We are now almost 20 years into the 21st century, and beginning in 2010 all kinds of strange happenings began around the world. This says nothing of the signs in the stars and constellations that also began happening – signs that were predicted thousands of years ago in the Bible. Remember God uses signs to warn His people of things about to happen. But, the modern world has an attention problem – it is short. For example, in 2010 when birds began mysteriously falling out of the sky and fish began washing up on the shores for no apparent reason, the news media made a big thing of it. Now it is ‘old news’ and not much attention is given to it even though it continues happening. But, these events have a purpose – God is warning us about calamities that are about to come.

In the word of God it is written “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 3:6). Hosea also revealed the answer to the mysterious events described in the above video –

“Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.” – Hosea 4:1-3 KJV

All nations will be judged for their rejection of God’s standards of living but, to those who have been given much, much will be required, such as the United States and Israel, the two nations that were founded upon a covenant with God. Therefore, we aught to pay the stricter attention to these warning signs that have come upon us.

Hosea declared the reason for these judgments as being 1) no truth, 2) no mercy, and 3) no knowledge of God in the land. Other nations will have to examine themselves according to these standards but, I can say in the United States the concept of truth is no longer absolute. The News Media manipulate truth to fit their own agenda; politicians lie and bend the truth to buy votes; schools eliminate historical truths that don’t agree with their paradigms; and even the church, which should be a last bastion of truth, often bends it or neglects it if it would be inconvenient for their plans (such as supporting abortion, gay marriage, women pastors, divorce and remarriage, preaching against what God calls sin because it may cost them members and income) .

God does not describe mercy as we do – mercy is not the same as welfare! Because God says “if a man will not work, let him not eat.” What God counts as mercy is caring for the innocent among us and aborting nearly 60 million babies is the height of being unmerciful!

We have outlawed teaching our children the basics of knowledge about God by forbidding His 10 Commandments from public view, by forbidding the name of Jesus in public schools, by teaching evolution which denies God as the Creator, and a thousand other ways. And then we have the audacity to blame God when our children are raping and killing one another. In England 60% of those in the Church of England never read their Bibles and I suspect it is the much the same here. Few know what the 7 appointed feasts that God gave for His people in the Bible are. Let alone what they mean and signify. And to our great danger , few know the signs that will happen just before the Lord’s coming to set up His reign on earth. Jesus taught –

“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” – Mark 13:24-27

The Son of Man will come in the clouds with great glory. It will not be a secret coming for every eye will see Him –

“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” – Rev. 1:7

However, this will not happen until after the great tribulation occurs. In Matthew 24:21 Jesus called it ‘great tribulation’, greater than any that has ever happened. But, something else will have to happen before this great tribulation begins and Jesus tells us what it is so we can watch and pray –

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),” – Matt. 24:15

Daniel revealed several appearances of the ‘abomination that desolates’ and some have already happened. A preliminary fulfillment came in the time of the Maccabees when Antiochus Epiphany set up a statue of Zeus in the Temple and sacrificed pigs on the Altar. This led to the Maccabean Revolt but few know that a High Priest of Israel led Antiochus into the Temple and helped him do his abominable work. So, it will be at the end.

Jesus predicted there would be one more abomination of desolation to occur and Paul tells us there will also be a great apostasy (falling away of believers) that accompanies it.

“not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” – 2 Thes. 2:2-4

Scriptures reveal there are many signposts that should alert us to the nearness of the Lord’s coming and while we may have disagreements about the timing of these events, these basic ones are enough to reveal the lateness of the hour –

1. An apostate church will actually help the man of sin gain his victory as it did in the time of the Maccabees.
2. An Antichrist figure will be revealed and set up an ‘abomination of desolation’ as Jesus taught. This means Israel will be back in the land, control Jerusalem, and rebuild the Temple.
3. Great persecution of Jews and Christians will begin but, it will be a time of great victory for the saints as they boldly overcome by the blood of the Lamb and their testimony – Rev. 12:11.

Hosea reveals the way to prepare for these things: 1) Love the Truth, 2) be merciful, and 3) grow in the knowledge of God. If we do these things, the Holy Spirit will have us ready for the coming of the Lord.