End Times Preparation
Scripture says the last days began at Pentecost, and many believers sense the season ripening now. Here is the timeline of prophecy, the systems taking shape around us, and a calm, practical plan to be ready in body, spirit, money and community.
Facts checked October 2026. No dates set: "of that day and hour knoweth no man" (Matthew 24:36).
Where we stand
The Bible says the last days began when the Spirit was poured out at Pentecost: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh" (Acts 2:17). The letter to the Hebrews says God "hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son" (Hebrews 1:2). Every generation of believers since has lived in the last days, and every one was told to watch.
What many believers sense now is a ripening. Israel is back in its own land after nineteen centuries. The wars around Israel have drawn in Iran, the Persia named in Ezekiel 38. Money, identity and speech are moving onto digital systems that could, for the first time in history, decide who may buy or sell. And the gospel is reaching languages that never had a page of Scripture. Jesus called a season like this "the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8): the birth pains, not yet the birth.
We will not give you a date, because Jesus did not: "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" (Matthew 24:36). We will give you the timeline, the signs, the systems taking shape, and a plan to be ready.
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Luke 21:28, KJV
The signs Jesus named, and what we see now
Deception
"Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name."
NowVoices and faces can now be faked by machines, and self-proclaimed messiahs gather followings online.
Matthew 24:4-5Wars and rumours of wars
"Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom."
NowRussia's war on Ukraine since 2022, the war that began with the attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, and the war with Iran that began on 28 February 2026.
Matthew 24:6-7Famines
"And there shall be famines."
NowFamine was confirmed in Sudan in 2024 and in Gaza in 2025 by the UN-backed hunger monitor, the IPC.
Matthew 24:7Pestilences
"Famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights."
NowCOVID-19, declared a pandemic in March 2020, reached nearly every nation on earth.
Luke 21:11Earthquakes in divers places
"And earthquakes, in divers places."
NowThe February 2023 earthquakes in Turkey and Syria killed more than 50,000 people.
Matthew 24:7Knowledge increased
"Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."
NowMachines that talk entered ordinary life in 2022, and the whole world can now be crossed in a day.
Daniel 12:4Love grown cold
"The love of many shall wax cold." "Men shall be lovers of their own selves."
NowIn 2023 the US Surgeon General declared loneliness and isolation an epidemic.
Matthew 24:12; 2 Timothy 3:1-2The gospel to all nations
"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world."
NowBy 2025 the whole Bible was translated into 776 languages, and some part of it into more than 4,000.
Matthew 24:14Israel regathered
"I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen… and bring them into their own land."
NowIsrael was declared a nation on 14 May 1948, and Jerusalem was reunited under Israel in June 1967.
Ezekiel 37:21; Isaiah 66:8Buying and selling controlled
"That no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark."
NowMore than 130 countries are exploring digital currencies, and every EU country must offer a digital identity wallet by the end of 2026.
Revelation 13:16-17
Signs like these have appeared in every century, and each generation has been tempted to read its own headlines as the last. What stands out to many believers now is that the signs are converging, and that the system Revelation 13 describes has, for the first time, become technically possible.
The timeline at a glance
Prophecy already fulfilled, the season many believers see now, and what Scripture says is still to come.
Behind us
- About 600 BC: Four kingdoms foretold
- AD 70: Not one stone upon another
- 14 May 1948: A nation born at once
- June 1967: Jerusalem reunited
Where many believe we stand
- The beginning of sorrows
- Persia at war with Israel
- Jerusalem, a burdensome stone
- A system that could control buying and selling
Still to come
- The gathering of believers
- A covenant with many
- Armageddon and the return of Christ
- All things new
The agendas being rolled out
Real programs are moving money, identity and speech onto global digital systems. For each one: what it really is, why believers watch it, and how to respond.
- UN Agenda 2030
- The Great Reset
- Digital currencies (CBDCs)
- Digital identity
- Biometrics and the eye scan
- AI and surveillance
- One-world religion
- The Third Temple
Prepare in five ways
Readiness is not one thing. Each guide has a checklist you can tick off; your progress is kept in this browser only.
Physical
Water, food, medicine, power, documents, a plan.
- Store water: one gallon (about four liters) per person per day, for at least three days, and two weeks if you can.
- Put together a first aid kit, and take a first aid and CPR course.
- Keep flashlights or headlamps with spare batteries, and a charged power bank.
Spiritual
Prayer, Scripture, repentance, discernment, hope.
- Make sure of your own standing with God: turn from sin and put your trust in Christ (Romans 10:9).
- Read a chapter of Scripture each day: the Gospels first, then Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5, and Revelation.
- Belong to a local church, "and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25).
Financial
Budget, margin, less debt, cash, a will, generosity.
- Write a simple monthly budget: what comes in, what goes out, and where it goes.
- Keep some cash at home in small bills, enough for a couple of weeks of essentials.
- Check your insurance: home or renters, health and life cover.
Social
Neighbors, a family plan, church, skills to share.
- Make a family emergency plan: who calls whom, where you meet, and who collects the children.
- Learn the names of the three households closest to you.
- Join a small group in your church, where people know each other's needs.
Mind and heart
Peace of mind while you watch the world.
- Set news limits: check twice a day at set times, and never in the last hour before sleep.
- Protect sleep, move your body daily, and get outside into daylight.
- Talk honestly with a pastor, a friend or your spouse about what worries you.
Watch without fear
No dates
Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour (Matthew 24:36), and "it is not for you to know the times or the seasons" (Acts 1:7). Every date ever set has failed. We watch the season and leave the hour to God.
No panic
Paul told the Thessalonians not to be "soon shaken in mind, or be troubled" by talk that the day had come (2 Thessalonians 2:2). "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).
No retreat from life
Jesus told his servants, "Occupy till I come" (Luke 19:13). Some in Thessalonica stopped working to wait for the end, and Paul told them to get back to work (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12). Keep building, loving and serving.
No despair
The story ends well: "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying" (Revelation 21:4). We prepare as people of hope, not dread.
Go deeper in the dictionary: the end times, the rapture, the tribulation, the Antichrist and the watchman. Or begin with prayer in the Prayer Companion.
Common questions
Are we living in the end times?
In one sense, yes: the New Testament says the last days began at Pentecost (Acts 2:17; Hebrews 1:2), so every Christian generation has lived in them. Many believers also see the signs Jesus named converging now, especially Israel back in its land and a global economy that can be controlled digitally. No one can say how long this season will last.
When will Jesus return?
No one knows, and Jesus said so plainly (Matthew 24:36). Anyone who gives you a date is contradicting him. The command is to be ready at every hour: "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 24:44).
Is preparing a lack of faith?
No. Noah prepared an ark when he was warned (Hebrews 11:7). Joseph stored grain for seven lean years (Genesis 41). Proverbs praises the prudent man who "foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself" (Proverbs 22:3). Preparation is stewardship. Fear is the problem, not readiness.
Where should I start?
Start with your own heart before God. Then store two weeks of water and food. Then learn the names of three neighbors. The five guides on this site take each step in order, with checklists you can tick off as you go.
Does The Great Almanac predict the end?
No. We describe the season as believers read it, the signs and systems that can be checked, and how to prepare. We never set dates, and we do not claim to know what only God knows.
Sources and editorial method
Research and editorial references used for this page include:
- BibleGateway: Matthew 24 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: Luke 21:28 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: Acts 2:17 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: Hebrews 1:2 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- IPC: Integrated Food Security Phase Classification - Famine determinations for Sudan (2024) and Gaza (2025).
- Wycliffe Global Alliance: 2025 Scripture access statistics - Bible translation figures as of August 2025.
- US Surgeon General: Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation (2023) - The 2023 advisory on loneliness.
- Atlantic Council: Central Bank Digital Currency Tracker - Countries exploring digital currencies.
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version. Present-day facts were checked against current reporting in October 2026; where events are still unfolding, the page says what was known then. We describe how believers read the signs and never set a date.
