A Scriptural Consideration

“But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here.”

—2 Timothy 3:1 

The sirens had stopped blaring, but the silence was worse. Ash hung in the air like a curtain refusing to rise. Beneath it, broken buildings crumbled into unspoken grief. And still—someone in a nearby shop was restocking shelves. A young couple walked by, arguing about phone plans. A dog barked in the distance, chasing something meaningless. Life moved on… as if nothing had changed.

It seems surreal—how the world can burn at the edges while most continue as though nothing is wrong. But isn’t that exactly what Jesus foretold?

He said that the last days would be like the time of Noah. People would be eating, drinking, marrying, buying, planting… planning futures that would never arrive. (Matthew 24:37-39; Luke 17:26-30) The storm clouds would gather, but only those looking through the lens of faith would notice. The rest would scoff. Shrug. Sleep.

The apostle Paul was inspired to describe these days with sobering clarity: “Critical times hard to deal with will be here.” (2 Timothy 3:1) He didn’t say the times would be impossible—just deeply difficult. Not every home would be sick. Not every nation would be at war. But there would be a heaviness, a sharpness to life that even joy couldn’t quite soften. A moral corrosion beneath the surface. People would grow “lovers of themselves… having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power.” (2 Timothy 3:2, 5)

And yet… we know this feeling too.

We see the headlines. We feel the weight of violence, injustice, and confusion. And we wonder—how bad will it get? Will chaos swallow the calm? Will tribulation roar into every street, every home, before Jehovah steps in?

But the Bible tells us: No. It won’t take a total global collapse to prove God right. The world will not be forced into belief. The destruction that comes will be sudden—and unexpected—to those who refuse to see. (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3; 2 Peter 3:3, 4)

That’s why the “critical times” we endure now are not just about world events. They are about spiritual discernment. Will we keep seeing what others ignore? Will we maintain our urgency, our clarity, our peace—when the world insists we’re just overreacting?

Jehovah has not left us blind. Through Bible prophecy, through the worldwide preaching work, through the unity of the congregation, and through his spirit, he prepares us—not for survival, but for salvation. He helps us keep perspective while others lose theirs. He helps us stay calm while others scoff. He reminds us: the Great Tribulation will not wait for headlines to convince the world. It will come on his time—swift, righteous, and perfectly just.

So when you feel the strain of these “hard-to-deal-with” days, remember: your faith is not misplaced. Your hope is not naïve. You are walking with open eyes—wide to the warnings, wide to the promises.

“But know this,” Paul wrote, not to alarm us, but to anchor us. Yes, the last days are here. Yes, the storm is near. But so is Jehovah. So is deliverance. So is life.

He watches. He steadies. He strengthens you—for this moment, and for what’s next.

Reference:

w15 8/15 pp. 2-6