Can we know when the end of the age will occur, or even what will happen when it comes? Will the church experience a time of terrible persecution at the hands of a real Antichrist? These questions have profound implications. Ultimately, for all of us, eternity hangs in the balance.

The Sign has tackled the challenge of answering these questions by tracing God's plan for the nation of Israel and the church as revealed from the Old Testament to the New. Taking Scripture at face value and expecting a literal fulfillment of biblical prophecy concerning the last days, author Robert Van Kampen offers this end-times road map—including the sequence of events and the timing of the Rapture—without crossing the line into date-setting.

What you read here may very well challenge you to take biblical prophecy more seriously and give you an urgency to search the Scriptures for yourself. But even more importantly, may it move you to examine your heart deeply, be assured of your eternal destiny, and direct your sights to the blessed hope of the Lord's second coming.