Article 3: What Does the Bible Say About the Last Days?
The Bible speaks extensively about a period Scripture calls “the last days.” Jesus, the prophets, and the apostles all warned that history would move toward a final period marked by spiritual deception, wars, troubling events, persecution, moral decline, and ultimately the return of Jesus Christ.
But the Bible does not give these warnings to create fear. It gives them so believers will watch, remain faithful, and be prepared.
What Are “the Last Days”?
The phrase “last days” appears throughout Scripture. The apostle Peter explained that the last days had already begun in the early church:
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh.”
— Acts 2:17, KJV
The New Testament therefore presents the “last days” as the period associated with God's redemptive plan moving toward its fulfillment.
The writer of Hebrews said:
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son...”
— Hebrews 1:1–2, KJV
Jesus Christ is central to understanding the last days. The story is not ultimately about world events—it is about Christ, His kingdom, His Word, and His return.
Jesus Warned About the Last Days
In Matthew 24, Jesus' disciples asked Him about the signs of His coming and the end of the world.
Jesus answered:
“Take heed that no man deceive you.”
— Matthew 24:4, KJV
That warning is important.
Before Jesus spoke about wars, famines, earthquakes, persecution, and other events, He first warned about deception.
He continued:
“For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.”
— Matthew 24:5, KJV
Jesus then described wars and rumors of wars, nations rising against nations, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes.
But He made an important distinction:
“All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
— Matthew 24:8, KJV
These events were not presented as the end itself.
The Gospel Will Be Preached
Jesus also gave a promise concerning the spread of the Gospel:
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
— Matthew 24:14, KJV
The Gospel remains at the center of God's purpose.
The message of the last days is therefore not simply, “Watch the world.”
It is:
Watch. Believe. Remain faithful. Preach Christ.
The Bible Warns About Spiritual Deception
The apostle Paul warned Timothy about conditions that would characterize the latter times:
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”
— 2 Timothy 3:1, KJV
Paul then described people becoming increasingly self-centered, proud, disobedient, unthankful, and lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.
These warnings remind us that the last days involve more than dramatic events in the world.
They also involve the spiritual condition of humanity.
The Return of Christ
The ultimate hope of the believer is not found in escaping difficult circumstances.
It is found in Jesus Christ.
Jesus promised:
“I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
— John 14:3, KJV
Scripture teaches that Christ will return.
The apostle Paul wrote:
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God...”
— 1 Thessalonians 4:16, KJV
The return of Christ is not presented as something believers should ignore. It is a central biblical expectation.
No One Knows the Exact Day
Jesus also made something very clear:
“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”
— Matthew 24:36, KJV
This means believers are not called to calculate the exact date of Christ's return.
Instead, Jesus said:
“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”
— Matthew 24:44, KJV
The biblical response to the last days is therefore readiness.
What Should Christians Do?
Jesus repeatedly called His followers to watchfulness.
He said:
“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
— Matthew 24:42, KJV
Christians should remain grounded in Scripture, continue walking in faith, love God and others, share the Gospel, and refuse to allow fear or deception to control them.
The apostle Peter gave this instruction:
“Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent...”
— 2 Peter 3:14, KJV
The last days should cause believers to take their relationship with God seriously—not to live in panic.
Christ Above All Things
The Bible's message about the last days ultimately points us back to Jesus Christ.
Kingdoms will rise and fall.
Events will change.
People will come and go.
But Christ remains.
The believer's foundation is not the stability of this world. It is the unchanging Word of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
As Scripture says:
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
— Hebrews 13:8, KJV
The last days are not a reason to abandon faith. They are a reason to stand firmly in it.
Christ Above.
All Things. Always.