Scripture about the end of the world. Experts warn: three biblical predictions about the end of the world have already come true

Gospel reading of the third preparatory week for Lent tells us about the end of the world in which we are currently living, and about the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's think together: will there ever be the end of the world, or more precisely, the end of our planet?

To this question modern science gives an affirmative answer. But for the first time, the concept of the inevitability of the end of the world was born not in the offices of scientists, but in ancient religions, whose priests often combined religious service with service to science. From the depths of time we hear voices warning humanity about the possible tragic end of our planet. One way or another, the problem of the end of the world, which came to us as a religious idea, has become in our time scientific concept, has not yet been refuted by anyone.

It's hard to say what they will be natural causes the end of the world and what it will be like natural shape. Will it be a catastrophe associated with a terrible nuclear war, when the excessive use of the latest achievements of nuclear missile technology will lead to some kind of disturbances of a cosmic nature? Will it be a catastrophe caused by a collision of our Earth with some cosmic body or another planet? Will it finally be the gradual destruction of life forms familiar to us for one reason or another, for example, due to the cooling of the Earth as a result of atmospheric changes. This is unknown. It is impossible to foresee all options for the end of the world, but the fact that the end is inevitable is obvious.

However, this is the rational or scientific aspect of the problem, which deals mainly with its physical side. Religion, in particular Christianity, asks this question somewhat differently. And she has every right to do so, because this problem itself came out, we repeat, from religion and largely preceded scientific justification.

The problem of eschatology, that is, the doctrine of the future destinies of the world and humanity, occupies a significant place in the doctrine of the Orthodox Church. The plans for the future were laid out by God before the end of time. And if science today speaks of the inevitability of the end of our planet, then Christianity, in particular Orthodox Church, confirming this, at the same time testifies not only to the physical end of the world, but also to the two comings of the Lord, the resurrection of the dead and the beginning of the Kingdom of glory and eternal life.

The Church testifies to us not about the meaningless end of the physical world, but about its great end, which is the beginning of a new existence. And if science, in which there is no place for God, speaks of the end of the world as the end of events in the sense of absolute destruction, then the Church tells us about this completely differently. According to the teachings of the Church, the end of the world will not consist of destruction and destruction (although visible physical phenomena may occur in the form of destruction), but in its complete change and renewal.

What are the signs of the approaching end of the world, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Last Judgment?

There are several of these signs. One of them, as the Gospel testifies, is that the Gospel itself will be spread and preached throughout the world ( Matthew 24:14). Not a single place on globe, inhabited by people, will not bypass the gospel gospel. The entire human race must hear the word of God, taste that heavenly spiritual bread that the Savior gave to the world. And it is up to man to accept or not accept this gospel, for man remains absolutely free, and the Lord does not allow violence against him.

The second sign is that the forces of evil will be extremely active in the world, lawlessness will increase, love will grow cold in people ( Matthew 24:12). Everything will become extremely worse and begin to actively manifest itself. negative sides human nature, faith will disappear ( Luke 18:8). Christianity will become an object of hatred for many.

The next sign is that on the eve of the end of the world there will be terrible wars (Matthew 24:6), in which humanity may not survive at all. Terrible earthquakes will occur throughout the earth, there will be famine, epidemics will appear ( Matthew 24:7).

One more thing should be mentioned characteristic feature. It will consist in the fact that the spiritual level of most people will decrease extremely. They will become attached to earthly things and refuse any spiritual development (Matthew 24:37-39; Gen.6:1-8).

And then, says the Gospel of Christ, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and people will see Christ walking through the clouds of heaven in great power and glory. According to the Church Fathers, the sign of the Second Coming will be the sign of the cross. People who will still live on earth at that time will instantly change ( 1 Corinthians 15:51-52), the whole world will change ( 2 Peter 3:13), and at the same time the general resurrection of the dead, moreover, they will be resurrected in a transformed form and will be special, such that, according to the word of the apostle. Pavel, we cannot even imagine now. The bodies of the righteous will be spiritual, incorruptible and immortal. They will be free from all the infirmities to which our bodies are prone. They will not have earthly bodily needs and will to some extent become like spirits ( Matthew 22:30). The bodies of sinners will also rise in the same transformed form. But, having acquired incorruption, sinners will simultaneously carry within themselves their terrible spiritual state.

It's hard to imagine what is being said. All this is beyond our usual understanding. But one thing is clear - with the Second Coming the last and Last Judgment will come on earth, which will restore the justice trampled by humanity and restore the whole world. This will be a general trial - a trial of all people, without exception. This will be a solemn and open judgment, strict and terrible, carried out according to all the truth of God, the last and final judgment, aimed at eternity. This will be the court of eternal justice, which people have forgotten and which they have despised for thousands of years. There is and cannot be any other way to restore this violated justice.

Joyful and eternal life awaits the righteous after judgment ( Matthew 13:43), and eternal torment is prepared for the wicked ( Matthew 25:41-42). But there is no need to understand this primitively. Thus, Saint John Chrysostom sees the torment of sinners in the fact that they will be deprived of the glory of the Kingdom of God. Deprivation of the blessings of the Kingdom of God is abandonment of God, which is stronger than the torment of hell. Spiritual regret for what is lost will be the worst of all. And we know well from our own experience how much more severe the mental and spiritual wounds of physical diseases are, and how destructively they act on our body.

Will the torment of sinners ever end? There are different personal opinions on this matter. But, according to the Gospel and Christian doctrine, they are called eternal ( Matthew 25:46), as a natural result of what a person did spiritually during his earthly life.

With the end of this world and its transformation into a new one better world The eternal Kingdom of God will open - the Kingdom of glory. Then the Kingdom of grace, by which we call the existence of the Church on earth, will end. The earthly Church will enter this Kingdom of glory and merge with it forever.

Therefore, may the Just and Merciful Judge not deprive us of this Kingdom of eternal glory and endless bliss. Amen.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir

Christianity, like other religions of the world, predicts the inevitability of the end of the world. Christianity says that the end of the world according to the Bible is inevitable, since the Earth, which was created by higher powers, is not capable of existing indefinitely.

Signs of the end of the world not uncommon in biblical writings. Those who have studied or are studying the Bible in chronological order, were faced with allegories that people would have to endure the reign of the Antichrist, after which they should expect the second coming of Christ. The biblical apocalypse grants immortal life to all mortals, at the beginning of which everyone will appear before the Last Judgment and answer for their sins. But before this there will be a battle between good and evil, which will end with the defeat of darkness in physical embodiment. The victory of higher, bright forces over evil will mark the end of times. This is exactly the development of events presented in the Bible, however, there is also development. The end of the world is far from the end of life.

Signs of the end of the world in the world's main religions.

Before the end of the world according to the Bible takes place, a number of significant events will occur on Earth. The first of these is the restoration of the Temple of Christ in Jerusalem. It is noteworthy that today this sign of the end of the world according to the Bible is close to its realization. Work to restore the temple is at the design stage. The description of the end of the world in the Bible does not contain any specific date, however, the proximity of the biblical omens of the apocalypse and the date 12/21/2012 speaks for itself. But in essence, the fact that the biblical prophets did not name a specific date gives all kinds of preachers, false prophets and priests of new religions the opportunity to foretell the end of the world almost every single day. Predictions from the Bible, supposedly from the Bible, pour out of their mouths constantly.

However, as already mentioned, the Bible contains several dozen factors indicating the approach of the apocalypse. Many prophets who lived at the beginning of our era were inclined to one point of view: that the appearance of Jesus Christ and his crucifixion marked the beginning of the countdown to the inevitable end of times. So after the birth of Christ and especially after his death, many prophecies of the Old Testament began to come true. After all description of the apocalypse in the bible says that it is the Son of God who will shed light on the mystery of the last day of the human race, in which he lives to this day.

The end of the world according to the Bible tells us that the date of judgment day is known only to God. However, the trial is already underway and will continue until a verdict is reached on the actions of every mortal. It is obvious that before the end of the world in Christianity, or rather before the Last Judgment, the dead will have to be resurrected, which means that the apocalypse will be preceded by the resurrection of the dead.

In many places in the Bible it is indicated that the end of times does not mean the death of human civilization. It can be assumed that the signs of the end of the world and biblical predictions indicate that the world will come new era, in which people will begin to live differently. Is it possible to accurately answer the question of what awaits humanity after the end of the world according to the Bible? Yes and no. This question is partly answered by Revelation from John the Theologian in the final part holy book, Where we're talking about that heaven and earth are changing, the world will be cleansed of evil, God will descend to earth and live among people.

Predictions of the end of the world in world religions.

The Apocalypse - “Revelation” - is by far the most famous ancient prophecy about the end of the world. The Apocalypse says that after the sound of the seven trumpets of angels, disasters will begin in the world: a third of sea inhabitants will die, a third flora, water bodies will be poisoned. The main sign of the end of the world will be a fiery mountain falling from heaven, a hail of fire and stone. It is likely that the Earth will face hitherto unknown cataclysms. Indeed, in addition to the fiery rain, people can expect damage to the third part of the sun and an eclipse of the stars. Some experts who express their point of view on the signs of the end of the world described in the Bible see environmental disasters in these events, namely air pollution and the impossibility sun rays break through layers of smog, ash and smoke. Also doomsday predictions According to the Bible, they talk about a plague of locusts that will come out of the abyss. This event is usually understood as the uprising of demonic forces, under the auspices of the Antichrist and the control of Apolion, the “destroyer.” Biblical predictions of the end of the world also contain references to a great war in which a third of people will perish. The description of military operations is in many ways similar to modern military operations. But it may also turn out that the writings of the Apocalypse are talking about a war of ideological, spiritual struggle.

In many religions of the world there is a close interweaving of teachings about the end of times. The script is almost the same, except for some details. So, if you are familiar with the Bible firsthand, you will be able to find several points of contact between the versions of the apocalypse set out in the Bible and what is said in Muslim beliefs.

Islam, just like Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism or Judaism, does not deny, but on the contrary points to the fact of the inevitable onset of the end of the world. However, the end of the world in Islam is not the death of the Earth or humanity, it is an apocalypse on a universal scale. In Islam, the end of times implies global transformations of the universe, but the date of completion of these transformations is not indicated in Muslim teachings. Yes, in Christianity and Buddhism the terms, dates, and apocalypse were also not announced, but in the beliefs of Christians and Buddhists there are signs of the end of the world, indicating the approach of the inevitable.

This is not to say that Islamic beliefs are completely devoid of clues and direction. Signs of the end of the world in Islam there are quite a few of them (12 events preceding the end of the world).

But they are all so ambiguous and difficult to interpret that the end of the world in Islam is seen as a very mysterious event.

The first sign is the coming to Earth of the Prophet Muhammad.

The second sign is the beginning of a bloody and prolonged war between two Islamic states.

The third sign is that a slave will give birth to a mistress. What was mentioned above are ambiguous predictions of the end of the world. One can only assume that we are talking about the “cult of the child.” Those. The head of the family, in some way, will be the child, whom the parents will poke in every possible way. However, most likely, these words mean much larger events.

The fourth sign is the Fall. Believers will stop reading the Koran and honoring their customs and traditions. Drunkenness, debauchery, theft and other dirty things will take over the minds of people.

The fifth sign is an event that has already happened a long time ago. Greedy and uneducated people will come to power.

The sixth sign is an increase in numbers female population. Truly a difficult to interpret sign of the end of the world in Islam.

The seventh sign is the coming of false prophets. Christianity also talks about false prophets who mislead people.

The eighth sign is a wave of powerful earthquakes around the world. As a result, the passage of time accelerates.

The ninth sign is that people do not have time to cope with everyday affairs. What used to take a day now takes a week.

The tenth sign is an increased number of deaths.

The eleventh sign is the disunity of society on material grounds. The well-being of some is growing to the skies, while others live in poverty.

The twelfth sign is the formation of an Islamic power that casts into hell everyone who does not profess Islam.

The end of the world in Islam I saw it that way. At the beginning of the Islamic version of Judgment Day, from the first sounds of the Archangel Israfil, all life on the planet will perish. A terrible storm will begin that will wipe out people and the civilization they created from the face of the planet. The second sound of the archangel's trumpet shall sound raising the dead. The Last Judgment and punishment for evil deeds will begin. In the end, a new life awaits honest people.

The course of events described in Buddhism is very close to the scenario of the Christian and Buddhist apocalypse. Today, this religion is revered mostly in India, but not only. As in the case of Christianity, the apocalypse is the death of humanity, the Earth and life in general at the hands of higher powers. What the higher powers created, the higher powers will destroy. in Buddhism, as well as the end of the world scenario, are similar to those in other religions. In particular, Buddhism talks about the trials that humanity will have to face, about periods of hardship, about the so-called kalpas. Predictions about the end of the world in Buddhism speak of three kalpas.

The first kalpa is the period of creation. People develop their civilization, live in harmony with the outside world.

The second kalpa is the golden age of humanity. Civilization reaches its peak.

The third kalpa is the collapse of human civilization, predicting the end of times. In essence, this is a period of the world disintegrating into layers. The lower worlds will disappear like a crumpled sheet of paper. In the end, the worlds will be reborn, but there will be no life on them. The period of disintegration will not affect only the upper worlds, the worlds of Brahma.

There are also signs of the end of the world in Buddhism, one way or another connected with other religions. First of all, this is the earth on fire. Seven suns will rise in the sky, which will incinerate all life on Earth, evaporate the water and turn the mountains into sand. The fire will be replaced by winds, and after the winds there will be showers, which will revive life in a new guise. Buddhist teachings say that the reason for the development of the apocalypse is the mistakes of people.

And one more important feature: Buddhism, like Christianity or Islam, does not put forward a specific or at least approximate date for the end of times. Only the instructions described above and the legend of a thousand Buddhas, after death, of whom the apocalypse will begin. If we take into account this feature, then today we live in the era of the fourth Buddha, and the end of the world does not threaten us in the next hundreds and even thousands of years.

It is also worth saying that in Buddhist teachings, ideas about the end of the world are divided into the small and great ends of the world. Small apocalypse - the death of all dissidents. The great end of the world means the destruction of all, without exception, material bodies.

Introduction
The theme of the coming end of the world, when creation will appear in all the fullness of perfection, is included integral part in many works of biblical writing. Ideas about the end of the world have developed and been significantly supplemented over the centuries; Below we present the most significant texts talking about this in chronological order.
The Bible says that the world we live in had a beginning because it was created by God. This world is not eternal, but exists in time; temporality is its inherent property. For biblical authors, the existence of the beginning of the world naturally implies the existence of the end, since time is a fundamentally different way of being than eternity, and cannot be limitless. This idea of a developing world, having a beginning and an end, is also fundamentally important for the biblical understanding of history as a directed process in which the Almighty’s plan for the world and man unfolds.
At the beginning of the history of biblical Revelation, the chosen people had an idea of a certain mysterious day of the coming victory of God, which would complete the history of mankind. The basis for this was the numerous vicissitudes of the history of Israel, in which the deliverance of the people from disasters and catastrophes occurred thanks to the protection of God. These large-scale events are described in the books of Exodus and Joshua, Judges and Kings. Here God's people are faced with external enemies who are often vastly superior both militarily and culturally. However, trust in God leads to the fact that He intervenes in events through chosen men - judges, prophets and kings, and ensures victory over enemies and the preservation of Israel from destruction. On this historical basis, the idea of the coming Day of the Lord was formed, when the final victory of Israel over all its enemies (who were also considered the enemies of God) would take place.
Day of Visitation among the Early Prophets
In subsequent centuries, this simplified view underwent significant changes. This was mainly due to the ministry of the biblical prophets, for whom the Day of the Lord was one of the main themes of their preaching.
Briefly, the main provisions of the prophetic teaching about the end of the world and the Day of the Lord are as follows. The prophets speak of the end of the world as the Day of Visitation, when God Himself will mysteriously appear in the world and visit His people. Associated with this visitation of God will be the shame of the pagans, the deliverance of Israel - but also the judgment of all nations, including Israel. The prophets portrayed this visit of God as a universal catastrophe in which everything unworthy of the greatness of the Creator is destroyed. Therefore they often called the Day of the Lord a day of darkness and a day of wrath, a day of judgment. At the same time, all evil will be expelled from the created world, even death itself will be defeated.
The prophets associated the coming Day of Visitation with the coming of Christ; for them, the appearance of Christ and the Visitation of God coincided in many ways. This is how the prophets secretly expressed the message that Christ the Savior would be not just a great man, but the Incarnate Son of God.
Usually the words of the prophets about the end of the world combine three key aspects. Prophets speak about the events of contemporary history, in which they see prototypes of the coming end of the world. Based on these types, the prophets announce the coming of Christ, which should become a turning point in the history of the world. The prophets often connect what is revealed to them about the end of times with the news of the coming of Christ.
The historical sequence of future events was not as clear to the prophets as their spiritual meaning; therefore, most prophets combined in their preaching the coming of Christ and the completion of history. It's not a mistake; on the contrary, in the New Testament the coming of Christ is the beginning of the judgment of the world and the victory of God over evil.
These are common features prophetic teaching about the end of the world, which they often called “that day,” however, in the book of each prophet, specific features are also highlighted.
1. Amos
  The Prophet Amos for the first time explicitly speaks of the Day of the Lord as a Day of Visitation: “I will walk among you,” says God through the mouth of the prophet. Amos speaks to those who hoped that the Day of the Lord would be some kind of historical “happy ending” for Israel: “Woe to those who wish for the Day of the Lord... it is darkness and not light.” This day will be the judgment of all people, not excluding Israel, to whom God, by virtue of election, makes exceptional moral demands. In addition, through Amos, the Lord says that in “that day” the fallen tabernacle of the house of David will be restored - this is a prophecy about Christ, who will be a descendant of David.
2. Hosea
  A younger contemporary of the prophet Amos, Hosea also speaks of the Judgment of God that awaits all human affairs at the end of time. But Hosea proclaims that the end of the world will be marked by the victory of God over all evil and sin. The all-conquering mercy of the Creator will triumph, and even the most important, “last” enemy - death - will be defeated.
3. Micah
  The prophet Micah, who lived a little later than Amos and Hosea, sees the coming Day of Visitation as the appearance of God Himself: God “steps” on the heights of the earth, and before the greatness of His glory the mountains melt. Thus, at the end of time, God, Whom all creation cannot contain, will appear to the world in fullness. The fulfillment of this prophecy is evidenced by the words of the Gospel of John: “No one has ever seen God; The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed” (John 1:18).
4. Isaiah of Jerusalem
  The last prophet of the 8th century BC, Isaiah of Jerusalem, also depicts the Day of the Lord as the day of Judgment and victory of God. But besides this, Isaiah speaks of it as the day of salvation that God will accomplish through Christ, the descendant of David born of a Virgin. “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given,” says Isaiah, and in Him God Himself will intervene in the course of history. With the coming of Christ, all creation will irreversibly change, evil and violence will be defeated, and they will no longer have a place on the transformed earth. The striking image of a wolf living with a lamb is one of the most famous biblical descriptions of the coming renewal of the world. Isaiah also says that on the Day of the Lord, not only the chosen people, but also the pagans, will turn to God and find salvation. But deliverance in the glory of Christ, the peace of God, open to all people in His Kingdom, is at the same time destruction for all sin.
The Day of the Lord among the prophets of the pre-exilic era and captivity
1. Zephaniah: the day of the trumpet and shout of abuse
  In the prophecy of Zephaniah, who lived at the end of the 7th century. BC, new aspects of the coming end of the world are revealed. He appears to the prophet's gaze as a feast at which the Lord's sacrifice will be slain. At this feast the chosen children of God will gather; for sinners, this will be a day of blindness, since a person who has sinned loses the ability to see the world in its true light. Zephaniah calls the end of the world a day of wrath and warfare, and says that this day is near. In this case, however, we are talking not so much about the historical perspective, but about the inevitability of the Day of Judgment.
2. Ezekiel
  In the first half of the 6th century. BC, the prophet Ezekiel, for whom the destruction of Jerusalem became a prototype of the end of the world, proclaims that the Day of the Lord will be a day of renewal of the world. Ezekiel speaks of a mysterious Shepherd who will come in those days. He will “stand in the breach of the wall” to protect His sheep from harm. Not a single person can do this; each of them is responsible for his own and only his own affairs. Only Christ, the Shepherd of Israel, will protect the people. At the end of his book, the prophet Ezekiel describes the end of the world as a battle between God and the forces of evil. The defeat of Gog, the king of the north, symbolizing the forces of evil, became a characteristic image of biblical apocalypticism. The main thing in the prophecy about the universal victory of God over evil and death is the news that at the end of time God will make a deal with people New Testament, and the Spirit of God will transform the stone hearts of people into flesh, breathe into them new life.
3. Isaiah of Babylon (Deuteronomy): in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord
  The author of the second half of the book of Isaiah, traditionally called Isaiah of Babylon or Deutero-Isaiah, begins his words with a prophecy of the deliverance that God Himself will bring about. Like other prophets, Second Isaiah combines visions of three different events. The return of Israel from Babylonian captivity and the restoration of Jerusalem are for him a prototype of the coming coming of the Messiah and the end of the world, when the glory of God will be revealed to all creation. The words of Second Isaiah about the voice of one crying five centuries later would be applied to himself by John the Baptist.
4. Zechariah: salvation for all
  The younger contemporary of Isaiah of Babylon, the prophet Zechariah, also views captivity and the return from it as prototypes of the coming Judgment. At the end of the first half of the book of Zechariah, which he owns, he says that in last days all nations will turn to the God of Israel, and God will be the salvation of those who run to Him.
The Day of the Lord among the Prophets of the Second Temple Era
During the Second Temple era, prophecies about the Day of the Lord become increasingly specific; The judgment of the nations and the Day of the Lord's wrath recede into the background. “That day” for the prophets of this period is primarily associated with the coming of Christ and His saving ministry.
1. Malachi: God will send Elijah
  In the middle of the 5th century. BC, the prophet Malachi says that before the onset of the Day of the Lord, God will send the prophet Elijah to the people, who will herald the onset of the last times. This prophecy was fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist, whom the Angel of the Lord, addressing his father Zechariah, calls “a prophet in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17).
2. Joel: The Day of the Outpouring of the Spirit of God
  As if continuing the prophecy of Ezekiel about the New Testament, at the turn of the 4th-5th centuries BC the prophet Joel says that in the last days God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh, and many people will be able to hear the Word of God as directly as His chosen men hear The Lord's are prophets. These days will be accompanied by signs of a universal scale, the sun will darken and the moon will turn to blood. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, says Joel. Thus, the elect who will be saved on the Day of the Lord are those who will turn to the God of Israel and call on the name of the Lord.
3. Zechariah (Deuteronomy): They will look to Him Whom they have pierced A special place in biblical prophecies about the end of the world is occupied by the words of an unknown contemporary of Joel, the author of the second half of the book of Zechariah. Deuterosachariah presents the Day of Judgment as a reckoning between people and God, when people give God payment for His benefits. Thirty pieces of silver are weighed out by people as payment to the Lord - this terrible detail emphasizes that the last times begin in the history of the world with the coming of Christ.
  But Deuteronomy also speaks of the Day of Judgment as the Day of Salvation, when God will protect people from destruction. In these last times, people will look to the Christ whom they have pierced, and a source of tears will open in their hearts to wash away sin and impurity. The weeping in Jerusalem reminds Deuterosachariah of the ancient battle of Megiddo (Armageddon). After these words of Deuterosachariah, this battle (historically dating probably to 622, the time of King Josiah) becomes one of the most famous symbols of the end of the world.
4. Daniel
  In the 4th century. BC, the author of the book of Daniel announces that the time of the coming coming of Christ and Doomsday defined. The mysterious dates that Daniel speaks of, never deciphered by people, have already been measured. Daniel calls the death of Christ the main event of the Day of the Lord; but after this some time will pass until the end of the world, which will be the era of the “covenant for many.”
Gospel
With the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, prophecies begin to be fulfilled Old Testament about the last days. Christ tells the disciples that John the Baptist is the same prophet of the last days that Malachi announced. The judgment of the world, which the prophets awaited with trepidation and hope, begins in the days of Christ.
The words of the Lord Jesus Christ about the end of the world, which He spoke to the disciples on the Mount of Olives, were called the “apocalypse of the weather forecasters”, because they are recorded almost equally in both the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Matthew gives them in somewhat more detail.
Here the Lord says that the end of the world will be marked by the coming of Christ in glory; like lightning from the edge of the sky to the edge, it will be revealed to all people. But before this time, mankind will face numerous disasters and enmity against God's faithful. The most important feature of the last days, which Christ tells his disciples, is that His Gospel will be preached to all nations, so that all people will hear about Him and have the opportunity to call on the name of the Lord. False Christs and false prophets will try to entice people to follow them; only faithfulness and trust in God will help the elect to endure these terrible times.
Christ tells the disciples that, although the time of the end of the world has been determined, no one except the Heavenly Father knows about that day and hour. The trial will be a surprise that cannot be prepared for in advance. Like a thief sneaking up in the night, the last day of the world will approach people. Therefore, Christ commands the disciples to stay awake and always be ready for the coming of the end.
Evangelist John complements the apocalypse of the weather forecasters with a number of significant aspects. He quotes the words of Christ that the judgment has already begun and the Word of Christ will judge people until the last day. Moreover, Christ says in the Gospel of John that the end of the world will be associated with the resurrection of the dead; for some it will be the door to life, and for others it will be the door to destruction. Christ explains the criteria for this judgment to his disciples in a conversation about the Last Judgment, which was recorded by the Evangelist Matthew. People of all nations will be judged by how they acted towards others. “What you did to people,” says Christ, “you did to Me.” Mercy towards one's neighbor and good done to people are the main criterion that determines the eternal destiny of people.
But Christ also announces to the disciples that the path to resurrection and life is already open to Him who believe. The Flesh and Blood of Christ become for them the food of eternal life, the Table of the Lord, predicted by the prophet Ezekiel.
The most important revelation for the Gospel about the life of Christians on the eve of the end are the final words of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew: “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Acts
Evangelist Luke reports at the beginning of the book of Acts of the Apostles that he quotes the words spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ to the disciples at the time of His Ascension. When the disciples asked whether the prophecies about the end of times were being fulfilled at the moment, the Lord said that the disciples were not given the ability to know times and seasons. Instead, according to Joel’s prophecy, they will be given the Holy Spirit, whose gracious action will lay the foundation for the life of the next century in the disciples. This reaffirms the opportunity revealed in the Gospel of John for Christ’s disciples to move from death to life now. In the second chapter of Acts, on the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter claims that the miracle that happened on the apostles is the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. Thus, according to the ancient Christian tradition, his prophecy about the darkened sun refers to the darkness that covered Golgotha at the time of Christ’s death on the Cross.
Messages
The disciples of Christ in their epistles repeatedly address the topic of the end of the world. The messages confirm the gospel message that for believers the Day of the Lord is both future and present. Among the first Christians there was a widespread belief that the end of the world would come soon after the Resurrection of Christ. However, over time, this point of view ceases to be generally accepted.
Mainly the apostles speak of the end of the world as the Coming of Christ in glory; In the apostolic environment, the Lord's Day is often called the first day of the week, when Christians celebrate the Resurrection and the Lord is with them in the sacrament of the Eucharist. The coming of Christ will entail the resurrection of the dead and new life in a renewed - freed from evil and transformed world.
In the epistles, the apostles consider the time after the Resurrection of Christ as the “last times,” because with the coming of Christ all the deadlines were fulfilled and the “fullness of times” came. This time, the duration of which is unknown, should be used to, following the example of Christ, actively bring into the world God's love and do good. Waiting for the Day of the Lord also requires vigilance from Christians - internal readiness to appear before the Savior. Thus, the Kingdom of Heaven is realized in the Church, which has yet to appear in full. The life of a Christian thus proceeds in the Kingdom of Heaven even before his final victory.
Continuing what Christ said about the signs of the approaching end of the world, the Apostle Paul supplements this with several important things. Firstly, he says that in the last times the enemy of God, the Antichrist, will appear in the world in human form, who will try to drag people along with him. Secondly, the Apostle Paul believes that before the end of the world, the last of the nations, the chosen people will turn to Christ, thereby sealing the full number of believers. The Apostle also proclaims that on the Day of the Lord not only will the dead rise, but those who remain alive, “changed,” will meet the Lord.
The Apostle Peter, confirming the words of the Apostle Paul, speaks of the end of the world as a universal catastrophe. The fact that the timing of the end is postponed, Peter considers it a manifestation of the mercy and long-suffering of God, giving people the opportunity to convert and believe.
Apocalypse: new sky and new land
The final book of the Bible, the Revelation of John the Theologian or the Apocalypse, is especially dedicated to the fate of the world and the Church. Revelation sums up everything that has been said about this in the biblical tradition. The Apostle John resorts to images borrowed from Old Testament prophecies, thereby emphasizing the continuity of Old Testament and New Testament revelation. The Book of Revelation ends with a prophecy that God's victory over sin will crown the hard struggle. In the renewed creation (“new heavens and new earth”) God will dwell among people in the eternal Heavenly Jerusalem. The book of Revelation ends with the words “Come, Lord Jesus,” which forever became for the disciples of Christ an expression of an ardent desire to bring this coming victory closer.

The leaders of totalitarian sects like to “set a date” for the end of the world. As a rule, this date falls in the next year, and therefore everyone is invited to sign over their property to the next “messiah” “to save their souls.” The degree of closeness of such “prophecies” to reality is clear without a doubt.

If we talk about more serious scenarios of the end of the world and signs of its approach, then we can distinguish two approaches to this problem: religious and scientific.

Religious point of view

The idea of the end of the world is present in all Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

The last book of the New Testament, Revelation (Apocalypse) of John the Theologian, tells about the end of the world. After its writing, it is difficult to name an era when attempts were not made to compare current events with the images of this book, declaring imminent attack Judgment Day. She was no exception.

The notorious “seal of the Antichrist” is especially often remembered. Not long ago, the Russians tried to declare it such, seeing in the ornament on their pages some kind of three sixes. Then it was the turn of the TIN. Now many see the “seal of the Antichrist” in the chips that have begun to be implanted on an experimental basis into the population of Wyoming (USA). The technology is certainly dangerous, and many residents of the state have already experienced it. Negative consequences(irritability, headaches, etc.) unpleasant symptoms), but it is hardly worth making such global conclusions.

Other signs of the approaching end of the world are also named: false prophets will appear, chaos will reign in the world, people will prefer worldly pleasures to spiritual life. These signs can be attributed to any era. The only more or less concrete landmark is the restoration of the Jerusalem Temple, which has not yet taken place, although Julian the Apostate had such plans. However, given the allegorical language of Revelation, it is difficult to say what might be behind this statement.

However, those who try to find signs of the imminent end of the world in the Bible forget about the main thing: exact date no one can know. The Savior himself unambiguously stated this, therefore, there can be no talk of any signs of the times from the point of view of a Christian. You always need to be ready, but you can’t specify a date.

Muslims also share the same opinion. However, their doctrine also speaks of harbingers of the end of the world. There are 12 of them in total, and the first of them is the very appearance of Muhammad, who is considered the last prophet. Many of these signs are described very vaguely, for example, “he will give birth to a mistress.” What is it - the birth of a child from a master? Or maybe the disappearance of children's respect for? There is no clear answer. Other signs are an increase in the number of rich people, the rise of ignorant people to power, many earthquakes, etc. A very specific phenomenon is also named: The sun will rise in the west.

Scientific view

Scientists do not deny that life on Earth is not eternal. One day it will be destroyed by the expanding Sun, but the count of time until these events goes on for billions of years.

There is often talk about the destruction of life on Earth as a result of an asteroid fall. This is not to say that such a scenario is unrealistic, but it is unlikely. The diameter of such an asteroid must exceed 10 km; all asteroids of this size are known to astronomers; none of them are at risk of falling to Earth. True, asteroid Apophis in 2029 year will pass dangerously close to the planet. There is a 1:45,000 chance that it will be captured by Earth's gravity, in which case it will land on Earth in 2036. But the complete destruction of humanity will not happen; an area comparable in size to European country, so it won't count.

Many see a harbinger of the end of the world in the activation of a supervolcano located in Yellowstone. national park(USA). The awakening of the volcano is indicated by the appearance of new geysers around it, the rise of the earth by 1 m 78 cm over the past four years, and tremors. Volcanologists fear that an eruption could begin in the next two years. In this case, part of the United States will be turned into a desert, but the whole world will suffer. Great amount volcanic ash will disappear into the atmosphere, the consequences will be comparable to “nuclear winter”: the average air temperature will be 25 degrees below zero, and in some areas will drop below -50.

However, not all scientists agree with these forecasts. Thus, J. Levenstern from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory believes that if an eruption occurs, only settlements located nearby.

Thus, both religious leaders and scientists call the set

The words of Jesus Christ about the end of the world, which He spoke to the disciples on the Mount of Olives, were called the “apocalypse of the weather forecasters,” because they are recorded almost equally in both the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Matthew gives them in somewhat more detail.

The end of the world described in the Gospel will be marked by the second coming of Christ - like lightning from the edge of the sky to the edge, it will be revealed to all people. But before this time, numerous disasters await humanity.

Christ tells the disciples that, although the time of the end of the world has been determined, no one except the Heavenly Father knows about that day and hour. The trial will be a surprise that cannot be prepared for in advance. Like a thief sneaking up in the night, the last day of the world will approach people. Therefore, Christ commands the disciples to stay awake and always be ready for the coming of the end. (Here there is complete compliance with the Koran - it will be so sudden that you will not have time to eat a piece of bread, make a bargain, make a deal, or drink the milked camel's milk).

For biblical authors, the existence of the beginning of the world naturally implies the existence of the end, since time is a fundamentally different way of being than eternity, and cannot be limitless. The Gospel, as well as the Hadiths of the Koran, gives us an exhaustive list of signs of the onset of the Day of Judgment.

“But know this: in the last days there will be unusually difficult times. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, presumptuous, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unfaithful, unkind, intractable, slanderers, lacking self-control, bitter, not loving virtue, traitors, self-willed, proud, lovers of pleasure but not loving God. "

Opening the Gospel of Luke 21:11, we read: “There will be great earthquakes in places, and famines and pestilences, and terrible phenomena and great signs from heaven.”

Today, probably no one doubts the truth of these words. Thanks to the media, we see more and more natural disasters and disasters. IN Lately There has been an extraordinary increase in natural disasters. Statistics note that in the twentieth century alone, many more earthquakes occurred on our planet than in the entire previous 6,000 years of its history, and their strength also increased. The planet is experiencing fevers more and more often. More than 3,000 major earthquakes are recorded annually.

Let's look at Thessalonians 5:3: "For when they say, 'Peace and safety,' then destruction will suddenly come upon them."

This is a paradoxical moment in history. During incessant wars and accumulation of weapons, people will talk about peace. It is precisely conversations about peace during war that will become a sign latest generation. All human plans are transitory. The ink on the peace treaty has not yet dried, and new military preparations are already beginning. One UN diplomat described the people's unsuccessful efforts to bring peace to the world: "We tried our best, but we failed."

In the Gospel of Luke 21:26 we read: “People will faint from fear and anticipation of the disasters coming to the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.”

Fear, despair and uncertainty are man's constant companions. Stress, the heavy burden of modernity, weighs more and more heavily. People are simply starting to get tired of this kind of life. Many, leaving suicide notes, throw themselves from bridges, thereby taking their own lives. Every year, 25,000 people voluntarily take their own lives, and 200,000 people attempt suicide. This number is growing catastrophically

Matthew 24:6-8: “You will also hear about wars and rumors of wars. Look, don't be horrified; for all this must be. But this is not the end: for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in places; yet this is the beginning of disease.” Third World War on the threshold. Hunger from changing climate conditions on Earth is becoming a major topic at various summits such as the G-20. Worldwide pandemic caused by genetic diseases, viruses, prions, or antibiotic-resistant bacteria is an absolute reality today. What kind of diseases do people die from these days? Millions of people suffer from cancer today! There are almost a hundred of its varieties. This terrible disease spreading like an epidemic. Medicine is powerless to eradicate this deadly disease. We are dying from increased radioactivity environment, from contamination of water bodies and air.

The final book of the Bible, or the Apocalypse, is especially dedicated to the fate of the world and the Church. Revelation sums up everything that has been said about this in the biblical tradition. The Apostle John resorts to images borrowed from Old Testament prophecies, thereby emphasizing the continuity of Old Testament and New Testament revelation. The Book of Revelation ends with a prophecy that God's victory over sin will crown the hard struggle.