For many of us, this past September was a “high watch” period. It’s certainly not that we set dates or place a limit as to when the Rapture must occur, but everything seemed to be falling in place for Jesus to appear during the past Feast of Trumpets. We watched with eager expectation of meeting Jesus in the air.
I know many saints feel a bit disappointed and perhaps discouraged now that September has come and gone. Will we have to endure another year of watching wickedness, deception, and lawlessness grow exponentially? How much longer will we have to wait for the redemption of our bodies and the realization of our glorious hope? (See Romans 8:23-25.)
I do not have the answers to these questions; however, I remain convinced that Jesus is coming for us very, very soon. Please know that the end of September didn’t put an end to the multitude of signs telling us that the seven-year Tribulation is ever so close.
With the Day of the Lord looming on the horizon, the Rapture of the church must be even closer since the Bible assures us that we will miss the entirety of this coming period of God’s wrath upon the earth (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11). We will be in heaven with Jesus before the antichrist appears on the world scene.
Four months ago, I wrote The Sound of Approaching Hoofbeats, in which I showed the nearness of the time when these horsemen will start their trek across planet Earth (Revelation 6:1-8). Below, I reprise its main points and explain why the sound of the hoofbeats is even louder today.
The Clamor of the New World Order on Our Doorstep
Revelation 6:1-2 tells us about the first seal, the first rider:
“Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, ‘Come and see.’ And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.”
These verses refer to the antichrist bringing the world together under his rule. The absence of an arrow in the bow points to his accomplishing this objective without force, although he will gather an impressive arsenal of weapons during his campaign.
The World Economic Forum (WEF), under the leadership of Klaus Schwab, continues to gain incredible influence over the nations. Without firing a shot, Schwab has placed many of his devotees in key places of leadership in governments across the world. The communistic influence of the WEF continues to rapidly grow in many free countries, including the U.S.
The UN, in conjunction with the WEF, recently announced their intention to change their goal of a world government by 2030 under the seventeen goals of its Agenda 2030. They want to establish the New World Order well before that year.
The Saber Rattling of Nuclear War
The second rider is that of war, as John describes in Revelation 6:4-5:
“When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, ‘Come and see.’ Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.”
To say that the world has moved closer to a nuclear confrontation during the past four months is an understatement.
I believe there will be a terrible world war after the Rapture that will far exceed the worst wars in all of history. Revelation 6:8 tells us that the “sword,” or war, will contribute to the deaths of one-fourth of the world’s population. It’s likely that nuclear weapons will account for this exceedingly high casualty count.
Here are just a few recent developments that tell us the wars of Revelation 6:4-5 are closer now than four months ago:
- The sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in late September makes a major war in Europe all the more likely. Vladimir Putin believes that Joe Biden and the West are responsible, and he’s looking to strike back.
- Putin is adding over one million new soldiers to his army. He has called up over three hundred thousand reserves and is drafting many new recruits, including those up to fifty years of age.
- People are fleeing Russia in droves. They understand the terrors of a likely nuclear war, and many also want to escape service in the Russian army.
- Russia recently annexed four territories in Ukraine, proclaiming that any attack on these is an attack on Russia.
These are just a few of the multitude of signs that tell us a major war is brewing. If I were to add China, Iran, and North Korea to the mix, the above list would triple or quadruple.
There are days when I wonder if the U.S. will even survive as a nation until next September. I realize that the Rapture does not need to happen before God severely judges America, but I believe the full extent of His wrath will fall on the U.S. soon after Jesus takes us home.
The “fiery red horse” of war is ever so close to riding: this alone points to the soon fulfillment of the biblical event we call the “Rapture.”
Many Voices Predict Economic Devastation by Early 2023
The words of Revelation 6:5-6 point to economic devastation:
“When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come and see.’ So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.’”
If you think that the world is not on the brink of the conditions described in these verses, you are not paying attention. We are frightfully close!
The destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines in later September spells disaster for the economies of Germany and the rest of Europe.
Here is what economist commentator Michael Snyder wrote about inflation in Germany before the cutoff of gas from Russia:
This week, we got some inflation numbers out of Germany that are so high that it is difficult to believe that they are actually real…
German producer prices rose in August at the fastest rate since records began in 1949, data released by the Federal Statistical Office showed today, pointing to a further increase in consumer prices.
Producer prices of industrial products rose by 45.8 percent compared to the same month of last year. Compared to July 2022, prices rose 7.9 percent.
Soaring energy prices on the back of Russia’s war against the Ukraine remain the main driver behind rising prices.
If we continue to see monthly increases of around 8 percent, next year at this time we could be talking about a yearly jump of close to 100 percent.[i]
The most conservative estimates of the impact of the Nord Stream disaster state that tens of thousands of Europeans will die this winter because they will be unable to heat their homes. Prices of all commodities in Europe and North America will continue to rise sharply as energy prices skyrocket.
Several months ago, I wrote, Is America on the Cusp of a Food Catastrophe? I quoted several prominent people warning of great trouble ahead for the economy of America.
The Rider of Death
The result of all these end of days horrors will be a death count higher than anything the world has seen since the Genesis 6 flood. Revelation 6:7-8 describes what the world will experience when Jesus opens the fourth seal:
“When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, ‘Come and see.’ So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.”
Right now, one-fourth of the world’s population would be almost two billion people, and that marks just the start of the prophesied Tribulation woes.
Do we see this on the horizon of our world? Absolutely!
The elite globalists of our day are seeking to dramatically reduce the population of our world.
Be assured that depopulation efforts, nuclear war, and famine all fit with the wicked and deadly agenda of both Klaus Schwab and his disciples around the world.
The WEF and the UN’s Agenda 2030 all have as their goal a New World Order with the elite enslaving a greatly reduced human population. Noah Harari, Schwab’s chief advisor, believes that the majority of people are “useless eaters.”
Please don’t doubt the vile and evil agenda of the globalists that control many governments in our world, including that of the U.S. They don’t care how many innocent people die as the result of their accomplishing their goals. Satan is motivating them, and as Jesus clearly explained, the devil’s character as that of a deceiver and “murderer” (John 8:44, 10:10).
It shouldn’t surprise us that the nations within his realm so willingly kill and destroy innocent lives.
Jesus Is Coming Very, Very Soon
What do all these things tell us? They assure us that Jesus is coming very, very soon.
If the prophetic events of Revelation 6:1-8 loom so close on the horizon, and they do, how much closer must we be to the Rapture of the church that must occur before these things happen?
Please, don’t be dismayed that you remain on the earth longer than you anticipated or would like. Jesus is coming in the very near future; nothing has changed.
Based on my study of God’s Word, I’m absolutely convinced of these three things:
- We live in the season of the Rapture; Jesus is coming for us in the very near future.
- The Rapture must happen before the start of the seven-year Tribulation.
- Jesus will return to earth as a conquering King after the seven-year Tribulation and reign over all the nations of the world for a thousand years from a gloriously restored Israel. The Bible tells us that Jesus will sit on the throne of David.
Jesus will not disappoint us; count on it. He will fulfill His promise in John 14:2-3 and take us to the place He’s preparing for us.
The glory ahead for us is well worth the wait. Keep holding on and looking up in eager anticipation of Christ’s appearing.
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My book, The Triumph of the Redeemed-An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times, is available on Amazon. This book provides a step-by-step account of why the Rapture must happen before the Tribulation period.
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[i] Michael Snyder, Economic Collapse Has Arrived In Germany. Will The U.S. Be Close Behind? September 20, 2022, at: http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/economic-collapse-has-arrived-in-germany-will-the-u-s-be-close-behind/