Four Signs the End Times are Close, Even at the Door

Dear Intercessors:

A flood of activity has followed President Trump’s recent declaration affirming decades of US official policy that Jerusalem is the Capital of Israel. He directed the State Department to begin the process of moving our Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

In response, Islamists worldwide have threatened violence. They are also exposing their true aims regarding the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel. For just one example, the Muslim Brotherhood made this declaration which also included declaring jihad against the United States.

“Jerusalem is not [just a] land or symbol. Jerusalem is a confession of faith (`aq?dah) and a religion (d?n)…. Jerusalem is an Islamic and Arab land for which we will shed our blood, freedom and life, and we fight every aggressor and every supporter of aggression. This is the way of our Jihad.”1

Say that again!!! Loud and clear for all the world to hear!  “Jerusalem is an Islamic and Arab land…”

From their own statements and violent actions, and there are many more, Islamists reveal that their concern is not with Palestinians and their rights, except as weapons against the Jewish people. As they have declared themselves, they are not seeking a two-state solution, or any solutions except Islamic conquest of the whole world which includes Jerusalem.

This action by Trump has been used by the Holy Spirit to drive the high-level demons behind Islam to manifest themselves and to declare their true intentions. Which are the replacement of God’s way of Salvation revealed in the Old and New Testament with the bondage of Islam and the destruction of Israel, the extermination of the Jewish people and of all Christians who do not submit to the tyranny of Sharia law.

Many nations, including strong allies of the United States issued condemnations, claiming it would hurt the peace process.2

In light of Trump’s action and the response it engendered, a strong leading to provide you with a short teaching convinced me to write to you. It regards what I experienced during PRMI’s Jerusalem Prayer Endeavor in November of 2017.

I wrote this piece before Trump made his announcement. Yet since then I have become convinced his action is being used by God as part of fulfilling Old and New Testament prophecies, as seen in four signs of the End Times. An intercessor for PRMI, who resides in the United Kingdom, has been to Israel many times. She explained the connection between the prophesies and Trump’s action as follows;

“In my mind the acknowledgement of Jerusalem by Trump as the capital of Israel created a shift in the end time movement. Jesus (Yeshua) is coming back to Israel as king and He will reign in Jerusalem as the King not just of the Jewish people but of all nations. (Zechariah 14:1-21.)  He can’t do that if Jerusalem is not their capital. Or if half of it belongs to the Palestinians. A king reigns from the capital of the country. Therefore Trump’s declaration is a further move towards that end time prophecy that works in tandem with the 4 end time signs that you personally witnessed taking place in Jerusalem.”

While we were in Jerusalem during our trip I recognized the presence of the four signs. I view them as clear signals of an increasing momentum toward fulfillment of prophecy leading to the End Times and the return of Jesus Christ.

Other signs also point to the End Times. For example, the Church and Western culture are exhibiting an increase in lawlessness and a falling away from God’s righteousness. But also there is great worldwide revival taking place!  And many other signs as well.

But as to these four signs, both I and the PRMI team experienced them firsthand. I present the signs to you in the video and in outline below in order to build your faith and expectation of God’s fulfillment in our day of his Old Testament prophesies. I also urge us all, including myself, to commit ourselves to the work of prayer and faithful witness for Jesus Christ. God invites us to enter our designated roles as his coworkers and friends in fulfilling the next stages of His end times plans.

The Four Signs in Jerusalem that Reveal Yeshua’s/Jesus’ Return is Close, Very Close 

By Brad Long 

Jesus said except for God the Father no one knows when he will return. (Acts 2:4-8) Jesus, however, did instruct us to “discern the times.” (Matthew 16:3)

With this in mind, every generation since Jesus’ ascension has seen signs of the end of the world  through the events of their day. The four signs I am referring to are verifiable and historically unprecedented.

I and the PRMI team saw them in Israel in November, 2017. I saw Old and New Testament prophecy being fulfilled before my very eyes.

First Sign of the End Times— Jeremiah 3:16-17 NET. “In those days, your population will greatly increase in the land.”

At the Jerusalem Prayer Tower on the 14th story of the Clau building, I looked out in every direction over the city and surrounding lands. I saw construction cranes everywhere. The director of the Prayer Tower joked that the construction crane was the new national bird of Israel. This great population increase in the land is truly new and contrary to Islamic claims that they populated the land.

One hundred and fifty years ago the land of Israel was empty of people and desolate. Mark Twain, in his book, The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims’ Progress, wrote about his observations during a trip in 1867 to what was then known as Palestine.

He documented the wretched and impoverished Old City of Jerusalem, and the land’s barrenness and lack of people. Now look at Israel!!!! Homes and high-rise apartments going up everywhere.

Second End Times Sign — Romans 11:15 NET. “For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?”

The second sign was manifested in our immediate presence. We met with Jewish people who have found Yeshua as their Messiah. I am astonished at the growing numbers of Jews who claim faith in Yeshua. What I find especially startling is that Jews are coming to faith without giving up their Jewishness. They are joining Gentile believers as born-again Jewish brothers and sisters. They do not claim Gentiles need to become Jewish. We honor each other as fellow believers who respect and accept each other’s distinctive identity and tradition.

Over the past two millennia Satan worked through human sin to bring a chasm of hated and misunderstanding between Jews and Gentiles. But in this generation God is restoring his original vision for the Body of Yeshua/Christ as described in Acts 15. God intended for Jewish synagogues to be populated with born-again, Spirit-empowered Messianic Jews who put their faith in Yeshua. In God’s plan, Messianic Jews were supposed to enter into harmony and unity with the born-again, Spirit-empowered Gentile believers. Through mutual faith in Jesus Christ – Yeshua the Messiah – the two expressions of God’s love to humanity were supposed to become One New Humanity.  (Ephesians 2:11-20 ) We were to be united as one in love for one another in the new creation. The body of Christ has neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, slave nor free. God created every person and each people group to uniquely express his character and love. Jesus does not require us to negate who we are as individuals and people groups here on Earth. (Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11)

Ever since Jesus’ resurrection many Jews through the centuries have believed on Jesus as their Messiah. Often though the Church forced Jews to become Christians outwardly and so give up their Jewishness. Tragically also the Church has a long and odious history of persecuting the Jews. Now in our epoch in this present move of the Holy Spirit the Jews are coming to faith but are keeping their Jewish customs and practices, not as a way of salvation but as marks of their identity as the chosen people of God.  Salvation for them, as for everyone, is through faith alone in Jesus Christ — Yeshua the Messiah — who is the same Lord of us all.

Now that unity in Christ is happening. We experienced it as we worshiped and ministered together with born-again Jews and took part in their ministry time. Just amazing!

The Third Sign We are Getting Close — Jeremiah 3:16-17 NET. “In those days, your population will greatly increase in the land. At that time, says the LORD, people will no longer talk about having the ark that contains the LORD’s covenant with us. They will not call it to mind, remember it, or miss it. No, that will not be done any more!”

This one stunned me! In all those gatherings with Messianic Jewish believers in which we worshiped together and prayed together they made no reference at all to the Temple! No one mentioned the Ark of the Covenant. No one discussed plans to rebuild the Temple.

What we talked about was Yeshua! And together we gave praise to Yeshua! In our worship we did not face the Western Wall, nor did we face the Garden Tomb of Jesus. Instead together we worshiped the Father in Spirit and in Truth. (John 4:23)

Prophecy was being fulfilled before us.

The Fourth sign that the End is Near. It is the fulfillment of a prophecy — Jeremiah 3:17 “At that time the city of Jerusalem will be called the LORD’s throne. All nations will gather there in Jerusalem to honor the LORD’s name.”

I saw this prophecy being fulfilled when we visited the Garden Tomb. All nations were gathering there to celebrate the resurrected Jesus Christ. Christians from all nations of the world have for centuries gathered at such holy places in Jerusalem. But until recently there was always one nation missing, which kept the fulfillment of this prophecy incomplete. That nation is the Jews! Today we have the restored nation of Israel present among the other nations of the world.

In the past Christians and Jews each had their own holy places and the two did not meet. But there at the Garden Tomb in our own PRMI communion service we took part in fulfilling biblical prophecy. We gathered together around the Lord’s table overlooking the empty Tomb of the Resurrection.

Jesus Christ — Yeshua the Messiah — was honored by our PRMI group, which represented all  nations figuratively. Our members included people from America, Canada, the United Kingdom  and China. Added to this international group was a representative of the Jewish nation,  our friend,  the Messianic Jewish Rabbi, Mark Rantz.

During our time at the Garden of Gethsemane we heard the voices of representatives from many other nations who were also celebrating communion or Mass. We joined the symphony of languages at our PRMI our service by celebrating in American English, British English, Mandarin Chinese, and Hebrew.

Martin Boardman and I had put on our yarmulkes and also kept on our crosses, to demonstrate our honoring of the Jewish root that we as Gentiles have been engrafted into.  We were experiencing the one new humanity giving praise together to Yeshua /Jesus Christ. We experienced God Almighty — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — enthroned on the praises of His people in the actual City of Jerusalem. This celebration of the Lord’s supper was an actual fulfillment of Old and New Testament prophecy. Yes! We are drawing closer to the End Times return of Yeshua the whole world’s Messiah.

 A Takeaway from Our Experience of the Four Signs

Now that I have presented the four signs, you may be wondering where we are in the countdown to the return of Christ and the End Times.

I cannot say and I do not know. But experiencing firsthand the fulfillment of these Four Signs of the End Times has convinced me that we are nearing the fulfillment of the Great Commission. The Four Signs are historically unprecedented fulfillments of prophecy.

I am also experiencing a call from the Lord about PRMI’s role in the remaining work of the Great Commission. We are to join the Holy Spirit in actively working toward the fulfillment of God’s plans in order that the Great Commission may be fulfilled.

I join with Jesus in offering you an invitation to participate in that great work.

There are a couple of ways you can do this. You could sign up for a prayer list which is focusing upon Israel, the messianic Jewish ligament, and Kingdom advance. You can do that here.

Or you could sign up for a prayer list which is focused on praying for the President of the United States. You can do that here.

[1] https://www.jihadwatch.org/2017/12/muslim-brotherhood-declares-jihad-on-enemy-state-us-over-trumps-recognition-of-jerusalem-as-israels-capital

[2] http://canadafreepress.com/article/un-security-council-bashing-of-president-trumps-jerusalem-decision