliferation of nuclear forces, man himself now has the power to destroy life on Earth.

Then: The idea of a revived Roman Empire, which many today believe to be the developing European Union, had prophecy scholars of the past writing about the city of Rome itself. One talked of all the new construction in the city of Rome as a sign of the revival of the Roman Empire.

Today: The fact that Europe is reforming into the final world government that Daniel and John wrote about in the Bible is unmistakable. The European Union is the driving force behind this reconstitution.

Then: In 1897, the first Zionist movement was held in Switzerland. The birth of this movement caused a stir among prophecy writers of the time. They saw the Jews beginning to think about the return to the Promised Land.

Today: Millions of Jews have returned to Israel from countries in which they have lived for centuries. Most of this relocation has occurred in just the past few years.

Then: In the mid-1930s, one author pointed out that girls in pajama suits dancing barefoot before a Sunday evening congregation was a blatant act that indicated declining morality. The author noted that no one in attendance was unfavorably impressed.

Today: If those dancing girls set themselves ablaze, the fire marshall might be the only one who would care.

Then: Early in the twentieth century, moral decay was evident at the beach, leading one author to observe the costumes that bathers wore and speculate whether nude beaches were on the way.

Today: Nude beaches did come and the bathing suits some wear make you wonder if all beaches could be certified as nude.

Then: Early in the 1900s, modernism was considered "the apostasy"-falling away from Bible truth-of which the Bible speaks. This modernism lacked leadership and had a general focus to it.

Today: Modernism has become the norm and has branched out manyfold. Higher forms of apostasy are now making inroads. The men of the last century couldn't have foreseen that pagan gods would eventually share equal billing with Jesus, all religions would be moving toward unity, and even God himself would be pronounced dead.

Then: Prophecy scholars of the 1940s saw "modern music" as a sure sign of lawlessness. "Swing music" was cited as appealing to the worst in human nature and for causing people to lose all semblance of self-control.

Today: The music of our time has changed a great deal from the turn of the century. We went from "Elvis the Pelvis" to Madonna and Michael Jackson grabbing themselves onstage. Many popular singers use four-letter words repeatedly and some, through lyrics, encourage teenagers to commit suicide. The "Age of Rock and Roll" has run the gamut, and left no stone unturned in the pursuit of filth.

RAPTURE'S TIMING UNKNOWN

When Jesus was on Earth around two thousand years ago, He provided man with several warning signs that would herald His return. The Lord intentionally declined to say what exactly would trigger the Rapture of the Church and the start of the Tribulation. According to the Word of God, the timing of the Rapture is just as much an unknown in Heaven as it is on Earth. Jesus stated clearly, as recorded in Matthew 24:36, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." It is highly doubtful that there is a tote board in Heaven counting down the days to the Rapture. If the devil were to know the timing of that event, he would certainly initiate a frenzy of demonic activity just ahead of it.

Remember that no prophecy in the Bible gives us an exact date, but many passages offer a general warning of the Endtime.

DECLINING MORALITY DECLARED DEADLY

The Apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:13 that in the last days, "evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse." This decline in morality has always been a favorite topic of prophecy writers. They cite example after example of decadence as solid proof we are getting close to the Tribulation hour.

As our society grows increasingly wicked, it becomes more likely that God will reach a point where He decides to punish Earth's evil. The Almighty's reaction to the decadent cities of Sodom and Gomorrah provide us with strong evidence that He is very sensitive to the levels of immorality.

Can we measure our moral decline in an effort to see where we stand in relationship to the Endtime? Using examples of depravity as a guide to where we are on the prophetic timeline is not as easy as most people might think. Everyone knows there has always been iniquity in the world. The debate is mostly over which way sin is trending.

Desensitized Morality Meter

The biggest obstacle to measuring changes in morality is the process of people becoming desensitized to sin. Abundant data proves that divorce, homosexuality, and corporate greed have all increased over the years. Because we quickly become adjusted to social changes like these, the magnitude of moral decline has largely escaped our attention.

How Low Can We Go?

There is a very straightforward way to evaluate immorality as it relates to the end times. It's not a matter of figuring out whether the ship is sinking; the boat is already lying on its side at the bottom of the ocean. Rather, it's a matter of asking: Can we go any lower from here?

  Pornographic Playhouses  It seems the moral content of today's controversial plays couldn't sink much lower. When New York theaters have already featured productions like Puppetry of the Penis, The Vagina Monologues, and Corpus Christi-a play featuring a homosexual Christ-like figure-it seems impossible that our society could degenerate much further. It's hard to improve on total depravity (reference for Corpus Christi play: http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/play.htm).

  Cyberspace Sinfulness  Pornographic sites saturate the Internet. Web pages that contain sexual imagery draw huge numbers of people.

  Rock Bottom Rock  In the early 1980s, a number of Christian commentators traveled from church to church speaking out against the evils of rock music. Most of their complaints were about the outrageous lifestyles of the musicians. Back then, the worst example of immorality in music could be quoted from the pulpit. Today it would be unthinkable to directly quote these lyrics in a church setting.

  Rock Bottom Reverend  The three examples just cited could stand as proof enough that we've hit rock bottom, but there's more. Despite the abundance of sin, few people are lamenting the problem. The lack of anger or even annoyance is a strong indication that we've actually hit rock bottom. When it was revealed that the Rev. Jesse Jackson had committed one of the greatest acts of hypocrisy for someone claiming to be a minister, apathy was the public's only reaction. In 1998, at the height of the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal, Jackson journeyed to the White House to provide spiritual counsel to President Clinton. Two years later, it was revealed that during that meeting Jackson had been brazen enough to bring along an assistant who was pregnant with his love child. The National Enquirer made known the news of Jackson's affair on a Monday. By Friday of that same week, the liberal media declared the matter closed (http://dir.salon.com/politics/feature/2001/01/19/jackson/index.html).

  Rock Bottom Doc  The signs of total collapse in morality are not exclusive to the U.S. In England, Dr. Harold Shipman was found to have killed more than two hundred people placed in his care by injecting them with lethal doses of heroin. Most crimes of this nature involve financial gain or sexual depravity. Shipman's motives seem to be largely a mystery. His ability to kill and then calmly face the relatives has baffled investigators (http://www.the-shipman-inquiry.org.uk/ome.asp).

God's Wake-Up Call?

When God judged nations in the Bible, His wrath always fell because people refused to repent of their rebellion. After September 11, 2001, there was a brief argument over whether the terrorist attack had been a judgment from God. If the attack was the Lord trying to get our attention, the message was clearly ignored, as demonstrated by America's quick return to business as usual. We can't help but wonder if He will try again soon.

FAST FORWARD TO PROPHECY FUTURE

The Rapture is the prophetic event most relevant to this generation, so far as this book is concerned. However, it is equally important that we look closely at other key prophecies scheduled to be fulfilled from here to eternity. Examining those predictions given by Jesus and the prophets will give us a good understanding of the end-time signs.

We will explore every face of the Rapture throughout the rest of the book. But for now, we'll put that subject on hold while we look at what will take place after that event. By so doing, we will get a clear picture of why the Rapture is so important.

WE ARE THE WORLD

"We are the World." That song, performed and taped by a group of recording artists years ago, brings prophecy for the Endtime into full view. Terms like "the family of man," "the global village," and "the big blue marble" have long been a part of global-speak. "If we all can just come together as one big family of man, peace and prosperity will rule" is the philosophy behind globalism. The philosophy is flawed because man, the Bible says, is flawed because of sin. There are always those among us who desire to dominate and take from us whatever they want. The prophesied movement into one-world government-and one-world everything else-is well underway.

From Are You Rapture Ready? by Todd Strandberg, Tim LaHaye, and Terry James, published by Dutton, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., all rights reserved, reprinted with permission from the publisher.

About the Author

Todd Strandberg started the Rapture Ready website in 1997; it has been featured in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Time, Wired, and Inside Edition, among other prominent publications and media outlets. He is a member of the PreTrib Study Center, a think tank of writers, broadcasters, and scholars. He lives in Nebraska.

William 'Terry' James is the author of many books on Bible prophecy, and is frequently interviewed on TV, radio, and in print media about prophetic matters. He is a lecturer on eschatology (the study of Endtime). He lives in Arkansas.