People often make predictions regarding the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world. Last year, it was Harold Camping who insisted that the end would come on May 21st. When that day came and went without incident, the date was changed to October 21st, which again came and went without incident. This year we have been told that, according to the Mayan Calendar, the world is supposed to end on December 21st. I guess if we are all reading this article, we know that this prediction has been proven to be false.
The end of the world fascinates many people. Unfortunately, few of these people turn to the Bible to learn what can be known of this event, and many of those who do turn to the Bible rely heavily upon speculation and fascination rather than solid Bible interpretation. What does the Bible have to say concerning the end of the world? Can we know when this will take place, and what events will occur?
1. The Lord Will Return. The Second Coming of Jesus will be one of the most significant events that this world will ever witness. The Lord's return will mark the end of this world and the beginning of eternity.
Note the things that we know about the Lord's return. First, it will be a personal appearance: "This same Jesus..." (Acts 1:11). Second, He will come in the clouds, the same manner in which He was taken up from the disciples on the Mount of Olives (v. 11). Third, it will be seen by all men (Rev. 1:7). Fourth, His return will be announced by "a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God" (1 Thess. 4:16). Fifth, no one knows when the Lord will return. Not even the Lord knew when He would return (Matt. 24:36). Because of this, the Bible says the time of the Lord's return is like a thief in the night. "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Matt. 24:43-44; c.f. 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10).
All of this tells us that the Lord's return will not be in secret, as is claimed by Jehovah Witnesses and Premillenialists. Neither is it predictable, as claimed by various cults and TV evangelists. The Lord will return. We cannot know when it will happen, but all of us will know when it does happen.
2. Resurrection of the Dead. When the Lord returns "the dead in Christ will rise" (1 Thess. 4:16). Our resurrected bodies will be incorruptible, glorious, powerful, spiritual, and completely unlike our natural, earthly, physical bodies (1 Cor. 15:35-50). Any further description of what we will be like after the resurrection is unknown (1 John 3:2).
Premillennialism teaches that there are at least three separate resurrections, but the Bible plainly teaches that there will be one universal resurrection of all of mankind. "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth - those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation" (John 5:28-29). The apostle Paul said, "I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust" (Acts 24:15). Jesus said that there would be one hour in which all who are in the graves, both good and evil, would come forth. Paul said that there will be "a" (singular) resurrection of the dead.
3. Those Who Are Living Will Be Changed. Those who are dead when the Lord returns will be raised with incorruptible, spiritual bodies, but those who are alive at that time will be changed. "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (1 Cor. 15:50-53). Flesh and blood (physical bodies) cannot inherit or enter into a purely spiritual existence. The bodies of those who are still alive will have to be changed into incorruptible, immortal, spiritual bodies. This change will take place after the Lord has appeared and the dead have been raised. It will happen instantaneously, "in the twinkling of an eye."
4. Caught Up To Meet the Lord in the Air. "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:17). After our bodies have been prepared for eternity, we will be taken off of the earth. When the Lord returns, we will meet Him in the air. He will not come to meet us on the earth. The Bible never says that Jesus will ever set foot on the earth again.
5. Earth Destroyed. The Second Coming of Christ will bring the destruction of the earth. "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up... looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?" (2 Pet. 3:10, 12). The heavens will pass away with fire, the elements which make up this physical universe will melt away with fervent heat, and the earth and all that it contains will be burned up. This fire will not be for purging or cleansing. The fire will be one of destruction.
6. Judgment. After the earth is destroyed, all of mankind will be brought before Christ for judgment. "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works" (Rev. 20:11-13). When the world comes to an end, each one of us will face the Lord in judgment. We will be judged by God through Christ (Acts 17:31). We will be judged by the words of Christ (John 12:48). Judgment will be personal and on an individual basis (Rom. 14:10-11; 2 Cor. 5:10). We will be judged according to our own works (Rev. 20:12-13).
The purpose of judgment day will not be to make a decision about our fate. That decision is made by our response to the gospel while we live upon the earth. Judgment day will not be our day in court, a time when we can plead our case or beg for mercy. It will be a day of sentencing and separation.
7. Eternity. The results of judgment will be the beginning of eternity for mankind. "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats... And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matt. 25:31-32, 46). Those who are saved will enter into Heaven with Christ to be delivered to the Father (1 Cor. 15:24; Matt. 10:32). Those who are lost in their sins will depart from Christ and be cast into Hell with the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:15).
Conclusion: "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deut. 29:29). There are many details concerning the Lord's return which remain shrouded from our understanding. However the things that we need to know have been revealed to us so that we can have comfort and make preparation for that great day. We do not know when the Lord will come and bring an end to this world. There are no signs that can alert us to its approach, neither is there anything that we can keep it from happening. We are simply told to "watch" and "be ready" (Matt. 24:42-44). Are you ready for the Lord's return?