Podcast # 12: Signs of the Times
Scott: My name is Scott Paton. I am talking today with Allan Colston. He is the author of the book “The Last Days of Tolemac”. This is a book dealing with prophecy.
For those listeners who may be new to this topic, today’s podcast is the twelfth in the series, and is titled “Signs of the Times”. Hello Allan and welcome to the Podcast.
Thanks Scott. It’s always a pleasure.
Scott: So what do you plan to talk about today?
Well Scott, now that we’ve reached the 12th program in the series, I thought this might be a good time to do a brief recap of earlier Podcasts, and explain how they fit together.
Scott: That sounds like a great idea.
You will recall that I started off by giving a summary of my book “The Last Days of Tolemac”. I then went on to explain how I came to write the book in the first place, and why I used the word Tolemac in the title.
Because my book deals with prophecy, or to be more correct the interpretation of prophecy, I discussed the purpose of prophecy, as well as the difference between prophecy and prediction. I also listed the sources of prophecy that I used in my book.
I then turned to the problem of bogus predictions. Because so many predictions that have been made in the past have turned out to be wrong, I devoted the next three Podcasts to the subject of false prophecies.
And since 2012 has been a banner year with all sorts of doom-laden predictions, I devoted the Podcast titled “The Doomsday Prophecies” to dealing with these predictions, and explaining why I believe that all of these predictions will also turn out to be false.
And because so many people have been caught up in the rumours surrounding Planet X, as a result of the many books written by Zecharia Sitchin, I devoted Podcast No 6 to explaining why Planet X is not a threat to earth, and why it is considered to be a literary hoax.
Podcast # 7 was devoted to the Maya and their Long Count calendar. I discussed how this Long Count calendar came about, as well as the various predictions associated with its supposed end on December 21, 2012.
I then went on to explain why I believe that all of these predictions associated with the Mayan calendar will also turn out to be false.
Scott: I must say I was relieved to hear you say that none of these predictions were likely to happen, and that we don’t have anything to worry about at this time.
Well, that’s not exactly true, Scott. What I said was we don’t have anything to fear from those specific prophecies, especially the ones related to the year 2012.
However, in my book “The Last Days of Tolemac“, I refer to specific predictions that have been made by ancient prophets about the future of our planet, and I go on to explain why I believe that these particular prophecies will soon come to pass, exactly as the ancients said they would.
Several of my previous Podcasts have been titled “Signs of the Times”. The purpose of these Podcasts is to draw people’s attention to events that are happening in our world at this time, that I believe are precursors to the disasters that have been foretold.
You may remember that in my previous Podcast in this series, Scott, I referred to certain statements made by Richard Leakey.
Scott: I do. Wasn’t he the scientist from Kenya who has spent his life researching the origins of mankind through the study of ancient fossils?
That’s exactly right Scott. And it is worth repeating what he said at a recent press conference. This is what he said:
“If you look at the fossil record, the thing that strikes you is that extinction is the most common phenomenon. Extinction is always driven by environmental change, and environmental change is always driven by climate change.”
So what Richard Leakey is saying Scott, is that many species that previously existed on the earth have been wiped out in past disasters, and their fossils bear testimony to ancient cataclysmic events.
You will recall that my last three Podcasts were devoted to the life and works of Immanuel Velikovsky. In these Podcasts I pointed out that Velikovsky spent ten years researching the records, legends and myths of the ancient world.
And just like Richard Leakey, Velikovsky found that the evidence of the geological and fossil record indicates that the extinction of many species has occurred catastrophically, rather than in a gradual way as Darwin would have us believe.
He also found that some of these catastrophes have occurred within the recorded memory of humanity, and that these events have been preserved in myths and legends in all the ancient cultures and civilizations of the world.
In the course of his research, Velikovsky found numerous references to different world ages in the past history of our planet. And the idea that the earth has undergone a series of catastrophic upheavals did not begin with the Maya.
Legends, myths and stories of these devastating events can also be found throughout the ancient world. They tell of times when entire cultures were destroyed and the earth was convulsed by natural disasters that had their origin in space.
Scott: So Allan, do you think that the earth will soon experience another extinction level event?
Yes Scott, I do. In my last Podcast, I pointed out that the descriptions given by St John in his Book of Revelation in the Bible, about the events that will occur during the end times, sound strikingly similar to the plagues that descended on Egypt at the time of Moses.
Not only that, but it is clear from other Biblical prophecies that the catastrophes that are about to afflict the earth will come suddenly, or as Jesus said: “like a thief in the night”. And these catastrophes will be accompanied by signs in the earth, as well as signs in the heavens.
The Old Testament prophets refer to specific disasters that will befall the earth in what they call “the latter days”, meaning the days relating to the end of our current world age. These disasters will begin on what they call “the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord”.
I quote extensively from these prophecies in my book, but for those listeners who may be not be familiar with my work, I will just offer a few quotations here. As St Luke writes in chapter 21 of his gospel:
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring.”
“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 terrible day of the Lord come.” (Joel: chapter 2, verses 30-31.)
“For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, all that do wickedly shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up.” (Malachi: chapter 4, verse 1)
And as I explain in my book, the prophecies of the ancients say that our present world will be destroyed, and will be followed by a new Golden Age of peace and prosperity.
So the world itself will continue, Scott, but in a totally new form. According to the Book of Revelation, there will be a new earth and a new heaven. The old world will be obliterated, and will be replaced by a new one that has been cleansed by the catastrophes that are coming.
Scott: Well Allan, the idea of a new Golden Age is certainly good news. But if our present world is about to be destroyed, then what are the warning signs that we should be looking out for ?
When the disciples of Jesus asked him this same question, he said that the time of his return would be identified by wars and rumours of wars, by changes in the weather, and by an increase in natural disasters.
And although this description could probably apply to almost any century during the last two thousand years, it is particularly true today, as anyone can see by simply following the daily news.
And this is where people like Richard Leakey really have their fingers on the pulse of our times. For if extinction events are preceded by environmental change, and if environmental change really is driven by climate change, then surely all the warnings we need can already be seen in our daily newspapers.
Just look at the dramatic increase in extreme weather related events that have occurred since the beginning of this year. There has been practically no country on the planet that has escaped the havoc caused by these events.
After experiencing one of the warmest winters on record, the continental United States is now baking in conditions of extreme heat that have broken thousands of local records in cities everywhere.
Nowhere has this been more evident than in the so-called “corn belt”, which is now reeling under one of the worst droughts in history CNN reported that July was the hottest single month on record for the continental United States.
These high temperatures have contributed to a rapid expansion of drought across the central plains. In fact the Department of Agriculture recently announced that over half of all the Counties in the United States have now been labelled natural disaster areas.
This extreme heat has not only devastated crops, leading to food shortages and increased prices, but in states like Colorado and Oklahoma, it has led to the worst outbreaks of forest fires ever recorded.
Then there have been sudden extreme weather events in different parts of the country, such as the storms that downed trees in the North East, leaving millions of people without power. And Chicago was struck by similar storms just a few weeks ago.
In June, parts of Florida were almost drowned by unprecedented amounts of rainfall caused by tropical storm Debby. And similar torrential downpours have taken place recently in places like Great Britain, Brazil, China, India, the Philippines, Russia and North Korea.
So the key point here Scott, is not that extreme weather events are happening all over the earth, but the fact that they are happening with increasing frequency, and with increasing ferocity. These are the signs that drastic changes lie ahead for our planet.
And, as the ancients have predicted, these changes will culminate in the cataclysmic events of “the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord”. But our weather is not the only sign that the end times are near. There is also the matter of “wars and rumours of wars”.
Scott: What do you mean by that?
As I have explained in my book Scott, the trigger for the events predicted for the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord are to be found in the Middle East. Already we can see that this area of the world is in ferment.
Most of the attention at this time is directed towards the dire events in Syria, where a sectarian civil war is under way between the Alawite sect of President Bashar al Assad, and the Sunni majority.
And no matter what the final outcome of this conflict may happen to be, it is clear that, as a result of the constant shelling and aerial bombardment of rebel positions, the nation’s infrastructure will be in ruins, and Syria will remain a hotbed of revolution for years to come.
Bur Syria is only a minor player in the end-time drama that is unfolding. According to the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets, the vital clue to the onset of these catastrophes will involve the land of Israel and its enemies.
In my book I outline the events that will lead up to this event. And what we need to be watching right now is the stand-off between Israel and Iran, especially regarding their development of nuclear weapons.
And from announcements made recently by leading figures in Israel and the United States, I believe that we are only months away from a strike on the Iranian underground facilities which will have a profound impact on all the nations of the region.
I also believe that this military strike will be the beginning of the end times spoken of in the Bible. But I will have much more to say about all this in my next Podcast in the series “Signs of the Times” in about a month from now.
Meanwhile, I will be devoting the next three Podcasts to the key question of our times. The key question is this:
If what these ancient prophets are saying proves to be correct, and our modern world is about to be destroyed, then are we all going to die? I plan to call these next three instalments: “The Chosen Ones”.
And just a reminder for those people who would like to read my book, it can be reached here
Scott: Thanks Allan. You have been listening to Allan Colston, author of the book “The Last Days of Tolemac”. Do join us for our next Podcast, which will be titled “The Chosen Ones”.
