Are We in the End Times?

As we’ve watched the news unfold this past week—with Israel and Iran at war and the United States having launched airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities—the question that everyone seems to be asking is, are we in the end times?

People have often tried to predict when the Second Coming of Christ will happen. I remember when I was a teenager, and prophecy was a big deal, people were positive we were living in the last few seconds of the last days. During the recent pandemic, people were also convinced that we were at the end. Now, we stand in a strategic moment in history for Israel and the entire world. However, I don’t think we can say for sure that we are living in the time that Jesus described in Matthew 24. What I do know is that every day we are one day closer to when Jesus will return. 

I sense in my spirit a new urgency to share the good news of Christ with people, to love well, and to prepare my heart for whatever is to come with worship. 

Years ago, I wrote a little devotional book called The 30 Day Praise Challenge. God continues to do remarkable things using that small book to motivate people to make praise an intentional part of their lives. At the end of the book, I gave some examples of using passages from the book of Revelation in your praise time. I believe that the book of Revelation is one of the most powerful books for worship. It describes the worship that goes on continually in heaven. Rather than trying to predict when Jesus will come again –which, by the way, Jesus said no one knows when– why not seek to prepare your heart for whatever lies ahead?  

One of the most tangible ways I know to prepare your heart is to use passages in Revelation as a basis for your worship. There is an eternal crescendo of praise reverberating through the walls of heaven, and John gives us a glimpse into this in the book of Revelation. I have found it to be a great encouragement to borrow the prayers of praise that John gives us. As the news unfolds, here are a few passages I would highly recommend to help keep your eyes focused on Christ:

Revelation 4: 8,11. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and is, and is to come…You are worthy, our lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Revelation 5:9-10, 12-13. “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on earth…Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!”

Revelation 7:10,12. “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb…Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

My recommendation, dear friends, is that you use these scriptures from Revelation to remind you of how great our God is and how Jesus has won the victory eternally. He will be worshipped forever and ever. When the news raises fear in you, get your praise on and remember, in the end, Jesus has already won. We stand in His victory!

For the days ahead, why not pick up a copy of The 30 Day Praise Challenge? Praising God quiets our anxiety and strengthens our faith for the days ahead. 

Summer Book Club. We are in week 5 of Cultivating Deeper Connections in A Lonely World.  You can listen to all the episodes of the book club season on The Connected Mom Podcast. And it’s not too late to join!  Dive in as we talk about how comparing often hurts our relationships.