The world will come to an end at 3:24 a.m. (EST) on Oct. 18, 2026.

When writing, the first line should be an attention grabber, something that will seize the reader’s interest, causing them to continue reading the following paragraphs.

Well, now that I have your attention by proclaiming the date and time for the end of the world, here comes the disclaimer – I have no idea when the world will end.

A common belief is that the battle of Armageddon is the end of the world, but the fact is, Armageddon will be a day of change; change for the better.

According to the Bible, the battle of Armageddon happens at the end of the coming Tribulation Period. The Tribulation will last seven years beginning when the Antichrist signs a covenant “with many” (Daniel 9:27). It is the signing of this covenant that will spring the Antichrist to world popularity and begin his rise to world domination.

Another misnomer of the battle of Armageddon is that it will pit the forces of good in this world against the forces of evil. The truth is that all the powers of the earth will be there to fight against God Himself – Jesus Christ. Many Americans believe Armageddon will be a war with America and her allies on one side and all the evil empires of the world on the other, but this is not the Biblical view.

The Antichrist will control the world (Daniel 7:23), but there will still be individual nations (Revelation 13:7). One of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse is war (Revelation 6:4). As the Antichrist rises to world power, some nations of the earth will resist, but the final half of the Tribulation, the last forty-two months, the Antichrist will take full control, and people will see him as a god (Revelation 13:5-8). Since all nations will be under his control and the only people who will not be worshiping him are the handful of Christians he does not kill, it does not seem likely that when the nations meet at Armageddon, they will be there to fight each other.

The book of Revelation tells of twenty-one judgments God will send to the earth during the seven-year Tribulation. After the sixth of these judgments, there is a good indication that the world will know that the mess the planet is going through at the time is not political, or economic, but it is spiritual. The entire world understands that the judgments are coming from God. Revelation 6:15-17, “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”

When the midpoint of the Tribulation arrives, the world is following the Antichrist, and the people of earth realize they are in the midst of history’s great spiritual battle. All this brings us to a point where humankind, led by the Antichrist is ready to do battle with the returning King – Jesus Christ. In the Bible’s detailed description of the action (Revelation 19:11-21) we see Christ returning on a white horse and the armies of heaven coming with Him. Waiting for Him is the Antichrist, the kings of the earth, and armies of this world ready to make war with the God of the universe. Revelation 19:19, “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.”

What many people believe to be the end of the world, the Battle of Armageddon, is actually the beginning of a new world, much better than the current one.

After Armageddon, Satan is bound for a thousand years and Christ takes His rightful place as KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 20:1-4). It is during this time period when prophecies such as wolves living with lambs, and lions eating straw like an ox come true (Isaiah 11:5-10). Satan is released after the thousand years to give people the choice of God or Satan, but God quickly devours His enemy (Revelation 20:7-10).

After Satan’s final defeat is the final judgment and it is here that the world will end. Revelation 20:11, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.”

Peter talks of the end of the heaven and earth coming with “fervent heat.” However, in the middle of giving us the description of the end of the world (2 Peter 3:10-12), Peter asks the question, “what manner of persons ought ye to be?” The point Peter is making is that as we see the end approaching, we should be concerned with Who God is and who we are as Christians.

Preacher Johnson is pastor of Countryside Baptist Church in Parke County, Indiana. Email: preacherspoint@gmail.com. Preacher Johnson is available for revivals, prophecy conferences and other speaking. Sermons and archived Preacher’s Point can be found at www.preacherspoint.wordpress.com.