On September 27^th all the Republican candidates except Donald Trump, got together for a debate. The candidates mostly agreed on the big issues, so it was tough for them to separate themselves from one another. Trying too hard to stand out had the effect of sometimes making things come across as a little silly.

But I was fascinated by the questions. I realized how different these questions were compared to those asked of Kennedy and Nixon in 1960, or Ford and Reagan in 1980. These 2023 questions were tinged with desperation. The questions were different because America is different.

In the setup to one question, Fox News host Dana Perino said, “Today, our nation is drowning in division and incivility.” In another, she said, “Crime… has been a horrendous problem in our country.” In asking a question of Governor Nikki Haley, she said, “American students… are in academic trouble. They have lower scores in math and reading. There’s chronic absenteeism. That’s at record highs. And this has even been called ‘education homicide.’” In another education question, she said, “Over 10.7 million students in over 18,000 public schools nationwide have the ability to change their identity without parental notification.”

The Bible describes these very things running amuck on the earth as the end-times progress. Perino spoke of division and incivility. Jesus referred to severe division in Matthew 24:7 when He said that people group will rise against people group. Incivility of various kinds is described in 2 Timothy 3:2-4. As for the “horrendous problem” of crime, Jesus said the end times would feature lawlessness and would be like the violent days of Noah and Lot.

Children doing badly in school is part of the unraveling of society described in 2 Timothy 3, Romans 1, and elsewhere. Revelation depicts extreme levels of despair in the last days. The madness of trying to change a child’s gender, and of not telling the parent what’s going on, reminds me of the reprobate minds of Romans 1:28 and 2 Timothy 3:8.

During his questions, Fox Business anchor Stuart Varney went through a similar catalogue of American ills. “Prices are up 18 percent since 2020…. We’re here in California where gas is nearing $6 a gallon…. Eighty-five percent of Americans say their personal finances are a source of stress…. There’s a nationwide policing shortage. Retirements are up. Recruitment is in the tank. The morale is at a record low…. Big government keeps getting bigger. One-fifth of all new jobs this year have been created by the government.”

Revelation 6:5-6 talks about last-days hyperinflation and economic stress like the world has never seen. Stress on police officers and police departments is another reference to lawlessness, but in this case, the lawlessness is institutional and intentional. Police stress is also a symptom of the chaos that will at some point open the door to Antichrist. That will lead to government growth on an unimaginable scale.

You’re not the only one seeing it. These days are different. Something’s coming; something big. But it isn’t just bad times. Someone is coming, too. Keep looking up! And remember that your neighbors, no matter what their political persuasion, see what you see. They’re worried, too. If you are a follower of Jesus, then you have the Answer for which they are so desperate. Share Him.

Hal Lindsey is an author and Bible prophecy teacher who hosts the weekly news and commentary series “The Hal Lindsey Report.”