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The End of the World
By Chris Schang
One of the most interesting yet frightening subjects for students of Bible Prophecy is whether the end of the world takes place at the end of the current age. Despite the notion that the world ends in popular fiction books, the Bible declares that the world will not end. Many people have been caught up in the writings of Nostradamus, Edward Cayce, Islam, Hindu, and many other soruces. Many myths prevail from one religion to another about the coming "end of the world" and the disasters that come along with it. While it is true that the Bible does mention several "new earths" in the scriptures (see Genesis 1-2, Genesis 3-8, Genesiss 9-Rev.19, Rev. 20 and Isaiah 65, and Rev. 21-22) since the time of Creation, the Bible assures us that the Earth is never totally destroyed. With today's fears of global warming, over-population, nuclear wars, etc. it is no wonder that many people are preoccupied with the end of the world.
While the earth never ends, at the end of the seven year tribulation period for example the Bible states that the earth will undergo a "renovation" of sorts that makes it ready for the one thousand year reign of the Lord Jesus Chris from the throne of David in Jerusalem. After the horrible effects of the Tribulation period it is understandable that the earth would need to be "renovated" to make it inhabitable by mankind during the Millennium Kingdom. With the destruction of great amounts of the trees and water, a renovation of the earth will help restore the effects of God's punishment upon unrepentant mankind during the Tribulation period. These judgments issued by god as he pours out his wrath have been the subject of many of Hollywood's latest movies such as 2012, etc. With graphic and amazing special effects, mankind has produced movies that vary from the biblical record. The end of the world is often portrayed as the destruction of mankind and the world due to the unleashing of weapons of mass destruction like the nuclear bombs. The typical scenario is that the once large population of earth is utterly destroyed leaving only a small number of people left on earth to "pick up the pieces" and move forward. Some end of the world scenarios involve the destruction of everything on earth including mankind. However, the Bible tells us that Jesus Chris will not allow the complete and utter destruction of the world as we know. The Bible does tell us that if Jesus did not intervene at the end of the Tribulation period that no flesh would remain. While the reality is that things will get very serious on earth, the rapture of the church will be responsible for the sudden dsiappearance of millions upon millions of people as God begins his seven year Tribulation that is often referred to as the "time of Jabob's trouble" as God pours out his wrath upon disbeleiving Israel and unrepentant sinners who have rejected the salvation that God provides through the Lord Jesus Christ.
So for these reasons believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who have placed their faith in his completed work on the Cross will not have to worry about any of the end of the world scenarios. God has provided ample evidence through his Holy Word that those who are righteous will not be subject to his wrath. This is why believers can take great pause and comfort in knowing that we will be raptured before the end of the world scenarios plays out.
As we see the end times signs all around us, the Bible encourages us to keep looking up, for our redemption is drawing nigh.
God bless!
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