Our world is increasingly fraught with intensifying climate changes, declining regional birth rates, exponential changes in industrial systems and capacities, revolutions in weapons development and warfare strategies, unimaginable depths of corruption and criminal cruelty, and the resulting shifts in global migration patterns, etc. These compounding global pressures are not merely isolated disruptions. They depict the internal stresses of a world system nearing a critical threshold. Observing unimaginable climate crises, we increasingly hear/read the exclamation, ‘APOCALYPTIC!!’ Many Bible scholars have developed differing perspectives of the apocalypse, and frameworks in which it might fit. Into this mix, I offer the following perspective, based on a fundamental concept used across many areas of physics: the approaching, literal apocalypse may constitute a critical threshold.
Phase Transition
In physics, a phase transition occurs when a system, subjected to changing conditions such as temperature, pressure, or magnetic field, crosses a critical threshold and changes from one organized state into another. The transition may appear abrupt, as when liquid water freezes into ice, or it may unfold through successive changes as conditions approach and cross the threshold. The underlying substance remains, but its structure, properties, and behavior may change dramatically. This point should dispel the notion that the apocalypse will be ‘the end of the world!’ It will NOT—just as the global flood only ended the lives of every unrepentant sinner, and land animal, while the substance of Earth remained ‘…after a good, long washing!’
Picture the 42-month apocalypse as the FINAL cascade of external triggers that will drive Heaven’s promised total restructuring of Earth across its critical threshold (point of no return)—the “home stretch.” Crossing that threshold during the apocalypse will generate much broader and deeper transformations affecting every aspect of life on Earth, culminating in a world in which, for a millennium:
- Jesus will be Earth’s global King;
- His immortal saints from across the first 4 Biblical ages of human history will strictly enforce His righteous standards;
- New nations will populate a likely single landmass, with no major geographical divides separating them;
- The initially small remnant of people will generate a new global population, just as Noah’s family did after the global flood; (Did you know you are related to Noah?)
- Every person will either immediately or eventually speak one common language;
- People and animals born in that age will not attack each other; share the common diet, and, therefore, will live for many centuries, possibly similar to how the pre-flood human population lived up to 9 centuries; and
- There will be NO WARS!
The Initial Triggers?
Since the apocalypse will drive Earth across the decisive critical threshold, through the final cascade of external triggers, what were—or might be—the earlier external triggers?
From the broadest perspective, it must be exactly what Jesus (post-resurrection, back in Heaven) revealed to Apostle John (circa AD 95) in Revelation 6-to-8:6. In He Twice Said Shortly! and Israel, A Model (Part 3), I demonstrate how the first 4 seals on The Lord’s scroll were apparently opened not long after He twice promised John that the Earth-centric parts of his vision, would begin to happen shortly across the Earth. Though many Bible scholars deny this, history records this as factual! Moreover, recent history and current events emphatically reveal the extent to which Heaven’s promised judgments via those 4 seal events, have continued to reverberate across the entirety of this 3rd Biblical age of our history—called the church age, or the age of Heaven’s Grace to all peoples. Ponder that…
The first 4 seal events initiated this long sequence of phase transitions—thus shaping current events. The 5th seal event—the cry of the immortal twins (soul and spirit) of martyred saints in Heaven—will not be an Earth-centric event. Thus, the 6th seal events will very likely initiate the penultimate phase transition—namely, the end of this current 3rd age of Grace to all peoples, and the start of the tribulation age after a brief hinge period between the ages. That will be the pivotal moment when the accumulated structural pressures violently rupture the old order, locking the planet into the rapid acceleration of the transition process leading to the apocalypse.
Conclusion
To summarize, the 5 Earth-centric seal events summarized in Revelation 6 initiate successive phase transitions that progressively restructure and destabilize the world system. These accumulate across the 3rd and 4th Biblical ages of our history, until the 42-month apocalypse will drive the Earth and all life on it, across the decisive, critical threshold, culminating in its comprehensive, GLORIOUS transformation for the Millennial Reign. Here’s the sequence:
- Opening seals 1–4 are earlier Earth-centric triggers that initiated successive phase transitions. History affirms the events of each one reverberate across the world today, and they will likely continue until the end of this current age.
- Opening seal 6, the most globally disruptive transition trigger, will likely end this 3rd age and begin the 4th age after a brief hinge period between the ages.
- About 42 months later, the apocalypse will serve as the climactic, 42-month-long cascade that pushes life on Earth across the decisive, critical threshold.
- Christ’s return (with His saints from the first 4 Biblical ages) and Armageddon will complete and secure His planned multi-millennial transformation to a substantially restructured Millennial Earth—the resulting new, temporary 1,000 year-long phase. (See: Revelation 20:1-5)
Why only temporary? Consider the Millennial Earth as Heaven’s down payment (or ‘baseball’s 3rd base’) for The Lord’s declared FINAL phase transition—the total destruction of this current Earth, in favor of a MASSIVE new, eternal Earth, described in Revelation 21 and 22. See: Earth’s Next Versions (Series) for more on that planet, and to perceive where, in the possible 3 geographic zones, YOU might be destined to spend your eternity. The Lord's strategy includes raising/resurrecting every deceased person to whom He will have given the breath of life (i.e., spirit in a womb), and rapturing them and every person who will be alive at the end of the post-Millennial Reign age. They will appear before Him at His Great White Throne event. (Revelation 20:11-15) This will be the first mixed group rapture event, comprising saints from the last 2 Biblical ages, and EVERY SINNER from all 6 Biblical ages of our history.
So we see the concept of phase transitions is not necessarily limited to physics. It might be applicable to every facet of existence on and well beyond the Earth. I trust that my application of it to life on Earth since Jesus was resurrected and returned to Heaven, will help you to:
1. Perceive life from His perspective.
2. Live the rest of your life, keeping in mind the next BIGGEST phase transition that He is unfolding for us—His long-promised Millennial Reign age—the 5th Biblical age of our history.
3. Intentionally learn about His Gracious offer to you to have a unique position and role in His Millennial Kingdom, as one of His resurrected/raptured bona fide (tested and proven) saints. It starts with accepting His offer to enroll in what I call His Salvation Internship.
4. And prepare for your personal role in His ULTIMATE phase transition—your eternity on a new, eternal Earth. (See: Ephemeral then Eternal Earths (Series) and Earth 5.0, The Final Version (Poem))
If you may be curious about the 7th seal on The Lord's scroll, see The 7th Seal (Series), especially Part 3.
