The time and the sign of the end

The time and the sign of the end

"Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?" (13:4)


The questions of the Disciples were of two parts; the time of the end and the sign of the end of time. This question is still applicable in our present generation. What is the end? Early Christian community thought the end would come quickly. According to the Acts, people lived a communal life after selling all their property. If the end comes in our own generation surely property is no longer required in this world. The followers of Dami missions which insisted on Jesus’ coming on October 1992 gave up their social life. Nobody knows the time of the end. Even Jesus also pointed that he did not know the time. Then why do people want to know the time? Why do they listen attentively to the opinion of deceptive cults? Firstly, we can say that they do so because they do not have the proper knowledge about the Bible and basic knowledge about Christian faith. However, a certain fundamental fact is hidden in it.

It is a misty fear for death. Death is a complete separation from this world which is operated by time and space. People are not competent to do it. Different from animal, men with a clear self-identity are fatally living in constant fear of losing self. If he knows the time of the end exactly, he may overcome such fears at a certain level.

The time of the end is connected to the sign of the end. People can prepare the end by watching the signs. In the gospel, Jesus pointed out that the decision to time of the end is with God but he mentioned about the sign of the end at a certain detailed level. Disaster is the answer. Is the destruction of Jerusalem temple the evidence of the disaster mentioned in the Bible?