When Is the End of the World Coming?

You may be wondering when the end of the world is coming. With a lot happening in the world, it may seem like the end of the world is coming soon.

Did you know that the Bible talks about the end of the world in detail? I will tell you what the Bible says about the coming of the end of the world in this article.

The End of the World

We can learn much about the events preceding the end of the world by examining Matthew 24. The chapter records a lecture given by Christ on Mount Olives about the future that is commonly known as the “Olivet Discourse”. Christ’s disciples asked Him to provide a sign about two things:

  1. His coming
  2. The end of the world

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3)

The request to reveal “the sign” about two events indicates that these events are linked. The coming of Christ is linked to the end of the world.

Christ gave His disciples’ insight about these events. Christ indicated that there’d be many unnerving events in the world including:

  • Wars
  • Rumors of Wars
  • Famine
  • Earthquakes
  • Pestilence
  • False Messiahs

“(5) For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (6) And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. (7) For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. (8) All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:5-8)

Christ added that people would be hated for His name’s sake worldwide. The most challenging time that people will face this difficulty will be during the great tribulation described in Matthew 24:15-22.

Christ mentioned twice in Matthew 24:9-22 that people will eventually be saved. Matthew 24:13 indicates that those who endure to the end (of the world) will be saved:

“(9) Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. (10) And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. (11) And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. (12) And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. (13) But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. […] (22) And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. (Matthew 24:9-12, 22)

The time when the elect will be saved shall mark the beginning of the end of the world because the elect will have endured to the end. Matthew 24:29-31 indicates that the elect will be saved immediately after completion of the great tribulation:

“(29) Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (30) And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (31) And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-31)

Thus, the end of the world will begin after the end of the great tribulation. The signs that accompany the opening of the sixth seal will follow (Matthew 24:29, Revelation 6:12-17, Luke 21:25-28, Mark 13:24-27).

The Harvest at the End of the World

Christ indicated that the end of the world will bring the separation of the good from the wicked and the punishment of the wicked:

“(38) The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wickedone; (39) The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. (40) As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. (41) The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; (42) And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (43) Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:38-43)

“(47) Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: (48) Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. (49) So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, (50) And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:47-50)

You can learn more about the separation of the good from the wicked in my article on Luke 17:37.

The Gospel of the Kingdom

Christ provided another landmark to help us identify when the end of the world will come. Christ said that the end (of the world) will come after the “gospel of the kingdom” is preached to all the nations:

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” (Matthew 24:14)

Many believe this event is simply the preaching of the Gospel of Christ to a global audience. However, Revelation 14:6-7 records the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom to the world. Its message differs from the Gospel of Christ.

The gospel of the kingdom is actually a message warning the inhabitants of the world to fear God and give Him glory because the time of judgment is near:

“(6) And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, (7) Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Revelation 14:6-7)

When’s the End of the World Coming?

I hope this article clears up any misconceptions about the end of the world. The end of the world cannot come until after the end of the great tribulation and the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom.

The end of the world relates to the coming of Christ, the separation of the good from the wicked, and the punishment of the wicked. These events will come after the appearance of the sixth seal signs.

The sixth seal signs will appear at the end of the tribulation. We are not close to the seeing the signs of the sixth seal as we are not even in the tribulation yet.

Therefore, the end of the world is not imminent. Relax, if you’ve worried that the end of the world is happening now!

Again, to read more about the separation of good from the wicked, please see my article on Luke 17:37, one of the most important, yet overlooked verses in all Bible prophecy.

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Wayne Croley
Wayne Croley

Hi! I’ve studied and written about Bible prophecy since I was a teenager. My goal is to make Bible prophecy easy for you to understand while avoiding the sensationalism seen elsewhere. I am the author of several end time books, including Prophecy Proof Insights on the End Times, a comprehensive book about the end times. I hold an M.B.A. and degrees in Managerial Economics and Political Science.

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  1. p.s. On Oct 15, 2013, on the day the gov’t reopened,
    John Boehner commented
    ,”Now, it’s time to separate the chaff from the wheat.”
    (See the meaning of ‘tribulum’)
    Wow, prophetic, eh?

  2. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Our ‘world’ as we know it-we must endure–to the end.
    For He is “the Alpha and the Omega”, the beginning and the end..
    And His kingdom will have no end.
    So, who wants the world and who wants the kingdom?
    The separation or threshing is already [being done] (tribulation) so has the gospel spread across the world.
    Is the reaping and weeping that far? or do people just thinks there is more ‘time’? —We’ll know shortly.

  3. There are some prominent cardinals who are identified as “finalists” for the job. Look up “Gianfranco Ravasi” and “Israel” in Google. He is one of the so-called “finalists”. He would be an interesting choice. Do a little bit of research on Peter Turkson and you’ll probably agree that he would also be an interesting choice…

  4. I have no doubt you are right that St. Malachy is the source of all this. I’m wondering what the cardinals are thinking at this point about the man they will elect. I wonder if anyone is putting themselves forth, or if they are all standing back so as to not get elected.

  5. I wonder how much of this reaction is related to the “Prophecy of Popes” given by St. Malachy several hundred years ago. The next pope is the final one according to that “prophecy” and he is supposedly going to lead the Catholic Church through the end times when the city of seven hills will be destroyed… I am suspicious about the “prophecy”, but interested to see who is going to be the next pope.

    I’m very focused at the moment constructing a new, comprehensive end time timeline which deals with Revelation 14 in its entirety. That’s why I’ve been quiet lately.

  6. Have you seen the reaction some people are having to the pope’s resignation? People are going bonkers, declaring that the antichrist is about to sit on the throne and the tribulation is about to begin. It is across the board within a lot of different beliefs. I’ve found it on a Hebrew Roots movement who’s leader is telling people to get their sukkots ready (their RV’s) to come to the camp (where they hold the Feast of Tabernacles every year) after they celebrate the Passover meal (at home) on the Feast of Unleavened bread (they have that one week to get there or are outside of God’s protection) where they will then be in a bubble of protection in a re-enactment of the 40 year wilderness experience for the duration of the next 3 1/2 years.

    On another site, this was declared to be the fulfillment of the gangnam prophecies (you have to check that out- it is absurd) so therefore the antichrist will sit in the temple (the church in this case, not the real temple) in a few short weeks, and the tribulation will begin.

    Yet another is into the EU agreement (and Javier Solana is the AC) that was signed back in 2006/7 and say that now that the seven years is nearly over, and with the pope resigning, it signals that the AC will probably commit the abomination in a month or so (again the temple is the church) and the tribulation will begin. (Oddly enough even though they think the agreement is THE agreement mentioned in Daniel, they don’t believe in a seven year week, so only think the 3 1/2 years is relevant and that it can start any time after the agreement was made. Can’t figure that one out myself. Too confusing.)

    First, I have to ask. When did the seven years get shortened to 3 1/2? I’ve been reading this new interpretation of a “week” now for about 6 months or so. I had not heard of it until then, nor do I understand how they come to that understanding. Second, has everyone gone nuts?

  7. I don’t think Antichrist will discriminate when it comes to his enemies. You will likely be killed if you don’t worship him. What matters is that a person believes in Christ and resists the pressure/temptation to submit to Antichrist.

  8. Excellent write up, I am glad to see that you are well. Christians are going to have to stand up for what they believe, reguardless of whether you are Catholic or Protestant. I have a feeling that in the future the dogmatic issues are going to be less important, what will be important is if you believe in the TRUE CHRIST!! Those that do, are going to suffer or be killed.

  9. Thanks,

    You’re right that the “end of the world” signifies the end of an age. A much better world will eventually take its place. The end of the world will not bring total annihilation as people who believed in the Mayan doomsday prophecies thought.

  10. Hi Wayne

    Very good article. You do need to expand on the phrase ‘The End of the World’ as some people think that the Earth will cease to be when it is only talking about the end of an era or age. Most serious bible scholars know that the Earth is Eternal and will be the Capital of the Universe or shall I say all dimensions.