Because no one knows the day when the world will end and Christ will come again, we should plan on being alive for the end of this earth. To help us, the Lord has given us the chronology of many of the last events on earth. The following is a partial list in a probable order:

1. "This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world." Only after that will the end come" (Mt 24:14).
2. "All Israel will be saved" (Rm 11:26).
3. At this point, "they will manhandle and persecute" Christians (Lk 21:12). "All will hate" us due to our faith in Jesus (Lk 21:17).
4. "Many will come" in Jesus' name "saying, 'I am He' and 'The time is at hand.' Do not follow them" (Lk 21:8).
5. "The mass apostasy" will occur (2 Thes 2:3), and "the love of most will grow cold" (Mt 24:12).
6. You will "hear of wars and insurrections. These things are bound to happen first, but the end does not follow immediately" (Lk 21:9).
7. "There will be great earthquakes, plagues, and famines in various places — and in the sky fearful omens and great signs" (Lk 21:11). "These are the early stages of the birth pangs" (Mt 24:8).
8. "The lawless one (the Anti-Christ) will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of His mouth and annihilate him by manifesting His own presence" (2 Thes 2:8).
9. "The heavens will vanish with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire" (2 Pt 3:10).
10. "The Lord Himself will come down from heaven at the word of command, at the sound of the archangel's voice and God's trumpet; and those who have died in Christ will rise first. Then we, the living, the survivors, will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thes 4:16-17).
11. "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, escorted by all the angels of heaven, He will sit upon His royal throne, and all the nations will be assembled before Him" (Mt 25:31; Rv 14:14ff).
12. Then we who have loved God faithfully "shall be with (Him) unceasingly" (1 Thes 4:17). "We shall see Him as He is" (1 Jn 3:2).

"Console one another with this message" (1 Thes 4:18).

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The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, April 4, 1998

Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 8, 1998