Why The World is Hurtling Toward a Great Tribulation

Everywhere you read, it seems there’s bad news, and it’s only going to get worse and worse up until Jesus’ returns.

The Bad News

Everywhere you read, it seems there’s bad news, and it’s only going to get worse and worse up until Jesus’ returns. There are not only rumors of wars, but actual wars going on now. There is hyperinflation, food shortages, climate catastrophes, drought, floods, food chain disruptions, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, but add to that, transportation or supply-chain disruptions, poverty, disease, famine and major food supplying regions like California are drying up, meaning America’s greatest food source is disappearing. Everywhere you look, bad things are happening. We have the stats proving that there have been increases in crime, violence, suffering, shootings, riots, anarchy and such as the world in our generation has not yet seen. That’s just what Jesus described in the Olivet Discourse (Matt 24:5-7). Is there a time in history that is a parallel to these end times of God’s coming judgment? Yes. Jesus said, “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark” (Matt 24:37-38). In other words, they did not heed Noah’s preaching of God’s coming judgment and it was business as usual, so “they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matt 24:39).

Jesus’ Prophecy

Not only will the world itself, which is a house of cards, start to tumble and cave in on itself, false teachings and gospel look a-likes will multiply. Jesus didn’t say there would only be a few, but “many false prophets will arise and lead many astray” (Matt 24:11). Note that this apostasy will result in the fact that “lawlessness will be increased [and] the love of many will grow cold” (Matt 24:11-12). Doesn’t that perfectly describe the evening news?! We know for a fact that it is not going to get better but only grow worse and worse as time nears for Jesus’ return. The church is warned to keep their doctrine sound because “false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matt 24:24). Even though Jesus’ second coming does appear to be near, the Lord reminds us of the time of His coming of which “no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matt 24:36). I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone or some church predict Jesus’ coming. I know it is the exact same number of times that they were wrong. If God says “no one knows,” that means no human knows.

The Good News

God’s mercy is never relevant to the sinner until the wrath of God is revealed in Scripture. Without their knowing about the coming of God’s judgment on the unrepentant (Dan 12:2-3; Rev 20:12-14, 21:8), the mercy of God is not even relevant to them. Jesus said it would be by our love for one another that “all men” (everyone!) would know who His disciples are (John 13:34-35), but disciples of Jesus were never silent about the gospel and neither should we be! In truth, we are commanded to proclaim Christ, making disciples wherever we go, but that’s not all. We must be teaching them the very same things that Jesus taught His own disciples (Matt 28:18-20). We find those teachings of Jesus in the gospels and the letters or books in the New Testament, but not leaving out the Old Testament either. Jesus never excluded using the Old Testament and neither did His disciples. In fact, for Him and the disciples, that’s all they had to preach out of at the time. We must proclaim the whole gospel (the fall of man, Gen 2-3) to the whole world (Matt 28:18-20) by means of the whole Word of God, the Bible (Isaiah 55:11). It is not teaching a better life today or your “best life now” (1 Pet 1:19-23), but a better life to come (Rev 21:1-4).

How to Respond

Believe it or not, the lost sinners of the world are probably watching believers more closely these days to see how they will react under pressure. More people are falling into poverty these days than has ever happened before in such a short period of time. The same could be said for the homeless population. It has grown exponentially the last 5 years and shows no signs of slowing down. The fewer resources for more people spell trouble. Troubles like crime, corruption, violence, larceny, disease, rioting, and all kinds of evil. Hungry, desperate people will do just about anything and their own conscience will not stop them.

So what do we do as believers? We too are sinners still yet, but we still have time to witness for Christ. But how will we react when the heat gets turned up? Will our trust be in the Lord? Our sovereign God still reigns and He declares, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Prov 3:5-6).

Conclusion

If you think the world is bad today (and it is), wait until the unsaved meet their Maker! It will be worse than we can even imagine. The Scriptures do give us hints about hell, but the reality is infinity worse than anything you could ever describe with words, so my plea to you is to trust in Christ today. If you have never trusted in Jesus Christ, then you will face the wrath of God on judgment day (Rev 20:12-15). I implore you my friend, before you lay down to sleep, confess your sins before God; acknowledge your need for forgiveness; trust in the ability of Christ to cleanse you from all unrighteousness (2 Cor 5:22).

I plead with you to “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, confess Him with your mouth” (Rom 10:9-13), and you will be saved. Next, find a Bible-believing church and get baptized (Heb 10:24-25). Take the advice of the author of Hebrews who pleads with the lost sinner: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” (Heb 13:5). Make that decision today, right now, while it is still called today (2 Cor 6:2).

Here is some related reading for you: What is the Tribulation Period? A Study from the Bible

Tagged as: End Times, last days, prophecy, Tribulation