(Taken from the January 2002 edition or our Hidden Manna magazine.)

“Surely we must be living in the last days…with the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the constant alarm of further terrorism on the home front, the bioterrorism realities of anthrax and threat of smallpox. The signs of the times are everywhere; it must be the beginning of the end times…” So say many sincere Christian leaders, pastors, writers, and scholars. The recent tragic events in America have once again fueled another round of “prophetic” interpretations and calculations that identify us as “the terminal generation,” who will see the end of the world. Other negative historical events of the last century—such as WW II and Adolf Hitler, the Cold War with Russia and the threat of nuclear war, Middle Eastern oil shortages, and the Gulf War and Saddam Hussein—have generated similar rhetoric. “But,” say the apocalyptic prophets, “it’s different this time. Our predictions are correct. The end of time is surely upon us!” Maybe their predictions would be right if it wasn’t for the fact that nowhere in the Scriptures is there a reference to the “end of the world” or the “end of time”! As a matter of fact, the Bible gives evidence of just the opposite:

 …from the beginning of the world…throughout all ages, world without end…(Eph. 3:9,21 KJV). 

One generation passes away, and another generation comes; but the earth abides forever…(Eccl. 1:4) 

If the scriptural references to the “end times” do not refer to the end of time, and the references to the “last days” do not refer to the end of the world, what are they referring to? A careful study reveals that the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of Scripture to speak of the time of the end rather than the end of time. The time of the end of what? The end of all that God’s covenant people of that hour had ever known—the passing away of the Old Covenant Judaic system of animal sacrifices with the temple worship. 

God…has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…(Heb. 1:1-2). 

…but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared…(Heb. 9:26). 

He…was manifest in these last times for you…(1 Pet. 1:20). 

But the end of all things is at hand…(1 Pet. 4:7). 

Apostle Peter and the writer to the Hebrews were writing the above messages to their current generation, as was Jesus when He told His disciples: 

Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation (Matt. 23:36). 

Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place (Matt. 24:34).  

Also, the Revelation given to Apostle John by Jesus Christ speaks to John’s contemporaries living in the time of the end (Rev. 1:1,3; 22:6-7). In the final chapter of Revelation, John writes, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand” (22:10). As John was addressing the seven churches in Revelation Chapters 2 and 3, he was speaking to his own churches in Asia Minor, and all seven prophecies have passages that infer the tumultuous ending of Old Covenant Judaism. John encouraged his church members to overcome in Christ during their troublesome times. Likewise, where the Old Covenant prophets refer to “the end” (including Daniel’s seventy weeks and Daniel’s time of the end), these passages are referring to the time of the end of Old Covenant Judaism rather than the end of the world. The New Covenant scriptures are filled with the same. 

Since the Scriptures do not speak of the world coming to an end, our current troublesome events in America are not foretelling the end of the world. This is truly good news (the gospel) for modern-day believers. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can live victoriously and overcome all negative circumstances, as did the early New Covenant believers that the Apostle John wrote to in the book of Revelation: 

And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth (Rev. 5:10). 

Jonathan Clark is an elder
of Abundant Life Covenant Church
and a physician in Springfield, Missouri.