15. Prophecies of the Future

So far, we have examined biblical prophecies that have been fulfilled or are currently being fulfilled. So, what does the Bible prophesy about the days to come? To give the conclusion first, the Bible prophesies that comfortable life on earth will never last forever.

When the time comes (of course, no one knows except God), humanity will enter the end times, and at that time, they will experience the greatest "7-year tribulation" since the beginning of history, and when this period ends, it is recorded that Jesus will return to earth to judge all people.

The Bible clearly states that the specific timing cannot be known, but it warns to always be awake and prepared, as the signs that appear when the end times come are mentioned in detail, so the approximate timing can be discerned.

Prophecies about the end times recorded in the Bible are found in numerous books such as Daniel, Ezekiel, Matthew, 1 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians, Titus, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Revelation. Some of the contents recorded here are clear, like the prophecy of Ezekiel 38, but there are also prophecies in Revelation that are full of all kinds of metaphors and symbolic expressions. Therefore, the interpretation of "eschatology" is a heated topic of debate even among theologians.

The most heated topic of debate is the "rapture," where faithful saints are taken up to heaven before and after the tribulation period, with sharp divisions on whether this phenomenon occurs before, during, or after the "7-year great tribulation."

However, from the perspective of interpreting the Bible literally rather than symbolically, the consensus is that the rapture of the church and saints will occur before or during the mid-tribulation period. Therefore, I hope you will not attach absolute meaning to the general interpretation of end-time prophecies that I am presenting now. The approximate sequence is as follows:

15.1. Timeline of Prophecies

1. When the end times come, numerous signs of the end recorded in the Bible appear. (Matthew 24, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Galatians, etc.)
   • Prevalence of wars, earthquakes, famines, and epidemics
   • Appearance of strange and terrifying signs in the sky
   • Return of Jews to their homeland and establishment of Israel
   • Appearance of the Antichrist, apostasy
   • The gospel will be preached to the whole world
   • Rise of heresies, prevalence of worldly pleasure and hedonism
   • Love of money, loss of humanity, not doing good and committing injustice, love growing cold
   • Children rebelling against parents, and parents abusing children
2. The Holy Spirit, who indwells the body of Christ, the church, and restrains evil, is taken away from the earth. (2 Thessalonians 2)
3. Invasion of Israel by Russia and Arab allies (Ezekiel 38, 39)
   • Around this time, it is speculated that faithful Christians will be raptured (caught up) to the church (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, 1 Corinthians 15:51-58, Titus 2:13)
4. The Antichrist seizes world hegemony (Daniel 7:24, 8:25, 9:27, 11, 12:11 Revelation 6)
5. The Antichrist makes a 7-year peace treaty with Israel (Daniel 9:27, Ezekiel 38:8)
   • The world government combines with the Antichrist to play a dominant role in the early stages of the dictator's world domination (Revelation 17)
6. People are required to receive the mark of 666, which is a means of trade, on their hand or forehead, and those who do not receive it are killed.
7. When the Great Tribulation begins, God's judgment from heaven begins to come upon the earth (Revelation 6, the judgment of the 7 seals)
8. A series of dramatic events occur at the midpoint of the 7-year tribulation period, at 3.5 years.
   • Revelation 12:7-13
   • Revelation 6:17, 8:1, 9:1,12
   • Revelation 8-9: The judgment of the seven trumpets
   • The Antichrist reveals his demonic nature and extreme goals.
     • Daniel 9:2, 2 Thessalonians 2:4, Revelation 8-17
     • Matthew 24:15-24, Revelation 12:14-16
     • Revelation 14, Revelation 7:9-17, 13:15, Revelation 11:7-12
9. Another series of terrible events occur in the final stage of the 7-year tribulation.
   • The judgment of the seven bowls: Revelation 16
   • The Battle of Armageddon
     • Revelation 16:14-16, Zechariah 12:3, 13:8-9, 14:1-2
     • Revelation 13:5-17, 14:20, 16:14, 17:16-17, 19:11-15, Joel 3:10-16
     • Revelation 19:20
     • Revelation 20:1-3
     • Matthew 25:31-46
10. Christ's millennial reign begins
    • Revelation 20:4-6
    • Psalm 2:6, Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:6-7,9, 42:3-4, 65:20-25, Jeremiah 3:17, Zechariah 14:16, Romans 8:21-23
11. Satan's final rebellion after the Millennial Kingdom, and his defeat and execution (Revelation 20:7-9, 20:10)
12. The Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15)
13. The kingdom is returned to God by Christ (Isaiah 12:12, 1 Corinthians 15:24-28)
14. The present heavens and earth are burned up and disappear, and the eternal new heavens and new earth are established (2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 21:1-7, 22)

For those encountering this for the first time, it may feel difficult and complicated. However, haven't you confirmed that the numerous contents of the Bible that you thought were so absurd are historical truths?

Also, please remember that in this era in which we live, the miraculous prophecy of the establishment of Israel, which could never happen using common sense, and the transformation of a dry wasteland into fertile soil have been fulfilled exactly as prophesied, and the prelude to the Third Middle East War prophesied in Ezekiel is ripening.

Are the contents presented in this way really a fantastical story? Absolutely not. In this era in which we are living right now, the signs of the end times mentioned above are appearing very clearly.

15.2. Signs of the End Times

The series of events above can be summarized as follows:

When the end times come, in a word, "sin" and "pleasure" will be at their extreme, and various natural disasters and unknown epidemics will be rampant. In this situation, the war of Gog and Magog, which we examined earlier, will occur, and before and after this time, faithful saints will be caught up to heaven to avoid the period of great tribulation that will follow.

When the end times come, a person called the Antichrist will appear and rule as a ruler who dominates the world, "claiming" to be God, and according to the prophecy in the Book of Daniel, this figure is speculated to emerge from the current European Union.

This Antichrist will not reveal his true nature until the first half of the 7-year tribulation period, that is, the first 3.5 years, but after the latter 3.5 years, he will reveal his true colors, and at this time, anyone who does not receive the mark of 666, which can be used as identification and a means of trade, on their hand or forehead will be killed.

Since Revelation warns that those who receive this mark are destined for hell, you should never receive this mark. When the latter 3.5 years of the Great Tribulation are reached, it is prophesied that unimaginable numerous natural disasters and calamities will strike and countless people will be killed.

When this tribulation period ends, Jesus returns, and in the region of "Megiddo" in Israel, the forces of Satan unite to fight humanity's final war against God, the "Battle of Armageddon." However, Satan is ultimately defeated, and afterward, Jesus will rule this earth again for a thousand years.

After a thousand years, Satan will make a final struggle but will ultimately be defeated, and afterward, all of humanity will be judged before Jesus and divided into eternal heaven and eternal hell.

15.3. Interpretation of Eschatology

As mentioned earlier, the interpretation of the end times is very diverse. Some interpret the thousand years of the Millennial Kingdom literally as a thousand years, while others interpret it symbolically. Some take the terrible plagues of the 7-year tribulation literally, but others also see them as symbolic.

The same goes for the Battle of Armageddon. However, if the Bible is interpreted symbolically because it does not make sense using common sense, it is easy to fall into errors due to arbitrary interpretation, so it is right to interpret it as literally as possible.

15.4. End Time Phenomena We Will Experience in the Future

Should the prophecies about the end times that will come in the future, which are recorded in the Bible, be ignored because a perfect interpretation is impossible? Absolutely not. This is because the era in which we are living right now is the era in which the "signs of the end times" are appearing very clearly!

As you can feel directly, terrible sins and crimes are rampant around the world right now. You will know that bizarre dismemberment murders, sex crimes by elementary school students, frequent suicides, obscenity, violence, and other crimes that were unimaginable even just a decade ago are rampant.

Rather, we have become so accustomed to such news that we have become numb to most crime reports. Attempts to legally recognize homosexuality are occurring worldwide, including in the United States and Europe, and drugs, violence, and crime are endlessly occurring.

Of course, such crimes have always existed since the beginning of history, but there has probably never been an era in which they have increased as explosively as the era in which we live. We have become numb to living in a flood of sin.

Moreover, the Bible says that when the end times come, false prophets and apostasy will arise, and countless false prophets and heresies are rampant worldwide. Churches are being corrupted by false gospels, religious integration and the WCC movement, which claim that salvation exists in all religions, are occurring, and the number of Christians is decreasing day by day.

Furthermore, the frequency of global earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and other natural disasters has also increased explosively in recent years.

New epidemics caused by genetic modifications, such as SARS, novel flu, and coronavirus, are emerging, and super bacteria resistant to antibiotics are also increasing day by day.

Moreover, recently in the United States and Europe, biometric identification chips (VeriChips) that enable identification, personal information, and credit payments have been developed, and actual implantation in the hand or forehead has begun.

The current VeriChip is expected to evolve into the form of an invisible electronic tattoo implanted on the wrist or forehead in the future.

Many people see this as the mark of the beast 666 mentioned in Revelation. It is only in the beginning stages now, but soon, the implantation of this beast's mark will spread worldwide, using the resolution of personal information leakage problems due to the expansion of smartphone use and the ease of payment methods as an excuse.

Eventually, in the near future, the world will enter an era of complete credit currency due to the development of informatization. In this situation, people who have not been implanted with the chip will not be able to buy or sell and will not be able to survive in society, as prophesied in Revelation.

Many people will receive the chip because of the benefits of convenience, but in the end, this chip will be used as a means of citizen control by "Big Brother," and people will be controlled by Big Brother.

Moreover, Revelation records that those who receive the mark of the beast will suffer forever in fire and brimstone in hell, so you should never receive the mark of the beast.

Along with all these prophecies recorded in Matthew, the Bible prophesies that the end times will come when Israel is restored. As we examined earlier, the restoration of Israel was literally fulfilled in 1948, and we are the generation living in the "last days" recorded in the Bible.

The topic of the end times and the end of the world is too vast to cover, so only a rough overview has been given, but it is very clear that the era in which we are living is the last days. Do not say that you will believe when clearer signs appear, but quickly accept the gospel and believe in Jesus now. There is no time!

15.4. The Factuality of the Bible Proven by Objective Evidence

For a long time, we have examined the "Bible" from the perspective of an ancient document passed down from the Middle East, not as the scripture of Christianity, through the lens of historical and archaeological standards. Until now, you may have vaguely thought of the Bible as just another religious scripture or a book full of unbelievable myths. But now that you know the facts, what do you think?

The Bible is not just a "myth" that you vaguely think it is. It is a historical book whose historicity and factuality have been proven to a "dimension that is incomparable" to the numerous religious tales or ancient records that you think are all the same.

• In which tale or religious scripture is a very detailed history recorded?
• In which tale or religion does the leader actually appear in history and is supported by undeniably strong archaeological and historical evidence?
• In which tale or religious scripture have the events, historical background, place names, and personal names recorded been definitively and specifically verified historically?
• Which religious scripture has been recorded and verified as early as the Bible to be trusted in terms of documentation and archaeology?
• In which religious scripture have the miracles and supernatural events presented been "actually verified in history"?
• In which religious scripture has the fate of a people, nation, and individual in the future been daringly and specifically prophesied, and the fulfillment of those prophecies been confirmed in history and in the era in which we live?
• Which religious scripture specifically mentions and talks about the era in which we are living right now?

What about Buddhist scriptures? What about the Quran? What about the doctrines made up on the spot by the leader of a pseudo-religion? If there are miraculous or supernatural contents that are simply difficult to accept, are all religions the same? If objective and commonsense standards of verification that no one can deny are applied, no "religious scripture" or "myth" other than the Bible passes this rigorous test.

If you have vaguely treated the Bible as equivalent to other myths or religious scriptures, it is because you were unaware of this process of objective verification and did not know that the Bible dealt with history so meticulously and accurately.

Many people say that all religions are ultimately the same and that the teachings of all religions are in agreement. So they say that in the end, the paths up the mountain may be different, but they all reach the same summit. What do you think religion is?

If religion is defined as an ideological system "artificially" created by humans to find peace of mind and a place to rely on in difficult times, the above statement is absolutely correct. Not only Christianity but all religions emphasize love and compassion, staying away from evil, and enjoying peace of mind.

If that is the definition of religion, anyone can arbitrarily organize an "ideological system" and found a "beautiful" "religion," and they can communicate with each other. Absolutely.

However, Christianity and Jesus are never a religion or ideological system created by humans. Christianity and Jesus are not the product of religion or human thought, but "living history" and "fact."

It is true that all religions are in agreement. However, Christianity is absolutely not. Christianity is not a religion. The reason historical Christianity is exclusive is because only Christianity is a "historical truth" and "fact" that humans did not arbitrarily make up.