The "end of the world" is a term used by some for the "end of the age," a phrase used by the Bible to refer to the battle of Armageddon and the end of the present world system ruled by Satan. The next age, commencing with the return of Christ, will be one ruled by God and the Old and New Testament Saints. The next age is referred to by many names in the Bible. It is the earthly Kingdom that we pray "to come" in the Lord's Prayer. Writers refer to it as the Millennium, Millennium of rest, thousand year Millennium, Millennial Sabbath, Kingdom, Kingdom of God, etc. The Millennium will be the most blessed period of the earth's history. It will be followed by the New Earth and the New Heavens of eternity. Before the Millennium comes, Christ must come to destroy the anti-christ and sever the evil elements from this world. God's rule will not tolerate evil and the great unhappiness that it has caused.
Predicting the End of the World and the Second Coming
Many believe that the Bible says that we cannot know when the Second Coming and the end of the world occurs. The Bible does say that we will not know the day or the hour, but the following passages show that Jesus, through the prophet Daniel, described the event or sign that would tell His believers that His Second Coming was to occur in 3 1/2 years:
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. "Therefore when you see the `abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. "Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. "And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! "And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. "Then if anyone says to you, `Look, here is the Christ!' or `There!' do not believe it. "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. (Matthew 24:14-24 NKJV) The passage in the Book of Daniel that Jesus referred to is: "Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. "Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end war and desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate." (Daniel 9:24-27 NKJV)
The above two passages show the astounding credibility of Scripture and deserve a detailed analysis. Let's interpret these in detail. Those in Israel should take special note of the Words of their Messiah on this subject when the Third Temple is rebuilt. Note that He said that the Gospel must be preached to ALL the nations and then the end (of the age) would come. Heeding just this one statement would have precluded all the false predictions, prior to the last century, of the end of the world or Second Coming. If the church had recognized Israel's major role in God's plan for this age, they would have known, from the Bible, that the Jewish people would have to be back in Jerusalem in their own nation of Israel, and that sacrifices must be offered in the third Jewish Temple in Jerusalem before Jesus would return or the age would end! However, with TV, radio, the internet, and world missionary activities, we can assume that the Gospel has been preached (not accepted) to every nation on earth. God would not judge the nations until they ALL have this opportunity for eternal salvation.
Note that Jesus knew the Jews would be back in Jerusalem (since 1967), that the Jewish Sabbath would be observed (making flight to the mountains difficult), that life could be eliminated on the earth by modern day nuclear and biological weapons, and religious deception would be so strong that God's very elect would be deceived-if it was possible.... Hey-no wonder He told the reader to be sure and understand! Those who are not interested in Biblical prophecy will be deceived by the spiritual deception of anti-christ and his system. Many churches do not preach the prophecies that are discussed in this site. It would be good to read all of Matthew chapter 24 at this time. MATTHEW_CH_24 Now, let's turn our attention to Chapter 9 of the Book of Daniel. Note that Christ affirmed the authenticity and predictive truth of Daniel.
Daniel had been in the Babylonian captivity for around 69 years when he petitioned the Lord in Chapter 9 to end the 70 year captivity that Jeremiah had prophesied in Jer. 25:9-11. In his great model prayer, Daniel prayed that God would "cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate" (in Jerusalem.) If anyone wonders about the perpetual importance of God's Temple in Jerusalem, they should read Solomon's dedication prayer for the First Temple, and God's answer, in the Book of 2 Chronicles, Chapters 6 & 7. 2_CHRONICLES_CH_6_and_7 God answered Daniel's prayer with the all important 70 week (490 year) prophecy about Jerusalem and the Temple in Daniel 9:24-27, quoted above.
Seventy "weeks" means 70 seven year periods-490 years, and they are further broken down into three periods with an unstated interval of time between the second period (62 "weeks"-434 years) and the third and last period (1 "week"-7 years). The first period of 7 "weeks"-49 years-resulted in the streets and walls being built again, and the second period resulted in the public disclosure of Messiah. This left the last "week" of years, which is the last 7 years of this age ending with the end of the age and Second Coming. We are waiting and watching for the "confirmation of the covenant" which must pave the way for the rebuilding of the Temple since the "sacrifices and offerings" must commence before the middle of the week-the 3 1/2 year midpoint. This unmistakeable event-the abomination of desolation- is the sign of His return that Jesus gave His disciples when they asked Him for the sign of His return and the end of the age. Notice that after the second period and during the unstated interval of time until the last 7 years, Daniel said the Messiah would be "cut-off" and that the Temple and Jerusalem would be destroyed. History records the exact fulfillment of this prophecy!
Israel is now back in their land and in control of Jerusalem. The rebuilding of the Temple over the previous Holy of Holies is an increasing demand of many Jews. The Sharm Agreement discussed elsewhere states that the final, permanent status of Jerusalem will be finalized by Sept. 15, 2000. The commencement of Temple sacrifices means that the end of this age and the Second Coming is 3 1/2 to 7 years away! Of course, Israel and the PLO may not adhere to their agreement in Sharm. The date could slip days, years, or decades. They may not agree, or war could intervene. Elsewhere Scripture declares that the generation starting in 1967 will see the Second Coming, so it is very close. It can not occur before 2007, and must occur within the lifetime starting in 1967. News about Jerusalem as a result of the Sharm negotiations should be of great interest to all believers of Scripture. The rebuilding of the Temple and the commencement of sacrifices is the key given by Daniel and Jesus.
The Bible has prophesied, step-by-step, the events leading up to the Third Temple--the destruction of the Second Temple and Jerusalem in AD70, the worldwide dispersion of the Jews, the persecutions, the wandering from nation to nation, the perpetual animosity of the Arabs, the regathering of the Jewish people back into the promised land, their relative military strength, their capturing Jerusalem, the wealth of the Arabs, nuclear weapons, etc. The next steps are "confirming the covenant," rebuilding the Third Temple, commencing the sacrifices, the abomination of desolation, the great tribulation and anti-christ, and the Second Coming & end of the age. Then the glorious Millennium and Kingdom of God! Don't miss it....
Since 1948 individuals have identified dozens of national and international personalities as the anti-christ. All, except possibly one of these guesses are wrong. Events almost require him to be alive today. We have had and will continue to have charismatic leaders, some friendly and some antagonistic to Israel, working to bring about peace, and involved in the Jerusalem discussion. His identity will not be known until 3 1/2 to 7 years before the Messiah of Israel comes. Many commentaters feel that he will be the one that enables the agreement to rebuild the Third Temple. Perhaps.... One of the best descriptions of him is in Daniel 11:36-45. The first 3 1/2 years will be relatively peaceful, but the last 3 1/2 years will be the great tribulation that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24. Anti-christ will be destroyed by the Second Coming. Study the Scripture in order to cope with this period which Christ said would be extremely deceptive and dangerous. The purpose of this site is to motivate visitors to diligently search and study the Scripture. Otherwise, how can one know what is the truth? God greatly rewards those who seek Him in truth.
Don't let ANYONE tell you that the Bible has errors or contradictions
of substance. Like any document, it should be interpreted literally except
where the context suggests a figurative interpretation. In dealing with
difficulties, remember the following:
1. The Bible is from God and deals with subjects inherently difficult
for humans to understand.
2. A difficulty or apparent problem is not necessarily an error or
contradiction.
3. It is much more difficult to defend the Bible as a mere human book
than to defend its amazing qualities such as 100.00% accurate fulfillment
of non-deterministic prophesy.
4. Just because a difficulty can not be explained does not mean that
there is no logical explanation.
5. The apparent difficulties are small compared to the proven truth
in the Bible.
6. Casual Bible readers have many more difficulties with the Bible
than those who have spent many hours studying it.
7. The Bible was written long ago in a different language with figures
of speech and cultures much different than ours is today.
8. The doctrine of Biblical Inerrancy applies only to God's original
communications. Copying and translating have introduced some negligible
errors that do not have any influence on the truth conveyed.
9. The redundency in the Bible has aided the accurate copying and translating
of the original communication.
The Bible is your instruction manual from the Manufacturer! Can you program your VCR without an instruction manual? Programing ourselves in this life is infinitely more difficult....
Some Additional Passages in the Bible that Describe the End of the Age (World):
36 "Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. 37 "He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 38 "But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 "Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. 40 "At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 "He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 "He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 "He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. 44 "But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 "And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him. 1 ¶ "At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever. 4 "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase." 5 ¶ Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank. 6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?" 7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished. 8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, "My lord, what shall be the end of these things?" 9 And he said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 "Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. 11 "And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 "Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. 13 "But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days." (Daniel 11:36-12:13 NKJV)
1 ¶ "For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land. 3 They have cast lots for My people, Have given a boy as payment for a harlot, And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink. 4 "Indeed, what have you to do with Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia? Will you retaliate against Me? But if you retaliate against Me, Swiftly and speedily I will return your retaliation upon your own head; 5 Because you have taken My silver and My gold, And have carried into your temples My prized possessions. 6 Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem You have sold to the Greeks, That you may remove them far from their borders. 7 "Behold, I will raise them Out of the place to which you have sold them, And will return your retaliation upon your own head. 8 I will sell your sons and your daughters Into the hand of the people of Judah, And they will sell them to the Sabeans, To a people far off; For the LORD has spoken." 9 ¶ Proclaim this among the nations: "Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up. 10 Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, `I am strong.'" 11 Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD. 12 "Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow--For their wickedness is great." 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness. 16 The LORD also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the LORD will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel. 17 "So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again." 18 ¶ And it will come to pass in that day That the mountains shall drip with new wine, The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD And water the Valley of Acacias. 19 "Egypt shall be a desolation, And Edom a desolate wilderness, Because of violence against the people of Judah, For they have shed innocent blood in their land. 20 But Judah shall abide forever, And Jerusalem from generation to generation. 21 "For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted; For the LORD dwells in Zion." (Joel 3:1-21 NKJV)
3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting,
because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you
all abounds toward each other, 4 so that we ourselves boast of you among
the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions
and tribulations that you endure, 5 ¶ which is manifest evidence
of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the
kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; 6 since it is a righteous
thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7 and to
give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed
from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance
on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction
from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when
He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired
among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.
11 ¶ Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would
count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure
of His goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 that the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according
to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 ¶ Now, brethren,
concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together
to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either
by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of
Christ had come. 3 ¶ Let no one deceive you by any means; for that
Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin
is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above
all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in
the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5 Do you not remember
that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know
what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the
mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will
do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one
will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth
and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless
one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and
lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish,
because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be
saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that
they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did
not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians
1:3-2:12 NKJV)
11 ¶ Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 18 "that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great." 19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Revelation 19:11-20 NKJV)
And finally, pray that the leaders of our country heed the following verses:
1 ¶ The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus
says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the
earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: 2 "Behold, I will make Jerusalem
a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege
against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 "And it shall happen in that day that I
will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave
it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are
gathered against it. 4 "In that day," says the LORD, "I will strike every
horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on
the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.
(Zechariah 12:1-4 NKJV)
12 And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike
all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve
while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets,
And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths. 13 It shall come to pass
in that day That a great panic from the LORD will be among them. Everyone
will seize the hand of his neighbor, And raise his hand against his neighbor's
hand; 14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the
surrounding nations Shall be gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel
in great abundance. 15 Such also shall be the plague On the horse and the
mule, On the camel and the donkey, And on all the cattle that will be in
those camps. So shall this plague be. 16 ¶ And it shall come to pass
that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem
shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and
to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:12-16 NKJV)