Whenever a natural calamity such as an
earthquake, firestorm, flood, etc. occurs, people
wonder when the world will end. It is a serious
question that cannot be ignored. Some ask this
question because they are afraid to die. Others are
afraid of the day of judgment, while still others
are hoping that God will quickly bring an end to
this ugly mess that we are in and bring in His
kingdom of love and righteousness so that man may
live in peace and joy.
God, the only authority qualified to answer
this question, has spoken through His faithful
prophets, and His speaking has been written down and
compiled into one book, the Bible. Here we will
answer this question according to the Bible and see
how the present world will end.
God's Purpose of
Creation
We
must understand why God created the heaven and the
earth before we can understand when it will end.
God's purpose in creation is to have a group of
people created in His image, filled with Him as
life, built up as a corporate man to express Him and
to rule for Him over the whole earth. This indicates
to us that the world will not end without this
corporate man being built. God is still working on
this masterpiece, and you can be a part of it.
The Earth is Being
Used Up
The universe was created at least a billion years
ago. Ever since God created man six thousand years
ago, man has been using the earth's resources. In
the past century, man's consumption of these
resources has increased dramatically, to the point
that they are rapidly dwindling. If usage continues
at its present rate, our affordable oil reserves
probably will last no more than 50 years. If we
don't find another source of energy, cars will stop
running and electrical blackouts will be frequent.
The gaping holes in the ozone layer may dramatically
increase the incidence of skin cancer. Carbon
dioxide is increasing; the globe may become warmer,
and weather patterns may change, with more droughts
and flooding damaging farmlands and cities. Forests
are diminishing; there will be less habitat for
wildlife and less vegetation to create oxygen.
Aquifer levels are decreasing; there will be
shortages of water where it is most needed. Chemical
and nuclear wastes are seeping into our fresh water
supply and into the sea; this could result in more
cancer and illness related to polluted drinking
water and seafood. The air is being polluted every
second; respiratory problems are bound to increase.
The world population is exploding exponentially. The
supply of food and other essentials needed for
survival will soon be exceeded by the demand. Even
without a major nuclear confrontation, the earth, in
30 to 50 years, will not be the same as the planet
we inhabit today. The Bible tells us that one day
the earth's usefulness will be over, and it will be
rolled up like an old garment to be burned.
Three Major
Prophecies Signaling the End
The Bible does not say exactly when the world will
end, but it gives us three main signs to watch for:
1) the recovery of the nation of Israel, 2) the
return of Jerusalem to Israel, and 3) the signing of
a treaty between the antichrist and Israel. When we
see these signs, we will know that the end is near.
The Bible prophesied that the nation of
Israel would be formed again. The nation of Israel
lost its kingdom about 2,600 years ago, but the
Bible prophesied that Israel, the fig tree, would
bud again. Nobody suspected that it would be
possible. Hitler tried to destroy the whole race
through genocide, and that would have prevented it
from happening. Hitler died, but the people whom he
had tried to destroy became the nation of Israel in
1948.
The Bible also prophesied that Jerusalem
would be trampled under the feet of the nations
(people other than Israel) until the world was about
to end. That trampling ended in 1967 when Jerusalem
was returned to Israel.
The last sign is the signing of the treaty between
the antichrist and the nation of Israel. We don't
know who will be the antichrist, but we know that he
will be the ruler over ten nations situated in
Europe where the ancient Roman Empire was, and that
he will make a deal with Israel. The content of the
deal is not clearly stated in the Bible, but many
Bible students agree that it should contain terms
concerning peace and the rebuilding of the temple.
Once the treaty is signed, there will be seven years
left until the end of the world.
The Way the World
Will End
The Bible also tells us how the world will end. Here
are the highlights. The final seven years before the
end of the world are divided into two sections of
three and half years each. The first three and a
half years will be peaceful. At the end of that
period, God will have finished His work of producing
a corporate man full of Him as life. These people
are overcomers. Then He will take them up to heaven.
There they will defeat Satan, the devil, and cast
him down to earth. Then an unclean spirit will enter
into the antichrist and Satan will give him his
power. This will begin the last three and a half
years of the world. The Bible calls this period the
Great Tribulation. The earth at that time will not
be a place where anyone would like to live.
Antichrist will do much damage to humanity, and, at
the same time, there will be many natural and
supernatural disasters. At the end of the final
three and a half years, Christ and His overcomers
will come down from heaven to crush antichrist and
his army at Armageddon. Then the kingdom of God will
be brought down to earth, and Satan will be locked
up for a thousand years. At the end of the thousand
years, Satan will be released for a little while. He
will do more damage, but then he will be thrown into
the Lake of Fire. He and all of his collaborators
will be burned there for ever and ever. But the
people who are filled with God will live in God and
with God for eternity on the renewed earth. There
will be joy, peace, and righteousness. There will be
no tears, shortage, sickness, theft,
unrighteousness, or death.
If you do not want to be in the Great
Tribulation, you need to repent to God today and get
filled up with Him as your life. If you want to
escape Satan's damage and God's judgment, you need
to call on God by saying, "O Lord Jesus! Transfer me
from the kingdom of Satan to the kingdom of God. I
want to live in You and with You for eternity. Come
into me to be my life. I need You now." Then you
will enter into God's salvation.
Bible
Verses for Your Reading:
Matthew 24:36 But concerning that
day and hour, no one knows, ...but the Father only.
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our
image...: and let them have dominion.
Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints...
unto the building up of the Body of Christ.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His masterpiece.
Hebrews 1:10-12 The heavens are the works of Your
hands; They will perish... and they all will become
old like a garment, And like a mantle You will roll
them up.
2 Peter 3:12 The day of God... the heavens, being on
fire, will be dissolved, and the elements, burning
with intense heat, are to be melted away.
Hosea 9:10 I saw your fathers as the firstripe in
the fig tree at her first time.
Matthew 24:32 The fig tree: As soon as its branch
has become tender and puts forth its leaves, you
know that the summer is near.
Luke 21:24 And... Jerusalem will be trampled by the
Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are
fulfilled.
Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with
many for one week: and in the midst of the week he
shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,
and... he shall make [it] desolate.
Revelation 12:5 And she brought forth a son, a
man-child, who is to shepherd all the nations with
an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God.
Revelation 12:9-11 And... Satan... was cast to the
earth.... Now has come... the kingdom of our God...,
for the accuser of our brothers has been cast
down.... And they overcame him.
Revelation 14:1 And I saw, and behold, the Lamb...,
and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand.
Revelation 13:2 The dragon gave him his power.
Matthew 24:21 There will be great tribulation.
Revelation 3:10 The hour of trial, which is about to
come on the whole inhabited earth, to try them.
Revelation 11:13 And in that hour there was a great
earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell.
Revelation 16:16 And they gathered them to the place
which in Hebrew is called, Armageddon.
Revelation 19:13-16 His name is called the Word of
God. And the armies which are in heaven followed Him
on white horses.... And He treads the winepress of
the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
Revelation 17:14 These will make war with the Lamb,
and the Lamb... and they who are with Him will...
overcome them.
Revelation 19:20 And the beast was seized, and with
him the false prophet.... These two were cast alive
into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone.
Revelation 11:15 The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He
will reign forever and ever.
Revelation 20:2 And he laid hold of... Satan, and
bound him for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:10 And the devil, who deceived them,
was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.
Revelation 22:3, 5 And there will no longer be a
curse. And the throne of God and of the Lamb will be
in it, and His slaves will serve Him; ...They will
reign forever and ever.
Revelation 21:3-4 Behold, the tabernacle of God is
with men, ...and God Himself will be with them and
be their God. And He will wipe away every tear from
their eyes; and death will be no more, nor will
there be sorrow or crying or pain anymore.
Matthew 4:17 Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens
has drawn near.
Ephesians 5:18-19 Be filled in spirit, Speaking...
John 10:10 I have come that they may have life.
2 Peter 3:13 We are expecting new heavens and a new
earth, in which righteousness dwells.
John 3:5 Unless one is born of water and the Spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Acts 2:38 Repent and each one of you be baptized
upon the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
your sins, and you will receive the... Holy Spirit.
Romans 5:10 For if we, being enemies, were
reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much
more we will be saved in His life.
Romans 1:16 The gospel... is the power of God unto
salvation to every one who believes.