When “Normal” Disappeared
(c) Calvary Church of Port Orchard
October 30, 2023
Our lives were turned upside down in early 2020 as governments around the world, in lockstep, shut down their countries in order, they said, to protect us from a new, dangerous coronavirus dubbed SARS-CoV-2. Governments and health agencies assumed unprecedented power over our lives, and we gave up our liberties for the sake of safety.
Nearly four years later, it is obvious to all that the global pandemic policies have failed at stopping COVID, and the experimental injection deployed in early 2021 has proven to completely ineffective at preventing infection or transmission. Further, the injections have proven to be as deadly and debilitating as many predicted. “Sudden deaths,” strokes, turbo-cancers, and other causes are resulting in an unprecedented rise in excess mortality everywhere that governments pushed the experimental mRNA injection on its population. Nonetheless, governments and agencies retain much of the power they assumed in 2020, and any view other than the official narrative is censored.
Years 2022 and 2023 brought other crises as well. The conflict in Ukraine and other factors led to global energy and fertilizer shortages as well as wide-scale death and human suffering, which continues with no end in sight. Commodity shortages, as well as devastating droughts in food-producing regions of the U.S. and elsewhere, have led to widespread food shortages and even famine in some countries. On October 6, 2023, Hamas invaded from Gaza, murdering nearly 2,000 Israelis and initiating an immediate declaration of War from Israel. Many fear that this conflict with Hamas in the south will escalate to a regional one involving Israel’s enemies on her northern and eastern borders, perhaps even involving use of nuclear weapons. Iran, now nuclear-capable, continues to threaten Israel’s existence almost daily; and China is a growing threat to her neighbors,
Western economies now grapple with raging inflation, especially in prices for household necessities such as food and fuel. The U.S. economy is collapsing into a recession. Crime is out of control, especially in large cities.
We are told that humans are responsible for climate change, which threatens our very existence as a species. Prominent globalists call for drastic depopulation of our planet in order to save it.
On the culture front, we are now told you can be any gender you choose, and confused children and adolescents are encouraged to be surgically mutilated and medicated to promote “transition.” Any view other than unqualified support is “hate speech,” as is the biblical view of the sanctity of life, sexuality, and morality.
Will life ever be normal again?
“Normal” is Not Coming Back – But Jesus Is
An informed analysis of the geopolitical situation in light of Bible prophecy leads us to conclude that “normal” – in other words, a return to the liberties, prosperity, and relative security that many enjoyed pre-2020 – is not coming back. The “signs of the times” clearly indicate that we are now at the end of this phase of human history.
But Jesus is coming back! Just as Messiah Jesus perfectly and literally fulfilled dozens of Old Testament prophecies through His birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension, we know that He will literally fulfill the remaining, but as yet unfulfilled, prophecies concerning His return and future reign on earth.
These are just a few of the reasons we believe Jesus is returning soon:
- Many end-time prophecies have recently been fulfilled or are being fulfilled in our lifetimes. They include the re-formation of the State of Israel in 1948; growing threats from geopolitical conflicts, disease, famine, and earthquakes; rising antisemitism; and increasing apostasy and spiritual deception in the church.
- Just as hundreds of other Old Testament prophecies regarding the rise and fall of earthly nations / kingdoms have been literally fulfilled, we know that those remaining will also be literally fulfilled. One key prophecy is the rise of the final world power, a loose coalition of ten nation-states, evil and totalitarian, which Messiah will destroy when he returns to earth to set up His righteous kingdom. We are seeing the rise of globalism through the rising influence and power of global entities such as the United Nations (UN), the World Economic Forum (WEF), and World Health Organization (WHO), along with the declining power of formerly sovereign nations, including the United States.
- We are now witnessing the deployment of digital technologies to enable the global monitoring and control of every person on earth just as described in the Book of Revelation. In the U.S., President Biden recently signed Executive Order 14067, which implements a centrally controlled digital currency in the U.S. Soon, it will be possible for a central bank (or other single entity) to control what we buy and sell, just as Revelation 13 foretells.
- Israel remains on the forefront of our headlines, with controversies around Jerusalem and ownership of the land, just as the Bible prophesies. Could the Abraham Accords, facilitated by the Trump administration, be the treaty that antichrist “confirms” as prophesied in Daniel 9, marking the start of Daniel’s 70th Week, a seven-year period more often referred to as the Tribulation?
- Finally – the reason we believe we are on the very cusp of Jesus’ return – is that the globalists, inspired by Satan, have unleashed their end game, and there is no going back. It is no longer possible to hide the devastating health impacts caused by the experimental injections, which will only increase with time. It is too late to recover from policies that will lead to global food shortages and famine. Once unconceivable that half of the global population could die as Revelation 6:7 and 9:18 foretell, it is no longer. Current events scream that God’s Word is true. Indeed, we have a deeper understanding that unless Jesus returns as He has promised, no one would survive (Matthew 24:22).
In His First Coming, Jesus lived a perfect life and then bled and died on a cross to provide the way for men and women to be saved from spiritual death. By confessing sin and believing that Jesus gives us His righteousness as a gift, we are forgiven. His resurrection from the dead – an historical fact – and His ascension back to heaven proved that He is God and therefore able to forgive us.
At His Second Coming, Jesus will judge those who have rejected Him.
Are you Ready for Jesus to Return?
Yes, Jesus is returning to set things right, but are you ready?
Before Jesus’ feet touch this earth, our world will go through a period of unprecedented horror during which at least half the world’s population will die, and the remainder will endure unimaginable misery and fear. Revelation Chapters 6 through 18 describes this period, the Tribulation, as a time of God’s judgment. In Revelation 6:17 we read, “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” How prepared are you for the soon-coming day of God’s wrath and for Jesus’ judgment at the end?
How to Escape the Wrath to Come
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).
There is only one way to escape God’s wrath, and that is to believe in His Son, Jesus, as your Savior from sin and judgment (John 14:6-7). God promises that Jesus will deliver His own from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10). He will appear in the heavens to take His followers to be with Him. This event, often called the Rapture, will occur some months, possibly years, prior to the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation period.
If current events are lining up for the start of the Tribulation, then it must be soon that Jesus will take His followers to be with Him. Surely, we have not much time left. If you have not yet believed in Jesus, we implore you to humble yourself and receive Him today. You can do this with a simple prayer like, “God, I know that I have sinned against you and deserve punishment. I want to repent of my sin and stop fighting against You. I trust and believe that Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. I place my trust in You for salvation. I want you to be the Lord of my life. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness – the gift of eternal life! Amen.”
Merely reciting these words, or any other prayer, will not save you if you do not mean them. It is only through personal faith in Jesus that you receive forgiveness of sin, salvation from judgment, and God’s gracious gift of eternal life. This prayer is simply a way to tell God that you do believe and to thank Him for saving you.
See also Know God and please contact us with any questions or to find out how you can grow in your new faith in Jesus!
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life,
and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
– Jesus (John 5:24)