This era and our civilization is in its twilight years and declining rapidly. The comparative stability of nations in the past, of the economy and even of nature itself is gone for good. From now on, as a forerunner of the second coming of Christ, the Bible predicts that we can look forward only to massive catastrophe on a world-wide scale, in all areas of life on this earth. And all our wonderful technology, and all our wealth, and all our knowledge, wisdom and understanding will not be able to prevent it or save us from it.

Just over a year ago, on page 46 of the Herald-Tribune of May 21, 1993, I proved conclusively with the Scripture that the second coming of Christ will take place in about 10 years. But the Bible also predicts that sometime before that -

1 - The sun will generate seven times the normal amount of heat (possibly as a prelude to a supernova), and the moon will heat as much as the sun in normal times (Isaiah 30:26 and Rev.16:9). With the sun and moon both overhead at the same time on a summer day, temperatures on earth will range anywhere from about 240 to 400 degrees Celsius. With heat like that -

2 - Much of our forests and all grass will be burned up (Rev.8:7 and ch.16:9), and anything else that is made of combustible material, such as wooden housing. People will have to live in the caves of the earth, or else build underground shelters to escape the heat. In addition such great heat would very quickly melt the polar ice caps. Scientists tell us that sea levels will rise by about 80 meters when that happens, and low lying coastal cities will quite literally be buried under hundreds of feet of water.

3 - With this tremendous loss of weight at the poles, and with that weight being transferred largely to the equatorial area and immediate latitudes by the spinning action of the earth, there will be great stress on the earth's crust, and the earth will tend to bulge in the polar areas.

4 - The northern land bridge that used to exist across the Bering Strait, will emerge again, once again joining east to west. And North and South America will once again be separated by the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. These ultra large-scale changes will happen much more suddenly and dramatically than the relatively slow-moving greenhouse effect scientists fear. As a result of these overshadowing stresses on the earth's crust –

5 - There will be vastly increased earthquake activity of enormous magnitude all around the whole world. Accompanying these earthquakes will also be massively increased volcanic eruptions. The surface of the whole earth will be completely and radically changed, all mountains and islands will disappear (Rev. 16:20). Smoke and ashes of such density will saturate the air through much of this period of time that the sun will be almost blotted out, and turn black, and the moon will be turned to the colour of blood (Rev.6:12). "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth" (Luke 21:26).

6 - The earth will "real to and fro like a drunken man" (Isaiah 24:20), and monstrous tidal waves of huge proportions will come roaring in over the land, devastating everything before them (Luke 21:25, 26) that was not already destroyed before that. Even cities hundreds of feet above sea level will suffer tremendous destruction of property and loss of life. There will be very little left of our civilization as we know it today.

7 - Another aspect of the transfer of weight from the poles to the equator will be the slowing down of the earth's speed of rotation (this has already begun with the greenhouse effect), and the earth will return to a 360 day year as in biblical times.

8 - At the time of the flood of Noah's day there were apparently only 360 days in a year. According to the Bible the flood waters were on the earth for 150 days (Gen.7:24). The record also states that this period of time was equal to 5 months (Gen. 7:11 and ch.8:1-4). Projecting these figures over the course of 12 months, clearly proves that a year at that time had exactly 360 days.

9 - It may be rather startling and unnerving to come to grips with the prospect of a 360 day year, and the consequences of such a change. Yet the book of revelation clearly reveals that a year at the time of the second coming of Christ will have exactly 360 days, so be prepared for great changes in earth's topography. The last 3½ years before the second coming of Christ is referred to as 1260 days (Rev.ll:3). In a later chapter this same period of time is spoken of as 42 months (Rev.13:5), which again works out to a year of exactly 360 days, and our days will be longer by 21 minutes.

10 - From secular books I've read on this subject it seems that the earth in the past did indeed have a 360 day year, (from which we apparently derived our 360 degree circle), and the moon orbited the earth exactly 360 times in a year, with a lunar month of precisely 30 days. But due to a few close encounters with comets and other heavenly bodies. the orbits and speed of rotation of both the earth and the moon were changed to what they are today, (Worlds in Collision by Immanuel Velikovsky), and will again be changed during the Great Tribulation.

11 - A seven year peace and trade agreement will be signed by the E.E.C., Israel, and the Arab states, and many other nations. The signing of this treaty will mark the beginning of WORLD GOVERNMENT, and the last seven years before the second coming of Christ. The last half of this period of time will also see the greatest and most extensive persecution of Jews and Christians they have ever experienced, and it will be carried out by a world government under the auspices of a world religious system claiming to be Christian (John 16:2, Rev.13:15, ch.17:1-6). This will be a holocaust to end all holocausts; there will never again be another one (Matt.24:21).

12 - During this time the Antichrist will reign supreme over the whole world, and any dissidents to his rule will be summarily executed (Rev.13:15). But God does not leave Himself without any witness. He appoints two men to preach the gospel, and gives them supernatural power and protection until they have finished their assignment, and woe betide those who refuse to listen to them (Rev.l1:3-6).

13 - Three great wars will be fought in the Middle East for control of Israel, which along with the above is what Jesus calls "THE GREAT TRIBULATION" (Matt.24:21,22). All of these changes are predicted to take place during the next ten years, give or take a year or two, and before the second coming of Christ (Matt.24:29-31 and Luke 21:24,28, 31, & 32).

As proven before there isn't going to be any pre-tribulation rapture of the saints to heaven, but those who are worthy (Lu.21:36) will escape to a place of safety.

"And the woman (the church) fled into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days" (Rev.12:6,14); the three and one half year tribulation period.

14 - About 80% of earth's population will be killed by various combinations of the above, and all the hustle and bustle and the pride of our much vaunted modern civilization will come to an agonizing and grinding halt.

15 - Were it not for the second coming of Christ to stop the great tribulation, mankind would go the way of the dinosaurs. The earth would no doubt become a dead planet like Mars, and all life on earth would cease to exist (Matt.24:22). But Jesus will come back to this earth, and soon, to receive His own unto Himself, and -

16 - After that the millennial sabbath will begin: 1000 years of peace and prosperity, and excellent well-being on a rejuvenated earth (Isaiah.65:18-25, ch.9:17, Joel.2:24-27). Jesus Christ will rule on earth (Rev.5:10 and ch.20:6) together with those that are His at His coming, who will be given eternal life at that time (l Cor.15:51-53). There are a few people here and there today who will never die; they will be changed instantly from mortal human beings to immortal eternal spirit beings (same verses) "and every man that hath this hope purifieth himself", (1 Jn.3:3).