The End of the World as We Know It

Want to know more about the end of the world?   According to the Bible it occurs 1000 years after the second coming of Jesus Christ with the armies of heaven to defeat the enemies of God at the battle of Armageddon.   Here's what Revelation 19 says:
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.  
Later we read that Satan is bound for 1,000 years - the millennial reign of Christ; Satan is released for a short period of time, and then - it's over - the earth is destroyed and a new heaven and a new earth is established.   And, I think this really shows the nature of God...He is devoted to bringing hope - even though the old things are destroyed, He brings renewal.    We can have hope for eternity in the midst of a world that is destined for destruction.   In this bizarre time when people are discussing "the end", we can share the Scriptures about the second coming, the second Advent of Christ, and the hope that He brings.

In Revelation 21, we see a description of what might accurately be called the "end of the world":
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth ; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes ; and there will no longer be any death ; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain ; the first things have passed away."


It's finally here - a date that has been almost 400 years in the making!   The expiration of the 13th b'ak'tun in the current cycle of the Mayan calendar...completing a cycle of over 5000 years.   Whew!   Glad that's over.   Now, it's on to a new cycle. 

There has been a lot of talk about the end of the world, according to some secret information that the Mayans supposedly had - I have a calendar at home that ends on December 31st, but that doesn't mean that the end is going to occur then.    But this topic does give us an opportunity to ask our friends and family members what they think the end of the world would be like, and perhaps talk about the Biblical viewpoint, which has enormous credibility - after all, the first coming, or Advent of Jesus was predicted with great accuracy, so can't we be certain about the way that the world as we know it will end?

Of course we can.  And, by the way, Jesus said that no one will know the day or the hour of His return.   That comes at the end of a 7-year period of time called the Great Tribulation, and you can see that described in the book of Revelation.   Following the battle of Armageddon - yes, that place is in the Bible - on the plains of Meggido, when armies from the four corners of the earth will gather in battle, you will have the second coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of a 1000-year reign, also known as the Millennium.  Then God will establish a new heavens and a new earth - destroying the old earth and building for us a New Jerusalem there.

So, there you have it!   The promise and the timetable - Bible prophecy also indicates that the nations of the world will gather against Israel at the beginning of the Tribulation period...can't we see that taking place today?     There are nations who are encircling Israel, and that alignment of nations is a sure sign that the fulfillment of Bible prophecy is near.

The end of the world will come, eventually and the end of our lives will take place, as well.   We can say that with certainty...it is appointed for everyone to die, and after that to face judgement.   We don't know when the end will come for us, but we have to be ready to meet Jesus when we see Him - we can be certain of spending eternity with Him if we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives.   And, since we don't know the time of our expiration, we are called to live our lives with a sense of urgency, making the most of every opportunity, glorifying God in our lives in the short time we have on earth.