Chronicles of the End Times
Occasionally, people say, are we really in the last days? How do we know? Does it matter one way or another? We will try to answer these questions and many others in this study. But the most important question may be, how can we reach others with hope in these changing times? One part of prophecy is often emphasized over another, causing us to lose perspective and miss the blessing and beauty of prophecy in scripture. I have taken the information in this study from many authors and teachers who have their lives studying God's word. I have added some insight that the Holy Spirit taught me. With God's help, I have endeavored to keep the whole counsel of the word of God in full view to give us an accurate picture of Christ and His great love for a lost world. I pray that this will challenge you and cause you to grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, as it has me preparing it. Let's begin!
Chronicles of the End Times
Remembering Charlie Kirk: A Modern John the Baptist in a Divided World
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The shocking assassination of 31-year-old conservative activist Charlie Kirk has left a profound void in both political and faith communities. Kirk wasn't merely a political figure—he stood as a fearless voice for Christ on college campuses nationwide, a modern-day John the Baptist unafraid to proclaim biblical truth in hostile environments.
Behind this tragedy lies a deeper spiritual battle unfolding before our eyes. We're witnessing an alarming reality where freedom of speech flows in only one direction, where those claiming to fight hatred demonstrate profound hostility toward dissenting voices, and where traditional media has abandoned its commitment to truth. Some souls already bear what could be considered a spiritual "mark of the beast"—not physically, but through their wholesale rejection of Christ and hostility toward His message.
The Christian church stands at a critical crossroads. Many denominations have chosen conformity to culture over transformation by Christ, diluting the gospel into a palatable "Hallmark card" version that avoids difficult truths. Kirk understood that genuine love requires speaking truth—even uncomfortable truth—with both kindness and conviction. His courage challenges believers everywhere to resist being bullied into silence, to reclaim our prophetic voice, and to fulfill our calling as witnesses in an increasingly hostile world. As Jesus Himself warned, He came not to bring peace but division, for following Him demands a clear choice between competing worldviews.
As we pray for Kirk's family and friends, let's also pray for the global Church—that the Holy Spirit would ignite a renewed passion for truth and courage in believers worldwide. The persecution we face today mirrors what the early church experienced, and requires the same unwavering faith. Who will now pick up the mantle and continue speaking truth on today's campuses? The King is coming—keep looking up.
Welcome everyone. This is Russ Scalzo. Chronicles of the End Times. Thank you for being with me today.
Truth-Telling in Modern Media
Speaker 1Today is a sad day, as yesterday afternoon, conservative activist and influencer Charlie Kirk was assassinated at the age of 31 by an unknown gunman in Utah Valley University campus. Those of you who are familiar with him need no introduction, but those of you who do not know too much about him he was the founder of Turning Point USA. He was a strong advocate for Donald Trump and, more than that, he was an advocate for free speech and debate. He was really a John the Baptist of our time. He was not afraid to tell young people on the campuses of this country that Jesus is the way and that the Bible is real and that living for God is a blessing, and how much God wants to heal their lives and give them purpose and direction in this crazy, chaotic, lost world. What we're seeing is an epidemic of hate by those who declare we should not hate, and we see such crazy stuff as MSNBC making crazy remarks about him right after he was shot, and comments like well, you know, it could have been one of their people celebrating and a gun just went off. Wow. They just can't tell the truth. They're not capable of telling the truth. That's the saddest part of what we have relied on through the years as the networks, people and brands that we trusted to be truthful and be journalists and speak the truth and then, when it's covered up, to uncover it and declare it. Those days are over for that industry and now if you want the truth, you have to look online to YouTube and to the fateful podcasters who tell it like it is.
Marked Souls and Freedom of Speech
Speaker 1Some time ago, the Lord revealed to me that the mark of the beast was already on some people and I've mentioned this before in my podcast. You might think, what are you talking about? But on their souls that they have already given their spirit over to the spirit of Antichrist, have already given their spirit over to the spirit of Antichrist, and having a formal mark on them means nothing because their hearts are already marked. And there are those that hate Jesus. They don't want you to talk about him. They don't want you to have that freedom of speech.
Speaker 1We're in a society where freedom of speech only goes one way and it has damaged the church. Where freedom of speech only goes one way and it has damaged the church. The church has been bullied, especially over these last three decades, bullied into a corner and say this is where you will be and this is where you will stay. These are the kind of things we approve of that you can say and we've kind of changed the gospel into a Hallmark Valentine's Day card. We're not telling the whole truth.
Challenge to the Church
Speaker 1And that's what I loved about Charlie Kirk he told the whole truth. He didn't lie to them and say, no, this is okay, this is going to work out good for you, because that's not love. When you love people, you tell them the truth. You tell them with kindness and with gentleness, but you tell them no, god made you a certain way and for a purpose. He has a destiny for you. So you can't go around just pulling pieces of your body apart and changing who you are without doing damage, serious damage. You can't do the things that you're doing without damaging your children. What Charlie Kirk told them? He decided that he was going to go to the universities that were literally hell-bent on telling their students everything was fine and that man was in control and science has the answer and God is irrelevant at best. So I want to challenge us today. Charlie Kirk was a voice, a light, someone crying out in the wilderness. This is the way. Walk in it.
Speaker 1The church of Jesus Christ is split. We know it's coming apart at the seams. Many denominations and individual churches have decided to conform to the world rather than being transformed, as Paul tells us in Romans, chapter 1. I'm not going to belabor this podcast this morning. I have another one that's going to be released soon on our continued study on dispensational truths. But I want to challenge us today. Don't be bullied into a corner by those who claim they are being bullied when in fact, the far left has been doing the bullying for the last 30 plus years, trying to push you back. Take away your freedom, take away your ability to stand for what's right.
Persecution and Religious Hypocrisy
Speaker 1Jesus made some statements that we don't hear a lot about today when he said Will I find faith on the earth when I return? In Luke 12, 51, jesus said Do you think I came to bring peace on the earth? No, but division. Jesus causes people to make a decision. We can't serve Jesus and the world at the same time. We all battle with it. Conforming to the Word of God is a daily process. I've experienced it in my own family years ago, when I first came to Christ, coming from an Italian Catholic family, a close family, when I came to Jesus it was not well received, but as years went on, god was merciful and kind and because I did not cut off my relationships, my wife and I were able to maintain a witness and, through God's help, many of my relatives came to Christ over the years. Peter writes that in the last days, perilous times will come upon us. Herod killed John the Baptist because of the light that he shed. They killed Jesus because of the words that he spoke, and all the apostles were martyred because of their stand.
Speaker 1And I want to bring this point out that who persecuted the early church? It was the religious people. Was the Romans involved? Sure, but who agitated it? Who directed them? Who made sure that they exposed the Christians that were out trying to win people over for Christ? It was the religious people. And today that's what we have.
Speaker 1The persecution that's here and that is coming not going to come so much from the world, as it is the so-called religious and righteous people. And if you've been listening to this podcast for any time, you know that I've spoke many times about the woman riding on the beast, dressed in beautiful clothes and expensive jewelry. That is the backslidden church, the church that's flourishing because it has made friends with the world, embraced all the world's doctrines, and has been transformed into a powerless secular organization. You might say well, russ, man, you're being pretty tough on the church. Well, I've been in and around the ministry for over 50 years and I've seen the good and the bad and the ugly of myself and the church, and without the Holy Spirit guiding us, we will be lost. We will start going down paths that we're never destined to go down.
Call to Courage and Prayer
Speaker 1Charlie Kirk, at 31 years old, is no longer with us, but the God that led him and inspired him to do what he was doing, against the odds, against the threats and he had plenty. He was dedicated to his mission and to his Savior, and we don't know how many on those college campuses that he visited through the years are going to pick up the banner and continue the ministry, because they have been touched, they have been called and have been inspired to go against the grain and against the flow and declare the goodness of God and the path that he has for them. I spent years with my contemporary gospel band, saved by Grace, ministering in colleges throughout the country in the 80s Columbia University, nassau Community College, st John's, montclair State University in Spokane, washington, and other places throughout the country, many other community colleges and declaring the Word of God and sharing my testimony of what Jesus did for my life, and I thank God at that time there was resistance, for sure, but I wasn't fearful for my life. So the ministry of Charlie Kirk showed amazing courage.
Speaker 1Years go by, decades, centuries, but we are not that different. We have new inventions, we have technology, we have gained in our intellect, but people haven't changed all that much. What Jesus and the apostles went through and the founding fathers went through in the first century and into the second century from Christ will be the same even at the end. And here we are in the last days, experiencing the same things that the apostles experienced 2,000 years ago. Don't forget to pray for Charlie Kirk's family, for those around him, his friends who loved him dearly, and for the Church of Jesus Christ around the world, that the fire of the Holy Spirit will descend upon us and we will be lit aflame anew to the glory of God. Thanks for listening today, praying for you. God has great plans for those who have ears to hear. This is Russ Galzo for Chronicles of the End Times. Keep looking up. The King is coming.