Copyright https://www.christianity.com 2025, Christianity.com Wed, 16 Apr 2025 06:17:12 -0400 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/is-trump-the-beast.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/is-trump-the-beast.html Judy McEachran https://www.christianity.com/author/judy-mceachran/ The book of Revelation describes a beast unlike any other rising from the sea, with ten horns, seven heads, and the power of a dragon. It commands global influence, speaks blasphemies, and wages war against God’s people. Throughout history, people have compared figures like Nero, Napoleon, and even modern politicians to this apocalyptic figure. Recently, some have drawn parallels between the beast and President Donald Trump. But do these comparisons truly hold up? While Trump has been a polarizing leader with immense influence, does he align with the biblical description of the beast, or is this a case of political speculation rather than prophecy?Who Is the Beast?Revelation 13,17 and 19 provide multiple descriptions of the beast. Revelation 13:1-8 provides the most detailed description: The beast rises from the sea, possessing ten horns and seven heads, and the dragon (Satan) empowers it. It possesses characteristics of a leopard, a bear, and a lion, symbolizing a blend of different, powerful entities. The beast demands worship, speaks blasphemies, and wages war against the saints. In Revelation 17, the beast is associated with a harlot representing a corrupt world system, and it ultimately meets its destruction at the hands of Christ in Revelation 19.Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Brandon Bell/Staff Wed, 02 Apr 2025 10:00:00 -0400 2025-04-16T06:17:12-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/are-you-prepared-for-the-end-times.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/are-you-prepared-for-the-end-times.html Dr. Michael Youssef https://www.christianity.com/author/dr-michael-youssef/ We live in an era of unprecedented turmoil. Nations are at war, economies are crumbling, natural disasters are happening with increasing frequency, and moral decay is eroding the foundations of society. People everywhere are asking, “What is happening? Where is history heading?” These are not new questions. In fact, Jesus’ disciples asked Him the same thing over two thousand years ago, and His response in Matthew 24 reads like today’s headlines. Let’s examine the signs Jesus gave us—signs that point to His return. But don’t just read these as prophetic warnings; consider them a wake-up call to live in readiness. Because Jesus is coming soon.7 Signs We Are Living in the End Times: 1. The Rise of False TeachingsJesus began His answer in Matthew 24 with a warning: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many" (Matthew 24:4-5). Paul echoed this, saying people will gather teachers to “say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3). False teachings like the prosperity gospel and universalism are leading many astray from the Truth of Christ.Early in my ministry, a pastor advised me to “keep my sermons positive” if I wanted my church to grow. Instead, I committed to passionately proclaiming the uncompromising Truth of Christ—and that became the entire mission of our global Leading The Way ministry. As more churches compromise Scripture, staying rooted in God’s Word is our only safeguard. The Bible is not just a book—it is the living, breathing Word of God. In a world overflowing with deception, we must anchor ourselves in its Truth.2. Unprecedented Moral DecayJesus told us that there would be an “increase of wickedness” in the last days (Matthew 24:12). The apostle Paul emphasized that people would become "lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy" (2 Timothy 3:1-2).We are living in an era where sin is not only tolerated but celebrated. The world calls evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). Our culture embraces selfishness, materialism, and pride, and those who speak against these sins are often met with opposition. In these dark days, Jesus commands us to be salt and light—preserving a world in moral freefall and piercing the darkness with the hope of the Gospel.  Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/KAZITAFAHNIZEER Fri, 14 Mar 2025 11:00:00 -0400 2025-04-16T06:17:12-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/end-times/what-happened-on-patmos-in-the-bible.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/end-times/what-happened-on-patmos-in-the-bible.html Britt Mooney https://www.christianity.com/author/britt-mooney/ Rather than ending John’s voice, Patmos became the place God revealed more details about the future and final victory of Christ, the defeat of empires and evil, and the hope of a new heaven and earth. Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:55:00 -0500 2025-04-16T06:17:12-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/end-times/who-is-the-antichrist-lawlessness.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/end-times/who-is-the-antichrist-lawlessness.html Colin Smith https://www.christianity.com/author/colin-smith/ “The Antichrist” and “The Man of Lawlessness” are two names for the same person who will be everything that is the very opposite of our Lord Jesus Christ, hence Antichrist. Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:00:00 -0500 2025-04-16T06:17:12-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/7-signs-we-are-in-the-end-times.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/7-signs-we-are-in-the-end-times.html Britt Mooney https://www.christianity.com/author/britt-mooney/ The sky is falling! In the old story, a type of parable, Henny Penny is a chicken and not a very intelligent one. An acorn falls on her head, and she concludes the sky must be falling, leading to hysteria. Speaking of the end times carries a certain amount of tension. The Bible speaks of the end of this world and a transition into the New Heaven and New Earth, a redemptive story where the end times and corruption of this world is first exposed in a destructive, dramatic fashion before the next world is fully realized. Passages like Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation read like a fantasy or science fiction novel with epic visions of creatures and beasts. These dramatic scenes of what we refer to as the "last days" or "end times" have led to erroneous declarations from pastors or supposed prophets about the end drawing nigh within the near future. Those dates have all passed, and we can be skeptical of ideas about the end times. Jesus tells us we won’t know the day or the hour the world will end. At the same time, he gives us specific signs the end is coming soon. In the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24, he lists several end times events and calls these birth pangs like a woman in labor with a child. Painful. Intense. Yet a promise of new life at the end. Many today look at the world around us, see the headlines, and wonder if we are living in the end times. One way or another, we’re getting closer, but we should carefully explore the words of Jesus and how events today might fit his teaching. Let's look at seven events that will be signs of the end times and last days of earth.Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Llona Pietrolongo Wed, 05 Feb 2025 09:00:00 -0500 2025-04-16T06:17:12-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/plus/3-questions-to-ask-yourself-as-you-think-about-jesus-return.html https://www.christianity.com/plus/3-questions-to-ask-yourself-as-you-think-about-jesus-return.html Clarence L. Haynes Jr. https://www.christianity.com/author/clarence-l-haynes-jr/ For two thousand years, we have been proclaiming that Jesus is coming again. Even though we don’t know the exact day or hour, we know we are one day closer to his return. I don’t know if Jesus will return in my lifetime or yours, but whether he does or doesn’t, we need to be ready for his appearing.When you see the events happening in the world, his return could be sooner than we think. With that in mind, how can you make sure you are ready? Here are three questions you can ask yourself that can help you know where your heart is and if you are ready for Jesus to return.Photo credit: Unsplash Sat, 01 Feb 2025 09:00:00 -0500 2025-04-16T06:17:12-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/what-is-the-fullness-of-the-gentiles-in-the-bible.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/slideshows/what-is-the-fullness-of-the-gentiles-in-the-bible.html Josie Siler https://www.christianity.com/author/josie-siler/ Have you ever collected anything? I’ve collected some strange things over the years, but one of my favorite things to collect is books. Occasionally, I discover a new-to-me author that I love so much I want to have all their books on my shelf. So, the hunt begins! I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to finish reading that last missing book, slide it in place next to the others, and see a full and complete collection–until their next book comes out! I know this analogy is stretching things a bit, but it does help me visualize a concept we read about in the Bible: the fullness of the Gentiles. Max Lucado also visualized this great event. He explains it this way in his new book, What Happens Next: "In my imagination I see one of the angels standing next to the Book of Life, checking name after name until the “full number” of God’s flock has come in. At that moment history’s greatest evacuation event will occur." (Pg. 86)What is this great event? We’ll talk about that more later. Let’s start with a deeper look at this powerful phrase. Photo Credit:©GettyImages/Pict Rider Wed, 29 Jan 2025 10:00:00 -0500 2025-04-16T06:17:12-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/end-times/why-will-god-release-satan-after-the-millennial-reign.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/end-times/why-will-god-release-satan-after-the-millennial-reign.html Britt Mooney https://www.christianity.com/author/britt-mooney/ After Christ returns and defeats evil, Satan is imprisoned. Then, after 1,000 years, God releases the Devil again to wreak havoc. Why would he do this? Mon, 06 Jan 2025 14:10:00 -0500 2025-04-16T06:17:12-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/end-times/why-does-revelation-say-satan-will-be-bound-for-1000-years.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/end-times/why-does-revelation-say-satan-will-be-bound-for-1000-years.html Britt Mooney https://www.christianity.com/author/britt-mooney/ God tells us in Revelation how Satan will be bound for 1,000 years. Is this real or purely symbolic? And what does it mean for believers today? Tue, 10 Dec 2024 11:55:00 -0500 2025-04-16T06:17:12-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/jesus-christ/how-close-are-we-to-seeing-jesus-return.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/jesus-christ/how-close-are-we-to-seeing-jesus-return.html John Stange https://www.christianity.com/author/john-stange/ God is not a haphazard being. He has a perfect plan and the timing of when He chooses to do what He’s doing in this world is ideal. Tue, 24 Sep 2024 10:00:00 -0400 2025-04-16T06:17:12-04:00