End of the World
Pardon for the delay in replying -- I wanted to look up some stuff; however entire books have been written on these topics. That said, first I'll answer on the end of the world: in the New Testament Jesus says, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man" (Mt 24:36), but that has not stopped people from thinking they figured out the date(for example Harold Camping in 2011, or Miller in 1844). However there are passages in the Bible(Mt 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, 2 Tim 3) which are seen as predicting what the last days will be like, and every generation has seen it as applicable to their time. One prediction is the last generation will be like the time of Noah and of Sodom.(Conservatives see this in Western culture's acceptance of what Islam calls "zina" and other things that I hear are taboo topics in some Muslim countries.) Another sign of the end is a great deception and a mass apostasy.(2 Tim 3:5 says people will have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof; conservatives see this liberal Christians who reinterpret "zina" [we don't use that term] to conform to mainstream Western secular society, also in the increasing secularization of the West as a whole, and in anything that weakens the idea of Jesus' being the only way to God[sometimes this is hostile to Islam]). The establishment of Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict is seen as a fulfillment of prophecy by many people. (This is where Christian Zionism comes from; since people of this school of thought seek political office and lobby for their position -- this contributes to much of USA's support for the Israeli settlements.) People of this school of thought often engage in "newspaper exegesis", reading fulfillment of prophecy in the news and thinking the Rapture will happen at any moment.
All this I listed above is part of the Dispensationalism I mentioned in the Antichrist post. Dispensationalism belongs to a theology called premillennialism, meaning that Jesus will return to earth before reigning a thousand years. The Jehovah's Witnesses have a different view of premillennialism, which doesn't involve Israel, the Rapture, or the Antichrist. They believe Jesus was crowned King in heaven and will soon come to earth.
Another view is Postmillennialism, which says the thousand years mentioned in Revelation 20 is symbolic of the time between Jesus' being on earth and returning. In one version(Dominionism) Christians get in charge of things, make governments Christian (I think in the theocratic sense), then Jesus will return. In another version Christians work to improve the world; at some point as this goes on Jesus returns.
The last view is Amillenialism, which says the Millennium is entirely symbolic and one day(we don't know when) Jesus will show up.