In an interview with The Christian Post,  Michael Youssef, the 75-year-old pastor of the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia, revealed that an evangelistic meeting in Egypt saw an unexpected attendance of 17,715 people, it far exceeded the initial expectation of 6,000 at Of those, more than 7,850 put their faith in Christ.

In his message, Youssef focused on Matthew 24, which outlines signs of the End Times. Though stressing he is not an End Times preacher, Youssef said he believes current events indicate that the world is fast approaching the End Times as described in the Bible.

“I came to the conclusion that our Lord is saying that when it gets close to the end, there are labor pains, and this is for the believers,” he said. “For the nonbelievers, it is going to be like a thief in the night. They’re going to be shocked.”

He noted that while such signs have always occurred, like wars and earthquakes, their recent escalation in intensity and frequency suggests the nearing of the End Times. Current events, such as the alignment of Russia, China, and Iran and increasing global tensions, also point to this reality.

“I looked at what our Lord is saying, and He basically gave six labor pains … and all six things that our Lord says will happen have been happening all these years. Earthquakes, wars, and rumors of wars, pestilences, all of these things, are now happening in shorter and shorter intervals, greater frequency, and more intensity.”

“When you see Russia and China and Iran are working together, that’s just something that has not happened before,” he said. “Look at the streets of London and Paris, New York — masses of people protesting against Israel … masses of people in front of the Sydney Opera House saying, ‘Gas the Jews.’ That is horrifying in many ways … I personally believe that we’re getting close.”

The pastor added that the current state of the world, including increasing knowledge, population growth, and violence, mirrors the days of Noah, another sign the End Times might be approaching.

“Jesus said, as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days before the coming of the Son of God, the Son of Man. So I looked at Genesis 6, there was an increase in knowledge … an increase in violence and bloodshed … those days are here.” What more evidence do we need?

I am surprised that Michael did not mention the KEY miracle sign of Jesus’ second coming that Jesus mentions in Matthew 24:32-35: The Lesson of the Fig Tree – The rebirth of Israel in 1948. All the prophesied end times events center on Israel and it did not exist before 1948.