There have been many predictions for the end of the world throughout the centuries; needless to say, they have all been wrong. Jesus himself said only the Father knows (Matthew 24:36) the exact time of the end, so why are so many people presumptuous enough to make predictions for the day of judgement?
This post intends to show the pattern of destruction.
Jesus told us to watch for the signs of the end, and whosoever does this will know whether the generation they live in meets the criteria. They will not know the exact date; however, they will have an excellent idea if the time they live in is the end of days. (Matthew 25:13, Luke 12:37-39, Matthew 24:42).
We have been given enough clues to know the time of the end.
The end of the world
Throughout the scriptures, a pattern shows when God's tolerance is exceeded, bringing destruction. This understanding is demonstrated, but only trusting God will remove the stupor and establish wisdom in your bones.
Abraham's conversation with God
Abraham's conversation with God about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16-33) depicts cities consumed with sin to the degree that they would openly carry out homosexual rape. Both the crimes of homosexuality and rape are punishable in the law by death, but they had no respect for God. Their society was wealthy, filled with leisure and pride, and forgot God (Ezekiel 16:49-50), much like today's world.
Both homosexuality and rape are sins in the kingdom of God.
When Abraham asked, God clarified that He would not destroy the cities if even ten righteous people were left in them. Ultimately, only Lot was left righteous, and God rained fire and brimstone on these cities.
The pattern of destruction
The example of destruction is repeated throughout the scriptures when there is complete acceptance and indulgence in sin. This state often occurs through pride, wealth and idleness. The belief you are the master of your destiny, and God does not play any role in your existence.
Here is a list of examples within the scriptures where God destroyed almost everyone except the righteous:
The flood in the days of Noah (Genesis 7 & 8): God destroyed the world because every thought of its inhabitants was continually evil. He left only one righteous man and his family. Noah.
Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction (Genesis 19:24-25, Ezekiel 16:49-50): Through their pride and trust in their wealth, they disregarded the commands of God, and ultimately God eradicated them, except for one man and his family. Lot.
The destruction of the tribe of Benjamin (Judges 20): The arrogance where a group of men could rape a woman all night without repentance when confronted with their sin and have the entire city stand behind them. So was the tribe of Benjamin. They warred against the other tribes instead of giving up the culprits. If the other tribes did not have pity and desired not to eliminate a tribe of Israel, they would all have been destroyed—only 600 left.
The destruction of Canaan (Deuteronomy 9:5, Deuteronomy 7:1-2): God promised Abraham the land of Canaan as his inheritance. This promise was fulfilled only when the inhabitants abandoned God in totality over 400 years later (Genesis 15:16). God commanded Israel to wipe out everyone.
God's judgement was delivered in all these instances when unrighteousness consumed the land from young to old—the state where the nations saw good as evil and evil as good.
When God's commands are broken without fear of repercussions, the kingdom is destroyed.
The Final Destruction
Jesus made clear that at the time of the end, the world will be like the days of Noah, where unrighteousness abounds.
But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
In addition, although many sources teach about armageddon, the physical destruction of the earth through an extraordinary event such as a meteor strike, God does not depict it that way. A scriptural armageddon is likened to a land devoid of righteousness. The people continue in their daily activities and reject God. Like the world we see today.
Much like the world today, the people actively warred against God and were arrogant in their sins. They were rich and overfed, forsaking all the commandments of God. At this point, most people did not even know God's commands and did not care to know.
In the days of Noah, the world was entirely drunk in sin.
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
This demonstrates that God the expectation of when God is to bring a conclusion is not commonly taught. The doctrines of the rapture feed into armageddon and distort the understanding of how the world will look when judgement appears.
Judgment will come when entire nations, and in this case, the beast, the world as a whole, disregard his instructions and is bereft of righteousness. Knowing the commands of God gives a foundation to see when they are broken; however, walking in God opens your eyes to see.
Conclusion
Today, the world celebrates its defiance of God, and all its thoughts and actions are continually wicked. They applaud their efforts to corrupt the entire earth and speak as if there were no God and the world belonged to them.
They reign in arrogance in the pattern of the final destruction.
But if there was no God, there would not be a need to fight against Him, and there would not be a need to soak the world every second in filth. The world is on the precipice of destruction, and if not for God's mercy, it would have been long destroyed.
The ones who drive society into sin know God exists. If they did not know of Him, they would not know to break every single one of his commands. Statistically improbable.
Like a petulant child, the wicked in the world march with a pout of determined ignorance to their destruction. They are unconcerned about their lives showing their lack of knowledge and disconnect from their creator. The righteous should lament for the world but celebrate the end of this wickedness.
