The Bible has much to say about the characteristics and events of the last days. Writing to his protégé, Timothy, the apostle Paul gave us this warning in 1 Timothy 4:1-2:

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, ² by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron.

Paul gave a similar alert to the people of Thessalonica:

³ No one is to deceive you in any way! For it [coming of the Lord] will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

~2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

These passages tell us clearly there will be a falling away from faith (apostasy) prior to the man of lawlessness (Antichrist) making his “big reveal” upon the earth. Paul describes a scenario where that man of lawlessness exalts himself above all gods and demands to be worshipped.

What leads to such depravity of those who exalt others above the God of the universe? Deception. It comes in many colors and flavors, but atheism is one of those flavors. If one believes there is no God, then everyone is exalted above Him!

Founded in 1636, Harvard pre-dated the birth of America as a nation, but was founded as “a Christian academic institution to meet the needs of perpetuating the Christian faith.” The other Ivy Leagues schools soon followed, and together, they were crucial to laying the Judeo-Christian values upon which our great nation was founded.

Granted, the Ivy League schools have long lost their luster as institutions of Christian values and learning. But now, 385 years later, Harvard has hired an atheist, Greg Epstein, as its head chaplain. He states, “We don’t look to a god for answers. We are each other’s answers.” Wow…falling away from faith…deceitful spirits…teaching of demons…liars seared in their own conscience…putting one another above God. Sounds very much like Paul described in 1 Timothy 4.

Even uneducated glances at our world today tell us things are spinning out of control. However, the more we know and understand our Bibles, the better we understand what we see in the world today. Bible prophecy is never proved wrong and is more accurate than today’s headlines.

God’s promises share that accuracy as well! One of my favorites gives us comfort as we navigate these last days. I hope you are encouraged: