Last Days Lawlessness and Power

In 1887, in a series of letters to Bishop Creighton regarding the moral issues of writing history about the Inquisition, British historian Lord Edward Acton wrote, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” His understanding of the human psyche bordered on prescient, it seems, considering the all-out quest for power that saturates the American political culture at present.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger famously said, “Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.” Growing up in Germany as a boy, because of lawlessness among governmental leaders, he became pessimistic about human nature, skeptical about the inevitability of progress, and deeply committed to the values of order and stability. To these ends, Kissinger viewed power, not moral ideals, as the driving force of history. (This according to Henry Kissinger and the seductions of power • Iowa Capital Dispatch, https://iowacapitaldispatch.com)

In America, at this late moment of this Age of Grace, we certainly have to consider Dr. Kissinger’s viewpoint, brought about from his experience in the power struggle he witnessed early in his native country, Germany. Stability, in this world of lawlessness, in reality, comes not from moral ideals but rather from power. There is no reasoning from a morally correct position that will calm the paid-for rage chaos that has swept the streets of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other cities. The organized No Kings rioters claim they are protesting the Trump Administration’s use of ICE (the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) force to carry out raids against those who have illegally entered America.

While the violent rioters are held up as bastions of righteous cause by mainstream news media, and the Trump Administration is falsely accused as authoritarian and evil wielders of power, the lawlessness expands to what looks to be prophetic levels.

Jesus, in foretelling in the Olivet Discourse about how things will be as His Return nears, said: “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12 NKJV).

To my way of seeing this, in an important sense, the Lord’s Words of Forewarning could be taken that the lawlessness being demonstrated to champion illegals staying inside America stems from the absence of love for this nation as founded. I realize much more is involved in the meaning in Jesus’ prophecy here, but there is an undeniable coldness in the way these vicious rioters throw chunks of concrete taken from curbs they’ve sledge hammered, frozen bottles of water they throw at police and ICE agents, and the property they loot and damage at every opportunity.

It is telling of just how appropriate it might be to consider Jesus’ prophecy for this particular time because almost one-half of members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate either back the lawlessness by supporting the rioters or, at the very least, offer no condemnation.

This is because one political party has demonstrated time and time again that Power is what they seek above all else. I.e., they want to swell the voting base with illegals –most all of whom will support them—no matter the cost to other legitimate citizens. Their aim is to garner all power into their political party. Love for country and lawful conduct within government and society is out the window with this party. In this ideology, they are in agreement with –in league with the ideology that sparked the 1917 revolution in Russia. “The ends justify the means.”

To those on the totally reprobate political left in America today, power is indeed the ultimate aphrodisiac.

And indeed, as Lord Acton presciently said, power corrupts. And they –the leftists– seek absolute power, and at any price –even to the undoing of the document that gave us a constitutional republic. –The American government that founder Benjamin Franklin told someone the founders had given we the people –adding “If you can keep it.”)

The lawlessness we witness taking place on an increasing level hourly is but another ingredient that adds to the last day’s prophetic puzzle. It is a large part of all these things our Lord told us to look for at the very Moment He is about to come for us in the Rapture.

“And when you see all these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your head, for your redemption is drawing near “(Luke 21:28).

Jesus will soon return to this unlawful, politically corrupted planet to establish Righteous Rule and lawful conduct among Earth’s inhabitants. It will take Christ’s Omnipotent Power to bring about His Millennial Reign for a thousand years.

But it is His Power that can bring about a Change in the minds and Spiritual hearts of mankind even now, amidst this current time of lawlessness and chaos. He can take away the sinful, destructive thoughts, thus the evil actions, of each individual who will receive His Grace Gift of Salvation.

Here again is how to receive that Gift that renews the mind and dispels lawlessness while empowering with God’s Righteousness.

“That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

–Terry

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The Reassuring Message of Bible Prophecy

Watching reports of the damage caused by Iranian missiles in Israel distresses me, especially after I heard about the one that struck a hospital. Governed by the satanic tenets of Islam, Iran’s objective is not just to defeat Israel but to murder as many Jews as possible.

Daniel Cohen, in a recent article on Harbinger’s Daily, quoted pastor Jack Hibbs’ explanation of Islam’s murderous rage toward Jacob’s descendants:

[The religion of Islam also demands that] “all Jews must be killed globally. “The Earth must be rid of Jews. Why? Because if there’s no Jerusalem and if there’s no Israel, then the Messiah—Yeshua Hamashiach, Jesus Christ—does not return to establish His kingdom.”

“People don’t understand that, but Satan does. If there is no Israel, then where will the Messiah return?”

God’s Word, and in particular Bible prophecy, explains the devil’s rage against Israel as manifested through the Iranian leaders. Yet so many believers dismiss prophecy as stale theology, tertiary (of third-rate importance), or irrelevant. If one follows today’s popular doctrinal teachings regarding Israel, he or she will not only miss the why of what’s happening in the Middle East, but also the calming reassurance that comes from recognizing that God remains in control of all things.

The Bible doesn’t provide us with all the specifics of the current war between Israel and Iran or what might happen in the coming weeks and months. However, God’s Word tells us what lies ahead for Israel as well as for us as New Testament saints.

The War and Israel’s Future

What reassurance do we find in Scripture regarding the future of Israel?

First, Israel will survive. No matter what happens during the remainder of the current war or in its aftermath, the nation will not only remain viable but will also continue to attract the world’s attention (in most cases, unwelcome). While we have yet to see the complete fulfillment of Zechariah 12:1-3, we already witness the world’s baffling passion for meddling in all things pertaining to Jerusalem.

Scripture also tells us that someday God will restore a glorious kingdom to Israel. At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus will return to Israel, and a repentant remnant will welcome Him (Matthew 23:37-39). He will destroy Satan’s kingdom and reign over all the nations of the earth. Once we understand what lies ahead for Israel, it makes sense that our adversary would do all he can to thwart God’s plans.

Second, although the current conflict is not the Gog/Magog war foretold in Ezekiel chapters 38-39, it’s preparing the way for it. For the past several years, we have watched as nations involved in this future invasion of Israel have aligned precisely as predicted by the ancient prophet. We don’t know when, but it appears that this invasion lies in the not-too-distant future.

The Lord revealed to His prophet that the Gog/Magog invasion will happen when Israel resides securely (38:11). Should Israel soundly defeat the current regime in Iran along with its allies, which seems probable, it’s likely that such a victory could lead to the peaceful conditions that will precede this future war.

Third, the current conflict is continuing to condition Israel to accept the peace accord that antichrist will offer to its leaders. I can’t imagine what it’s like to go into bomb shelters two or three times a day and listen to intercepted missiles exploding in the air and feel the impact of those that get past the defenses. All this is on top of the October 7, 2023, barbaric massacre and the constant warfare that has ensued since then, which already has a war-weary Israel longing for peace.

Daniel 9:27 tells us that the coming antichrist will initiate a peace agreement with Israel, which he will break three and a half years later (see also Matthew 24:15).

I agree with the many prophecy experts who believe the Gog/Magog invasion will occur just before antichrist appears on the world scene. By then, Israel’s leaders will be all the more willing to agree to the terms of someone who’s able to guarantee an extended period of peace for them. Should he include the rebuilding of the temple in his deal, that will make his offer all the more enticing.

Bible Prophecy’s Consoling Message for Us

The certainty of God fulfilling His covenant promises to Israel is extremely good news for us. It reminds us that He remains in control of all things. Just as He able to bring Israel to repentance and restore a kingdom to its people in the future, so He’s able to keep all His promises to us. Jesus will surely come for us and take us home to the place He’s preparing for us (John 14:1-3). Count on it!

God cannot lie. He will not fail to bring all those He justifies to Heaven above (Romans 8:28-39). Just as the Lord exercises His sovereignty on behalf of Israel, so He will do the same to bring us safely to glory before the start of the coming seven-year Tribulation.

The reassuring message of Bible prophecy is this:

1. God is sovereign over all human affairs; He’s in total control of all the outcomes that impact His people, whether it be Israel or us as New Testament saints.
2. Regardless of what we experience between now and Jesus’ appearing, He will not fail to rescue us and at that time give us immortal bodies like that of His own (1 Corinthians 15:47-55; Philippians 3;20-21).
3. No matter how bleak things might look for Israel or for us in days ahead, we can rest in the certainty of His promises for both. He’s both willing and able to keep all His promises.

I don’t understand why so many believers and even pastors dismiss Bible prophecy as irrelevant for their lives. Its promises bring sweet relief amid the wars, rumors of wars, violence, and rampant lawlessness of the day in which we live.

There’s no greater encouragement for perilous times in which we live than the consolation that comes from understanding and believing what the Bible reveals about the future.

-Jonathan

A Time to Comfort

We’re living in a time of prophetic dichotomy. That is, we’re in a moment very similar to a time Bible prophecy says things will be like when humanity experiences the end of this Age of Grace.

This dichotomy—a significant difference between two things that otherwise should match up—is that things on the economic front seem headed in a positive direction. All the while, things tending toward nuclear war and global cataclysm seem to be surging into the most terrible time of human history.

Despite reports of developing economic collapse and shortages amounting to famine-like conditions, reports to the contrary tell of ports full of shipments and shelves full of products here in America. At the same time, there’s no getting around it: The rumors of war—and war itself—seemingly can’t be avoided. That war would, the experts say, quickly make the leap to the nuclear variety. Life on earth will, if this happens, mean the end of humankind at some point.

Jesus Himself has told of such a scenario. He said if He didn’t return to put an end to the destruction, no “flesh” would “be saved” (Matthew 24:22). The Lord also said people will be buying, selling, marrying, planting, and building when He is next revealed and intervenes into the affairs of wicked humankind. He said it will be business as usual—not all-out nuclear war or world-rending famine—at the moment of that intervention (Luke 17:28-30).

While this president is, I believe, about to be instrumental in producing an economic boom in business like the conditions the cultural immorality-vexed Lot was experiencing in his days in Sodom, at the same time. we seem to be poised for nuclear extinction. We indeed face a genuine dichotomy!

In regard to the building movement toward war, a recent news item adds enlightenment to the predicament:

[British Labour PM Sir Keir] Starmer, Macron, new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, plus the unelected EU apparatus under Ursula von der Leyen all seem to be avid for war with Russia. They are insane, of course, and not just because their combined militaries are a joke. They stirred the pot badly over the weekend, helping Ukraine carry out drone attacks against Russian air defense bases as far afield as Siberia and outside Murmansk, way up north on the Barents Sea. The bold attack was apparently carried out after a year-and-a-half of planning, using tractor-trailer trucks to transport concealed drones in on-board shipping containers deep into Russia. The drones took out Russian aircraft enabled to launch cruise missiles and long-range radar detection planes, all tolled estimated at $7-billion damage. The gambit would have required NATO satellite targeting assistance.

You might recall a week ago, Chancellor Merz declared that Germany gave Ukraine “permission” to carry out long-range strikes into Russia. Smooth move, Friedrich. He is, apparently, unaware that in so doing, he automatically gave Russia permission to strike deep into Germany as well, which Russia has not yet done. Instead, it replied with missile strikes against Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kyiv, little more than a routine smack-back, but perhaps an ominous prelude to worse in the offing…

Russia wants to conclude this war. Mr. Trump wants to end it, too. Mr. Zelenskyy, maybe not so much, since his fate is only secure as long as the war keeps going and he is not overthrown by his own wingmen.

Neither the US nor the NATO / EU axis will participate in the Istanbul peace talks directly, but you can suppose that Merz, Macron, Starmer, and von der Leyen are looking to stir the pot in the background. You might conclude that war is all they’ve got left as summer draws near and each of them face a European population primed to explode at its feckless, noxious, incompetent leadership. I would expect much more fighting in the streets of the European capitals going forward, and falling governments. It could prove hard to put these Humpty Dumpties back together, with years of political chaos following. (“Bedlam Is in The Air,” Tyler Durden, ZeroHedge, authored by James Howard Kunstler, The Widening Gyre, June 2, 2025)

So, it looks as if believers during this Age of Grace (Church Age) are confronted by what would, by the secular world of unregenerate minds, be considered a biblical contradiction. But since God cannot lie, and Jesus Christ is God, there can be no contradiction. There is an answer to the seeming prophetic dichotomy.

The explanation for this seeming division of Bible prophecy—on the one hand, business as usual, and on the other, world-rending catastrophism—is given by Jesus in His “days of Lot” prophecy.

The division—the prophetic dichotomy—is foretold and explained by Jesus in, again, what I believe is the most relevant of all prophecies for this exact moment.

“Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed” (Luke 17:28-30).

Here is Jesus’ explanation: “But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.”

The impending, world-rending war—the Sword of Damocles hanging over our heads at present—is on heavenly hold until a certain condition is met. All believers in Jesus Christ—the only righteousness God sees on this fallen planet—must be, as was righteous Lot, removed before all-out war and destruction can begin falling in judgment.

God’s Word—which is Jesus’ Word, because He is the Word (John 1:1)—tells us, through the Apostle Paul, the truth wrapped up in this moment of removal. They are the words of our Lord when He presented a mystery to His immediate disciples while sitting atop the Mount of Olives:

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3).  

The Holy Spirit commissioned the Apostle Paul to reveal that “mystery” Jesus told His immediate disciples that day.

Paul, saying, “Behold, I show you a mystery” (1 Corinthians 15:5), thus prophesied the following:

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

There can be little doubt in the spiritual hearts and minds of believers who truly study God’s prophetic word and genuinely observe these times in which we live that our removal, our rescue—like Lot’s from Sodom—as Jesus and Paul said, must be at any moment.

Paul’s final word upon describing that Rapture promise was:

“Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

Let us “look up and lift up our heads, for our redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28). Thus, we can find, and offer to others, great comfort in these exciting days of anticipation of Christ’s Words: “Come up here!”

—Terry

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The Rewards of Watching for Jesus’ Appearing

My parents owned a trucking company that began many years ago by catering to farmers with such services as hauling their livestock to the Chicago Stockyards. One of my dad’s customers lived in a large two-story farmhouse that had a pinnacle rising above the roof with windows on all sides.

I remember asking my dad about this unusual feature, and he told me that the previous owner of the house built it as a place to watch for the Lord’s return. The idea of someone building a room for that purpose impressed me as a small child (I was about eight years old at the time).

I now understand that although the watchtower might have displayed faith in Jesus’ promises, it’s not what Jesus had in mind when He instructed us to “watch” for His coming.

A Clear Command

Today, the Lord’s command for us to “watch” is perhaps the most ignored of all His direct instructions to His followers. I can’t remember hearing a sermon about it, although many pastors stress the necessity of the Great Commission because the Lord commanded us to spread the Gospel to the world.

After the Lord answered the disciples’ questions regarding the signs that would mark His “coming and the end of the age” in His Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:3ff), He gave His followers (us) three specific instructions:

1. “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42).
2. “Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44).
3. “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13).

As we see the fulfillment of all that Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24 rapidly approaching our world, is this not the time we especially need to “stay awake,” “be ready,” and “watch”?

How Do We Watch for Jesus’ Appearing?

Although the farmer who built the watchtower may have had good intentions, Jesus had other things in mind than sitting in a room in anticipation of His return. Let’s take a look at how watching for His return applies to our day.

Watching begins with believing what Scripture says about the end times. In Luke 18:8, Jesus asked this question at the end of His parable about the persistent widow, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Why would the Lord insert this particular question at the end of a parable about the need for persistence in prayer? Just as it takes faith to persevere in bringing our requests before the Lord, does it not also take the same determination to remain hopeful of His imminent appearing as we wait year after year?

Watchfulness begins with believing what Scripture reveals about Jesus’ imminent appearing. Christians who lack such a belief often place all their hope in future aspirations for this life rather than eternity, and as a result, remain blind to how world events point to the nearness of the Rapture.

We watch by paying attention to the many signs of the rapidly approaching Tribulation. The Rapture can happen at any moment and without warning. However, because it occurs before the start of the seven-year Tribulation, we take note of the many signs pointing to the nearness of this time of God’s wrath upon the earth. We understand how the news headlines of our day align with how Scripture describes the last days.

As I write, I’m reading about the widespread civil unrest planned for this coming Saturday, June 14, in over one hundred cities across the US. The lawlessness that’s growing exponentially in American cities at this moment aligns perfectly with what Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-11. The apostle described antichrist as a “man of lawlessness” and noted that the “mystery of lawlessness” was already at work in preparation for his arrival on the world scene. The current and dramatic uptick in lawlessness is but one more sign of the nearing seven-year Tribulation that heralds the soon appearing of Jesus.

Watching leads to serving the Lord. In the parable of the “faithful and wise servant,” Jesus said, “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes” (Matthew 24:46). Believing what the Bible says about His return leads to activity, not passivity.

As believers, we all have diverse gifts and different callings in the body of Christ (see Romans 12:3-8). Knowing that we live in the season of Jesus’ appearing should cause us to be all the more faithful in serving the Lord in the way He has gifted us and called us to serve and share the hope we have as the Lord gives us the opportunity to do so.

Watching implies that we are ready. Of course, readiness for the Lord’s return implies that we have already put our trust in Jesus as our Savior and depend on Him alone for the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. All those in Christ will participate in the Rapture regardless of what they believe about it.

As New Testament saints, we strive to maintain a close walk with our Savior so we are ready to suddenly find ourselves in His glorious presence (read 1 John 2:28).

The Rewards of Watching for Jesus’ Appearing

Yes, it’s been two thousand years since Jesus commanded His followers to watch for His coming, and yet we are still waiting. Is there any advantage in it for our day? Yes, I believe there’s a great blessing in such awareness, in watching for His appearing.

The Apostle Paul, who initially anticipated that the Rapture might happen in his lifetime, wrote that the Lord will reward all who love Jesus’ appearing with a “crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8). There’s always been a reward for those who long for Jesus’ appearing, the Rapture. Not only that, but there’s also a temporal reward for our continued watchfulness.

The encouragement and reassurance that such awareness of Jesus’ imminent appearing bring doesn’t depend on how soon it might happen, but rather arises from the absolute certainty that someday Jesus will come to take us home to glory, thoroughly destroy the lawless kingdom of antichrist, and establish His rule of justice throughout the nations.

Yes, the growing violence in our cities, government corruption, and constant rumors of wars distress us at times. However, calmness returns to our souls as we remember that the Bible said the end times would look like this and that God remains sovereignly in control of all things.

There’s a blessedness from knowing that Jesus might appear at any moment that’s difficult to describe, yet it constantly restores peace to my soul as I watch for His imminent appearing.

-Jonathan