2026: Rage Bait … or Inexpressible Joy?

“Is there a dumpster somewhere to torch and bury this year of bedlam, 2025? We near its end with equal amounts relief and trepidation.” So began an opinion article from the LA Times on December 31, 2025.

Rage Bait or Prophetic Fulfillment?

The year 2025 was a challenging one for many. It seemed everyone was angry about something: gay marriage, Gaza, global warming, Project 2025, immigration, digital I.D.s, vaccines… the list could go on and on. Many influencers intentionally used these divisive issues to provoke others.

There’s a word for that: “rage-bait.” Merriam-Webster defines it this way: “Rage-bait is content (usually, but not always, found online) that tries to provoke anger or outrage, as a means of gaining attention or making money.”

It’s an old trick, one that the devil has been using for millennia to keep people from focusing on what really matters. But as 2026 begins, we would do well to remember that the troubles we see around us are more than rage-bait. They are actually prophecy in fulfillment.

A Prophetically Seismic Year

Let’s review a few of the prophetic markers from 2025. Just as Jesus predicted, trouble increased on every side. Wars escalated between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Palestine. Civil war raged in Sudan. There was political upheaval, tariffs and trade wars, lost jobs, and government shutdowns. Wildfires raged out of control. The cost of living increased. Digital identification systems became more prominent. Worldwide, it was one of the three hottest years on record.

Things have heated up on the religious front too. Pope Francis passed away in April and was replaced by the first American Pope: Leo XIV. Evangelicals gained increasing power in American politics, while the shooting of Charlie Kirk highlighted the political and religious divides in America. And Kirk’s posthumously released book, Stop, In the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life brought the issue of the Sabbath to the forefront of people’s attention.

But it hasn’t all been bad news. God is working in tremendous ways all around the globe, and thousands of people have turned to the Lord. God’s remnant church is growing, and His people are actively seeking to know the truth and live by it. The Holy Spirit is being poured out on many.

Here at Amazing Facts, we celebrated 60 years of God’s miraculous leading. It’s been thrilling to revisit the ways God has led in the past as we look forward to the future.

Are You Troubled?

For many believers, the steady increase of prophetic fulfillment feels like the drumbeat of approaching doom. We take the devil’s rage-bait and let our anger at the problems we see control us. Or we focus on the coming time of trouble rather than the God who has promised to deliver us. Worry wiggles into the corners of our hearts as we look at 2026.

Yet neither anger nor worry was on Jesus’ agenda for His last-day church. Instead, He specifically tells us: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled” (Matthew 24:6).

As we face the unknowns of 2026, God has something far better for us: joy.

Living Hope -> Joy

Like us, the early Christians faced uncertain times and increasing pressure to be disloyal to Jesus. But the apostle Peter didn’t want them to take the devil’s rage-bait. Instead, he reminded the believers that they were saved by the mercy and power of God so that they could look forward with living hope.

“According to His abundant mercy [God] has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3–5, emphasis added).

This living hope allows us to do something the world cannot understand: rejoice in the face of trials, for trials prove “the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire” (1 Peter 1:7).

But our greatest joy comes because of our love for Jesus. “Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8, 9).

Remember the wise men? They followed a prophetic star across the desert for months, met with disbelief, and faced open ridicule. Yet when they saw God’s continued leading, they “rejoiced with exceedingly great joy” (Matthew 2:10).

Tell the World!

We can do the same in 2026. We can (and should) pay attention to fulfilling prophecy. But more importantly, let us allow the love of Jesus to fill our hearts with “joy inexpressible and full of glory.”

Then (and only then) will we be prepared to preach the gospel of the kingdom to all the world. When the love of Jesus absorbs our thoughts and fills our hearts with joy, we will find that we want to do nothing else than tell the world about our Savior. Our living hope will propel us to every corner of this dark planet with the good news that Jesus saves.

“And this gospel [good news] of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

That’s a lot better than taking the devil’s rage-bait!

Join Pastor Doug for “Charlie Kirk’s Sabbath Book and the Evangelical Earthquake” to learn more about current events and how they are fulfilling Bible prophecy.