Moses wrote this about conditions on the earth before the Noahic flood, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11). The days of Noah have returned.

The violence of our day is mind-numbing.

The beheading of seventy Christians in the Congo barely registered on the national news. As I write, the terrorist government of Syria has massacred over 1,300 Alawites (a sect of Islam) and Christians. The targeting of our fellow believers for slaughter continues unabated in Syria.

The brutal slaying of children in the womb persists despite the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Demonic forces rally unrelenting support for this barbarism among US politicians and those that support them.

The war in Ukraine has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides. As I write, the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has agreed to the ceasefire offered by President Trump. Will Russia accept the terms, or will Putin retaliate for the massive Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow that occurred hours before the announcement of the ceasefire? In my opinion, a retaliation is more likely.

The ever-worsening cycle of violence points to the nearness of the seven-year Tribulation and, in particular, its last three and a half years. Notice how Jesus described the time leading up to His Second Coming: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short” (Matthew 24:21-22).

Even though Jesus’ words will not reach fulfillment until well after the Rapture and the Tribulation begins, we already see the mentality that will continue to lead humanity to the brink of extinction.

Debased Minds

Many of us are familiar with the “Roman road to salvation,” which uses verses from the book to present the Gospel. There’s another highway that I regard as the “Romans 1 path to debased minds.” It ends with the vivid description that Paul provides for us in Romans 1:28-32: “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”

This downward journey begins with one’s refusal to acknowledge God, His attributes, and His eternal power (see Romans 1:18-27). The downward trek leads to futility in thinking that ends with the Lord giving them up to a “debased mind to do what ought not to be done.” The word in Greek, adokimos, applies to something, such as a metal that doesn’t endure when tested, thus proving to be unfit, or “reprobate,” as the King James Version translates it.

What happens to those with depraved minds that fail the test? They become incapable of making morally sound decisions and, in many instances, rationally sound choices. When these people rise to power in government, lawlessness and murder abound due to their unwillingness to protect the innocent.

The Lord Will Intervene

The Bible assures us that the Lord will not let the violence of our day continue unabated. Just as in the days of Noah, His judgment will surely come.

If not prophetic of our time, the verses below certainly apply to what lies ahead for those who now promote lawlessness and murder: “For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs” (Psalm 75:6-8).

At the right time, the Lord will surely intervene; He sees what’s happening, and He will surely destroy Satan’s kingdom and establish His reign of peace and righteousness over the nations.

I believe that Psalm 94 speaks to the time in which we live. We read this plea of the Psalmist in verse 2, “Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve!” The cruelty of the wicked comes to the surface in verse 21, “They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.” The last phrase can also be translated as “they condemn innocent blood.” Does that not speak to the evil of abortion that’s so prevalent in our world?

In verse 23, we read of the full impact of the Lord’s coming intervention: “He will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out.”

The book of Revelation reveals that the wicked will have a chance to repent as the Day of the Lord judgments sweep over the earth. Most will refuse, but a great multitude will turn to the Savior. Psalm 94:23 speaks to the fate of those who persist in their rebellion against God; He will “wipe them out.”

As New Testament saints, we find great encouragement in the Lord’s promise to deliver us from the Lord’s wrath that’s coming to our planet (1 Thessalonians 5:1-10). The Rapture must happen before the judgments described in Revelation chapters 6-18 occur.

The widespread bloodshed of our day troubles me; I especially grieve for fellow believers in Syria enduring horrible and brutal deaths. However, I know God sees and will have the last word (see Psalm 37:1-20). The murder and mayhem that abound at this moment in time signals the nearness of the Day of the Lord when He will make His presence known to everyone on planet Earth.

Jonathan Brentner is an author, a writer, a Bible Teacher with a passion for encouraging believers with a sound biblical worldview and the nearness of Jesus’ appearing, and a Contributor to Harbinger’s Daily.