Why Many Believe the World Will End

THE world truly is in a desperate situation, as many today quickly acknowledge. “I have asked people from various parts of the world what they think of our chances for the future,” the evangelist Billy Graham wrote. “Most of them have a pessimistic view. . . . Constantly the words ‘Armageddon’ and ‘Apocalypse’ are used to describe events on the world scene.”

Why are the words “Armageddon” and “Apocalypse” often used to describe today’s situation? What is their significance?

Biblical Origins

The Bible speaks of “the war of the great day of God the Almighty” and relates this war to the place “called in Hebrew Har–Magedon,” or Armageddon. (Revelation 16:14-16) Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines Armageddon as “a final and conclusive battle between the forces of good and evil.”

Although “apocalypse” is from a Greek word that means “revelation,” or “unveiling,” it has taken on another meaning. The Bible book of Revelation, or Apocalypse, highlights God’s destruction of the wicked and the Thousand Year Reign of his Son, Jesus Christ. (Revelation 19:11-16; 20:6) Thus, Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines “apocalypse” as “an imminent cosmic cataclysm in which God destroys the ruling powers of evil and raises the righteous to life in a messianic kingdom.”

When people today speak of the world and its situation, they are obviously influenced by what is said in the Bible. What does the Bible actually say about the end of the world?

The Bible and the World’s End

The Bible clearly foretells the end of the world. Jesus Christ and his disciples spoke about the time of the end. (Matthew 13:39, 40, 49; 24:3; 2 Timothy 3:1; 2 Peter 3:3; King James Version) However, they did not mean that the earth itself would be destroyed. Of the literal earth, the Bible says: “It will not be made to totter to time indefinite, or forever.” (Psalm 104:5) The expression “end of the world” means simply “conclusion of the system of things.”​—New World Translation.

The apostle Peter spoke of the world before the Flood in Noah’s day and said: “The world of that time [consisting of ungodly people] suffered destruction when it was deluged with water.” Peter then went on to say that our present world is “reserved to the day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly men.” (2 Peter 3:5-7) The apostle John also wrote: “The world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.”​—1 John 2:17.

During the end of this world, its invisible ungodly ruler will also be put out of the way. (Revelation 20:1-3) The apostle Paul wrote about this evil ruler: “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.” Jesus said of him: “Now shall the prince of this world [Satan the Devil] be cast out.”​—2 Corinthians 4:4; John 12:31; KJ.

Will it not be a blessing to be rid of this world and its wicked ruler? Christians have long prayed for this to happen, asking for God’s Kingdom to come and for his will to be done on earth. They are praying for Jesus Christ to act in obedience to his Father’s command to rid the earth of all wickedness!​—Psalm 110:1, 2; Proverbs 2:21, 22; Daniel 2:44; Matthew 6:9, 10.

However, this raises a question: Could false, or erroneous, predictions of the world’s end have resulted because people predicted a date for this event based on a misunderstanding or misapplication of true Bible prophecies? Let us see.

First-​Century Misunderstandings

Consider what occurred in the first century. When Jesus was about to ascend to heaven, his apostles eagerly asked: “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” They wanted to enjoy all the blessings of the Kingdom right away, but Jesus said: “It does not belong to you to get knowledge of the times or seasons which the Father has placed in his own jurisdiction.”​—Acts 1:6, 7.

Just three days before his death, Jesus had spoken similarly: “Keep on the watch, therefore, because you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” He added: “Concerning that day or the hour nobody knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but the Father. Keep looking, keep awake, for you do not know when the appointed time is.” (Matthew 24:42, 44; Mark 13:32, 33) A few months earlier, Jesus had also encouraged: “Keep ready, because at an hour that you do not think likely the Son of man is coming.”​—Luke 12:40.

Despite such cautions provided by Jesus, early Christians, eager for Christ’s presence and the blessings it would bring, began speculating about when Kingdom promises would be fulfilled. Thus, the apostle Paul wrote the Thessalonians: “Respecting the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we request of you not to be quickly shaken from your reason nor to be excited either through an inspired expression or through a verbal message or through a letter as though from us, to the effect that the day of Jehovah is here.”​—2 Thessalonians 2:1, 2.

Paul’s words indicate that some early Christians had developed erroneous expectations. Although the Christians in Thessalonica may not have predicted a particular date for their ‘being gathered to Christ in heaven,’ they clearly thought that event was at hand. They needed to have their views corrected, and Paul’s letter did this.

Others Also Need Correction

As we noted in the first article, after the first century, others also expected the fulfillment of God’s promises at a particular time. Some made predictions that the end of a thousand years, counting either from Jesus’ birth or from his death, would see the end of the world. But their predictions likewise proved false, or erroneous.

This raises the questions: Have mistakes regarding the fulfillment of Bible promises meant that the promises themselves were wrong? Are God’s promises reliable? And how have modern Christians accepted correction on this matter?