Predictions of the World’s End

“For thousands of years prophets of gloom have been predicting that the world was about to end.”​—Premonitions: A Leap Into the Future.

IN 1033, just 1,000 years after the death of Christ, the inhabitants of Burgundy, France, were in great fear because it was predicted that the world would end that year. Expectations of doom were heightened when an unusual number of destructive thunderstorms and a severe famine occurred. Large crowds engaged in public displays of repentance.

A few decades earlier, as the thousandth year from Christ’s birth approached (according to the chronology then accepted), many believed the world’s end was at hand. Artistic and cultural activity in Europe’s monasteries is said to have nearly ground to a halt. Eric Russell observed in his book Astrology and Prediction: “‘Seeing that the end of the world is now approaching’ was a fairly common formula in wills executed during the second half of the tenth century.”

Martin Luther, who started the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, predicted that the world’s end was near in his day. According to one authority, he stated: “For my part, I am sure that the day of judgment is just around the corner.” Another writer explained: “By correlating historical events with Biblical prophecies Luther could announce the nearness of the final cataclysm.”

In the 19th century, William Miller, who is generally credited with the founding of the Adventist Church, predicted that Christ would return sometime between March 1843 and March 1844. As a result, some then expected to be taken away to heaven.

In more recent times, a Ukraine-​based religion called the Great White Brotherhood predicted that the world would end on November 14, 1993. In the U.S.A., a radio evangelist, Harold Camping, said the end of the world would come in September 1994. Obviously, these predictions of dates for the world’s end have been wrong.

Has this caused people no longer to believe that the world will end? On the contrary. “The approach of a new millennium in the year 2000,” noted U.S.News and World Report of December 19, 1994, “is unleashing a flood of doomsday prophecies.” The magazine reported that “nearly 60 percent of Americans think the world will end sometime in the future; almost a third of those think it will end within a few decades.”

Why have there been so many predictions regarding the end of the world? Is there good reason to believe it will end?

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?

Can You Trust God’s Promises?

JEHOVAH GOD, our Creator, has always been true to his word. “I have even spoken it,” he said. “I shall also do it.” (Isaiah 46:11) After leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, God’s servant Joshua wrote: “Not a promise failed out of all the good promise that Jehovah had made to the house of Israel; it all came true.”​—Joshua 21:45; 23:14.

From Joshua’s day until the coming of the Messiah, hundreds of prophecies inspired by God were fulfilled. An example is when the rebuilder of Jericho suffered a penalty foretold centuries in advance. (Joshua 6:26; 1 Kings 16:34) Yet another is the promise, seemingly impossible to fulfill, that the starving inhabitants of Samaria would receive plenty of food to eat on the day following the prediction. In 2 Kings chapter 7, you can read how God fulfilled that promise.

Rise and Fall of World Powers

God inspired Bible writers to record details about the rise and fall of world powers. For example, God used his prophet Isaiah to foretell the overthrow of mighty Babylon nearly 200 years before it happened. In fact, the Medes, who became aligned with the Persians, were named as the conquerors. (Isaiah 13:17-19) Yet more remarkable, God’s prophet named the Persian king Cyrus as the one who would take the lead in the conquest, even though Cyrus had not even been born when the prophecy was recorded! (Isaiah 45:1) But there is more.

The prophet Isaiah also foretold how the conquest of Babylon would be accomplished. He wrote that the city’s protecting waters, the river Euphrates, ‘must be dried up’ and that “the gates [of Babylon] will not be shut.” (Isaiah 44:27–45:1) These specific details were fulfilled, as the historian Herodotus reported.

While Babylon was still supreme, God also used his prophet Daniel to tell about the world powers that would follow her. Daniel had a vision of a symbolic two-​horned ram that succeeded in conquering all other “wild beasts.” Leaving no question as to whom the two-​horned ram represented, Daniel wrote that it “stands for the kings of Media and Persia.” (Daniel 8:1-4, 20) Indeed, just as foretold, Medo-​Persia became the next world power when it conquered Babylon in 539 B.C.E.

In this vision from God, Daniel next saw “a male of the goats [with] a conspicuous horn between its eyes.” Daniel continued his description: ‘I saw it coming into close touch with the ram, and it struck down the ram and broke its two horns, and the ram proved to have no deliverer. And the male of the goats put on great airs; but as soon as it became mighty, the great horn was broken, and there came up four instead of it.’​—Daniel 8:5-8.

God’s Word does not leave any question as to what all of this means. Note the explanation: “The hairy he-​goat stands for the king of Greece; and as for the great horn that was between its eyes, it stands for the first king. And that one having been broken, so that there were four that finally stood up instead of it, there are four kingdoms from his nation that will stand up, but not with his power.”​—Daniel 8:21, 22.

History shows that this “king of Greece” was Alexander the Great. After his death in 323 B.C.E., his empire was eventually split up among four of his generals​—Seleucus I Nicator, Cassander, Ptolemy I, and Lysimachus. Just as the Bible had foretold, “there were four that finally stood up instead.” As also foretold, none of these ever had the power that Alexander had. Indeed, so remarkable have been the fulfillments that such Bible prophecies have been called “history written in advance.”

The Messiah Promised

God not only promised a Messiah to deliver humans from the effects of sin and death but also provided scores of prophecies to identify that Promised One. Consider only a few of these, prophecies that Jesus could not have arranged to fulfill.

It was foretold hundreds of years in advance that the Promised One would be born in Bethlehem and that he would be born of a virgin. (Compare Micah 5:2 and Matthew 2:3-9; Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:22, 23.) It was prophesied that he would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. (Zechariah 11:12, 13; Matthew 27:3-5) It was also foretold that not a bone of his body would be broken and that lots would be cast for his garments.​—Compare Psalm 34:20 and John 19:36, Psalm 22:18 and Matthew 27:35.

Especially significant is the fact that the Bible foretold when the Messiah would come. God’s Word prophesied: “From the going forth of the word to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Leader, there will be seven weeks, also sixty two weeks.” (Daniel 9:25) According to the Bible, the word to restore and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem was given in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, which secular history indicates was in the year 455 B.C.E. (Nehemiah 2:1-8) These 69 weeks of years ended 483 years later (7 x 69 = 483), in 29 C.E. That was the very year Jesus was baptized and was anointed with holy spirit, becoming the Messiah, or Christ!

Significantly, the people in Jesus’ day were expecting the Messiah to appear at that time, as the Christian historian Luke noted. (Luke 3:15) Roman historians Tacitus and Suetonius, Jewish historian Josephus, and Jewish philosopher Philo Judaeus also testified to this state of expectation. Even Abba Hillel Silver, in his book A History of Messianic Speculation in Israel, acknowledges that “the Messiah was expected around the second quarter of the first century C.E.” This, he said, was because of “the popular chronology of that day,” derived in part from the book of Daniel.

In view of such information, it should not be surprising that the Bible would also indicate when the Messiah would return to begin his kingly rule. Chronological evidence contained in the prophecy of Daniel pinpointed the very time that “the Most High” would hand earth’s rulership over to “the lowliest one of mankind,” Jesus Christ. (Daniel 4:17-25; Matthew 11:29) A period of “seven times,” or seven prophetic years, is mentioned, and this period has been calculated to have run out in the year 1914.a

No Date Given for the End

The year 1914, however, is the date only for the beginning of Christ’s rule “in the midst of [his] enemies.” (Psalm 110:1, 2; Hebrews 10:12, 13) The Bible book of Revelation reveals that at the time that Christ’s rule in heaven would begin, he would hurl Satan the Devil and his angels down to the earth. Before he would put these wicked spirit persons out of existence, the Bible says, they would cause a great deal of trouble on the earth for “a short period of time.”​—Revelation 12:7-12.

Importantly, the Bible does not provide a date for when this “short period of time” would end and when Christ would act as Executioner of God’s enemies at Armageddon. (Revelation 16:16; 19:11-21) In fact, as noted in the preceding article, Jesus said to keep ready because no human knows the date for that event. (Mark 13:32, 33) When someone goes beyond what Jesus said, as did early Christians in Thessalonica and others after them, there will be false, or inaccurate, predictions.​—2 Thessalonians 2:1, 2.

Correction of Viewpoint Needed

Prior to the latter part of the year 1914, many Christians expected Christ to return at that time and to take them away to heaven. Thus, in a discourse given on September 30, 1914, A. H. Macmillan, a Bible Student, stated: “This is probably the last public address I shall ever deliver because we shall be going home [to heaven] soon.” Clearly, Macmillan was mistaken, but that was not the only unfulfilled expectation he or his fellow Bible Students had.

Bible Students, known since 1931 as Jehovah’s Witnesses, also expected that the year 1925 would see the fulfillment of marvelous Bible prophecies. They surmised that at that time the earthly resurrection would begin, bringing back faithful men of old, such as Abraham, David, and Daniel. More recently, many Witnesses conjectured that events associated with the beginning of Christ’s Millennial Reign might start to take place in 1975. Their anticipation was based on the understanding that the seventh millennium of human history would begin then.

These erroneous views did not mean that God’s promises were wrong, that he had made a mistake. By no means! The mistakes or misconceptions, as in the case of first-​century Christians, were due to a failure to heed Jesus’ caution, ‘You do not know the time.’ The wrong conclusions were due, not to malice or to unfaithfulness to Christ, but to a fervent desire to realize the fulfillment of God’s promises in their own time.

Consequently, A. H. Macmillan explained later: “I learned that we should admit our mistakes and continue searching God’s Word for more enlightenment. No matter what adjustments we would have to make from time to time in our views, that would not change the gracious provision of the ransom and God’s promise of eternal life.”

Indeed, God’s promises can be trusted! It is humans who are prone to error. Therefore, true Christians will maintain a waiting attitude in obedience to Jesus’ command. They will keep awake and ready for Christ’s inevitable coming as God’s Executioner. They will not allow false predictions to dull their senses and cause them to ignore the true warning of the world’s end.

What, then, about the belief that this world will end? Is there really evidence that it will occur shortly, within your lifetime?

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Specific details were foretold about the fall of Babylon

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Jesus could not have arranged to fulfill many of the prophecies about himself

Is the Foretold End of the World Near?

THE Detroit Free Press Magazine of February 6, 1994, noted: “Apocalyptic dreams became an obsession with the dawn of the nuclear age. After the incineration of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, it was obvious to everyone: Now the world really could end!”

Last December, Charles B. Strozier, a New York psychoanalyst and professor of history, said: “We no longer need poets to tell us it could all end with a bang, or a whimper, or in the agony of AIDS.” In fact, he added: “It now takes an active imagination not to think about human endings.”

Since Jesus Christ taught that the world would end, can we determine from his teachings whether the end is really near?

The End​—When?

Jesus’ disciples asked him for a “sign” to identify when this world, or system of things, would end. “When will these things be,” they inquired, “and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?” (Matthew 24:3) You can check “the sign” Jesus gave in answer to this question. It is recorded in the Bible in Matthew chapter 24, Mark chapter 13, and Luke chapter 21. Some of the major events making up that sign are as follows:

GREAT WARS: “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24:7) We have certainly seen this part of the sign fulfilled. “The First World War [beginning in 1914] was the first ‘total’ war,” noted one historian. Yet, World War II was many times worse, claiming some 50 million victims. And war continues to ravage the earth.

FOOD SHORTAGES: “There will be food shortages.” (Matthew 24:7) World War I was followed by terrible famine, and since then famine has continued to run rampant in many parts of the earth. Even in wealthier nations, hunger and malnutrition are widespread.

GREAT EARTHQUAKES: “There will be great earthquakes.” (Luke 21:11) Consider only a few major ones: 1920, China, 200,000 killed; 1923, Japan, 143,000 lives lost; 1970, Peru, 66,800 killed; and 1976, China, 240,000 (some say 800,000) casualties. A specialist in earthquake-​proof engineering called the 1976 China quake “the greatest earthquake disaster in the history of mankind.”

DISEASE: “In one place after another pestilences.” (Luke 21:11) Right after World War I, some 21 million people died of the Spanish flu. Science Digest reported: “In all history there had been no sterner, swifter visitation of death.” Since then, heart disease, cancer, AIDS, and many other maladies have killed hundreds of millions.

CRIME: “Increasing of lawlessness.” (Matthew 24:12) In many lands crime is out of control. Murder, robbery, rape, terrorism, corruption— daily we hear about such crimes or we experience them ourselves.

Other Bible prophecies also foretold conditions that would exist in the last days. For example, in the book of Revelation, there is the vision of the ride of four horsemen. (Revelation 6:1-8) The first horseman pictures Jesus himself as conquering King. The other riders with their steeds picture happenings on earth that mark the beginning of Jesus’ reign: war, famine, and untimely death through various means.

Still other Bible prophecies describe attitudes and situations that would be prevalent during “the final age of this world.” Consider what an apostle of Jesus wrote. When you read this prophecy, ask yourself: Does this not describe exactly the troubled times of today?

“The final age of this world,” the apostle wrote, “is to be a time of troubles. Men will love nothing but money and self; they will be arrogant, boastful, and abusive; with no respect for parents, no gratitude, no piety, no natural affection; they will be implacable in their hatreds, scandal-​mongers, intemperate and fierce, strangers to all goodness, traitors, adventurers, swollen with self-​importance. They will be men who put pleasure in the place of God, men who preserve the outward form of religion, but are a standing denial of its reality.”​—2 Timothy 3:1-5, The New English Bible.

Another important prophecy regarding the world’s end is the one that promises that God will “bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” (Revelation 11:18) Humans in previous generations never had the technological capacity to ruin the earth, but they do now. And today new technologies are playing a major part in polluting the environment. In November 1992, newspapers carried headlines like this: “Top Scientists Warn of Earth’s Destruction.”

Recognize True Prophecy

There can be no question about it. All the things that the Bible foretold would happen during “the final age,” or “the conclusion of the system of things,” are occurring right now. We are seeing true prophecy in the course of fulfillment, and it is vital that we give heed to it. Jesus showed this in describing the situation in the days of Noah, “a preacher of righteousness,” shortly before the world of that time ended.​—2 Peter 2:5.

Jesus explained: “As they were in those days before the flood, eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; and they took no note until the flood came and swept them all away, so the presence of the Son of man will be.” (Matthew 24:38, 39) When true prophecy is ignored, the consequences are disastrous.

Perhaps you say, ‘Yes, I believe these Bible prophecies; the end will come someday, but it’s quite some time off.’ Yet, are you sure? Should you not heed the warning now?

Warnings That Should Be Heeded

Obviously, some warnings are without basis, and it would be foolish to heed them. But others are not. Just because many, including prominent members of a community, belittle a warning, that is no reason to ignore it. Consider an example.

It was March 1902, and on the beautiful Caribbean island of Martinique, volcanic Mount Pelée became active. By April, smoke, ash, and bits of rock belched forth along with acrid fumes. The citizens of St. Pierre, located about five miles [8 km] away, became apprehensive. “The city is covered with ashes,” one resident wrote. “Many of the people are obliged to wear wet handkerchiefs to protect themselves from the strong fumes.”

Early in May the volcanic activity increased. The local newspaper said: “The rain of ashes never ceases . . . The passing of carriages is no longer heard in the streets. The wheels are muffled.” The heat was suffocating.

Then, on May 5, the volcano sent forth a flow of scalding material that killed dozens of people in its path. But what did city leaders say?

The sugarcane harvest was approaching, and businessmen assured the people that there was no great danger. The politicians too, concerned with the upcoming election on May 10, did not want the people to flee. So they also tried to squelch the people’s fears. Moreover, the clergy cooperated with the business and political groups and persuaded their parishioners not to leave.

Then it happened. On May 8, shortly before 8:00 a.m., Mount Pelée exploded with a stupendous roar. Gigantic, superheated black clouds raced with unbelievable speed down toward St. Pierre. The hot gas quickly extinguished thousands of lives. Practically everyone in St. Pierre died​—some 30,000 or more persons. The lone person to survive was a young prisoner in a dungeon at the bottom of the prison.

The Situation Today

Similarly today, there are many who belittle the evidence that Bible prophecies are in the course of fulfillment. They refuse to heed evidence that should be convincing to any reasonable person that the end of this system is near. Yet, the Bible even foretold their attitude, saying: “In the last days there will come ridiculers with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires and saying: ‘Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep in death, all things are continuing exactly as from creation’s beginning.’”​—2 Peter 3:3, 4.

But today’s ridiculers are mistaken. The fact is, things have changed. Bible prophecies are being fulfilled. The evidence that the end is near is overwhelming.

Wisely, you should not put off lifesaving action. But what do you need to do?

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U.S. National Archives photo

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WHO/​E. Hooper

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WHO photo by W. Cutting