A man opens his phone before he gets out of bed. He scrolls past a war, an earthquake, a new virus, and a video that says a certain leader matches every mark of the Antichrist. By breakfast he is afraid, and he calls it discernment.

The signs are real. Jesus said they would come.

"And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." Matthew 24:6 (NKJV)

He listed nation against nation, famines, pestilences, earthquakes. He did not say these things were false. He gave a command about what to do when they arrive.

"Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." Luke 21:28 (NKJV)

Lift up your head. That is the instruction. He did not say to lift up your screen or to refresh the feed until you find the latest "this is that." Since when did God tell His people to study circumstances to work out prophecy?

This habit has a track record. During the Second World War, prophecy teachers named Hitler as the Antichrist. He seemed to fit every description. Then he shot himself in a bunker in Berlin and died with his mustache. The Antichrist had not come. The teachers had guessed, and the guess cost people years of fear.

The Bible does say an Antichrist will come. John writes that many antichrists are already in the world.

"Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour." 1 John 2:18 (NKJV)

So yes, he is coming. Curiosity about his name is not the same as watching for the Lord. Every time a new leader rises, someone points and says, "That is him." The verdict is not out yet. Speculation keeps you tired and leaves you no more ready than before.

Where does the Bible tell you to fix your eyes?

"looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV)

The signs point to Him. They were never the destination. When the earthquake comes, when the headline says war, the response Jesus gave is a posture, and it is a physical one. Raise your head. Look toward the One who is coming.

Read the headline if you must. Then close the phone and lift your head.

Prophecy was given so you would look up, not so you would keep scrolling.