3-29-20 Connecting the Prophetic Dots
Connecting the Prophetic Dots - By Todd Hampson -
I'm a child of the 70's and it was definitely a different era. Video games were just entering the scene and we didn't have cell phones, so we had other activities to keep us busy. Most of them were outdoor activities, so we wouldn't break the house or drive our parents crazy, but there were a few indoor activities that were popular in my generation as well. Two that come to mind are: Connect the Dots, and Paint By Numbers.
I loved Connect the Dots because at first it just looked like a bunch of random dots on a page. But as we drew lines from each numbered dot to the next one, a picture would begin to emerge. What at first seemed like unconnected and completely random dots formed into a very clear picture right before our eyes.
Paint By Numbers, on the other hand, was less appealing to me. You could already make out the picture, and the only goal was to mind-numbingly paint all of the 1's blue, all of the 2's red, all of the 3's white. You get the picture (pun intended). By the time you finished, you felt like Rembrandt; but all you were doing was filling in the colors like a drone. Sorry to anyone who loves doing Paint By Numbers. Stick with me here. I promise it will be worth the time.
When it comes to Bible prophecy-or any area of complex theology for that matter-we often prefer a Paint-By-Numbers approach. We want it all spelled out neatly for us without having to do too much work or think too deeply about what we believe and why we believe it. I'm all for simple childlike faith, but as we grow in our walk with the Lord, we should begin to crave meat instead of milk. This does not make God love us more or put a "Super Christian" emblem on our chests, but it helps us to be grounded more deeply in God's word, and it helps us better understand the times in which we live.
As Bible prophecy students, we must take the Connect-the-Dots approach. We have to put in the hard work of studying scripture-particularly the Old Testament prophets (major and minor), the Olivet Discourse, epistles such as 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, and the book of Revelation. Then we must apply that to what we see today. That means we need to view the daily news cycle in light of Scripture.
If God is sovereign, nothing is random. Nothing. He sees all of history simultaneously. For us, our present intersects with eternity one moment at a time. He knows the end from the beginning as if it has already happened. He paints a very clear picture of what the end-times will look like; and my friends-when I connect the dots I see today, I am convinced that a very clear picture is emerging before our eyes.
A couple times a year I try to do a post where I provide a snapshot of the prophetic landscape as I see it. I'd like to Connect the Dots of a few prophetic end-time sign categories to see what picture is emerging. Space does not allow for me to cite all relevant verses for each category, but this is where I would encourage readers to roll their sleeves up and do some dot-connecting of their own.
Things are happening so fast and in such detail that I've shifted from citing a bunch of supporting Bible verses to encouraging readers to be skeptics and try to disprove the dots I'm connecting. I don't do this for debate or ego purposes. My goal is to force people (if they really want to know the truth about the times in which we live) to study the details themselves. I have found that this moves people from having a general knowledge to forming strong convictions-and it provides a clear view of the signs of the times. When you have to wrestle with concepts, you form convictions as you study the details. As you do, the Holy Spirit reveals things that are hidden in plain sight.
With all of that as a backdrop, here are a few major clusters of dots that have so clearly connected in our day that these signs seriously cannot be understated. One caveat. I know I'm missing some signs here. There are simply too many to cover, and they are developing too quickly to cover accurately in a single post. It's enough to make your head spin.
Israel
The unprecedented series of events leading to two forced elections in close proximity have served to kick the Deal-of-the-Century can further down the road. Everything surrounding this deal makes it the perfect candidate for the covenant the Antichrist will strengthen and push over the finish line sometime after the rapture occurs. The Deal of the Century could very well be the core framework for the end-time covenant spoken of in Daniel chapter 9.
I can't stress this enough, but every single detail related to Israel's rebirth as a nation has been fulfilled exactly as foretold in Scripture. Specific prophecies about the land, the people, the wars, the economy, the military, Jerusalem, the events leading up to (and following) her rebirth, the global rise in antisemitism (just ask The Squad), and so much more-have all occurred precisely as predicted in the Bible. This dense cluster of dots has connected to form a very clear and compelling end-time mega-sign.
Technological
The visions of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation are full of technological details that must be in place in order for various events to occur during the 7-year tribulation period. There are monetary, military, DNA, AI, communication, data-mining, biologically integrated, and other technological developments occurring in our day (at exponential, breakneck speed) that make the foretold events possible. The more technology advances, the more it lines up with the events of the tribulation period. Cashless systems, autonomous weapons, chip and neurological implants, DNA manipulation, the internet, satellite communication, nuclear weaponry, the surveillance state, and many other current and emerging technologies are all related to end-time Bible prophecies.
Geopolitical
The geopolitical landscape could not be more ripe for end-time events. The players and details of Ezekiel 38 continue to fall in place like a movie script. Again, there are so many details in place and casting shadows that we could detail them in a series of blog posts like this one. You simply can't study the details of Ezekiel 38-39 (or expand that out to 36-39 if you have time) and not have your mind blown at how spot-on the prophecy is. And it is forming right before our eyes-if you have eyes to see!
In addition to Ezekiel 38, we also see the extreme instability of nations. There are truly wars and rumors of war increasing like birth pains, just as described by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse. Part of that prophecy included division within countries, not just animosity between countries. We see this on the daily news. The US has (in my opinion) never been more divided-with the exception of the civil war which was (again, in my opinion) God's judgment for the sin of slavery. But even in that case, our country was divided in two. Today it seems it is divided into 50. There is no human solution to our perplexing problems.
Aside from the struggles in the US, there are internal divisions in Iran, China, Syria, Nigeria, South Africa, Venezuela, Italy, England, Spain, France, Germany, and others countries. Divisions between globalism and nationalists, the clash of cultures from the influx of refugees, races, tribes, "isms," and many other factors make the global landscape more volatile than ever before.
Couple this with the ongoing conflicts and ever-declining relationships between superpowers like the US, Russia, and China who increasingly find themselves with military assets in the same theaters. Let that sink in for a moment.
The tension between Nationalism and Globalism has been brought to light the past few years like never before. Brexit and Trump have been lightning rods to highlight the demarcation lines. What used to be considered conspiracy theory is now known fact. The gloves are off; and though key globalist figures remain hidden behind the scenes, their end-time agenda (knowingly or not) lines up perfectly with the prophecies of Daniel and John.
Economical
Even with the booming economy of the US (though economic manipulators are attempting to scare the markets and effect the next election by using the R-word-recession), the national debt is 22.5 trillion dollars. This number is so big we can't grasp it. It is-in my humble non-mathematician opinion-too big to pay back. At some point, events will converge, causing it to collapse. I believe (based on Matthew 24:37-39) that it will collapse as a result of the rapture and related events. Right now, the only thing holding it together is a bit of supernatural crazy glue. When the US economy collapses, the financial tsunami will circle the globe. This will help provide the perfect scenario for the antichrist to emerge and bring order out of chaos.
The Brexit-can has also been kicked down the road, but is about to come to an end. No one knows exactly what economic ripple effects this will have in the EU this fall. Stay tuned!
Spiritual
There is a connection between this sign category and the next. Spiritual factors naturally bleed into cultural trends. One of the recent mass-shooters was (based on scores of handwritten notebooks found at his house) a Satanist. Much of what our society calls "mental health" is really spiritual warfare-demonic influence that has invaded the hearts and minds of people as we continue to kick God out.
Some high-profile figures have recently turned from their faith. Author Joshua Harris and Hillsong singer and songwriter Marty Sampson both recently made comments about no longer believing in Christianity. There are people claiming to be Christian witches, Christian mediums, and other self-contradictory and wholly unbiblical combinations.
On the bright side, there is a great awakening among Muslims in Iran, Indonesia and other places, as well as an exploding underground church in China. The gospel has gone full circle around the globe, and perhaps this is part of a last ingathering before the rapture can occur. The times of the Gentiles is almost up!
Cultural
I remember when Columbine was a big deal. It was unprecedented. Now it's expected. Sadly, we're just waiting for the next mass shooting to occur-and they do, regularly. So much so, that most of them are not reported in the national news. Over 40 people were shot in one weekend recently. Unless you live near Chicago, you probably never heard about that.
Just 20 or so years ago, pro-abortion folks said they wanted abortions to be "safe, legal, and rare." Now many of those same people are proposing legislation that allows abortions to be administered by health technicians instead of "real" doctors (What doctor really goes to medical school with plans to become an abortionist?). They also encourage cross-border, secret (i.e. Illegal) abortion access, and states such as New York have passed legislation that allows babies to be killed at the moment of birth. There is an actual movement (complete with a book and website) called "Shout Your Abortion." What could possibly be holding back the judgment of God except for his foreordained timing?
There is no respect for the innocence of children. They are exposed to immorality almost everywhere they turn. Libraries around the country regularly have "Drag Queen Story Time." Come on. That is wrong on so many levels that there shouldn't even be a debate about it.
Here's a snapshot of what I'm talking about. Last weekend, a movie called Good Boys released. It stars three young boys and is rated R for all of the reasons you would expect a movie to be so rated. The purpose of the movie is to juxtapose the innocence of children with the most vulgar of adult vices and ungodly behavior-in the name of "comedy." Innocence lost.
Natural
We tend to focus on the US when it comes to these signs. The news is dominated by non-stop political spin. But, just recently there have been several devastating convulsions of nature around the world that we've not even heard about. There have been devastating floods and landslides across parts of South Asia from heavy monsoon rains.
Right now, there are record-breaking heat waves and droughts, and several major wildfires. Russia, for example, is on track to have its worst year ever recorded for wildfires. There are also major wildfires in Alaska, Greenland, Paraguay, and other places-including areas of the Amazon rainforest. And don't forget, 2018 saw America's most destructive wildfire season ever.
Just within the past month, there have been 646 earthquakes with 9 of them registering 6.0 or higher (and several more that registered 5.9). The two major earthquakes that hit California this summer triggered 16,000 smaller earthquakes. So, between July 4th when the 6.4 quake hit (possibly a prophetically significant day, I might add) and July 19th or so when the aftershocks died down, there were 16,000 earthquakes-an average of 1,066 earthquakes per day. That is significant. The one-two punch of the 6.4 and 7.1 quakes in just a few days definitely got the country's attention.
Convergence
The two mega-signs are Israel and convergence. They are like bookends of the categories and serve to show us how late the hour may be. Prophetic details are converging in our time unlike any other time in history. This is one of those statements I don't want you to take my word for. Please pray for eyes to see as you study these things for yourself and see if they are not true.
I know this can seem crazy to the world, but let's be crazy for Christ's sake. In the words of the Apostle Paul from 2 Corinthians 5:13, "If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God."
As we connect the dots of the day-let's be sure to pay attention to the picture that emerges before our eyes. Lord, give us eyes to see!
By Todd Hampson | ToddHampson.com
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