How to Have Peace in Perilous Times
Let’s talk about peace. Even among Christians, there are a lot of people who aren’t experiencing the peace of God right now. It seems as though almost everyone is worried. Worried about getting sick. Worried about losing their jobs. Worried about food shortages. Worried about finding another job to replace the one they used to have. Worried about making ends meet. Worried about the economy. Worried about politics. Worried about the times we live in. (If you haven’t given your life to God, you should be worried about the times we live in.)
I believe we are living in the end times. I believe Jesus is coming soon. How soon, I don’t know—I don’t believe anybody knows—but the apostle Paul told us that in the last days perilous times would come, and these are certainly perilous times. There have been perilous times of one sort or another from time to time throughout human history. But I happen to be old. As it happens, I am older than King David was when he died, and the Bible describes King David as having been “full of years.” And to put my age in even more perspective, I am not only older than King David was, I am also older than the Modern State of Israel. I mention all this because one of the benefits of being old is that when you get to be my age, you know from your own personal experience what has actually happened within living memory. Old folks can remember what things were like 50 or 60 or 70 years ago. And any elderly person can tell you that times have definitely changed. But the Apostle Paul didn’t just tell us that in the last days perilous times would come. He also told us why those times would be so perilous.
We find Paul’s description of the perilous times that would happen in the last days in Second Timothy, chapter 3. The New King James Version captions this passage “Perilous Times and Perilous Men.” Paul says here:
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (2 Timothy 3:1-5a NKJV)
The Apostle Paul is telling us here the reason the perilous times will come. And Paul says that the perilous times will come for or because of the kind of people who will be living in the last days. (The Greek word γάρ means for or because.)
Now I personally believe that throughout history there have been some men—and some women—who exhibited the symptoms Paul mentions. I believe that there have always been some people who were “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.”
What makes me believe we’re living in the perilous times that Paul said would come in the last days, is that today there are so very many people who exhibit these particular symptoms. And I believe they exhibit these symptoms because we are also seeing—certainly here in America we’re already seeing it—something many Christians refer to as the Great Falling Away. Many people have lost their moral compass because they are surrounded by—and brainwashed by—wickedness. And because wickedness has become the new normal, they’ve lost their love for God.
In Matthew 24, Jesus’ disciples had just asked Him to tell them the sign of His coming and of the end of the age. And beginning in verse 10 we see what Jesus said:
At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:9-14 NIV 1984)
In verse 10 we saw that Jesus said that at that time, “many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate one another” and in verse 12 we see that it is “because of the increase of wickedness” that “the love of most will grow cold.”
In 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2, the Apostle Paul is writing “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him” (2 Thessalonians 2:1a NIV). In verse 3, Paul says: “that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first” (2 Thessalonians 2:3 NKJV). I just wonder how many people will have to fall away for it to qualify as THE falling away.
I became a believer in the Jesus Movement of the early 70’s. The General Social Survey (the GSS) is a survey taken every two years by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. Back in 1972, in the first GSS, only 5% of Americans self-identified as having no religious faith. In 2022, 29% of Americans self-identified as having no religion. And according to the latest Pew Research Center findings issued on January 24, 28% of Americans are now religiously unaffiliated. I would have to say that here in America we are definitely experiencing a falling away. And it is because we are experiencing this falling away that we are also experiencing perilous times.
Please don’t misunderstand me here: I’m not saying that what we’re going through is THE Tribulation. In John 16:33, Jesus told us we would have tribulation. Believers have experienced tribulation ever since Jesus was here the first time. But John 16:33 is also the verse where Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (NKJV)
Right about now, I’m sure you’re wondering why I titled this blog How to Have Peace in Perilous Times. Here’s why: the Gospel is Good News. The word Gospel means Good News. And the Good News today is that we can experience peace no matter what is happening around us.
Back in the day, I used to see bumper stickers that said: Know God, Know Peace—No God, No Peace. That’s good preaching, because if you know God—really know God—you will have peace. But if you don’t know God, you won’t experience what Paul called the peace that passes understanding. Paul said, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV).
So I am here to tell you today that even in times like these, If you know God—really know God—you will know peace. That’s good news.
But if you don’t know God—if you don’t have a personal relationship with Him—if you don’t have God—then when times get really tough, you won’t have peace. If you don’t know God, you won’t have peace even when times aren’t tough. You may find distractions, but you won’t find peace.
For more on becoming a child of God, read Messianic Milestones.
Margot Armer
