Living in the Last Days: Biblical Insights

We live in a time where a lot is happening in the world, and it feels like everything is changing dramatically.

There are wars, hunger, genocide, strange illnesses, earthquakes, floods, shifts in laws and order, robots taking over human responsibilities, widespread apathy and ridicule, religious hypocrisy and people becoming indifferent.

Given the current state of the world, it’s natural to ponder if we’re in the midst of significant prophesied events.

Interestingly, the Bible foretold various occurrences that collectively serve as ‘the signs’ indicating the culmination of the last days.

In this article, we’ll explore the Biblical insights into the last days.

So, let’s set aside personal viewpoints and delve into the scriptural perspective on this matter.

The Biblical Response

In the New Testament, Paul reflected on the arrival of “the end of the ages” nearly 2,000 years ago, both for himself and the brethren.

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.

1 Corinthians 10:11

The conviction of the faithful church for two millennia has been rooted in this expectation, emphasizing the ongoing relevance of this truth today.

Scripture has foretold many things that together would be “the sign” to identify the last days (Luke 21:7). Some of which are:

Large Scale War: Jesus foretold, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom” (Matthew 24:7).

Revelation 6:4 also symbolically described a horseman taking peace from the earth. A concept that resonates with the current reality of about 13,000 nuclear warheads worldwide, granting mankind the capability to endanger human life multiple times over.

According to Scripture, the last days, if not curtailed by God’s intervention to save His creation—humanity would ultimately use such armaments to blast itself off the face of the earth.

There has never been a time in history when technology has been available to do that. So this is a clear indication that we are nearing the return of Christ, where the ominous prospect of “no flesh being saved” becomes a tangible possibility.

If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

Matthew 24:22

Famine: Jesus foretold, “There will be food shortages.” (Matthew 24:7) and Revelation 6:5, 6, predicts food shortages through a symbolic horseman, whose ride would result in famine on a large scale.

The world is witnessing food shortages and famine in different regions. Factors such as conflict, economic instability and even natural disasters are all contributing to the conditions that align with the Bible’s predictions of widespread famine.

Great Earthquakes and Diseases: Jesus said in Matthew 24:7 and Luke 21:11, there will be widespread earthquakes causing immense suffering and loss of life. Moreso, epidemics of severe diseases.

Deteriorating Attitudes, Breakdown of Families and Religious Hypocrisy: In 2 Timothy 3:2-4, the Bible foretold that people, “will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God– having a form of godliness but denying its power”.

The intensity of these attitudes would escalate to the point where these times could accurately be labeled as “critical and challenging.”

People would exhibit a lack of “natural affection” for their families, and children would become increasingly “disobedient to parents.”

There would be a form of religious hypocrisy, where individuals may outwardly appear to worship God but fail to genuinely live by His standards.

Increased Understanding of Bible Prophecies and A global Preaching Work: In “the time of the end,” as foretold in the book of Daniel (12:4), there would be a significant increase in knowledge of Bible truths, including a precise understanding of these prophecies.

Furthermore, Jesus foretold in Matthew 24:14 that the good news of the Kingdom would be preached throughout the entire inhabited earth. And the last days would be distinguished by the simultaneous fulfillment of all these prophecies.

Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.

Matthew 24:33

When Will the World End?

Would the signs of the end of age or the end times usher in Christ’s return?

Jesus said: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” He added that the timing of the end would be unexpected, “at an hour when you do not expect him”, (Matthew 24:36-44).

Despite the uncertainty of the exact timing, he did outline a set of events, referred to as signs, signaling the period preceding the end of the world. This era is denoted in the Bible as “the time of the end,” “the end times,” and “the last days” as established earlier.

The Next Big Thing

Jesus is coming back again…soon!

You probably must have heard this repeated claim of Jesus’s imminent return, and over the years, grown skeptical.

So is it all lies? Certainly not!

God tells His church, every time, that nothing is stopping Jesus from coming back. After living a perfect life, sacrificing Himself for us, rising from the dead, and going up to heaven to give His Spirit to the church, the next big thing in world history is when Jesus comes back.

We don’t know exactly when it will happen, and the Bible doesn’t say we should try to figure out the date. Instead, we’re supposed to be alert because we don’t know the day when Jesus will return. We need to be ready because He will come at a time we don’t expect.

The Bible doesn’t provide specific information to predict when Jesus will return. Instead of making guesses or wild calculations, it advises us to “keep watch” and “be ready” (Matthew 24:42-44).

The uncertainty of Jesus’ return date should inspire us to live each day as if He could come back at any time.

We should stay vigilant, especially in these last days.