The Bible is loaded with prophecies. Some are about the birth of Jesus, some are about the difficulties the Israelites faced…but the prophecies about the “end times” stand out. These are prophecies that have not yet been fulfilled to completion and have to do with the end of this sinful world, the return of Jesus Christ, and the judgment of all humanity.
So it makes sense that these end-time prophecies would instill an extra sense of wonder within us—as well as a mix of many other emotions and ideas.
Let’s explore where to find these prophecies in the Bible, as well as some tips for reading, studying, and interpreting them. Then we’ll discuss how they apply to our lives.
We’ll look at:
- What is meant by “end-time” prophecy
- Why these prophecies are in Scripture
- Examples of end-time prophecy
- Guidelines for studying end-time prophecy
- How this subject is relevant to our lives
Sorting through all the information available on the prophecies about the last days of our world can be daunting. Some of the imagery can even seem like it’s straight out of a suspense thriller movie. But rest assured that God has shared this glimpse into the future not to scare us, but to give us hope and peace, because He promises to be with us through it all.
Prophecy is God’s answer to our questions about the future. It shows us that the God who knows the beginning to the end is ultimately in control.
What does “end-time” prophecy actually mean?
End-time prophecies are passages of Scripture that give us signs, context, and trajectory for events that happen before Christ returns and the earth is cleansed by fire to be made new.
These prophecies can be found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. So if a passage gives us clues about what will happen as the earth is left more and more to humanity’s own devices, that can be considered end-time prophecy.
Many prophecies in the Bible point to Jesus’ first coming as the Messiah. But when we are referring to “end-time” prophecy we are looking at verses that point to the time before Jesus’ second coming and what God has planned for us after. Christ’s second coming will end time as we know it on the earth now and begin a new era, free from sin, when humans will live in the presence of God (Revelation 21:5).
Talking about the “apocalypse”
End-time prophecies are also known as “apocalyptic” prophecies, and most of these prophetic verses are found in the books of Daniel and Revelation.
The word “apocalypse” can give us an unsettling feeling, largely because of what pop culture has done with it. But if we look at its definition, apocalypse does not mean chaos or disaster.
Since Revelation was written by John in Greek, we’ll start with the Greek word that it’s usually translated from: apocalypsis. It means “uncovering” or “revealing.”1
Interestingly enough, the literal title of the Book of Revelation is the “Apocalypse of John” because this is where God is revealing or uncovering future events and His plans for humanity through the prophet John.
This can make the word “apocalypse” much less intimidating. And it draws our curiosity to the related Scriptures. What does God want to share with us about our future? What can the careful study of these prophecies uncover?
Finding hope in the apocalyptic prophecies
Christians look forward to the day that the kingdom of God will be re-established on earth. But as time leads us closer and closer to this glorious event, prophecy tells us that world events will lead to drastic shifts in world powers, polarization of religious and political allegiances, increases in disease and immorality, as well as an uptick in natural disasters.
Our world will become an increasingly chaotic place as the results of sin come to a head. This is why some Christians call these last days the “time of trouble.” That is what the prophet Daniel calls it (Daniel 12:1), and it seems it will be a fitting description.
But we’re told these things in the Bible not to make us afraid of God or to be fearful of the world itself. We’re told these things so we can recognize the meaning behind the events of the future, what they’re leading up to, and that God will never leave us.
According to Ellen White, author and co-founder of the Adventist Church:
“Ministers and people declared that the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation were incomprehensible mysteries. But Christ directed His disciples to the words of the prophet Daniel concerning events to take place in their time, and said: ‘Whoso readeth, let him understand’ [Matthew 24:15]. And the assertion that the Revelation is a mystery, not to be understood, is contradicted by the very title of the book: ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass. … Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand’ [Revelation 1:1-3].”2
Why is this kind of prophecy in the Bible?
Biblical prophecy keeps us in tune with God’s plans and helps us understand where our history is headed. The entire point of the Bible is our salvation story, centered on the Gospel message that through Jesus, we can one day live with Him in a world free from sin.
This reveals God’s character of unconditional love. Because He loves us, He wants to share His plans with us. And our current worldview is shaped by His revelations.
God shares His plans
God doesn’t want us to be caught unaware when the world progresses into turmoil around us. He wants us to see where humanity is headed and why. He wants us to see the big picture and understand what needs to happen in order for the Great Controversy, or the ultimate battle between good (Christ) and evil (Satan), to come to a rightful end.
He also wants us to understand the significance and roles of certain events and world powers, so that our faith in Him can be reinforced as we see those unfold as current events.
Jesus told His disciples that He was going to “come with his angels in the glory of his Father” (Matthew 16:27, ESV). Naturally, His disciples were curious when this would happen and if there would be any signs to watch for (Matthew 24:3).
The Bible also tells us, “Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7, NKJV). And Jesus tells us that we are His friends and that “all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15, ESV).
His plan reveals His character of love
In Luke 17:26 Jesus says, “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man” (ESV). The days of Noah were so bad that God needed to cleanse the earth with a flood. Genesis 6:5 tells us, “Every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time” (CSB).
That sounds really bad. If you could see that someone you love was headed into hard times, wouldn’t you want to warn them? And if you knew it would all work out for the best in the end, despite how things might look, wouldn’t you want to give them hope?
The other point Jesus was making is that people in Noah’s time were carrying on with their lives as if they were unaffected by any coming destruction. They kept life going as usual.
God sent a message of both warning and hope to those people, and He sends messages to us now through end-time prophecy. He doesn’t want us to be caught unaware.
According to author C. Mervyn Maxwell, former professor and chairman of the department of church history at Andrews University, the theme of the entire Bible is “God is love” (1 John 4:8 ESV). And that includes Daniel and Revelation!3
Maxwell continues:
“God can do far more to prove His love than to hug and kiss us. The books of Daniel and Revelation show Him ready to do stupendous things for us if we trust Him:
“To deliver us from the power of sin. Revelation, chapters 3 and 3.
“To raise us from the dead. Daniel 12:1, 2; Revelation 1:18.
“To set up and remove whole empires. Daniel, chapters 2 and 7.
“To lift the veil and reveal secrets and mysteries of the past, present, and future. Daniel 2:28; Revelation 1:1.”4
God wants to warn us about what life will be like on earth before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Satan will put forward his best effort to ruin us, trying to make God and His loving Law appear unjust and restrictive. So God wants us to know that He has a plan—to make all things right, to save and restore us, and to end sin and evil forever.
God gave us end-time prophecies so that we could prepare for what’s ahead with hope (1 Thessalonians 5:1-9), and so we don’t have to be consumed with fear when the world goes crazy around us (Matthew 24:5-8).
Prophecy shapes our worldview
Living with hope in our future, knowing that a powerful and loving God is in control, changes the way that we see and interact with our world. No matter how difficult our lives get, we can draw on “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7, ESV).
As we notice what’s going on in the world, it’s easy to become alarmed or worried for our safety or well-being. But we can know that no matter how bad things become, all things will be made right in the end (Revelation 21:4).
This changes our earthly priorities into heavenly ones. During a time when many people will be focused on protecting themselves and the earthly things they value, we can “lay up for [ourselves] treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20, ESV) and consider God to be “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1, ESV).
Want to learn more about what will happen during the End Times? Start your own online Bible study.
Examples of end-time prophecy
To help get you started on your study, here are some examples of end-time prophecies found in the Bible.
Nebuchadnezzar’s statue dream—progression of world powers leading up to the end of time (Daniel 2).
This is one of the earliest passages of prophecy that references the end of the world as we know it.
Through Daniel, God reveals the meaning of a dream the king of Babylon had about a statue made of several different materials, representing future political power shifts—the golden head (Babylon), the silver arms (Medo-Persia), the bronze torso (Greece), the iron legs (Rome), and the feet of iron and clay (mixture of strong and weak political powers).
Here’s the end-time reference: A large rock hit the feet of the statue and destroyed it all. Then the rock became a mountain that “filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:35, CSB). This mountain symbolized God’s kingdom that would one day put an end to corrupt human rulership, envelop the whole earth, and “endure forever” (Daniel 2:44, CSB).
This sets the stage for many of the passages of end-time prophecy that appear later in Scripture.
Increase in global disorder and hardships, eventually culminating in a “time of trouble” (Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:21, 2 Timothy 3:1).
As time draws nearer to the end, humanity will be progressively left to their own devices as more and more people choose the way of self over the way of God—which is Satan’s agenda. This will result in worldwide turmoil: wars, economic instability, famines, natural disasters, persecution, etc. All these things will culminate in a final period of disasters and intense persecution against God’s followers right before the Second Coming (Matthew 24:21, 29).
However, God reassures His believers that they don’t have to be afraid and that this difficult time will be brief for their sake (Matthew 24:6, 22).
Christians will be persecuted (Matthew 24:9; Mark 13:9-13; Luke 21:8-19; 2 Timothy 3:12).
As the world increases in selfishness and wickedness, those who hold fast to God’s teachings will be heavily resented, even to the point of hatred. Those who follow Christ will suffer persecution in many forms. But repeatedly, despite the grim outlook of things, God tells His followers not to fear.
Rise in appearance and influence of false prophets and teachers, and even false messiahs (Matthew 24:4-5, 11, 23-24; Mark 13:5-6, 22; Luke 21:8; 2 Peter 2:1-3).
While the world grows more and more chaotic, many will see an opportunity to deceive people by claiming to be prophets or even the Messiah Himself.
Yet God tells us not to be deceived and instructs us to hold fast to the truths we’ve learned from the Bible. These biblical principles will be the measure by which we test the validity of these prophets and influencers.
The rise of the “antichrist” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 1 John 2:18, 22, 4:3; 2 John 1:7).
Scripture also prophesies of a prominent religious power that will try to take the place of Jesus Christ, subtly undermining His teachings in the Bible.
This leader will even claim to be God, or god-like. (This person is also referred to as the “man of lawlessness” in 2 Thessalonians.)
Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a dramatic increase in the demonstration of spiritual gifts, the Gospel proclaimed to the entire world (Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 24:14; Acts 2:17-18).
Even while the world is in upheaval, God will be working through His followers in extraordinary ways.
The Gospel message will reach every corner of the world, giving everyone a chance to place their hope in Christ.
The “mark of the beast” (Revelation 13:16-17).
Scripture foretells of a “mark,” or a distinction discernible by God, that will identify all humans that choose against Him and place their allegiance with the antichrist, or the “beast.”
This choice also identifies the point in time when every person’s decision has been finalized for or against God. There’s nothing left that could change their minds one way or the other.
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26, 33; Luke 21:27, John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16).
Jesus Himself told His disciples He will return to earth at a later time—but that no one knows when that will be. So He tells us to be vigilant.
When He does return, He will appear in the sky in a brilliant display of power and glory. This signals to all humanity that the end of the age is here.
The resurrection of God’s people at the time of the Second Coming (John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:12-13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
When Jesus returns, the Bible says that the “dead in Christ shall rise first,” and they will be lifted up to Jesus in the sky, also joined by the believers who are alive at the time.
The destruction of the devil and his followers, purification of the earth by fire, and its re-creation to original Eden-like perfection (Revelation 20:7-15, 21:1-4).
Scripture assures us that Satan and all who sided with him, be they humans or spirits, will be destroyed by fire. Then the whole earth, which will have “passed away” (Revelation 21:1), will be made new again.
The New Jerusalem will come down from heaven as God provides us with the idyllic world He always intended humans to live in—with Jesus living among us for eternity.
Guidelines for studying end-time prophecy
If you’re just beginning to study eschatology (or even if you’ve read through end-time prophecies before), it helps to have some support and direction to enrich your experience. Here are some guidelines to help you along the way.
Many of these guidelines are helpful for studying any Scripture, but they are of utmost importance when reading about such a profound, complex subject as end-time prophecy.
Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
Let’s first remember that when we invite the Holy Spirit to guide us in any study, we are promised help (John 16:13).
It’s okay to use additional resources.
Since we can’t all be historians, theologians, or Greek and Hebrew scholars, sometimes it can be helpful to use vetted resources, such as:
- Bible dictionaries
- Encyclopedias
- Concordances
- Bible commentaries
- Study guides
- Bible atlases
Take notes and/or keep a study journal.
When studying a complex subject like end-time prophecies, you’ll want to be able to write down any questions that come up, concepts you can’t quite grasp, or additional ideas that come to you during your reading.
It’s also helpful to journal your thoughts and feelings after a study session.
Use a biblical framework.
Bible scholars have used different frameworks for interpreting prophecy, and it’s important to choose the one that is most consistent with the Bible. Then make sure all your other resources, including commentaries and study guides, fit within that framework.
Having a framework is like putting on sunglasses in your mind—they will tint the way you see everything in the Bible.
Gerhard Pfandl, PhD, former associate director of the Biblical Research Institute, discusses four main frameworks for understanding prophecy:5
- Preterist: The preterist framework doesn’t acknowledge prophecy as God telling us the future. Instead, it says that prophecies in the Bible were really written after they came true and just describe past events. People with a preterist framework see all end-time prophecy (both in Daniel and Revelation) as having taken place in the past and not impacting us today.
- Futurist: According to this viewpoint, both Daniel and Revelation (except for the first three chapters) present things that will happen in the future.
- Idealist: This framework views all of the prophecies as merely spiritual, not necessarily literal or physical. Instead, this view purports that these prophecies represent the battle that has been happening between Christ and Satan, but none of them play out as actual events in history or in the end times.
- Historicist: Historicists see Bible prophecy as unfolding throughout history, continuing through the present and to the end times.
The approach that best reflects how individuals in the Bible understood prophecy is the final one—the historicist framework.
The Daniel 2 prophecy gives us an excellent example of this because we’re able to see the interpretation God gave to Daniel. Rather than secluding all the events of the prophecy to the past, God helped Daniel to understand that the prophecy began in the time of Daniel (the empire of Babylon) and continued through successive world empires down to the end of earth’s history (Daniel 2:36-44).
Using the historicist framework will help you to come to your study of end-time prophecies with a biblical perspective.
Remember the day-for-year principle.
Time prophecies can be daunting. They need some historical calendar study in addition to biblical study. For example, we know that the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 are not literal 24-hour days. So what does a day represent in prophetic time?
The key to interpreting time prophecy is found in Ezekiel 4:5-6. Here we find God telling Ezekiel to physically represent a message to Israel. God explained the amount of time He wanted represented: “a day for each year” (Ezekiel 4:6, ESV).
We also see this principle in Numbers 14:34, when God explains the 40 additional years the Israelites spent in the wilderness before proceeding to Canaan: “According to the number of days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years” (ESV).
So if you encounter a time prophecy, it’s worth digging deeper to see if this principle applies.6
Always consider the context.
When reading any passage of Scripture, especially if it’s a prophecy yet to come true, the context can provide details for interpretation that we won’t find by only looking at a collection of verses alone.
Pfandl points out the importance of understanding context when it comes to numbers in end-time prophecies. Some numbers are symbolic, as we see with the day-for-year principle, and others are literal.7
How do we know?
Context. We have to understand whether a chapter we’re reading has literal elements or if it’s primarily symbolic.
For example, much of the book of Revelation uses numbers as symbols or time prophecies, but when Revelation 20 mentions the 1,000 years (known as the Millennium), it is referring to a literal time period. The reason is that the last three chapters of Revelation mention many other literal details to describe heaven and the new earth. Details such as angels, Satan, Jesus, the New Jerusalem, etc.8
So here are some helpful things to ask when considering a passage’s context:
- What took place directly before these verses?
- Who is the historical audience?
- Is there cultural context that could affect the meaning?
- Is this a parable? What is the principle being explained metaphorically?
- How does this fit into the message of the chapter or the book? Or the Bible as a whole?
Remember that the Bible often interprets itself.
This means that the principles we learn in Scripture are constant throughout the whole book. For example, if we learn that God doesn’t change (Malachi 3:6) and that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), we can read every verse of Scripture in the context of a stable, unchanging God.
Additionally, sometimes we can find interpretations of biblical symbols in other parts of the Bible, or we can find continuity in lots of human situations and outcomes.
Take the symbol of a beast, often used in end-time prophecy. Revelation doesn’t directly tell us what a beast represents. But the book of Daniel—no doubt studied by the author of Revelation—explains that a beast in prophecy represents a kingdom or nation (Daniel 7:17, 23).
When the Bible is looked at as a whole, it builds upon itself and helps fill out our understanding of it.
Pay attention to “repetition and enlargement.”
When studying Daniel and Revelation, you will notice a repetition of words, imagery, and concepts. With each repetition, new details are added. This is the principle of repetition and enlargement.
The beasts of Daniel 7—a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a beast with ten horns—describe kingdoms that arose after the fall of Babylon. Daniel 8:20-21 zooms in on two of those kingdoms with another vision of a ram and a goat (symbolizing Medo-Persia and Greece, respectively). This passage gives more information about the kings and the transition of power.
Revelation 13 picks up with similar imagery and again expands on it:
“And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority” (Revelation 13:1-2, ESV).
Did you catch the similarities between this description and those in Daniel?
The first beast of Revelation 13 comes up out of the sea and has traits of a lion, bear, and leopard like the beasts of Daniel. It also has ten horns.
So, we can tell that the symbolism in Revelation 13 is referencing Daniel 7.
John was writing Revelation while under Roman rule, so he didn’t “enlarge” or add detail to the first three beasts of Daniel that represented the past (Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece). Instead, he continued throughout Revelation 13 to give more details about the fourth beast and what becomes of that beast in the future.
Keep your eye out for these repeated themes throughout end-time prophecy.
Curious what’s in store for Jesus’ followers after the End Times? Try this free Bible study about the Millennium, Heaven, and the New Earth.
Is prophecy about end-time events relevant to us right now?
We know that biblical prophecy is important. But for prophecies about a time in the future, what’s the benefit of studying them now? What can we learn that will affect our daily lives?
It gives us peace of mind and hope for the future
Our loving God offers us peace as we recognize that He has the future under control.
Peter tells us that prophecy is a message from the Holy Spirit that affects our hearts:
“We also have the prophetic word strongly confirmed, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:19-20, CSB).
And in John 14:27, Jesus says:
“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful” (CSB).
In this context, Jesus is telling the disciples that He will be leaving them soon. We can apply Jesus’ message to end-time prophecy. The same God who offered comfort and peace to the disciples when He prophesied His death wants us to have peace about our future, as well.
Jesus goes on to say in verse 29, “I have told you now before it happens so that when it does happen you may believe” (CSB). He knows that as we recognize prophecy being fulfilled, it can greatly strengthen our faith.
We can study and see that God has been faithful in His promises and fulfillment of prophecy. And we can look forward to the day when Jesus cleanses our world from sin and suffering forever (Revelation 21:1-4).
It helps us focus on the life that God wants us to lead now (Revelation 14:6-7)
End-time prophecy inspires us to seek a saving relationship with our loving God (John 3:16-17). These prophecies can help us see that the end times aren’t just something in the distant future. We’re looking at a world well on its way to a time of trouble, even though no one knows exactly when all the end-time events will happen. But even if it’s decades or centuries before Jesus returns, our lives are still short.
No one truly knows how much time they have on earth. And the present is always the best time to choose Jesus as our Savior.
It’s also in our best interests to appreciate each human interaction we have, knowing that it’s an opportunity to demonstrate the love of Jesus and share His Gospel message.
There’s no room for complacency when we recognize the fragility of life on this sinful earth.
It gives us an informed perspective as the future unfolds
As we study prophecy, we can start to connect the dots in the world around us. We can recognize patterns, whether they have to do with people, politics, or religion.
And as these patterns become more and more clear, we’ll start to see what some of the symbolism in these prophecies represent. And our faith can grow as we recognize that everything God told us is indeed playing out how He said it would.
It reminds us that we can’t trust in worldly powers
As we watch the patterns of prophecy progress, we can remember how God has shown us that nothing in this world will last! No matter how tumultuous the world gets, we can actually take comfort in knowing that all these things “must come to pass” (Matthew 24:6).
Yes, it’s likely that we’ll witness deeply troubling things happening around us. But we don’t have to let it stir up our fears because we don’t have to place our faith in the stability of the world. We can instead have faith in the power, love, and unchanging nature of our Creator God.
All in all, prophecy helps us look past this broken world to our Savior, Jesus. And we have the assurance that His Holy Spirit will be with us as we prepare to see Him return for us, ready to restore everything to the perfect way He originally intended.
- dictionary.com [↩]
- White, Ellen G., The Great Controversy, p. 341 [↩]
- Maxwell, C. Mervyn, “Preface,” God Cares, vol. 1 [↩]
- Ibid. [↩]
- Pfandl, Gerhard, “Understanding Biblical Apocalyptic,” Biblical Hermeneutics: An Adventist Approach, pp. 273-279. [↩]
- ministrymagazine.org [↩]
- Pfandl, p. 286. [↩]
- Ibid. [↩]