I too believe we're living in the end times. I believe though that God will take care of his people, and save us from harm. Keep looking up. God bless.

I believe before the AntiChrist comes on the scene, the church will be taken out of this world before this.

That's my belief exactly, Old Biker. God bless.

Yes These things are all on my mind. I fear in failing Christ from falling under sin and deception. The Bethlehem star is tonight as well. I feel that Christ is returning. I am not taking any vaccines or anything during this time as the Devil is the greatest Liar and he will trick many into taking the mark of the beast perhaps unknowingly. These are serious times we are in. Just try to be strong and serve Christ our savior. We will face many persecutions and I am afraid of not being strong enough to face them and falling under deception.

I call this "scareology." I do not believe we can know if we are in the end times or not. Revelation is such a difficult book, but people without a full knowledge of Greek and Hebrew (for the prophecies in the OT) are trying to tell us the end is coming based on some "literal" things in Revelation. Other than Rev. 1-3, which were written to the real 7 churches in Asia, the rest of the book is a dream or vision.

In fact the word Revelation in Greek is "Ἀποκάλυψις" or apocalypse. It means uncover or unveil. Or even reveal. BUT, it was not written to us, but the people of the late first century AD. End Times is much to difficult to figure out without knowing the original languages and Biblical background. I am working on a PhD in theology, and I am humble enough to realize I cannot interpret Revelation. I was talking to my supervisor with a PhD in theology, who has been a professor and a pastor, and she agrees with me. It is pure ignorance to assume some half baked person has a clue what the end times are about. And no, the Holy Spirit doesn't teach people about these complex theologies, unless they have put the time in to study with others, and learn the entire truth about languages, and hermeneutics.

I have read too many things from people insisting they have figured it out. Well, there are actually 4 main viewpoints about the end times.

1. Dispensational premillennialism. Invented by Darby and Scofield in the 18th century. There is no word RAPTURE in the Bible. ANYWHERE. There is no rapture. Read it in Greek, and you will understand the verb Harpazo in 1 Thess. 4:17 does not say anything about a noun, the word rapture. Jerome made it up i the 14th century with his Latin translation of the Bible. He knew Latin quite well. But he knew little Greek or Hebrew. He put rapture in, because he didn't really understand, and then the dispensationalists picked it up. It is wrong. Dispensationalism is wrong. No rapture, ok?

2. Historic Premillennialism. A well researched point of view, but a lot of holes, IMO. I had some professors who believe this, and I will not say more. They were very smart, educated people. It is a well accepted viewpoint, that does not predict the end of the world tomorrow.

3. Post-Millennialism. - This view proposes that humanity is bringing in the Millennium by making the world a better place to live. Things will get better and better for a thousand years and then Jesus will return. Well, we certainly aren't near that point. In fact, the wars and depression in the 20th century sent this one packing. I believe John MacArthur, who is quite a good theologian and preacher believes this. However, he has switched views many times, I don't trust him at all for eschatology.

4. Amillennialism. It means that the Millennium started after Jesus' death and reurrection- the "now" of the Kingdom. It will continue till Jesus returns. The "not yet" of the kingdom. The "now and the not yet" is a very important eschatological term, yet so many of the other eschatological views miss this. God did inaugurate the kingdom. But, he only left crumbs for us. Like the mysterious Revelation by John, which is has many metaphors, dispensationalists like to interpret as literal, which is why they think the end is coming. I have read Beale, the commentary on Revelation, and it is good. Sam Storms has a good book about it, coming from a dispensational background, and becoming Amil. Reading the Bible showed me that many of the things predicted in the OT and the NT have already happened. Jerusalem was overthrown and destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. That was an extremely important time for Israel,, and the Dispersion. We don't even know if Revelation was dated before or after that signpost. That means I am a partial-Preterist. I believe that many things have already happened, but obviously, Jesus has not yet returned. Some Amills believe Jesus has already returned but invisibly. I would have to disagree with that view.

I will agree that things seem bad now. Especially 2020! Woe! But, not every country is doing that badly. Compared to us. And compared to previous plagues, like Spanish flu in 1918-19, which killed 50 million people in a world with only 1 1 /2 billion people, we are doing well. Or the Black Plague in Europe in the 13th and 14th centuries, what we have going is nothing.

I agree our political systems are really mixed up. I tend to favour a communist conspiracy. I'm talking China here. They have basically taken over Canada ,and Justin Trudeau is under their thumb. But, there have been many traumatic things in history to do with politics. Start with the Roman Empire, the Viking Empire, the Germanic Empire, Genghis Khan and his empire, which spread as far east as the Ukraine all the way to the Pacific Ocean. How about the Spanish Empire, and my favourite, the British Empire! And they all fell, and Jesus did not return.

We need to stop navel gazing in North America. Are you part of the problem or the solution? My reading of Scripture says that NO ONE knows the time or hour of Jesus return. We are to occupy till he comes, not stare at the sky, waiting!

"And said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Acts 1:7

"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." Matt. 24:36

"Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers,[a] you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape." 1 Thess. 5:1-3

This was written to the Thessalonians, (along with 1 Thess. 4:17) to tell them that Jesus has not returned, don't expect Jesus to return just because it is peaceful, or wars and rumours of war, either.

I do not like it when people predict times or even approximate times. John Hagee is the worst for that. I remember his three blood moons, and how he wrote books, and preached all over the world about the end in Sept. 2016. Yet, here we are!

I think for me, the thing I dislike most about dispensationalism, is that the people who profess it have lied, and not been called out. (Hal Lindsay and the Late, Great Planet Earth), the 1988 and the 1989 predictions, The Left Behind books and movies, which were pure fiction. Then there was the pastor, Harold Camping in California who put up billboards saying the end was coming on some date in the early 2000s. He had somehow counted it. My daughter-in-law was living in CA at the time. She phoned me in Canada she got so scared. I had to reassure her it was not happening, and it did not. These predictions are a DISGRACE to God. He told us we will not know when Jesus is returning. We need to hold that close to us. Every time another prediction happens, it means people will not believe Christians or the Bible even more, because it was a false prophesy. Oh for the days of the OT, when false prophets were just stoned to death.

And stop listening and reading to stupid dispensationalist material that is based on out of context materials, and scare techniques. The way not to worry, is to make sure God is sovereign and in control of your life. Jesus could come tomorrow - would you be ready? He could come in another 1000 years, too!

The Bible tells us to go and preach the gospel to the whole world. That is when the end will come.

"And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matt 28:18-20

"But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Mark 13:32

And you will not miss him, when he returns:

"Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen." Rev. 1:7

A "secret rapture" is utter nonsense! That would be the παρουσία or parousia or the Second Coming. So, when does Rev. 1:7 happen? Is it a third coming? Of course not! You never have to be worried! Jesus will make sure everyone sees him, and all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

Be a bold witness for Christ. Give your testimony. If you can't go to the mission field, give to people who do go. There are lots of small organizations in forgotten countries, barely making ends meet, I support several missionaries, including a home missionary in India. And if you think you have it bad, try living as a native Christian in India, where the Hindus are burning Christians and their churches and villages. Or Africa, in Nigeria, with new deaths daily from the Boko Haram, a Muslim group.

Anyway, rant over!

I used to take the train to work in Chicago.
There were people at train stations that would predict the same thing as you.
The message is basically a good one.
Here's why I say that, SteveB77.
Isn't it accurate that if you say "We are at the end times, so get ready for Christ."
Is that true, Steve?
If it is, I say your right.
A priest told us who were listening, "tomorrow is not guaranteed!"
We all agree to that, right? What might happen if you are driving and a semi overruns the intersection your just crossing.
It's over, it's time for your soul to leave the body and encounter the afterlife.
Is it fair to say that COVID ended the "personal world" of nearly 1.8 million people worldwide?
Saying the end of the world is coming is not so different from saying, "follow God's path, you are at risk of being dead next year."
Think back to this date last year.
None of us thought on 12/30/2019 that
over 15,000 would die in Canada due to COVID
&
roughly 336,000 people from the USA would be dead.
We live in dangerous times!

to clarify my bottom line & important point is
there's little difference between your own death and the end of the world. Either way, death or Apocalypse, you will be held accountable for what you have done on Earth.
the key is that because of that, BE READY

I agree, LeftWing! You have put it very succinctly! Great discussion! If people disagree with me, or anyone else, please post and support with Scripture verse. I never mind being proved wrong! We all learn that way!

Thank you for sharing. My apologies for the delay in my Reply. Our time is the End Times for us. Meaning that we only have one life to live. Best to worry about how we live that life. As we are Born Again, we won't die again. What we do in this life, that can help others to not die again either. As we get older, and that first death seems inevitable, it is human nature to not want to die. If The Lord Returns in that lifetime, then we technically won't have to face that death. That is why many see His Coming Again as sooner then later. Important to not get fooled by false prophets, who proclaim The Lord's Coming multiple times, because they are wrong every time. Only Our Heavenly Father knows the day. We need not fear death, as we have Life. Good to worry about others lives, but they need to know The Truth, Who Is Our Lord And Savior Jesus Christ. Our time is our end times of this world, and we should live it, as knowing The Lord could return at any moment. That isn't Panic, but Purposeful. Thank you. God Bless.

Bless you RJW for this post! Excellent ideas!

We really do need to focus our eyes on Jesus.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3