The mythology of different nations speaks of the end of the world. Eschatology was especially developed in Christianity and Islam. The first contains a number of signs of the end of the world. According to the Bible, after him a new life will come. All the harbingers are described in the canonical books.
No religion talks about the beginning of the end of the world, we are talking about a new life found. Based on this, it is customary to accept the end of the world as the end of earthly existence. The Bible speaks about the end of the world, that this event will become the judgment when pure souls go to a new life, and sinners end up in the chambers of hell.
Ancient sayings of the patriarchs
Everything that has an end has a beginning. It's hard to argue with this. This is logical and true and causes a lot of discussion, especially near the end of the world.
The Old and New Testaments contain information about harbingers of the end of the world. According to the traditions of the Holy Scriptures, man was born without the need for death. It is believed that previously there was no bodily shell, which means the soul does not need to leave. And the very first angels were created. They did not have a bodily shell. The very first angel, the Light Bearer, was very strong. He wanted to be equal to God, to have his own path. He opposed himself to God. And then the Lord brought the Light Bearer out of his environment and he became a fallen angel, like all those who followed him. There are opinions that the end of the world according to the Bible is associated precisely with the end of the Light Bringer.
According to biblical scripture, a fallen angel told Adam and Eve to eat fruit in the Garden of Eden in order to reveal the knowledge of what God knows. And then people learned what good and evil are. They themselves began to decide what actions to perform.
To protect souls from the will of others, God imprisoned them in bodies. Throughout their lives, people committed only those actions that they wanted to do: bad or good. After death, their souls go to either heaven or hell - it depends on how earthly life was lived. This was the beginning of life on Earth. This is taught in the scriptures.
The Bible also talks about the end of the world. This event is described in the New Testament and in the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 24.
Where is the soul before the Last Judgment?
After death, the deceased undergoes the following tests:
- For the first two days, together with the angels, he travels to memorable places of earthly life, remembering his joys and sorrows.
- On the third day he enters the Kingdom of the Lord and by His grace can remain in paradise for 6 days.
- Then the soul spends 30 days in hell , watching the suffering of sinners and enduring the temptations of demons. (see what ordeals are)
- On the fortieth day, the fate of a person is decided until the Second Coming of Jesus , when his fate for all eternity will be determined.
Read more: The posthumous fate of the soul in Orthodoxy
This is why it is so important to pray for the departed and give alms in memory of them. After death, they themselves can no longer repent and do good deeds.
We add our memories and prayers to the scale, and they can outweigh our sins.
During baptism we become part of the Church , and it is the embodiment of the Body of Christ. And turning our prayers, we ask that the deceased not be identified with his bad deeds, but perceived as a part of the Creator. The Creator can fill our soul, created in His image and likeness, with His perfection .
Sin and retribution
Throughout our lives we commit many deeds: good and evil . In Orthodoxy, it is believed that sin is a violation of the original plan. That is why Retribution is not a strict weighing of good and bad, as is done in legal practice that we understand. Rather, it is a medical operation that allows you to restore harmony by cutting off vices. The main thing is that at least a little faith and humility remain in the sinner.
The Gospel of Matthew and John the Theologian about the end of the world
According to the Bible, signs of the end of the world will begin with war. In John's revelation, the first sign is symbolized by the rider on a red horse, who takes peace from the earth. This is also mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew, in which Jesus tells his disciples how nation will rise against nation, and kingdom will go against kingdom.
The next harbinger of the end of the world will be a black horse, bringing famine and pestilence to the earth. In the Gospel of Matthew, this sign immediately follows wars. After epidemics that spread throughout the earth, some people will die. All who remain will become weak in spirit. They will “be tempted and betray each other.” At this moment, faith in Christianity will be lost and false prophets will appear.
In John's revelation, after famine and death, an angel comes into the world and crowns the day of wrath. It is marked by a great earthquake, a blood moon, and a solar eclipse. After this comes silence, which will not last long, because after it the true apocalypse will begin.
Signs of the end of the world, according to the Bible from John the Theologian, are distinguished in several stages. First the grass and trees will start to burn. Then volcanic eruptions occur, and then a “big star” enters the ocean and begins to poison the water. After these events, a series of eclipses occur. Then locusts emerge from the bowels of the earth and begin to torment the unfaithful people for five days. At the end of all the torment, the Kingdom of the Lord will open before the people remaining on earth.
According to the Bible, the signs of the end of the world do not provide an understanding of the exact date of the beginning of this event, but only describe it in a vague form.
Horsemen of the end of the world
The horsemen of the apocalypse are symbols described in Revelation. According to the Holy Scriptures, horsemen are stages of history that people and the church must go through in their development. This is a prophecy about the seven seals that seal the book. It is believed that after the seventh and final seal is broken, the end of the world will come. At this moment, all conflicts between good and evil will be settled, Jesus will return to the people, and the hour of the Last Judgment will come.
In the books, riders are described on different horses. It is believed that a rider with a bow on a white horse is a symbol of purity and victory over paganism. With the appearance of the white horseman, the first seal will be broken. In the first century, the church forced people to accept Christianity, and this time is considered a period of opposition to lies and deception.
The red horse will appear at the time the second seal is broken. Christians, under the yoke of death, remained faithful to Christ and his teaching, which passed through the centuries and remained unchanged. Satan's main goal was to do everything possible to change Christian teaching. He tried to do this through the hands of the Roman Empire, and then other methods followed.
The red horse symbolizes disputes between God's children. Its color is compared to blood, so this period is attributed to the time when Christians were hunted.
As you know, in the old days the church tried to convert everyone, regardless of their original faith and nation. As a result of this, the Lessons of Scripture lost their purity, and the prophecy of the red horse came true: people began to kill each other.
The third seal is opened by a black horse. The third horseman of the apocalypse has a measure in his hand. The black horse is a symbol of decline. During this period, the enemies achieved their goal, faith in the Savior and worship of God disappeared into obscurity.
When the fourth seal was opened, a pale horse appeared. John in his writing speaks of the appearance of a fourth horseman, whose name is Death. Hell followed him: he was given the power to kill all living things on earth. It is believed that the pale horse is a symbol of the decline of the church. Jesus' teachings were distorted, and those who did not want to follow the new, changed doctrines were executed. This was the period of the Inquisition. The Church gained political power by assuming God's authority: it could declare infallibility or speak about the sinfulness of man.
The Four Horsemen is a period of development of the church, a change in faith in the teachings of Christ. Many people could not withstand the persecution and were killed.
The end of the world according to the Bible
What does the Bible say about the end of the world and when will this event happen? There is no exact date in scripture, nor is there any statement that the “end of the world” will occur. The Bible calls this “the coming of the Lord Jesus.” It is believed that the end of the existence of our world will occur when the Savior comes to Earth again to destroy all evil.
Thus, the end of the world will happen, but what will happen before the end of the world according to the Bible? According to the holy scriptures, the end of the world is considered to be the second coming of Christ. This day is called judgment day. This event is spoken of in the Gospel of Matthew, in the Epistle to the Thessalonians, in the book of Revelation and other books.
Once upon a time, more than two thousand years ago, Christ was born on Earth. He came into the world to save us. Because of his love for people, the Savior died, because he accepted all their sins so that they could receive forgiveness.
In those ancient times, Jesus came to Earth as a savior, so that through faith in him, in his teachings, people could receive forgiveness for their sins. The second time Christ will come in great glory and power to carry out Judgment on all people. He will condemn those who rejected him and deliver from torment those who sincerely believed in him.
Nobody knows the exact date of this event. It is not in the Bible, so any predictions regarding it are considered fiction. However, there are a number of signs by which we can learn about this day.
One of the key moments in the Bible is the coming of the Antichrist. At this time there will be a rebellion against God. It is during the reign of the servant of Satan that the second coming of Christ will occur. He will destroy the Antichrist and condemn all who followed him. Those who truly believed in Jesus will have the opportunity to live forever in the Kingdom of Heaven. Regardless of when exactly this event occurs, everyone will appear before God. After death, every soul awaits God's judgment.
In Orthodoxy, the Bible does not tell much about the end of the world. All available information in different scriptures is similar in meaning. The books include Judgment Day, harbingers of the end of the world, Antichrist and the second coming of Christ. In order not to be condemned on the Day of Judgment, you must repent of your sins and sincerely believe in the Son of the Lord.
How does God's judgment work?
In some religious beliefs, judgment after death is administered by the impersonal Karma , the detached and indisputable Cosmic Law , or the blindfolded Themis .
In Christianity, a person meets God , who lived his life in the hypostasis of the Savior. The Son of the Lord gained the experience of being a mere mortal , with our passions, doubts, pain. This means that he will make the final decision about the fate of people based on a deep understanding of their nature. He went through suffering to save souls and heal them, not to condemn and deal with them.
Signs of the end of the world
How is the end of the world described in the Bible? Christ told his disciples about this event. They asked him when the end of centuries would come and what events would precede it. To which the Savior replied that in those distant times there would be many wars and rumors of wars. Peoples and countries will fight with each other, famine will come, people will begin to die, there will be earthquakes.
All these events are considered signs of the end of the world according to the Bible. The scripture also says that persecution will begin, abominable desolation will begin, there will be lawlessness everywhere, people will stop loving each other. Against the backdrop of these events, the Gospel will be preached in all corners of the world. On the day of the Last Judgment, there is no need to return for material values or try to hide. False prophets will appear who will show various miracles and seek to seduce people. The true Christ will come like lightning. His appearance will be visible from all directions of the world. These days, the light of the sun and moon will dim, and natural disasters will begin. It is then that a sign will be revealed: people will experience both joy and sadness at the same time. Angels will gather the elect from all over the world. Only the Creator knows the date of this event. She is not known to anyone - neither Angels nor people.
Here are a few quotes about the end of the world in the Bible: “... and this coming will be sudden, as suddenly the flood occurred in the time of Noah...”, “... on the eve of the global flood, people ate, got married, drank, had fun, not thinking about the terrible event...”, “... On the eve of Judgment Day, it will happen the same way as during the flood: people will have fun, enjoy life...”
During the second coming, some women and men will be taken to another world. And this will happen when no one dared to think. Every person must be prepared spiritually for the end of the world.
Repentance
Thus, a true Christian is not afraid of the Last Judgment . He realizes that at the end of the ages he will meet with the merciful Creator. The fear of this meeting is explained by the fact that from within our imperfect consciousness we cannot fully realize the power of the Lord’s love and compassion . Against the background of the Light that it emits, vicious actions and thoughts look especially terrible and unworthy, causing shame and fear. But love for the Creator and repentance can burn away sins in the rays of this light and give a chance to find eternal life in paradise .
Repentance is the realization that, despite all imperfection and sinfulness, we are children of God, we carry within us his Spirit and Image . When we repent, we do not engage in self-flagellation, but we pray to separate sin from ourselves , asking for a chance to be cleansed and reborn. There are no time limits for the Almighty, therefore our repentance and sincere desire to renounce evil deeds from ourselves is realized.
It is in the power of the Almighty. He can accept us into His Eternity already purified and full of His love.
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Gospel
With the coming of Jesus, the prophecies of the Old Testament begin to be fulfilled. According to it, Christ told his disciples that there would be judgment over the whole world, which all the prophets awaited with trepidation. Everything that was said to the disciples on the Mount of Olives was called the apocalypse of the weather forecasters. Since this information was recorded in the Gospel of Matthew and Luke.
The Gospel of John expands on several events that lead up to the Day of Judgment. He says that the trial has already begun and it will continue until the last day. According to the Gospel of John, the end of the world is associated with the resurrection of the dead. People of all nations will be judged by how they act towards other people. The main criterion is the good done to people. It determines the eternal destiny of people.
Message
The disciples of Christ in their writings speak more than once about the end of the world. In all books, the Day of Judgment for believers will be both the end and the beginning.
The apostles speak of the end of the world as the coming of Christ in glory, the Day of the Lord. In the Apostolic Church, this name is used to refer to the first day of the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord. The coming of the Savior will entail the resurrection of the dead, the beginning of a new life.
In the letters of the apostle they say that after the Resurrection of Christ all the deadlines will be fulfilled and darkness will come. This time will be long, and to shorten it, you need to believe in God.
The Apostle Paul added additional signs of the approaching end of the world. He says that in the last times an enemy of God will appear in the world who will try to lead people. Paul also believed that the last people to turn to God would be those chosen by Christ, which would show that the number of believers had become complete.
Peter confirms Paul's words, speaking of the end of the world as a universal catastrophe. He believes that God gives people the opportunity to believe and convert.
Justice and mercy of God
According to the patristic writings the Judgment of God is partial , it does not proceed with strict observance of the “letter of the law ,” but in accordance with the desire of the Lord, his plan . The Monk Isaac the Syrian said that the Most High
“... cannot be called “fair”, since he will evaluate cases based on his mercy.”
As in the parable of the prodigal son, where the father welcomes the returning adult child, impoverished and lost, with joy and arranges a feast. So on the Day of Judgment the Lord will resurrect people in order to give forgiveness to everyone who has even the slightest opportunity for this.
The devil demands justice and retribution : the sinner served him during his life, which means he must go to hell forever. But if the Christian himself does not identify himself with his sins, then neither will the Creator. He will separate sinful deeds, leaving the Soul pure and bright .
...not by law, but by mercy
In the Orthodox tradition, the idea that everyone will be judged by their own laws . What does this mean? If a person was inclined to condemn others for some sins and weaknesses , then it was for them that he would be “billed.” Christ compared sins to a twig, and condemnation of other people's misdeeds to a log.
Therefore, one of the main Christian tenets “judge not, lest ye be judged” is a parting advice that should protect people from the consequences of their bad thoughts and words about the behavior of others.
What happens after?
What will happen after the end of the world according to the Bible and what will the world be like? Revelation says that after the apocalypse there will be nothing of what we are used to. After the confrontation between good and evil, a new earth and a new sky will appear. There are prophets who said that before the sky was purple and the leaves on the trees were not green, but after the flood the world changed. Maybe the day of judgment will be another change in which the sky will turn red, for example, and the leaves on the trees will be blue.
All people who have found the true faith will begin to live in the Kingdom of the Lord, and all those who renounce the true faith will experience severe suffering and torment. These people are doomed to suffer for the rest of their days in darkness, in a world where there is no sun, no moon, no light.
Beatitudes
We need to pacify our pride and understand that the Almighty will treat us with condescension , giving us what we do not deserve. Humility is the path to heaven. The Beatitudes list qualities that, when met, avoid the Judgment Seat:
- “poor in spirit” - aware of their imperfection; only by understanding that you are sick and sinful can you ask for help from the Father and receive it;
- crying,
- meek,
- hungry for truth,
- gracious,
- pure in heart
- peacekeepers,
- exiled for the truth,
- persecuted for glorifying the name of Christ.
Character Traits of a “Good Person”
Predictions in other religions
Information about the end of the world is found in the scriptures of other religions. Buddhist records contain information about significant changes to the Earth. This is what will precede the start of the apocalypse. This religion says that the Higher powers that created the Earth will also destroy it. According to predictions, humanity will face challenges three times that will become a real threat to the survival of people as a species. These periods are called kalpas. Each of them has its own characteristics.
The first kalpa is characterized by creation, during which a person tries to understand the world around him and learn the laws of its development.
The second kalpa is the flowering of humanity. During this period, great discoveries will be made, amazing things will happen.
The third kalpa is decay. The lower worlds will begin to disintegrate, the world will collapse, and then unfold again, but without all living things. During the period of decay, only the Gods and the higher worlds will be able to survive.
Before the end of the world, according to Buddhist prediction, the earth will burn with fire. It will arise due to the appearance of seven suns in the sky, which will cause the destruction of all living things: the waters will be dried up, the continents will be scorched. After the departure of the seven suns, strong winds will begin that will destroy all the creations of people. Then the rains will begin, turning the planet into a large body of water. New life will arise in the waters, it will become the beginning of a new civilization.
