Have the prophecies from the Bible regarding the end of times been fulfilled?

Some skeptics say no. Others, in blind faith because of their different religions or philosophies, believe that it is so…but they don’t really know, nor can they prove it.

But actually, several biblical prophecies that tell us about this era have been fulfilled…and there
is data to prove it.

The biblical language of the prophecies.

Probably, the most common reason for so much misunderstanding and obscure interpretations of the Bible is the fact that many of its writings are presented in an allegoric, metaphoric and symbolic language.

And why is this?

Couldn’t these messages from above had been delivered in a simple language without the need of metaphors or allegories?

The answer is no.

Human languages are poor to describe things and concepts far beyond the ordinary.

It does not matter which road you take to describe them, you will have to resort to the use of allegories, metaphors, parables and symbols, taking objects and ideas that surround ordinary people to make those things and concepts comprehensible at least in a figurative and, therefore, incomplete manner.

Simply speaking, this is why the messengers of the Divinity used symbols and allegories (flying scrolls, thrones, candlestands, oil vases, etc. etc.) to put in limited terms what is of an indescribably superior nature. Of course, we have to consider the cultural context of the recipient of the messages. With this in mind, is only natural to learn that, for example, the punishments and consequences for evil behavior for the Eskimos or the Laplanders would be described as a cold of a terrifying magnitude, while for the inhabitants of warmer zones, the more suited allegory is that of a burning fire.

Imagine someone asking you to transcribe “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy, using a typing machine which has four or five letter keys missing. Or try to play “Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony” on a piano that has three natural keys missing in each octave, let’s say, do, mi and sol. In both cases, your readers or listeners would have to rely on their imagination to deduce all that is missing due of the lack of enough elements to transmit that idea or concept.

After these examples, it will be easier to comprehend the reasons for that apparently obscure or ciphered language in which the prophecies about the Third Era were delivered.

An then, there is the problem of literal interpretations while reading the Scriptures, that leads to severe contradictions and dogmatism. Paul warns about this: “..for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life”. (2 Cor. 3:6)

Take, for instance, John 3:13 where Jesus said that no man but himself has ever ascended to Heaven, and compare it with Hebrews 11:5, where Paul asserts that Enoch was taken bodily into Heaven. If you try to explain this following the letter of the Scriptures, you will have a very hard time. And there are many similar passages, where apparently the Bible contains contradictions.

The Prelude of a New Era

There are references in diverse passages from the Bible that, considering the explanation at the beginning of this page, are very clear and precise to describe the events that would be the prelude to the arrival of a new era for humanity, an era marked by great events of worldwide scale.

But, how we can be sure of that these are the times of the end? In Luke, Jesus gives the sign to recognize the time of the end.

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come”… (Matthew 24:14)

We could easily deduce that the final advent is very close to us (if it hasn’t already started) when we see that through the modern systems of global communication, the Evangelist preachers (mainly North Americans) have reached practically every corner of the Earth with the Gospel. In fact, inadvertently or not, Billy Graham, a very well know and respected Christian preacher, made a crusade as few years ago exactly with this purpose, which had a very wide success.

And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple:
and his disciples came to him to show him
the buildings of the temple.
And Jesus said unto them,
See ye not all these things? verily I say
unto you, There shall not be left here one stone
upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives,
the disciples came unto him privately, saying,
Tell us, when shall these things be? and what
shall be the sign of thy coming,
and of the end of the world?
And Jesus answered and said unto them,
Take heed that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in my name, saying,
I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars:
see that ye be not troubled: for all these things
must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom:
and there shall be famines, and pestilences,
and earthquakes, in diverse places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Matthew 24:1-8

There are idiomatic expressions within the vernacular of the Aramaic and the Hebrew languages that change the meaning of the expression when they are translated literally. In the first century, after the crucifixion, many were waiting for Jesus’ return at the end of that century. Simon Peter, considered by many to be the prince of the apostles, clearly knew the meaning of that expression. This is how he explained to those who believed Jesus was returning at the end of the first century:

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
2 Peter 3:8

When Jesus warned His disciples about the arrival of false Christs and prophets, He gave a glimpse that His return was to be in spirit, which the following verse clears up even further:

Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
Matthew 24:23

According to this, we could be sure that the presence of Christ on Earth, at the end of times, was
not be expected as physical or material, but rather as spiritual, subtle, sublime.

Following is a description of the period that anticipated the opening of the Third Era and therein the Sixth Seal. From now on we will give you some references that were taken from the Encarta Encyclopedia by Grolier, which could be easily searched by anybody.

Plagues

The black plague devastated Europe in the 16th century and killed millions of people. In America, millions of Indians died from various contagious illnesses: syphilis, tuberculosis, etc., which were caught from the Spanish conquistadors. The Bubonic Plague also took millions of victims in Asia, in Asia, Africa and parts of Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries.

Famines

Great famines during the 17th century devastated Europe, Asia and Africa;India lost more than 10 million of its people in 1769. Between 1845 and 1850 took place in Ireland what is known as The Great Potato Famine killing almost 2,000,000 people and in 1866, more than 1,500,000 people died in Ovissa!

Earthquakes

Terrible earthquakes have devastated many nations and areas of the world. Iran, Turkey, Greece, Argel, Japan and South America have suffered repeatedly massive destructions caused by these quakes. Lisbon was destroyed in 1755 by an earthquake that killed 60,000 people; Voltaire narrates this in his novel “Candida”. In 1812, the New Madrid earthquake altered the Mississippi River’s course.

War Rumors

It could be said, that after knowing the magnitude of destruction that humanity reached during the two World Wars, that the constant wars that spread all over the world since the invention of the fire arms in the 15th century were really rumors of genocidal wars that would come later. The 30 Year War, the 100 Year War, the Great War of Northern Europe, The Crimean War, the War of the Seven Weeks, the Civil War of the Ottoman Empire, the US Civil War and many more give funereal testimony of this.

Nation Against Nation

Experts say that the Russian invasion by Napoleon in 1812 started a new way to begin a war, not only because of religious motives between the small cities-state, but also because of secular economical and political motives among the great nations. The Franco-Prussian War, the Russian-Japanese war and several more; all of them were the prelude of a new era for humanity and ended at the First World War. A conflagration of such magnitude that humanity had never witnessed, but that was easily surpassed by the horrors of the World War II.

Signs for the opening of the Third Era and with it, the Sixth Seal.

There are several prophecies that describe this Third Era, prophecies that have come to pass in such a way that can be corroborated by anyone. Joel’s prophecy is particularly specific:

And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my spirit upon all
flesh; and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy, your old men shall
dream dreams, your young men
shall see visions:
And also upon the servants
and upon the handmaids
in those days will I
pour out my spirit.
And I will show wonders in the heavens
and in the earth, blood, and fire,
and pillars of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness,
and the moon into blood,
before the great and the terrible day
of the Lord come.
2 Joel 2:28-31

Today, it no longer surprises anyone to learn of the multiplicity of visions and prophetic dreams that many people from any social condition, nationality, race and age, experience every day of the year.

This has provoked the creation of the new science of parapsychology, which tries to study these spiritual manifestations, which are so vast, that they are already seen like something natural, but at the same time they don’t stop being extraordinary events in humanity’s history.

But, what about the signs in the skies and on earth? Did they come to pass? When and where? Let’s see.

Prodigies in the Skies

1858, Comet Donati. The triple tail of this phenomenon covered 50 degrees of arc in the sky. It is calculated that this corresponded to lineal figure of 70 million kilometers!
August 1862. The first of two meteor showers (Perseids) observed from practically everywhere in the world; scientists explain now that they are a residue of Comet 1866 III and flared up when entering the earth’s atmosphere.
November 1862. The second – and notable- meteor shower, this one belonging to the luminous residue of Comet 1866 I.
1882, the appearance of a comet close to the sun, its brightness so unusual that it provoked wonderment and terror in many countries.

Prodigies on Earth

This portion of the prophecy could have a different interpretation from the natural phenomena when we realize the great and surprising advance of science and human technologies. The list of inventions and scientific discoveries since the 19th century is long, and we will only mention some of the more relevant.
1802. Fulton invents the boat with steam power.
1837. Morse invents the telegraph.
1839. Daguerre invents the first photographic camera.
1840. Cayley, considered by many the father of aviation, invents the first flying machines for passenger transportation.
1858. Marsh and Marsh invent the harvester.
1866. Tilston Bright installs the first transatlantic cable between the U.S. and England.
1866. Nobel invents dynamite.
1868. Glidden and Latham invent the automatic typewriter.
1876. Graham Bell invents the telephone. (It is also attributed to Elmo).
1877. Edison invents the phonograph.
1877. Berliner invents the microphone.

The sun in darkness and the moon in blood

1883. The explosion of the Krakatoa, the volcano between Java and Sumatra, is perhaps the most impressive material sign of all the ones that announced the arrival of a new era and the fulfilling of the prophecies of Joel and John in the Apocalypse. The night of August 27, 1883; the most violent volcanic eruption that is recorded in history took place, it destroyed the island where it stood and the consequences of such a disaster were felt all over the world; the gas cloud, dust and vapor were projected 27 kilometers into the sky, and the ocean waves or tsunamis provoked by the phenomenon reached more than 15 meters in height, reaching as far as 12,000 kilometers and killing thousands of people in the coasts of Java and Sumatra. The sound from the explosion is considered the greatest one in history and was heard in Australia and in the US Pacific Coast. The dense dust cloud emitted by the volcano, very much in the likeness of a 200 million tons nuclear blast, covered the sun light for over a day and after that, the moon looked like if it was painted red, very much like the color of blood. During the following three or four days, observers from all over the world reported bright strange colorations during sunrise and sunset due to the solar light refraction in the suspended particles of the dust cloud product of the explosion.