A tsunami of destabilizing events has flooded our world lately. Most recently, the arresting onslaught of violence and acceleration of lawlessness in our cities have assaulted our spirits. But, if we are honest, since 2020, there has been a slow, definite encroachment of unnerving developments around the world.
Choose one; There were the unprecedented earthquake swarms of Santorini earlier this year, and then another swarm just this month in Iceland. Escalating threats of world war, on top of wacky weather patterns bringing baseball-sized hail to Beijing, Texas, and most recently, Oklahoma. If you haven’t heard, we’ve been having never-before solar flare events. Scientists are duped. A less obvious intruder bringing unease to many is the rapidly unfolding world of AI, declaring boldly that we can all be gods.
Are we close to the biggest event in world history, the return of Jesus Christ?
First, let me address the general responses to this popular inquiry as of late: One group holds that Jesus is very near to coming for His Bride; another believes He will come one day, but “there’s nothing new under the sun.” The final group represents unbelievers who don’t know about God or the Bible, but they sense “Something big is about to happen.” As believers, it is important to know what time it is according to God and the Bible and what we are to do.
Let us have a closer look.
To begin, let’s go to the Source of Truth, Jesus. He gave lengthy and detailed answers to His followers’ question, “What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the Age?” I encourage you to read Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 for His complete answers. But, for now, let’s listen to Paul (who wrote the majority of the New Testament). Listen to how he characterized the times that would precede the return of Christ.
“In the last days, perilous times will come; For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self control, brutal, haters of good, traitors, headstrong, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Tim. 3:1-5).
We don’t have to look hard to see these individuals heading our news daily. In our increasingly permissive culture that is rapidly rejecting all of God’s life-preserving principles, we can see how this is occurring. It would be difficult to find any genuine believer-scoffers who say, “Well, there have always been earthquakes and wars” anymore.
One must admit to a noticeable increase across the board of the signs Jesus said would indicate His return. And, since Jesus likened the signs of His coming to a woman’s birth pangs that will increase in frequency, intensity, and duration before birth, are we surprised? But maybe most stirring is the convergence of ALL of the signs Jesus mentioned to look for.
Again, we look to the Bible to answer the next question: If all of this is true, then what are we believers supposed to do? Well, according to Jesus, we are not to be like the people of Noah’s Day.
In the Bible, Matthew 24:37-39 reads, “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
People were complacent, immersed in their own lives and unaware. Today’s social media can ostensibly swallow us up entirely. With the advent of AI, our world can easily be suspended in a surreal place with no thought of God or of what He wants. Jesus told his disciples to “beware of deception” when answering their questions about the end of times (Matthew 24:4) This is why Scripture warns us to “take heed (that means pay close attention) to ourselves so our hearts are not weighted down by “drunkenness or the cares of this life” and that day come on us unexpectedly” (Luke 21:34).
There was a time when we could pass by Bible prophecy because it was “too complicated,” divisive, or hard to understand. But it is a new season for our world, and Christians can no longer relegate this “complicated” subject to those who are more learned on the topic. Most people in church, historically, have wanted to preserve peace and unity but sacrificed God’s prophetic word on that altar. The unwritten rule seems to be “let’s just agree on the faith’s foundational tenets and steer clear of the negotiable areas.”
I understand our trepidation. However, we have never been in this season before. Like Esther, who knew the times, we must realize that we have been born for “such a time as this.” The call is to get off the sidelines and accept Christ’s invitation to have a front row seat to His unfolding story on the earth and then to join Him in completing it.
The Bible was written for every believer to know personally and grow by (2 Timothy 3:16-17). And, we learn of Jesus’ displeasure with those who were unwilling to recognize fulfilled prophecy before their eyes when He came the first time. He asked them how is it that they can discern the signs of weather and know what is coming but are blind to the signs of the times (Matthew 16:2-3). We have a responsibility to know the Scriptures and the times we are living in by the signs that emerge on the scene.
So, again, what time is it? There are 2,500 prophecies in the Bible, and close to 2,000 have come to pass, so we have no reason to doubt the remaining ones will also come to pass. According to Scripture, when we begin to see the fulfillment of those things He said would happen in the world before His return, we are to pay close attention because He is standing right at the door (Matthew 24:33). Believers in Christ from then until now are given four repeated and clear instructions on how to be ready.
- Be awake to spiritual realities
“Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober” (I Thess. 5:6). We could be like the proverbial frog in a pot of water over low heat that doesn’t realize he is boiling to death until it is too late. He doesn’t sense he is in danger because of the gradual change in the water temperature.
Our culture is similarly being spiritually influenced in subtle but certain ways. With the advent of AI, our age-old foe is hiding behind “helpful” new technologies that mimic “truth” in hopes of deceiving. Fulfilling Daniel’s prophecy in the Old Testament (Daniel 12:4) that there will be an increase in knowledge at the “end of the age,” AI slinks in unnoticed by many, offering us “ease and convenience” while our privacy and freedoms slip away. We need discernment and to be deliberately rooted in Christ and His Word, to be in prayer, and have an intimacy with God that provides us with overcoming power and courage to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12).
- Be Distinct
The word church comes from the Greek word, ecclesia, and means “called out ones.” The Scriptures reveal God’s will for His people to be separate from the dominions of this world.
“Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean,
and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:17-18).
To belong to God means to be holy or separate for His purposes. We are not encouraged to be isolated from unbelievers but are discouraged from compromising with their sinful values and practices.
“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14).
As Christians, in an effort to make outsiders to the faith “comfortable,” we can neutralize God’s holiness in our lives that He intends to attract them to Him. People all around us are dead spiritually and searching to fill their hearts’ emptiness. When they watch us, who claim the Name of Christ, going to the same places they are for answers, we offer no hope. Therefore, while we are not under the Law and are under grace, we may need to deny some of the “liberties” that typify our times in relation to recreation and what we permit to pass through our bodies, eyes, ears, and minds’ “gates” in order to be effective in God’s purposes of reaching the lost.
As believers, the multiple appeals in the New Testament to be aware of our identity in Christ and to live accordingly, in relation to our contact with the world, are undeniable.
“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do” (1 Peter 1:14-15).
As believers living in these times, we are called to influence the kingdoms of our world with the culture of His kingdom reigning in our lives. However, if we conform to the world around us, our light is hidden and our saltiness is leached out. Paul urges us, “Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God” (1 Cor. 15:33).
- Share the Good News
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news” (Isaiah 52:7).
We have the best news of all; God isn’t angry with us. He has removed all of our sins, past, present, and future, from His sight. He loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives filled with peace, meaning and purpose. In addition to all of that, we have an eternal home with Him in Heaven. With such good news in the midst of so much that is wrong in our world, let’s be bold in sharing it. We have what the lost are searching for.
Our lives need to shift from being Sunday Christians who are waiting for the return of Christ to take us all to Heaven, to seeing ourselves as being His very mouth, hands, and feet in a world on the brink of destruction. Let’s share confidently about a personal God in an impersonal world, sharing our testimonies about the saving power of God in our own lives. Come up with a two-minute synopsis of your story, your personal story of how knowing God personally has changed you.
People will never be saved if we keep silent about the One who saves us. We are all missionaries, whether we go to a foreign country or not. As citizens of Heaven, “sent” to this world, we are ambassadors for Christ’s sake as though God Himself was pleading through us, “Be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20).
- Keep your light shining:
A calculated removal of God from our culture, schools, and government has combined to create darkness in nearly every realm of our world. As the world gets darker, we will shine brighter. The prophet Isaiah foretold of this time:
“Arise, shine; for your light has come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles [unbelievers] shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Isaiah 60:1-3).
Jesus told the story of His return in the story of the ten virgins, a picture of His church. In the story, when the Bridegroom returned unexpectedly, only those virgins whose lamps were filled with oil could enter with Him. The oil represents the Holy Spirit and faithfulness to God. When we are walking close to Him and in faith, we will be “ready” for His return at any time. When we live in the light of His life-giving Word, we will illumine the way for those who are outside of the faith.
Our hearts could easily become weary by way of the onslaught of negative news and trouble. We may be tempted to feel afraid like the rest of the world. We may wonder, “How much longer?” But God is not surprised by these events. He is aware of what is happening. Actually, we should be encouraged when we see the fulfillment of God’s Word. He does what He says!
For example, Israel’s being the center of the world’s attention and a “burden” is the fulfillment of Zechariah 12:3. Back to the recent lawlessness. Jesus said, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). The ultimate “Lawless one” will come to bring a pseudo-peace, but only temporarily (2 Thess. 2:8-10). We are looking for the appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13).
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). And we know that Jesus said that all these things must take place, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:6 & 14).
As His people, we have a special mandate in these times to draw near to God and to deepen our intimacy with Him. Then, we will hear His voice and know His heart and be able to bring others to the only true Source of security and salvation.
Let’s be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within us (1 Peter 3:15). It is time.