Revelation’s “End of the World” Timeline Explained

Find out what the world will be like AFTER Jesus Christ returns. Watch next    • THIS Is What it Will Be Like AFTER Jesus R...   People have set dates about the end of the world that have come and gone, but the Bible gives a general timeline of specific events that will happen before Jesus returns. How long is the tribulation? Can we escape the tribulation? When will Jesus Christ return? Is there a rapture, and if so, when does it happen? People have been talking about the end of the world since the beginning of the world. What the Book of Revelation by itself says about of the end of the world can be puzzling—but with Jesus’ specific predictions in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, it can be much easier to understand. Using prophecies Jesus gave in the gospels and the Book of Revelation, let’s plot a timeline of what the Bible says about the end of the world. The first 4 events Jesus described don’t have timeframes associated with them and are pretty general in nature. But the indication is He was pointing to a final climactic culmination of these otherwise general events that would continue for the few years prior to His return. We’ll place them on the timeline in the order they’re given. Ironically, the first thing He cautioned was a world-encompassing Christianity that looked good, but was different from what He taught. He actually said, “Many will come in My name… and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:5). And the Book of Revelation predicts there would be one powerful religious figure who would lead the rise of this deceptive Christianity (Revelation 6:2; Revelation 13:11). He warned of wars on a scale not yet experienced in history (Matthew 24:6-7, Revelation 6:4). He spoke of famine on a global scale (Matthew 24:7, Revelation 6:5-6). Then He said that disease epidemics and pestilence would plague the world (Matthew 24:7). These wars, famines, and pestilences would result in the death of a quarter of the earth’s population (Revelation 6:7-8). An additional point in this area—though the Bible doesn’t make clear exactly when—is that Jewish priests will begin performing animal sacrifices again in Jerusalem, something that hasn’t happened since 70 AD (Daniel 11:31, Daniel 12:11). Then at some point, the sacrifices will be stopped, and the Abomination of Desolation will be set up in their place (Matthew 24:15). The Bible doesn’t explain exactly what the Abomination of Desolation is, but it does say it will happen exactly 1,290 days—just over 3½ years—before Jesus returns. The 30 days immediately following this Abomination of Desolation Jesus said would be a time to go to a place of hiding or safety (Matthew 24:15-21, Revelation 12:14), because after 30 days the worst time in human history would begin (Matthew 24:21-22). There will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. Translation: Brace yourself. It will be bad! The Bible explains this “tribulation” will last for a total of 1,260 days, or 3½ years (Revelation 11:2-3, Revelation 12:14, Revelation 13:15). But the 3½ year period is actually broken into two parts. The first 2½ years can be labeled as the Great Tribulation. The Bible calls the last year before Jesus returns the Day of the Lord (Isaiah 34:8; Isaiah 63:4). These two parts will be separated by a major event announcing the beginning of the Day of the Lord—the sun and moon will be darkened, and meteors will fall to the earth (Revelation 8:10-12). These can be called the heavenly signs. The Day of the Lord will bring some of the largest-scale problems the earth has ever seen, during which more than a third of the remaining population will die. The worldwide population would now be half of where it began, just a few years earlier. However, Jesus said: “Unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:22). In other words, mankind will not be annihilated because it will be stopped before it’s allowed to happen. At the very end of the age—and the worst year in the history of mankind—Jesus Christ will return to earth as the King of kings and the Prince of Peace. This will be the most pivotal time in human history—the moment a loving King establishes true peace and rules with love, fairness, and justice (Revelation 11:15, Matthew 24:30). This is also the time when all those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and followed His teachings (Revelation 12:17) will be raised from the dead in the first resurrection (Revelation 20:4-6, Matthew 24:31, 1 Corinthians 15:50-56, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). These glorified saints will rule on the earth with Jesus Christ and will help establish the Kingdom of God (Revelation 5:10, Revelation 11:15; Revelation 20:4-6). And He will bring a genuine peace the world has never known. The resurrection and the Kingdom of God, established by Jesus Christ, is what the Bible points to as the hope of every human being who ever lived.