When you look at what’s happening in the world, you see that all nations are gripped by anxiety, discontent, and frustration. In every society—whether it’s a dictatorship or a democracy, a left-wing or right-wing political regime—things are going from bad to worse. People feel that they are not truly represented by the government and those in power, and new crises are looming on the horizon, with no concrete solutions in sight.

There is corruption, greed, and malice. Honest people are growing poorer and no longer have enough money for food and heat. Even in Western countries, there is poverty, and all kinds of lawlessness and random acts of violence are taking place; there are broken families, drug and alcohol abuse, and increasing tensions between people of different races and nationalities. Many young people are worried about their future and wonder if they even have a future in this world.

Things are much worse in countries ruled by dictatorships—such as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea—which oppress their citizens by depriving them of their freedom and threaten the world with war using weapons of mass destruction. Africa and the Middle East are mired in poverty, famine, war, oppression, and terrorism that threaten people’s lives on a daily basis.

We are also seeing an increase in natural disasters, such as droughts, floods, and extreme heat waves. War is knocking at our doors and has disrupted food and energy supplies worldwide. There is already talk of a new world war, with the specter of a nuclear threat looming.

This entire reality can be compared to the image of the Titanic before it sank. The passengers did not believe the ship would sink and trusted the crew. There are so many holes in this society that it can no longer be patched up. Our ship—represented by the society in which we live—is sinking, and with it, the people who make it up.

Right now, world leaders are gathering in international organizations and devising plans to solve the world’s problems through a “new world order” in the “Great Reset,” which aims to radically transform Western capitalism into an order that exercises total control over the individual.

World leaders have set out to control where we live, the money we have, our spending and travel, our food, and even what we think and say. They are against people who want to live independently and who hold opinions contrary to those of the leadership. They even shamelessly claim that they would like there to be fewer people on Earth. 

To achieve this control, they will first have to destroy democracy and the market economy. They seek to justify intervention in the economy and society through various mechanisms, even though history has shown these mechanisms to be doomed to failure.

In the name of ensuring the general welfare, they want to control the economy and the media and suppress any opposition. For them, the Chinese communist system based on social credits is a good example in this regard.

To gain the support of the majority, they must convince people that they are facing a crisis so severe that only the program they propose will prevent the collapse of society and the end of life on Earth. The COVID crisis has been a useful tool in this process, serving as a means of surveillance and control.

Another tool they intend to use is the idea that climate change will lead to the end of civilization. They want to convince people to reduce their use of fossil fuels and accept the Zero Carbon agenda. Although it is true that pollution is a factor in the degradation of the natural world around us, as many scientists have pointed out, the measures they propose are unlikely to make a radical difference to the climate.

In reality, however, their measures lead to a severe economic and social crisis, driven by energy shortages and energy system failures, which will lower the standard of living. They claim that these extreme measures are necessary due to the crisis facing society, while attempting to control the media, education, and the internet, and to suppress freedom of expression and conscience. But once they come to power, it will mark the end of democracy.

Everything that is happening in the world, however, is brought to light by the biblical prophecies about the last days. The COVID-19 pandemic, the fear of global warming, the war in Ukraine, the increase in natural disasters, shortages, and the threat of famine, as well as the emphasis on globalization, were prophesied by the Lord Jesus, whotold His disciples what would happen at the end of this age, before His return: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for all these things must take place.” But the end is not yet. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be earthquakes in various places, as well as famines and plagues. But all these things will be only the beginning of the birth pangs. (Matthew 24:6–8)

This period described as the beginning of sorrows corresponds to the current historical period. This period will be followed by the Great Tribulation, which the Bible describes as an extremely difficult time: 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)

That is, this crisis will be so severe that God will be compelled to intervene to put an end to man’s reign on earth; otherwise, it would mean the end of life on earth: 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 are to come upon the 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. “When these things begin to take place, look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:25–28).

The period known as the Great Tribulation is described in the Book of Revelation, as well as by other Jewish prophets (see, for example, Isaiah 24, Jeremiah 30, Daniel 12, Zechariah 12–14), who describe this seven-year period, divided into two halves of three and a half years each. The Great Tribulation begins with the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, who bring deception, war, famine, and death upon the world. (Revelation 6).

The rider on the white horse is a charismatic and deceptive figure known as the Antichrist, who begins his rise to power, reaching its peak during the three-and-a-half years of tribulation.  Once in power and able to control humanity, he establishes a system marked by the mark of the beast, in which people cannot buy or sell without a mark on their right hand or forehead.  The new system will be a dictatorship that will gradually take hold through the implementation of projects by globalist organizations aimed at establishing a world government. At the same time, cataclysmic events will strike the earth. As a result of wars, famine, and natural disasters, at least half of the world’s population will perish.

Before this time of trouble, the leaders of this world will gather with the intention of opposing God. Psalm 2 tells us the following: “Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed One, saying, ‘Let us break their bonds and cast off their chains!’ He who dwells in heaven laughs; the Lord mocks them. Then, in His wrath, He speaks to them and terrifies them with His fury, saying, “Yet I have anointed My King on Zion, My holy mountain.”

Those who oppose Him are, in reality, antichrists. They cry out that they want to free us from God’s bondage, but they themselves are slaves to sin and want to deceive us as well. God’s commandments and God’s Word limit evil in the world and bring us true freedom. But they do not want to live according to God’s commandments; they want to break them and do only what they want.

The Lord Jesus will come at the end of this time of tribulation as King of kings and Lord of lords, and He will defeat the Antichrist and his armies at Armageddon. (Joel 3, Zechariah 14, Revelation 16:12–16, 19:11–21).

The Messiah will reign on earth from the restored Jerusalem, bringing peace and justice to Israel, the surrounding nations, and the entire world during His millennial Kingdom (Isaiah 2:1–4, 11–12, Psalm 72, Zechariah 14, Revelation 20).

God Is Preparing a Way Out

Biblical prophecy uses a comparison between the crisis of the last days and the labor pains of a pregnant woman: For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction will come upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:2–3).

When a woman goes into labor, she experiences a series of pains—contractions—that intensify as the birth of the baby approaches. This process is irreversible; once it begins, it cannot be stopped until the baby is born. It is exactly the same in today’s world. As time passes and we draw closer to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, certain events intensify, and once set in motion, no one can stop them.  But the end of labor brings joy to the woman at the birth of her longed-for child: “A woman, when she is in the pangs of childbirth, is in distress because her hour has come; but once she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the pain, but rejoices that a human being has been born into the world.” (John 16:21)

For those who long for the return of the Lord Jesus, for those who watch and wait for His coming, at the Lord’s return all sad events will be transformed into great joy.  But for those who reject the Lord Jesus, His coming will be a cause for dread: “The kings of the earth, the rulers, the commanders of the armies, the rich, and the powerful—all slaves and all free people—hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of His wrath has come, and who can stand?’ (Revelation 6:15–17).

The Lord Jesus taught us that when these events begin, we must look up to heaven, for our salvation is drawing near (Luke 21:28), but we must also be watchful: “Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with gluttony and drunkenness and the cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly. For that day will come like a snare upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Therefore, stay alert at all times and pray, so that you may have the strength to escape all these things that are about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34–36)

The Lord Jesus urges us not to let ourselves be weighed down by the world and its cares, but to watch so that we may be prepared for His coming, which He says will be unexpected, like a thief in the night.

The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus to earth will be preceded by all the signs foretold in the Bible.  The final sign, “after the tribulation of those days,” will be a darkness that will cover the earth, when the sun, the moon, and the stars will no longer give their light (Matthew 24:29–30). The Second Coming to earth will be an event anticipated even by unbelievers.

This raises the question regarding other prophecies that describe the Lord’s coming as unexpected—like a thief in the night—an unannounced, imminent event on a day just like any other. The Lord Jesus speaks of a time in the future when one will be taken and another left behind: “But about that day and hour no one knows—not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Just as it was in the days before the flood, when people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, right up to the day Noah entered the ark—and they knew nothing about it until the flood came and took them all away— so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Then, of two men in the field, one will be taken and the other left. Of two women grinding at the mill, one will be taken and the other left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Know this: if the master of the house had known at what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. Therefore, be ready yourselves; for the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect it.” (Matthew 24:36–44).

The answer to this question is that the coming of the Lord Jesus will take place in two stages: first, the coming without warning, when the saints (believers saved in Jesus) are taken from the world to the Lord “in the air,”  then the Lord’s coming with great power and glory to the earth together with the saints at the end of the seven-year tribulation.

At the Lord’s coming without warning—which is referred to as the rapture of the church—the Lord Jesus will take all born-again believers out of the world: “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. Therefore, comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18).

The Lord will supernaturally take His believers from the earth to be with Him (John 14:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:18), who will receive eternal bodies (1 Corinthians 15:52–53), appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10), go to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6–9), and return with Him to earth in glorified bodies to reign in the millennial kingdom (Revelation 19–20).  They will then be with Him for eternity in a new heaven and a new earth (2 Peter 3, Revelation 21–2).

The faithful will be spared from the judgment that will strike the earth. It was the same with Noah and his family, who were guided by God to build an ark (a place of refuge) before the judgment of the flood, and with Lot and his family, who were spared and taken to a safe place before the judgment struck Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Apostle Paul described the blessed hope we have in the return of the Lord Jesus: “For the grace of God, which brings salvation to all people, has been revealed and teaches usbreak away from idolatry and worldly desires and to live in this present age with self-control, righteousness, and godliness, looking forward to our blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds (Titus 2:11).

Our ark of salvation is the Lord Jesus Himself. He is the Lamb of God who willingly gave Himself as a sacrifice to God for the atonement of our sins. If we accept His sacrifice, believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, ask for forgiveness for our sins, and repent of them (that is, turn away from them in our daily lives), then God seals us with His Spirit so that we may be redeemed from this evil world and be spared from the judgment that will come upon it. “Repent,” Peter told them, “and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For this promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far off—as many as the Lord our God will call.” And with many other words he testified, exhorted them, and said, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” (Acts 2:38–40).