THE END OF THE WORLD?
T
he temperature of the earth’s core, bom-
barded by neutrinos from a massive solar
flare, will increase dramatically. This will
cause cataclysmic earthquakes worldwide, in-
cluding the eruption of the massive Yellowstone
caldera in Wyoming. These earthquakes, in turn,
will initiate mega tsunamis that sweep across the
continents. The result? Worldwide devastation
and the end of the world—all recently portrayed
in a Hollywood movie.
Is any of it true? Will these things happen at
some point? How—and when—will the world
end?
Many people thought the world would end in
the year 2000. In 2012, the Mayan Long Count
calendar gave people a scare. What does the
Bible say about the end of the world?
In speaking about the end of the world and
His return to earth, Jesus boldly told His listen-
ers, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not
even the angels of heaven, but My Father only”
(Matthew 24:36). He couldn’t have been clearer.
The world will end, and He will return on His own
terms—and the terms of His calendar are known
only to Him. Yet we are not left guessing about
the nearness of the end. Jesus declared that we
“will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that
you are not troubled; for all these things must
come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation
will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences,
and earthquakes in various places. All these are
the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6–8).
Natural and manmade disasters will escalate as
Christ’s return approaches, but He will not come
until the gospel of the kingdom is “preached in
all the world as a witness to all the nations, and
then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). Like a
blaring fire alarm, daily headlines remind us of
a world falling apart. Not a few people are talk-
ing about our imminent demise. But in His great
mercy, God delays His return because He doesn’t
want to lose a single one of His children. Even
now, the good news of salvation is racing around
this planet, preparing people for His arrival.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE END OF THE
WORLD
But the question remains. If we don’t know
the exact timing of Christ’s return, then what
should we know? Jesus addressed this criti-
cal concern nearly 2,000 years ago. At His final
farewell, soon after the resurrection, His awe-
struck disciples watched as He ascended into
the clouds, disappearing from sight. Nearby
stood two heavenly messengers who deliv-
ered a precious promise to the forlorn follow-
ers. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you
stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus,
who was taken up from you into heaven, will
so come in like manner as you saw Him go into
heaven” (Acts 1:11).
Notice that this promise is entirely consis-
tent with Christ’s earlier statements about His
return. With great force He dispelled any no-
tions of secrecy. He warned His disciples, “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. . . . Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He
is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in
the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the
lightning comes from the east and flashes to
the west, so also will the coming of the Son of
Man be” (Matthew 24:23–27).
Far from being a covert operation, the
Second Coming will be an inescapable event.
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heav-
en with a shout, with the voice of an archangel,
and with the trumpet of God” (1 Thessalonians
4:16). “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and
every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7). All
eyes will be riveted on this noisy climax—
no need for tweets or CNN’s breaking news.
These details of Christ’s return are important
because 2 Thessalonians 2:9 shows that Satan
himself, a dazzling being of light, will attempt
to deceive the world through a false Second
Coming. You can read more on this topic in a
book called The Great Controversy, available
at glowonline.org.
BEING READY FOR THE END OF THE WORLD
What does this mean for you? After all, what
good are the facts if you’re not ready for the
occasion? To understand what it means to be
ready, you must first realize that the Second
Coming can be good news! You do not need to
fear the end of the world if you are on Christ’s
side. Revelation 6:14–17 describes most peo-
ple running in fear and being destroyed when
Christ returns the second time because they
have chosen to hate the hard truth about their
sinful condition. They will be destroyed be-
cause they love comforting and unbiblical lies
that tell them they will be saved in their sin.
God declares, “Do I have any pleasure at all that
the wicked should die? . . . I have no pleasure in
the death of one who dies.” He adds, “Therefore
turn and live!” (Ezekiel 18:23, 32) When the
world ends and the wicked are destroyed, the
Lord is simply giving them what they want.
In Proverbs 8:36, God says that “he who sins
against me wrongs his own soul; all those who
hate me love death.”
In order to be prepared for the end of the
world and the return of Christ, we must first un-
derstand our true condition. The Bible teaches
that the root of all sin is selfishness. Most people
think that they are good, but a sincere look into
God’s Word reveals the opposite. Even our acts
of kindness can be done with selfish motives.
What we need first is Christ’s forgiveness. This
pardon can be received only by asking Jesus for
it in prayer. Second, we need a new heart of self-
less love. A new heart and spirit are given to us
by seeking God in His Word (1 Peter 1:23).
Christ longs for all to be with Him in His
kingdom when He returns (2 Peter 3:9). In
fact, the Bible teaches that when He does
come back, our friends and loved ones who
died in Jesus will be raised to eternal life! “For
the Lord Himself will descend from heaven. .
. . And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then
we who are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be
with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another
with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–18).
When you hear the next disaster-filled end-
of-the-world prediction—whatever is to follow
2000 and 2012—don’t believe it. Massive solar
flares, mega tsunamis, super volcanoes, and di-
sasters of various types may indeed happen, but
the world will come to its final end when Jesus
arrives. He will destroy sin and pain and take His
people to be with Him. We can be safe in Him—
in complete surrender to Him. Then, we need not
worry about what will happen to us at the end of
the world.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas
Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Cover image: ©www.photodune.net
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