How far do you think we are from the End Times ? and what scriptures support your theory ?
1 Like
Jesus specifically said no one will know the day or the hour.
However, we might speculate about the season. Revelation describes the death of the two witnesses and how people would see their bodies in the street and rejoice. Even after the invention of television, the satellite technology to get the picture around the earth would still be needed. However, today with cell phones, it is not difficult to imagine this being able to happen.
With people killing their children in the millions, education undermining faith, and a general preference for feeling good over truth, one might see that the end in near.
The Lord told us explicitly we can’t know. So there’s simply no way to know, or even guess at something like this. The Lord could return ten seconds from now, or ten thousand years from now. It’s simply not our job to know or speculate, but to hold firm to what He told us.
There’s an old apocryphal story about Martin Luther, supposedly Luther was once asked what he would do if he knew for certain the Lord would return the following day. Luther’s response was that he would plant a tree. The story is apocryphal, so it probably didn’t happen, but the point being made is that even if we knew 100% when the Lord would return, we should be living today as we ought. Whether the Lord returns tomorrow, or in a thousand years, I should be living faithfully the same right now. If I think, “Why should I go to work and be an employee if Jesus returns tomorrow?” or “Why should I go visit my sick father in the hospital if Jesus is returning tomorrow” then I’m not being faithful to my calling as a Christian. If the world ends tomorrow, then right now I am to love my neighbor, be a good Christian friend, colleague, brother, son, father, uncle, sister, mother, employee, employer, etc. Look at the sunset, praise God for the work of His hands. Preach the Gospel, love your neighbor, take up you cross.
1 Like
I think this has been answered truthfully.
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” Matthew 24:36
Jesus tells us that “as in the days of Noah.” We will be simply living our lives when it happens. That will happen when we do not expect it.
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” 2 Peter 3:10
Can we take some of the other things Jesus said about the end times, and speculate if we are close? Of course.
“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.
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.
But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:6-14
Nothing wrong with looking around and then looking up. However, be careful not to attempt to predict an exact time or date. Or believe anyone else who claims they know.
Peter
1 Like
The Best is yet to come!
Get the time frame right, and the whole New Testament pops into vivid focus and makes sense. Get the time frame wrong, and you might well spiral into immediate irrelevance, and a much lower quality of life. Life is GREAT! God’s plans are AMAZING! Let’s go move some mountains for His glory!
The state-of-the-art best eschatology, postmillennialism, usually includes some form of preterism. Most of the prophecies in the Olivet Discourse, and John’s more detailed retelling of that discourse in prophetic (visual, right-brain) imagery, refers to the Jewish War, which lasted 7 years, started on schedule 40 years after Jesus pronounced God’s pending judgment upon “this generation,” and kicked the feet out from under the Kingdom of God’s two chief enemies – Rome, and apostate Israel.
Get the time frame right, and you can even explain Apocalypse to Turkish Muslims in a way that makes sense.
(1) Parenthetically, when Jesus said “this generation,” He always meant the people he was talking to right there and then. It takes a special kind of crazy to assert that “this” actually means “that, 2,000 years from now.”
https://al-ve-oku.blogspot.com/2008/12/revelations-should-reveal.html
So you are saying that passages like this.
“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these [are] the beginning of sorrows.
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matthew 24:4-14
Has already happened? Or this?
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:29-31
Has he already returned? In this fashion? How about this?
“Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?” Amos 5:18-20
Have we already been woed? Sounds a lot like you are doing this.
“Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 2 Peter 3:3-4
We know that America, and some around the world, ARE doing this.
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,” 1 Timothy 4:1
No, my friend. I do not believe that a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. Revelation 21:1-27 or the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Perhaps I did not understand your point? Are you saying that there are no end times? Or that it already happened? Honestly asking. @Dr_S
Peter
While Scripture gives us clear signs to watch for, it also reminds us that no one knows the exact day or hour of Christ’s return (Matthew 24:36).
Here’s how I’d answer your question, based on Scripture:
Jesus described the End Times as being preceded by “birth pains” (Matthew 24:6–8). These include wars, famines, earthquakes, and false prophets. Much of what we see today…global unrest, spiritual confusion, and natural disasters…reflects these early signs.
Paul wrote that the Day of the Lord would not come unless “the rebellion comes first” and “the man of lawlessness is revealed.”
1 Timothy 4:1 says some will “depart from the faith” in later times by following “deceitful spirits.”
In Matthew 24:14: “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world… and then the end will come.” Modern technology and missionary efforts are bringing the gospel to places once unreached which is another indication we may be closer than past generations.
Ultimately, Jesus says to be watchful, not speculative. We are supposed to live as those prepared for His return at any moment.
So while we may be nearing the end, what matters most is whether we are ready.
1 Like
..and to add @JennyLynne
How to Live Ready for the Return of Jesus Christ
Scripture calls the people of God to live in a posture of continual readiness for the return of Jesus Christ, not speculation about dates, but obedience shaped by certainty and watchfulness shaped by love, because both Jesus and Paul affirm that His coming is sure while the timing remains hidden from human knowledge ~Matthew 24:36, ~Acts 1:7.
Jesus repeatedly taught readiness using parables that press responsibility onto the hearer, employing verbs of watching, waiting, working, and remaining faithful, rather than abstract awareness or passive belief.
In the parable of the ten virgins ~Matthew 25:1–13, Jesus describes ten women who go out to meet the bridegroom, all of whom sleep as the night progresses, yet only five are prepared when the cry comes announcing his arrival. The critical verb appears in Jesus’ conclusion, therefore keep watch, where grēgoreite (present active imperative) commands continuous alertness, not momentary attention.
The foolish virgins are described as unprepared because they failed to bring oil, revealing not ignorance but neglect, and when the door is shut, Jesus says, I do not know you, using oida, a verb of relational knowledge, showing exclusion rooted in failed relationship rather than lack of information.
The lesson is not that salvation is earned by oil, but that living faith must be continually nourished, active, and sustained, echoing Paul’s teaching that faith works through love ~Galatians 5:6, and that believers are to be continually filled with the Spirit ~Ephesians 5:18, where plērousthe (present passive imperative) indicates an ongoing dependence upon God’s action.
In the parable of the talents ~Matthew 25:14–30, Jesus again stresses active faithfulness. The master entrusts resources and departs, and the faithful servants trade and gain, where ergazomai (to work) and kerdainō (to gain) describe intentional, productive action. The unfaithful servant buries his talent, motivated by fear, and is condemned not for failure but for refusal, as Jesus calls him wicked and lazy, ponēros and oknēros, revealing moral culpability, not inability. When the master returns, he settles accounts, underscoring that the Christian life is lived coram Deo, before the face of God, in anticipation of reckoning.
Paul reinforces the same pattern using imperative verbs that assume moral agency and urgency. Let us not sleep as others do, but let us watch and be sober ~1 Thessalonians 5:6. Here, katheudō (to sleep) functions metaphorically for spiritual negligence, while grēgoreō (to stay awake) and nēphō (to be sober, clear minded) are present subjunctives expressing ongoing communal responsibility.
Readiness is not emotional excitement but disciplined alertness rooted in holiness.
Paul comforts believers concerning the return of Christ and immediately exhorts them to encourage one another with these words ~1 Thessalonians 4:18, showing that eschatological hope fuels perseverance, not withdrawal. Likewise, Titus 2:11–13 frames readiness within grace, stating that the grace of God trains us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, while waiting for the blessed hope, where paideuousa (training) is a present participle, showing grace actively shaping conduct as believers await Christ’s appearing.
From these texts, Scripture yields two governing conclusions, both anchored in verbs rather than abstractions.
First, believers must remain spiritually awake. This wakefulness is sustained through ongoing communion with God in prayer, Scripture, and obedience, because human hearts are prone to distraction and dullness. Jesus warns, watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation ~Matthew 26:41, where agrypneite (to stay awake) and proseuchesthe (to pray) are present imperatives, binding vigilance and prayer together. Awareness of the unseen realm is not mystical curiosity but disciplined attentiveness empowered by the Spirit ~Ephesians 6:18.
Second, believers must remain faithful and active in service. God saves not only from sin but unto good works, which He prepared beforehand that we should walk in them ~Ephesians 2:10, where peripatēsōmen (to walk) denotes habitual conduct. Spiritual gifts are given for building up the body ~1 Corinthians 12:7, and believers are commanded to serve one another through love ~Galatians 5:13, reflecting the pattern of Christ who did not come to be served but to serve ~Mark 10:45.
All of this converges at the cross, where Christ’s obedient faithfulness unto death ~Philippians 2:8 becomes the model and power source for readiness. We live ready not from fear of judgment but from grateful devotion to the One who bore our sin and will return in glory. John captures this posture when he writes, everyone having this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure ~1 John 3:3, where hagnizei (to purify) is present active, showing hope producing ethical action now.
Thus we remain connected, awake, and active, living as though Christ could return today, not anxiously but urgently, loving God, serving others, and proclaiming the gospel, confident that the One who promised is faithful ~Hebrews 10:23.
God bless
J.
The state-of-the-art best eschatology, postmillennialism, usually includes some form of preterism. Most of the prophecies in the Olivet Discourse, and John’s more detailed retelling of that discourse in prophetic (visual, right-brain) imagery, refers to the Jewish War, which lasted 7 years, started on schedule 40 years after Jesus pronounced God’s pending judgment upon “this generation,” and kicked the feet out from under the Kingdom of God’s two chief enemies – Rome, and apostate Israel.
John used the standard prophetic vocabulary of word-pictures he inherited from the OT. Whenever we read of God coming “with clouds,” it is a reference to visible catastrophe visited upon a nation, culture, society. In John’s case, apostate Israel. Members of the “this generation” Jesus spoke TO lived long enough to see God’s hand of judgement destroying their whole world.
But hey, if impotent fatalism is your cup of brew, who am I to harsh your mellow by mentioning the greatness of the Great Commission?
So you do not believe the Bible, Jesus, the Profits, or God? Ok. I can’t help ya.
Peter
There’s a lot of PROFITS to be made in “prophecy teaching,” I agree. I do believe in honestly-earned profits from honest labor. Prophecy TEACHING, however, profits off the gullibility and irresponsibility of the suckers who buy into that satanic bilge.