Seven Prophecies That Must Be Fulfilled Before Jesus Christ's Return
Previous generations have thought that Jesus Christ would return in
their lifetimes, but they were proven wrong. Many people alive today
think that Christ's return is imminent. Certainly, the Bible contains
prophecies that could not have been fulfilled until this generation.
by Melvin Rhodes
Shortly before His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus Christ
delivered a major prophecy of end-time events, recorded in
Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. He was asked by His
disciples: "When will these things be? And what will be the
sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3).
Jesus responded with a description of conditions and
events that would lead up to His second coming.
Moreover, He said that when these signs became
evident, His return would occur within one generation
(Matthew 24:34). Could this be that generation?
Throughout the nearly 2,000 years since Christ
gave His prophecy, many have thought that
theirs was the time of His return-and turned
out to be wrong, of course. But interestingly,
there are a number of prophecies in the Bible
that could not be fulfilled until our modern era,
the post-World War II period.
1. The human race would have the ability to exterminate itself
In Matthew 24:22, describing world conditions
prior to His second coming, Jesus said that "if
that time of troubles were not cut short, no living
thing could survive; but for the sake of God's
chosen it will be cut short" (Revised English Bible).
The main message that Jesus Christ brought was
of the coming Kingdom of God. This is described
as "the gospel" (Mark 1:14). Gospel means "good
news." While some of the prophecies concerning
events prior to the establishment of the Kingdom
can seem negative, we should always keep in
mind that the central focus of Bible prophecy
is the good news (gospel) of the coming
Kingdom of God.
Matthew 24:22 shows us that if Jesus
Christ does not intervene in world affairs,
the human race will be faced with extinction.
It's crucial to note that humanity has had the
capability for self-annihilation for only a little
more than 50 years, since both the United
States and the Soviet Union developed and
stockpiled hydrogen bombs and the world
had to learn to live with "mutually assured destruction."
At that time there were only three nuclear powers
( Britain being the other). By the middle of the 1960s
France and China had joined the nuclear club. Today
at least eight nations have nuclear warheads and
the number looks set to increase with a nuclear
arms race in the Middle East.
Of course, the more nuclear powers we have
in the world, the more likely it is that someone
will use this deadly force for evil.
Although international attention has been focused
on the nuclear programs of North Korea and Iran
during the last few years, little attention has been
given to the possibility of some or all of Pakistan's
nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of radical Islamists.
During the ongoing crisis in Pakistan, the Taliban
and al-Qaeda and their sympathizers have steadily
gained more power, territory and influence, making
nuclear terrorism more likely. Consider the
consequences for the rest of the world if
Osama bin Laden (or others like him) had
access to nuclear weapons!
Meanwhile, Russia and China are
determinedly flexing their military
muscles, raising fears of a return
to Cold War-era tensions.
The good news in all this is that Christians
have an assurance that Jesus Christ will
intervene to save mankind from annihilation.
This prophecy could not be fulfilled until man
had the potential for self-extinction through
weapons of mass destruction. Again, only
in the last 50 years has this become possible.
2. A Jewish homeland had to be
reestablished in the Middle East
Geopolitically, the central focus of end-time
events is Jerusalem and its environs, what
many people refer to as the Holy Land.
Luke 21 is a parallel chapter to Matthew 24.
Notice Luke's account of Christ's long prophecy
that answered the disciples' questions:
"Teacher, . . . when will these things be?
And what sign will there be when these
things are about to take place?" (Luke 21:7).
In response, Jesus showed that Jerusalem
would be the central focus of the political
and military upheavals that would immediately
precede His return: "But when you see
Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then
know that its desolation is near . . .
For these are the days of vengeance,
that all things which are written may be
fulfilled" (verses 20-22).
Anyone living a century ago would have
found these words nearly impossible to
comprehend. Jerusalem in ancient times
had been fought over countless times,
but for four centuries from 1517 the city
had been at peace within the boundaries
of the Ottoman Empire. Jews lived there
as a minority under Turkish rule. But this
was going to change dramatically during
the course of the 20th century.
It had to change for the fulfillment
of Bible prophecy to take place.
The Old Testament prophet Zechariah
was used by God to reveal a great
deal about end-time events and the
second coming of the Messiah.
Zechariah lived and prophesied
more than 500 years before
Christ's first coming, yet his
prophetic book tells us a great
deal about our world of today.
In Zechariah 12:2-3 God says:
"Behold, I will make Jerusalem
a cup of drunkenness to all the
surrounding peoples, when they
lay siege against Judah [the Jews
inhabiting the land of Israel] and
Jerusalem. And it shall happen
in that day that I will make
Jerusalem a very heavy stone
for all peoples; all who would
heave it away will surely be
cut in pieces, though all nations
of the earth are gathered against it."
In verse 9 He adds, "It shall be
in that day that I will seek to
destroy all the nations
that come against Jerusalem."
Reading these verses, it is
possible to think that they
apply to ancient events, as
Jerusalem has been fought
over repeatedly down through
the ages. However, chapter 14
makes clear that this is talking
about future, not past, events.
The time setting is immediately
before Jesus Christ's return.
"Behold, the day of the Lord
is coming . . . For I will gather
all the nations to battle against
Jerusalem; the city shall be taken,
the houses rifled, and the
women ravished. Half of the
city shall go into captivity . . .
Then the Lord will go forth
and fight against those
nations, as He fights in
the day of battle.
"And in that day His feet
will stand on the Mount
of Olives, which faces
Jerusalem on the east.
And the Mount of Olives
shall be split in two, from
east to west, making a
very large valley; half of
the mountain shall move
toward the north and half
of it toward the south"
(Zechariah 14:1-4).
Clearly the last few
lines of this prophecy
remain to be fulfilled.
Further in this same
chapter we read of
how those nations
that came against
Jerusalem will have
to go up to Jerusalem
to worship the King,
Jesus Christ (verse 16).
These chapters of Zechariah
are a prophecy about the
events that precede and
include the second coming
of Jesus. A Jewish-controlled
Jerusalem is notice-ably the central focus.
Shortly before Zechariah, another
Jewish prophet named Daniel lived
during the time of the captivity of the
Jews in Babylon. His book speaks
of the Jews' daily sacrifices being
cut off in the end time
(Daniel 12:11; see verses 1-13)
-an event that had a forerunner
in the temple defilement under
Syrian ruler Antiochus Epiphanes
in the second century B.C.
However, Jesus Christ confirmed
this as a future event to precede
His return (compare Daniel 11:31;
Matthew 24:15). This means that
these sacrifices must first be
reinstituted in Jerusalem-
requiring Jewish rule over the city.
One hundred years ago such
developments were hard to imagine
for the simple reason that no
independent Jewish political
entity existed in the Middle East.
After rebelling against the
Romans in A.D. 66 and
again in 132, Judea
was crushed and most of
the remaining Jews were
dispersed throughout the
Roman Empire and beyond.
No Jewish homeland existed
again until 1948 when the
modern nation of Israel was established.
An independent Jewish homeland
was merely a dream for a small
group of zealots a century ago.
It moved a step nearer during
World War I, when forces of the
British Commonwealth took control
of Jerusalem from the Turks in
December 1916. A few months later,
the British government pledged itself
to the establishment of an independent
Jewish homeland in the ancient lands
the Jews had inhabited for centuries.
It was to be another 30 years before
the dream was realized in 1948.
Yet since then tiny Israel has had
to fight wars for survival in 1948,
1967 and 1973 and has suffered
countless terrorist attacks and
threats of annihilation from hostile
neighbors determined to eliminate
the Jewish state.
Once again, here is a prophecy
that can now be fulfilled in our time.
3. The end-time king of the North
and king of the South
In Daniel 11 we find an amazing
prophecy about two leaders,
the kings of the North and South,
the heads of regions that were
geographically north and south
of the Holy Land. To understand
this prophecy we have to go to
the time of Alexander the Great,
who lived near the end of the
fourth century B.C., 200 years
after Daniel.
Alexander figures prominently
throughout the book of Daniel,
even though Daniel did not
know his name and never knew
him personally. He couldn't have,
since he died almost two centuries
before Alexander appeared on
the world stage.
But God revealed to Daniel that
after Babylon, Persia would
arise as the greatest power
of the region, to be followed
in turn by Greece. Not surprisingly,
the prophecies regarding the rise
of Greece are centered on
Alexander the Great, one of
the greatest conquerors in history.
Daniel 8 gives a vivid account of
the coming clash between Persia
and Greece. As you read it,
remember that a horn symbolizes
royal power and authority.
Persia had "two horns and
the two horns were high;
but one was higher than the other,
and the higher one came up last."
This refers to the Medo-Persian Empire,
the coming together of two nations or
peoples. As foretold here in verse 3,
the Persians rose to greatness after
the Medes.
In verse 5 we read of Persia's later
defeat by Alexander the Great:
"And as I was considering, suddenly
a male goat came from the west,
across the surface of the whole
earth, without touching the ground;
and the goat had a notable horn
between his eyes" (verse 5).
The "notable horn" or royal leader
was Alexander the Great.
The prophecy about his army not
even touching the ground is a
reference to the incredible
speed with which he conquered
the known world. All this was
achieved in a very short time.
Alexander died in 323 B.C.
when he was only about
33 years old.
Even his sudden, unexpected death
was prophesied: "The male goat grew
very great; but when he became strong,
the large horn was broken, and in place
of it four notable ones came up toward
the four winds of heaven" (verse 8).
When Alexander died, his empire
was eventually divided between
four of his generals-the four
"notable horns" mentioned here.
Two of these established
dynasties would have a profound
effect on the Jewish people,
caught in the middle between them.
These two dynasties were the
descendants of Seleucus, who
ruled a vast empire from Antioch
in Syria, north of Jerusalem, and
Ptolemy, who ruled Egypt from Alexandria.
Daniel 11 is a long and detailed prophecy
about the dynastic conflicts between
these two powers, their respective
leaders being referred to as "the king
of the North" and "the king of the South."
Of great significance is that whenever
they went to battle against each other,
the Jews got trampled on. This was to
continue from the time of Alexander
until the middle of the second century
B.C., a period of almost two centuries.
Then, suddenly, the prophecy jumps
down to the end time.
In verse 40 we read: "At the time of
the end the king of the South shall
attack him; and the king of the North
shall come against him like a
whirlwind, with chariots,
horsemen, and with many
ships; and he shall enter the
countries, overwhelm them
and pass through. He shall also
enter the Glorious Land
[the Holy Land], and
many countries shall
be overthrown" (Daniel 11:40-41).
While we don't have space here to
cover all the details, the latter part
of Daniel's prophecy of the North-South
conflict describes a clash of civilizations
between the leader of a soon-coming
European superpower-a revived
Roman Empire (successor to
Seleucid Syrian rule)-and a leader
who is the successor to the
Ptolemaic rule of Egypt, which
is now part of the Islamic world.
(To learn more, request or download
our free booklet The Middle East
in Bible Prophecy.)
We now see geopolitical conditions
lining up for this inevitable clash.
Here is yet another prophesied
circumstance for which the stage
has now been set within our lifetime!
4. An end-time union of European nations
In Daniel 2 and 7 we see prophecies
about four great gentile empires that
would arise in the period between
the time of Daniel and the coming
establishment of the Kingdom of
God (Daniel 2:44). Daniel was
himself living in the first of these
great empires (Daniel 7:4) as a
Jewish exile in ancient Babylon.
Following the fall of Babylon in
539 B.C., Persia would become
the greatest power, to be followed
by Greece (verses 5-6). After
Greece came the Roman Empire,
"dreadful and terrible, exceedingly
strong." This empire was to have
"ten horns" and would continue in
some form until the establishment
of God's Kingdom at Christ's return
(verses 7-9).
As we saw in the previous
section, horns represent
leaders or governments.
Here these 10 horns symbolize
10 attempts to restore the Roman
Empire to the power it had in
ancient times. Various attempts
at a restoration have taken place
since the fall of the Western
Roman Empire in A.D. 476. A
final attempt is to be made shortly
before Christ's return.
We find more details in Revelation 17.
Here we read of a final attempt to
revive the Roman Empire by "ten
kings who have received no kingdom
as yet, but they receive authority for
one hour as kings with the beast.
These are of one mind, and they
will give their power and authority
to the beast" (verses 12-13).
They will also "make war with the
Lamb [Jesus Christ], and the Lamb
will overcome them, for He is Lord
of lords and King of kings" (verse 14).
Again, it is clear that this prophecy is
still future.
Previous attempts to forge a united
European empire, from Justinian
in the sixth century through
Charlemagne, Napoleon, Mussolini
and Hitler, all involved force.
The final resurrection of the
Roman Empire will not be
attempted in the same way.
Revelation 17 suggests this
will be a voluntary union.
When these 10 leaders
receive power, they will
then give their authority to
a single leader. Scripture
refers to both this individual
and the new superpower
he leads as "the beast"-
acknowledging it as the
continuation of the four
gentile empires prophesied
in Daniel, each one depicted
as a beast or wild animal.
Only now is it possible for
this to be fulfilled.
In 1957, the Treaty of Rome
was signed by six European
nations that formed the
European Economic
Community. Today the
EEC has grown into the
European Union (EU) with
27 member nations. Out
of these will likely come
the 10 nations or 10
leaders that form the
final resurrection of the
Roman Empire. (For
more details, read
"The Coming European
Superpower" beginning
on page 13.)
Some have speculated
that the 10 kings referred
to in this prophecy will be
leaders of 10 regions of
the EU that will redraw the
boundaries of Europe,
ending the present
nation-states. The Bible
is not clear on exactly
which 10 regions or
nations will configure the
final revival of the militaristic
Roman superpower-
only that this new
superpower will indeed
emerge just before Christ's return.
However, it wasn't until the
10th nation, Greece, was
admitted in 1981 that any
conceivable fulfillment
of this prophecy was even possible.
5. End-time rise and fall of Israel and Judah
" Israel" was the new name God
gave the biblical patriarch Jacob in
Genesis 32. The 12 tribes of
Israel were descended from his
12 sons. These tribes later
formed a united kingdom.
It's been almost 3,000 years
since the kingdom of Israel
was split in two. Ten of the
12 tribes of Israel rebelled
against King Rehoboam,
the son of King Solomon
and grandson of King David.
The Bible continued to refer
to these 10 tribes as Israel
while the other two tribes
(Judah and Benjamin) that
remained loyal to David's
descendants were known
as the kingdom of Judah or
simply Judah.
Sometimes Israel is referred
to as the northern kingdom and
Judah as the southern kingdom.
Dominant among the northern
tribes were to be the
descendants of Jacob's
son Joseph through
his sons Ephraim and
Manasseh-prophesied by
Jacob to be the chief nations
of the world in the last days
(Genesis 49:1, 22-26; compare
Deuteronomy 33:13-17).
About 200 years after the
kingdom split, the northern
tribes of Israel fell to Assyria
and were deported by the
Assyrians to the northern
parts of their empire.
Often referred to now as
the lost tribes, they later
migrated northwest across
Europe, eventually settling
in new homelands far
from the Middle East.
The kingdom of Judah fell to
Babylon more than a century
after Israel's deportation, but
its people were not lost to
history. We know them today
as the Jews.
The name Ephraim is sometimes
used representatively in Scripture
for the entire northern kingdom,
though it can also refer solely
to the descendants of Joseph's
son of that name-prophesied
to become a "multitude of nations"
(Genesis 48:19). Remarkably, this
promise to Ephraim was fulfilled in
the British Empire and Commonwealth.
Ephraim's older brother Manasseh
was also prophesied to become
a great nation (same verse),
separating himself from the
multitude of nations. This
prophecy would be fulfilled
in the formation, growth
and dominance of the
United States of America.
In a revealing prophecy regarding
the United States and Britain, Jacob
(Israel) said, "Let my name be
named upon them" (verse 16).
References to " Israel" in
end-time prophecy often
refer to the United States
or the English-speaking
countries of the British
Empire or both. Sometimes
" Israel" can mean all 12 tribes.
We have to look at specific
verses in their context to see
which is meant.
"Judah," however, always
refers to the Jews, the
descendants of the
house or kingdom of Judah.
We must also understand
that the modern nation
called Israel is really Judah,
made up of Jews. (For much
more detail, download or
request our free booklet
The United States and
Britain in Bible Prophecy.)
Understanding this critical
part of biblical history will
help us more fully
comprehend a passage
of Scripture in the book
of Hosea, which is a
prophecy about Ephraim
(the multitude of nations-
Great Britain and some
of those nations that
came out of her).
It warns of destruction
to follow the end-time
ascendancy of the Israelite nations.
In Hosea 5 we read a prophecy
that mentions Israel, Ephraim
and Judah: "The pride of
Israel testifies to his face;
therefore Israel and Ephraim
stumble in their iniquity; Judah
also stumbles with them"
(verse 5). The prophecy
continues: "With their flocks
and herds they shall go to
seek the Lord, but they will
not find Him; He has
withdrawn Himself from
them. They have dealt
treacherously with the
Lord, for they have begotten
pagan children. Now a New
Moon shall devour them and
their heritage" (verses 6-7).
New moons occur a month
apart. A new moon "devouring"
them would seem to mean
that Israel, Ephraim and
Judah will all fall within one month.
This prophecy was not
fulfilled in ancient times.
As already mentioned,
ancient Judah fell to
Babylon more than a
century after Israel
fell to Assyria. Yet in
the end it appears they
will fall together-within
one month of each other.
This prophecy remains to
be fulfilled.
Remember that Israel gave
his name to Ephraim and
Manasseh, the ancestors
in turn of the British and
American peoples. As
Ephraim is mentioned
separately in this prophecy,
the reference to " Israel"
must apply to the United
States, which is now
the more dominant of
the two nations.
For two centuries prior
to World War II, the roles
were reversed with the
multitude of nations-the
British Empire-a greater
power than the single nation,
the United States. But today
America is the greater.
"Judah" refers to the Jewish
people, particularly those
who now constitute the
modern nation in the
Middle East that calls
itself Israel.
Here then is a prophecy
regarding all three nations-
the United States, Britain and
Israel (Judah). According to
this prophecy, it appears that
all three will fall within the span
of a month. Verse 6 shows
these nations turning back to
God, but finding it's too late.
Because of their sins, He will l
et them suffer defeat and collapse.
This prophecy could not have been
fulfilled until after the rise of Britain
and the United States as world
powers in the 19th century and
the formation of the Jewish state
of Israel in the 20th.
Lest the idea seem outlandish,
consider that Israel and the
United States are perhaps the
most maligned and criticized
nations on earth. Among Muslim
hard-liners, America is commonly
called "the great Satan" and
Israel and Britain "the little Satans."
6. The gospel will be preached
in all the world
In His major end-time prophecy,
Jesus answers the question
posed by the disciples:
"When will these things
be? And what will be the
sign of your coming, and
of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3).
After listing a number of signs
of the nearness of His coming,
He reveals that "this gospel
of the kingdom will be
preached in all the world
as a witness to all the nations,
and then the end will come" (verse 14).
The gospel is the good news of the
coming Kingdom of God. This message
could not be preached around the
world without the Bible and freedom
of religion. Both came gradually
with the ascendancy of the
English-speaking peoples
from the 16th century
until the present day.
However, it was only with the
technological advances of
television and radio and
other means of mass
communication after World
War II and their widespread
acceptance that it became
possible to reach hundreds
of millions of human beings
with the message of the Bible.
The gospel of the Kingdom of
God will continue to be preached
to all nations as long as we have
the freedom to continue The
Good News magazine and
our other media efforts.
Even so, during the last 50
years it has not been possible
to reach all countries. The
former communist nations
did not allow freedom of religion.
China, with one quarter of the
world's people, still does not.
Other nations also try to
suppress the publication
of biblical truth and even
the Bible itself. Many Islamic
nations do not allow religious
freedom. In some countries people
risk the death penalty for changing religion.
But the Internet is changing everything.
It is much harder for governments to
control. The gospel message of the
coming Kingdom of God is still
going out to the world. It will
finish when God has decided
that His work is completed and
the time is right for the final
end-time events to take place.
This is yet another prophecy
that could not be fulfilled until
recent times.
7. Instant worldwide communications
and God's final witnesses
Another end-time Bible prophecy
could not be fulfilled until this
era of instant worldwide communications.
In His major end-time prophecy
of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and
Luke 21, Jesus gave an outline
of disasters that would occur
on the world scene with increasing
frequency and magnitude-to the
point where people would be shaken
with fear (Luke 21:26). Discerning an
increase in the scale of these events
and reacting to them requires knowing
about them.
At the time this prophecy was given,
it could be many months or
years before people heard
about various disasters-
and many they would never
hear about at all, much less be
able to put together the fact that
catastrophes were on some
kind of global increase.
Only with the proliferation of
newspapers and other forms
of mass communications did
this become remotely possible.
Yet the level of awareness
and consequent fear in many
that Christ speaks of implies
an even greater availability
of information-possible
only since the development
of rapid electronic communications.
In any case, only with the
technological advances of the
last few years has it become possible
for the events in Revelation 11 to occur-
for people around the world to see the fate
of God's final two witnesses.
These two witnesses, reminiscent
of other biblical prophets like Elijah
and Elisha, will carry God's final
warning to the world in the last
3 1/2 years leading up to Christ's return.
"And I will give power to my two
witnesses, and they will
prophesy one thousand
two hundred and sixty
days . . . When they finish
their testimony, the beast
that ascends out of the
bottomless pit will make
war against them, overcome
them and kill them. And their
dead bodies will lie in the
street of the great city
which spiritually is called
Sodom and Egypt, where
also our Lord was crucified.
"Then those from the peoples,
tribes, tongues and nations
will see their dead bodies
three-and-a-half days, and
not allow their dead bodies
to be put into graves. And
those who dwell on the
earth will rejoice over them,
make merry, and send gifts
to one another, because
these two prophets tormented
those who dwell on the
earth" (verses 3, 7-10).
Note that people the world
over will be able to see their
dead bodies during the 3 1 ? 2
days that they lie on display in
Jerusalem. This was not possible
before satellite television, portable
communications devices and the
Internet. Again, only in the last few
years has it become possible for
this prophecy to be fulfilled.
It still lies in the future, of course,
but only now it is clearly possible
for this to take place.
Will this generation see God's
Kingdom established on earth?
We have seen how seven biblically
prophesied circumstances could
not have come to pass until recent
times. In fact, the establishment
of the state of Israel in 1948 was
clearly a major turning point in the
fulfillment of Bible prophecy, as
was the acquisition of the hydrogen
bomb by the two superpowers of the
1950s that led to the period of mutually
assured destruction.
All has now become possible.
This, in turn, makes it much more
likely that our generation will live
to see Jesus Christ return and
establish the Kingdom of God
on earth. After all, Jesus Himself
said that once these things begin,
the generation alive at that time
"will by no means pass away
till all these things take place"
(Matthew 24:34).
It's both sobering and encouraging
to think that we appear to be living
in the generation that will ultimately
witness the most important event
in the history of mankind. As
Jesus Christ tells His followers
in Luke 21:28, "Now when these
things begin to happen, look up
and lift up your heads, because
your redemption draws near." GN
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