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Bible prophecy explained:
Biblical prophecies involving the end times

This selection of prophecies from the Bible involve the end times or involve events leading up to the end times, when Jesus is to return and judge the living and the dead.

1. Jesus will return (to judge the living and the dead)
Bible passage: Matthew 24:29-31
Written: During the first century AD
Fulfilled: End times
   In Matthew 24:29-31, as well as in other places within the New Testament, Jesus revealed about 2000 years ago that he would return in the future. Christians believe that when Jesus returns, he will judge the living and the dead. This belief is reflected in the Apostle's Creed, which is a summary of Christian beliefs that was written many centuries ago. The Apostle's Creed is recited by Christians during Christian worship services.
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Matthew 24:29-31
29 "Immediately after the distress of those days " 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'

30 "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.

31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

2. No one will know the hour or the day of Jesus' return
Bible passage: Matthew 24:36-37
Written: During the first century AD
Fulfilled: Many times throughout history.
   When Jesus lived in the land of Israel about 2000 years ago, he gave a very simple and concise answer when someone asked him when he would return: He explained that no one knows the hour or the day, except for God the Father (Matthew 24:36).

Even so, many people throughout history insisted that they knew the day of Jesus' return, only to be proven wrong. During the past few centuries, for example, there have been some very influential people who have misled many people with their false predictions:

William Miller, who lived from 1782 to 1849 and is credited with the beginning of the Adventist movement, which includes the Seventh-day Adventist Church, claimed that the Jesus would return by 1844:

"My principles in brief, are, that Jesus Christ will come again to this earth, cleanse, purify, and take possession of the same, with all the saints, sometime between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844." - as quoted in William Miller and the Advent Crisis, Everett N. Dick, Berrien Springs: Andrews University Press, 1994, pages 96-97.

After it had become apparent that prediction had failed, a colleague named Samuel S. Snow, claimed that the true date would be October 22, 1844. That prediction also proved false.

Nelson H. Barbour, a Millerite Adventist who lived from 1824 to 1905, wrote a book entitled Evidences for the Coming of the Lord in 1873, and was involved in other date-setting attempts with Charles Taze Russell.

Russell continued attempts at setting dates for the return of Jesus and spoke of invisible fulfillments. Russell is credited as being the founder of a religious organization called Jehovah's Witnesses.

Herbert W. Armstrong, who lived from 1892 to 1986 and founded a religious organization called the Worldwide Church of God, wrote a book called 1975 in Prophecy! The book warned of a catastrophic drought, enslavement of Americans and Britons, nuclear war and the return of Jesus as a dictator.

Today, the book is valued for its illustrations, which were drawn by an artist who had done work for Mad Magazine.

Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, claimed that Jesus would return by 1891:

"President Smith then stated that the meeting had been called, because God had commanded it; and it was made known to him by vision and by the Holy Spirit. He then gave a relation of some of the circumstances attending while journeying to Zion—our trials, sufferings; and said God had not designed all this for nothing, but He had it in remembrance yet; and it was the will of God that those who went Zion, with a determination to lay down their lives, if necessary, should be ordained to the ministry, and go forth to prune the vineyard for the last time, or the coming of the Lord, which was nigh—even fifty-six years should wind up the scene. " - History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Volume 2, page 182.

These examples represent a few of the many that have been recorded since the time of Jesus.
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Matthew 24:36-37
36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

3. Jesus' return will be unexpected
Bible passage: 2 Peter 3:1-18
Written: During the first century

   In 2 Peter, which is the name of an epistle (letter) in the New Testament of the Bible, we are told that the last days will take people by surprise, that "the day of the Lord will come like a thief."

The author, Peter, who was one of Jesus' apostles, reminds Christians to live righteously (2 Peter 3:11 and 2 Peter 3:14) and to view the end times with joy rather than fear (2 Peter 3:12-13).
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2 Peter 3:1-18
1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.

2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.

4 They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.

6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.

7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives

12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

15 Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.

16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.

18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

4. The "day of the Lord" will take people by surprise
Bible passage: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9
Written: About 50 AD AD

   In a letter addressed to the church of the Thessalonians, from Paul, Silas and Timothy, we are reminded that the end times, which is referenced here as the "day of the Lord," will take people by surprise.

In fact, we are told that the day will come "like a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2), during a time when people were talking about peace and safety (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
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1 Thessalonians 5:1-9
1 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you,

2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

3 While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.

5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.

7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

5. Before the end comes, the Gospel will be preached to the entire world
Bible passage: Matthew 24:14
Written: During the first century AD
To be fulfilled: End Times
   In Matthew 24:14, the Bible says that the Gospel (the news about Jesus and his offer of salvation and eternal life, as explained in the New Testament of the Bible) will be preached throughout the world. The Bible also says that after this happens, the end times will come. The Bible has been preached throughout the world for a long time. But now, with the increasing worldwide availability of television and the Internet, there is greater potential for the Gospel to be preached to everyone, everywhere.
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Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

6. Evangelism will spread throughout the world before Jesus returns
Bible passage: Acts 1:6-11
Written: During the first century, by Luke
To be fulfilled: End Times
   During ancient times, as is reflected in the Talmud, which is a collection of Judaic writings about the Bible, some Rabbis believed that there would be two Messiahs: one who would suffer and die, and another who would rule as king. Christians recognize that Jesus is both. He was the Messiah who suffered and died 2000 years ago, for our sins, and he is the Messiah who will return in the future to establish a perfect and everlasting kingdom.

In the New Testament of the Bible, there is more than one prophecy that speaks of the return of Jesus. One of the most commonly cited examples is the 24th chapter of the book of Matthew 24. But there are other examples, including one found in Acts 8:6-11.

In these verses, we are told that Jesus, who already had been resurrected and taken into Heaven, has returned to his Apostles to encourage them in their mission to tell others about salvation. They ask Jesus if he has returned to establish his kingdom on earth and Jesus replies that the time is not for them to know (Acts 1:7).

Instead, he tells them that the message of Jesus will be evangelized "in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Here, we are being told that the teachings about Jesus would spread worldwide.

As history affirms, Christianity was the first religion to spread to countries within each of the world's continents.
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Acts 1:6-11
6 So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"

7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.

11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

7. There will be false messiahs
Bible passage: Matthew 24:23-25
Written: During the first century AD
Fulfilled: Many times throughout history.
   Jesus proclaimed in Matthew 24 that there would be false messiahs and history has provided us with many examples. Here are some of the more intriguing examples of false messiahs:

Perhaps the most destructive of the false messiahs was Simon bar Kochba, who unleashed such great harm on his people that the injuries are still visible today.

Kochba lived during the second century. With the help of the highly revered Rabbi Akiva, who declared that Kochba was the promised messiah (Jerusalem Talmud, Ta'anit 4.5), Kochba organized a rebellion against the Romans who occupied and controlled the land of Israel.

The Romans, at great cost to themselves, eventually defeated Kochba's rebellion, and destroyed villages, towns and settlements throughout the land of Israel, and forced a new exile of Jews from the land of Israel, the effects of which are felt today. Even now, the majority of Jewish people live outside of the land of Israel.

Jerusalem was destroyed again by the Romans, and a decree was issued banning Jews from living in Jerusalem, which had been the center of Judaism. Roman emperor Hadrian built a new, pagan, city on the ruins of Jerusalem.

So profound was the destruction and exile that Babylon became the main center of Jewish life, and it would be many, many centuries before Jews would regain control of Jerusalem.
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Matthew 24:23-25
23 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it.

24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.

25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

8. Jesus spoke of a day of unequaled destruction and suffering
Bible passage: Matthew 24:21-22
Written: During the first century AD
To be fulfilled: End Times
   In Matthew 24:21-22, Jesus says there will come a time when a calamity strikes that will be unequaled by anything that has ever taken place.

Many people have offered their opinions about this prophecy, claiming that it points to a time of worldwide turmoil, or widespread disease and famine, or terrorism, or nuclear war, etc. And, so, it can be easy to overlook the good news contained in this prophecy: No matter what happens in this world, no matter how bad things get, God ultimately is in control and God ultimately will intervene and save those who serve him.
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Matthew 24:21-22
21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

9. Jerusalem will be trampled upon
Bible passage: Luke 21:23-24
Written: During the first century

   Jesus prophesied that the Gentiles, which is a word that refers to non-Jews, would trample upon Jerusalem until the end times.

It is interesting to note that when Jesus gave this prophecy during the first century of this era, the Jews had considerable control over the city of Jerusalem, even though they were forcibly incorporated into the Roman Empire. The Jews had a Temple in Jerusalem and were able to carry out various functions associated with Judaism.

But, about 40 years after Jesus prophesied about Gentiles trampling upon Jerusalem, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and forced Jews into exile. Even today, nearly 2,000 years later, the Jews still do not have enough control over Jerusalem to rebuild their Temple on the Temple Mount.
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Luke 21:23-24
23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people.

24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

10. All who believe in Jesus will be saved
Bible passage: John 3:16
Written: During the first century

   In John 3:16, Jesus says that anyone who believes in Jesus will be saved.
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John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Copyright ©1999-2007 George Konig
www.konig.org

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