Yes, things are going to get much better, for one day the Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth and establish a kingdom of perfect peace and righteousness. However, before that day occurs, THINGS ARE GOING TO GET WORSE. Let’s look at some scriptures which bring this out.

Listen to the Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these” (NASB). This passage needs no comment, for it is evident that we are surrounded by people that are characterized by such things. One might say, “These things were true in Paul’s day, for he describes the very same conditions in Romans 1:29-31.” But there is one big difference; Paul was describing heathenism in the Roman Empire in the first century, but in our passage in 2 Timothy he is describing those who are “holding to a form of godliness”; that is, to those who make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ in the day in which we live! And he goes on in verse 13 to say, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” THINGS ARE ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE!

After all true believers are raptured to heaven, THINGS WILL GET MUCH WORSE. Why? Because believers are, according to Matthew 5:13-14, “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” Christians are the only ones preserving this world from utter, moral corruption and we shine as lights in this world of spiritual darkness. Once we are removed from the earth there will be no restraint against evil. In 2 Thessalonians 2 we are taught that after we are taken home to glory, and before the Lord comes to set up His kingdom, a “great Apostasy” will be take place and it will be headed up by the infamous Antichrist. Consider these solemn words from verses 3-4, “…for that day will not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition: Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God shewing himself that he is God.” This will indeed be the epitome of evil! A man will defy God and deify himself, and the whole world will be deceived into worshipping him! The only thing that is preventing this from happening is the church, but once we are gone he will be revealed. We see this in verses 6-8, “And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed…” The Holy Spirit in the believer is the one who is restraining the full outbreak of evil, but when the church is raptured, the Holy Spirit is also “taken out of the way” and “then the lawless one will be revealed.” We simply can’t imagine how wicked this man will be and how wicked the world will become when he deceives them into believing that he is God.

I would also encourage you to read Matthew 24:3-26 which show us further just how bad the world will become under the reign of the Antichrist. God will be judging the world at that time for their rejection of Christ and their acceptance of the Antichrist. Jesus says in verse 21, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” THINGS WILL NEVER BE WORSE than during those awful days that are yet to come.

But THINGS WILL GET BETTER, for after those terrible days of tribulation; the Lord Jesus will come to rule over the earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. You can read of this in Matthew 24:29-31; 25:31-46; Revelation 19:11-21; 20:1-6 and many other passages in the Old Testament which describe the glorious kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. (164.2) (DO)