In the past year and a half, we have witnessed events unlike anything we have seen in living memory. A plague sweeping through the world, taking millions and irrevocably altering our lives. We have spent much of that time living behind masks and closed doors. We watch our cities ablaze as businesses are boarded up and lawlessness and violence prevail. Never since the Civil War have we witnessed America as bitterly divided as it is now, society seemingly separated into warring camps.
And beyond our borders the threat of war and destruction looms ever larger, from Moscow to Kiev, from Beijing to Taipei, from the missile silos of Tehran to Pyongyang. Even as I write, the sound of violence and the drums of war beat loudly concerning Jerusalem. Clearly, there are “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6). And all this, as signs of American decline and the end of the American-led world order become all the more manifest.
And then there’s a war over hearts and minds. Hardly a day goes by without hearing of yet another step in our culture’s descent into moral degradation and spiritual apostasy. And it comes not from just one sector of society but from nearly all corners. Those who uphold Biblical values find themselves increasingly stigmatized, castigated, marginalized, vilified, censored, canceled, silenced—as the shadow of persecution looms over the horizon.
Are we seeing the signs of God’s judgment? At the end of 2019, I had a strong sense that the coming year would be one of great shakings and a train of dark events that would constitute the progression of the judgment template I first wrote about in my first book. Two months after I began writing the sequel “The Harbinger II,” the “shakings” began. It was decades ago that Ruth Graham made the statement: “If God doesn’t punish America, He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.” If that was true then, how much more is it true now?
If America was consciously trying to provoke God’s judgment, it could hardly do more than it is doing now. Some of the signs in the Biblical template of a nation heading to judgment include societal division, civil unrest, disorder, sexual immorality, violence, the overturning of its moral foundation, the abolition of God’s Name, the killing of its most innocent (the unborn) and the abolition of God’s Word. All these things are now taking place before our eyes.
But beyond judgment, are we witnessing in these perilous days something else—times of prophecy being fulfilled? What was it that the Word of God told us we would see in the last days?
In Matthew 24, Jesus lays out for His disciples a sobering description of the woes that would take place before the end of the age. In addition to wars, there would be famines and pestilences (as in a plague, a virus, a pandemic) (Matthew 24:7). Knowledge would increase (Daniel 12:4), but so would immorality. And the love of many would grow cold (Matthew 24:12). Men would become despisers of the faith, and believers would be persecuted (Matthew 24:9). The Apostle Paul wrote that men would be “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, … lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:2, 4). And he describes in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 a great “falling away.” All these things are now coming to pass. We are living in the days of prophecy.
Is this cause to fear? Just the opposite—it is cause for encouragement and power. The very fact that God told us of these things before they occurred tells us that God is still very much in control and very much on the throne. It tells us that there is no power on earth to stop the purposes of God. For look what else the Word of God prophesies concerning the end-times: God will gather the Jewish people from the ends of the earth back to their ancient homeland and Israel will reappear in the world. The Jewish people will again possess Jerusalem and the nations will rage against them. This has all come to pass in the last 73 years.
And what else did God say? The Gospel will be proclaimed to all nations (Matthew 24:14), and He will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28). Thus, we are not to fear but to live all the more assured, more bold and more strengthened. Some of you have wished you could have lived in Biblical times. Congratulations, you’re there. And if the dark is getting darker, then it is time for you, the lights of God, to shine even more brightly. For the light that shines at night illuminates the world. And if the world is going from bad to worse, then it is time for you, the children of God, to go from good to great. For these are the days that bring forth greatness in those who will hold true for God.
And for those who wonder where they stand with God, today is the day of salvation! Turn now in faith to Jesus, Yeshua, Messiah, the Son of God, for the forgiveness of your sins and the promise of eternal life. For “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12).
The truth is, it is the greatest privilege and highest honor to have been chosen to witness these things and to live in such a time as this. Let us live in a manner worthy of such a high honor: Be strong and of good courage, go all out for God—faithful, immovable, bold and strong in the power of His might. What time is it? It’s your time to stand. Now go and light up the world! ©2021 Jonathan Cahn
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version.
Jonathan Cahn is the bestselling author of books such as “The Harbinger” and “The Book of Mysteries.” He is the president of Hope of the World Ministries and leader of Beth Israel at the Jerusalem Center in Wayne, New Jersey.