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lar interest is similar to the general
obsession with the "end of the
world" which Europeans expected
around A.D. 1000 to 1400. MiUions
lived in fear, expecting the return of
Jesus Christ in that age.
In A.D. 1188, Saladin captured
Jerusalem. Earthquakes dismayed
many. Cyclones appeared to run
riot from 1180 to 1223. Storms,
lightning, and ftoods caused havoc.
Repeated fires threatened enti re
cities. And added to these catas–
trophes were terrible wars accom–
panied by pillaging , looting,
burning of cities, and rapine, fol–
lowed by pestilential epidemics. AH
these were looked upon as signs of
divine wrath (Achille Luchaire,
So–
cial France at the Time ofPhilip Au–
gustus,
pp. l-8).
The times were so depressing that
a monk, Rigord, moodily wrote:
"The world is
ill;
it grows so old that
it relapses into infancy. Comrnon re–
port has
it
that Antichrist has been
born at Babylon and that the day of
judgment is at hand."
During these calamities, religious
fervor ftourished. Thousands ex–
pected the imminent return of Jesus
Christ to punish the wicked.
ln
suc–
ceeding centuries, anticipation of
the retum of Christ blazed anew
among Protestant reformists and
eve n more among Anabaptis t
groups. Radicals a ttern pted to
arouse populations to usher in the
New Age by overthrowing th e
" Babylonian" tyranny and by
slaying the godless. After the revolt
and the ensuing time of suffering
and privation, they were told that
the messianic age would arrive.
At no time since the Middle Ages
has the world come to grips with
this same question on a similar scale
until our modern 20th century.
Today, thousands are noting, for the
first time, specific statements in the
Bible which seem to have particular
reference to current world condi–
tions and circumstances.
Could such prophecies indeed be
referring to our age? Could we be
40
living in the "end time"? Just what
does the Bible say about the "end of
the world" and the retum of Jesus
Christ?
Consider an event which occurred
over 1900 years ago. A few intimate
disciples of Jesus carne to
him
and
asked Him sorne very modero ques–
tions about the end of the "world,"
or as the original Greek word
aion
actually means, the end of the
"age." Jesus was not asked about
the end of the world, or the planet
earth, but rather about the end of
the
age
of human misrule on the
earth. The disciples expected Jesus
to set up the Kingdom of God dur–
ing their own generation. They
wanted to know what events would
lead up to that messianic hope.
Jesus, however, told them it was
not for them to know precisely when
He would return or when the King–
dom of Qod would be established
on earth (see Matthew 24:36-44;
Acts 1:6-7). Rather, He told them
that they should preach the gospel
- the good news - about the K.ing–
dom of God to all nations (Acts
1:8). One indication that the end
was near, He told them, would be
when
ALL NATIONS
finally heard the
good news He had brought (see
Matthew 24: 14).
But th en J esus described a
breathtaking scenario of events
leading up to the time when He
would actually return.
He told His intent listeners that
before He would set up the King–
dom of God - the government of
God - on earth, a host of false min–
isters and prophets would arise, pro–
claiming themselves to be true
representatives of Christ, claiming
to have special messages from God.
Sorne, at the very end, would even
assert that they were Christ Himself.
Then Jesus spoke of wars, rumors
of wars, and vast international con–
ftagrations (see Matthew 24:6-7).
These, of course, have been occur–
ring intermittently since nations
were first organized. But what do we
see today?
There certainly has been an in–
tensification of confiict since Wor1d
War 11. Southeast Asia is only one
"hotspot" in the world. Civil st rife
has been continuously erupting in
African states. We live with con–
frontation between India and Paki–
stan, rumors of war in the Middle
East, and periodic coups in Latín
America. War has become a monot–
onously regular occurrence- justas
Jesus indicated it would be before
His retum. Nations seem to be end–
lessly girding themselves for sorne
ultimate conftict.
Jesus next mentioned great earth–
quakes, famines, and disease epi–
demics. These, of course, have
occurred throughout history. But
what makes them more signíficant
for our generation are mounting
world population and shrinking re–
sources and food supplies. Ma lnour–
ished and undemourished millions
are particularly s usceptibl e to
calarnitous diseases. Burgeoning
populations are vulnerable to natu–
ral disasters, droughts, and sub–
sequent famine. Millions could die
in India, for example, with the fail–
ure of irnportant monsoon rains to
water desperately needed food
crops.
Jesus also said, "Because wicked–
ness is multiplied, most men's !ove
will grow cold" (Matt. 24: 12). (Un–
less stated otherwise, all scriptures
quoted from the Bible are taken
from the Revised Standard Ver–
sion.) He was referring to normal
human warmth and atfectioo. He
meant that people would be much
more self-centered than usual, lack–
ing normal human decency and
even natural affection. With declin–
ing morals and deteriorating ethics
in our Westero world, who could
deny that human !ove is being over–
whelrned with terrorism, vio1ence,
crime, and mayhem?
Wickedness, crime, and senseless
violence, Jesus declared, would be a
leading cause in the decline of
human !ove during the time of the
end (same verse).
In
our age, crime
PLAIN TRUTH April 1973