A survey conducted in the USA put a focus on Christianity. It is about the questions “the end of time” and the return of Christ. However, the prevailing attitude is sobering.
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“The end is near” – That’s the majority of Christians
“Time is coming to an end,” is the opinion of a large proportion of US citizens. According to a survey by the opinion research company “Pew Research Center“, around four out of ten adults in the USA believe that humanity is now “in the end times”. The corona pandemic that has recently hit the world has given a boost to this attitude taken care of.
39 percent of adults in the USA expect the world to come to an end as it is today. On the other hand, 59 percent are convinced that there can be no question of the end of the world.
Since the so-called end-times is definitely a biblical theme, it is not surprising that, according to Pew, Christian Americans in particular are assuming an imminent end-times scenario. However, the differences to the end-time attitude within the Christian society are large. Lt. Pew, the proportion of Christians who believe that the end times have already begun is very large at 47 percent. Only a few more (49%) do not consider the present time to be the forerunner of the end.
In the individual denominations, despite all the “efforts” to do with ecumenism, there is no consensus. 55 percent of the “major Protestants” see themselves in the end times, and they are joined by only 27 percent of Catholics.
The proportion of non-Christian religions (Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc.) who assume that the finale will soon be 29 percent, which is almost a third. Only 23 percent of the non-religious share this view.
The higher the education, the lower the belief in the end times
What is striking about the evaluation of the survey results is the falling belief in the end times that have already begun as the level of education and wealth increase. The higher the level of education or wealth the respondents have, the less belief there is in an imminent end of times. Supporters of the (US parties) Republicans are more likely to expect an abrupt end than voters of the Democrats.
The topic of environment and climate could not be missing
According to a Pew study published in mid-November 2022, the vast majority of (US) Christians and other religious believe that humanity has a God-given duty to look after and care for the earth, but only a relatively small proportion of Christians sees the so-called climate change as a serious problem. In particular, the really “active” Christians (praying daily, attending church services regularly) are largely not really concerned about global warming.
The statisticians at Pew Research Center see these circumstances as a consequence of the fact that climate change is predominantly communicated by politics and much less by religion. Christian Americans see themselves more as Republicans than as Democrats. The latter were much more inclined to see global warming as a result of human influences.
Religious and pro-Republican Americans feared climate change far less than Democrat supporters. Rather, serious Christians are convinced that God has the climate under control and that the real problems are to be found in social changes. These included further restrictions on individual freedoms, job losses and further increases in energy prices.
Date of Jesus’ return unknown
Christianity connects the “end of time” with the return of Jesus Christ. To the extent that Christians agree on this, the details differ widely. According to Pew, around three quarters of Americans believe that Jesus Christ will come back to earth. About three quarters of them are Christians. Among Protestants, 92 percent assume so. Overall, almost 40 percent of Americans see no prospect of Jesus’ return. Jesus will not return (25%) and there is no Jesus (16%).
There is disagreement among Christians as to when Jesus Christ will return. 71 percent of evangelicals are unsure the Savior will return in their lifetime.
The end of times brings “Millennium” with it
For a not inconsiderable proportion of Christians in the USA there is either a return of Jesus at the most turbulent times or a return only after the return of peace. However, both theses, premillennialism and postmillennialism, see Jesus Christ returning to earth together. 20 percent of Christians believe in pre-millennialism and 3 percent in post-millennialism. About a third of Americans see Jesus Christ coming again, but the manner and timing remain uncertain.
Only 15 percent of Catholics believe the world will deteriorate before Jesus Christ returns, and 44 percent of “Popeists” and 41 percent of “mainline Protestants” say it is impossible to predict what will happen before Jesus returns.
A sad record – everything is obvious
The poll results show once again how much of Christianity walks in absolute darkness. Neither premillennialism nor postmillennialism are possible in each case. This already fails because Jesus Christ will not set foot on the planet when he announces his return to earth. The millennium (period of 1000 years) does indeed take place, but according to the Bible there can be no question of a peaceful time on earth.The so-called 1000-year kingdom of peace does not take place on earth. This is destroyed, nothing lives on it anymore.
The Bible gives clear and unmistakable indications of how the Society as well as the further circumstances will develop, which will finally be ended with the return of Christ in one fell swoop. Even the Way of His return is described at several places.
The fact that so many Christians, especially in the USA, believe in such false return theories is solely due to the superficiality of Christians who believe in what they have seen, heard and felt instead of picking up the Bible and studying it themselves .
