On The Brink: How Much Longer?

On The Brink: How Much Longer

Jonathan Brentner

As I look at what’s happened just since the start of 2026, I realize the world has continued to rapidly move toward the start of the Tribulation, and yet we still wait for Jesus’ appearing. I still wonder, “Can we get any closer to the time God’s wrath descends upon the unsuspecting world than we already are?”

I believe we find the answer in 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8: “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming” (emphasis added)

The answer is yes, it’s because the Lord is even now restraining the terrors revealed in Revelation chapters 6-18, the very ones I thought would’ve begun years ago.

Things Pointing to the End

Although the “mystery of lawlessness,” mentioned in the above passage, was already at work during the first century AD, it has grown exponentially in recent years. In the past several months, we have heard reports of how corrupt politicians have facilitated the theft of mindboggling amounts of taxpayer funds. The total exceeds several hundred billions of dollars. The numbers are impossible to fully grasp.

Almost every week, I’m shocked by reports of violence. I remember the 1960s and the violence of that era, but it’s far more widespread and common today. Just last week, I heard of shootings in Iowa City and watched videos of the huge brawl that ensued afterward, with scores of people fighting in an area where I walked even at night, years ago, without even the slightest thought of danger.

The Apostle John wrote that the “spirit of the antichrist” was already at work in his day (1 John 4:3). The dramatic rise of antisemitism during the past twenty-five years demonstrates the increased activity of this evil spirit in our day. The hatred of Israel that’s becoming epidemic in the U.S. and elsewhere is satanic and is leading to the demonic hatred of the Jewish people.

When we look at what the Bible tells us about the covenant Israel will someday make with the antichrist, what we see is exactly what we would expect leading up to that time. A nation at peace with no threat from its neighbors wouldn’t seek “refuge” in what Isaiah refers to as the “covenant of death” (see Isaiah 28:15). But a nation with a long history of wars threatening its existence would do so.

Why Are We Still Waiting?

All these things, and many more, tell us that we most definitely live in the season of Jesus’ appearing. What seems like a delay to us is that of the Lord accomplishing at least a couple of purposes before His judgment arrives on the planet.

In the Old Testament, God sent multiple prophets to warn Judah of impending disaster unless the people repented of their sins. For many decades, He alerted His people to the judgment that would surely come. At the moment, I believe He’s warning the world of what lies ahead. He has sent many messengers to alert people to what the Bible says about the last days and the wrath that is coming. YouTube and the Internet contain a multitude of such messages. The widespread scoffing of our belief in the Rapture also tells me that many have heard what the Bible says about what lies ahead for the world and refuse to believe.

Given the horrific magnitude of the disasters that lie ahead for this world, might we not expect the Lord to extend His time of warning and allow many people to come to salvation in Him?

I also believe Jesus is trying to wake up His Church. Yet just like the world, the normality bias dominates the thinking of most pastors and believers. They see Bible prophecy coming to life just as we do, but they don’t believe He will intervene in human history until a distant end-of-the-age Second Coming. Until then, they assume things will somehow get better just as they have in the past.

I don’t know how much closer we can get to the Rapture. I never thought I would see so much lawlessness, violence, and demonic hatred of Israel before Jesus appears to take us home. The time of Jesus’ appearing must be ever so near

When the Lord intervenes in our world, the Bible says that judgment will come quickly and without warning. In 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3, Paul wrote that the Day of the Lord’s wrath will come upon people with “sudden destruction.” For us, the news is a whole lot better; 1 Corinthians 15:52 says that the Rapture will happen in the “twinkling of an eye.” Life for us and everyone on the planet will change in an instant.

In the meantime, we watch with great expectancy, knowing that one day our wait will end quicker than we can even imagine. We cling to the good news Paul wrote in Colossians 3:4, “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

China's Foreign Minister To Rubio: Taiwan Is 'Biggest Risk Factor' In US-China Relations

China's Foreign Minister To Rubio: Taiwan Is 'Biggest Risk Factor' In US-China Relations

Dave DeCamp

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and told him that the issue of Taiwan is the"biggest risk factor" in relations between Washington and Beijing, Chinese media has reported.

"The Taiwan issue concerns China’s core interests and is the biggest risk factor in China-US relations," Wang said, according to The South China Morning Post, which cited China’s CCTV broadcaster.

"The US side should honor its commitments, make the right choice, open up new avenues for China-US cooperation, and do its part to promote world peace," Wang added.

The call comes after Taiwan’s government announced it had signed contracts with the US for about $6.6 billion in arms, including a nearly $4 billion sale of HIMARS rocket systems.

The contracts are a partial fulfillment of a massive $11 billion weapons package that the Trump administration approved in December, a number that represents more arms deals than were approved during the entire Biden administration.

Taipei Times has noted that "The HIMARS can be equipped with either a pod of six 227mm rockets or a single Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which has a range of up to 300km (186 miles)."

China reacted strongly when the US approved the series of weapons deals, launching major military drills around Taiwan simulating a blockade. Beijing first launched such drills in August 2022 in response to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island.

Wang’s warning to Rubio reflects a position China has repeatedly stated to the US in recent years, that Taiwan is the first "red line" in US-China relations.

The two diplomats also discussed President Trump’s upcoming visit to Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled for mid-May.

Wang said that the US and China "must safeguard the hard-won stability and make thorough preparations for the coming high-level engagements."

Palm Scans And Prophecy: Are We Closer To The 'Mark' Than We Think?

Palm Scans And Prophecy: Are We Closer To The 'Mark' Than We Think?

 PNW STAFF

The future rarely arrives with a warning. More often, it slips quietly into daily life--wrapped in convenience, marketed as progress, and embraced long before its full implications are understood. The rapid rise of biometric payments, particularly palm-based systems, is beginning to feel like one of those moments.

A recent survey shows that nearly half of Americans--48 percent--would be willing to use palm biometric payments regularly if they trusted how their data was handled. That number climbs even higher among younger consumers. The driving forces are predictable: speed, simplicity, hygiene, and the growing frustration with traditional checkout systems. In a world conditioned for instant gratification, the idea of simply waving your hand to pay--no wallet, no phone, no card--feels not just appealing, but inevitable.

From a purely technological standpoint, palm vein recognition is impressive. It is more secure than fingerprints, harder to replicate, and eliminates the need to touch shared surfaces. Companies see it as the next evolution of commerce: seamless, personalized, and frictionless. The vision being sold is one where your identity and your ability to transact are one and the same.

But that is precisely where deeper questions begin to surface.

For those familiar with the Bible, particularly Revelation 13, the parallels are difficult to ignore. The passage describes a system in which no one can buy or sell unless they bear a specific "mark," associated with the hand or the forehead. For centuries, interpretations of this prophecy have varied widely. Some saw it as symbolic, others as spiritual, and still others as a literal future system that would govern economic participation.

What once seemed abstract is now, at the very least, technologically plausible.

Consider the direction we are heading. First came digital payments--credit cards, online banking, mobile wallets. Then came biometric authentication--fingerprints, facial recognition. Now we are seeing the early stages of merging identity with payment itself. A palm scan is no longer just identification; it becomes authorization, access, and transaction all in one motion.

The next logical step is integration. Imagine a system where your biometric data is tied to a universal digital ID. That ID is linked to your financial accounts, your health records, your social credentials, perhaps even your compliance with certain regulations or societal standards. At that point, commerce is no longer just about money--it becomes about permission.

And permission can be controlled.

To be clear, today's palm payment systems are not the "mark of the beast." They are optional, limited, and primarily driven by convenience. But they do represent a foundational shift in how society thinks about identity and commerce. The infrastructure being built now could, in the future, support something far more centralized and restrictive if the right--or wrong--conditions arise.

History has shown that systems designed for efficiency can be repurposed for control. What begins as voluntary can become expected. What is expected can become required. And what is required can eventually become enforced.

This is where the conversation moves beyond technology and into the realm of values and vigilance.

The survey itself highlights a critical tension: trust. While many consumers are open to biometric payments, a majority still fear data breaches, misuse, and institutional overreach. That hesitation is not irrational--it is instinctive. People understand, at some level, that giving away something as personal and permanent as biometric data carries risks that cannot be undone. You can change a password. You cannot change your palm.

Yet convenience has a way of eroding caution. The faster and easier a system becomes, the more willing people are to overlook potential dangers. Over time, what once felt intrusive becomes normal. What once sparked debate becomes background noise.

This is why the discussion matters now, not later.

Revelation 13 does not simply describe a future system; it warns of one that intertwines economic participation with allegiance and control. Whether one interprets that prophecy literally or symbolically, the trajectory of modern technology is undeniably moving toward a world where identity, access, and commerce are deeply interconnected.

Palm-based payments are not the end of that journey. They are an early signpost.

The question is not whether technology will continue to advance--it will. The question is whether society will pause long enough to consider the trade-offs. Will convenience outweigh caution? Will security keep pace with innovation? And perhaps most importantly, will individuals retain the freedom to opt out?

Because once a system becomes universal, opting out is no longer a simple choice--it becomes a form of exclusion.

We are not there yet. But for the first time in history, we can clearly see how we could get there.

And that alone should give us pause.

Iranian official says conflict with US 'likely' to restart after Trump rejects proposal

Live Updates: Fighting with US 'likely' to resume after rejection of Iranian offer to open Hormuz, official says

JERUSALEM POST STAFF

A senior Iranian official said that fighting with the US was "likely" to resume after US President Donald Trump said he was dissatisfied with Tehran's new proposal, Iranian media reported on Saturday.

Iran's Fars news agency cited Mohammad Jafar Asadi, a senior figure in the Iranian military's central command, as saying that "a renewed conflict between Iran and the United States is likely."

This comes after Reuters reported that an Iranian proposal rejected by US President Donald Trump would open shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and end the US blockade of Iran while leaving talks on Iran's nuclear program for later, a senior Iranian official said on Saturday.

Four weeks since the United States and Israel suspended their bombing campaign against Iran, no deal has been reached to end a war that has caused the biggest disruption ever to global energy supplies. Iran has been blocking nearly all shipping from the Gulf apart from its own for more than two months.

Washington has repeatedly said it will not end the war without a deal that prevents Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon, the primary aim Trump cited when he launched the strikes in February in the midst of nuclear talks. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful.

Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential diplomacy, the senior Iranian official said Tehran believed its latest proposal to shelve nuclear talksfor a later stage was a significant shift aimed at facilitating an agreement.

Under the proposal, the war would end with a guarantee that Israel and the United States would not attack again. Iran would open the Strait, and the United States would lift its blockade.

Future talks would then be held on curbs to Iran's nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions, with Iran demanding Washington recognize its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, even if it agrees to suspend it.

"Under this framework, negotiations over the more complicated nuclear issue have been moved to the final stage to create a more conducive atmosphere," the official said.

Reuters and other news organizations already reported over the past week that Tehran was proposing to reopen the strait before nuclear issues were resolved; the official confirmed that this new timeline had now been spelled out in a formal proposal conveyed to the United States through mediators.

UK Terror Level Raised To 'Severe' After Stabbing Attacks

UK Terror Level Raised To 'Severe' After Stabbing Attacks

TYLER DURDEN

Britain's terrorism threat level was raised from “substantial” to “severe” on Thursday afternoon after a 45-year-old British national, reportedly born in Somalia, stabbed two Jewish men in North London. The elevation in the terrorism threat level suggests another terror attack is highly likely within the next six months, as Britain's experiment with mass migration is backfiring.

The suspect is 45-year-old Essa Suleiman from south-east London, the BBC understands. He came to the UK from Somalia in the early 1990s -BBC News

Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, described Wednesday's attack as terrorism. "Today, the national threat level has increased to 'severe,' which means a terrorist attack is considered highly likely."

"I know this will be a source of concern to many, particularly amongst our Jewish community, who have suffered so much," Mahmood said.

BREAKING: Keir Starmer's full address to the nation over the Golders Green terror attack

"If you stand alongside people who say Globalize the Intifada, you are calling for terrorism against Jews" "I call on everyone decent in this country to open their eyes to Jewish pain"

The Joint Terrorism Analysis Center's decision to raise the national terror threat level comes in the wake of a Somalia-born man stabbing two Jewish men and follows a series of attacks in Jewish neighborhoods in recent weeks.

For context, "severe" is the second-highest of five threat levels, below "critical," which means another attack is likely in the coming months, if not sooner. The last time the level was raised to "severe" was in November 2021.

Mahmood added: "The government has today announced a significant increase in investment to protect our Jewish communities, with record funding for policing and security at synagogues, schools and community centers. And we will do everything in our power to rid society of the evil of antisemitism. The stabbing in north London follows a spate of attacks in Jewish neighborhoods in recent weeks.

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