Apocalypse: how the Bible describes the end of the world

Apocalypse: how the Bible describes the end of the world

The Bible says that the world as we know it will come to an end. God has promised that he will wipe out all evil and make all things new (Revelation 21:5).

There are reports about the events leading up to the end in several books of the Bible. 'Apocalypse' is a Greek term that means "revelation" and not "end of the world". Therefore, the last book of the Scriptures reports the revelation that Jesus Christ gave about the times of the end, through the apostle John. In addition to the revelations described in this book, we also find prophecies about the end in other books of the Old and New Testaments.

What will the end of the world be like?

The Word of God gives us some certainty about the final events, but not much about how and when it will happen exactly. However, regarding everything it describes, we can have a general overview of what it will be like. The promise most awaited by all Christians is the second coming of Jesus Christ . Countless signs are reported as preceding the Lord's return, and many signs show that we have already experienced some events that precede the end.

The Bible describes the final events as a form of warning and encouragement. Warning to those who do not believe in Christ and live outside of what He taught. And, encouragement to those who accepted the offer of grace by faith, so that they prepare themselves for the suffering they may experience and to persevere until the end, with Jesus Christ.

End of the world is certain, but unpredictable!

The end of this era will happen, but no one knows the day or the hour. The Bible states that the end is near and will be terribly overwhelming. However, we don't know when exactly this will happen (Mark 13:32), only God knows. It's not up to us to try to find out what the date is, but rather to be prepared for it. The Lord will come to seek his own and to destroy the power of evil and its practitioners. For these, it will be a terrible day, of great torment and destruction:

Alerts to Churches

In the book of Revelation, after the introduction and description of Jesus' vision (Ap. 1), a series of recommendations and exhortations begin for the seven Christian churches in Asia. Chapters 3 and 4 are dedicated to encouraging and correcting the conduct of God's people in these localities:

• Ephesus - Return to first love - (Revelation 2:1-7)

• Smyrna - "Do not be afraid!", "be faithful until death, I will give you the crown of life" - (Revelation 2:8-11)

• Pergamum - Divine reproof, invitation to repentance - (Revelation 2:12-17)

• Thyatira - "I know your works, your love... but I have this against you..." (Revelation 2:18-29)

• Sardis - Appearance that he is alive, but he is dead: "Be vigilant..." - (Revelation 3:1-6)

• Philadelphia - Omniscience of Christ: open door and reward for perseverance - (Revelation 3:7-13)

• Laodicea - Being lukewarm does not please God, nor does self-deception: thinking you are rich while being miserable (Revelation 3:14-22)

All the messages sent in the letters to those 1st century churches also serve today, for everyone who belongs to the Church of Christ.

The great Tribulation

The Word of God warns us about difficult times to come. Times of distress, in which false prophets and false Christs will rise, performing false miracles, to try to deceive even the chosen ones. Many of these signs already seem to be happening today and should be even more aggravated in the future. However, Jesus said that this will only be the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:8).

After this, there will come a time of distress never seen before, nor will there be after (Matthew 24:21). The great tribulation is mentioned in the Bible, reporting times of serious difficulties, wars, earthquakes, shortages, famine, environmental changes, pestilences and all sorts of afflictions. The great tribulation will be the greatest sign that precedes the 2nd coming of Jesus.

The culmination of the Tribulation will be a time of tremendous events, never seen before. Everything will happen to test the inhabitants of the earth (Revelation 3:10). There will be punishment for the wickedness and sin of all who decide, resolutely, to rebel against the Creator. But those who accepted the Lord Jesus Christ's offer of grace, even if they suffer, will be spared the final condemnation (

Revelation 7:14-17

).

Some important symbols of Revelation describe events from this period. See some of them below:

The 7 Seals, the 4 horsemen and their horses

In this vision, John describes the opening of each of the seven seals by the Lamb in Heaven. At each opened seal, riders were called with horses of different colors. Each symbolized different types of pain sent to the earth:

These images of great tribulation and destruction are recounted inRevelation 6:1-17It isRevelation 8:1-6.

• The 1st seal represents the victorious Christ who was resurrected and defeated death and hell. Since his resurrection, the entire universe awaits His 2nd triumphant coming, winning and to win.

• The 2nd seal and red horse tell us about the blood spilled on the earth in killings, murders and wars.

• The 3rd seal and the black horse represents the scarcity, hunger and misery that plagues the world.

• The 4th seal and pale horse represent death and hell that claim lives through famine, wars, pestilence and wild beasts of the earth.

• The 5th seal revealed all those who suffered and died for the sake of Christ.

• The 6th seal revealed every change that will occur in the heavens and on earth (earthquakes, eclipse, rain of stars, red moon...). The opening of the last seal showed the prayers of the saints being poured out before the altar of God, and the preparation for the culmination of God's judgment upon the world.

The 7 Trumpets

John saw and described the sounding of trumpets. As with the opening of the seals, with each trumpet sounded by designated angels, different judgments and afflictions will be determined on earth:

Check out the full report atRevelation 8:7-13,Revelation 9:1-21It isRevelation 11:15-19.

The 7 Plagues and the 7 Bowls of God's Wrath

The 7 plagues or scourges (calamities) symbolized here by the bowls, recall the disasters seen in the blowing of trumpets. All who do not repent and do not have their names written in the Book of Life will be tormented with the Wrath of God. John, in his vision, describes the 7 plagues that will affect the inhabitants of the earth:

See the full text about plagues and cups inRevelation 16:1-21.

Many of these events described in John's vision had already been prophesied previously. Earthquakes, plagues, destruction, affliction and darkness are determined for the end times. Isaiah (Isaiah 34:4), Joel (ch. 2 and 3) had already prophesied what Jesus confirmed (Matthew 24), Paul (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:1-11) and John recorded in the book of Revelation (Revelation 6:12-14).

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

After the events of the Great Tribulation, the Bible tells us that the earth , the stars and the stars will undergo changes. It is the ultimate foreshadowing of the second coming of Christ. The cosmic world will be shaken before the glorious arrival of the Lord Jesus Christ:

Then, the sign of Jesus coming in the clouds , with power and glory, will appear in the sky. Surely the King of Glory will come with all authority to seek his (Revelation 24:31) and exercise justice and judgment:

The 3 conspirators

Satan, the Beast and the False Prophet are some of the demonic figures that appear in the book of Revelation. They oppose God and the genuine worship of Him. They will conspire to deceive as many people as possible so that they will not repent and come to faith in Jesus Christ.

• Dragon

The dragon is the ancient serpent, the Devil, Satan (Revelation 12:9). From the beginning its aim is to deceive, steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). It distorts the Word of God and promotes false prophets to deceive people with heresies and misinterpretations of the Bible. He is also the accuser of believers and is furious against the work of God because he knows that his time is short (Revelation 12:12).

• Beast

It is the figure of an agent of Satan, through whom he will exercise his evil power over the earth. There are interpretations that consider that, in the times in which the Apocalypse was written, the Beast would have been the Roman Empire, personified in the figure of Caesar.

But as a symbolic image for future times, the Beast can also be identified with worldly systems, human powers and governments contrary to God. It may also be associated with a more specific person or human leadership.

• False Prophet

It is another instrument of the Devil, used to promote miraculous signs to deceive everyone. Christians have already been warned in advance about the danger of false prophets (Mark 13:22). These are those impostors who have some appearance of truth, but are deceivers, wanting to subvert the divine message.

The False Prophet spoken of in Revelation appears together with the Beast, with the power to do wonderful things to deceive mortals.

Then I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet.They are spirits of demons that perform miraculous signs ; they go to the kings of the whole world, in order to gather them together for the battle of the great day of God almighty.Revelation 16:13-14

The Battle of Armageddon

This will actually be the failed attempt of the powers of darkness to resist the sovereign power of the Lord Jesus Christ. The triad: beast, dragon and the false prophet, with deception, false miracles and signs, will gather the governors of the earth and everyone who has his mark. Together, they will be reunited for the final fight (Revelation 16:13-14).

Then the three spirits gathered them together at the place which, in Hebrew, is called Armageddon .Revelation 16:16

But when they see the greatness of the Lord's power, men will try to flee. Everyone will be desperate, but they will not be able to protect themselves, as they will be completely exposed to the wrath of God:

God's enemies will be punished on the day of the Lord's Revenge for all the oppression, violence and anguish they have caused men to suffer (Jeremiah 46:10). Only with a breath, with a word from the mouth of Christ, will they be struck down.

In the intended battle, God's enemies will be completely massacred by Jesus and His armies:

Then I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse, and against his army.But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs in its name, with which he had deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur.The rest were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the one riding the horse. And all the birds were satisfied with their flesh.Revelation 19:20-21

Evil will be destroyed forever!

God will send punishment against all evil. No injustice or violence will go unpunished forever! Followers and practitioners of evil will be torn to pieces. Furthermore, the accuser of the faithful will be tormented forever in the lake with fire and brimstone:

The final judgement

Everyone will have to account for the final judgment. The books will be opened and each person will be judged by what they have done (or failed to do) in life. Before the White Throne of God's righteous judgment, everyone must appear and hear his sentence.

Those who did not accept being justified by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ will have to pay for their own sins. Condemnation in the lake of fire will be the final destination for all who rejected the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:41).

I also saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done , according to what was recorded in the books.Those whose names were not found in the book of life were thrown into the lake of fire .Revelation 20:12 and 15

The New Jerusalem

There will be new heavens and a new earth. The paradise idealized by many will be surpassed in eternity with Christ. The beauty and harmony described in the Garden of Eden (Genesis) will be reestablished on the new Earth. God will be present among his people forever. Wonderful things (1 Corinthians 2:9) await those who persevere to the end and maintain their faith in Jesus Christ.

All who have their names written in the book of life will have access and an address prepared in the Holy City. They will also have access to the Tree of life and will live forever, serving the Lord (Revelation 22:3). It is worth waiting and trusting because God will fulfill his promises and grant a glorious and eternal future alongside him.

Symbols of the Apocalypse

The book of Revelation portrays Jesus' revelation about the episodes of the End. The apostle John reports the supernatural vision he had, when he was exiled on the island of Patmos, because of his testimony of the Gospel. The images of this vision are described through apocalyptic language - a wealth of metaphors, symbols and figures of destruction. John uses symbolism to describe what he saw and heard from the Lord.

Although difficult, not everything is unknown, there are certain codes that, due to their context, make their meaning very clear. See some examples:

Consider that much of what John described could not be written accurately due to the limitations of human language. However, other symbols may suggest different interpretations.

Regarding the final events, there are 4 different ways of interpreting:

• Preterists , who consider that the prophecies of Revelation have already been fulfilled in the past.

• Futurists understand that all reports of the Apocalypse will happen in the end .

• Historicists interpret that many prophecies are fulfilled throughout history until Jesus returns.

• Idealists believe that the general principles reported in Revelation ( the fight of good against evil) will happen in a spiritual way.

Regarding the Great Tribulation, there are different interpretations regarding the return of Jesus:

• Pre-tribulationists: believe that the 2nd coming will be before the great tribulation

• Mid-tribulationist: believe that rapture will happen in the middle (meso) of the tribulation

• Post-tribulationist: understand that Jesus will return and rapture his people after the great tribulation

In relation to the Millennium (Ap. 20), there are also different lines of interpretation:

• Premillennialism: the Lord’s return will take place before a thousand years

• Postmillennialism: after the millennium

• Amillennialism: those who disregard the thesis of a literal millennium

The Bible does not specifically teach one theory or another. It also does not present an explicit chronological order of future events. Therefore, there is room for different opinions about these final events. But remember that in biblical interpretation, clearer passages bring greater illumination over the more obscure ones.

Deciphering the purpose of the Apocalypse

Despite seeming like a strange book, full of scary things, the Apocalypse tells us about hope . Encourage us to be certain of the final victory of our Lord Jesus Christ against all evil. The Apocalypse was written to motivate Christians of all times to persevere in a sinful world, full of suffering and persecution.

Christians in the first century were able to apply their prophecies in their time, in the persecution and destruction of Jerusalem - in the 70s. And, believers in recent times will also be able to recognize the definitive fulfillment of their prophecies. But in general, Revelation is fundamental and appropriate for all believers , from the first century until the return of Jesus.

"The end will be fulfilled...

This great promise, of the closing of this era, will culminate in the second return of Christ, judgment and condemnation of evil and its allies. This time Jesus will return in glory to seek those who are his to be with them eternally. The wicked world and the empire of darkness will be punished for their deeds and defeated forever. Christ will reign eternally with those who love him and were purchased by his blood.

The final developments, mentioned countless times in the Old and New Testaments (Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, for example) will be confirmed until the end of time. Believers will live eternally with God in the new heavens and the new earth (Revelation 21:3-4).

All peoples, tribes, races, tongues and nations will confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ (Romans 14:11-12). Everyone will have to give an account before the great Judge of the universe. Before Him the people will be separated: on the right their brothers and on the left those who rejected Him in this life. The most hidden and unconfessed secrets will be revealed to everyone.

Don't be afraid of the end!

He who has Jesus as Lord and Savior, and trusts in His Word, does not need to fear the end of time. Just remain firm and persevering in faith. Despite the pressure that Christians usually face to abandon it and take the form of this world, it is worth continuing to walk with Jesus Christ.

"Behold, I come soon! My reward is with me, and I will repay everyone according to what he has done.I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."Happy are those who wash their clothes, and thus have the right to the tree of life and can enter the city through the gates.Revelation 22:12-14

With Him victory is certain! And even if we go through tribulations and suffering, we will face everything with the strength that comes from God. He won and with Christ we will also win! Stand firm and have hope for a glorious future in eternity with God!