When the disciples pointed out to the Master the beauty and substantiality of the temple which to them, and perhaps to all their Jewish contemporaries, was the most wonderful structure in the world, he informed them that every stone thereof would be thrown down; thereby pointing to the final overthrow of every material thing. Having in mind that all materiality "profiteth nothing," and must meet destruction by profitable truth, he realized how high the Babel of error had been builded, and with his clear, spiritual perception he was in a position to prophesy with scientific certainity its utter destruction, and the commotion which might accompany this destruction.
In reply to the inquiry of the disciples as to when these things would come to pass and as to what signs would attend the coming of the Christ and the consequent end of the world, Jesus informed them that the then present generation would not pass away till "all these things" were fulfilled. Since to the consciousness of those of the present generation the world still remains, the Master may have referred especially to his individual experience, while also having in mind that all mankind must eventually receive the gospel of Truth, which is calculated to make an end to the world as seen through the lens of mortal and material belief. We may correctly determine what the end of the world signifies by answering the question, Of what does Truth make an end? Christian Science answers that Truth destroys only error or falsity. What is this falsity which is denominated world? It unmistakably refers to a false world, and since a false world could not really exist, the term in its last analysis can only be explained as referring to a false sense of world.
In Christian Science we are taught that "the universe, including man, is spiritual" (Science and Health, p. 114), the product of divine Mind, which is the one and only cause or creator. A false sense of this universe or world is evidently the error which the Saviour declared would come to an end as the result of having the gospel preached to all nations, that is, all the varied forms which go to make up the false sense of the universe. It could not of course be completely destroyed until the gospel of Truth was sufficiently inclusive to cover the denunciation and consequent destruction of all the myriad false claims which go to make up the false sense of the universe. The great Teacher pointed out as a forewarning the motions and commotions which would take place in the process of the destruction of all error by Truth, and in this connection he said there would be "wars and rumors of wars." great distress, famine, hatred, variance. He evidently had in mind the fact that error in the interest of self-preservation would contest the ground, would undertake to dispute and contend against Truth, but he knew that it would fall and pass away with the neutralization of the false belief in material "generation," in the belief in a creation apart from that of divine Mind.
