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How can we know that Christ’s return is near? (Part 7)

Revelation 13 describes the ancient Roman Empire and its ten European revivals. It also refers to the person of the end-time military leader, who is called the “beast” as well. (Revelation 13:8; compare also Revelation 16:13; 19:19-20).  We already saw that the person, who is also identified as the modern king of Assyria or King Jareb (meaning “the contentious fighter”), is revealed as being of German or Austrian descent.

We also pointed out that the mark of the beast, which will be enforced on people, describes the general acceptance of the worship system of the revived Holy Roman Empire, and that it is clearly associated with the violation of God’s weekly Sabbath and His annual Holy Days and the observance of manmade pagan holidays. The mark of the beast is not a visible sign or a microchip, but it symbolizes allegiance.

In addition, Revelation 13:17 tells us that no one will be able to buy or sell if he does not have the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Verse 18 reveals that the famous “number of the beast” is the “number of a man.” We are told to “calculate” the number, which is 666.…

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How can we know that Christ’s return is near? (Part 6)

The Bible shows that Great Britain will leave the EU. The Church of God has been proclaiming for many years that Great Britain will not be a part of the European unification in its final configuration. The main reason for this warning has been that the Bible predicts a devastating war between Great Britain and continental Europe.

Many falsely believe that the house of Israel and the Jewish people are one and the same. But Judah, from whom the Jewish people descended, was just one tribe of the descendants of Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel (Genesis 35:10). They separated from their Israelite brothers and, along with the tribes of Levi and Benjamin, formed the “house of Judah.” The other tribes became known as the “house of Israel.” The “house of Israel” went into captivity first, never to return to the “Promised Land.” Today, they are called the “lost ten tribes.” The “house of Judah” also went into captivity but did eventually return to Palestine. Many descendants of the house of Judah are living today in the state of Israel.

In due time, as history and archeology reveal, the lost ten tribes of the house of Israel migrated to and settled…

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How can we know that Christ’s return is near? (Part 5)

One of the most striking and convincing events proving that Christ’s return is indeed very near is the last European revival of the ancient Roman Empire, which is happening today, in front of our very eyes.

The book of Daniel describes four world-ruling empires, identified as Babylon (compare Daniel 2:38; 7:17), Medo-Persia (compare Daniel 2:39; 7:17; 8:20), Greece (compare Daniel 2:39; 7:17; 8:21) and Rome (compare Daniel 2:40-43; 7:17).

John’s description of a beast in Revelation 13:1 parallels with the four beasts that Daniel saw in Daniel 7—the first beast in Daniel’s vision was like a lion, the second like a bear and the third like a leopard. Here John sees only one beast, but it has combined elements of all the beasts that Daniel saw—a lion, a bear, and a leopard. In addition, John’s beast had seven heads. Taken together, Daniel’s beasts had seven heads too—that of a lion, of a bear, four heads of the leopard (Daniel 7:6), and the head of the fourth beast. John’s beast had ten horns, and the fourth beast Daniel saw in Daniel 7:7 had ten horns as well.

John’s beast represents the Roman Empire. He saw it as one composite…

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Is the Current or the Prior US President the Antichrist or the Beast of Revelation 13?

This question as to whether Donald Trump is the Antichrist has been debated on the Internet for quite some time. In the past, many claimed that former President Barack Obama was or is the Antichrist. Some are convinced now that Donald Trump is the Antichrist, basing their conclusion on his personality or his actions.

Let us see what the Bible says about the Antichrist. This word is mentioned four times in the Holy Scriptures, and the term “antichrists” is mentioned once.

  • 1 John 2:18 says:

“Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.”

The translation that “the Antichrist is coming” is incorrect. In the original, there is no definite article, so it should read: “you have heard that antichrist shall come” (compare Authorized Version). In addition, John states that there were many antichrists and that they went out…

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How can we know that Christ’s return is near? (Part 4)

We already alluded to the fact that the man of sin will sit as God in the Temple of God, pretending to be God Himself (2 Thessalonians 2:4). We also saw that this will happen just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. This means, a Third Temple will be built in Jerusalem so that the man of sin can occupy it. When we see that that Temple will be built, we will know that Christ’s return is imminent.

A further question is as to why a Temple would be built in the first place. One answer is: To fulfill the desire of the Jews to bring daily sacrifices at the Temple Mount. And even though it is true that sacrifices can be brought before the foundation of the Temple has been laid and the erection of the Temple has been completed (compare Ezra 3:6, 11), it is also true that the Jews would not bring daily animal sacrifices unless the preparation of the Temple is underway (compare Ezra 3:8-10).

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary explains the passages in Ezra 3:6-11: “They could not at once have a temple, but they would not be without an altar… And they made preparation for the…

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How can we know that Christ’s return is near? (Part 3)

In this installment, we will address the end-time manifestation of a powerful religious leader and the tragedy that in light of religious persecution and other reasons, true Christians will fall away from the Truth and return to the world. The prophesied “falling away” from the Truth is to occur, in its fullest and most grievous extent, just prior to and during the Great Tribulation. We will know that Christ’s return is eminent when these and other events happen at approximately the same time.

True Church members will fall away from the Truth because they did not receive the love of the Truth and did not believe the Truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:10, 12). Because of lawlessness, the love within them will grow cold (Matthew 24:12; “love” in Greek is agape, describing the love of God which only true Christians have; compare Romans 5:5). The New International Version says: “They refused to love the truth.”

As a consequence, they will become an easy target for Satan’s ministers (2 Corinthians 11:14-15) who will deceive them through their lying signs and wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9, 11; Matthew 24:11, 24).

The end-time falling away from the Truth refers to converted Christians. It will…

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How can we know that Christ’s return is near? (Part 2)

In the first installment, we discussed the SIGN of Christ’s coming—the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom of God as a witness among all nations. We also saw that Christ referred to several events, which are prophesied to accompany that particular sign.

The event, which we will focus on in this installment, is commonly referred to as the “Great Tribulation.” We already noticed that those coming days would be so devastating that, unless those days were cut short, no one would survive and all would perish (Matthew 24:21-22; Mark 13:19; Daniel 12:1-2). The very physical survival of mankind will be at stake. But it has already been determined that those days will be shortened. Mark 13:20 reads, in the New International Version: “If the Lord had not cut short these days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.”

Christ will return to end those terrible times. He will come to a world at war to make wars cease on this planet (Psalm 46:9). Misguided and misled human ingenuities, experimentations and inventions have produced weapons of mass destruction capable of eradicating man from this earth many times over. This shows…

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How can we know that Christ’s return is near? (Part 1)

It seems that Christians always believed that Christ would return during their lifetime. The early New Testament apostles believed this, until it became clear to them that His return would not occur that quickly. The Worldwide Church of God under its late human leader, Herbert W. Armstrong, believed for a while that Christ might return in the 1970s or even earlier. They understood numerous prophecies that seemed to indicate convincingly that the Day was near—but they then had to realize that some end-time prophecies did not find their fulfillment then.

Based on the upheaval at his time, Martin Luther believed that Christ would return soon… and so did those who were plagued by the devastating Black Death. Strong earthquakes, heavenly occurrences, devastating natural disasters, famine, pestilences and great wars prompted many to believe that they would experience the soon-coming return of Christ. They all looked at certain signs and predictions, which were startling and frightening, but they did not look at the entire picture.

Why do we feel that it is any different today? What are the world developments leading us to believe that Christ’s return is indeed near, and why are we confident that we are right this time? What are…

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Does the Bible Allow or Prohibit the Celebration of the National Holiday of Thanksgiving?

The word “thanksgiving” is mentioned several times throughout the Bible. Depending on which Bible translation is being used, in the Authorized Version or the King James Version, it is mentioned 30 times; 32 times in the NIV (New International Version); and 38 times in the ESV (English Standard Version), just to give a few examples. Of course, there are many more Scriptures throughout the Bible where the theme of “giving thanks” or “thankfulness” is mentioned. 

The history of the American Thanksgiving Day is quite interesting as it contains origins of religious traditions, similar in ways to what the Bible alludes when referring to God’s annual Fall Holy Days. According to Wikipedia, “Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in Canada, the United States, some of the Caribbean islands and Liberia. It began as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. Similarly named festival holidays occur in Germany and Japan [as well as other countries like the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, India, Australia, and the Philippines].”

In this Q&A, we are only concentrating on the celebration of the American Thanksgiving Day and, in passing, of…

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How long should we ask for God’s help? (Part 2)

In the first installment of this two-part series, we saw that God may make His Will absolutely clear to us to the effect that He will not intervene in the way we hope or wish, and if that is the case, prayers to God to change His Will would be superfluous and futile.

We might not always be able to understand God’s decision not to intervene or fulfill our specific request in a particular matter, because we might not always see what God’s Will or plan might be. We must recognize, however, that His thoughts are much higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). Psalm 92:5-6 says:

“O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep. A senseless man does not know, Nor does a fool understand this.”

God declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). Man cannot do anything against His plan.

Proverbs 19:21 says:

“There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the LORD’s counsel–that will stand.”

Proverbs 16:9 adds:

“A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”

Proverbs 21:30 explains:

“There is no wisdom or understanding Or counsel against the LORD.”

In Acts 5:38-39, “a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the…

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