Is it the END of the WORLD?!?

In short: It could be, but we don't know.

This summer, I learned an interesting fact that was gained through the Old Testament genealogies: From the creation of Adam to Abraham’s time on earth was approximately 2000 years. Then again, from Abraham to Jesus was around another 2000 years. From humankind, to the chosen Israelite people, to the redeemed Christians, each time God instituted a new “kingdom” he waited around 2000 years in between. I was captivated by this thought and wondered how crazy awesome it would be to be alive around 2000 years after Christ to see what new “kingdom” God would institute next if He was going to keep to His pattern. Then it hit me that we ARE living around 2000 years after Jesus. Obviously God’s ways are so much higher than ours, and He is not predictable by the minuscule human mind, but for some reason this fact still intrigued me and prompted me to learn more about what could come next….

From humankind, to the chosen Israelite people, to the redeemed Christians, each time God instituted a new “kingdom” he waited around 2000 years in between.

During Jesus’ time on Earth, he mentioned what is widely assumed to be the end times (A legitimate alternative thought is that He is referring to the upcoming fall of Jerusalem. I personally believe that He foreshadows both events.) Actually, he more than mentioned them. In Matthew 24-25, He lists “rumors of wars”, “famines”, “earthquakes in various places”, “false Christs”, “false prophets”, Christians being persecuted and put to death, and desecration of the holy temple in Jerusalem. In addition to listing these specific events, the Bible is full of consistent themes of what End Times will be like. Upon listing these signs, he gives this statement, “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.”

So what does that mean for us? Are we in end times? Some people certainly think so. In fact, every year from then until now, people have though the end was upon us. After all, even though Jesus left us clear signs in the Bible, it still is so confusing to interpret. How do we know when things have started? Well, let’s look at the facts.

• Major prophecies about the future happened before, giving us an example. Jesus’ birth and time on earth was one of the most prophesied events in all of history. Ancient Jewish scholars who were well versed in faith analyzed the prophecies and did their best to interpret them prior to Jesus’ arrival. Yet, Jesus was nothing like the Messiah they had imagined: a King to save them directly from the Romans. He was the Son of God, officially introducing them to a Trinity that they could never have dreamed up. Jesus fulfilled all of the prophecies and more in ways that could not have been guessed beforehand. 

This is our first lesson. Given what the last major prophecy looked like, no matter how much educated speculation we surround End Times prophecies with, we undoubtedly will be quite surprised by what God actually has in mind. His plans are just that much higher than what we can conceive in our minds. Light-years above. Therefore, be very careful to take everything that you hear with a grain of salt. Maybe even a whole tablespoon of salt. Unless you are reading it directly from the Bible, whatever you hear about End Times is speculative. Even in the Bible, we can sometimes read through the cloudy lens of worldview and outside interpretation. Be careful to seek God’s truth carefully on the matter. I do not fully trust even my own understandings of End Times. Sometimes we may get part of the prophecies right, but the only thing we truly understand about End Times is that only God knows the whole picture.

Given what the last major prophecy looked like, no matter how much educated speculation we surround End Times prophecies with, we undoubtedly will be quite surprised by what God actually has in mind.

• Additionally, Jesus speaks very strongly about all of the confusion around End Times. He explicitly states that no one knows the time and hour, and that everyone will be taken by surprise. He also heavily warns that many false prophets and Christs will appear performing miracles and claiming to be Christ himself. All of these confusing facts make it basically impossible to know when End Times are coming or what it will look like when we are in them. Why would God make it so confusing for us? Probably either because the information was just way to advanced and amazing for us to handle or understand, or because it wasn't in our best interests to know it all perfectly. My guess would be a little bit of both, but who knows? All I know is that I trust God. If He didn't want us to know, then I don't want to know!

• To add to the confusion, we have the differing texts. End Times are prophesied about in basically every section of the Bible. We usually automatically think about Revelation, but that is far from the only book discussing them. However, each book uses a different method to convey the truths that they know about End Times. Revelation is widely believed to contain a decent amount of metaphors. Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, Joel, Amos and the other prophets are all fairly similar and are thought to be written in the same style that the Messianic prophecies (prophecies of Jesus’ birth and life) are written in. Then we have the prophecies straight from the mouth of Jesus. The prophecies from God in the Pentateuch, and the prophecies sprinkled throughout the New Testament letters. The end result of this is that it can be hard to determine what exactly is being referred to (which prophecies are even about end times specifically) and whether or not the book is written in metaphors. Scholars have spent lifetimes trying to map out what end times will look like, and yet there is still so much to be learned. 

Take heart though. End times is confusing, but it's not because it's imperfect or chaotic. Think of it like the Egyptian language of hieroglyphics. People correctly guessed tiny parts of it here and there, but most of it was a complete mystery for ages. It wasn't until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone that we finally unlocked to key to understanding the ancient Egyptian language. The Egyptian language wasn't chaotically confusing, it was sensible and ordered. We just didn't have the key to understand it yet. In a similar fashion, plans for End Times are not confusing or chaotic, it just can feel that way sometimes because only God holds the key to fully understanding it as of now. Eventually, we will know for sure that we are in End Times. Until then, we must seek God for our answers.

So in our modern world where every earthquake, asteroid, or war sends people screaming cries of End Times all over the internet, are their claims founded? Could the times that Jesus warned of really be upon us? It COULD be, but it also definitely might not be. To boldly claim one or the other would be to take the extreme risk of teaching falsely (a high offense as teachers of the Truth are held to a higher standard of judgement.)

Here are some notable, current things that people are claiming match up with the prophecies:

1. Climate change; specifically the Euphrates River being severely dry. (Isaiah 11:15)

2. A giant nearby asteroid, Apophis, is making a record-breaking close orbit to Earth within the next five years. (Revelation 8-9, Matthew 24:29)

3. War in Israel is a major sign of End Times. Israel will be “scattered” and “regathered” and then attacked from the north. Many people have different theories about how this is exactly what is happening. A quick Google search will tell you more. (Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah)

4. A dramatic amount of seismic activity. (Mark 13)

Be on guard. Be on guard against those who preach End Times with certainty or make big assumptions and statements. Do not be fooled, no one really knows when it’s going to happen. Yes we have many signs being fulfilled, but that isn’t anything really that new. Yes it’s been 2000 years since Christ, but that could mean anything. I have no idea what God’s got planned for that specific fun fact. Israel has been attacked or at war for thousands of years. People have been claiming signs of End Times for ages. Yet also be on guard for the possibility of the End. Jesus clearly told us to remain alert and awake, prepared for the End whenever it comes. Do not get worked up or easily believe anything other than the Bible. Even other people’s interpretations of it are dangerous to fully believe, no matter how scholarly or trustworthy they are. Likewise, be careful not to fall into complacency. Be alert and watchful, ready at any moment should that be the time that was prophesied about. 

Are we in end times? God only knows. 

What will end times look like? God only knows.

Which of the claims and teachings we hear are from God versus from false teachers? God only knows. 

So it’s Him we must rely on! 

Comment below thoughts or questions you have about the end times! I personally am so interested to see how God's going to tie it all together and which scholars were right about which things! What do you think will happen???