The number one sign of the Second Coming is the convergence of all the signs Jesus and the prophets said to look for. Jesus said, “When you see all these things take place, look up! Your salvation draws near” (Luke 21:28). Today, we see these signs. Because we do, we can be confident we live in the season of His return. As we look back at 2020, what were the biggest prophetic news stories? Below is a list of what I believe were the top three:
1) The COVID-19 Pandemic: The current COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is not one of the specific events prophesied in the Bible for the seven-year Tribulation. The world simply hasn’t entered that time period yet. However, it is significant to bible prophecy, because it sets the stage for the near-term fulfillment of many end times bible prophecies. This isn’t surprising. Politicians take advantage of times of turmoil, disaster, and fear to implement changes people otherwise wouldn’t accept.
Since the coronavirus pandemic, politicians all over the world have used their power to implement lockdowns of local populations. Draconian restrictions governed when people could leave their homes and who they could interact with. Police raided private residences to break up illegal parties, and many people turned in their neighbors. Governors continue to issue onerous rules for how and when restaurants and other businesses can operate.
They regularly trample on the First Amendment freedoms of assembly and worship. In fact, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito recently said Nevada treats casinos more favorably than houses of worship. All these government orders are an attack on personal freedom and liberty, drawing us down the road toward dictatorship.
When asked to describe the signs of His coming, Jesus cited pandemics just like the one we’re experiencing now as a major sign (Luke 21:11).
2) Calls for Government-Backed Cryptocurrencies: The coronavirus has also led to something else – an acceleration in the push for digital currency, also known as cryptocurrency. The use of paper currency has declined dramatically in this new era of online ordering and social distancing. Many claim that paper currency is a haven for bacteria and viruses it could accelerate the spread of coronavirus. Because of this, look for more and more politicians to call for an end to using paper currency.
The end of paper currency and its replacement with government-sponsored cryptocurrency will put unlimited power at the fingertips of government leaders. Not only does cryptocurrency offer a way to permanently record every financial transaction, but it will also enable the government to track where you go and what you do. It will create a closed, government-controlled economic system where you’ll be dependent on the government’s cryptocurrency to pay for all your needs.
If the government decides they don’t like you, they’ll be able turn off your access and freeze you out of the economic system. They’ll be able to decide what you can and can’t buy. They’ll be able to tell you where you can and can’t go. In essence, they’ll have complete control over your life. And while I’d like to think we can take measures to avoid it, the rise of government-sponsored cryptocurrency is inevitable.
Long ago, the Book of Revelation foretold the establishment of an end times economic system eerily similar to a world dominated by government-sponsored cryptocurrency. The Bible says a time will come when a global dictator will require everyone on earth to receive a mark on the right hand or the forehead (Revelation 13:16).
Without this mark, the people of the world will be unable to buy or sell anything (Revelation 13:17). How will this work? It remains to be seen. But the worldwide rush to create government-sponsored cryptocurrencies provides us with a glimpse as to how such a system might work. And right now, the world’s central banks are devising plans to roll this system out.
3) Peace Treaties with Israel: In recent decades, no area of the world has been home to more conflict and ongoing animosity than the Middle East. A cauldron of ethnic, political, and religious clashes, many believe the spark that ignites World War III will come from the Middle East.
Central to the region’s ongoing conflicts are Muslim hostility toward Israel and disputes over control of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. These are the exact events the Bible says will happen in the last days. The Bible says Jerusalem will be “like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger” (Zechariah 12:2-3). That’s precisely what we’ve seen. Yet, the Bible also says an Israeli peace treaty plays a central and pivotal role in the end times.
2020 has brought peace agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kosovo, Serbia, Morocco, and Sudan – with the prospect of more nations joining in the near future. Do any of the recent peace agreements qualify as the Daniel 9:27 treaty? Some say yes. They point out that the Daniel 9:27 treaty is a covenant made “with many,” and that’s what we see. But that’s where the similarities begin and end. These peace agreements are not the treaty described in Daniel 9:27 – at least not yet. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t have prophetic significance. In all likelihood, they lay the groundwork for the treaty Israel will eventually sign with the Prince of Darkness.
Hopefully, Jesus will return soon. But whether He does or doesn’t, expect these same trends to continue in 2021. Look for the coronavirus pandemic to accelerate the trend toward increasing government power. More and more people have come to tolerate government mandates, bailouts, and censorship.
Included in these government power grabs will be the eventual rollout of government-backed cryptocurrencies as a replacement for paper currencies. When this happens, all freedom and liberty will disappear. Governments will have complete control over their citizens.
Against this backdrop, we see the groundwork being laid for the peace treaty that will kick off the Tribulation (Daniel 9:27). Combine these developments with countless others foretold in the Bible, and we can know the rapture, the Tribulation, and the Second Coming draw near.