The following is an excerpt from a sermon preached by Reverend Robb Lane at the First Church of God Camp Meeting, a Spirit-filled interdenominational meeting that took place in Northeast Ohio in March 2026.
According to the Bible, when will the end times be, and what should we do to prepare for it?
A famous, fast-talking evangelist was given exactly two minutes to deliver a powerful, life-changing sermon on the entire book of Revelation to a packed stadium. Determined to speak volumes in a tiny window of time, he sprinted onto the stage, grabbed the microphone, gasped for air, and shouted at the top of his lungs:
Repent right now! The clock is ticking, the seals are breaking, the horses are galloping, and if you think I’m talking fast today, just wait until you see how quickly the grandstands clear out if the trumpet sounds before I finish this sentence!
Who knows, these may be the last thoughts that I ever publicly express. I want to get it right. So, again, according to the Bible, when will the end
times be, and what should we do to prepare for them?
According to Scripture, no one knows the exact date or time when the end of times will occur. In fact, Jesus explicitly addresses this in the Gospel of Matthew, stating, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36 NIV).
Instead of providing a specific calendar date, the Bible outlines prophetic signs to look for, a specific sequence of events, and a distinct spiritual posture believers are instructed to maintain.
The biblical perspective on the timeline of the end times includes several key themes:
1. The “Signs of the Times”
In Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, Jesus warns that the approach of the end will be marked by specific global and societal shifts, comparing them to “birth pains,” meaning they will increase in both frequency and intensity. These signs include
- Deception and false prophets: individuals claiming to be the Messiah or misleading people spiritually
- Geopolitical turmoil: wars, rumors of wars, and nations rising against nations
- Natural and societal crises: famines, pestilence, and earthquakes in various places
- Cultural and moral decline: an increase in lawlessness and the cooling of love among people and family
- Global evangelism: Jesus states that “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).
2. Major Prophetic Events
The books of Daniel, Ezekiel, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and Revelation outline a series of events that culminate in the end of the age, which include:
- The tribulation: a period of intense global hardship, suffering, and spiritual testing
- The rise of the Antichrist: a deceptive world leader who will establish a temporary global system and oppose God
- The second coming of Christ: the physical, visible return of Jesus Christ to defeat evil, judge the world, and establish His eternal kingdom
3. The Element of Surprise
The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that the end will catch the secular world completely off guard. First Thessalonians 5:2 states that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” Jesus noted that society will be operating normally—eating, drinking, and marrying—right up until the moment it happens, just as it was in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37–39).
4. The Instructed Posture: Watch and Be Ready
Because the timing is intentionally hidden, the biblical mandate for pastors, leaders, and believers is not to predict dates, but to live in active readiness. Scripture calls for a posture of
- Watchfulness: staying spiritually alert and discerning the times
- Faithful stewardship: continuously doing the work of the ministry, feeding the hungry, caring for the vulnerable, and preaching the gospel, so that the Master finds you faithful whenever He returns (Matthew 24:45–46)
For any visionary pastor, leader, or teacher, this theology should produce a sense of urgency. The unknown timeline means that the work of restoration in places wherever you are—your circle of life—is meant for today!
The question of whether we are currently living in the end times is one that has stirred the hearts of faithful pastors and theologians for centuries. When you look at the comparison between biblical prophecy and modern headlines, it is entirely natural to feel a profound sense of convergence and urgency.
To answer where we are, it helps to understand that biblical scholars generally view prophecy through three distinct lenses: things that have happened (the past), things that are happening progressively (the present), and things that are yet to come (the future).
Here is a breakdown of where our current world stands when placed alongside the timeline of biblical signs and prophetic events:
1. The “Birth Pains”: Things that Are Actively Happening
When Jesus described the signs of the end—wars, rumors of wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes, and intense moral decay—He used a specific Greek medical term, ōdin, which translates to birth pains (Matthew 24:8).
- Frequency and intensity: The historical consensus among theologians is that while the world has always seen wars and disasters, our modern era is witnessing these events with a global connectivity and frequency never seen before.
- Substance abuse and moral crisis: The Bible warns that in the last days, society will face a fracturing of the family, a lack of natural affection, and deep brokenness, with family members desiring and demanding distance and dysfunction over forgiveness and unity (2 Timothy 3:1–5). The substance abuse epidemic and family crises we are facing today are direct manifestations of this cultural breakdown. We must recognize this threat and fight it head-on!
- Modern reality: According to this biblical framework, we are actively living in the era of escalating birth pains. The signs are not just looming; their intensity is increasing.
2. The Technological Infrastructure: Ready for the Future
Many prophetic events described in the book of Revelation require a level of global integration that was technologically impossible for some 2,000 years, but it is standard reality today:
- Global visibility: Revelation 11 speaks of an event that the “peoples, tribes, languages, and nations” of the entire earth will witness simultaneously (v. 9). Before satellite television, smartphones, and the internet, this was impossible. Today, it is an everyday occurrence.
- Economic control: The tracking of global commerce and identity described in Revelation 13 (the infrastructure required to regulate buying and selling globally) no longer sounds like far-fetched science fiction. Digital currencies, biometrics, and centralized tracking systems are fully realized technologies.
- Modern reality: While specific prophetic events of the tribulation and the rise of the Antichrist have not yet literally or physically manifested, the technological stage is fully set for them to happen at a moment’s notice.
3. The Global Preaching of the Gospel: Tearing Down the Final Barrier
Perhaps the most definitive timeline indicator Jesus gave was Matthew 24:14: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
- Modern reality: Through global satellite broadcasting, digital audio Bibles, translation software, and global missionary networks, humanity is closer to fulfilling this specific mandate than at any other point in history. The gap between the unreached and the gospel is closing rapidly. The excuse of ignorance is almost irrelevant.
While we sit in our homes and in our churches, we plan with great detail for a distant future.
However, a clock we cannot stop is ticking. Daniel warned us that at the time of the end, “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” (Daniel 12:4 KJV). Revelation details a hyper-centralized global system regulating the very act of buying and selling (Revelation 13:17). The stage is set, the technology is active, and the timeline waits on no one.
Today, as a flawed man who regrets having wasted time, I am pleading with you with a heavy ministerial urgency: The battle has breached our own neighborhoods, families, and inner church circles!
Paul warned that the last days would bring a terrifying lack of “natural affection” (2 Timothy 3:1–3)—a violent fracturing of the family where people are “OK” with dysfunction over unity if it serves their purpose, even though it is unbiblical. In some cases, this is endorsed by spiritual leaders today—those who don’t want to “rock the boat” for fear of losing followers. Again, the raging substance abuse epidemic and grandparents left holding infants to raise—these are signs we must recognize. They are direct manifestations of this prophecy.
Speaking to those in leadership today, you hold the keys to the ministry. God has given you a stage, an asset, and a platform to make an eternal difference in this midnight hour. But Scripture carries a terrifying warning for leaders who possess a platform but choose not to act. In Revelation 3:1–3, Jesus warns the church of Sardis—a church that looked secure, wealthy, and stable on the outside—“I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die. . . . If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief” (NIV).
If we use our platform merely to manage property and protect budgets while families perish outside our doors, we are no longer a church; we are a museum. Our stage was not given to us to build monuments to a temporary future. What we do and how we get there matters. God’s Holy Sanctuary was not given to us to “entertain” so we may continue to “contain.” It was given to us to launch a rescue mission. We must stop falling asleep via projects that fail to save souls. Wake up, Church! Keep the main thing the main thing and act before the Master returns.
