The End of the WorldFear, Fascination, and Frustration

How do you feel about December 21, 2012, the date on the Maya calendar that many have been saying would bring worldwide change? Depending on what you expected, you might be relieved, disappointed, or indifferent. Was it just another incorrect prediction for the end of the world? What about the end of the world described in the Bible? (Matthew 24:3, King James Version) Some fear that the earth will be burned up. Others are fascinated by end-time scenarios. Many have simply grown tired of being told that the end is near. But could those be reactions to fiction rather than to fact? YOU might be surprised to learn what the Bible really says about the end of the world. Not only does the Bible give reasons to look forward to the end but it also acknowledges the frustration that can set in if the end seems to be overdue. We invite you to consider the Bibles answers to some common questions about the end of the world.

Will the earth be burned up?

THE BIBLES ANSWER: [God] has founded the earth upon its established places; it will not be made to totter to time indefinite, or forever.PSALM 104:5. The earth will not be destroyed, either by fire or by any other means. Instead, the Bible teaches that this planet is mankinds eternal home. Psalm 37:29 says: The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.Psalm 115:16; Isaiah 45:18. After God created the earth, he said that it was very good, and he still feels that way. (Genesis 1:31) Far from planning to destroy it, he promises to bring to ruin those ruining the earthand to protect it from permanent damage.Revelation 11:18.

You may wonder, though, about 2 Peter 3:7. That Bible verse says: The heavens and the earth that are now are stored up for fire. Does this not show that the earth will be burned up? Actually, the Bible sometimes uses the terms heavens, earth, and fire figuratively, as symbols. For example, when Genesis 11:1 says: All the earth continued to be of one language, it uses earth to mean human society. The context of 2 Peter 3:7 shows that the heavens, earth, and fire mentioned there are also symbols.Verses 5 and 6 draw a parallel with the Flood of Noahs day. On that occasion, an ancient world was destroyed, yet our planet did not disappear. Instead, the Flood wiped out a violent society, or earth. It also destroyed a kind of heavensthe people who ruled over that earthly society. (Genesis 6:11) In the same way, 2 Peter 3:7 foretells the permanent destruction of wicked society and its corrupt governments as if by fire.

What happens at the end of the world?

THE BIBLES ANSWER: The world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.1 JOHN 2:17. The world that is to pass away is, not the earth, but the world of mankind whose lives are not in harmony with Gods will. Just as a surgeon might remove a cancerous tumor to save a patients life, God will cut off the wicked so that good people can truly enjoy life on earth. (Psalm 37:9) In that sense, the end of the world is a good thing.
Jesus called that future period the renewal of all things. At that time, he will restore humanity to the conditions that God originally intended. (Matthew 19:28, NIV) We will then enjoy

A paradise earth with security and prosperity for all.Isaiah 35:1; Micah 4:4. Work that is meaningful and satisfying.Isaiah 65:21-23. The curing of all disease.Isaiah 33:24. The reversal of aging.Job 33:25. The resurrection of the dead.John 5:28, 29. If we do the will of God, what he asks of us, we need not fear the end of the world. Instead, we can look forward to it. THE WATCHTOWER, JANUARY 2013 Photo Credit: istockphoto, NASA Goddard Photo and Video