Wars. Rumors of wars. Famines. Pestilences. Earthquakes. These are just some of the “birth pains” Jesus said will precede the biblical end times.
Listen to them on the latest episode of “Quick Start”
And with a solar eclipse, a random earthquake in the northeast, and continued consternation in the Middle East dominating headlines, it should come as no surprise end of days speculation is currently kicking back up in recent days and weeks.
Prophecy expert Jeff Kinley, author of “God’s Grand Finale” and the forthcoming book, “The End of the World According to Jesus of Nazareth,” weighed in on these dynamics, explaining what the Bible actually says and why it matters.
“Jesus and Matthew 24 list a ton of signs that will precursor [Christ’s] Second Coming, and it basically mirrors the Book of Revelation — the first half of Revelation,” Kinley said. “And in those signs you have … things like wars, you have rumors of wars, you have famines … earthquakes, and then Jesus said, ‘All these things are merely the beginnings of birth pangs.'”
The author said he believes Christ is talking about the Tribulation period, a time during the end of days some Christians believe will be characterized by God’s judgment. As far as what’s happening in the world today, Kinley believes it’s a “ramping up to Revelation.”
Watch him explain:
“It’s like when you’re watching a baseball game or a football game,” he said. “You’re watching the quarterback, you’re watching the pitcher, you’re watching where the ball is, essentially.”
Kinley continued, “Well, where the ball is prophetically is Israel, and, so, if you want to know really kind of put your finger on the pulse of what’s going on prophetically, you need to look at Israel.”
Anyone looking at Israel right now can see the nation is locked in a great battle against Hamas, Hezbollah, and, more broadly, Iran. Kinley said focusing on this dispute — and region — is essential if Christians want to understand what’s truly happening.
“All eyes should be on Israel, because the Bible says that God is going to bring … the global narrative in the end times back to Israel, back to Jerusalem,” he said. “And all the things that are taking place were prophesied — these foreshadows were prophesied many thousands of years ago.”
Kinley said the Bible predicts that nations will come against Israel in the last days, and pondered whether what’s unfolding right now is the “preseason to the actual events that Christ and others” predicted would one day take form.
He specifically pointed to Ezekiel 38 and 39, which discusses a “last day’s invasion” of Israel from many Muslim nations. Kinley believes Turkey and Iran are included, with some seeing Russia as the Magog mentioned in these passages.
“We know that invasion is going to happen,” he said. “It’s going to happen in the latter days when Israel is feeling secure in the land.”
Kinley continued, “Obviously, she’s not feeling secure right now, but I think these pieces of the chess board are being put into place, with Iran, with Turkey, with Iraq, with Russia even coming south with assets, in Syria and these proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, of Iran are just simply kind of paving the way.”
For context, Ezekiel 38:14-16 (NIV) reads:
“Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.”
You can read much more about Gog and Magog in our explainer here.
Watch above to see Kinley break these issues down and explain why he believes these events have not yet come to fruition.
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