A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 39% of US adults believe that “we are living in the end times,” while 58% do not believe this.

This belief often has a religious component and is based on the expectation that a time of great turmoil will be followed by the return of Jesus or other religious figures. This belief has been common during times of anxiety and crisis, such as the current coronavirus pandemic.

This survey was conducted as part of a study on the relationship between Americans’ religious beliefs and their views on the environment. It included questions about end times beliefs to see if they affected people’s views on the environment. The survey was conducted online with a representative sample of 10,156 US adults from April 11-17, 2022. It was conducted through the American Trends Panel, a national random sampling of residential addresses, and weighted to be representative of the US adult population.

The survey found there is a split among Christians on the belief that we are living in the end times, with 47% saying we are and 49% saying we are not.

Among Protestant denominations, a majority of historically Black Protestants (76%) and evangelicals (63%) believe we are living in the end times, while a majority of Catholics (70%) and mainline Protestants (65%) do not believe this. Overall, a higher proportion of Protestants believe we are living in the end times compared to Catholics (55% vs. 27%).

A higher percentage of Protestants in the historically Black tradition (22%) and evangelicals (21%) believe that Jesus will definitely or probably return during their lifetime, compared to Catholics (7%) and mainline Protestants (6%).

A smaller percentage of Catholics (15%), Protestants in the historically Black (27%), and mainline (18%) traditions believe that Jesus’ return will be preceded by a global deterioration. Instead, a higher proportion of people in historically Black churches (51%), Catholics (44%), and mainline Protestants (41%) say it is impossible to know what will happen before Jesus’ return.

According to the Catechism:

“Before his Ascension Christ affirmed that the hour had not yet come for the glorious establishment of the messianic kingdom awaited by Israel which, according to the prophets, was to bring all men the definitive order of justice, love and peace. According to the Lord, the present time is the time of the Spirit and of witness, but also a time still marked by “distress” and the trial of evil which does not spare the Church and ushers in the struggles of the last days. It is a time of waiting and watching.”

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