Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your name? Did we not cast out demons in Your name? And did we not perform many miracles in Your name?’ Then I will declare to them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, all of you who practice lawlessness.’ Therefore, whoever hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, the winds blew and beat against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

Because we live in a world that pays no attention to the teachings of the Bible, our society resembles the house built on sand by the foolish man. When the storm comes, it will collapse. But the wise who have built their house on the rock of faith and obedience to God’s Word will be saved.

Our society is moving toward a level of control over lifestyle facilitated by advanced technology. Thus, initiatives such as projects like “My Carbon,” which facilitate the individual measurement of carbon emissions and each person’s carbon footprint using advanced surveillance technology, contribute significantly to this control. In fact, the COVID crisis served as a tool to impose this type of control system, to test just how far governments can go in imposing restrictions to control human behavior.

Even politicians in Europe have repeatedly stated that during the COVID-induced lockdown, the government, scientists, and the media deliberately created a climate of fear to make people submit to restrictions on their lives. Doctors and scientists who questioned the measures were marginalized, or even fired. Those who opposed the extreme measures were mocked, unfairly labeled as crazy, eccentric, and responsible for spreading the virus.

A great deal of information is now coming to light regarding the harm caused by lockdowns—which did not stop the spread of the disease—and the damage they inflicted on people’s lives, especially those of children. We are learning new facts about the harmful side effects of the vaccine and the damage it causes to our natural immune system, as well as the fact that it does not prevent illness or the transmission of the disease.

The World Economic Forum has stated that the COVID crisis and climate change are the factors leading to the “Great Reset” they are pursuing. Another aspect of this change involves the monetary system.

China, for example, has already implemented the infrastructure to exercise this type of control. Access to stores, public transportation, workplaces, etc., is granted via QR codes on mobile phones. China is also developing central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) to replace cash and traditional bank accounts.

Financial authorities in the United Kingdom, the EU, and the U.S. are working to create CBDCs. These are ready to be introduced in the event of a banking crisis. If CBDCs are implemented, banks and the government can take control of what goes in and out of people’s accounts, with the ability to activate or deactivate them. If they don’t like what you’re doing or saying, you won’t have access to your money. You won’t be able to buy, sell, or participate in society. You’ll also need some kind of authorization to access the system. It could be a debit card, a QR code on a cell phone, or—for maximum security—some kind of mark or digital code implanted under the skin that can’t be lost or stolen. This is how the prophecy in Revelation 13:16–18 could be fulfilled: “And he caused all—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. And no one may buy or sell unless he has this mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. Here is wisdom. Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. And its number is six hundred sixty-six.”

If you study biblical prophecy, you will recognize that these trends align with the biblical teaching about the last days of this age.

• An intensification of wars, famines, epidemics, and earthquakes. Luke 21:10–11.
• The earth filled with violence and immorality, where people fear what is to come. Luke 17:26–27, Luke 21:25–26, Genesis 6:11.
• Lawlessness will prevail everywhere. Matthew 24:12, 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12.
• Widespread pollution of the earth and destruction of the environment. Isaiah 24, Revelation 8:6–11.
• The situation in the Middle East concerning Israel and Jerusalem, which will capture the attention of the entire world and be the scene of the second coming of the Lord Jesus. Ezekiel 36–9, Zechariah 12–14, Luke 21, Revelation 19.
• A process of globalization driven by technological advances, which will unite the world under the leadership of the final world government. Revelation 13, Daniel 12:4.
• A concerted attack on the Bible, but the message of the Gospel will reach all nations, despite opposition and persecution. Matthew 24:9–14, Matthew 28:18–20.

Jesus described the days leading up to His Second Coming: There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars. And on earth there will be distress among the nations, as they will not know what to do when they hear the roaring of the sea and the waves; people will faint from fear as they await the events that will take place on earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. (Luke 21:25–27)

In those days, a global crisis will arise, which the Lord Jesus called a time of distress among the nations, who will not know what to do. There will be a global crisis that no one can resolve—a hopeless situation—that will cause people to fear what is about to befall the world. This period corresponds to what the Lord Jesus calls the Great Tribulation: For then there will be such great tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no one would survive; but for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short. (Matthew 24:21–22)

In other words, if God did not shorten those days, it would mean the end of life on earth—the end of the world. God will not allow this to happen because He has planned a period of 1,000 years of peace and righteousness on earth, in fulfillment of prophecies such as Isaiah 2:1–4, Isaiah 11, and Revelation 20. This will take place through the most dramatic intervention in the affairs of humankind since the creation of the world: the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The wise have a future and a hope. This time, the Lord Jesus will come in a manner entirely different from how He came the first time. He will come in glory as King of kings and Lord of lords, with all the power of God at His disposal, and He will put an end to the current global chaos through His messianic reign, when He will bring peace and justice to the world. If we are wise, there is a way to escape the calamities of the Great Tribulation. In Proverbs we read: “The prudent see danger and take cover, but the simple go on and suffer for it” (Proverbs 27:12).

How can you be ready for the Lord’s coming? Repent and believe in the Gospel. Trust in God. Build your house on the rock of salvation and faith in Jesus Christ. Then, when the trumpet sounds and the Lord comes for those who love Him, you will be ready: Behold, this is what we tell you by the Word of the Lord: we who are alive, who remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself, with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will always be with the Lord. So comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15–18)