Is Israel vs Iran a Sign of the End Times?

Wars rage on. Nuclear threats rise. The world feels like it’s unraveling—Ukraine, Iran, economic freefall. Are we living in the end times?

Welcome to Provoke and Inspire, where I wrestle with culture and current events by asking: What would Jesus think? What would Jesus do?

As a follower of Jesus, you can look at the world today and, if you're reading the news, it honestly feels more chaotic than ever. I know there have been many chaotic times in history—but man, things feel rough right now. Ukraine and Russia aren’t even dominating headlines anymore because of the war between Iran and Israel.

You do have to wonder: Are we living in the end times?

I talk to a lot of followers of Jesus, and this is a common concern. For some, it even feels like a hobby—constantly trying to decode the Bible for signs that point to the end. They dive into the Old and New Testaments looking for clues. And yes, the Bible does seem to give us some: wars, rumors of wars, nations rising and falling. It makes you wonder if we are meant to have some level of awareness.

Jesus Himself criticized the Pharisees for not recognizing the signs. Some take that to mean end-times prophecy, but I don’t think that’s the main point.

The world is in chaos, and maybe it is coming to an end. But I don’t think the point of biblical eschatology is for us to bunker down and wait for it. Nor do I believe we’re supposed to treat the Bible like a riddle to decode.

What I think the Bible is doing—what Jesus was doing—is calling us to a posture of urgency. When He rebuked the Pharisees for not recognizing the signs, He wasn’t talking about geopolitical predictions. He was talking about Himself. About not recognizing what God was doing right in front of them.

Too often, we’re fixated on “signs” out there, while failing to see the eternal significance of what’s happening right now around us.

People are living and dying all around us.

My dad always used to say: when it comes to the end times, you don’t need to wonder about the timeline. Because for the people around you, it’s coming in 50 or 70 years—that will be the end for them.

So what does this mean?

It means we should care about the world. We should be concerned citizens. We should pray for peace, and for wisdom for our leaders. But beyond that, we should let this sense of urgency shape our lives. We should stop chasing things that are fading. We should see the people in our lives who don’t know Jesus and pursue them with urgency. We should communicate the gospel with desperation—not fear-based hype, but an awareness that time is running out.

Whether the world ends tomorrow, or in 50 years, or 500 years—it will end for the people around you. And that reality should radically shape how you live and how you love.

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That’s it. Peace.