[Darris McNeely] We get a lot of questions on Beyond Today – “When will the end of the world be?” It’s a very interesting question. People who are interested in prophecy always want to know the answer to this question. It’s an honest question, but it’s a little bit wrong, because the reality is the world is not going to end. What is going to end is the age of man on this world.

In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus was asked by His disciples, “What will be the signs of Your coming and of the end of this age?” All right? The world is not going to end. This world is not going to explode. In fact, the universe is not going to explode or collapse in upon itself as some fear. What is going to happen is Christ is going to come to this earth, and He is going to establish the kingdom of God on this earth. The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, as Revelation says.

Jesus did go on to say that the events leading up to that time would be a time of great deception. In Matthew 24, He talks about false religion, He talks about war, He talks about famine, and He talks about pestilence. And then He talks about an even coming time of great tribulation. Matthew chapter 24 is a very key chapter on this particular subject, where He gave specific signs to His disciples and for us today to watch and to understand as to what would be leading up to this end of the age, and what people falsely assume to be the end of the world.

But that’s not what is going to happen. Now again, I said the question is an interesting question – it’s a common question, and in one sense, it’s an honest question because it speaks to a growing recognition even today for so many people, that there are a lot of things wrong and that there are biblical prophecies that are coming to pass. Students of the Bible understand that. And as we look around our world today, we see the decline and fall of nations, we see the shifting cultural attitudes that are turning our world upside down, people do come to a point where they wonder what’s going on, what are these signs telling us?

Well, we talk a lot about that on Beyond Today, and that’s very important. But it’s important to this one end, and the real question is, how will it impact your life and mine? Will we be stirred to a change, to a repentance, to a turning to God in our lives to understand that we can begin to live today by God’s teachings and God’s laws – the very laws of the kingdom of God – and begin to make a difference in our own life today, and save ourselves from a lot of suffering in our own lives, but also, quite likely, quite possibly, if we live during the times when a lot of these matters are taking place, we can save ourselves from the worst of that tribulation in terms of the way of life that God gives to us and God’s promises to His people during that time. In other words, we are to be preparing spiritually for this event today in our lives. That’s the real question. The world is not going to end. This age is going to come to a close. How we are preparing ourselves to meet that time in our own lives today is the critical question for all of us to understand.

That’s BT Daily. Join us next time.