Will the earth end in pieces?
Is the world coming to an end soon?
What kind of future can we and our children look forward to?
[Updated March 27, 2012]
Last January 2012, scientists set their “Doomsday Clock” to 5 minutes to midnight – which means we are very, very close to real doomsday!
But these “doomsday” talks had become a butt of jokes and ridicule lately, for understandable reasons. The Religious Tolerance website lists over 60 predicted “end of the world” dates since the start of the Christian era – all of which failed to happen. The most recent was the May 21 and then October 21, 2011 “rapture” prediction by Harold Camping. This year [2012], in December, some people are awaiting the “Mayan Doomsday”.
With all the failed predictions, people hardly take Bible prophecies seriously, anymore.
What does it mean for us? Can Bible prophecy be taken literally?
People’s present attitude is no surprise. Christ knew that’s the way people’s attitude is going to be:
Luk 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
Luk 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
In others words, it will be business as usual, when Christ returns.
What many people fail to realize, is that many of these world leaders, who do not care much about about Bible prophecy, see real trouble brewing on the horizon.
Common Misconceptions
A number of things need to be clarified to dispel misconception about prophecy.
First of all, we need to clear up a common misunderstanding about the term “end of the world”. The term “end of the world” as used in Matthew 24:3, often conjures an image of the earth and everything in it being totally destroyed, which is not what Jesus and the disciples discussed at the Mount Olivet. The term “world” used here comes from the Greek word aion which is transliterated as aeon or eon, which simply means age. It does not refer to the physical planet we call earth. So Jesus and His disciples were discussing the “end of the age”.
The Bible talks of three “worlds” or ages:
- The world that then was – from Adam to Noah (2 Pet.3:6)
- This present evil world – from flood to present (Gal.1:4), and
- The world to come (Heb.2:5)
Clearly we are now living in the “present evil world”.
Another thing to note is that Christ, who revealed future events, never set any date for the “end of the world” or His return – simply because He Himself does not know the time or day! Only the Father knows!
So it is a mistake and it makes no sense to set dates for Bible prophecies, which if it fails creates a misleading impression that the Bible is unreliable. Now another source of prophetic error is misinterpretation. Some, in their zeal, supply speculative details from which further speculation is made. For example, many people assumed that the year 2000 marks the 6000th year since the time Adam was created and anticipated some earth-shaking events to happen that year – which turned out to be a great disappointment. But repeated failures seem not to discourage some from continuing to set dates.
Jesus wanted His disciples to always be on their toes and ready when He returns. But human nature as it is, would take thing easy if it knows Jesus’ return is many, many years away. So it is just fitting that we are not told the exact date or year. Paul himself apparently thought Christ would be coming during his time [1 Thes. 4:15-17]!
Let’s look at what Jesus said is going to happen. Read it for yourself in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. Among the events that Christ foretold are the following:
- false prophets and teachers
- wars and rumors of wars
- famines
- pestilences
- earthquakes
- persecution or tribulation
- lawlessness
- love waxing cold
- preaching of the gospel
These are rather general events that have occurred and continuing to recur ever since the first century A.D. While their incidence is expected to intensify as the end comes closer, it still would be impractical to take them as reference events with which to determine the proximity – in terms of a few year – of Jesus’ return.
Specific Events to Precede Christ’s Return
The following are some additional, very specific events that Jesus said would very shortly precede His return:
1. Jerusalem’s Fall
2. Abomination of Desolation
Mat 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
3. Heavenly Signs
“Stars fall from heaven” — Awesome meteor shower
The third event mentioned above is unmistakable and would be witnessed by everyone living at the very end-time – the sun darkening, the moon not shining and a spectacular display of meteor shower. Surely no one could miss that awesome and frightening sight!
The first two events are specific to Jerusalem. But just the same, with today’s state-of-the-art satellite communication – the entire world would witness it.
The first event mentioned above describes the fall of Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be surrounded and eventually overrun by Gentile armies. Many will die, others will be hauled away as prisoners to other nations. It will be a time of great distress for the nation of Israel and much of the English-speaking world. This is referred to in the Bible as the Great Tribulation.
The second event is of special interest – the “abomination of desolation”. Daniel gives more details about it:
Dan 11:32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
Dan 11:33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.
This indicates that daily sacrifices would be revived in Jerusalem. This would also mean that a facility will be erected in Jerusalem – which could be a tabernacle, altar or temple, we don’t know for sure. But one thing is sure, sacrificial system will be re-instituted in Jerusalem – apparently for a brief period. The fact is that preparations are ongoing in Israel for quite sometime now for performing sacrificial rituals. They are actually awaitting the coming of a red heifer which is needed to start the sacrifices. That also would be a specific thing to watch. [Check the Temple Institute website for more information on this planned sacrificial system]. But as Daniel says the sacrifices will be “taken away” or stopped by a foreign power in collaboration with an influential religious leader who will erect the so-called “abomination of desolation” – most probably similar to what Antiochus Epiphanes erected around the year 167 BC — a heathen altar on top of God’s altar on which he began offering swine – an offering that is abominable to God.
When these specific events occur, then it will be a matter of about three and a half years at the end of which Christ will establish His kingdom on earth with capital at Jerusalem. During that three and a half year period, a series of events [detailed in the book Revelation] would push mankind to the brink of total annihilation.
The last specific event mentioned — the heavenly signs — signals the start of Christ’s direct intervention in this world’s affairs. It will be a fearful display of God’s awesome might.
Luk 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Luk 21:26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Luk 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
This belie the “rapture theory”, for Christ’s coming will be so obvious that the whole world would hardly miss it. By this time though, Christ would have gathered His elect from all over the world and Christ would be in full battle mode. World armies will attempt to fight the returning Christ [described in Zechariah 14 and Isaiah 34]. But Christ will prevail. He will pour His wrath on these men who would have literally reached the height of their wickedness and Christ will quell all human rebellion [Rev 19:15]
And then the pleasant surprise comes!
Real Utopia!
An exciting and spectacular transformation of the earth will shortly take place. It is described in Isaiah 35.
Desert and wilderness abloom!
Imagine if you can – spring water gushing profusely from below the parched desert ground and imagine the desert and wilderness bursting forth with gorgeous, colorful blossoms and lush vegetation! And imagine the blind seeing such inspiring spectacle for the first time, the deaf hearing the soothing tunes of nature, the mute able to speak and sing – and the lame leaping like a hart! Read of that and more in Isaiah 35!
If you think all that is a make-believe fantasy, consider the following:
Isa 11:7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Isa 11:8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.
Isa 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Wolf and Lamb, from “Foretold in Isaiah”, a painting by Karen King
In short, instead of total annihilation, the earth will usher into a stunning, veritable utopia — that is beyond your wildest dream. The world will experience the peace that has eluded it ever since man rejected God’s way. This is because Christ is coming to restore all things [Acts 3:21]. This will happen inspite of us!
The Whole World Presently Deceived
Unfortunately, most people could hardly believe such good news anymore – mainly because of a misunderstanding about the kingdom of God and the bias against the Old Testament books – no thanks to the same great old deceiver that caused Adam and Eve to err.
That is quite blunt and straightforward – the whole world is deceived.
Mat 7:13 Go in through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are the ones entering in through it.
Most Christians believe that God’s kingdom has come “among us”. You only need to read the newspaper or look around you to verify how true that is. The wars, the immorality, the misery – all telltale signs of Satan’s influence on the world today.
It is obvious that this present evil world IS NOT the kingdom of God!
The apostle Paul describes the “last days”:
2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good…
[GNB]
Rom 1:28 Because those people refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do.
Rom 1:29 They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, and malice. They gossip
Rom 1:30 and speak evil of one another; they are hateful to God, insolent, proud, and boastful; they think of more ways to do evil; they disobey their parents;
Rom 1:31 they have no conscience; they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or pity for others.
This aptly describes the time in which we live now and it is the reason why the world is in such danger. But the comforting fact is that God is all-powerful and He will not let evil reign any longer! He will put an end to Satan’s sway of the world – and He will restore the Edenic beauty and harmony that had been marred by man’s sin.