With America buffeted by natural disasters and mysterious astronomical phenomena in the sky, it feels like something important is on the way. And one of those who believes the world is on the brink of major events is Mark Biltz, the author of "God's Day Timer," and a passionate promoter of Christians following the biblical feast days.
"There are so many signs in the both the heavens and on earth aligning with the expectations of the Messiah coming soon," Biltz said, surveying the chaos of the world. "The earth is reeling from hurricanes, earthquakes, and ethnic tensions. The love of many is becoming very cold. The explosion of technology and the introduction of artificial intelligence and human-like robots has huge implications. Mankind is destroying the world and each other."
The pastor's dire warnings are receiving new attention after his appearance in the documentary "The Sign," which recently aired on the Audience Network. The documentary profiled people around the word reacting to the astronomical phenomenon on September 23, in which the constellation Virgo was "crowned" with 12 stars.
This celestial pattern reminded many of Revelation 12: 1-2, which reads:
"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered."
Biltz argues "the woman clothed with the sun" refers to the nation of Israel. In the "The Sign," Biltz quotes Psalms 102:16, which reads, "When the Lord shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory."
The pastor argues contemporary geopolitics, as well as the signs in the sky, are lining up precisely as Scripture would predict.
"In 1967, Jerusalem, which is known as Zion in the Bible, moved back to Israel's hands," he said in the film. "Well, today, concerning the geopolitical state of Israel, all the uproar is about the building up of the settlements of Jerusalem. Everyone's complaining that Jerusalem continues to be built up by the Jewish people taking over what they consider to be Palestinian territory."
Biltz also argues the recapture of Jerusalem by Israel is a telltale sign the last days are drawing near. In the film, Biltz notes Psalms 102:18 reads, "This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord."
"In Hebrew, this means the 'terminal' generation, the 'last' generation," says Biltz in the documentary. "So that is telling us, the generation that sees Jerusalem is the terminal generation that will see the coming of the Messiah."
Biltz argues Israel has a special role to play during these prophetic times.
"Israel was given the national responsibility to be a kingdom of priests to make atonement for the nations of the world," the pastor told WND in an interview Thursday. "As priests, they were to atone for their own sins first as a nation, annually on the Day of Atonement, then five days later they would make atonement for the nations of the world during the Feast of Tabernacles.
"They would slay seventy bulls that were representative of the seventy nations of the world. It was said that had the nations of the world known what the God of heaven was accomplishing they would have never destroyed the Temple but guarded it. In the Gospels it talks about God separating the nations as sheep from goats. This is on a national level based on how the nations have treated Israel."
With Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, arriving this weekend, Biltz says Christians should "get on God's calendar" and participate in the biblical feasts.
"The Day of Atonement is especially important as we see the signs in the heavens that the Messiah is coming and Judgment Day is fast approaching," he intoned. "I believe Christians should fast and pray along with the nation of Israel. We should be praying that the nation of Israel would repent and return back to the God of Israel and His Torah. We should pray that Israel would fulfill their Biblical mandate to be a light to the nations. We should be preparing ourselves for the Feast of Tabernacles by interceding for our own national sins as well."