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What Does the Bible Say About..The End of the World?

I've heard that a lot of people have said that the world will be ending soon. But I have heard so many different reasons why the world is ending. One of my friends said that the world is not beginning to end because in the Bible it says that there will be a Big Wave, the Tsunami Wave, and flooding and a freezover, which there have been many floods and some ice. Other things I have heard is that the Mayan Calendar ends on the year 2012, so that means that the world will end in 2007. And one other is that the world will end in 2007 because of Armageddon. But all this predicting of when the world ends is scaring me. I'm only 15 and I don't want to die yet. I am a Christian and I do believe in God and I do want to go to Heaven, but not yet. So would you tell me the information you have on this? Thank you!

Answer

I have always liked what my mother says about predictions of the end of the world. “I don’t know when the world will end, but I think I know when it won’t. It won’t end any time someone predicts it will. God wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of being right.” Jesus put it, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” (Matthew 24:36) Anyone who says they know when the world will end is calling Jesus a liar.

There have always been people who say they know when that time will be. One founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Judge Rutherford, predicted three different dates for Jesus to return. When it didn’t happen the last of the three dates he said that it really happened, we just didn’t see it. I read an article in 1971 that said that Billy Graham predicted the world would end in 1974. Needless to say, that didn’t happen either. Lately I have been hearing about 2007. (I answered that date at What Does the Bible Say About..The World Ending in 2007?".) The Mayan calendar would have nothing to do with showing when Jesus would return. Some do say that tidal waves, freezing, wars, and other events are signs of the end of the world. This is despite the fact that Jesus said there would be no signs of the end. (Please see my answer at What Does the Bible Say About..The End of the World?".)

Now I must answer the other part of your comments, that you are not ready to go to heaven just yet. I know how you feel. The truth is, though, that we should be prepared at all times. If you have not yet had any of your friends die you are indeed fortunate. I have known of many people about your age who thought they would live much longer but died of illness or accident. Some of them weren’t ready. Some had provided for that possibility by living daily as if it were their last. For my article on just this idea, please go to "One Day Before Death".

Note: Since it is now past the year 2007 (Gregorian), those who predicted the end of the world in that year may add their names to the long list of false prophets.