No, Johnny Christian, We Aren’t in the End Times
In this article, I go over some reasons that despite what much of Christianity thinks, we are NOT in the End Times. This opinion goes against widely held belief and the steadfast zeal of many Christians who long for Yeshua’s return. But we can’t go outside the Bible with matters of eschatology. Jesus gave us many signs to watch for, but we’re not there yet. And when I say we’re not there yet, I mean we have a huge amount of time to go. Could the End Times come quickly, especially in our generation? Sure, that’s possible, but not likely.
The First Reason
Yeshua comes when there is a ten-king confederacy ruling around the Middle Eastern world, conquering the areas of the four kingdoms of Daniel 2. We’re not talking about prime ministers, presidents, or heads of state.
When the Bible describes these kings, it means a monarchical type of ruler. Kings are a rare affair these days.
Famous examples of contemporary kings are the newly crowned King Charles or the Saudi Arabian royal family. But one can’t say that it’s a common thing if one is being honest. These kings rule before the Antichrist rises. If these kings must be here ruling before Antichrist even comes, and Paul informs us in 2 Thessalonians 2 that Antichrist MUST come before Jesus does, we’re far from the ideal conditions for this to happen in our day. Major paradigm shifts and political upheavals, not to mention restructuring, must occur. And do you think the Muslim world is going to give up their land without a fight?
I don’t think so.
Remember, these are kings, not presidents and prime ministers. The world is going to have to shift into something unrecognizable for this to play out.
The Second Reason
The next reason we aren’t in the End Times yet is the fact that Daniel 8 and 11 have not yet happened! You might think: “Um, that was fulfilled already by Alexander the Great. All the history books say that.” But was it? I’ve done extensive research into the idea Alexander and the Diadochi fulfilled this prophecy. The shoe doesn’t fit.
First, Daniel 8 shows this war divides a future Grecian or something like the Ottoman Empire into four regions. Alexander’s kingdom was divided into over 20 regions! Strike one, and it gets worse for the traditional interpretation from there. Even after, there were five divisions and three, not four for any considerable period. You have to shove puzzle pieces that don’t work. We can’t force the Diadochi here. The Bible is 100% accurate.
Something can resemble prophecy and not be it. And wouldn’t Satan count on the fact of Christians thinking this was all past?
The angel Gabriel says in Daniel 8 no less than three times, that the vision pertains to the appointed time of the end. Daniel 8 describes the rise of the Antichrist in the latter time of the fourfold division of these kingdoms, kingdoms that don’t exist today. Meaning, even if these events took place in the next few years, the text says that Antichrist arises in the late stages of these four kingdoms. That could take centuries!
This final King fights Jesus Himself. Historical? No.
Iran is not at the ability to fulfill this vision of fighting the kingdom of Greece just yet. Remember the kings argument? There are four kings that need to rule before this prophecy can take place! The Antichrist will be Greek or Middle Eastern, not Western as some have supposed. Many changes need to take place for Greece or that region to also have a king instead of the current forms of government. The same goes for Iran. Iranian monarchism advocacy is a small movement at the moment.
It could happen sooner than later, and we should watch this area, but unless something major happens it isn't our generation.
The Third Reason
Because Daniel 8 is an End Times prophecy, this means the vision’s expansion in Daniel 11 is also a future prophecy.
Jesus quotes Daniel 11:31 in His Olivet Discourse, placing the Abomination of Desolation in the future. This event has not happened yet. Antiochus may not be in view here. Why would Jesus quote a past event to look out for during the parousia time frame?
And it gets worse for those who think we’re now in the End Times. Because the king of Daniel 11:31 whose forces set up the Abomination of Desolation is the same as the one introduced in Daniel 11:21, we have a huge amount of time for this man to show up. This is because he at once succeeds the raiser of taxes from Daniel 11:20, and many kings known as the Kings of the North and South precede this ruler. They will spell trouble for Israel, caught up in the wars these two sides have with each other in the End Times.
Gabriel’s words ring true in Daniel 10:14, showing this takes place in the last days. Remember, this is an expansion of Daniel 8, and Gabriel says this is about the End Times. Ancient kings didn’t fight Jesus Christ. Only Antichrist and the ten kings will do that.
As far as timing goes, Antichrist has the ability to conquer angels in heavenly places. Our tech isn’t quite there yet. The host he tramples are angels, not just people on Earth. This sounds quite futuristic.
The events written by Daniel will take at least 30-200 years to carry out. That’s being optimistic. Remember, Yahweh is not bound by human understandings of time, meaning soon to Him is not the same to us.
Reason the Fourth
The fourth reason the End Times are not here yet is that Babylon the Great is not in existence yet.
God gave us characteristics of this city and popular candidates for it fail throughout history.
We know it is a Middle Eastern city that is the center of commercial trade of special items in the End Times. When she falls, the sea-faring men throw dust on their heads, because they have lost their best customer. This is a Middle Eastern custom. Babylon the Great must be close to water because of the emphasis on sea trade. Popular candidates like America, Rome, or even Mecca don’t fit. The Greek says “megapolis” or in colloquial terms important and great city. Revelation 16 hints this city must be massive, because God’s judgment contrasts it with the cities of the nations. Of course, there IS a city that may become this whore in the eschaton, being built now in Tabuk Province in Saudi Arabia.
1) NEOM, Saudi Arabia is found exactly where Isaiah 13, 21, and 34 place Babylon the Great. Obadiah and Lamentations also decry Edom's fall. So Babylon the Great is in Edom.
2) NEOM will have the world’s most advanced port for ships. Revelation 18 ring a bell?
3) NEOM will be the largest city ever constructed, leaning into Revelation 16 showing that the great city must be gigantic. Over 10,000 square miles and 33x the size of New York. I’d say that's a great city (what city is like the great city?!).
4) Isaiah 34 and Revelation 18 show complete and utter waste to the city. Jerusalem cannot be Mystery Babylon for this reason. The desert animals and demons take residence there in both passages. How can Jesus defend Jerusalem and punish nations that come against her, and then destroy it during Armageddon where he’s protecting it? They are mutually exclusive events.
5) Because NEOM will take decades to finish, the End Times are not yet here. And when it does get built who is to say it won’t take decades to a century to become the Whore of Babylon?
6) Jeremiah 49 places Mystery Babylon near the Red Sea, where NEOM is. Edom by the sea.
Wrapping it all up, Mystery Babylon doesn't exist yet. You can’t have a city killing the saints if she’s not here yet.
Reason Five
There needs to be an End Times temple in Jerusalem and not one that the Jews build out of unbelief, but one that God seems to consider holy. With their traditions of men and adding to the Torah, modern Judaism building a temple does not mean it is the Temple of the End Times. Plus, any temple they build will be done in unbelief in Yeshua as Messiah, further adding insult to the finished work of the Melchizedek Priesthood.
If they try to build a temple now, we would see a crisis unlike any other. It isn’t the ripe time for this without major bloodshed.
Ultimate Reason
Credit to Chris White for this one. He made an astute observation that the birth pains can’t be happening now. I don’t agree with some things he believes about eschatological matters, but this one he is 100% on.
The last reason, and the most convincing out of all of them, is that the birth pains Jesus described in His Olivet Discourse have not yet happened.
“What? That’s like blasphemy! How could you say that!?
There are wars, earthquakes, false messiahs, etc. all the time!”
Right, that’s true, but Jesus was pointing to specific prophecies that are found within the Old Testament.
The wars of the Antichrist or even Daniel 11:1-45 are what He means, not just any war, even World War 3. The Antichrist may use his wars to fool the people into thinking he is the true Messiah, or, my personal take is he will be hostile to anyone who does not get with his program. As for when Jesus mentions kingdom against kingdom, he likely means the Kings of the North and South.
Matthew 24 and Revelation 6 fit each other like a glove. They are parallel to each other. Meaning the first birth pain is End Times false messiahs like Antichrist. The next sign is wars and rumors of war, parallel to the second seal and so on it goes. We know the first horseman is Antichrist because the first birth pain is false messiahs. We also know that Revelation 19 shows Yeshua on a white horse, with many crowns, not just one. This juxtaposition is obvious. The first horseman was not COVID-19, though I admit that interpretation is interesting, and I even bought it for a while. I won’t throw out the crown being his bow’s ammunition completely, but Antichrist fits better.
These birth pains are future to us, and while the world is falling apart, there have been far worse wars and far worse plagues than we see in our era today.
What Does This Mean?
This means that Jesus isn’t coming in the next six years like some date setters would have us believe. 2028 could be the year, but it seems there is much to go. I could be 100% wrong about eschatological matters. But the Bible isn't. Only the Father knows.
These events will take decades to centuries, and so many people still believe in Yahweh that you can’t consider the End Times falling away as occurring right now.
You can point to homosexuals all you want, but that’s not a sign of the End Times. And there is no modern homosexuality in Scripture, anyway. Wasn’t a thing. Acts are not the same as desires. Besides, there have been sinners since the time of Adam. When the transgressors have come to the full measure, then the King of the North will take his place. It is up to Yahweh what sin in full is. Just as He has patience with us, so, too, does He have patience so that all men can repent.
I stick to what the Bible says, not the opinions of men. There have been wars all throughout history, there have been plagues (far, far worse than coronavirus mind you) throughout history, and there have always been kooks who claim to be Jesus. He wanted us to read Daniel, and understand and tie it to Revelation!
Daniel is sealed until the End Times, so for the past thousands of years, interpretation has likely been wrong. My point here is we have a while to go before we’re in the End Times, my friends. This doesn’t mean we don’t watch! Jesus commanded us to watch! But there are so many prerequisites that He can’t come in the next few decades! So let us gather the harvest of men and women into the Kingdom of God because time is still short.
But, no, it’s not the End Times just yet.
