I believe we are seeing trends and events today that could mean that we are very close to the return of Yeshua.
I was recently at a convocation-dialogue with 40 key Church leaders and Messianic Jewish leaders, including leaders of Pentecostal denominations and prayer movement leaders. It was an amazing time. Our thrust was to see a much more effective growth in Jewish numbers in the Messianic Jewish movement because the increase in the saved remnant is part of what leads all Israel to be saved, to life from the dead (Rom.11:14, 15).
Other efforts are being made whose leaders see their efforts as carrying eschatological (last days) implications (last days) leading to his return. First, there is a huge effort to see every people group have the Bible in their language and to be given an adequate witness of the Gospel by 2033. I believe that the best scholarship places the death and resurrection of Yeshua at Passover/ Firstfruits in the year A. D. 33. So, it really could be 2000 years. I don’t believe in date setting but this is an amazing project with an date that is intentional. Their vision is rooted in our shared understanding that the Gospel of the Kingdom must be preached to every people group before He returns. (Matt. 24:14, 15).
There is also a great move of unity. We may not see it in each local region, but I hope this will change. However, in China or Indonesia or many other regions, the unity is very strong. The World Evangelical Alliance networks 600 million Evangelicals. Four-hundred million are Pentecostal and Charismatic. They agree with the vision of the 2033 project and see completing the task of world evangelism as preceding the Second Coming. They expect more and more revivals to push this forward. However, on the unity front, they see themselves working for John 17:21 unity. The prayer of Yeshua that his followers will be One that the World might believe is seen, and I believe rightly, to be about the Second Coming.
Our part is the emphasis on making Israel jealous, leading to life form the dead (Rom. 11:14, 15). This is so important. However, we are joined in the other regards.
These are all happy thoughts. However, there is a sad aspect to last days events that peoples will be given to gross sin which leads to terrible judgments. The book of Revelation shows this. Some years ago, the great jurist Robert Bork, a nominee for the Supreme Court, wrote Slouching Toward Gomorrah. It was a profound book that outlined how the culture was defining freedom in terms of allowing more and more debauchery. Western culture is no longer slowly slouching toward but running headlong to debauchery. Some debauchery is even being celebrated as a new “wokeness.” However, this could be a sign. Could revivals hold back this headlong rush? But as Coach McCartney of Promise Keepers said some years ago, there will be revival on a platter of ruin. We don’t really know for sure.
However, all of this together could indicate that His coming is soon.