What Is The Time Of The End? ( 8)

The  end time in the New Testament

Jesus' longest prophecy about the end time is found in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 in what is commonly called the Olivet Prophecy. On this occasion, during the week leading up to His crucifixion, Jesus and His disciples left the temple grounds and climbed the Mount of Olives (or Mount Olivet) to enjoy a spectacular view of the city and the temple gleaming with its white stones and sparkling gold ­ornamentation. "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be ­fulfilled?'" (Mark:13:3-4
).

Christ then revealed to them the conditions on earth leading up to His return. He said it would be a time of increasing troubles and turmoil. He warned that during this time mankind would have the capacity to annihilate human life from the face of the earth. "It will be a time of great distress, such as there has never been before since the beginning of the world, and will never be again. If that time of troubles were not cut short, no living thing could survive; but for the sake of God's chosen it will be cut short" (Matthew:24:21-22
, REB).

Mighty as the Roman Empire was in those days, its legions didn't come close to having the armaments to wipe mankind from the face of the earth. This condition would only become a real possibility in the 20th century with the development and deployment of weapons of mass destruction—nuclear, chemical and biological—in a worldwide arsenal with the capacity to kill every man, woman and child many times over.

Signs of an approaching end

Jesus described in a brief outline form the conditions that would indicate the end time was nearing. He warned His disciples: "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many" (Matthew:24:4-5
, KJV).

Jesus first prophesied it would be common to use His name to win over followers. This suggests that many outwardly Christian churches, denominations and organizations would exist at the time of the end, and many would be deceived into believing their leaders represented Christ. Yet the Church that truly follows Christ would be faithfully obeying God's Word and His commandments. Jesus warned, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven" (Matthew:7:21).

Next He described political, military and environmental trends before His second coming. "And you 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

).

An analogy of labor pains

Many assume the constant reports of wars, violence, uprisings, famine, epidemics, earthquakes and natural disasters in our headlines are sure signs we are in the end time. Certainly Jesus Christ and other biblical prophets made it clear such tragedies will shake the earth as the time of the end approaches.

But Jesus Christ Himself explained that these factors, by themselves, do not reveal we are in the end time, because there would be many such catastrophes before He returns. These tragedies, Jesus said, set the stage for the greater turmoil and sorrow of the end time. Horrifying and deadly as they are, these disasters are only "the beginning of sorrows." The worst is yet to come.

The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible translates Christ's words in Matthew:24:8as "all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs." Jesus was using an analogy of a woman in labor. As The Bible Knowledge Commentary explains: "These things, Jesus said, will be the beginning of birth pains. As a pregnant woman's birth pains indicate that her child will soon be born, so these universal conflicts and catastrophes will mean the end of this interadvent Age is near" (1997, comment on Matthew:24:8).

So Christ was not referring to the periodic catastrophes such as wars, famines, disease epidemics and earthquakes that occasionally strike, but to a unique time when such events would steadily worsen. Just as labor contractions get stronger and closer together before birth, so would these events markedly increase in frequency and intensity before Christ's return.

We should consider three important questions when analyzing whether events are the signs of the end time Jesus Christ described. First, could they simply be part of the normal ebb and flow of disasters people have experienced throughout history? Second, are all the signs Jesus mentioned in place? Third, is there solid evidence the prophesied trends and conditions are inexorably increasing and intensifying?

Many well-meaning people have erred when interpreting dramatic world events as sure signs of the end time—only to see them fail to develop as anticipated and pass quietly into history. Had they exercised a little more caution, they could have seen that not everything Jesus spoke about was in place at that time. We can see that in hindsight.

Today, more than ever in history, we can see most aspects of the signs Jesus Christ gave present in our world. Yet a few crucial signs of the "time of the end" are still missing. The puzzle remains a little short of some essential pieces.

To be cont'd. 

God bless you.  

What Is The Time Of The End? ( 7)

THE END TIME: A THEME OF THE PROPHETS

Although prophecies relating to the end time are only occasionally found in the early books of the Old Testament, they are a major theme of the prophets who wrote several centuries later. Peter explains that these prophets were "searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ [the time of His first coming], and the glory that should follow [His second coming]" (1 Peter:1:11, King James Version).

Isaiah is a prime example of how often God spoke about end-time conditions and the coming Kingdom Jesus Christ would establish at His return. This period is also frequently referred to as "the day of the Lord," "the latter days," "the last days" or simply "that day." Here are a few examples that show this recurring theme in Isaiah:

"Now it shall come to pass in the latter days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.'

"For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people. They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore" (Isaiah:2:2-4

).

"Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, from the terror of the Lord and the glory of His majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up—and it shall be brought low … They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the Lord and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily" (Isaiah:2:10-12

, 19).

"In that day the Branch of the Lord [Jesus Christ] shall be beautiful and glorious; and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped. And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem" (Isaiah:4:2-3
).

"There shall come forth a Rod [Jesus Christ] from the stem of Jesse [father of King David], and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him … He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked … And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His ­resting place shall be glorious" (Isaiah:11:1-4


, 10).

"Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate, and He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. 'I will punish the world for its evil …Therefore I will shake the heavens and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts'" (Isaiah:13:9-13).

Literally dozens more such prophecies appear in the book of Isaiah and almost as many in the books of Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. These men prophesied of the terrible days that would precede the coming of the Messiah as King of Kings.

Other prophets speak explicitly of the end times

Virtually all 12 of the books known as the Minor Prophets have something to say about the end time. Joel and Zechariah are examples.

God inspired Joel to describe the great destruction that would take place during the Day of the Lord: "Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand. A day of darkness and gloominess … The Lord gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; who can endure it?" (Joel:2:1-2
, 11).

Zechariah adds: "Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem … 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 … And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be—'The Lord is one,' and His name one" (Zechariah:14:1-3

, 9).

The theme of the end time and the Kingdom of God figures so prominently in the books of the prophets that Peter told the Jews they should believe in Christ because of this testimony. Peter admonished them: "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began" (Acts:3:19-21

).

To be cont'd. 

God bless you. 

What Is The Time Of The End? (6)

The End of the Age

Jesus Christ spoke of a coming "end of the age." What did He mean? What age did He say would come to an end?

Some think the subject of the end time in the Bible is mainly confined to the New Testament. But beginning in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, the Scriptures look beyond our present evil age to the time of the establishing of God's Kingdom. Old Testament scriptures have much to say about events that take place during the end of this age and the following "world to come."

In the Garden of Eden, God revealed that a time would come when Satan's earthly reign and influence would end. To Satan, God said: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed [Jesus Christ]; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (Genesis:3:15).

Although Satan was destined to harm the Savior (by instigating His crucifixion), the devil could not prevent Jesus from coming back to life and cannot prevent Jesus from ultimately defeating him.

Paul referred to this prophecy when he wrote to Church members in Rome, "And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly" (Romans:16:20). It is comforting to know that at Christ's second coming Satan will at last be vanquished and imprisoned (Revelation:20:1-3

).

So, from the earliest beginnings of humanity, God revealed there would be an end to this Satan-led world, a definite time for the devil and his forces to be defeated.

Righteous men mentioned in the Old Testament, such as Enoch, knew that God ultimately would intervene to carry out His judgment on earth. "Now Enoch, the seventh [generation] from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, 'Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" (Jude 14-15).

After the Flood other faithful men such as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob looked beyond the present age to the time when God's Kingdom would be established. "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews:11:8-10).

The patriarchs knew that God would one day establish His Kingdom. They lived and died confident that He would fulfill His promises and include them in His Kingdom.

"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar offwere assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country [God's Kingdom]. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them" (verses 13-16).

These men were not imagining or guessing about the future. They were directly inspired by God. As Peter explained, "prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter:1:21).

We find many prophecies about end-time events in the book of Psalms. Psalm 2 reveals that some nations will oppose the rule of Christ: "Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? … I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a ­potter's vessel'" (Psalm:2:1, 7-9).

(Some other passages in Psalms mentioning end-time events are: 9:5-15; 10:3-18; 11:1-7; 12:3-5; 21:8-12; 46:8-10; 47:1-4; 75:7-8; 76:7-9; 96:10-13; 97:1-6; 98:1-3; 99:1-5; and 110:1-6).

To be cont'd. 

God bless you. 

What Is The Time Of The End? (5)

Noah and Our Time: A Sobering Parallel

Like the people in Noah's time who laughed and mocked as he built the ark, the end of this age will come when the overwhelming majority are unprepared.

Jesus Christ used the example of Noah's day to reveal the attitudes that would predominate near the end: "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matthew:24:37-39

).

Here we see history and prophecy working together. The meaning is clear: The attitude of people in Noah's day would prevail again just before Christ's second coming. As in the former case, God would be deemed as far away, unconcerned about human activities on earth, with life appearing to go on as always (2 Peter:3:3-6


). Like before, people would be unconcerned as to their true spiritual condition and blind to God's impending judgment.

The key to the example Christ gave is to understand that people can be so concerned about the cares of this life that they ignore their Creator (Matthew:6:33; Luke:21:34-35
). It happened before, and it is happening again.

The apostle Paul similarly foretold the overall self-seeking mind-set that would dominate people's thinking in the last days: "But know this, that 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 pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying its power" (2 Timothy:3:1-5



).

This perfectly describes the overall attitude and outlook of our age. Such thinking will prevent the vast majority of humanity from believing God and the biblical warning signs indicating Christ's imminent return. Like the people in Noah's time who laughed and mocked as he built the ark, the end of this age will come when the overwhelming majority are unprepared.

To be cont'd. 

God bless you. 

What Is The Time Of The End? ( 4)

A World in Perpetual Crisis

We could be headed for the greatest crisis in all of human history culminating in the second coming of Jesus Christ.

"The remarkable characteristic of the crises of today is their continuity" —David Burnett King.

British author Anthony Sampson has written three "anatomies of Britain" in recent decades. His latest conveys a sense of urgency. Even the title tells us his focus has shifted into a higher gear: a crisis mode.

The Essential Anatomy of Britain: Democracy in Crisis includes a chapter with an obvious warning to the British government to get its house in order. No such chapter appeared in the first two editions.

Britain's chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, wrote: "Today's prophets, I realized with some sadness, are often not religious leaders but a small group of academics who, breaking free of disciplinary specialisation, have surveyed our age from the broadest of perspectives and brought back a report of imminent danger" ( Faith in the Future, 1995, p. 65).

Prophetic voices have sounded warnings for some time, pointing to the ominous signs on the world scene. Some foretell a crisis that will signal a massive change in our world.

This is clearly reflected in the titles of several other recent books. American author James Dale Davidson and his British counterpart, William Rees-Mogg, titled their bookThe Great Reckoning. Historian Eric Hobsbawm used the title The Age of Extremes.

American author and educator David Burnett King notes in The Crisis of Our Time that "there exists a profound feeling of unease …We are passing through some sort of crisis, riding out a sea change that will somehow make the future very different from our past" (1988, p. 17).

The plain truth is that we may be fast approaching a transition between two distinct ages, the age of man and the age to come of which Jesus Christ spoke (Matthew:12:32).

Historian Eric Hobsbawm shows in another book, The Age of Revolution, that the earth cannot continue indefinitely to bear the unwanted fruits of the darker aspects of modern technology. He wrote: "We have reached a point of historic crisis. The forces generated by the techno-scientific economy are now great enough to destroy the environment, that is to say the material foundations of human life."

As David King reminds us: "The nature of crisis has changed. The remarkable characteristic of the crises of today is their continuity—they have moved in, it seems, to stay" ( The Crisis of Our Time ).

We could be headed for the biblical "crisis at the close" (Daniel:12:9, Moffatt Translation)—the greatest crisis in all of human history culminating in the second coming of Jesus Christ.

To be cont'd. 

God bless you. 

What Is The Time Of The End? (3)

A word of caution

Although Scripture reveals certain conditions will deteriorate as the end of the age draws near, we should not confuse the conditions we see around us with the specific final period prophesied in the Bible. Global conditions could degenerate over a considerable amount of time before they lead to the concluding events of the last days. The final days of this era will be marked by specific prophetic events.

Jesus Christ cautioned His disciples to be careful if they thought they were witnessing the signs of the end of the age. "And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them" (Luke:21:8, King James Version).

Consequently, He warned, many would come in His name, claiming to represent Him. Some would interpret such developments and conditions as certain signs of the end time. But they would be wrong and lead many people astray. Thus the mere presence of charismatic religious leaders, wars or global disasters is not enough to confirm the arrival of the end time.

Specific events to unfold

To avoid confusing general world troubles with actual end-time events, the Bible describes specific events and conditions that will occur in the final days.

One unmistakable end-time event will be the coming domination of Jerusalem by gentiles (non-Israelites). Jesus Christ prophesied that "Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Luke:21:24).

In Revelation:11:1-2[1] And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
[2] But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. an angel reveals to the apostle John how long gentiles will control the city: "And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months"—the equivalent of 3 1⁄2 years.

It will also be a time of intense persecution of God's people. Jesus warned of troubling trends that He called "the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew:24:8). Then, He said, "they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved" (verses 9-13).

In the book of Revelation, John sees a vision in which some of God's people, depicted as a woman, are sheltered from Satan's persecution and "nourished for a time and times and half a time"—for 3 1⁄2 years (Revelation:12:14). Furious at being unable to attack these people, Satan will "make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (verse 17).

Thus we see in three prophecies of the end time that the focus is on a culminating 3 1⁄2 year period of worldwide distress so terrifying and threatening to human survival that God will never allow such to occur again. Such prophecies help us understand the conditions and events that will mark the beginning of this crucial period.

To be cont'd. 

God bless you. 

What Is the Time of the End? (2)

How does the Bible use the term time of the end? What exactly is it? Are we in that time yet? Is there a way to know

The meaning of "the time of the end"

One brief overview of the time of the end is found in the book of Daniel. Starting inDaniel:11:40, God reveals to Daniel several major events to take place "at the time of the end."

In chapter 12 God tells Daniel: "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.

"And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt … 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" (verses 1-4).

Here the end time is described as culminating in "a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation." It is also a time of increased travel and communication and an explosion of knowledge, as seen from the description that "many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase."

Several centuries after Daniel's time, Jesus' disciples asked Him about the end time. His response echoed Daniel's words: "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"(Matthew:24:21).

Later God revealed to Daniel more information about the end. "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?' Then I heard the man clothed in linen [say] … 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.

"Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, 'My lord, what shall be the end of these things?' And he said, 'Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end'" (Daniel:12:6-9).

This scripture indicates that the time of the end will be discernible to God's people. This time is the period leading up to and including unparalleled world trouble lasting 3 1⁄2 years (in biblical language, "a time [a year], times [two years] and half a time [half a year]"), which will conclude with the establishment of God's Kingdom on earth.

To be cont'd.

God bless you.