Hutchings on the Signs of the Times

Part 1

Dr. Reagan: Greetings in the name of Jesus, our Blessed Hope, and welcome to Christ in Prophecy! We have an exciting interview for you this week. Our special guest is the person I refer to as “the Dean of American Bible prophecy experts.” His name is Noah Hutchings, and he is the director of a Bible prophecy ministry in Oklahoma City that is called Southwest Radio Ministries. Noah, welcome to Christ in Prophecy.

Pastor Hutchings: Thank you sir, it’s my pleasure.

Dr. Reagan: Well we are really glad to have you with us. It’s a joy and an honor to have a man of your stature on our program. You know folks, we have each week on this program my colleague Nathan Jones. Nathan is our Web Minister here at Lamb & Lion. And in that capacity, he not only maintains our website, but he ministers to people daily all over the world as they access us through our website to ask questions about Christianity, Bible prophecy, or challenge you about Islam or Hinduism or whatever. Nathan how about you getting this interview kicked off by asking the first question, ok?

Nathan Jones: Alright, we’d like to welcome you to our show Pastor Hutchings. I have a question for you: Do you believe we are living in the last days, and if so why?

Pastor Hutchings: Well certainly I do believe that these are the end times, that the Lord could come any day. And of course Jesus said that this Gospel would be preached in all the world and then the end would come. For the first time in history the Gospel is being preached in all the world through missionaries, through radio, through television. So I think there is a really no excuse for anyone in all the world not knowing that Jesus Christ came.

Dr. Reagan: You know in that regard several years ago, probably 20 years ago I bought a short wave radio. I had never had one. And I turned that thing on and I was just astounded as I turned that dial I heard the name of Jesus in every language of the world. The atmosphere of this planet is saturated with the name of Jesus.

Pastor Hutchings: Yes. One other item is that we are told in Scripture and Jesus Himself said that the Jews would be scattered into all of the world. And then at the end of the age, the last days, they would come back. I’ve been to Israel 54 times. Lead tours to Israel 54 times you will find Jews there who have returned from every nation in the world.

Dr. Reagan: Well those are certainly two major signs that we are living in the season of the Lord’s return. You know people are always criticizing Bible prophecy teachers because they say they’re sensationalists and all they do is set dates. And then the dates come and pass and it is hurtful to Christianity. But you’re not a date setter are you?

Pastor Hutchings: I’ve never set a special date, no.

Dr. Reagan: It’s one thing to say we’re in the season of the Lord’s return, another to set a date, right?

Pastor Hutchings: Yes. I don’t agree with date setting, and I think all who have are sorry they did.

Dr. Reagan: Yes.

Nathan Jones: Yeah.

Dr. Reagan: Yes, they are. And it brings a lot of reproach upon the name of Christ when people do those sort of things. And you know it is amazing the Bible says that no one knows the day except the Lord Himself. And yet people always seem to think they know the day.

Pastor Hutchings: Yes, Jesus said that no one knows. He didn’t even know, only the Father knows.

Dr. Reagan: Yes. So when you say that we are in the season of the Lord’s return you’re not setting a date you are just saying that all the signs point to the fact that we are living in the general season when the Lord will return.

Pastor Hutchings: That is absolutely true.

Dr. Reagan: Ok, now you mentioned the Jews and one other item. Could you mention say a third reason you think that we are living in the season of the Lord’s return?

Pastor Hutchings: Well you know as you look at the book of Revelation and see what is coming upon the world in the last days, especially during the coming Tribulation period. I think the judgments mentioned there are now possible.

Dr. Reagan: Yes.

Pastor Hutchings: We have the nations with 15,000 nuclear deliverable weapons. And so that is something that we should be concerned about. And for the first time I think the judgments of Revelation could be possible.

Dr. Reagan: You know that is an interesting point you’re making there because that is exactly the point that Hal Lindsey made in his famous book back in 1970 about the Late Great Planet Earth. He basically just said, “You know we have always looked at these judgments as being supernatural, just something supernatural God is just going to do all this stuff from Heaven.” But he said, “You know actually we are living in the first time in all of history where these things could occur naturally as the result of the sin of man. And we could destroy each other with these nuclear weapons and all.”

Pastor Hutchings: And that is certainly true.

Dr. Reagan: Yeah, Nathan.

Nathan Jones: Well you were saying nuclear weapons, and you are saying when God removes the Church, removes the restrainer it seems like He has been holding back nuclear weapons for decades. And a lot of those judgments especially with people getting boils, and the sky rolling back like a scroll all sound nuclear in nature.

Dr. Reagan: You know Nathan, Noah has written a fantastic book. In fact when I read this book, it is right here called, 40 Irrefutable Signs of the Last Generation. I thought man alive; I’ve got to get him to this program.

Nathan Jones: Yes.

Dr. Reagan: This is an incredible book. And in a few minutes we are going to talk with him about that book, and about the signs that he mentions in there. But before we do that I want to talk about something else, I want to talk about you. I want you to tell our viewers a little bit about yourself and about your background because you are absolutely a remarkable man. So folks, in just a few minutes we will back and we will talk to Noah about his background.

Part 2

Dr. Reagan: Welcome back to Christ in Prophecy and our interview with Noah Hutchings the Director of Southwest Radio Ministries in Oklahoma City. You know Noah I want to just pause for a moment to wish you a very happy 90th birthday!

Pastor Hutchings: Thank you, sir.

Dr. Reagan: Man alive that is fantastic, 90 years.

Pastor Hutchings: Well it’s good to be alive at 90.

Dr. Reagan: Well I tell you what I know that you had quite a celebration right?

Pastor Hutchings: Oh yes, yes, unbelievable.

Dr. Reagan: Well, I just praise God that He has continued to give you the stamina and strength to proclaim the soon return of His Son.

Nathan Jones: Well Southwest Radio has been going now for 80 years, right? And if you just celebrated your 90th birthday I can assume you didn’t start it at 10 years old, right? So maybe you could give us a brief history of Southwest Radio.

Pastor Hutchings: No, I did not start the ministry. I came to the ministry in 1951.

Nathan Jones: Ok.

Pastor Hutchings: The ministry was started by the late Dr. F. Webber. And he was an evangelist with the Rader team. And he came to Oklahoma City and met his wife. And so he decided to stay in Oklahoma City.

Dr. Reagan: And that was 1933 when he started the ministry.

Pastor Hutchings: 1933 and of course I was in World War II. I came out went to school and was looking for a job, and I found a part-time job at the ministry and it was simply typing. And Dr. Webber found out that I had a degree in accounting and business administration and so he was having trouble with his taxes so he asked me work on his taxes. And he didn’t like the resume I handed him so he fired me. That was the first day. So as I was going down the steps he met me and said, “Son, do you like to fish?” Here he fired me and now he is asking me to go fishing. So we go out to the local Lake, Lake Hefner, caught a lot of fish, come back and he looks at me and says, “Son, I think the Lord has a plan for your life. Come back.” So I went back the next morning and–

Dr. Reagan: You became the bookkeeper didn’t you?

Pastor Hutchings: –I became a bookkeeper, and kept the books for Dr. F. Webber.

Dr. Reagan: And then over a period of time did he begin to integrate you into writing and radio programs?

Pastor Hutchings: Well Dr. Webber and I were good friends and went fishing and hunting and I worked in the office. And he went home to be with the Lord in 1959. And then the ministry was operated as with the Webber family, the two boys they were in charge. And Ms. Webber and then one of the boys were called home to be with the Lord in the early 60’s. And I worked then with David and finally that lasted until 1988 and then David was no longer with the ministry so I became the President of the organization.

Dr. Reagan: What year was that?

Pastor Hutchings: 1988.

Dr. Reagan: 1988, ok. And since that time you’ve been all over the world?

Pastor Hutchings: Yes, I’ve been all over Russia, all over Asia, China, Mongolia, Cuba.

Dr. Reagan: And you are a book writing machine right?

Pastor Hutchings: Yes, some say, those who keep count say I have written over 100 books.

Dr. Reagan: Wow.

Pastor Hutchings: I don’t know maybe. But I think it would be close.

Dr. Reagan: Well tell our viewers I want you to look right into that camera there and tell our viewers how they can get in touch with you and your ministry. Maybe give them your website address.

Pastor Hutchings: The website is swrc.com.

Dr. Reagan: Swrc.com, ok. Great, and they can get on your mailing list there.

Pastor Hutchings: Oh, yes. Yes.

Dr. Reagan: Ok.

Pastor Hutchings: They can, all they got to do is give their name and address.

Dr. Reagan: And is your radio program a daily program, weekly or what?

Pastor Hutchings: It is a daily program, 30 minutes. We also have a one hour program on the weekends.

Dr. Reagan: Ok, and so they could get that schedule from your website?

Pastor Hutchings: Certainly.

Dr. Reagan: Ok, great. Well, that fascinating story there of how you go from getting fired the first day, to becoming the bookkeeper, to becoming the Director of such an influential ministry. That is wonderful. And I understand you are working a new book right now.

Pastor Hutchings: Yes, I am. I think it is one that needs to be written.

Dr. Reagan: What’s the title of it?

Pastor Hutchings: The Christian Cleansing of America.

Dr. Reagan: Christian Cleaning of America, and what you mean by that really is how certain people are trying to cleanse America of Christianity.

Pastor Hutchings: Right, right, out of the schools, out of government. You know you can’t put a Scripture in school anymore. I remember when I was going to school in 1927 you started your day with prayer and Bible reading.

Dr. Reagan: I was in school in the 40’s and 50’s and when I graduated in 1956 from High School we were praying every day. We were having devotionals every day. We were reading from the Bible every day. Yeah, a lot has changed and it has changed very fast. Incidentally, I think you told me that you wrote an article about the Christian cleansing of America. And that it had such an impact that one person called and ordered 30,000 copies of it, right?

Pastor Hutchings: That is right, yes surely. I wrote a newsletter on the subject and yesterday somebody from Los Angeles called and ordered 30,000.

Dr. Reagan: Well I think you’re going to have a good market for your book.

Pastor Hutchings: Well, I think it is one that needs to be written and disseminated because Christians aren’t understanding what’s going on.

Dr. Reagan: Well I heard a speech recently by Jim Garlow who is a Nazarene preacher in California and he is a great church historian. And he was talking about the history of the church in the United States. And he said we started out the first 230 years of this country, I mean from the time of the Puritans as the establishment of the United States. Christianity was the establishment. And then over the years we went from the establishment until he said in 2008 we became a persecuted minority. He says that’s where true Bible believing Christians are today, we are a persecuted minority.

Pastor Hutchings: Yes, I think Dr. Franklin Graham recently stated that Christians are in danger in the coming decade.

Dr. Reagan: Yes, yes, more and more persecution, more and more persecution.

Pastor Hutchings: All over the world.

Dr. Reagan: All over the world and even in this country. The idea of wearing a cross around your neck, well you can’t do that; you can’t do this on the job here. And you can’t post the Ten Commandments in the classroom. You can’t, it just goes on and on and on. And it is becoming more and more severe as people are persecuted for their faith.

Pastor Hutchings: Seems like every week something new comes up.

Dr. Reagan: You know it reminded me of a case recently in New Mexico where a lesbian couple went to a photographer and said, “We want you to photograph our wedding.” And the photographer said, “Well, that would be opposed to my religious convictions.” Now there were many other photographers they could have gone to. But they knew this photographer was going to do that because they wanted a court case. And they filed a court case, it went to the Supreme Court of New Mexico and they ruled that the photographer had violated their constitutional rights. And the photographer had to pay a large fine even though it violated the photographer’s religious beliefs.

Pastor Hutchings: That is absolutely true. One of the chapters in my book will be on the judicial system, the judge, Supreme Court, and the Federal judge system. Decision after decision is anti-Christian.

Dr. Reagan: Ok, let’s take a pause. We’ll come back and talk about your great book.

Part 3

Nathan Jones: Welcome back to Christ in Prophecy and our interview with Noah Hutchings about the signs of the times that point to the soon return of Jesus.

Dr. Reagan: Noah you have just written a fabulous book. It’s called, it’s this book here called, 40 Irrefutable Signs of the Last Generation. And I mean it is great. I just love it. It’s to the point. It has beautiful illustrations all the way through it. I compliment you on it, it’s a great job. Why did you name it that title? How did you come up with that title?

Pastor Hutchings: Well one reason I wrote on that subject with that title you know people still don’t relate to the Bible and prophecy, many Christians don’t. And Peter wrote I believe in the 2nd epistle that in the last days there will come scoffers saying, “Where is promise of His coming?” In spite of all the signs in the world the end is near, the last generation, they would still say, “Where’s the promise of His coming?” So I thought I’m going to write some signs that no one can dispute, irrefutable signs of the Second Coming. And then I said well how many am I going to deal with? And I thought 40 would be a good number because 40 is the number of probationary judgments.

Dr. Reagan: That’s right.

Pastor Hutchings: 40 days and Nineveh is going to be destroyed. And you trace that there are multiples of four you know?

Dr. Reagan: Well you know I think that one of the reasons when I saw this book advertised that I wanted to get it immediately because several years ago I spoke at a Steeling the Mind Conference and they asked me to speak on the topic “50 Reasons Why we are Living in the End Times.” And we put out a video by that name, 50 Reasons Why we are Living in the End Times. So when I saw this 40 Irrefutable Signs, I thought I’ve got to get that and compare it to mine and see how it all came out. But you’re so right when you talk about 2 Peter being fulfilled in our day and time with people scoffing. But you see the thing that breaks my heart is that when I used to read that I thought, “Well that means unbelievers.” But the Church today is full of people scoffing. Pastors who say, ah you know that is a bunch of nonsense, I’m not going to talk about Bible prophecy. And here we are with Jesus at the very gates of Heaven ready to return.

Pastor Hutchings: Brother Reagan, you raised an important point there. I don’t think there is one church in a hundred now that ever mentions the subject of prophecy, or the times that we are living in, or that Jesus could come back in our lifetime.

Dr. Reagan: Oh, boy, oh, boy.

Pastor Hutchings: But it’s a subject that’s neglected.

Dr. Reagan: It certainly is. Well you know you’re book is divided into three parts. Part one talks about 24 signs in the secular world. The second part talks about 12 signs related to Israel. And the third part is entitled, terminal apostasies. Now let’s talk about the first part first. You talk about 24 signs in the secular world. What would be some of those? Now you don’t have to name all 24 but just give us an example of a few.

Pastor Hutchings: Well of course there is the increase of knowledge.

Dr. Reagan: Exponential

Nathan Jones: Daniel 12:4.

Pastor Hutchings: Daniel said that in the last days that many would run to and fro and knowledge would be increased. Without the increase of knowledge there wouldn’t be a television set. You and I would not be sitting here. There wouldn’t be a radio.

Dr. Reagan: Satellites.

Pastor Hutchings: There would not be automobiles. There would not be airplanes. There would not be atomic weapons. So that is one of the most important prophecies in the Bible. In the 12th chapter of Daniel, “That in the end of the age knowledge would increase. And many would run to and fro.”

Dr. Reagan: Nathan has been doing a lot of work on that recently, haven’t you Nathan?

Nathan Jones: Signs of the times, yes I will be talking about it at our conference this year in June that the signs of technology are proving that we are in the last days because the technology we have today, make like you said earlier those judgments during the Tribulation possible.

Dr. Reagan: What would be another one of those secular signs?

Pastor Hutchings: Of course in national signs of course Israel has been in all the world and back in their land. And there are wars and rumors of wars. Jesus said there would be pestilences in the last days. You say well don’t we have all these medical advances for flu, and pneumonia, and all these other disease that we get. Well that is true. But still we have the greatest plague the world has ever known, AIDS. I think that something like 40 million people have already died of AIDS. Now if that had been small pox or some other disease it would be something terrible. But they cover it because it is a protected disease. And I think that is one of the signs in the last days.

Dr. Reagan: Well you also, part 2 of your book your focus on 12 signs that relate to Israel. You must believe that Israel is a very, very important thing to have a whole section just devoted to it.

Pastor Hutchings: Oh, yes, actually I wrote a book about 25 Messianic signs in Israel.

Nathan Jones: There is a number theme going on.

Pastor Hutchings: But I deal with 12 of them, the major signs in this book.

Dr. Reagan: Yes.

Pastor Hutchings: There are so many of them; that they would be scattered into all the world, come back from all nations. The land would blossom and bud and fill the whole world with fruit. That is literally happening.

Dr. Reagan: And their language being revived.

Pastor Hutchings: Their language being revived, they are speaking Hebrew again. And they sure haven’t come to the knowledge of the truth yet that they might be saved.

Dr. Reagan: Yeah.

Pastor Hutchings: And there are at least 25 major signs I deal with 12 of the major ones in this book.

Dr. Reagan: Wow, and then your third section has to do with terminal apostasies, now what in the world is that all about?

Pastor Hutchings: Well you know you read in Scriptures in certain places where a nation or a people has gone so far, it says God gave them up to a reprobate mind, or turned His face from them; like He did Israel. I think a nation or people can go so far, that God turns His face from them and brings judgment. And in that section I deal with things that we are doing here in the United States. For example we are teaching children in school that the earth has evolved, and everything evolved and that disputes the Scriptures that God is the Creator.

Dr. Reagan: And we’re not even allowed to give an alternative viewpoint.

Pastor Hutchings: Yeah, and Jesus said if you do this to one of these little children, if you harm one of these little children that is the worst thing that you can do. And we are doing the same thing. And you have abortion. I was reading in the paper this last week a special report that there is one organization; I won’t mention it has counted for 333,000 abortions this last year.

Dr. Reagan: Well I will mention it, Planned Parenthood.

Nathan Jones: And they are very proud of it too.

Dr. Reagan: Yeah, they were bragging about the fact they performed more abortions than ever before.

Pastor Hutchings: I think it should be called Planned Non-Parenthood.

Nathan Jones: Yeah.

Dr. Reagan: That’s a good point, yes.

Pastor Hutchings: So, and there are many other things that we are doing there, in this country even, that I think that God will not tolerate.

Dr. Reagan: For example our toleration and even promotion of homosexuality, and same-sex marriage.

Pastor Hutchings: That is certainly true.

Dr. Reagan: And that is one of the signs that Paul gives in the book of Romans of a nation that is about to collapse as a nation that tolerates that sort of stuff.

Pastor Hutchings: And over and over in the Scriptures, Sodom was given as an example, you don’t do this.

Dr. Reagan: Yes, yes.

Pastor Hutchings: Or what happened to Sodom will happen to you. In Romans 1 Paul says, “That in a nation that does this is worthy of death.”

Dr. Reagan: Ok, so we have the secular signs. We’ve got the signs of Israel. And then we’ve got the four signs that you call terminal apostasies that really beg for the judgment of God to come upon a nation.

Pastor Hutchings: And regretfully, we are involved in all four here in this country.

Dr. Reagan: Well you know that reminds me of a sign that you mentioned in there and that is the sign of Noah. You’re Noah, sign of Noah, that in the end times society will become as immoral and as violent as it was in the days of Noah.

Pastor Hutchings: Yes, you know our newspapers, TV and radio are full of everyone, everyday being killed and all that’s happening.

Dr. Reagan: Violence and immorality in movies and TV. Last night I flipped on the TV and I saw advertisements of programs to come, new programs this year. I couldn’t believe my eyes. One of them was called, Scandal, and it was all about who is sleeping with whom, and all this sort of thing. Another one was called, Revenge, the whole program is about somebody each week getting revenge. The third program, so help me, was called Californication, a play on the word of California, Californication is the name of the new program. We are just wallowing in a cesspool in this country right now. And we export that all over the world.

Pastor Hutchings: That is absolutely true, our radio programs, our TV program here. And a lot of other countries have always looked to this nation as an example. And what kind of example are we setting now?

Dr. Reagan: Not a very good one. I’ve often said we the United States of America that claims to be a Christian nation we are the moral polluter of planet earth.

Pastor Hutchings: Right and we might wonder, “How long will God allow this?”

Dr. Reagan: Right.

Part 4

Dr. Reagan: Well, folks, that’s our program for this week. I hope it’s been a blessing to you. In just a moment our announcer will tell you how you can obtain a copy of Mr. Hutchings’ great book, 40 Irrefutable Signs of the Last Generation.

Nathan Jones: Pastor Hutchings which of those signs did you enjoy writing about the most?

Pastor Hutchings: I think possibly the sign that Israel would be scattered into all the world. And at the end of the age before the Lord comes back they would return from all nations and Israel would again blossom until the whole world was through.

Dr. Reagan: Well I’ll tell you what we are going to invite you to come back next week, and we are going to talk about that some more, ok?

Pastor Hutchings: Amen.

Dr. Reagan: Alright. Well folks, that is our program, I hope you will be back with us next week the Lord willing. This is Dave Reagan speaking for myself and Nathan Jones saying, “Look up, be watchful, for our redemption is drawing near.”

End of Program