Bible answers
What does the Bible say about the end times?
The Bible teaches that Jesus will return, the dead will be raised, and God will make all things new. It also says no one knows the day or the hour, not even the angels. Jesus told his followers to expect wars and troubles without being alarmed, and to stay awake rather than set dates. Christians disagree on many details, such as the rapture and the millennium. They agree on the center: Christ is coming back, and that is a hope, not a threat.
Bible verses about the end times
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- Matthew 24:36No one knows the day or hour, not the angels or the Son, only the Father.
- Matthew 24:6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars; do not be alarmed, the end is not yet.
- Mark 13:33Be on guard and stay alert, because you do not know when the time will come.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17The Lord will come down from heaven, the dead in Christ will rise, and we will be with him.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:2The day of the Lord comes like a thief at night.
- 2 Peter 3:8-9God is not slow; he is patient, wanting everyone to come to repentance.
- Revelation 21:4God will wipe away every tear; death, grief, and pain will be gone.
- Revelation 22:20Jesus says, “I am coming soon.” Come, Lord Jesus.
But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.Every generation has had people sure the end was arriving on a certain date, and every one of those dates has passed. Jesus saw this coming. He said wars, earthquakes, and famines would happen, and that these are not the end. He said many would come claiming to be him. And he said plainly that no one knows the day or hour.
So the Bible’s end-times teaching is less a puzzle to solve than a way to live. Paul’s description of the Lord’s return in 1 Thessalonians ends by telling readers to use these words to encourage one another. Peter says the delay is God’s patience, giving more people time to turn to him. Revelation ends with tears wiped away and death gone for good.
If news headlines or a viral video have you anxious about the end of the world, start there. Christians read the details of Revelation and Daniel differently, and it is fine to say “I don’t know” about them. What Scripture makes clear is enough: Jesus is coming back, he will set things right, and the way to be ready is to trust him and keep doing good today.
One next step
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 in one sitting. Then pray “Come, Lord Jesus” and name one person you want to encourage this week.
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People also ask
- What are the signs of the end times in the Bible?
- Jesus named wars, earthquakes, famines, false messiahs, and persecution, then said, “the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:4-14). These have happened in every century. He gave them so his followers would not panic or be fooled, not so they could set a date.
- Does the Bible say when Jesus will return?
- No. Jesus said no one knows the day or hour, not even the angels (Matthew 24:36), and that the times are set by the Father (Acts 1:7). Anyone who names a date for the end is going beyond Scripture.
- Is the rapture in the Bible?
- The word is not, but the idea comes from 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, where believers are caught up to meet the Lord. Christians disagree on the timing, including whether it happens before a time of great trouble or at Jesus’ visible return. They agree that Christ will return and gather his people.
- Are we living in the end times?
- In one sense, yes. The New Testament calls the whole time since Jesus’ resurrection “the last days” (Acts 2:17; Hebrews 1:2). Whether his return is near, no one knows. Jesus’ instruction is the same either way: stay alert, keep faith, and keep doing good (Mark 13:33).
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