What Does the Bible Say About the Latter Days?

The “end” time is the time between the ascension of Jesus and the return of Jesus. The “latter” time, also known as “The Great Tribulation”, is the last years of the end times. The entire end times will be marked by false messiahs, rumors of war, famine, earthquakes, persecution of Christians, false prophets, lawlessness, and global mission. These signs of the times will become more common and more frequent the closer we get to the Second Coming of Jesus. It is very difficult to know exactly what the end times will be like because, first, they have not happened yet and, second, they are described through apocalyptic symbolic language. A common interpretation of the book of Revelation and the book of Daniel is that in the latter days the Antichrist will emerge as the sole ruler over all the nations of the world. The Antichrist will try to force everyone into an economic system and will lead the world into a terribly difficult time of war, famine, death, persecution and natural disasters. This great tribulation, if you interpret the prophet Daniel literally, will last 7 years and then end with the return of Jesus to earth.

Bible Verses

“¹⁵“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, ¹⁸and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁹And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. ²²And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ²³Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵See, I have told you beforehand. ²⁶So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. ²⁹“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Mt 24:15–31)

“³Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, ⁴who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” (2 Th 2:3–4)

“¹⁶Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, ¹⁷so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. ¹⁸This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.” (Re 13:16–18)

“¹¹And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. ¹²Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days.” (Da 12:11–12)

Study Questions

1. Should Revelation and the book of Daniel be interpreted symbolically or literally?
2. How to prepare for the end times?
3. When do you think the end times will begin?
4. What will happen in the end times?
5. How can we keep our faith in Jesus in the latter days?
6. How do we know when Jesus is coming back?

Additional Bible Verses

Dan 7-12, Mark 13, 1 Cor 3:16-17, 2 Cor 6:16-7:1, Eph 2:21, Revelation