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It's a common misconception, but Jesus Christ did not talk about the end of the world. Rather, He talked of the end of the age—the age of man's rule, which will directly precede the establishment of the Kingdom of God at Christ's return. God's Kingdom will be a literal kingdom on this earth. That's the good news—the gospel message He gave to the world (Mark 1:14).
When the disciples asked Him, "What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3), Jesus began a long prophecy about the events that will take place just before His second coming.
He listed a series of cataclysmic events and then stated, "If that time of troubles were not cut short, no living thing could survive; but for the sake of God's chosen it will be cut short" (verse 22, Revised English Bible).
It's easy to read this particular verse and not think too deeply about it. We know that man has the potential to destroy himself. We also know how destructive man is.
But what many overlook is that mankind for a very long time never had the ability to bring about his own extinction!
It is only in our day that man has acquired this ability. Perhaps this is why Jesus adds in verse 34 that "this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place." A generation now exists that can destroy itself. Put that together with the realization that humankind has never invented a weapon that wasn't eventually used and you can see just how likely we would be to destroy ourselves if not prevented by God!
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