12 of 12 Christian Basics: End of the Age

When you hear of someone saying, “The end is near! The world is ending!” what is your reaction?  

I must admit that my first thought is, “What a wacko!” People have been saying for centuries that the world is ending, and here we still are.

Of course, the truth is that for every one of us, the world will end. We are all destined to die, sooner or later. So I guess when we hear “The end is near!” we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss it.

When Jesus promised to be with his followers even to the end of the age, he gave us his word he would not abandon us, no matter what the appearance might be or what might happen.

Christians since the first century have believed that the present age would conclude and a new one would begin. We have some images in the Bible of what that new age might be like. For example, see Revelation 21:1-7. The image is of a blissful, transcendently beautiful life, free of sorrow and pain, at home with God forever.

Also, a part of the Christian image of the end of the age is that there will be a final judgment, in which the “cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars” will be consigned to the “fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)

So how does one know whether one is destined for bliss and beauty or for the fiery lake of the second death?

The Bible indicates that, because of God’s provision, it depends on our human choice—not on fate, not on upbringing, not on destiny, not on someone else’s wishes for us—but on our own choice. “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13).

Jesus was predicting the end of age, the end of “the old order of things.” These are not the words of a wacko. Rather, they are the words of the one who passed through death and into life. The one who spoke these words is trustworthy and true.

Jesus’s statement is not just that the world will one day end. He promised to be with his followers to the very end, after which we will have a close, intimate, face-to-face relationship with the Creator of the universe. Ultimately, even though we may have to pass through despair and pain, the Christian perspective is one of hope and joy—for those who have their “names … written in the Lamb’s book of life.” In this world, Jesus said, “you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). These are the words of one who suffered and died and then came back to life. He overcame the grimmest, most awesome enemy of humankind: death. He promised that we, too, can overcome it if we trust him to do it for us.

The theology of Jesus is that people face an eternal destiny: one of hope and joy; or one of despair and anguish. People who have the opportunity to choose Jesus choose hope and joy. Those who do not choose him choose despair and anguish.

To my dear reader I say, “Choose well!”

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Jesus taught 12 basics of theology in his Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). The twelve are: Jesus’s authority; Jesus’s divine compassion; heaven and earth; reason and faith; go; all nations; make disciples; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; all that I have commanded; with you; surely; and the end of the age (the basic in this article). The first article in the series is here. To follow all of the articles in the series, click on the word “Philosophical” at the beginning of any of the articles.

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You can see the entire study on the 12 basics of Christian theology here.

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