Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’
I have noticed as we study the Bible, listen to sermons, do Sabbath School lessons, and even reading devotions that quite often we see phrases like “time of the end”, “the end of time”, and “the end of the world” when they talk about the time right before Jesus returns. I have found that I really disagree with this terminology. I understand that they are speaking of the time when this world ends and God’s kingdom reigns for all eternity, but the terms used, I feel are not adequately used.
Even when reading the Bible, they talk about Revelation and how it is all about “the end” as well as the end of the book. Since we are technically living in the time of Revelation, I understand why they say this, but it doesn’t sound right to me. Let me tell you a few reasons why I think this way.
Matthew 24:3 I feel says it best as it says, “end of the age”. That doesn’t mean the end of time but the end of a certain period of time. Even though it is the end of this sinful world that we all know, it’s not the end of time. Time will go on. Plus, it’s not really the end of anything, other than sin and this sinful world. It is actually a new beginning! The beginning of eternity with Jesus. An eternity of no sin, no pain, no suffering. An eternity of peace and nothing but beauty and the best of everything. An eternity being right there with God, in all his glory.
I don’t look at Jesus’ return as being the end, but the beginning of a beautiful, everlasting life surrounded by love. I don’t think there could be anything better than that. Thinking about the part that comes after “the end” makes me so excited for the next part! How could you not look forward to what He promises? It will be so wonderful; we can’t even fully grasp and have no way of truly knowing!
The next time you hear someone talking about end times don’t fear. Remember, it’s just the beginning!