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When
Will the World End?
.
by
Mike Bennett
Jesus’ disciples
asked Him for signs of “the end of the world.”
Jesus didn’t give a date, but He did give
prophetic signs we should watch to be ready. Is the end of the world near now?
When Will the World End?
There are many ideas about when the world
will end, and even about what the end of the world and the end times mean.
For many, it’s a joke. Cartoonists draw a
strange man wearing a sandwich board sign proclaiming “The End Is Nigh” to the
unheeding crowds on a big city street.
But it’s not just kooks and religious people
talking about the end of the world.
Scientists and politicians throw around the
phrase as well.
Headlines discuss “Here’s How Stephen
Hawking Predicted the World Will End” and “How Will the World End?
Experts Reveal Nine Most Likely Ways Humans Will Be Wiped Out.”
The prestigious Bulletin of the Atomic
Scientists annually updates its Doomsday Clock.
As I write, it is set at 2 minutes till
midnight, the closest it has ever been throughout the atomic age.
Existential threats and the end of the world
Human survival and the world as we know it
are truly under threat.
Many passionate and even desperate people are
warning and trying to reverse whichever of the dangers to our existence seems
most real to them.
But there is little agreement and precious
little action. The dangers grow worse, and most people do their best to put
them out of their minds.
But is there a source that can give
definitive answers about what is going to happen and when? Is there a real
solution to prevent human extinction?
Why not consider the source that most likely
gave us the term end of the world and see what it says?
Where the term end of the world came from
Before there was a scientific or political
interest in the end of the world, there was a religious one, based on the
wording of the most influential English translation of the Bible.
The venerable King James Version of 1611 uses
the expression end of the world seven times.
Four of these are in the book of Matthew,
referring to the prophetic end times.
(In Psalm 19:4 and
Isaiah 62:11, “end of the world” instead has the connotation “to all
parts of the world.”)
In the Bible, what does “end of the world”
mean? And when did Jesus say it would come?
The disciples asked Jesus about the end of
the world
Jesus had warned His disciples that the most
magnificent structure of their nation and religion was going to be totally
destroyed (Matthew
24:2).
They were understandably concerned and wanted
to know when this would take place.
They connected His prediction of the
destruction of the temple with other predictions that He would come again at the
end time. So, they approached Him.
“And as he sat upon
the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us,
when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of
the end of the world?” (verse
3, King James Version unless otherwise noted).
End of the world means end of the age
If you check other, more modern translations,
including the New King James Version, you will see that most of them translate
the last phrase as “end of the age.”
The Greek word used here is aion,
which here means an age — specifically, the time of man’s misrule that will end
when Jesus Christ returns.
Vine’s Expository
Dictionary of New Testament Words says this about aion: “‘An
age, a period of time,’ marked in the NT usage by spiritual or moral
characteristics, is sometimes translated ‘world;’ the RV marg. always has
‘age.’ … The phrase ‘the end of the world’ should be rendered ‘the end of the
age,’ in most places.”
What are the signs of the end of the world?
In Matthew 24 Jesus gave many signs that
would lead up to His return, including His promise that the good news about
God’s Kingdom would be shared around this world — a world steeped in bad news.
Jesus said, “And
this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness
unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (verse 14).
The good news is that, though Jesus will come
back during a time of unparalleled “great tribulation” when humanity is
at the brink of self-annihilation, He will return and save humanity (verses 21-22).
The signs Jesus gave
include religious deception, wars and rumors of wars, famines, disease
epidemics and much more.
We can examine all of Jesus’ prophetic signs
and know we are very close to the end, but Jesus said we won’t know the day or
the hour (verse
36).
What does Jesus want us to do until the end
of the world?
So, what did Jesus tell us to do? At the end
of Luke’s account of the same Olivet Prophecy, Jesus warned:
“But take heed to
yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and
cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as
a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
“Watch therefore, and
pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will
come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man [Jesus Christ]” (Luke 21:34-36, NKJV).
Jesus compared the end times with the days of
Noah, when most people ignored Noah’s warnings and were completely unprepared
for the Flood.
Parable of the tares and the end of the world
The King James Version also quotes Jesus
using the phrase end of the world twice and end of this world once in His
parable of the wheat and the tares (weeds).
This parable was about how God sows His truth
in this world and prepares people for His Kingdom, while Satan sows lies that
produce people who pretend to follow God but follow Satan instead.
“The enemy that sowed
them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the
angels”
(Matthew
13:39; see also 40 and 49).
To be truly ready for Christ’s return, we
must be sure we are living as He lived and doing what is pleasing to Him.
This can also serve as a sober warning to
Christians to not fool themselves into thinking they are okay just because they
attend church or consider themselves Christians. Satan is the master of
deception.
Here again, in this parable of the tares, “world”
is translated “age” in the New King James Version and other modern
versions.
From other passages that give more specifics
about God’s times of judgment, it seems these passages are talking about
judgment that will occur sometime after Jesus’ return.
Jesus Christ’s words of reassurance about the
end of the world
In what has come to be known as the great
commission, Jesus gave His followers a job to do before His return, and He gave
us encouragement as well.
Jesus said to go and
teach all nations, baptizing them and “teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20).
This mission trains His Church to do His work
and to learn to care for the people He is calling now.
Jesus promised to be with us in this effort
to the end. He will never abandon us. His help—and His Kingdom — are sure.
World without end?
It is interesting to
consider that, even though the King James Version talks about the end of the
world, it also talks about “world without end”:
“But Israel shall be
saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor
confounded world without end” (Isaiah 45:17).
“Unto him be glory in
the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:21).
In both passages, the
New King James Version translates “world without end” as “forever and
ever.”
God’s plan is not just about an end. The end
of this evil age will actually mark the beginning of something much better.
The Kingdom of God is a joyous, peaceful and
ever-increasing kingdom that will have no end.
You need to understand and prepare for this
wonderful world of the future.
Are the events in Revelation going to happen
in the future? How can we know?
Mike
Bennett
is editorial content manager for the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, in
the Dallas, Texas, area. He coordinates the Life, Hope & Truth website,
Discern magazine and the Life, Hope & Truth Weekly Newsletter. He is also
part of the Personal Correspondence team of ministers who answer questions sent
to Life, Hope & Truth.
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