End of Times

End of times, also referred to as Armageddon, is a belief common among many religions, as explained in this Wikipedia article.

The Bible Gateway website has many translation versions of the verse below, including many other languages. Christians often check various translations of a verse, and this website makes that easy. I find it helpful to look definitions words I am not so sure about. I have hyperlinked a few words in the quote below I wasn’t certain about, to Merriam Webster’s online definitions.

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” Bible, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, New International Version.

On the brighter side is this well-known Bible verse Isaiah 2:4 (New International Version): “He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”

I believe the Lord’s Prayer still holds true: “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Matthew 6:9-13, King James Version.

This idea of dual opposites, such as light and darkness, or yin and yang, really surfaced for me while writing this blog. The Baha’i Faith teaches that Armageddon is not the complete end of the world, but the end of the way the world has been, where power, ego, injustice, prejudice, inequality, and sin (dare I use that word on a website that claims to be Baha’i-inspired?) have been too common features of life. It is a very tumultuous time where chaos and confusion are rife when the forces of light and darkness seem to in a battle in society and within people themselves. It has been likened to the birth pangs of a new age.

“Arise, O people, and, by the power of God’s might, resolve to gain the victory over your own selves, that haply the whole earth may be freed and sanctified from its servitude to the gods of its idle fancies—gods that have inflicted such loss upon, and are responsible for the misery of, their wretched worshipers. These idols form the obstacle that impedeth man in his efforts to advance in the path of perfection.” Baha’u’llah.

Bible Verses:

• Daniel Chapter 12.
• Matthew Chapter 24.
• Mark Chapter 13.
• Luke Chapter 21.
• Isaiah Chapter 11.
• Isaiah Chapter 2.
• Various verses chosen by openbible.info website.

Book and eBooks:

• Thief in the Night (free) by William Sears, the first full-length book in English to cover this subject.
• Promised Day Is Come by Shoghi Effendi. Also available as an eBook.
• Forces of Our Time, by Hooper Dunbar.
• A World in Travail: Understanding and Responding to the Events of Our Times, a compilation of Baha’i Writings, published May 2020.
• Century of Light, message by the Universal House of Justice.
• Promise of World Peace, message by the Universal House of Justice.
• Peace for Our Planet: A New Approach, by Roya Akhavan.
• Dawnbreakers (free). The history of early days and believers of the Baha’i Faith. Also available in eBook version.
• Crisis and Victory, a compilation of writings related to problems and challenges within the context of Baha’is and the Baha’i community, but also relevant for others also.
• The Fall, Steve Taylor.

Related Baha’i Writings and Prayers:

• Baha’u’llah: Gleanings III
• Baha’u’llah: Gleanings IV
• Baha’u’llah: Gleanings XVII
• Baha’u’llah: Lawh-i-Aqdas
• Baha’u’llah: Fire Tablet
• Baha’u’llah: Tablet of Ahmad
• The Bab: a prayer for protection
• Selections of the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha

Abdu’l-Baha’s explained five Bible verses related to the end of times in the book Some Answered Questions:

• Traditional Proofs Exemplified from the book of Daniel.
• Commentary on the eleventh chapter of the Revelation of St. John.
• Commentary on the eleventh chapter of Isaiah.
• Commentary on the twelfth chapter of the Revelation of St. John.
• Spiritual Proofs.

Baha’i Library Online website articles:

• Disintegration of Society and the Development of a New Order, letter from the Universal House of Justice.
• The Lesser Peace and the Most Great Peace, Ali Nakhjavani
• Catastrophe, Armageddon and Disaster
• The Apocalyptic Upheaval Completed?
• A Unique Eschatological Interface: Baha’u’llah and Cross-Cultural Messianism.
• The End of the World Whatever Happened? Or Leftover Time to Kill
• Hindu Prophecies
• Return of Christ
• The Real Millenium.

Bahaiteachings.org website articles:

• Peace for Our Planet – a series of six blogs very related to Armageddon
• End Times – Real or Symbolic?
• A New Revelation on the Battle of Armageddon.
• End of the World as We Know it.
• Conquering Fear of Anniliation With Disaster Movies.
• Rapture and the End of the World.

Related Audio:

• Divine Therapy.
• Fire and Gold.
• Baha’u’llah’s Teachings on Spirituality.
• Proofs of the Mission of Baha’u’llah.

Related blog: Healing a Sick World

Finally, I stumbled across two Youtube playlists that seem in harmony with the Bible verse Isaiah 2:4

• Study War No More
• Swords into Ploughshares