Why Must The World End
I wish to get into why we must persist till the end of the world but first there is another issue that must be faced. It has become accepted that the world will not end, at least not for many billions of years in the future. One might as well say it will not end. Yet we must first tackle the issue of why must the world end then discuss persisting forward to that point in time with the events which surround it.
For us the Biblical record of Genesis is our beginning. Within history those who followed Christ did not have the complete written word as we have it today. Within the life of Jesus Himself there was not a fully compiled Bible for the New Testament had not been written. Those of more ancient times looked to the writing of men like Isaiah for insight to the end.
Many at the point of the life of Christ as well as those before His time misconstrued prophetic writing. When Jesus arrives the Jews are indeed looking for a Messiah yet the version of Him they get is not what they expected. We must be careful with expectations.
The expectations of the Jews in that time was a Messiah which would arrive and lead them to victory over the Roman Empire. They believed that the Messiah would come to their rescue and His arrival would be unmistakable. They had missed so many of the prophecies concerning the life of Christ that they could not recognize what they were looking for.
Instead of being born to a great family He was born to the poorest of the poor. The saying was that nothing good can come from Galilee. Yet Christ the Messiah came from Galilee. Herod needed to be told of the sign in the sky and the prophecy of Christ being born in Bethlehem by foreigners who visited his court rather than his own scholars. These people had missed the point of their time.
It is not as if they did not hold enough information to derive a proper conclusion. There are hundreds of prophecies concerning Christ first coming and the life He would live. Likewise there were many concerning the end of time by the same prophets and others who offered a small glimpse of time such as Daniel.
Nevertheless the focus of their time was the first advent, or the first coming of Christ. While it was not the end of the world it was the completion of the law and a way for salvation was brought to all mankind. It could be said that the first half of major prophetic events were then completed. So what of the second half?
The very intention from the beginning within the mind of God has always been the end. In other words the world within which we exist is not the final nor intended end product. It is a vehicle by which we are presently passing through and within for a goal. With this understanding we can now look with expectation to this future end.
Purpose Of The World
To know the purpose of the world is to understand why we must persist till the end of the world. This topic becomes a problem for some. To give an example some question why God allows some of the evils to persist within the world that takes place. Issues ranging from genocide, murder, hate, or even the loss of a loved one become an obstacle in knowing the why behind everything.
Ultimately the why behind evil is not the fault of God, rather it is ours. The fact is that we were created as a perfect creation. Genesis details how God looked at all of creation and said that it was good. It is after mankind sinned that the universe fell into laws such as entropy and thus death. Who is to blame falls upon us, not God.
Likewise mankind still holds the choice to pursue evil, or to pursue good. This is free will. There are times when God will intercede preventing things. This though is the exception to the general rule. For believers there are promises which are given in how He will care for us. Yet the wages of sin is still ultimately death within this world in our present physical state.
The purpose of the world is to allow this free choice. Each person holds the right to accept or to deny Christ. It is the most important decision within ones existence upon this Earth. It can be said it is the ultimate purpose for our present existence. We persist for the cause of Christ in spreading the gospel as given to us in the Great Commission to the fulfillment of the Church. This in turn leads to the end of this world.
When Will The End Of The World Happen?
How many Harold Camping’s will there be? I literally cannot stand those who want to set dates to the end of the world and promote false teaching. To know by date when it will end is a complete impossibility. Yet there is a measurement which God uses as He told us. God does not measure things in time as we do on a clock. Often He has used Israel in history as a measurement of time and nearer to the end He will once again.
If one wishes to answer the question literally as to when the world will end know that it is after the Millennial Kingdom where the Great White Throne Judgment takes place and then a creation of a new heaven and a new Earth. Often when people ask when the end will be it is more relative as in the world as they know it.
This breakdown can be counted in two ways within this present time. Israel is the ultimate time clock within the Tribulation. For many within our time now this still is too far forward looking. They are more concerned with our present age ending. This age is referred to in Scripture in two ways. First it has been called the Church Age and then also as the time of the Gentiles.
The answer to the question when formatted in this way can be found in Romans 11. Verses 11- 24 explain how the Church and Israel coexist as one in Christ but two separate entities on Earth. This Scripture is often misused by many in claims that the Church has replaced Israel and this is not true. Be wary of that false teaching. If it were true then it would destroy all of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. A more expanded commentary can be found here with John MacArthur.
It is in verse 25 that we find the key to this answer.
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Romans 11:25
This verse is incredibly critical on multiple fronts. First it gives understanding to knowing what the end of the Church age will be. Secondly it destroys the false teaching of those who believe that the Church has replaced Israel. Let’s look at both points carefully.
Fullness Of The Gentiles
The end of the world as we know it now will not take place until this event comes to pass. The fullness of the Gentiles is the completion of the Church. To further define this it means that God has predestined a certain people to be a part of this Church. I do not wish to get into the concept of predestination at this point in time. Yet once the last soul is saved within this age then it is completed.
If one were to look for a mark for when the Rapture would take place ending the Church Age then it is this event. The problem with all the so called end forecasters such as Mr. Camping is that there is no way for them to know when the last soul is saved. Only God Himself can know this.
Likewise there are many which hang onto the news as if it is some kind of crystal ball heralding that the end is near. Truth be told some events we see do portend to an end but it is not the end of the Church Age. There are presently events taking place setting up the end for Israel concerning verse 25. Certainly this does give some insight to how close we are. Despite this it is not a barometer which can be used to mark time for the Rapture. Any attempt to do this will fail.
What I find interesting about those who wish to claim the Church or other said entity has replaced Israel is that they become guilty of the very warning in Romans 11 to not be high minded. While we wait on the moment for this age to end and we do coexist with Israel for the first time since the life of Christ one would think this alone would be enough evidence to steer them away from this error. Additionally the writing of Ezekiel 37 being fulfilled in Israels return should slap them straight. Nevertheless we march forward.
Verse 25 Israel’s Blindness
Israel has been blinded according to verse 25. To be more accurate it is a partial blindness. To define this we need to know what caused it. If you go back earlier in this article I wrote about how the Jews in the time of Christ missed the point of His coming. They ultimately rejected Him. It was this rejection which took Him to the cross to die for all sin.
It is amazing to look at the omniscience of God. While speaking to the nation of Israel and warning them throughout the ages Jesus knew He would be rejected. Furthermore He also knew it would be the Gentile nations that His Church would first grow within. Yet as one sees that the rejection by the Jews in that time caused this partial blindness the verse does not end there.
It goes on to say “until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in”. If one were to go read and understand the writings of Paul, John in Revelation, Daniel, even the words of Isaiah, suddenly this verse is like a cannon blast across time. It echoes so loudly it is begging to not be missed.
The last little portion of that verse is speaking to God’s promises to Abraham in Genesis. It also speaks to God’s promises to the Church which Paul carried with him in expectation to his death. It is written and given to us through the vision recorded by John. The blindness of Israel will not be removed until the Church is removed from this world.
Once the Rapture removes the Church a new set of events begin to unfold with the opening of the first seal. Here Israel will then look back across time and then recognize that Christ is their Messiah. Jacobs Trouble is for them to come to this recognition. Ultimately the conclusion of this portion in Romans 11 lays a confirming word as to the order of events leading to the conclusion of the Church Age and beyond.
Discerning The Times
We are not to be ignorant of the times within which we live. To discern the times does not require that we misconstrue them. Likewise in discerning them there is no reason for a believer to fear. Some look at these events with trepidation and anxiety. I am one of those who look forward to our end. Certainly Paul couldn’t wait and within his life if he had a fast forward button I believe he would have been hitting it and holding it down.
Knowing the end may be ambiguous in terms of how mankind measures time. Yet the bigger picture does portend to a certain nearness to the end which has never before been realized. This is more than a mere progression of time. Rather for the first time since the time of the Apostles the Church and Israel once again coexist within the same world. This alone can only speak to the nearness of what is to come and the expectation that we should have.