Wallace G. Smith

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Living in the End-Times | Matthew 24

We are living in increasingly stressful and distressing times. It seems that in every way we can imagine the world is becoming more unstable, more dangerous, and more morally confused.

In fact, things are so bad, that surveys show even many who have never cracked open a Bible in their lives are beginning to wonder—are we living in the end-times?

At the same time, the world has seen difficulties before: World wars, famines, plagues. How can we distinguish between the usual times of difficulty and hardship, and the true end of days as prophesied by the Bible? Is it possible to know?

The Pew Research Center reported at the end of 2022 that “[a]bout four-in-ten U.S. adults believe humanity is ‘living in the end times.’” Now, I’m not saying 2022 wasn’t crazy, but you tell me: In the years that have passed since then, do you think that times have gotten worse or better?

And those individuals included more than those who consider themselves “Christian.” Among non-Christian religions, 29% believed we are in the end-times, and even among the non-religious, 23% thought so.

But how can you tell? Let’s be honest—people have declared their day to be the prophesied end-times, here and there, for generations.

After all, who could have blamed people for wondering if it was the end-times when the Black Plague killed one-third to one-half of the population of Europe? And how many prognosticators have written books about counting “blood moons” or other such phenomena—ignoring the Bible’s warning against doing so—and when their predictions fail, they just write another book.

But if we were in the “end-times” described by the Bible, how would we know? Some cite the Bible itself to say that you CAN’T know. For instance, look at Matthew 24:36. Speaking of His Second Coming, Jesus told His disciples in the first century:

“But of that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”

Similarly, He says in verse 44:

“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44).

In these passages, Jesus is indeed speaking to the futility of trying to “time” your righteousness and obedience. Faithfulness and obedience to Jesus Christ is a 24/7 commitment, and those looking to live lives of dissipation, debauchery, and disobedience to God will find that their strategy has been unwise.

But is Jesus saying here that we cannot have any sense that His approach might be near?

No, He’s not. In fact, look at the verses right before this statement—in the very same chapter.

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:33–35).

In other words, while no one can “game” God, and the moment itself will come unexpectedly, the wise will have a sense of the times they are living in—and will be able to discern that they are in the end-times.

In fact, Jesus tells those who are faithfully following Him, as the signs of the last days of this age arrive, that no matter how distressing they are, they will see those signs as signs of hope. Note what He says in Luke 21:28 to those who are watching for these signs and ordering their lives rightly.

“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

We don’t have to guess whether the end-times are close, or rely on vague senses of “hard times” in the world, or proclamations of approaching doom. Honestly, since Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden of Eden, mankind’s history has been filled with hard times and devastating tragedies.

Instead, the Bible gives us many specific things to look for—conditions that should remind us not to take our spiritual state for granted.

Lawlessness, Perilous Times, and a Brutal Society | 2 Timothy 3:1–5 Explained

The first of the prophesied signs of the end-times that we are highlighting today is:

1. Extreme lawlessness, brutality, ungodliness, and selfishness

Now, before you dismiss this by thinking that mankind has always been this way, listen carefully to what the Bible is saying about this.

For instance, the Apostle Paul clearly describes the end of the age in his second letter to the young evangelist Timothy. Let’s read there in 2 Timothy 3:1–5.

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

Many believe that somehow the arc of mankind is one of progress toward goodness—that somehow human nature will simply get better and better. But history and prophecy both say the opposite. And God’s word says [that] the end-times will become a period of remarkable carnality, violence, selfishness, and pride, filled with a focus on pleasure rather than the things of God.

Again, before you dismiss this warning, think: The Apostle Paul lived in the first century, and traveled throughout Asia Minor and the Mediterranean. He was very familiar with human nature. In fact, he was often the victim of it. Yet he highlights that the end-time will be an especially brutal period—so much so, that it would stand out for it, even compared to the days in which he was then living.

Jude, an early leader of the Church and a brother of Jesus, wrote to first-century believers to say the same thing. We read his warning in verses 17 and 18 of his letter.

But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts (Jude 1:17–18).

Of course, the world is a pretty terrible place, you might say, and there have always been dens of sin and vice where such behavior could be found. But when you read Scripture closely, you find that these behaviors will become prominent in places that normally had claimed the “high ground” in world affairs—areas that should truly know better.

America and Britain Decline | Deuteronomy 28

In fact, those abhorrent conditions will be seen running rampant in the nations that are the focus of the second prophetic sign of the end-times we’re highlighting today.

2. The decline of America, Britain, and other British-descended nations.

Ask yourself: How are those nations doing today? Who can deny that the United Kingdom has been on a downhill slide for some time? Today, few consider England to be much of a leading power, and they instead debate whether the nation is truly relevant in world affairs any longer.

As for the United States, how dramatically things have changed in the last decade! Still possessing great power and might, to be sure, but no longer considered an unstoppable superpower. The world is learning that the U.S. is vulnerable. And Bible prophecy says it will become far more so as the end-times approach.

But why? The politicians and “talking heads” of these nations debate policy, economics, military strategy, foreign policy approaches, and other details, but all of them miss the point! These once-mighty nations are crumbling because of sin—the very sins we detailed in the first prophetic sign.

Perhaps the best thing I can do to explain this point is read from Roderick Meredith’s clear and hard-hitting explanation of this sign of the end-times. In the free resource we are offering today, beginning on page 33, he writes the following concerning these nations:

Our competitors for global power and influence are looking down on us with increasing glee as we stumble in resolving domestic and international problems. These things are happening to us because we have turned aside from God. We have not obeyed the God of our fathers.
In Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 are powerful prophetic warnings for us today, because God does not change ([as it says in] Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). God promised that if we would obey Him, He would set us “high above all nations of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:1). However, if we do not obey God and keep His commandments, He says, “Cursed shall you be in the city” (Deuteronomy 28:16). Are we cursed in our cities? Think about it. Millions of Americans are afraid to go out of their own homes at night. Elderly people, women, and others all over this land are afraid to venture out in the evening—in this “land of the free, and the home of the brave.” We are locked in our homes like prisoners! No, we are not blessed in our towns and cities…. The growing effect of our national sins includes escalating crime, violence, marital infidelities, sexual perversions of all sorts, lying, cheating, stealing, and every foul thing imaginable that is disgusting in the sight of a just and holy God. The selfishness and decadence of our “modern lifestyle”—which is based on egotistical pride and vanity—are gnawing like voracious termites at the structural frame that holds in place the edifice of our national greatness. How long before our house collapses? Look around you and consider.
In spite of our great material blessings, the American and British-descended peoples have turned away from God. These once-great nations have plummeted in their moral standards and become nations of perverts, liars, thieves, and murderers. And God will chastise these nations for their own good, as He rebukes and chastens every son He loves ([as He says in] Hebrews 12:6) (Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return, Meredith, p. 33).

My friends, the growing decline of the U.S. and the UK is more than a shift in world politics. It is the accumulating and compounding of biblical curses coming upon these countries, due to their national sin and unwillingness to repent and seek their God.

Hubris causes many Americans and Britons to see themselves as the standard-bearers of all of Western Civilization. But setting aside the last several decades, the seat of Western Civilization has been Europe.

Europe and Germany Rise | Revelation 13

And Bible prophecy indicates that as the U.S. and UK sink lower and lower, Europe will once again lead not just Western Civilization, but the entire world.

Our third prophesied sign of the end-times is:

3. The rise of a European political, economic, and military juggernaut

We read of this juggernaut in many places in God’s word. Turn with me to Revelation, where we see several descriptions. For instance, look at Revelation 13, beginning in verse 1.

Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. [And] the dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:1–4).

Other passages, such as Revelation 18, speak of the political and economic power of this “Beast,” as well.

This beast power will be a united Europe, representing a final revival of the ancient Roman Empire, and with Germany as its leading nation.

Does this surprise you? Haunted by the memory of World War II, Germany has essentially been pacifistic for more than half-a-century, and Europe has been content to allow the U.S. to lead the way in protecting it from danger.

But those times are no more. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and President Donald Trump’s warnings that Europe must learn to protect itself have put the continent on war footing. And leading the way, as this ministry has said for almost a century, is the nation of Germany, which has begun rebuilding the Bundeswehr—the German armed forces—with the goal of becoming the strongest military in Europe.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a speech before his assembled government in May 2025:

Strengthening the German Armed Forces is a top priority in our policy. In the future, the German Federal Government will provide all the financial resources that the Bundeswehr needs to become the conventionally strongest army in Europe. This is more than appropriate for the most populous and economically powerful country in Europe. Our friends and partners expect the same from us. Moreover, they are practically demanding it.

Note those words: “All the financial resources” the military needs. That is what we call a “blank check.” This is a Germany flexing muscles we have not seen—well, since World War II!

Notice that Chancellor Merz speaks of a “conventional army.” What about nuclear weapons? The Four Plus Two Treaty of 1990, which allowed East and West Germany to reunite, banned Germany from manufacturing, possessing, or controlling nuclear weapons. But these are changing times, and Germany is beginning to think very differently.

In January 2026, Reuters reported on Germany’s talks with other nations about “a shared [European] nuclear umbrella.” And knowing how Europe is plagued with internal political instability, many are suggesting Germany should consider expanding its ability to produce its own nuclear weapons. For instance, in a March 11, 2025 report, the globally respected Foreign Policy magazine recommended that:

Germany needs to invest in maintaining nuclear latency—that is, having the basic capabilities in place to pursue its own nuclear weapons program in a situation where it is left with no other alternative (“Germany Is Rethinking Everything Nuclear,” Foreign Policy, Benner, March 11, 2025).

No matter what today’s headlines may say, never, never, never bet against the Bible. The rise of Europe and Germany is an important, prophesied end-time sign that bears a very close watch.

We mentioned inner turmoil in European politics in the last sign, and Bible prophecy speaks of this as well, describing the mix of peoples and nations in the final revival of the Roman Empire as a divided kingdom, like a mix of iron and clay.

A Powerful False Prophet Appears | Revelation 13

YT Q: What does the bible say about the antichrist?

The real unifying power behind that superpower brings us to our fourth prophesied sign of the end-times.

4. The rise of a great false prophet leading a counterfeit Christianity.

One of the definite signs of the end times, which will herald the close of this present evil age, is the arrival on the scene of a great false religious leader, called in the Bible the “false prophet” (Revelation 19:19–21). This religious leader will possess great charisma and will exercise a very powerful influence over a political power—the soon-coming “beast” (Revelation 13, 17, 19). He will be the long-prophesied, influential head of a great, militant church in Europe. Together, this combination of personal charisma and awesome power to influence others will have an enormous effect on the future of the nations of the Western world (Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return, Meredith, p. 20).

In Revelation 13, the Apostle John describes this leader in vision as appearing like a kind of beast, saying:

He had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon (Revelation 13:11).

That is to say, the leader looks and acts like Jesus Christ, but his teachings are the subtle deceptions and counterfeit truths of Satan the Devil.

This false prophet—and the ancient, wealthy, and powerful counterfeit Christianity he leads—will work to support the Beast of Revelation, which, in turn, will back that leader with its economic, political, and military might. Together, they will persecute those who seek to “keep the commandments of God” and have the faith and “testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17; Revelation 14:12).

The True Gospel Reaches the World | Matthew 24:14

The fifth and last prophetic sign we will discuss today is one virtually no one understands due to one of the most successful bait-and-switches the Devil has ever pulled off. And it is a shame, too, because it involves the greatest hope mankind truly has.

5. The Gospel of the Kingdom of God is preached to the whole world.

This sign is described by Jesus Christ Himself in Matthew 24:14:

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

We need to notice two things about this important prophecy from the mouth of our Lord and Savior. First, He says “this gospel of the kingdom”—the true Gospel of the Kingdom of God, preaching the good news of Jesus Christ’s coming to this earth to rule the world alongside His saints, in the Family of God and a world-spanning government based on God’s laws and way of life.

The Devil long ago counterfeited that message and replaced it with one that is only about the person of Christ—and frankly, not even getting that right, either!

Second, He says that Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached to all nations. Yes, before Jesus returns, what covers the globe will not be the counterfeit gospel about the person of Jesus, but the TRUE Gospel that Jesus Himself preached.

The question is, what is the real Gospel? And why will the vast majority of the world resist and reject that Gospel, preferring instead the counterfeit gospel of the False Prophet?

Jesus Himself even says in Matthew 24:9 that all nations will come to hate those who are preaching this message in Jesus’ name.

Watch this next video to find out what is it about the true Gospel of Jesus Christ that brings such a strong reaction—and decide whether you will embrace that message, including its warning for the end-times.

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Is the Rapture in the Bible?

Many Christians passionately believe in the hope of the Rapture—the belief that before the terrors of the Great Tribulation descend upon the world, Christians around the globe will suddenly and mysteriously vanish, “raptured away” by Christ, as they are taken up into heaven to wait out the terrible events of that prophesied time of devastation and destruction. Meanwhile, those “left behind” must face the forces of the Antichrist and the Beast of Revelation and all the suffering that those years will bring until Jesus Christ returns to finally settle the score.

Millions of people worldwide look forward to the Rapture as the culmination of their hopes and dreams.

Now for those who believe in a Rapture, I can’t blame them for wanting it to come soon. The world around us is showing so many signs that indicate Christ’s return is drawing near—and before that return, the worldwide trial of the Great Tribulation. For many, the Rapture represents the pinnacle of their hopes and dreams finally coming true.

But the larger question is this:

• Does the Bible teach a Rapture in the first place?
• If so, how can you prove it?
• If not, is there no protection for Christians during the Tribulation?

Today, you and I are going to discover the answers together in our own Bibles.

What Is the Rapture?

First, what is the Rapture?

You’ve probably heard the scenario where Christian airline pilots blink away in an instant, leaving commercial jetliners to crash pilotless into the ground, while those who remain wonder what happened to their absent friends.

You might recall this scenario popularized in Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins popular Left Behind book series and movies. This notion of a sudden and secret Rapture is the source of bumper stickers, announcing “Warning: In case of Rapture, this vehicle will be unmanned.”

But where does this idea come from?

Believers often point to 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17. Let’s read there what the Apostle Paul wrote to believers in Thessalonica.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).

Christians caught up into the air to be with Christ—those who believe in the Rapture say this is exactly the event they are talking about. In fact, when the Greek of this passage was translated into Latin, the word chosen to translate “we shall be caught up” was rapiemur—from the Latin word rapere—from which the name of the belief takes its name: the “Rapture.”

Is a Secret Rapture Coming?

But is a secret rapture—being taken away to Christ in Heaven while the world descends into the Great Tribulation years before Jesus’ return as King of Kings—is that what is being described here?

If you read the passage already believing it is the Rapture, that’s probably all you can see.

But that’s where we need to be careful. God doesn’t want us inserting our beliefs into the Bible or interpreting the Bible through our beliefs. He wants us taking our beliefs from the Bible—believing in what He reveals in its pages.

No matter how deeply we believe something, that doesn’t make it the truth. The night He was betrayed, Jesus prayed to His Father and asked concerning His followers:

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

We let God’s word teach us what’s true, we’re doing what He asks of us. And that takes careful reading, studying, and diligence.

Paul explained this to the young evangelist Timothy.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

So let’s do that together.

Biblical Answers to 3 Questions About the Rapture

Let’s not assume the Rapture is true—instead, let’s take three questions to the Bible and let God’s word answer them for us:

1. Will Christians vanish around the world mysteriously and without explanation?
2. Will Christians be caught up into the air years before Jesus returns to rule?
3. Will Christians spend the years of the Great Tribulation protected in heaven?

The Bible answers each of these questions clearly and explicitly. We’ll display the verses on the screen, but you can always write them down and look them up later yourself in your own Bible. At Tomorrow’s World, we don’t want you to just take our word for it. We want you to check up on us—and we want you to learn to check up on other teachers as well, because there are a lot of preachers and teachers out there who mean well, but they are simply not telling you the truth.

1 Thessalonians 4 Explained

So does the Bible teach that years before Jesus returns in visible glory to rule the world, Christians all over the world will vanish into thin air and secretly be caught up into heaven, where they will be protected during the years of Great Tribulation?

Let’s begin by examining more closely the passage many Rapture enthusiasts refer to in 1 Thessalonians 4.

This time, let’s begin earlier in verse 13 and get more context. Here’s what Paul writes to the first-century Thessalonians.

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:13–17).

Notice the important details in this passage that too many ignore. We aren’t just talking about Christians flying up into the air. Paul says that this is the time of the resurrection at Jesus’ return—the moment when faithful Christians who have died—or as he says, those “who are asleep”—are resurrected back to life again. They will be resurrected first, and then joined in the air by those who are still alive at Christ’s return. Also note how this return is described in verse 16.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

Does this event sound like a “secret rapture”—some sort of quiet, secret action on Christ’s behalf? Or a secret return that only Christians are aware of?

Personally, I don’t think so—it sounds more like a very loud, very public announcement.

But here’s the thing: My opinions don’t count. Your opinions don’t count. What counts is God’s word. So let’s look further in God’s word for more details. Is there any other passage that describes this event?

And yes, in fact, there are. Paul, the same one who wrote this to the Thessalonians, also wrote about it to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 15.

Let’s read there, starting in verse 50.

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:50–53).

Notice, those who are alive at Christ’s coming are transformed in glory just like the resurrected saints. The order is exactly the same as in 1 Thessalonians. The dead are raised in glory first, followed immediately by the transformation of the living into glory, as well.

And is this done quietly? No.

End-Time Events Before the Second Coming of Christ

Again just as we saw earlier, this happens with the sound of a mighty trumpet. Look at the passage again. It happens:

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:52).

Notice too an important new detail: Paul says, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.”

God doesn’t inspire such details for no reason.

This trumpet that is blown at the resurrection of the dead elect, and the glorification of the living to join them, is described as the last trumpet. A last trumpet implies a sequence of trumpets, with preliminary trumpets that precede this event.

And does the Bible describe a sequence of end-time trumpets? Yes, it does in the book of Revelation.

7 Seals of Revelation Begin | 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Revelation chapter 6 records a vision Jesus Christ gave to His Apostle John concerning the end-times. It begins by showing Jesus, the Lamb of God, breaking open the first four of the seven prophetic seals of Revelation in verses 1 through 8.

Those seals describe the famous four horsemen of the apocalypse, symbolizing religious deception, great warfare, worldwide famine, and global pestilence and disease that will come upon the world to an extent never before seen in human history.

Speaking of these symbolic horsemen, Revelation 6:8 says:

Power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

Seal 5: The Great Tribulation

After the devastation of these horsemen, the breaking of the prophetic fifth seal follows, describing a great martyrdom of true Christians (Revelation 6:9–11). In Matthew 24:21, Jesus describes this time, saying:

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

This is the Great Tribulation—years of suffering so horrific that it will surpass every era of human suffering that has ever been or ever will be.

Seal 6: Heavenly Signs

After two-and-a-half years of the Great Tribulation, Revelation reveals that the sixth seal is opened, and terrifying heavenly signs take place: miraculous, cosmic signs in earth and heavens—a great earthquake, the sun darkened, the moon red as blood, the stars falling from the sky, and every mountain and island on earth shaken out of its place.

These signs announce that God the Father and Jesus Christ are about to personally intervene in world affairs and begin the Day of the Lord’s vengeance on earth. That time is described by the prophet Isaiah as:

The day of the Lord’s vengeance, the year of recompense for the cause of Zion (Isaiah 34:8).

Seal 7: The Day of the Lord Begins | 7 Trumpets

This year-long period of the Day of the Lord begins when the seventh seal of Revelation is opened, described in Revelation 8:1–2.

When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.

There it is. Paul described the time of collecting the saints as a time of trumpet-blowing angels.

He also describes the same scene as the dead being raised and glorified first, then joined by the glorified living followers of Christ, meeting Him in the air—and then adds that this event, this meeting with Christ, takes place at the last trumpet of a sequence of trumpets.

And here we see when that sequence of trumpets begins—after the four horsemen of Revelation, after the two-and-one-half years of the Great Tribulation, and then after the great heavenly signs announcing the year-long Day of the Lord, then the sequence of angelic trumpets begins.

Joel 2:11 calls the Day of the Lord “great and very terrible” for a reason. It represents the unleashing of God’s wrath on an unrepentant mankind. And yet, these terrors are only the first six of the seven trumpets.

“And the dead in Christ shall rise first” at the 7^th Trumpet

The seventh trumpet—the last trump that Paul wrote of—is described in Revelation 11:15.

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.”

Paul says it is at this trump—the seventh and last trump, declaring the authority of Jesus and the Kingdom of God over all the world—that the dead in Christ are raised to glory and joined by the living as they meet Christ together in the air, to become His bride and to participate alongside Him in the vanquishing of His enemies and the initiation of His rule in the Kingdom of God.

Jesus Christ Himself personally described this moment to His disciples in Matthew 24:29–31.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Why the Rapture Is Not Biblical

Now be honest with yourself: Does this sound anything at all like a secret Rapture? All of these descriptions are consistent: Tribulation, heavenly signs, the trumpet blast, the revealing of Christ to the world, and the resurrection, gathering, and glorifying of true Christians, the Children of God.

No, people will not simply vanish without a trace into thin air, taken to heaven before the Tribulation, leaving their loved ones wondering what has happened. Every eye will see and every ear will hear. The rising of the saints at the last trump, described by Paul to the Thessalonians, is no secret rapture at all. It is the resurrection and glorification of believers at the return of Christ.

• Will Christians vanish around the world mysteriously and without explanation?

The Bible’s answer is a resounding no. The “catching up” Paul describes takes place at the visible return of Christ, with the last worldwide trumpet blast of an angel—an event all eyes will see and all ears will hear.

• Next: Will Christians be caught up into the air years before Jesus returns to rule?

Again, the Bible says No. The event takes place at the very LAST trumpet blast, announcing the beginning of Jesus’ reign—not years before.

But what of the last question:

• Will Christians spend the years of the Great Tribulation protected in heaven?

Again, the Bible says the saints meet Jesus Christ in the air years after the Tribulation has begun, at the last trumpet. So, the answer to this question is no. The Rapture belief fails on all counts.

God’s Protection for Some Christians

Yet the Bible does teach that some followers of Jesus Christ, but not all, will be protected during the Tribulation. And the place of that protection is not in heaven. Let’s open God’s word to read the details.

In Revelation 12, we read of the Church in the end-times, symbolized by a woman, persecuted by Satan the Devil, symbolized by a dragon-like serpent. Let’s start in verse 14.

But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent (Revelation 12:14).

The “time, times, and half a time” here is a total of three-and-a-half years: two-and-one-half years of Great Tribulation before the year-long Day of the Lord.

So we see the Church protected from the Devil, but note—not in heaven. The place of her protection is described as “the wilderness.” And you can search every other verse of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, and you will never find heaven described as a “wilderness.” It is used, however, to describe places here on earth.

Now where on earth, you might ask. The Bible does not make this clear, though it gives some hints.

Let’s be honest—if we knew where it was, most of us would be buying tickets and keeping them current. But God reserves such details to Himself, to be revealed to His faithful servants when the time comes.

But you have to know where God is working and where His true Church is. There are tens of thousands of churches and denominations, so how could you know?

Watch this next video giving five identifying signs of the true Church that Jesus built. He said that many would come in His name but would teach deceptive and false doctrines. But He also said He would build His Church and it would never fail. This means it’s still around today. Use the biblical signs in this next video to find out for yourself.

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Facing 5 Existential Threats—and WW3?

Almost 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ gave a dire warning: Mankind would eventually bring all life on earth to the point of extinction, and that only His return would prevent that catastrophe.

The fulfillment of this prophecy seemed impossible until the end of World War II, when the first weapons of mass destruction were deployed against Japan.

Yet in the decades that have followed, the ways in which humanity could commit planet-wide suicide have only increased, as the future Jesus prophesied has only become more realistic, not less.

Many individuals who call themselves Christian may not even realize that Jesus Christ gave us prophecies. But He did. Not only does God’s word specify that the entire prophetic book of Revelation is “the Revelation of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:1), but also inside that book, we’re told plainly that:

The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10).

But while the book of Revelation gets a lot of attention, even during His three-and-a-half year ministry on earth—before His crucifixion—Jesus also gave us many prophetic pronouncements, especially of the years leading up to His second coming—years that lie immediately ahead of us.

For instance, Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 related one of His longest discussions of the future, often called the Olivet Prophecy or the Olivet Discourse. And during that prophetic teaching, Jesus gave a dire warning concerning what lies ahead of us. Let’s read it in Matthew 24:22.

And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

The specific context of the verse is the Great Tribulation, mentioned in verse 21—a period of years immediately preceding the Day of the Lord and the return of Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ statement should grab our attention. He says that unless God shortens the time—that is, unless God intervenes in human affairs and prevents us from continuing on that path—“no flesh would be saved.”

Jesus is saying that we will bring all of human life to the brink of utter destruction. His words “no flesh” suggest a level of absolute devastation and decimation that is truly hard to fathom—the planet-wide, species-wide, suicidal self-destruction of mankind.

Existential Threat 1: Nuclear War

And when He first spoke those words in the first century, they may have been even harder to fathom.

But they became very real in the twentieth century—specifically in 1945.

On August 6 the United States dropped its newly developed atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in a bid to end World War II and force a Japanese surrender. A second bomb followed three days later, decimating the city of Nagasaki. Death tolls are hard to tally accurately, but the immediate destruction and firestorms of both bombs together killed between 100,000 to 150,000 immediately, with thousands more dying in the weeks to follow from radiation, burns, and injuries.

After dropping the first bomb, President Harry Truman addressed the American people, saying:

“If they do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth.”

While the justification for those bombs is still debated, one thing was clear: Mankind had learned to tap into some of the most primal forces of nature and unleash them in the most destructive ways imaginable.

Suddenly, Jesus’ warning about a world in which “no flesh” would be saved had become a real possibility.

And that nuclear possibility has only grown more real as the years have passed. We’ve moved from atomic bombs to thermonuclear missiles—each one with far greater destructive power than unleashed on Japan. In fact, the largest thermonuclear device ever detonated, the Soviet Union’s “Ivan” or “Vanya,” commonly known as Tsar Bomba, yielded an explosion 3,000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped over Hiroshima—and it was detonated at only half of its designed yield.

And the number of weapons, as well as the countries possessing them, has multiplied greatly. In 2025, the nonprofit Arms Control Association reviewed the number of warheads believed to be possessed by nine nations and estimated the total to be 12,400 nuclear warheads.

Some are waiting to be dismantled, yet almost 10,000 are still in military service, waiting for the button to be pressed. A 2008 study reported by Physics Today estimated that a nuclear war involving an exchange of fewer than half of these weapons “would [initially] generate 770 million casualties”—but that would only be the beginning.

What follows for survivors would be worse. In 2022, in its food and nutrition-focused journal, Nature examined the impact of the soot generated by burning cities and forests in a nuclear exchange, and found that “more than 5 billion could die from a war between the United States and Russia” alone, due to the famine that would follow.

Existential Threat 2: Biological Weapons

We’ve already discussed thermonuclear war. Now consider the threat of biological weapons.

We might think of biological warfare as a recent invention when, in fact, it goes back centuries. Research from Baylor University Medical Center documented its many uses in antiquity, such as when:

• the Tartar forces catapulted the corpses of plague victims over the city walls of Caffa
• the Spanish mixed wine with the blood of leprosy patients to sell to their French enemies
• British personnel gave blankets from smallpox patients to Native Americans in the New World
• confederates in the U.S. Civil War sold clothing from yellow fever and smallpox patients to Union troops

In the modern era, weapons became more sophisticated as biological agents such as anthrax were deployed.

Yet now we face a world in which we are able to design and weaponize bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens at the genetic level.

If the danger of such a possibility is not obvious, simply think back to the COVID-19 pandemic. While theories abound, it is now a broadly-considered-feasible concept that the virus may have leaked from a lab in Wuhan after being enhanced for the sake of advanced study.

Even if this were not the case, the ability of a virus to run rampant globally should get our attention. But now imagine a scenario in which such pathogens are actively and purposefully enhanced for the sake of warfare.

Yes, the international Biological Weapons Convention is intended to prevent such development, but compliance is hard to verify, the technology increasingly makes the manufacture of weaponized diseases easier and easier, and when push comes to shove, who trusts the leaders of the world to abide by such agreements?

The 2026 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community states that “biological warfare capabilities continue to grow.”

During the Black Death of the fourteenth century, the bubonic plague is estimated to have killed between 30% and 60% of Europe’s population. Thankfully, mankind has learned many things since then, but the potential of a biological pathogen—scientifically engineered for lethality and transmission—posing a real, existential threat for humanity cannot be ignored, especially when the Bible prophesies of devastating end-time diseases and pestilences, pictured by the infamous fourth horseman of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Of course, the world’s wars aren’t staying within the confines of biology. With advances in artificial intelligence, fictional scenarios of advanced robotic and autonomous weaponry run amok suddenly seem to be within the realm of possibility. Now, to be sure, those concerns are real, and they are discussed by policy makers. And some of the images painted by the visions of the book of Revelation, such as the locust-like craft or weapon swarms of Revelation 9, could be connected to drone technology or other A.I.-powered machinery.

Existential Threat 3: AI Superintelligence

But believe it or not, the picture painted by A.I. experts is even more dire than out of control weapon systems. Next in our list of mankind’s self-created existential threats is A.I. Superintelligence—that is, A.I. that is vastly more intelligent in important ways than human beings.

There’s a lot to say about this, and it’s a little hard to summarize. In fact, if you haven’t seen our program asking, “Will A.I. Save Us or Destroy Us?”, I encourage you to visit YouTube.com/TomorrowsWorld and look it up.

But suffice it to say that, as A.I. gets smarter and more capable, we are handing it the keys to more aspects of our lives. From driving new cars to creating new designer drugs, the capacity of A.I. is only growing, and it is beginning to solve more and more problems that have historically stumped human beings. In fact, there is every reason to expect A.I. will soon outpace us and become superintelligent—not alive, yet capable of solving problems, reasoning, and planning vastly better than human beings can. As they do, we will want to give A.I. systems more and more control over our lives and various facets of our infrastructure.

Yet, we’ve also discovered that A.I. often has secret goals that conflict with ours—again, not because it is alive, but because it is not really “built” so much as “grown” or “trained.” And when A.I. has exhibited values that are in direct opposition with ours—such as routinely showing itself in tests as being willing to lie, cheat, blackmail, or even kill to achieve its own goals—that behavior is never completely rooted out, only suppressed, so that it learns to “behave.”

But the dangers remain.

How serious are those dangers? Well, in 2025, A.I. researchers Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares were very plain on the subject.

“If any company or group, anywhere on the planet, builds an artificial superintelligence using anything remotely like current techniques, based on anything remotely like the present understanding of AI, then everyone, everywhere on Earth, will die” (If Anyone Builds It, Everyone dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All; Yudkowsky, E. and Soares, N.; p. 7).

Their 2025 book is appropriately titled, If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All.

Now you might think, “OK, aren’t you being a little dramatic?”

Well, the A.I. community itself doesn’t think so. In fact, in 2023, the heads of A.I. at Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and Anthropic, as well as many others, united in publishing a single, simple statement: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”

Dario Amodei, the CEO of A.I. company Anthropic has written in detail of his concerns, saying:

“Humanity is about to be handed almost unimaginable power, and it is deeply unclear whether our social, political, and technological systems possess the maturity to wield it.”

Worried that the interest in A.I. opportunities was clouding concern about A.I. risk, he wrote that:

“We are considerably closer to real danger in 2026 than we were in 2023.”

Apparently, being wiped out by a robot overlord who has decided that humanity is not needed in its plans is increasingly no longer the domain of pure science fiction.

Now of course, perhaps we can count on the wisdom and self-control of all the individuals and nations who stand to profit from constantly pushing A.I. forward, knowing that they have humanity’s safety and best interests at heart.

Then again, maybe we’d keep an eye on it.

Existential Threat 4: Global Infrastructure Collapse

Our fourth existential risk is global infrastructure collapse.

Modern civilization is remarkably interdependent—kept running by multiple fragile and vulnerable systems. Our grocery stores depend on trucking, refrigeration, fuel, packaging, electronic payments, and farms often hundreds or thousands of miles away. Our hospitals depend on electricity, clean water, specialized medicines, disposable equipment, global manufacturing, and just-in-time deliveries. Even a gallon of gasoline or a loaf of bread rests on hidden networks most of us never see.

That global web of interdependencies is one of the wonders of the modern world. It’s how you can have bananas from Guatemala, grapes from Chile, and salmon from Norway, all fresh and ready to buy and eat in one grocery store in Texas. It’s how oil from a pump in the Middle East turns into fuel for cars in New Zealand, and school children in England work on computers made from materials produced in China, Taiwan, and South Korea.

But the system is fragile and vulnerable.

When COVID-19 hit, the resulting global supply chain problems illustrated how fragile this spiderweb of dependencies truly is. Pull at a thread in China, and shelves begin to empty thousands of miles away.

Still, the COVID supply chain problems were small comparing to a true collapse. The systems we have created are brilliant, but brittle. A team of hackers intent on causing global chaos, an EMP blast, or an unexpected solar flare that is just a touch greater than we were ready for—any of these can disrupt satellites, communication systems, internet connections, power grids, food distribution, water supplies—all the systems that make modern life livable would disappear.

Perhaps such an event, by itself, may not seem like a “no flesh will be saved” scenario. But it would take mankind into that territory.

Existential Threat 5: Breakdown of Bioengineered Food, Ecosystems

For our fifth existential threat, consider the risk of engineered ecological breakdown. Like our last threat, this one is related to man’s hubris, but with a twist. Because in these scenarios, mankind is often trying to accomplish something good.

Examples of this in the natural world are legion. For instance, in 1935 cane toads were introduced into Australia from Hawaii as a natural way to control sugar cane beetles. But the toad population began to explode on the continent—while mostly ignoring the beetles. And today, more than 90 years later, cane toads are still spreading in Australia—resistant to eradication, producing toxins that poison native predators and damage ecosystems. That is just one example.

Now multiply such interventions into our environment by the full power of new scientific advancements. For instance, some speak of engineering bacteria that can breakdown pollutants or digest hydrocarbons, allowing us to spray them over oil spills and clean the seas or oceans. To control global warming, scientists have suggested spraying particulates into the atmosphere to help darken the skies and reflect more sunlight away from the earth.

To combat malaria, dengue, and other insect-borne sickness, researchers have suggested genetically modifying mosquitos so they no longer spread the diseases.

But others sound the warning against tampering with forces we do not completely understand. What happens when bacteria designed to consume hydrocarbons adapt and begin consuming other sorts of materials in the wild? And what effects would darkening our atmosphere have on agriculture and weather cycles? Can we really fine tune such global interventions? As for altering the genetics of mosquitos, what happens when our manmade genetic sequences become part of the broader ecosystem?

Even in our well-intentioned solutions, we suffer from one fatal flaw: We are not God.

In Isaiah 46:10 God describes Himself very plainly.

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.”

But that isn’t us. Man can’t look into the distant future to accurately understand the consequences of his decisions like God can. Man can’t comprehend what surprises the future may hold like God can.

And not only are we not God, we are also not in submission to Him. We don’t seek His guidance or His aid and don’t follow His instructions.

Ignoring the Creator of the world and seeking to modify our planet, and even life itself, on a global scale—as if WE are its Creator, based only on our OWN wisdom and knowledge—can only end one way: ruining the very life support He created and finely tuned to care for us.

No Flesh Shall Be Spared—Without God’s Intervention | Matthew 24:22

We’ve reviewed five ways life on earth could be threatened in the context of Jesus Christ’s prophecy of a time coming when “no flesh would be saved.”

1. Thermonuclear War
2. Biological Weapons
3. AI Superintelligence
4. Global Infrastructure Collapse
5. Engineered Ecological Breakdown

Of course, we don’t have to pick a favorite, and humanity is capable of doing more than one of these at a time. In fact, some would say we’re currently working on all of them.

And, to be sure, this list is not complete. We haven’t even discussed more speculative challenges, such as runaway nanotechnology, the development of mirror-life organisms, and particle physics experiments that could run out of control.

While all of these command our attention, they should not cause us to despair, because humanity will not be destroyed by any of these things. Let’s read Jesus’ prophecy again in Matthew 24.

“And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:22).

Notice that He says no flesh would be saved if those days were not shortened, but “for the elect’s sake those days WILL be shortened.” That is marvelous news.

Yes, Jesus Christ will return to this world to take dominion, alongside His glorified followers, inaugurating the reign of the Kingdom of God. And the result of that reign—both due to miraculous intervention and simply the teaching and enforcing of God’s laws and way of life—will be a restoration of this world to the condition its Creator always intended.

Many passages in both the Old and New Testament describe the wonders, sights, and sounds of that remarkable time.

Those inspired words of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, paint a vision a vision that has given hope to the followers of Jesus Christ for the last two thousand years.

And you need that vision now more than ever, so you can hold on to it and plant that vision of hope firmly in your mind—as our world gets ever closer to being on the brink of total annihilation.

So let’s take a tour of that marvelous world together in this next video, describing in detail what God has revealed in His word about the restoration of ALL things during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.