Crosstalk: August 10, 2017

​When one is ill, one of the first things to be checked is a person's vital signs. The heart and the pulse are checked. Blood pressure is checked. Breathing is examined. The temperature is looked at--all to see if these vital signs point to any adverse physical condition. In like manner, this program looked at the vital signs not just of the nation, but of the world. The evidence is everywhere. The vital signs show us that the stage is being set for the end times, with the Lord's return drawing near.

Joining Jim for this important broadcast was Ron Rhodes. Ron is president of Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries. He's a keynote speaker at conferences across the United States. He's the author of over 70 books with over 1 million books sold. We have interviewed him regarding many of his writings such as 'The Bible Prophecy Answer Book', '40 Days Through Revelation', '90 Days Through the New Testament', 'What Happens After Life' and numerous others. He joined Jim to discuss his latest release, 'End-Times Super Trends'.

What does Ron mean when he speaks of 'signs of the times'? Those are prophetic indicators in the Bible pointing to the end-times. There were such signs concerning the coming of Christ and that would include the fact that the blind would see, the lame would walk and the deaf would hear. In fact, in Matthew 16, Jesus chastised the Jewish leaders for not recognizing these signs of the times.

Likewise, there are many who don't recognize the signs pointing to Christ's second coming. First of all, Ron noted how the prophecies of the end-times, including the Olivet Discourse from Matthew 24 and 25, and a lot of the prophecies in Revelation from chapters 4 through 18, deal specifically with the tribulation period. However, a point Ron often makes to people is that prophecies cast their shadows before them. Another analogy he used is the foreshocks you may experience before a major earthquake. So even though there are prophecies that will take place during the tribulation period, what we are seeing today is the setting of the stage of such signs to be fulfilled.

If we're seeing signs today that indicate that the second coming is not far off, that means that the rapture is even nearer. There are hundreds of signs pointing to the second coming, yet there is not a single sign or prophecy that must be fulfilled before the rapture takes place. It's imminent and that means it could literally happen at any moment.

What Ron has done through his latest book is to focus on the big issues that are setting the stage for the tribulation period. This would include things like the rise of alternative religions, the apostasy within the church, the reality that our world is going cashless, the possibility of America weakening in the end-times, the dissolution and redefining of the family, globalism, the Middle East conflict, the rising tide against Christians, moral decline, the rebuilding of the Jewish temple, the loss of religious freedom, and more.

As this program moves along, you'll discover what Ron believes is the 'super sign' that makes current prophetic trends so significant. That and more is revealed as Crosstalk looks at the biblical evidence pointing to the return of Christ.