Understand the Times

And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. Luke 17:26-30

Jan Markell has a saying that many in the prophecy community have frequently echoed: "What did you expect the last days to look like?"

For most people, the last days don't resemble today's reality, at least not the Hollywood version embedded into our collective consciousness. Over the past 120 years, pop culture—through countless books and movies—has conditioned us to expect that if there was an ambitious dictator bent on creating a one-world government, it would be obvious, with clear distinctions between the good guys in white and the bad guys in black.

We’ve been led to believe that the villains would be easily identifiable, fitting the stereotypical mold of any of the evil characters found in a who’s who rogue gallery. With a few exceptions, the world leaders in power today appear more benign businessmen than dreadful despots. However, give them a smidge of power, and they will rain ruin down upon all their citizens. But the truly wicked leaders, those shadowy figures who are directly in league with Satan and his forces, are almost always behind the scenes and likely people we don’t know even exist.

Unfortunately, it often takes a truly "apocalyptic" event on an international scale—like World War II, 9/11, the Indonesian earthquake and tsunami, or COVID-19—for the general public to even begin to wake up and recognize that something is seriously amiss. But those “awakenings” don’t last long before the masses are lulled back into varying stages of complacency. I guess the point I’m attempting to make is that the times are what they are, regardless of whether they fit our preconceived notions of the end or not.

It is hard to step back and look objectively at how fast things are falling apart.

Now, when speaking to anyone about the last days, the first thought that usually comes to their mind is the horrific images from the middle chapters of Revelation (i.e., oceans of blood, demonic monsters, massive earthquakes, plague, lawlessness, etc.). And while that will be true one day, it doesn’t start out that way. I’d say a majority of Christians don’t even know that Hebrews 1:1-2 states rather clearly that God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds… (my emphasis) That means since the first century Anno Domini (AD), we’ve been in the last days.

That also means that after nearly 2,000 years, we are at the tippy point of the last day's spear. Still, as Jesus alluded to in the Luke passage above, there will appear a sense of normalcy at the times right before the end (i.e., marrying, eating, drinking, buying, selling, etc.) and out of that normalcy, will come sudden judgment that wreaks havoc upon a largely unsuspecting world. The world will quickly be plunged into the most terrible times that have ever or will ever come upon the earth.

Be that as it may, you’d never know it to look at the world today.

You’d never know it if you had to rely on church pulpits to give you your reality check.

Bad things happen, and people mourn for a day or two, but then the wheel keeps on turning. Each day, more and more people either forget or become inundated with the voluminous flood of information bombarding their senses on a constant basis.

Ironically, in describing the last days, Jesus likened them to the days of Noah and Lot, emphasizing not the wickedness, the violence, or the Nephilim, but the normalcy bias present in both scenarios. While opinions vary on which aspects Jesus specifically referred to, I believe He highlighted how the people of those times, because of their wickedness, became blinded by their sin and were unable to recognize the direness of their predicament. Nevertheless, despite the differences between the events—such as pre-flood versus post-flood, global versus localized, and water versus fire—both judgments shared an overabundance of wickedness and a societal normalization of it. This normalization led to a denial so pervasive that people, much like addicts spiraling deeper into addiction, become incapable of grasping the destructive nature of their behavior. This leads to one of the most dreadful statements in all of Scripture.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting…Romans 1:28 (my emphasis)

Adding to the debased mind God has given the wicked over to since the beginning, we would have to add on top of that the ‘strong delusion’ (2 Thess 2:11) that will manifest in the world after the Rapture of the Church.

Assessment

What ‘triggered’ this particular thought for me, was a recent conversation between Dr. Naomi Wolf and Alex Jones, when he asked her, what the ‘trigger’ would be for the present administration to usher in Martial Law and finally prevent Trump from becoming president. She seemed a little perplexed at that thought, because, for her, we were already in it, and have been at least since Jan 2021. She believes that the real problem was the fact conservatives were still looking for a “trigger” to watch for, meaning most people, even those who are looking at these things, were being deceived by the lateness of the hour and how much we’ve already allowed to happen without any civil backlash.

Clearly, our nation has never been the same since 9/11 and the passing of the Patriot Act.

Now, does that mean it’s a foregone conclusion that since we are already in the trap that it’s pointless to keep fighting? Well, no, because we aren’t called to simply roll over and let the devil do whatever he wishes. We were called to be salt and light in our communities and occupy until He returns. That said, the question becomes, is it easier to be salt and light and share the gospel under the bootheel of communism, or in a constitutional republic? I would argue for the latter, given the clamping down and censorship that communism would absolutely introduce into the equation.

But when Christians decide to sit it out and ride the fence for whatever purposes, either out of apathy or out of sincere disgust at the binary system we are in, what you create is a vacuum. And in that vacuum, the wicked will surely rush to fill it because they don’t know any different. That is how a nation founded upon Judeo-Christian morals and ethics, allowed places like Portland, Oregon, Seattle Washington, Austin, Texas, Los Angeles, California, and New York City to atrophy right before our very eyes to become the moral cesspools they’ve become. When Christians quit engaging their leaders, their communities, and their neighbors, the rot that is always trying to creep in, creeps in and takes over.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was a 19th-century German philosopher whose ideas had a significant influence on Karl Marx. Hegel developed a theory known as dialectical idealism, which suggested that history progresses through a process of contradictions and their resolutions, known as the dialectic. According to Hegel, the world and human society evolve through a series of thesis (an idea or condition), antithesis (a conflicting idea or condition), and synthesis (a resolution that combines elements of both).

Karl Marx was influenced by Hegel's dialectical method but disagreed with Hegel's focus on ideas as the driving force of history. Instead, Marx applied the dialectical method to material conditions, particularly economics and class struggle, in what became known as dialectical materialism. Here we see Hegel's influence on Marx lies in the dialectical method itself—the idea that progress occurs through conflict and resolution. However, Marx corrupted the focus from ideas being the innovative driver to change, to material conditions and class struggles as the key drivers of historical change. Furthermore, this change is not for the sake of change, but for the accumulation of power. The final component of Marx’s adoption of the dialectic method was the absolute removal of a holy and righteous God from the equation.

The widespread unawareness that we are in the final moments of the last days stems from two key factors. First, the pulpits across America have largely fallen silent on the subject, causing it to fade from most people’s minds. The local church once meant to serve as the "canary in the coal mine" (among other things) for God’s prophetic timeline, has grown disturbingly quiet—not because the threat isn’t real, but because the canary is dead, and many churches are content living in their denial. Second, we’ve become desensitized to the rampant wickedness around us, living in it day after day. For those of us who are prophetically aware, the discomfort we feel isn’t just self-imposed paranoia; it’s a growing vexation, much like the water heating up from uncomfortable to unbearable.

Historically speaking, every culture that is not still in existence in the present, whether as an empire or a nation has come and gone. For those that no longer remain, had reached a point of societal failure where there was no coming back. They’d reached a red line, or a tipping point, where recovery or going back to the ‘way things were’ was not only improbable but impossible. The question I pose today is whether the United States has reached that similar point.

I would argue yes.

Not because I’m anti-MAGA, but because you can’t uncrack an egg. Like the nursery rhyme so aptly put it, all the king’s horses, and all the king’s men, couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again. We are the Humpty Dumpty in this scenario, cracked and fractured along so many lines and driven by too many competing agendas to ever be united again. Assuming for example, that the Lord’s return was still decades away, the very best the US could hope for is to revert to a decentralized nation made up of a loose confederacy of states rather than the federal behemoth it’s become since.

At present, the only two possibilities that seem to fit the current US trajectory, are that the US either goes the way of Rome circa 476AD (total societal collapse) or the way of Rome circa 23BC (she becomes an imperial dictatorship under Caesars). According to the Bible (and depending on how you interpret Rev. 17 and 18), the United States is not in the picture in any identifiable way, thus, suggesting that the former is more likely than the latter.

Conclusion

For nearly 6,000 years, mankind has lived upon the earth. From antiquity to 1500AD, the estimates of warfare-related deaths are somewhere between 100-150 million people. From 1500-1900AD, the estimates were 50 to 100 million warfare-related deaths. The 20th century saw nearly 100 million deaths. At the high end, experts estimate a total of 400-500 million deaths for all that time. And although that seems like a lot, consider this. The Bible states that in the seven short years of Daniel’s 70th Week (aka The Tribulation), nearly eight billion people will have been killed by famine, the sword, and judgments. That is death on a scale we've not seen since the days of Noah.

Speaking of, Noah and Lot also represent two types of believers that will also be present in those days. Noah, who was told the flood was coming, prepared, and in righteousness, preached that judgment was coming. Even though he had no converts, he preached, prepared, and worked until the time of the judgment when he was saved from that watery destruction. As for Lot, day in and day out his righteous soul was vexed at the increasing wickedness he was seeing all around him. Nevertheless, Lot was clueless as to what was coming until the angels appeared and dragged him and his family out of the city to safety.

Which type do you believe you are? Noah, or Lot?

This is the importance of understanding the times. Although I am not a prophet, I’m fairly certain that Noah didn't spend all those years preaching “how to live your best life now” or “seven steps to financial freedom.” He was preaching that judgment was coming and if they didn’t repent and get on the ark, they were going to die. He didn’t allegorize the judgment. He didn’t spiritualize it. He meant what he said and said what he meant.

In closing, I just want to end with some scripture passages that highlight the difference between understanding the times, and the consequences of failing to recognize them.

Recognizing the Times (Good) 

1. 1 Chronicles 12:32  - "Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command." 

·         The men of Issachar are praised for their wisdom in understanding the times and knowing what Israel should do, emphasizing the importance of discernment in leadership.

2. Daniel 2:20-21 -"Daniel answered and said: 'Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.'" 

·         This passage highlights that understanding the times is a gift from God and is essential for discerning His will in different seasons.

3. Luke 12:37 (35-48) -“Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.”

 ·         Watching for the Lord to return comes with reward for those who love His appearing (see 2 Tim 4:8)

4. 1 Thess. 5:1-4 - “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.”

 ·         Paul indicates here (and Jesus later) that even though we won’t know the day or hour of His return, we should be able to recognize the season of His return so as not to be caught unaware.

5. Revelation 3:3 - “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.”

·         Jesus instructs the church at Sardis (and by extension- those of us with ears) that if refuse to watch for His return, that day will catch us off guard. Conversely, if we are watching, it should not catch us off guard.

Failing to Recognize the Times (Bad)

1. Luke 19:41-44 - "And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, 'Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.'"    

·         Jesus laments over Jerusalem's failure to recognize the time of His coming, especially given the fact that His arrival and presentation of Himself on Palm Sunday on the exact day (173,880 days for the end of the 69th Week of Daniel) would lead to its destruction a few years later. Below is a summary of the 70 Weeks of Daniel 9:24-27.

• Daniel 9:24: The angel Gabriel tells Daniel that this prophecy is specific to his people (the Jewish people) and his holy city (Jerusalem). He states that six things must be accomplished for the 70 Weeks (of years) to be completed: 1) “to finish transgression,” 2) “to put an end to sin,” 3) “to atone for wickedness,” 4) “to bring in everlasting righteousness,” 5) “to seal up vision and prophecy,” and 6) “to anoint the most holy.”

• Daniel 9:25: After the 49 years to rebuild the city and walls in the troublesome times, unto Messiah the Prince (Jesus) would be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks (for a total of 69 weeks of years).

• Daniel 9:26: After the 69 Weeks, the Messiah would be cut off (killed) but not for Himself, and the people of the prince who is to come (the Antichrist) would destroy the city and the sanctuary. This was fulfilled in 70AD by Roman General Titus Vespasian and the V (Macedonia), X (Fretensis), XV (Apollinaris), and XII (Fulminata) legions against Jerusalem.

• Daniel 9:27: And he (the nearest antecedent would be the Antichrist) would confirm or strengthen a covenant with the many (including Israel) for seven years. In the middle of those seven years, he’d break and violate the covenant and commit the abomination that causes desolation (he would desecrate the newly rebuilt Jewish temple)

Jewish Calendar (360 days/ year)	Gregorian Calendar (365 days/ year)
(7 x 7) + (62 x 7) = 483 years	444 BC to 33 AD = 476 years
483 years	476 years
x    360 days = 173,880 days	x    365 days = 173,740 days
	+    116 days in leap years
	+      24 days = (March 5 – March 30)
	=173,880 days

 Author’s Note: The idea that these are weeks of years (as opposed to weeks of days or months) is not arbitrary, but has precedence found in Genesis 29:15-30 where Jacob is told by Laban to work one week of years for Rachel and is deceived into marrying Leah. He then must work another week of years (so 14 years total or two weeks) for Rachel’s hand in marriage.

2. Jeremiah 8:7     - "Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but my people know not the rules of the LORD."

·         This passage rebukes the people of Israel for their ignorance of God's ways and timing, contrasting them with the instinctual understanding of animals.

3. Matthew 16:2-3    - “He answered them, 'When it is evening, you say, "It will be fair weather, for the sky is red." And in the morning, "It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening." You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.'"

 ·         Jesus criticizes the Pharisees and Sadducees for their inability to discern the spiritual significance of the Messiah being in their presence, contrasting their understanding of weather signs with their ignorance of prophetic signs.

4. Matthew 24:37-39 (also Luke 17:26-30)   -"For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man."

·         This passage warns about the dangers of being oblivious to the spiritual significance of the times, as people were in the days of Noah before the flood.

5. Luke 21:34-35

-“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.”

·         There is coming a time to the earth at the end of the last days (when the last days begin- Heb 1:2) where the world will be consumed with the cares of this life until ‘that Day’ comes unexpectedly.

Maranatha

Come Lord Jesus!