Is The End of the World At Hand?

I recall a comic from decades ago, perhaps you have seen it too, when a white bearded man is standing on a corner with a large placard that reads, “The End Is Near!” to which a funny comment is made.

Many a person (and cult) has claimed a date for the end of this world.  While most of them are of some Christian persuasion (yes, even Catholic), people around the globe for the past 2,000 years have predicted the end of the human race.   A Jewish Essene predicted 70 AD for the advent of the Messiah (you may recall that this was when Rome destroyed the Temple at Jerusalem).  Numerous Catholics, at least early on in Church History, also announced the coming end (e.g. Hillary of Poitiers predicted 365 AD).  But since the time of the Reformation, Protestants have made up the majority of future-tellers, beginning with Martin Luther (the end would be by 1600), to Tim LaHaye, author of the “Left Behind” series (his projected date was the year 2000- Y2K made lots of people cataclysmically squeamish).  From Astrologers such as Jeanne Dixon to the Muslim Sheik, Nazim Al-Haqqani, all have attempted to foretell an apocalyptic event, and failed.  Even modern science has a “Doomsday” clock now seconds from midnight. 

It is now 2024, and here we are - still.

I do not understand the psychology (psychosis?) behind people predicting the end of the world, but I do know that they were all wrong, and will always be wrong. (My certainty will be revealed below)

Cutting our brethren some slack, (for who am I to Hillary?), it may seem - at times - that the harbingers of Daniel and Revelations have been made manifest to the extent that it MUST be time for God to destroy the planet; yet time and time again it has not happened.

Why?

First off, let me say that these are not stupid people by any means.  Many are well-educated in both secular and religious texts.  Maybe they are calling attention to themselves, or perhaps their hope is realistically displaced; that I do not know.  What I do know is that Jesus said to his followers, we will NOT know the date and time of his return.

Eschatology, the formal study of apocalyptic or “end times,” is a sticky wicket.  It is written in Sacred Scripture, but it is also an unsolvable puzzle. We don’t like puzzles without a solution, and for many years now people have been fascinated by Brownian “symbology” (secret meanings for symbols), but eschatology, like the Book of Revelations itself will remain a mystery until it is not.  However, Jesus did give us certain signs that will lead up to his Second Coming, and perhaps that plays a role in our imagination, but his warnings were not meant to be predictive indicators, but to keep us ever mindful that he is coming back.

While some non-Christians anticipate an ultimate end for their own reasons, we as Catholics understand that there will indeed be an end to this world, and that it will only transpire when Jesus returns.

In order to understand the profound error (it may also be called sin) of prediction, let’s take a look at the fodder for the apocalyptic cannon. (We will only address Christianity - both Protestant and Catholic – and leave off on Nostradamus or Rasputin!)

What the Bible Says

The Return of Jesus.  In the Book of Acts, (1:11) we find the promise of Christ’s return.  As Jesus ascended into heaven, his disciples stood gazing up when they were approached by two angels.  The angels looked at the men and said, “You men of Galilee, why are you standing here gazing up into heaven?  This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall likewise come again as you have seen him go.” 

Just as surely as Jesus was taken physically up, he will physically return. 

The Signs of His Return.  One of the things Jesus said to his disciples, as he taught them so many things, was to BEWARE counterfeit Christs (Matthew 24:4).  “For many will come in my name and say, “I am the Christ” and will deceive many people. Boy was he correct!  Since that warning literally dozens have claimed to be Christ returned (or reincarnated), including the Korean Sun Myung Moon and Jim Jones! 

Jesus continues that, “There will be wars, and rumors of wars, but do not be troubled, all these things must come to pass…but the end is not yet.”  Correct again!  From Rome to the Nazi’s the world has had nothing but a string of battles from small skirmishes to two full blown World Wars in the past century alone.  It may have felt apocalyptic, but we are still here.

After wars, Jesus continues with a variety of troubles, including famine and earthquakes, which we have all heard of or experienced, yet he says these are but the “beginning of sorrows.”  From there he expounds on the Book of Daniel, and finally he says in verse 36, “But of that day and hour no man knows, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”  Yet, yet…he says be watchful.  Although he will come as “a thief in the night” (Matt. 24:43-44; Luke 12:39-40; II Peter 3:10), when we least expect it, we are enjoined by Christ to “watch and pray” and to live each day as if it were our last.

The Return of Christ.  The Catholic stance is this, we expect the second coming and look forward to it, just as the Bible and Tradition have taught us down through the past 2,000 years.  The Protestants, on the other hand, have a different set of eschatological theories (of course, they do not all agree!) that cropped up, mostly, within the past 200 years.  I was raised in that group, as a Pre-Millennial and Pre-Tribulation Baptist. 

Millennial refers to the prediction of a 1,000 year or “millennial” reign of Christ here on earth, before the Last Judgement.  As Pre-millennial, Baptists believe Jesus will first “rapture” the Church (e.g. meet them halfway from heaven and call them up to him), and then establish a 1,000-year reign where he will directly rule the world until judgement day.  

Tribulation is based on the idea of a “time of troubles” that will last a total of 7 years.  (3 ½ will be good and 3 ½ will be horrible).  This is based on the 70 weeks mentioned in the Book of Daniel (Chapters 7 and 9) and then tied to the Book of Revelations.  Of course, there is more to this, and I have put it here but simply, yet the fact remains that there are many Protestant versions of how the Second Coming will take place. 

At the end of the day, or world as I should put it, one thing is for certain.  Jesus will return and that is all we are expected to expect.   So, let’s not get caught up in all the signs or predictions or even the various theological interpretations surrounding his Second Coming because no one will ever be able to say with certainty. 

In the meantime, we are encouraged to conduct ourselves as if Jesus were coming today and be ready to meet our beloved Maker.