I remember the beginning of the Persian Gulf War. In August 1990, in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, led by Saddam Hussein, America entered the conflict under the code name, Desert Storm.

Almost immediately, bookshelves bent under the weight of books quickly written by evangelical Christians offering various answers to the question at the top of this post.

In the early 2000’s, PLO Leader, Yasser Arafat threatened Israel with acts of war. Again, talks of Armageddon were everywhere.

So, is this present war a sign of the coming Armageddon?

Some Muslim clerics believe it is.

From an article I saw yesterday via social media:

“For many, the war with Iran — and the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — might seem like the climactic end to a long, brutal reign of terror by the theological clerics who have run the country since 1979.

But, for certain hardline Shiite ideologues, including in the U.S., this is not an ending but a prophetic showdown that will usher in the arrival of the “Mahdi,” a messiah, according to Islamic eschatology, or the theology of end times.

In this prophecy, Mahdi will emerge to battle Dajjal, the Islamic equivalent of the Antichrist, in a final battle of Armageddon.” [End excerpt]

According to Islam, the Quran was given by Allah (not the God of the Bible) to Mohammad in the early 7th century A.D. As such, the events of the “last days” espoused by Shiite clerics sound a lot like what the Bible prophesied in both its Old & New Testaments centuries, even millennia, before the Quran was written.

So, what does the Bible say?

When mainstream culture thinks of the Bible and the “end times” they immediately think of the book of Revelation.

But references to Jesus’ return are found throughout the canon of scripture – from Job, the Psalms, Daniel, Zechariah, Isaiah, and many other of the Old Testament Prophets. In the New Testament, all four gospels/biographies of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), Acts, Paul’s letters, Peter’s letters, and John’s letters all give attention to Christ’s return.

Both Daniel and 1st & 2nd Thessalonians are heavily apocalyptic. And, in Matthew, chapters 24-25, Jesus gives the longest answer to any single question. The question? “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Based on clear biblical passages and context, the “final conflicts” will center around the Middle East, especially Israel. (Cf. Zechariah 4:14; I could list sundry reasons, both from scripture and world history, for why I firmly believe God is not done with using Israel playing a primary role in the events surrounding Christ’s return. But that’s not the purpose of this post.)

The Bible does teach in no uncertain terms there will be an antichrist demonstrating evil unmatched in all of history (the Bible calls him the “beast”), a bloody battle in the Valley of Megiddo (Armageddon; see notes below), which I had the chance to view personally last April, and a conquering Messiah, who the Bible tells us is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ. (See Revelation chapter 13 for the “beast”; Rev 16:12-16 is the only passage in which we find the word “Armageddon” with the scene played out in chapter 19.)

Jesus was crystal clear as to the timing of his return: “No one knows the time or hour.“ Further, Jesus said, he will “come at a time you do not expect…like a thief in the night”. So, while world events are certainly unsettling, don’t allow social media or even preachers tell you, “This is it!” That is an irresponsible statement with zero biblical basis.

What Jesus described as “signs of his return” had nothing to do with “date setting.” Rather, he associated these events, metaphorically, with the “birth pains” that precede the birth of a child. As his return draws nearer, the events given us in scripture will increase in frequency.

I would be remiss if I did not conclude with what the Bible also says.

In the 1970’s, Waylon Jennings recorded a song titled “Revelation.” Listening as a child, the song haunted me. Toward the end, Jennings, singing from the perspective of a man who’d never put his faith in Christ, belts out in terror,

“All at once the clouds rolled back and there stood Jesus Christ in all his glory!”

The Bible says, for those who’ve never placed their faith in Jesus, the moment of Christ’s return will be a moment of unimaginable horror.

But, for those who’ve professed their faith in Jesus Christ, it will be a day of unimaginable joy.

And that’s why, as a believer, we have nothing to fear. Social media and major news sites offer a myopic view of reality. There’s a larger story playing out – much larger.

As the 20th century preacher, A.W. Tozer, said,

“While the world may seem like it’s out of control, we have a King who’s not surrendered his throne.”

That’s what Jesus meant when, on the night before he was crucified, talking to his disciples about what was to come, he comforted them,

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”

In a sermon on Christ’s Second Coming during a Sunday morning in 1887, the British preacher, Charles Spurgeon, passionately exclaimed,

“I have heard the chariot wheels of the Lord’s approach, and I have endeavored to [prepare myself] for His reception… I hear even now in the Spirit the sound of the last trumpet, whose tremendous blast startles my soul to serious action and puts force into my life.”

I like that word “force” Spurgeon uses.

When I began going to church in high school the original Star Wars movies had just been released. On the rear bumper of my car I had a sticker that said,

“The Force is with me. His name is Jesus.”

One author wrote,

“Christ’s Cross and resurrection spelled Satan’s doom. Christ’s second coming will seal it.”

Back to Spurgeon’s sermon,…

“When Christ shall come, no man can tell.  Watch for Him, and be always ready….The Scripture has left the whole matter, with an intentional indistinctness, that we may be always expecting Christ to come, and that we may be watching for His coming at any hour and every hour….He may not come for a thousand years; He may come tonight.”

Or, as C.S. Lewis put it,

“Precisely because we cannot predict the moment, we must be ready at all moments.”

That’s why Jesus instructs us to keep working, keep watching, and keep praying.

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,… Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thess. 4:16-18)

My prayer is that these words have been an encouragement for you today.

Maranatha (“Lord, come!”), Nick