As the world continues to shift in unprecedented ways, many Christians are asking a question that has echoed through generations: Are we living in the last days?
During a recent discussion, author and commentator Dinesh D’Souza posed that very question to Bible teacher Rick Renner, examining whether today’s events point to the imminent return of Christ.
D’Souza noted that many of the signs Jesus described in Matthew 24 appear increasingly visible.
“If I look around today, we see many of the signs that are indicated in Matthew 24,” D’Souza said. “Wars and rumors of wars, a kind of rising tide of opposition or blasphemy, persecution of the church as well as persecution of the Jews.”
Yet D’Souza also acknowledged that previous generations could have reached similar conclusions during major world crises such as World War II. He then pointed to what many prophecy teachers consider a unique modern development: the rebirth of Israel.
“Maybe the reconstitution of the Jews, the formation of the state of Israel, the Jews fulfilling a kind of ancient biblical prophecy to come back and become once again a nation,” D’Souza suggested.
Renner agreed, calling Israel’s restoration one of the clearest prophetic markers of the end times.
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“The reestablishment of Israel in 1948 is one of the major indicators that we’ve come to the end of the age,” Renner said.
However, Renner believes the most significant sign Jesus highlighted was not geopolitical but spiritual.
Referring to Matthew 24:4, Renner noted, “The first sign He gave and the foremost sign He gave was in Matthew 24:4, which says, ‘Take heed that no man deceive you.'”
According to Renner, the Greek word translated as “deceive” is planao, which describes a person or society wandering from a well-established path.
“Jesus is saying the very end of the age, there’s going to be worldwide deception,” Renner said. “We’re talking about deceptive times, seducing times, delusionary times.”
He argued that modern society increasingly reflects that warning as people abandon biblical truth in favor of alternative moral frameworks.
“When society is going to leave the path that it once walked upon, and they’re going to try to take a new progressive path,” Renner said, “they’re going to say the Bible is a little primitive … now we’re going to go a new direction.”
The conversation then turned to the rapture and the church’s role in restraining evil. D’Souza summarized the common prophetic view by suggesting that while darkness is already increasing, believers currently serve as a spiritual barrier preventing even greater wickedness from being unleashed.
Renner agreed.
“Even with all of its flaws and all of its problems, we are still so powerful because God is in the church.”
Looking at 2 Thessalonians 2, Renner said a day is coming when that restraint will be removed.
“The moment the church is removed, that is the synchronized moment when the curtains are going to be pulled back, and the Antichrist is going to make his appearance to the world,” he said.
“This is a real living individual,” Renner continued. “He’s going to make his appearance at the end of the age.”
The discussion concluded with a sobering look at the coming Tribulation. While critics sometimes accuse believers in the rapture of seeking an escape from hardship, Renner argued that there is a biblical distinction between persecution and God’s wrath.
“Hard times and wrath, they are not the same thing,” Renner said.
He described the Tribulation as a future period unlike anything humanity has ever experienced.
“Jesus said, ‘There’ll be great tribulation as there has never been before and there will never be again,'” Renner noted.
This conversation served as a reminder that believers are called to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture and attentive to the signs Jesus Himself instructed His followers to recognize as history moves toward its prophetic conclusion.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
