On Cults and Other Dangerous Groups:

Should Christians be Preparing for the End of the World?

The answer to this depends on what's meant by "preparing for the End of the World". The Bible does tell us that this world will come to an end someday, but it's not something we can really do anything about - we can't stop it from happening, and we won't gain anything by worrying about it.

So for the majority of Christians, the best way to prepare for what's coming is just to focus on living your life and growing in Christ.

Jesus will return when He returns.

But what if that's not really enough?

Some churches spend a lot of time focusing on the End of the World. For example, they may make it a regular part of their sermons. Some encourage people to store supplies or keep emergency survival kits (called "bug out bags") ready in case they need to flee from the coming persecution. A few are even been known to have their members practice drills where the family spends a night "on the run" from the rest of society.

Obviously, these groups fell that the End of the World is very important. But are these various precautions Biblical?

Not really.

Jesus was asked about the End of the World several times in the New Testament, and whenever someone asked when the World would End, He refused to answer - in fact, the last time He was asked, He explicitly said that it's not for us to know. (Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32, Luke 12:35-40, Acts 1:6-7).

As for whether or not we should be preparing for the End, Jesus also had something to say about that:


So we come back to what I wrote above: it's enough to know that there will eventually be an End. Not only can't we do anything about it, we've been reassured that Jesus has everything under control.

He will return when He returns.