The End Of The World

This article is necessarily lengthy, about 4 pages long.

This Bible Study won*t be enjoyed by everyone. A Christian lady who has enjoyed dozens of my Bible Studies and told me so said she didn*t like this one. Me either!

There is an incredible amount of bad news on TV and radio. They claim they put it on because that is what people want. It must be true because the uglier the news the more people watch and listen. There is a fascination with bad news in the world today. People find bad news interesting.

When the Bible gives bad news the opposite is true. People don*t want to hear it. This Bible Study will give a lot of bad news about unbelievers. The Bible predicts a great deal about future events. Those events are so certain to happen that the Bible reports them in the same tone as it reports events that have already happened.

When I was a child I occasionally saw a cartoon character holding a sign that read The End Is Near. He was always seedy-looking, disheveled and unattractive. In fact he looked like some kind of a nut. He was an outcast and worthy of ridicule. I believed that he was wrong and that the world was never going to end. It turns out he was right and I was wrong. The Bible says that the world is going to end.

We who are Christians don*t have to worry about it. We will be taken out of the world long before it ends. We will be taken out of the world at what is called the Rapture which is described thus:

1 Thessalonians 4:15-16: For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The end of the world will happen 1007 years after the rapture. There will be a 7 year period after the Rapture which is called the Tribulation Period. Horrible judgment will fall on those who were not taken out of the world in the Rapture and those who do not trust Christ during the Tribulation Period. There will be countless people saved during the Tribulation Period but they will be killed for their faith in Christ. I advise you to trust Christ before the Rapture so you can avoid guaranteed Martyrdom. There are a large number of theologians who believe that no one who heard the gospel and rejected it before the Rapture will have an opportunity to hear it during the Tribulation Period. The people who trust Christ during the Tribulation Period will, by their doing so, be signing their death certificate. There won*t be any insincere or half-hearted commitment then.

The Tribulation Period will be followed by a period of 1,000 years called the Millenium. That is a time when Jesus will reign right here on the earth.

Revelation 20:1-3: And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Revelation 5:10: And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Revelation 20:4-7: And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

When the present heavens and earth are destroyed we don*t have to worry about it because God is going to create a new heaven and a new earth.

2 Peter 3:12: Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

Revelation 21:1: And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

The Bible is very specific about many things that will happen during those time periods. I am so thankful that I will not have to suffer the judgment that happens during the Tribulation Period. We are upset when tragedies happen here on earth. Sometimes thousands of people lose their lives and countless others are injured. We haven*t seen anything close to what will happen during the Tribulation Period. Even the millions that have been killed in times of war do not measure up to the events of that horrible period. Twenty-five percent of the world*s population will die in just one judgment. Think of it, there are about 6 billion people in the world today. If there are that many people in the world when that one judgment happens that would be 1 billion, 500 million people killed at one time.

Revelation 6:8: And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Mercifully, John writes about the salvation of countless souls before he goes on writing about more carnage.

Revelation 7:9: After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

The next judgment we shall read about doesn*t even tell the number of how many people die. We can only guess how many people will die when one-third of the grass and trees are burned up, one-third of the oceans become blood, one-third of the ships in the oceans are destroyed, one-third of the rivers and fountains are turned into wormwood and the sun loses one-third of its light. The Bible only says that many men died.

Revelation 8:7-12: The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

In another judgment fully one-third of the population of the earth is killed.

Revelation 9:17: And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

The Bible does not tell us how few or how many people will still be alive on earth when this judgment falls. I*ll pick a number out of my hat. Just say that there are still 3 billion people. That would mean another billion will die in this judgment.

Seven thousand are killed on another occasion in just one city.

Revelation 11:13: And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Even the worshippers of God who refuse to worship the Anti-Christ will die.

Revelation 13:15: And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

During the Tribulation Period there won*t just be death there will be torment. There will be no rest. Believers in Christ will not accept the mark of the beast and they will be killed by the Anti-Christ. Unbelievers who do accept the mark will be judged by God.

Revelation 14:9-11: And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

We are not told how many die in another judgment. The question is How many people would have to die in order to produce a river of blood 3 feet deep and 185 miles long?

Revelation 14:19: And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Revelation 16:2: And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

Revelation 16:3: And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

Revelation 16:8-9: And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

Revelation 16:10: And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,

Revelation 16:21: And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

Revelation 18:8: Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

Revelation 19:17: And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

Revelation 20:7-9: And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

Thank God we believers won*t have to go through any of those things. I am so thankful that we have a blessed hope. I am thankful that there is no condemnation for us. I am thankful that we am not appointed unto wrath.

Titus 2:11-13: For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:9: For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

I believe that everyone who reads any portion of the Bible is blessed. God goes out of his way to say that anyone who reads the book of Revelation is blessed. I suspect he knew that many of the faint-hearted would not finish the book.

Revelation 1:3: Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

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