THE END OF THE AGE - The disciples were asking about the time when Jesus would return to end humanity’s age of destruction and begin the rule of the Kingdom of God over the earth. The signs Jesus gave include religious deception, wars and rumors of wars, famines, disease epidemics and much more. 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 - 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. 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. 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. The prestigious Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists annually updates its Doomsday Clock. 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?

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The End Of The Age

When Will the World End?

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The disciples were asking about the time when Jesus would return to end humanity’s age of destruction and begin the rule of the Kingdom of God over the earth. The signs Jesus gave include religious deception, wars and rumors of wars, famines, disease epidemics and much more. 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

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.”

The disciples were asking about the time when Jesus would return to end humanity’s age of destruction and begin the rule of the Kingdom of God over the earth.

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.

https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/end-times/when-will-the-world-end/

PESTILENCE AND DISEASE ON A GLOBAL SCALE - In the Olivet Prophecy, Jesus Christ predicted the signs that would precede His return, including pestilence and disease on a global scale - a parallel prophecy is found in Revelation 6, which describes the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - the fourth horseman pictures the outbreak of pestilences that will ravage a quarter of the earth’s population – Coronavirus, West Nile virus, Zika, Ebola, H1N1 avian influenza, swine flu, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), yellow fever, hantavirus, Nipah, Hendra, Marburg, chikungunya, dengue. Another virus with a peculiar name always seems to be lurking around the corner, poised to become the next global health emergency. Infectious disease outbreaks are increasing in frequency and severity, and the number of unique pathogens responsible for disease is growing. Emerging viruses often have no effective treatment, cure or vaccine, and the possibility of preventing or controlling them is extremely limited. A reemerging disease is caused by a virus, bacterium, parasite or fungus that has long existed and was once thought to be controlled or wiped out, but is now making a comeback. These diseases are often spreading geographically, usually in a more virulent or drug-resistant form. Today there are antibiotic-resistant strains of tuberculosis, malaria, cholera, diphtheria, staphylococcus, streptococcus and salmonella — to name a few “superbugs” that have made their debut in recent times.

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Pestilence And Disease On A Global Scale

Why the Surge in Infectious Diseases?
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In the Olivet Prophecy, Jesus Christ predicted the signs that would precede His return, including pestilence and disease on a global scale - a parallel prophecy is found in Revelation 6, which describes the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - the fourth horseman pictures the outbreak of pestilences that will ravage a quarter of the earth’s population.

by Becky Sweat

Why is the world facing epidemic after epidemic of new and reemerging infectious diseases?

What are we doing wrong, and how will the ultimate healing come?

Coronavirus, West Nile virus, Zika, Ebola, H1N1 avian influenza, swine flu, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), yellow fever, hantavirus, Nipah, Hendra, Marburg, chikungunya, dengue.

Another virus with a peculiar name always seems to be lurking around the corner, poised to become the next global health emergency.

Just in the last few years we’ve witnessed the Ebola epidemic in western Africa in 2014, MERS outbreaks in the Arabian Peninsula in 2014 and Korea in 2015, and the spread of the Zika virus throughout most of the Americas at the close of 2016.

Then the novel coronavirus started spreading at the end of 2019 and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020.

At that time 114 countries had reported that 118,000 people had contracted Covid-19 (the disease caused by the novel coronavirus), and more than 4,000 people had died.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “We expect to see the number of cases, the number of deaths, and the number of affected countries climb even higher.”

The novel coronavirus

BBC reported: “The bad news, as Covid-19 reminds us, is that infectious diseases haven’t vanished. In fact, there are more new ones now than ever: the number of new infectious diseases like Sars, HIV and Covid-19 has increased by nearly fourfold over the past century. Since 1980 alone, the number of outbreaks per year has more than tripled …

“As Covid-19 is painfully demonstrating, our interconnected global economy both helps spread new infectious diseases – and, with its long supply chains, is uniquely vulnerable to the disruption that they can cause. The ability to get to nearly any spot in the world in 20 hours or fewer, and pack a virus along with our carry-on luggage, allows new diseases to emerge and to grow when they might have died out in the past” (“Covid-19: The History of Pandemics”).

Sounding the alarm about infectious disease epidemics

Public health officials worldwide have been sounding the alarm for many years: Infectious disease outbreaks are increasing in frequency and severity, and the number of unique pathogens responsible for disease is growing.

One of the most urgent warnings came in 2016 from then WHO Director-General Margaret Chan: “What we are seeing now looks more and more like a dramatic resurgence of the threat from emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases,” she stated. “The world is not prepared to cope.”

But what exactly is meant by emerging and reemerging diseases?

An emerging pathogen is one that is appearing in the human population for the first time and has never been recognized before.

According to the WHO, at least 40 new infectious diseases have emerged since the 1980s, at a rate of one or more per year.

Examples include Ebola, HIV/AIDS and Lyme disease.

Emerging viruses often have no effective treatment, cure or vaccine, and the possibility of preventing or controlling them is extremely limited.

The majority of emerging pathogens are zoonotic—meaning they are transmitted between animals and people — which makes them particularly challenging.

“Zoonotic diseases cannot usually be eradicated due to the fact that it is not possible to eliminate all of the animal reservoirs or vectors that might be carrying the zoonosis,” explains David Freedman, M.D., professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Alabama.

A reemerging disease is caused by a virus, bacterium, parasite or fungus that has long existed and was once thought to be controlled or wiped out, but is now making a comeback.

These diseases are often spreading geographically, usually in a more virulent or drug-resistant form.

Today there are antibiotic-resistant strains of tuberculosis, malaria, cholera, diphtheria, staphylococcus, streptococcus and salmonella — to name a few “superbugs” that have made their debut in recent times.

Each year, the number of infections and deaths caused by superbugs continues to rise.

The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, a 2016 report published in the U.K., predicts that by 2050, 10 million people globally will die each year from antibiotic-resistant bacteria alone, based on current trends.

Factors behind the trends

What a contrast to the optimism of 50 years ago!

Then U.S. Surgeon General William Stewart famously proclaimed, “The time has come to close the book on infectious diseases. We have basically wiped out infection in the United States.”

So why are we now seeing a surge in infectious disease epidemics?

The most straightforward answer comes from the Bible.

In the Olivet Prophecy, Jesus Christ predicted the signs that would precede His return, including pestilence and disease on a global scale (Matthew 24:3-8; Luke 21:11).

A parallel prophecy is found in Revelation 6, which describes the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”

The fourth horseman (verses 7 and 8) pictures the outbreak of pestilences (in addition to the sword and hunger) that will ravage a quarter of the earth’s population.

The latter part of verse 8 refers to death resulting from the “beasts of the earth.”

This could very well include the animals that transmit infectious diseases.

In addition to looking at Bible prophecies, we can observe specific factors that are helping cause the problems.

Many health experts, like biotech consultant Thomas Monath, M.D., believe mankind is actually creating its own disease problems, albeit unintentionally.

“We’re making changes in our environment or lifestyles to cause the emergence or spread of disease,” he says.

Some of the primary ways humans have paved the way for modern disease epidemics include:

• Encroachment on animal habitats.

The number of people on planet earth has soared from 2.5 billion in 1950 to 7.5 billion in 2016. This has prompted people to settle in wilderness areas where only animals had lived.

“Environments in the developing world used to be quite remote but are now much less so as a result of human activities like deforestation, dam projects, irrigation, road construction and extensive agriculture,” says James Hughes, M.D., professor of medicine and public health at Emory University.

When people enter these ecosystems, they often encounter new pathogens not found anywhere else.

Once infected, they spread the pathogen wherever they go.

• Urbanization and overcrowding.

Increasing numbers of people, particularly in the developing world, are moving from rural areas to large urban centers, seeking work. Many end up living in overcrowded “megacities” with 10 million or more residents.

According to a 2016 report from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, there are now 29 megacities in the world (up from 14 in 1995), and 79 percent of them are in developing nations.

With high population densities, megacities are ideal breeding grounds for disease.

Furthermore, the typical megacity’s infrastructure isn’t prepared to handle its swelling population.

“Water and sanitation systems are often inadequate or nonexistent, so residents must drink water that’s contaminated with bacteria and sewage,” Dr. Freedman says.

“Hospitals may be in short supply, so those who are ill may not be able to get the medical care they need.”

• Eating exotic animals.

Some cultures have a long tradition of eating exotic wildlife.

Africa has its bush meat trade, where monkeys, apes, aardvarks, rats and other wild animals are hunted and sold for food.

The Chinese have their open-air wet markets, where exotic creatures like civets, snakes, tree shrews, bats, badgers and pangolins are sold live to consumers, who will then slaughter and consume them.

“Any viruses carried by these animals can be transmitted to people via consumption, if people handle the animals, or sometimes if they just come into the same air space,” explains Dr. Hughes.

However, the issue is more than just the transmission of an animal pathogen to a human.

The ultimate concern is that close contact with infected animals or consuming them can cause a new pathogen to emerge.

Simply put, if a human infected with a virus comes in contact with an animal that has a similar type of virus, the genetic material of the two pathogens can get “mixed up” and recombine.

This can result in a new virus that infects both animals and people.

This process has caused the emergence of some of the world’s deadliest diseases.

For instance, HIV is a fusion of the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) that infects monkeys and apes, and a similar type of virus that infects people.

Scientists believe that HIV originated from butchering chimpanzees for bush meat.

• Changes in sexual behavior and IV drug use.

Up until the mid-20th century, having multiple sexual partners was frowned upon by most people.

However, in Western society today, having multiple sexual partners before marriage is not only acceptable, but has become the norm.

Additionally, intravenous drug use has become rampant, with drug users often sharing injection paraphernalia.

Both trends have fueled the spread of HIV, hepatitis C, genital herpes and other sexually transmitted diseases — all of which are transmitted through bodily fluids.

• Improper use of antibiotics.

Overuse of antibiotics has created new antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), up to 50 percent of antibiotics used in hospitals and clinics are either unnecessary or inappropriate.

Often what happens is patients insist on having antibiotics when they have a cold or the flu (which is almost always caused by a virus and won’t respond to antibiotics), and doctors give in to these demands.

Or physicians might prescribe antibiotics when they can’t make a definite diagnosis, “just in case” bacteria are present.

Ultimately, disease outbreaks and pandemics are a result of mankind’s broken relationship with God.

When a particular drug is prescribed too much, bacteria can build defenses against it.

Dr. Hughes explains, “This drug resistance is then transferred to the next generation of that bacteria, effectively rendering that particular medication useless.”

Bacteria can develop resistance to multiple drugs, eventually becoming the virtually untreatable, so-called superbugs.

Biblical perspectives on disease and health

Several of the factors just discussed are direct violations of biblical instruction.

For one, Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 spell out which animals should and shouldn’t be eaten.

Many of the diseases plaguing our modern world wouldn’t be problems if people weren’t eating “unclean,” exotic animals, which carry disease-causing organisms not present in domesticated “clean” animals.

Deuteronomy 23:13 says that human waste should be buried away from where people live.

This prevents food and water supplies from becoming contaminated.

It’s no wonder that diseases like diarrhea, dysentery, hookworm, roundworms, cholera and typhoid — which all result from contact with human waste — are rampant in shantytowns that do not have sanitation systems.

In Leviticus 18 and 20 God prohibits extramarital and premarital sex and other unhealthy sexual practices.

There’s no question that this kind of sexually immoral behavior has contributed greatly to the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Ultimately, disease outbreaks and pandemics are a result of mankind’s broken relationship with God.

When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He told them they could avoid the curse of disease if they obeyed His commandments and statutes (Exodus 15:26).

On the other hand, there would be consequences for disobedience, which included disease epidemics (Deuteronomy 28:15, 21-22, 27-28).

The Israelites — like all people before and since — disobeyed God, and mankind continues to reap the consequences of sin.

Today, humanity as a whole is cut off from God and vulnerable to the ravages of disease. This won’t always be the case though.

When Jesus Christ returns to earth and the Kingdom of God is established, mankind will at last be united with our Creator and receive all the blessings of living God’s way of life — which includes good health and a world free of disease outbreaks.

Becky Sweat is a member of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.

https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/end-times/surge-infectious-diseases/

THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY IS AT STAKE! - no one would survive - Humankind continues to find more ways to obliterate every man, woman and child off the face of the earth. Biblical prophecy describes in detail the time of great distress, or tribulation, that will envelope the earth. Wars, disasters, famines and disease epidemics will decimate the population. It's not hard to see how mankind's choice has affected our world. The good news is that, before we can destroy ourselves, the story will change. Jesus’ disciples knew even then that the world was getting worse and worse, and would finally reach a point where these and other evils would crescendo to a final climax. Jesus told them He would return to begin a new age of peace. Jesus Christ identified the time of His return as a time when human extinction was possible. But He promised He wouldn’t let that happen! Jesus Christ will literally return to this earth. That’s the biggest news story in history, especially since if He did not come, humanity would destroy itself.

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The Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

“No one would survive”

Beyond Today Magazine

It's not hard to see how mankind's choice has affected our world.

The good news is that, before we can destroy ourselves, the story will change.

Consider this description of our time that comes from a perspective beyond the human sphere:

“In the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

The apostle Paul, thousands of years in advance, nailed this list of many of the causes of humanity’s ills.

God’s Spirit showed clearly the things we are doing that are making our world more dangerous by the minute.

“No one would survive”

Jesus’ disciples knew even then that the world was getting worse and worse, and would finally reach a point where these and other evils would crescendo to a final climax.

Jesus told them He would return to begin a new age of peace.

So, they asked Him, “When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3, New International Version).

Jesus’ answer was breathtaking in its scope, but one phrase caught their ears. “For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world till now — and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:21-22, NIV, emphasis added).

The future of humanity is at stake!

Jesus Christ identified the time of His return as a time when human extinction was possible. But He promised He wouldn’t let that happen!

The good news is that, before we can destroy ourselves, the story will change.

His feet will stand…

Jesus Christ will literally return to this earth — to the highly contested piece of real estate we know as Jerusalem!

In the same way the disciples saw Christ ascend into the clouds after His resurrection, He will return through the clouds to this earth, but this time with power and great glory (Acts 1:11; Matthew 24:30).

That’s the biggest news story in history, especially since if He did not come, humanity would destroy itself.

Humankind continues to find more ways to obliterate every man, woman and child off the face of the earth.

Biblical prophecy describes in detail the time of great distress, or tribulation, that will envelope the earth.

Wars, disasters, famines and disease epidemics will decimate the population.

Finally, when the nations of the world gather for battle at a place called Armageddon (Revelation 16:14, Revelation 16:16), Christ will swiftly intervene before it is too late.

Sadly, the nations will not recognize or welcome their Savior, but will fight Him.

“Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east” (Zechariah 14:3-4).

The battle will be over swiftly, ending the painful age of human misrule.

Finally, a new day will dawn — a day fresh with the promise of peace and fulfillment, of joy and purpose, of happiness and accomplishment.

The nightmares of history will fade, and the dreams of mankind will begin to come to life.

The time after Christ’s return will be wonderful beyond imagination!

No wonder Christians have always prayed, “Your Kingdom come!”

At the end of the book of Revelation, Jesus Christ tells us, “Surely I am coming quickly.”

And we fervently respond with the apostle John, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Preaching the Gospel, Preparing a People

https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/christs-reign-on-earth-what-it-will-be-like/the-fruit-of-the-tree-of-the