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Developing A Biblical World View

Jesus said He would return to earth for those who are born-again believers and take them to a special place He has prepared for them. When will this happen? No one knows the exact time except for God:

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, but my Father only. (Matthew 24:36)

We do not know the exact timing, but Jesus spoke of a key event that would let His followers know the time was near:

And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14)

The key event which will precede the end of the world and the climax of God's plan for the nations is the spreading of the Gospel of the Kingdom to all people. What a responsibility we have in fulfilling God's plan!

In this course you learned of the task of the Church and your personal responsibility as a member to fulfill this challenge. You also learned about the message to be shared which is the "Gospel of the Kingdom." But what is the "end" of which Jesus spoke? The end is the climax of the world and time as we now know it. It is the final part of God's plan for the nations.

THE PROPHETIC RECORD

God did not reveal every detail about how the world would end, but He did give us an outline of the major events by prophecy. The word "prophecy" means to speak forth. Bible prophecy includes three kinds of "speaking forth":

1. A message of inspiration from God. 2. Prediction of future events in God's eternal plan. 3. An interpretation for man of the acts of God. *

The main prophecies about the future of the world are found in the books of Daniel and Revelation. Special passages such as Matthew 24 and I Thessalonians 4:13-18 provide additional information. From a study of these passages, we can learn what God has revealed about the end of the world.

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  • Chapter Twenty of the Harvestime International Institute course entitled "Creative Bible Study Methods" provides detailed guidelines for studying Bible prophecy.