As another year begins, many battle-weary saints wonder if this will be the year they meet Jesus in the air. Many of us entered 2024 with high hopes that He would come for us soon, or perhaps by its end.
With the dawning of 2025, is there any cause for us to be less watchful than we were a year ago? No, I believe it’s rather a time for increased optimism. Of course, it would be more than a little foolish to predict that the Rapture will happen in the next twelve months. However, it would be equally so to say it couldn’t happen at any moment.
I say that because it’s more evident than ever that we live in the last days of human history as we know it.
Storms on the Horizon
The stormy skies remain on the horizon signaling the nearness of the seven-year Tribulation and they are far more ominous than just a year ago.
1. The Threat of World War III. One of the more persistent dangers of our day is that of a nuclear war. How much longer before Putin makes good on his repeated threats to attack NATO and the US with deadly missiles? He recently warned of such an exchanges between Russia and the US, but very few people take him seriously.
The worst of the coming wars will happen after the Lord takes us away from the earth (Revelation 6:1-8). The heightened talk of nuclear wars between the superpowers, however, tell us that the fulfillment of the second and fourth seals are ever so close.
2. Increased Earthquake Activity. During the last several months of 2024, the world experienced a significant increase in the number of earthquakes along with historic volcanic activity. These things, along with warnings of a catastrophic pole switch, point to the opening of the sixth seal described in Revelation 6:12-17. If we already see vivid evidence of what will happen after the Rapture, how close must we be to our departure from this world?
3. “Peace and security.” First Thessalonians 5:3 tells us that the Day of the Lord wrath, in the form of “sudden destruction,” will fall upon the unsuspecting world while people are saying, “There is peace and security.” This is happening now. This exact phrase occurs over 95 times in the document the UN nations approved last September inaugurating “UN 2.0.” But could we be entering a time of increased hope that this might really be the case?
Though he has not yet taken office, President-elect Donald Trump has been busy laying the groundwork for resolving the war between Russia and Ukraine. He also boasts that he can bring peace to the Middle East even though several US presidents have failed to do so. What if he succeeds in these endeavors? Would that not bring the sigh of relief Paul wrote about in 1 Thessalonians 5:3?
Even if genuine peace ensues in the coming months, there are other realities that tell us that the quieting of world tensions won’t forestall the beginning of the Day of the Lord.
First, there’s the rampant lawlessness, continuing bloodshed through abortion, widespread acceptance of pedophilia, and other abhorrent behaviors will not go away with the cessation of military conflicts. The Lord must and will certainly judge these things.
Second, any period of calm won’t stop the powerful forces at work seeking to bring about a Marxist world government with a greatly reduced world population.
4. The June 2025 Peace Summit at the UN. During the first week of June, a large number of nations will gather at the UN with the purpose of putting in place a seven-year peace covenant between Israel and its enemies. It’s too early to tell if they will have success or if it will be the accord that antichrist will make with Israel or one that he will later incorporate into it. However, the fact the world is thinking in these terms should cause believers to look up in anticipation of the Lord’s soon return.
Although the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (MBS), initiated this latest pursuit of Middle East peace, another unseen force seem to be driving it. The apparent void in leadership draws our attention to another prophecy, which tells us the identity of the antichrist will remain hidden until after the Rapture (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8). From what the Bible reveals about the coming “man of lawlessness,” we know it can’t be MBS; but is there another catalyst behind this peace initiative whose identity remains veiled at the moment?
The Restrainer
These and many other signs not only tell us the Tribulation is near, but also draw our attention to why it has not yet started. The Restrainer, which Paul wrote about in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7, explains why we can be so close to the Lord’s opening of the seals after the Rapture, but remain earthbound.
And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.
When Jesus comes for His Church, the restraining work of the Holy Spirit will end and the Day of the Lord wrath will begin shortly afterward.
The Rapture is truly the wild card for 2025 and beyond; it’s the catalyst that will speed up the rapid succession of events we read about throughout the book of Revelation. Imagine the start of the end time judgments starting with the breaking of a rubber band. Although it’s already stretched beyond the snapping point, the Lord is holding it together. Once He takes us home, He will remove all restraint and the rubber band will break.
The chaos following our departure will give antichrist the opportunity to seize control of world affairs and finalize the covenant of peace that Daniel wrote about long ago (Daniel 9:27) and Jesus warned would happen as a sign pointing to the nearness of His Second Coming (Matthew 24:15-31).
The transition from what we now see to the wrath of the Day of the Lord will be sudden and unexpected for most. Momentous change is coming to the world soon after the Rapture.
Until then, we wait knowing that any moment the Lord might appear. The bad actors of our world are ready for moment they have the freedom to take the stage and fully implement their agenda under the guidance of antichrist.
Maranatha!
Note: In Hereafter, It’s Far Better Than You Can Imagine, Terry James and I describe the future glory that awaits us as believers beginning with Jesus’ appearing to take us home. From beginning to end, we emphasize the jubilant joy that awaits us in Heaven. The last chapter contains twenty-seven frequently asked questions and answers pertaining to Heaven and our experience there.
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