Both inside and outside the church, people are asking the same question: Is this the end of the world?

In this powerful TV Special, Dr. Michael Youssef and special guest Jane Robelot discuss Dr. Youssef’s book Is the End Near? and share what our Lord Himself told us about the end times.

Tune in as Dr. Youssef examines current world events through the lens of Scripture — and encourages you to trust in your heavenly Father who holds the future in His hands.

the following is a leading the way, special presentation. Political rage, extreme violence, global epidemics, intense warfare, growing famine, increased natural disasters. Economic systems faltering families divided our world, seems to be spinning out of control faster and faster. Problems keep piling up issues so complex and sides so entrenched. Everyone is shouting and no one is listening anymore. Right, condemned is wrong, wrong now, praised as right the world, it seems to be coming apart at the seams. It appears civilization is on the brink. Are we approaching the end of the world, join Dr Michael Yousef, cultural anthropologist, pastor and author for a frank discussion on today’s world events. Here’s your host, jane roe below and if the world is indeed beginning to come apart, are christians called to try and stitch it back together again. Welcome to this special episode of leading the way with Dr Michael Yousef Dr yusef is not only christians who are feeling these times, many nonbelievers or even kind of saying what’s happening in the world, I just want normal again. Sure, do you feel like we are in the end times? I do. Uh, and I am not what all of our audience and my friends who watch on a regular basis known as an in time preacher, I don’t have the charts and you know those kinds of things and people have specialized in that and that’s wonderful. But everything that I have read, our Lord, jesus said will be taking place immediately before his return. Then confirmed again by Barcelona because paul did not make that stuff up when he told the Thessalonians about the return of christ and in times he learned it from jesus, the words of jesus transmitted to him by the apostles. And so he looks at the whole scripture, he looks at the words of jesus and then he delineates some, some things that we need to know things that we see in everything that the bible tells us about the world coming to an end is real is true and we’re seeing things we’ve never seen in signs that our Lord Jesus said will be taking place immediately before his return that we have never seen before. You took a country like the United States of America and what we’re going through. Uh you look at europe, the Middle East, Asia africa everywhere. It’s global. Everything was seen. I remember years ago when I was a young pastor and I was reading Revelation 18 where it talks about the merchants of the world. Even then this is the sixties and the seventies. Uh, the merchants of the world will be crying out and wailing over the loss of and how in the world Can be so interconnected. Look at us 30 years later, it is totally interconnected one. Uh, comment in in the United States or in China or anywhere in the world and the whole world markets will literally will lose billions and trillions of dollars overnight. And so so many things that are globally connected that we see now, we could not have seen only a few years ago. So I am personally convinced that we are coming. I’m not saying it is, it is here, but at least the spirit of lawlessness has begun has begun. So you mentioned world globalization, and I agree when I was in college we talked about the fifth world and that was kind of that one world order, that just seemed absurd then, but we’re kind of beginning to see that what other signs do you see that are different? I mean, I can imagine pre World War Two and during World War Two, there must have been people saying, is this the end? Yes, what’s different now? Okay, I’ll tell you why I am convinced because of the words of jesus, not because of somebody told me something, because of the words of jesus, you know, when you think about his him telling us that there’s gonna be an apostasy that is a global apostasy. People who have known or claim to be christians turn their back on the christian faith, this is not the atheists and agnostics and the people who are never knew jesus, this is gonna be put in the church. And when you think that all the statistics have been showing That between 60-70% of evangelicals in America, this is evangelicals, let alone Catholics and others Protestants believe that there’s more ways to God than jesus and you know, the world is being prepared for that apostasy has already started and that’s one of the things that anchors my conviction that were coming in. Those are the words of Jesus, he said it’s gonna be so bad that in Matthew 24 24 he said it would be so bad that if possible. And now some people misunderstand me and they say oh Michael is saying that the elect would be deceived. I didn’t say that Jesus said that this is gonna be so bad that even if it is possible, I mean difficult as it is, but if it’s possible some of the elect are going to be deceived and it seems to be moving pretty quickly fast. Prominent businessman, He’s an amazing guy and he’s not a believer. He, you know, we’re good friends and share christ with him, but he’s as me said, but why is happening so fast? Things are going out of control so fast. I mean, he, in his secular mind is so frustrated and I said without knowing jesus and without knowing that things are gonna happen fast, they start slowly, but then they speed up, you will be frustrated and you’ll be angry and you will never have an answer only in christ will you be able to have the peace that passes understanding and then you see the science, the other sign that is of course we had earthquakes, we had famines and we’ve had all these things diseases and throughout history. But Jesus makes a statement in Matthew 24 that is absolutely astounding to me, talks about thief in the night. His return for those who don’t know him. It’s gonna be a shock and surprise like a thief coming at night and they didn’t even since there is a thief in the house or even coming. And then he talks about the labor pains before birth, before birth. Now labor pains for the believers, they are the ones who are aware of these labor pains are coming in and they They always have been there but then they go into faster and faster intervals. The contraction, the contraction that is it, that’s it. And Jesus said that in Matthew 24 that when you see those labor pains coming in closer and closer intervals be prepared. The big event is about to happen and christ is about to return. And so if I have a message and pleading with people is please turn your eye upward and look to heaven, Don’t get all fizzled out and frizzled over all these events and things look like out of control. Now never forget that Jesus has his foot on satan’s neck. Now satan is fighting hard, he wants to bring the Antichrist because he wants to usurp glory to himself because the Antichrist is his creation. That’s his ultimate creation, a character that he has prepared to rule the world and and so forth. He wants to do this but not until Jesus says so in fact paul said to the Thessalonians, he said he’s being restrained right now and when that restrain er pulls his hand off then all of these things are gonna happen. I’m kind of stuck on the christians who turned to apostasy and I have a confession to make to you that I was in my early forties before I ever read the bible all the way through and it was a wonderful woman in your church who led me to do that. It changed my relationship with the Lord to read all of it, not just picking up bits and pieces. Do you feel like as you, I would like for you to actually make a call to christians now who are list To you. I’m a believer, I don’t want to fall into apostasy, I don’t want to be left behind or fall for the antichrist, what do they need to do to get ready? You know, I don’t put a lot of faith in statistics, but statistics say less than 18% 18% of Christians in America read the Bible regularly, 18, 18, just think about that. We have probably multiple translations uh in every home bibles are gathering dust and so I’m pleading with you as we see the signs go back and read the word of God because that’s your food and if you don’t get fed you’re gonna become malnourished and spiritually become endangered susceptible. Yeah well yes to all diseases and all false teachings, stick with the word of God. Find out if the word of God said it or not. But it’s a lazy way of going about it. Well, you know, if if the reverend said it must be right. No it’s not. It doesn’t have to be. That’s one of the things I really love about your teaching is that you will say here’s what Michael yusef thinks but your here’s what the bible says here here here and here. And I’m hearing you say a lot about what Jesus said about the end times, Matthew 24 25 it’s were old testament, prophets talked about it, jesus talked about it, his apostles talked about it. But it all comes back to what he said. Yes and that’s where we need to be grounded. What did he say? Absolutely. If he coexisted with the father before all worlds, the bible said is for whom and through whom the world was created. He’s from the beginning, he did not just appear in a vacuum for 2000 years and the whole bible from genesis to Malachi said he’s coming, he’s coming, he’s coming God is sending his son and then he appears and therefore everything he said must be taken seriously because he is the full revelation of the father and he’s the only one who’s the full revelation of God the father and therefore take his words very seriously and that’s what I do. I take his words very seriously and that’s what I, you know teach and preach and write about and he promised he was coming back on a cloud. What will that look like? Many times? The bible referred to Cloud as masses of people. It’s a reference to all those who coming with him. In fact, when when paul talks about that in all of his epistles, he said he will appear with all his mighty angels. In fact, he’s going to come back with the saints who have gone before us and that’s a cloud remember Hebrew said we have a cloud of witnesses, Cloud of witnesses. It was by faith, Abraham by faith Abel by faith by faith by all this chapter 11 of Hebrews, they’re called the Faith Hall of Fame. Um that’s a cloud of witnesses, their witnesses. And the witnesses saying is if they did it under the most difficult circumstances, you can do it too. If they had victory, you can have victory too with all their problems. They were able to live for christ and so the cloud often referred to people and and in in the, in the Hebrew kind of mindset. Yeah. And there’s some things that jesus said that I hang onto very important, I’m looking at this birth Banks that are happening in our culture today on this 21st century that I have not seen or read about ever before happening, whether it be signs in the heavens or signs here on the earth and all of that uh that makes me even more excited about living and working and you know, God bless those who retire, I will never retire. I want to go straight from working here to heaven and and and and the reason I spend every waking moment trying to figure out how to get the gospel to the ends of the earth, how to is, because I believe this is near and and I’m urging people, I got my knees and big people to come to christ because when the time comes and that door shut, like the bible said God shut the door of the ark of Noah, he’s gonna shut that door and mercy has gone forever. I’m so glad I can, I can fall apart in tears because it’s yeah, once it happens it happens and no more mercy, Mercy is now Grace is now the opportunity is now. But when the day comes that door of Mercy is closed and the merciful christ who died on that cross is going to be the judge sitting on the bench and holding us accountable for the non believers going to be the judgment of hell, for the believers are gonna have a different opportunity to account in terms of their rewards. But that’s a different thing for that now, therefore there is no condemnation upon those who are in christ jesus, this is the time to give this condemnation up and receive his commendation dr yusef as we’re discussing this, I know that everyone has a lot of questions as I do and I’m excited to let them know that you have put all of this and much more in a detailed book that is very comfortable for believers and nonbelievers to really understand and it’s called is the End Near here’s more, Jesus said at the end of time, there will be a great tribulation. This tribulation is gonna encompass the whole globe. Only the father knows that day for centuries. People have theorized when the end Times will come upon us for decades. Books have been sold off the shelves predicting when the end will come. But have we thought to ask the one who will see us through that difficult time? Have we examined Jesus words, what did Jesus really say about the last days, cut through the noise of end times, misconceptions and hear what our Lord himself told us about the end times in his newest book is the end Near what Jesus told us about the last days, Dr Michael Yousef unpacks the words of the Lord Jesus himself in Matthew 24 25 in this powerful new book, dr Yousef examines how current global events are playing into God’s End Times plan, evidence for potentially apocalyptic events that could trigger unprecedented natural disasters. Whether it’s possible for christians to be deceived by the antichrist, the four dimensions of the coming judgment and how to live in the hope and security of the Lord’s return, even as the world seems to be collapsing around us, whether war disasters, famine or persecution rest in knowing that he holds all things in the palm of his hand, don’t let fear of the future. Shake your faith, Know what Jesus said, get the truth about the end times. You can purchase your copy of dr Yousef’s newest book, exclusively from select retailers visit is the end near book dot com. That is the end near book dot com today to find a convenient retailer near you dr yusef what about the sheep? And the goats, Jesus talks about they’ll be that day when the shepherd will separate the sheep and the goats? What does that mean? Exactly? Not only that, because I’ll tell you that first and I’m gonna to other things that he said about that you see to the non discerning eyes, you get a city slicker. For example, he looks at the sheep and the goats and from a distance, they all look alike. And there are many people in the churches who pretend to be christians that they’re not real believers, but they’re in the church, they like christian people hang around christians and uh, but he knows exactly who’s the sheep and who’s the goat, who’s the pretender, who’s the real one, who’s his own, but also Jesus said that the world is like a field where he planted his seed, his word and the wheat has grown, the believers are the wheat, but then satan comes in right in the same field, that’s in the churches, he will plant tears or weeds and sometimes they’re together and you look and you say you know which one is what and in fact jesus said, don’t try to separate them, wait until the the angels come from heaven, they’re gonna bundle the wheat, They know exactly how to separate them. Just separate sheep and goats are gonna be separating wheat from weeds and in and in the wheat that his Children are going to go into the barns, that is a place of heaven and then the others will be thrown into the fire. And so that separation that will great separation is going to take place on that day And there’s no one gonna doubt that we hear the parable of the talents where the master gives three different servants money to invest, Does that have anything to do with heaven? Is that about eternal reward at all? It is absolutely and God is a just God. And so you’ve got somebody who’s serving God day and night and giving of themselves or or even went to a remote places like missionaries have done through the years and literally got diseases and died on the mission field and and somebody’s sitting there doing nothing. I mean absolutely nothing for jesus, he they cannot both get the same reward And therefore yes, absolutely, the one who been given all kind of the blessings that God gave and did nothing with it. They’re going to be absolutely rejected by God in the end. And so we all must focus on that. Life is never certain. And the time is now, whether you’re 16 or 60, it doesn’t matter now is the time. Today is the day. And as you said, it’s a joy filled life. You know, people shouldn’t, you know, I don’t wanna I don’t know that I really want to be a christian. I don’t want to have to give up everything. But what we gain so much more than any of those earthly things could ever fill us with. Absolutely. And and you know, that’s why you see people when they come to crisis and why did I wait so long? Why didn’t I do that earlier? I have so many people say that to me and and I said, you know, people talk to you, they told you that this is a great life. This is a joyful life. And I feel sorry really because satan has blinded them And they think that that the christian life is miserable. Uh only if they just know the truth. That there’s such joy in walking with the Lord. And but but they also could have looking at people who are not really true believers. And I said they saw the legalistic people and forensic people and they said, oh I don’t want this. Don’t look at anybody else, look at jesus and you will know what a joyful life it is to be in christ. So as we look at the tribulation, we know from Jesus’s words that it will be a time of great difficulty, especially for count on the Holy spirit intentionally die to self every day. Read your bible, connect with other believers. These are the things you’re, I mean if the end times are near or even if they’re not, what are you admonishing christians to do right now? Well, the most important thing you just said it and that is live in community. You have, you have to belong to a community of believers where you hold each other accountable, but also encourage each other, uh, speak the gospel to each other, remind each other of the return of christ, remind each other of all the promises of God in the scripture. That’s what iron sharpens iron. And that’s very, very important, particularly in these last days. It’s very, very important to be in a christian community bible, believing community, Michael, as we hear you talk about jesus words about the end times and the fact that you believe that it is near. Should we worry over famines that may occur from the Russia’s war on Ukraine and how do we, how do we look at all of these things and and process that day by day. Sure. Well Jesus said look at the birds, look at the, I mean he’s gonna provide, he’s going to provide for his own and even have, aka when he said, the righteous shall live by faith in the middle of all the things that he’s saying, horrible things are gonna happen with the babylonian exile. Harbach said that the righteous shall live by faith, meaning God is going to take care of the Righteous in the midst of all that. And that is the verse that actually ignited the reformation with martin Luther, the righteous to live by faith. And so don’t live and worry, don’t live in fear God has provided. He will provide. God does not bless his Children based on what the dow industrial average is doing or what the stock market is doing now, he’s gonna bless his Children regardless of what a world event is taking place. You mentioned the reformation, might we see another reformation, might we see some big global evangelism happening? It is the cry of my heart that we see an awakening before the return of christ. It is dedicating myself to doing that myself going on the road and preaching and and wanting to see an awakening a revival of people. Eyes are open and repent of their sins and come to jesus, fall in love with jesus, so that’s the longing of my heart now, whether it will happen in my lifetime or happen at all, it doesn’t matter, I am, I john Wesley is the one who said this, he said, I pray and live as if christ coming this afternoon, but I plan as if he’s not coming for 100 years and so, you know, to me that’s a great model. I live, I pray, I, I’m longing for his return, but I’m also planning evangelistic crusades and evangelistic events all over the world literally in 2023 and as well as taking the gospel through the media. And so if God sent a great awakening, wonderful, if he doesn’t, he comes back wonderful. And this is, this is the great thing about the christian life. I’m cool with one way or the other. I was like, kids would say I’m cool, whichever happens. I’m fine. Well, I think people are going to be very excited to know Michael that everything that we have talked about right now, you have put together in a book and the book is, is the end near. And the answer is very clearly, yes. We’ve been discussing this and you go into, I have to say it is an incredible book. You go into great detail about what some of these signs are that we see right now. Um, there are parts in there that I could, we could be a little bit afraid of Sure, but but really it’s all about hope and it’s about jesus. Yes. So I mean what inspired you to finally pull all of this together and put it in a book. Well, it came out of watching the world and seeing some things that, that even as a very interested in history of red history very closely, both Western history and Eastern history and all of history throughout ancient history, modern history. And so I with that knowledge, I began to study the word of God, particularly what Jesus said in Matthew 24 and 25 and I’m seeing things that are happening that’s never happened before. And then I began to read about birth Pangs and in fact there are six of them in the book that I showed, jesus gives to us to see that these events, will there be earthquakes and famine and so forth. They’ve all been happening, but they’re going to come in close intervals and therefore uh I sensed in my spirit that those words of jesus are really applicable to our day and I needed to expand them and I needed to explain them and I needed to plead with people to read them because they’re very, very important. I simplify them a little bit for those who say, well you know, just, what does that mean? What does that mean? I’ll make it very easy for you explaining symbolism in the bible, understanding Semitic languages as I do. And so I wanted to use this book not only to ignite hope in the life and the heart of the believers, but also warned the nonbelievers to take opportunity of this is the day of salvation come to him. And so it is, it is my prayer. This is I consider this. And people probably heard me say this before. But this one is the most important book simply because of its uh the inevitability of what’s going to happen and therefore the warning, the pleading and the lifting up of that hope that you can live joyful and you can say, well, I know what’s going to happen. I have hope in christ, my hope is built on nothing less in christ’s righteousness. And therefore I don’t I don’t worry, I don’t live in fear. And so that that book is going to be really a blessing to a lot of people. Well, it was a blessing to me to read it and I encourage each one of you to get your own coffee and a few more. You’re gonna want to give it to friends for centuries. People have theorized when the end times will come upon us. For decades, books have been sold off the shelves predicting when the end will come. But have we thought to ask the one who will see us through that difficult time? Have we examined Jesus words? What did Jesus really say about the Last days in his newest book is the end near what Jesus told us about the last days, Dr, Michael Yousef unpacks the words of the Lord, jesus himself in Matthew 24 25 rest in knowing that he holds all things in the palm of his hand. Don’t let fear of the future. Shake your faith. Know what Jesus said, get the truth about the end times. You can purchase your copy of dr Yousef’s newest book exclusively from select retailers visit is the end near book dot com. That is the end near book dot com Today to find a convenient retailer knew you you’ve been watching a special leading the way presentation.