Greg Laurie - The Events of the End Times (02/14/2018)
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Greg Laurie and Don Stewart sat down for a wide-ranging conversation that bounced between current events, Bible prophecy, and what happens the moment we die. Don, who’s written extensively on the afterlife, didn’t hold back. He laid out a pretty compelling case that what we’re seeing in the news—the rise of ISIS, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Russia setting up military bases in Syria, even the discovery of oil in the Golan Heights—isn’t random chaos. It’s actually lining up with Ezekiel 38 and 39 in a way that would’ve sounded far-fetched just a decade ago.
They spent a good chunk of time on why the world seems hell-bent on destroying Israel. Don’s take was simple: it’s spiritual. If Israel gets wiped out, God’s promises fail. So from day one, the enemy has tried to erase them. Greg pointed out that the U.S. has historically stood with Israel and been blessed for it, but now we’re in this bizarre position of funding Iran while they chant death to America. That isolation of Israel, he noted, is itself a prophetic sign.
They walked through the timeline—rapture first, then the tribulation, then the Gog and Magog invasion, then the Antichrist, Armageddon, the millennium, and finally the great white throne judgment. Don emphasized that the rapture and the second coming are two different events, and that the church isn’t appointed to wrath. He used Noah and Lot as examples: God always gets his people out before the hammer drops.
Then the conversation shifted to death itself. Don pushed back hard on the idea that we shouldn’t talk about it. He said thinking about eternity actually makes you live better now. It gives you perspective, motivates you to share your faith, and comforts you when you lose someone. Greg opened up about losing his son and said without that hope, he wouldn’t have made it. They tackled the tough questions—purgatory, soul sleep, whether babies in heaven stay babies, and if we’ll recognize each other. Don’s answer was basically: we won’t be bigger fools in heaven than we are here.
They closed with the gospel. Don said if he had one last sermon, it’d be Paul’s swan song—have you fought the fight, finished the course? And Greg gave a clear altar call, asking people to stand if they wanted to be sure of heaven. It wasn’t a dry theology lecture. It was two friends, riffing, joking about cats and lightsabers, but underneath it all, urging people to get ready. Because the future isn’t just coming—it’s here.