Ways to Face the End Times
By Tim McHyde
(Costa Rica)
The pursuit of Bible prophecy understanding is definitely not for the fainthearted. Understanding comes slowly and incompletely at first – which unfortunately can leave you in the lurch at times – with embarrassing or uncomfortable misunderstandings.
One particular area of progressive and incomplete understanding is what we are supposed to do to prepare for the End Times. Once someone comprehends the dire events we are going to have to go through, answering what to do about it becomes urgent to them – yet progress is very slow.
Bible prophecy says that bad things are coming. Conspiracy theories on the Web only seem to confirm this. In light of this warning, what should we do to prepare? Shall we leave the city – or even the country? Move to Israel - or to someplace else? Stock up on food and water, or even guns and ammo – or, at least gold and silver?
Pre-tribulation Rapture
Many Christians think they are all set up for the End Times simply because of their belief in Jesus. Typically, they expect that a Pre-tribulation Rapture will whisk them away before anything bad happens. Or, if they really don’t have a specific eschatology – a view of End Time prophecy – they might think that just being saved through accepting Jesus will keep them safe wherever they are; and no matter what God allows to happen in the future. Some may even joke that they are “pan-rapture:” they believe things will just “pan out” in the future.
Due to these attitudes, most of them don’t bother studying Bible prophecy at all; and even say that Christians who do so are wasting their time and would be better off just studying the Gospels and bringing people to Jesus. Probably the most often cited argument for believing the Church will never face the Great Tribulation is that God “would never put his bride through such a thing.”
But, it seems appropriate that Christians should read and study the whole Bible, including the prophetic books. And, even before we get to the prophetic books, we clearly see that virtually all of the heroes of the Bible, including Jesus himself, went through suffering, tests, trials and tribulations. “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Now, there’s a verse you don’t hear quoted too often in church!!
In the face of these tribulations, we see God’s people in the Bible taking action – rather than ignoring things and just hoping for the best. Noah had to build the ark, not just preach about God. Lot had to leave Sodom, not just stand in faith through the brimstone shower. In Egypt, Joseph realized that the special revelation about seven good years was meant so he could take action to survive the seven bad years to come.
Likewise, the Book of Revelation is not just for showing God’s “servants things which must shortly come to pass” (Rev. 1:1) to satisfy their intellectual curiosity. It includes instructions for what to do – and even includes a blessing for taking action:
“Blessed is he that readeth,
and they that hear the words of this prophecy,
and keep those things which are written therein:
for the time is at hand.”
(Revelation 1:3)
As we read further in the Revelation, some of those instructions are easy to identify. We will be commanded to “come out of Babylon” (Rev. 18:4), “fear God and give him glory” (Rev. 14:7), and “don’t take the Mark of the Beast” (Rev. 14:9). Putting these instructions in the Revelation along with a blessing for doing them makes no sense whatever if we’re “all out of here” in a Pre-trib Rapture that supposedly takes place somewhere around Chapter 4 – long before any of these instructions could matter.
Yes, a time is coming when we will be expected to do new things; and follow new instructions – and studying the Bible, the whole Bible - will make it easier for us to understand and adjust to these new responsibilities when they come.
Unsure What to Do
After a Christian comes to the realization that there will be no Pre-trib Rapture of the Church, they enter this phase. They want to know what God’s plans, or instructions, are – since he is not going to airlift us out – so they start trying to understand Bible prophecy to get some concrete answers.
This is a most uncomfortable place in which to be; and many never get out of this phase. A study of Bible prophecy is not easy; and the Book of Revelation comes at the end of the entire book for a reason. A person needs to read and be familiar with everything that comes before the Revelation to have any hope of cracking its veil.
The main drawback to being unsure what to do is that a person can end up living in fear; and that is not what God intended for his people. It’s important that we all do not give up in the face of uncertainty or adversity; and keep seeking answers. This means prayer, fasting, and studying in faith that God will lead his people to the right answer for them.
Self-Sufficiency/Survivalism
At first, survivalism, or being physically self-sufficient, may seem like a reasonable and responsible approach to the End Times. If you don’t know if God has a plan to care for you – or what that plan is – then it seems reasonable to do what you can to prepare – right? And, if the End Times don’t happen to come in your lifetime after all, you will still have valuable skills to help you face natural disasters, storms, being stranded, shipwrecked, etc.
One of the problems with this approach is that it is not easy to do. Most people are not cut out for farming or living in the woods. And, it really doesn’t make sense that God would expect all of his people to change direction as adults to learn how to be farmers and survivalists while maintaining jobs and families – without explicit confirmation from God or the Bible for it all. Not everyone can do this kind of thing on their own; and, in my opinion, if this is how God plans to care for his people, then most will be doomed.
Moving to Safe Places
Many become convinced that the way to face the End Times is to “get out of Dodge:” move to a safer place. A common destination is Israel – especially among Messianic Christians. But the main thought for many is to simply be anywhere except near the city or areas of heavy population.
One particular thought is that - if America is the Mystery Babylon of the Bible; and it says to “Come out of her, my people” (Rev. 18:4) - then, as soon as you understand that, it would be best to get going.
That was my thought back in 1999 when the fear that the computers would crash (Y2K) came about; so I found a job in Costa Rica and moved there, sight unseen. I kept studying Bible prophecy, and within a few months, I realized that Y2K could not fulfill End Time prophecy. My family and I didn’t have to move after all; but we have decided to stay in Costa Rica for other reasons anyway.
The fundamental problem with moving anywhere is that – without God’s leading or revelation – we won’t know where to move anyway to be in God’s will.
Stocking Up
More common that the relocation – or moving to a safe place – strategy is that of staying put and “stocking up” on food, water, sometimes on guns and ammo, and/or gold and silver coins.
Of all the approaches to End Time readiness, this one sounds the most reasonable. Doesn’t the Bible say that the prudent see trouble coming and prepare? Didn’t Joseph “stock up” for bad times ahead? And, if we’re prepared when others aren’t, won’t that leave us in a good position to be powerful witnesses of the Gospel to unbelievers in their time of need?
Some say that if we are living in the End Times, investing in gold and silver is simply a prudent thing to do – sort of like having an insurance policy with the world economy like it is.
However, there are some serious problems with “stocking up” – and you don’t hear these things from those advertising goods for sale – nor are they considered by those buying those goods.
First, consider the record of how past crises have played out. Remember New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina? Remember the roving gangs of looters where police were so overwhelmed that store owners were left on their own? And, this was just one city that was receiving help from outside areas untouched by the devastation.
If the End Time catastrophes spoken of in Revelation come in our lifetime, the situation will be much worse than New Orleans after the hurricane. You probably won’t be able to keep your supplies for long, - especially the gold and silver - unless you have a personal army and are willing to kill those coming against you.
Second, another big problem with “stocking up” is the cost. Survival foods are more expensive than regular foods at the supermarket. The budgets of most families wouldn’t be able to handle it well since most people, even Christians, are living basically from paycheck to paycheck; and might have to dip into their stored up food along the way.
Conspiracy Theories
Most Christians have pastors who believe in a Pre-tribulation Rapture. Once they realize the Bible teaches something different, sometimes they go from trusting their pastor to looking elsewhere for answers.
Conspiracy theory news websites are common now. They’re full of new ideas some Christians have never heard of – teaching about the Illuminati, the Free Masons, etc. ruling the world in secrecy – as well as other shocking and scary things.
After a few years of reading the information on some of those websites, I came to realize that none of their predictions – prophecy doomsday, rapture dates, etc. – ever proved accurate or helpful. And, even if they had been true, what could any of us have done about it? If God doesn’t provide a way, we’re all doomed anyway. So, in the end, all those websites offered was a constant stream of things to worry about; and Jesus asked which of us – by worrying – could add a cubit to our height?
If we want to have “a more sure word of prophecy” (II Pet. 1:19), the Bible is the place to go – with prayer and fasting and faith.
God’s Plan of Salvation and Protection
All of the above approaches to being ready to face the End Times have problems. They are all best guesses on what to do in the End Times; and to be fair, it really is not clear in scripture just what God’s plan for his Church is. The events that are coming – the things we will go through – are clear. Revelation has chapter after chapter describing those terrors; but there aren’t that may verses that give us the detail we would like to have on what to do when the time comes.
One of the passages many of us latch on to is Revelation 7 about the sealing of the 144,000 with protection from the things that follow. We pray and hope we will be one of them, but we have our doubts. They’re described as being of the 12 tribes of Israel; and most of us are Gentiles, so I hoped I was a descendant of one of the “lost sheep of the House of Israel” – the ten tribes that were scattered and lost their identify as a tribe.
But, I thought there had to be a plan for the rest of us: crippled, elderly, children, families, etc. that won’t be fit to simply wander around in the Beast’s Kingdom preaching as a witness against the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation.
So, I looked elsewhere. Like some, I read about the Woman of Revelation 12 who – instead of having protection wherever she goes – is brought to a protected place where she is fed for the entire Great Tribulation:
“And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle,
that she might fly into the wilderness,
into her place,
where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time (3½ years),
from the face of the serpent.
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman,
that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
And the earth helped the woman,
and the earth opened her mouth,
and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.”
(Revelation 12:14-16)
That sounded good, except that the Woman is described as giving birth to a man-child who is taken up to heaven (See Rev. 12:5) – which is a clear reference to Jesus and Israel. So, it all looked like another “Israel-only” plan. If you’re a Gentile, you seem to be out of luck – or just not mentioned.
Then, as I studied further, I noticed a few things. The very next verse in the passage (quoted above) alludes to the 144,000. Upon seeing that the Woman is untouchable, Satan decides to try to attack the 144,000 who are not gathered with the Woman:
“And the dragon was wroth with the woman,
and went to make war with the remnant of her seed,
which keep the commandments of God,
and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
(Revelation 12:17)
That description of the Woman’s offspring gives us some hope. Although the original description of the Woman in the first part of the chapter clearly points to Ancient Israel and later the Israel of Jesus’ day, this verse expands it to a certain definition of modern righteous believers: those who obey God and continue in the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Could it be that the opportunity of protection is open to anyone who believes and is righteous? Yes, there must also be physical salvation and protection for Gentiles in the End Times. God offered salvation to the Jew first (See Rom. 2:9-10); however God is not a respecter of persons or prone to favoritism. He will include us all in the plan he outlines: Jew and Gentile alike.
However, again, righteousness – or simply believing in Jesus – and planning on that alone is not enough. Noah, Lot, and Joseph were all righteous; and yet they all had to take specific actions to save themselves.
Likewise, a time is coming when we will be told to move to safety – just like Lot; and just like Moses told Israel to move out of Egypt for God’s plan for them. At that time, the exact place will be revealed; and the way to get there will be provided – just as it was for Ancient Israel (eagle’s wings: divine providence – Exod 19:4 = Rev. 12:14).
Conclusion
Until the End Time events begin, the plan for us is plain and simple. We don’t need to move ahead of time to our best guess of a safe place, just in case. We don’t need to waste our money on goods that we can’t take with us when God reveals the right place to move to. We don’t need to train ourselves in farming and/or survival skills when we’re told we’re moving to a place already prepared to feed us.
We don’t need to waste time researching the latest conspiracy theory which can never reliably predict the future anyway like the revelation of Bible prophecy can. And, we don’t need to sit unproductively – and wait in hope of a Pre-trib Rapture to save us.
The Bible instructs us that there is a plan – and to be a part of it when the time comes. We are to “stay alert,” “in prayer,” in Bible study, and in “obedience” to the will of God in “holy conduct and godliness.”
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