by Rich DuBose
Have you ever arrived at a store just as they were about to close? You might only go in if you know exactly what you need. It isn't be fun to go in to look and shop if you know the store is closing in 10 minutes.
According to Jesus a day is coming when earth’s “business hours” will end, and the world—as we know it, will not be able to carry on as usual. (Matthew 24:4-31).
Just prior to that, fake Messiahs will parade around making audacious claims. The news headlines will be filled with wars and rumors of war. Unexplainable celestial occurrences will rock the stars, sun, and moon. There will be earthquakes, pestilences (pandemics), famines, and nations rising up against each other. Society will become so divided that people will have little patience with each other.
Difficult Times
Paul say, “In the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly” (2 Timothy 3:1-5, NLT).
Hard nosed politicians and religionists will rule with revenge and coercive edicts.
When we see this it means that history —the story of this planet and its inhabitants, is about to close. Like the little snowball that gets rolled off the top of a long hill —that initially rolls slowly, but gradually increases in size, weight, and speed, the earth has slowly rolled through the corridors of time gathering weight and momentum. But soon we’ll reached the tipping point where everything speeds up as the bottom of the hill looms larger and larger. We’re almost at that point where time will cease to roll and the “journey” will come to an end.
What did Jesus mean when he told his disciples, “I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear”? (Mark 13:30-31 NLT).
Did he mean that the disciples and their contemporaries would themselves see all of the end-time signs fulfilled, or was he referring to something else?
Writer, S. Michael Houdmann, says, “The things that Jesus had been speaking of—the rise of the Antichrist, the desolation of the Holy Place and the darkening of the sun—did not happen during the lifespan of people alive in Jesus’ day. Obviously, Jesus meant something different when He spoke of ‘this generation.’”
Houdmann continues, “The key to understanding what Jesus meant by ‘this generation will not pass away until all these things take place’ is the context; that is, we must understand the verses that are surrounding Matthew 24:34, especially the verses prior to it.
In Matthew 24:4–31 Jesus is clearly giving a prophecy; He is speaking of future events. Jesus had already told those living during His earthly ministry that the kingdom had been taken from them Matthew 21:43. Therefore, it is imperative that Matthew 24–25 be seen as dealing with a future time. The generation that Jesus speaks of ‘not passing’ until He returns is a future generation, namely, the people living when the predicted events occur. The word generation refers to the people alive in the future when the events of Matthew 24–25 take place.” *
This is Houdmann’s interpretation, which seems plausible. The age will come when the signs that Jesus referred to as proclaiming the end will be fulfilled, and the generation who witnesses it will be alive when Jesus comes.
Jesus told his audience, “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that his [my] return is very near, right at the door” (Mark 13:28-29 NLT).
As the fig trees get their leaves and Spring’s flowers change into their Summer foliage, we know what happens next. The growing season ensues and people’s gardens, orchards and groves start the miraculous process of growing fruit and vegetables. In the fields there is work to be done with trimming vines, pruning, watering, and weeding. Summer is the season of growth. Everything must go through its maturation cycle before it reaches its final stage in late summer or early fall when it is ready to be harvested.
With the way everything is today, it seems like the world has entered its Summer season where the seeds that have been planted are beginning to reveal their true qualities—for good or ill. Summer’s promise is that there will be a harvest—we just aren’t sure yet what kind of fruit it will yield, or how much. It shouldn't be a mystery though, because if you plant tomato seeds you’re going to get tomatoes—not cucumbers. And if you plant a peach tree, it will not grow figs. Likewise, if we lie, cheat, and steal, we’re going to reap a harvest that inherently manifests the attributes of the seeds we've planted.
The End of the Line
The snowball is approaching the bottom of the hill at breakneck speeds, and the world that we know, with its financial inequities, political subterfuge, and corrupt practices is on the verge of collapse. It’s almost closing time.
Jesus said, “There will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!” (Luke 21:25-28, NLT).
Because we're witnessing the last salvos between good and evil being hurled at the earth, what do you think God want his closing message to humanity to be? Is it the 2300 year prophecy? Is it what the Bible teaches about death? What about the Sabbath? While these teachings have value and serve a purpose, in and of themselves, they are not God's last message to the world.
Devotional writer and Bible commentator, Ellen G. White says, “The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, will be a revelation of His [God's] character of love.” —Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 415.
It's not a message of hell fire and brimstone, or one of revenge, but a fuller revelation of the truth that God loves you and me more than life. which he proved with the death of his Son Jesus. God's grace and forgiveness is the only thing that can save us from ourselves and the darkness of sin. And John 3:16 is the best news we'll ever hear.
* S. Michael Houdmann is the founder and CEO of Got Questions Ministries. For more than two decades he has been accountable for the content of every answer on the website GotQuestions.
Rich DuBose writes from Northern California | Photo by Andrew Patrick with Pexels
On the web at: richdubose.com. All Rights Reserved © 2025. Join me on Blue Sky @spiritrenew.bsky.social.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.