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The end of the world according to Christianity
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True or false? According to Christians, the place where God and Satan will have their final battle is called Armageddon.
Many Christian ideas about the end of the world come from the Bible, notably from a book called Revelation. Revelation was written around 96 CE. In the Roman Empire at this time, Christianity was a fairly new religion, and there were only a small number of Christians. It was not a good time to be a Christian. Many were punished, even killed, for their “strange” beliefs.
Many Christians were convinced that things were so bad, the end of the world just had to be happening soon. Revelation contains the visions a man named John receives from God. John sees that many difficulties will happen before Jesus returns. John sees God sitting on a throne, holding a scroll locked with seven seals. These seals are then broken.
When this happens, disease and death spread across the world. The sun turns black, and the moon turns red. The stars fall to Earth. John sees a woman about to give birth and a dragon waiting to eat the child. This dragon is Satan.
He is described as very scary: a fire-red dragon with seven heads, ten horns and seven crowns. He is the embodiment of evil. A second beast comes from the sea. And out of the earth a third beast appears. It is a terrible time on earth.
But the people who believe in God are protected. In the end, an angel comes and traps Satan. Then, Jesus returns and rules on Earth for a thousand years. This time period is known as the Millennium, and it is peaceful. But after the Millenium has passed, Satan is released...
again! The final battle between God and Satan is at a place called Armageddon. Satan is thrown into a lake of fire. Earth as we know it is destroyed. Even heaven is destroyed.
Then, all people who ever lived are gathered before God and are judged according to their deeds. This is The Final Judgement. Those who have been good can be with God. But those who have sinned are thrown into the burning lake with Satan. John then describes the creation of a brand new Heaven and Earth where no death or pain exists.
This “Revelation” that John describes is quite violent, and kind of scary! But this story was actually meant to comfort Christians suffering under Roman rule, not scare them. It tells how things will eventually be good for those who believe. Christianity gradually became the religion of most of the Roman Empire, and Christians became a majority. The end of the world didn’t seem so close any more.
Today, Christians are divided on how to think about Revelation and the end of the world. Some Christians believe that most events in Revelation already happened a long time ago. Others believe that most events in Revelation will happen sometime in the future. Meanwhile, some believe that the events described in Revelation never happened in the past and will never happen in the future. Instead they are just stories that symbolise God’s power.
Most Christians believe that Jesus will come back, probably after some time of difficulty on Earth. Additionaly, most Christians believe there will be a final resurrection of the dead, and that after death, humans will go to either paradise, Heaven, or a fiery place of torture, Hell. But when exactly will this all happen? Jesus actually already said something about this, and the Apostle Matthew wrote it down: “Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only….”