IS THE END NEAR? - "THE END WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

When you hear the words "The end is near!" What comes to mind? Do you think of a wild-eyed preacher thundering from the pulpit and gesturing dramatically, Bible in hand? Or do you picture a bearded old man standing on a street corner, wearing a long robe tied at the waist with a rope, holding a sign bearing a dooms-day message?  Imagining such scenes may make some people feel concerned, while others may feel skeptical or even amused. 

The Bible does state: "The end will come." (Matthew 24:14)  The same event is also called "the great day of God" and "Armageddon." (Revelation 16:14, 16) True, there is much religious confusion on the subject and strange, gloomy notions abound. Nonetheless, the Bible itself is quite clear about the end-revealing what it is and what it is not. God's Word also helps us to see clearly whether the end is near. Best of all, it teaches us how to survive!  First, though, let us clear up  some misconceptions and establish a definition. What does "the end" really mean according to the Bible? 

WHAT THE END IS NOT

1. THE END IS NOT AN EPIC, FLAMING DESTRUCTION OF THE EARTH.

The Bible states:  "[God]  has established the earth on its foundation; it will not be moved from its place forever and ever." (Psalm 104:5)  That scripture and others assure us that God will neither destroy the earth nor allow it to be destroyed-ever! -Ecclesiastes 1:4; Isaiah 45:18. 

Note: If you have heard otherwise, do not believe that garbage, that is just another way of Satan trying to pull people away from God. Remember, Satan will do anything to accomplish that, including putting ideas in movie writer's heads for a movie that has evil in it. That is his way of getting people to worship him. BEWARE! I  am serious as a heart attack here. I know of what I speak/write. 

THE END IS NOT A RANDOM UNSCHEDULED EVENT. 

The Bible reveals that the end is scheduled-God has set a specific time for it.  We read:  "Concerning that day or the hour nobody knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but the Father. Keep looking, keep awake, (spiritually) for you do not know when the appointed time is." (Mark 13:32, 33) Clearly, God ("the Father") has scheduled the exact "appointed time" when he will initiate the end. 

Next time: Continue with: IS THE END NEAR? - THE END IS NOT TRIGGERED BY HUMANS OR BY DEBRIS HURLING THROUGH SPACE

From the Watchtower magazine, 2015