Are We Living in the End Times?
“I believe we’re living in the end times,” said an older gentleman as I spoke to him on the phone. Is he right? Are these the last days that Scripture is speaking about? When we turn on the news, and see a worldwide pandemic, nations rising against nations, it certainly may seem like we are living in the last days as described in Scripture.
Many believers became fascinated with the end times when Tim Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins published their first book in the Left Behind series. This was a fictional series of novels with a post-rapture setting. I do not intend to critique that series, as that has been done numerous times. In fact, the Lord used those books (even though there may be some inaccurate theological information in them), in my own walk with Christ to get me to take my faith more seriously. Unfortunately, I believe far too many Americans developed their theology of the end times based on a set of fictional books rather than the inerrant, infallible, authoritative, and sufficient Word of God.
“I believe far too many Americans developed their theology of the end times based on a set of fictional books rather than the inerrant, infallible, authoritative, and sufficient Word of God.” —Josh Hitchcock
Along with developing our theology from fictional novels, there has been a trend to look at current events and think that particular event is some fulfillment of end times prophesy. We are also developing our view of the end times more from the words of the media, rather than the Word of the Lord.
I remember reading Matthew 24 and Mark 13 during the days of 9/11.
If you don’t remember what happened, or you weren’t born yet (I can’t believe I’m that old already), Islamic terrorists hijacked airplanes and crashed them into the twin towers of New York. They intended to take down the Pentagon as well with a third plane.
In Mark 13:1-2, Mark writes,
“And as he came out of the temple, one if his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings! And Jesus said to them, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will be not thrown down.”
As the twin towers crumbled, and I read in my Bible that in the end times these “great buildings” would be thrown down, my mouth dropped. I almost could sing the line of the famous song, “I can almost hear the trumpet…” but the trumpet never sounded.
However, buildings fall down all the time. Jesus was referring to the temple, not the twin towers. That was really bad Bible interpretation on my part. I honestly knew nothing about how to study or interpret the Bible, despite having grown up in church. I had just seen buildings crumble like a game of Jenga, and read in my Bible that in the last days buildings would fall down. I had no idea how to think about context, and had I actually read Matthew 24 I would have seen that it was referring to the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, something that did indeed happen in 70 AD.
We may also be tempted to read current events back into Matthew 24, every single time there is a national conflict.
The apostle writes, in Matthew 24:3-8,
“As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.”
Wars, nations rising against nations, and famine (food shortages at the grocery store is not a famine but that’s how we unfortunately insert current events into the Bible). We look at what’s going on and think now THESE are the end times. We see what’s going on right now with Russia invading the Ukraine and think, oh this is what’s going on in Matthew 24:6-7. The truth is, there have been wars ever since Adam and Eve took the first bite of forbidden fruit. Nation has been rising against nation long before the Bethlehem baby was born.
During 9/11 I was getting my ends times theology from the newspaper, not the Bible. I began to develop my theology from a series of fictional books, not the true Word of God. Don’t make my mistake.
Are we living in the end times? Yes and no.
We can’t point to certain current events and then declare, “This is it, THESE are the last days.” And yet, we have been living in the “end times” ever since Jesus ascended into heaven in the book of Acts.
“I was getting my ends times theology from the newspaper, not the Bible. I began to develop my theology from a series of fictional books, not the true Word of God. Don’t make my mistake.” —Josh Hitchcock
According to Scripture. It’s not important for us to know times and seasons. The disciples wanted to know when Jesus was going to restore the kingdom of Israel. Luke records their interaction in Acts 1:6-11:
“So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Jesus told them it’s not important to know when He would fully and finally restore His kingdom, but gave them a job to do: to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth. Essentially, he told them to stop worrying about how things are going to play out, but to preach the gospel at home and abroad.
So what do we do instead of trying to interpret current events and place them in the Bible, like Russia invading Ukraine, is some fulfillment of prophesy?
Simple. Preach the Gospel and get ready for Christs return. Live in obedience to Him now. Preach the Word with urgency, and live as if Christ’s return is imminent. We tell our neighbors about Jesus, and we share the gospel among the nations.