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The Bible has a LOT to say about the end times. So it shouldn’t surprise us that there are a LOT of people saying a LOT about what these end times verses mean. People can also be very passionate about what they think these verses mean and divide into groups with fancy names to assert their positions. You’ll hear words like eschatology, postmillennial, predispensationalism, preterist and many more. After 5 months (or 5 minutes) of reading end times scriptures and opinions of end times scriptures, you may very well end up more confused and uncertain than when you started.
So can we be certain about anything in the Bible regarding the end times? Yes, we can! Let’s start with this one…
We will not know when Jesus will return. Many people go into studying the scriptures about the end times thinking God has left us some secret code to follow to determine when these things will take place. And if we just study hard enough, we can predict when Jesus will return. Some have even set dates… but of course they have all been wrong. When Jesus was asked about when these things would happen, He said in Acts1:7 – “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” This should be pretty clear… God doesn’t want you us to know. The Bible even says that sometimes, things are hidden from us (see Luke 18:34). So be certain… no one knows when.
Before Jesus returns, there will deception and disaster. In Matthew 24, Jesus is asked about the end times by His disciples. Jesus’ first reply in v. 4 is “Watch out that no one deceives you.” And Jesus warns us not to go out to them or be taken in by them (see Matthew 24:22-26). Jesus also gives a lot of detail of the disasters that will come before His return. Things like wars and natural disasters, the division among families. You may hear this and think “But don’t these things happen in every generation? Yes! Which is why when people point to current events and speculate that the end times could be near, keep in mind what Jesus says in Matthew 24:36 – “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” So be certain… there will be false teachings and false messiahs.
Jesus has it all under control. By now, you may be a little frustrated, thinking “I’ve read all the scriptures and theories about end times, some may have already happened, some maybe are still to come… how am I supposed to know the difference?” Answer: You don’t. So then you may ask “Well then, why did Jesus tell us to look for all these signs?” Answer: So you will trust in Jesus and NOT in your own understanding.
A lot of people think the point of prophecy is so WE can predict when God is going to do certain things. No. The purpose of prophecy is to be yet another proof of God. The scriptures have a pretty easy way to tell if someone is a prophet from God or not. Here it is in Deuteronomy 18:22 – “If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.”
When Jesus came, He made many predictions about what would happen to Him, including His death and resurrection. And they all came true. Why? Because He was from God and IS God. So be certain… when Jesus tells us about the signs of the end times, it shows that He has it all under control. So don’t worry about things you were never meant to understand or control. Trust the Lord.
One last one…
Jesus wants us to encourage each other about the end times. Read I Thessalonians 4:13-18. Here, Paul is talking with the early church about some of the things Jesus said about the end times. It talks about how Jesus will return, how the dead in Christ will rise and how those who are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Wow! What an amazing sight that will be! How does all that work exactly? We don’t have a clue. But we are told what we are supposed to DO with this information at the end of the passage in v. 18 – “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” The main point of this prophecy isn’t to start fights about who is right and who is wrong about all these things… but instead, we should encourage each other, telling each other things like “See? God is going to take care of it, whatever “it” is. When Jesus comes, all the wars will end, all the sickness will be gone… so just hang on a little longer. One day, Jesus will return! So don’t give up!”
