How this world ends…
People have been speculating for thousands of years about how the world will end. They have claimed it will end because of aliens, supervolcanoes, a pandemic, an asteroid event, and so forth. Most recently, they are saying Artificial Intelligence (AI) and climate change pose a great danger to humanity as a whole. What most don’t look at is what the Word of God says. The Earth was flooded in Genesis, and it will be burned by fire in the book of Revelation.
What if you don’t think the Word of God is inerrant or that Christianity is true? Well, it is. The homepage of this website proves that God exists and that Jesus Christ is God. This post proves that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God:
Is the Bible accurate?
Given that Jesus Christ is the one and only God (an explanation of why is provided on the home page), I have wondered whether the Bible is entirely accurate or whether sinful humans have distorted its message (the 66 books of the Bible), just as there are many different versions of the Bible and other religions. It is clearly the former, primarily based on the sheer number of existing manuscripts and the fact that the Bible is the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit. God is sovereign, and therefore, His Word is perfect…
Therefore, the book of Revelation in the Bible must be true.
Depicted below is a timeline of what will happen during the End Times of this current world all the way until the New Heaven and New Earth arrive (the eternal state). It is important to note that this is my interpretation of Scripture, which could be wrong, and people have many different views on how it will all play out—but there are some largely shared commonalities.
It is just an overview, so if you want further details on these topics, plenty of information is available on the internet—in addition to the most important and accurate book, the Bible.
Pre-Tribulation Premillennial Dispensational View
1. Present Church Age – This time period spans from the Day of Pentecost (around 50 days after Easter, roughly 33 A.D.) until the Rapture of the Church. This is our current place on the timeline.
2. The Rapture of the Church, according to my interpretation, is before the start of the Tribulation. Therefore, it is referred to as the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church, Pre-Trib Rapture, Pre-Trib viewpoint, etc. Note: I personally think only believers who fall under the Church of Philadelphia will be Raptured:
Will only the Church of Philadelphia be Raptured?
The Rapture of the Church will take place. While the timing has always been a controversial topic, the question of who will be Raptured has not been addressed as much. Will the entire church be Raptured? Is the Church of Philadelphia the only church that will be Raptured? Find out my take on what the Church of Philadelphia, within the context of Revelation, really means…
In this event, perhaps millions—maybe even billions—of people will suddenly vanish. If you think this sounds like science fiction and is difficult to accept, you might be surprised. God created the universe out of nothing and man out of dust, so it is entirely plausible that He, as an infinitely powerful God, could make people vanish. There are popular movies and books, such as the Left Behind series, that have even attracted non-believers.
3. The Tribulation is the next event on the timeline. The time between the Rapture of the Church and the start of the Tribulation is unknown. It could be days, weeks, months, or even years. However, one would assume it would be relatively soon after the Rapture, as chaos will ensue and the End Times timeline as a whole will accelerate. The beginning of the Tribulation will be marked by Daniel 9:27. This is when the final Antichrist of the world will sign a peace treaty with Israel. He will make a covenant for one week, or one seven, which is seven years. This false sense of peace will not last long. After the false peace seen in the First Seal, Seal Two unleashes a global war:
The seven-year Tribulation is composed of the Seven Seals, Seven Trumpets, and Seven Bowls judgments in that chronological order, which I won’t discuss here, but there is plenty of information available online.
4. The Mark of the Beast – Taking the “Mark” on your right hand or forehead will mean that you are pledging your allegiance to the Antichrist (the first beast). The false prophet is the second beast and the spokesman for the first beast. You cannot accidentally take this “Mark.” If you willingly take it, you are doomed forever. You will end up in Hades and eventually be thrown into the Lake of Fire for all of eternity. This page offers more info:
What is the Mark of the Beast?
The common phrase “Mark of the Beast” seems to be ubiquitous when talking about the end times. People have even gone so far as to say that COVID-19 is the “Mark of the Beast,” but it is not. Rather, it seems to be a precursor leading up to what will truly be the “Mark of the Beast.” When the Antichrist comes to impersonate Christ and rule the world, he will require all of his followers to take a mark and worship him. The “Mark of the Beast” will occur at the midpoint of the Tribulation.
This is also midway through the Tribulation (3.5 years after the start), in which the Antichrist breaks the seven-year covenant, putting an end to Jewish sacrifices. It is called the “abomination of desolation.” He will set up an image of himself to be worshipped in the temple, and this is when no one can buy or sell without taking the “Mark of the Beast.” You will have to worship the Antichrist, and this is when his real intentions are revealed.
5. End of Tribulation – The Tribulation ends when the seven-year period is officially over. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ takes place at this time. Though He is both Lion and Lamb, He will return not as a sacrificed lamb, but as a lion to execute justice and conquer. He will come with His army of saints to defeat His enemies at the Battle of Armageddon. There is also a judgment of the sheep and goats to determine who will enter the Millennium. Only believers will enter the Millennium.
6. The Millennium will be a period of 1,000 years in which Christ and believers will reign with Him. It will be peaceful, holy, exhibit perfect justice, animals will be calm, etc. God will rule with a rod of iron. However, those who enter the period with their old bodies will still have a sinful nature. They will have children, and their sinful nature will be passed down to the next generation. Therefore, sin is not totally eradicated. Read more here: https://jesuschrististheking.com/sin-during-the-millennial-reign/.
7. The Great White Throne Judgment: This is when unbelievers not found in the “Book of Life” will be judged for what they have done. Because these people did not put their faith in Christ, they will not be forgiven of their sins and will ultimately be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity.
As with Heaven, some people believe in different levels of torment. This is what I believe because it logically makes sense—God is just—and, more importantly, the Bible says that people will be judged according to what they have done. Unfortunately, the Bible indicates that most people will go to the Lake of Fire. This verse is supporting evidence for such a claim:
God is infinitely loving, yet He is also a God of justice who hates sin. If it wasn’t such a big deal to commit sins against God, why would He have had to send Jesus Christ to die for us? Why would He have had to send an infinite God in human flesh to pay for our finite sins? He is a God of justice who doesn’t play games. He offers plenty of mercy and grace, alongside a standard by which His creation must live.
8. The New Heaven and New Earth – God will create a New Heaven and a New Earth. The old Heaven and Earth will pass away:
This is where believers will dwell with God forever. This place will be free from the curse of sin. There will be no more pain, death, or tears. It will be absolutely incredible—words cannot describe how good it will be. The New Jerusalem will come down from Heaven, making it literally Heaven on Earth. Here is a post about the New Heaven and New Earth:
What will the New Heaven and New Earth be like?
When people think of Heaven, they think of a cloud-filled place somewhere above and beyond this universe where there are angels, people singing and playing instruments like harps, and complete tranquility. There are many misconceptions and circulated myths surrounding this topic. Humans have created their own versions of Heaven, as is the case with all other invented religions. They often don’t…
How close are we to the Tribulation?
With everything going on in the world right now and how it applies to our lives, there is the question: How close are we to the Tribulation?
One can make an educated guess—that could be wrong—based on what is going on around the world.
Here is why the world as it is right now is leading up to the first Four Seals (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse):
Note: This timeline doesn’t include all events, such as the Battle of Gog and Magog and the Battle of Armageddon.
All of these things are happening globally and converging at once:
1. There is an overall increase in problems (e.g., climate change, politics, economics, religion, moral decay, wars, pestilence, etc.). Someone needs to rise to power and save the world. How about the final Antichrist?
2. Rumors of wars and wars are intensifying (e.g., Israel vs. enemies, Iran vs. U.S., Russia vs. Ukraine, Russia vs. U.S., China vs. Taiwan, etc.).
3. The global debt exceeds 300 trillion dollars, while the U.S. dollar, the world’s reserve currency, is rapidly losing value. Revelation 6:6 indirectly addresses these types of global economic crises. Based on the third seal alone, we know we must be drawing close.
4. COVID-19 is still recent. Sure, there have been pestilences throughout history, but they are intensifying. If you want more information, read Mark Hitchcock’s book, Corona Crisis: Plagues, Pandemics, and the Coming Apocalypse. Famine is also a problem, given the increasing global instability and large global population. One-fourth of the Earth’s inhabitants will die during the fourth seal.
Thanks for reading this post!