Whenever a natural calamity such as an earthquake, firestorm, flood, etc. occurs, people wonder when the world will end. It is a serious question that cannot be ignored. Some ask this question because they are afraid to die. Others are afraid of the day of judgment, while still others are hoping that God will quickly bring an end to this ugly mess that we are in and bring in His kingdom of love and righteousness so that man may live in peace and joy.
God, the only authority qualified to answer this question, has spoken through His faithful prophets, and His speaking has been written down and compiled into one book, the Bible. Here we will answer this question according to the Bible and see how the present world will end.
We must understand why God created the heaven and the earth before we can understand when it will end. God's purpose in creation is to have a group of people created in His image, filled with Him as life, built up as a corporate man to express Him and to rule for Him over the whole earth. This indicates to us that the world will not end without this corporate man being built. God is still working on this masterpiece, and you can be a part of it.
The universe was created at least a billion years ago. Ever since God created man six thousand years ago, man has been using the earth's resources. In the past century, man's consumption of these resources has increased dramatically, to the point that they are rapidly dwindling. If usage continues at its present rate, our affordable oil reserves probably will last no more than 50 years. If we don't find another source of energy, cars will stop running and electrical blackouts will be frequent. The gaping holes in the ozone layer may dramatically increase the incidence of skin cancer. Carbon dioxide is increasing; the globe may become warmer, and weather patterns may change, with more droughts and flooding damaging farmlands and cities. Forests are diminishing; there will be less habitat for wildlife and less vegetation to create oxygen. Aquifer levels are decreasing; there will be shortages of water where it is most needed. Chemical and nuclear wastes are seeping into our fresh water supply and into the sea; this could result in more cancer and illness related to polluted drinking water and seafood. The air is being polluted every second; respiratory problems are bound to increase. The world population is exploding exponentially. The supply of food and other essentials needed for survival will soon be exceeded by the demand. Even without a major nuclear confrontation, the earth, in 30 to 50 years, will not be the same as the planet we inhabit today. The Bible tells us that one day the earth's usefulness will be over, and it will be rolled up like an old garment to be burned.
The Bible does not say exactly when the world will end, but it gives us three main signs to watch for: 1) the recovery of the nation of Israel, 2) the return of Jerusalem to Israel, and 3) the signing of a treaty between the antichrist and Israel. When we see these signs, we will know that the end is near.
The Bible prophesied that the nation of Israel would be formed again. The nation of Israel lost its kingdom about 2,600 years ago, but the Bible prophesied that Israel, the fig tree, would bud again. Nobody suspected that it would be possible. Hitler tried to destroy the whole race through genocide, and that would have prevented it from happening. Hitler died, but the people whom he had tried to destroy became the nation of Israel in 1948.
The Bible also prophesied that Jerusalem would be trampled under the feet of the nations (people other than Israel) until the world was about to end. That trampling ended in 1967 when Jerusalem was returned to Israel.
The last sign is the signing of the treaty between the antichrist and the nation of Israel. We don't know who will be the antichrist, but we know that he will be the ruler over ten nations situated in Europe where the ancient Roman Empire was, and that he will make a deal with Israel. The content of the deal is not clearly stated in the Bible, but many Bible students agree that it should contain terms concerning peace and the rebuilding of the temple. Once the treaty is signed, there will be seven years left until the end of the world.
The Bible also tells us how the world will end. Here are the highlights. The final seven years before the end of the world are divided into two sections of three and half years each. The first three and a half years will be peaceful. At the end of that period, God will have finished His work of producing a corporate man full of Him as life. These people are overcomers. Then He will take them up to heaven. There they will defeat Satan, the devil, and cast him down to earth. Then an unclean spirit will enter into the antichrist and Satan will give him his power. This will begin the last three and a half years of the world. The Bible calls this period the Great Tribulation. The earth at that time will not be a place where anyone would like to live. Antichrist will do much damage to humanity, and, at the same time, there will be many natural and supernatural disasters. At the end of the final three and a half years, Christ and His overcomers will come down from heaven to crush antichrist and his army at Armageddon. Then the kingdom of God will be brought down to earth, and Satan will be locked up for a thousand years. At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released for a little while. He will do more damage, but then he will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. He and all of his collaborators will be burned there for ever and ever. But the people who are filled with God will live in God and with God for eternity on the renewed earth. There will be joy, peace, and righteousness. There will be no tears, shortage, sickness, theft, unrighteousness, or death.
If you do not want to be in the Great Tribulation, you need to repent to God today and get filled up with Him as your life. If you want to escape Satan's damage and God's judgment, you need to call on God by saying, "O Lord Jesus! Transfer me from the kingdom of Satan to the kingdom of God. I want to live in You and with You for eternity. Come into me to be my life. I need You now." Then you will enter into God's salvation.
Matthew 24:36 But concerning that day and hour, no one knows, ...but the
Father only.
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image...: and let them
have dominion.
Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints... unto the building up of
the Body of Christ.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His masterpiece.
Hebrews 1:10-12 The heavens are the works of Your hands; They will
perish... and they all will become old like a garment, And like a mantle
You will roll them up.
2 Peter 3:12 The day of God... the heavens, being on fire, will be
dissolved, and the elements, burning with intense heat, are to be melted away.
Hosea 9:10 I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her
first time.
Matthew 24:32 The fig tree: As soon as its branch has become tender and
puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near.
Luke 21:24 And... Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the
times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and
in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to
cease, and... he shall make [it] desolate.
Revelation 12:5 And she brought forth a son, a man-child, who is to
shepherd all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God.
Revelation 12:9-11 And... Satan... was cast to the earth.... Now has
come... the kingdom of our God..., for the accuser of our brothers has
been cast down.... And they overcame him.
Revelation 14:1 And I saw, and behold, the Lamb..., and with Him a hundred
and forty-four thousand.
Revelation 13:2 The dragon gave him his power.
Matthew 24:21 There will be great tribulation.
Revelation 3:10 The hour of trial, which is about to come on the whole
inhabited earth, to try them.
Revelation 11:13 And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and the
tenth part of the city fell.
Revelation 16:16 And they gathered them to the place which in Hebrew is
called, Armageddon.
Revelation 19:13-16 His name is called the Word of God. And the armies
which are in heaven followed Him on white horses.... And He treads the
winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
Revelation 17:14 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb... and
they who are with Him will... overcome them.
Revelation 19:20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false
prophet.... These two were cast alive into the lake of fire, which burns
with brimstone.
Revelation 11:15 The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our
Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.
Revelation 20:2 And he laid hold of... Satan, and bound him for a thousand
years.
Revelation 20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake
of fire and brimstone.
Revelation 22:3, 5 And there will no longer be a curse. And the throne of
God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His slaves will serve Him; ...They
will reign forever and ever.
Revelation 21:3-4 Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, ...and God
Himself will be with them and be their God. And He will wipe away every
tear from their eyes; and death will be no more, nor will there be sorrow
or crying or pain anymore.
Matthew 4:17 Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.
Ephesians 5:18-19 Be filled in spirit, Speaking...
John 10:10 I have come that they may have life.
2 Peter 3:13 We are expecting new heavens and a new earth, in which
righteousness dwells.
John 3:5 Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God.
Acts 2:38 Repent and each one of you be baptized upon the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the... Holy
Spirit.
Romans 5:10 For if we, being enemies, were reconciled to God through the
death of His Son, much more we will be saved in His life.
Romans 1:16 The gospel... is the power of God unto salvation to every one
who believes.