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Religion

2011-06-01 12:22:00

“End of times” predicted?

Answer: Regarding the end of time, in the gospels Our Lord Jesus, Who is “the Way and the Truth and the Life,” says: “No one knows, however, when that day or hour will come -- neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son; only the Father knows. Be watchful, be alert: for you do not know when the time will come.” (Mark 13: 32-33). See also Matthew 24:36-44, and Luke 17:26-30. And that’s the gospel truth! No one, except God, knows when the end of this world will happen. When he says: “nor the Son,” Jesus is referring to his human knowledge, which does not extend beyond the capacity of a human being. But, as God, in his divine nature, Jesus knows everything known by God his Father. In every period of time, before and since the New Testament books were written, there have appeared persons, who allege that they have precise knowledge about the dates for the end of the world. Such persons are either liars, hallucinating or pretending; because God the Father certainly would not share with them knowledge which he did not share with his own Son, when that Son assumed human nature. Jesus warns his hearers to not follow such deceivers. The final book in the New Testament, called Revelation or Apocalypse, was composed during the last years of the first Christian century. It was not intended to be a collection of data in order to date precisely the end of this world or the end of time. Rather the author (St. John the revelator), himself an exile on the island of Patmos for being a Christian, wrote that book as a result of a carefully ordered series of revelations intended to encourage and console his fellow Christians, who were suffering terribly the persecutions launched by the Roman Emperor Domitian, who desired to abort the young Christian community. Domitian himself acted more like a beast than a human. He practiced all the capital sins, delighting in every kind of excess, being a sadist and reveling in the sufferings of others. St. John is writing to remind his fellow-sufferers that the end of such suffering is near, that in the end Goodness (represented by the Lamb of God, which is a figure of Jesus suffering) will triumph over the forces of evil, represented by the devil in various forms. So far as each individual sufferer is concerned: the end will come at death. And death will yield either the beauty and happiness of the saints in heaven, or the torments and punishments of the damned in hell. St. John does say that this world will end eventually, that there will be a general judgment, and a final resolution of all things; but he does not say when all this will happen. He does indicate various signs that serve as reminders about the end, without indicating precisely when the end will occur. Such signs, in the heavens and on the earth and under the earth, occur in every age. They serve to remind human beings that life is short, that God oversees everything, that evil persons figure in God’s plan for this world inasmuch as they serve to test God’s people, and the eventual punishment of wicked & selfish persons will serve to manifest God’s justice. The message of the Book of Revelation is primarily this: good Christian people, hold on to your faith and hope! Your virtue is not in vain because in the end (both at death and at the end of the world) you will be rewarded with Jesus, who is well-acquainted with suffering and death. That’s what Revelation is about! It is not a calendar or almanac of coming events, except as a general reminder that those of God’s people, who persevere through patient suffering will be rewarded, while those who inflict such sufferings will receive their just punishments. In the end, everyone will see and be amazed at the grandeur of God’s plan for the universe. Therein everyone will see how the saints, those who have suffered unjustly and been persecuted for the sake of Jesus, will be restored to full physical perfection and beauty, as they share in God’s glory. Even the unborn infants, who are murdered by abortionists, will be vindicated (see also 6:9-11 and 14: 3-5), while those who killed them will be hurled into the lake of burning fire (cf 20:13-15 and 21:8). This book is both a consolation and a warning for all time and all people until the end of the world.