End of An Age, Or End of The World?

 

 

The end is near. Most Christians would agree. There is a big question to ask, though. Does the soon-coming judgment of God mark the end of an age, or is it the end of the world? Will King Jesus reign on earth for 1000 years before the final judgment? Or is the Millennium just figurative?

When the end of the world comes God will destroy the earth by fire (2 Pet 3:7). He will then make a new heaven and a new earth, the eternal kingdom, where the redeemed will live with Him forever. Is that what is soon to happen? Or does God first plan to transition into another era, another extended period of time in His unfolding redemptive plan, much like He did after the flood? A Millennium kingdom is clearly delineated in Revelation 20:1-6. Those who believe that this 1000-year reign of Christ on earth is literal are classified as Premillennial, and that belief influences their interpretation of prophecies throughout Scripture. God’s calling of Israel is not revoked. It will be fulfilled in a future earthly kingdom, with the Lion of Judah reigning from Jerusalem. Righteousness and peace will prevail, undeterred by the wiles of Satan. King Jesus and the beloved nation of Israel will be a beacon of light and hope to the nations.

There is another system of belief when it comes to eschatology. Many believe that the Millennium described in Revelation 20 is merely figurative, like so much of Revelation. God has no intent nor any reason to have an earthly kingdom for 1000 years. This group would be classified as Amillennial. They believe that God’s covenant with Israel will not be renewed. In fact, the Church has replaced Israel as God’s chosen people. The Church is the new Israel. So, all the promises to Israel are fulfilled in the 2000-year history of the church. They see all the prophetic warnings and judgments in Revelation not as future, pertaining to the last days, but rather being fulfilled throughout the church age. The amillennial belief is not insignificant; it has been around since the early church. Throughout the world, except only in America, the majority of Christians hold to it.

After many years of study, though, I have come to the conclusion that the premillennial view is correct. The preponderance of Scripture supports this belief. I am confident that the judgment that is on the near horizon is not the end of the world, but rather a transition into a God-ordained Messianic reign on earth. The end of the world will come some 1000 years later.

You may ask, “What does it matter if the last days lead up to the end of the age or to the end of the world?” One pastor said this, “When it comes to the return of Christ, I don’t need to be part of the planning committee, I only want to be on the welcoming committee.”  Why would God have given us so much prophecy concerning the end of the age if He did not want us to be warned -- to plan for it, to be prepared, to be ready? Before the end of the age there will be extreme tribulation. America will be destroyed. A ten-nation Arab alliance will attack Israel. This battle of Armageddon will be like WW3 on steroids. Great turmoil will prevail throughout the world, before Christ returns to catch up His purified bride. No welcoming committee will see us through the dark, difficult days that are on the immediate horizon.