13. The End Of The World
Where there is birth, there is death, where there is a beginning, there is an end. That’s the rule.
The universe started with a “big bang” and is currently expanding. Human history began with creation and is evolving. The universe, like human history, had a beginning and must have an end. The Buddhist teachings instructed the cycle of birth, growth, change, and death; No one and nothing escapes this cycle.
The end of the world will come inevitably. Jesus also confirmed the same fact: “Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near” (Mk 13:28).
He also said: “They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all” (Lk 17:27).
But no one knows the time: “But of that day or hour, no one knows” (Mk 13:32).
As a person God gave wisdom and understanding, we must be wise, anticipate what will happen and act accordingly.
The fact that many apocalyptic predictions in the past were all wrong has caused people think that the apocalypse will never come and don’t bother to care about it.
- Apocalypse in the faraway future.
If we shortened all the time into 24 hours, then the earth would form at 0 o’clock and the universe 3 days earlier.
The first cell of life would appear, perhaps 3.5 billion years ago, at around 5:30 a.m.
Humans would appear about 200,000 years ago, at 11 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds which means very short about 1 second ago.
It is an approximate comparison to illustrate the brevity of the human phenomenon on earth.
We are in a hurry, and God is not. Peter in his second epistle said: “With the Lord one day is like a thousand years” (2 P 3:8). Apocalypse seems to be so faraway.
Lecomte Du Noüy and Jesuit priest Teilhard De Chardin, who are famous scientists in paleontology, argued that humanity is evolving to the Omega point. At this point human knowledge and morality will be perfected. This process is called “christianization.” Heaven is not far away, but on this earth, when evolution comes to an end.
With the current moral decline, the ending of “christianization” process seems a long way off. Apocalypse is still a distant perspective.
- Apocalypse: today
The apocalypse has been a hot and topical issue for many people, including non-believers. They fear and panic when they see continual worrying omens of it.
Jesus did not tell us when the end of the world was coming, but he noticed warning signs.
- Natural disasters:
Natural disasters, earthquakes: “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken” (Mk 13:24-25). Currently, the earth is warming, the environment is destroyed, natural disasters are everywhere. Is it a bad omen coming?
- War, epidemic, famine:
Saint Mark’s Gospel: “When you hear of wars and reports of wars do not be alarmed; such things must happen, but it will not yet be the end. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom” (Mk 13:7-8), “There will be famines. These are the beginnings of the labor pains” (Mk 13:8).
In history, wars took place at all times, but they were only local ones. Today it is different because a local war easily leads to world war, where one political block is growling, shouting at each other with weapons of mass destruction: A-bombs, H-bombs, biological, chemical weapons, artificial intelligence robots, all of which can annihilate all of humanity in an instant.
Those dangerous means of war are in the hands of cunning, immoral, power-illusioned, extremist politicians.
Oh! We can’t help but tremble when a crazy, arrogant politician who holds the power to destroy the humanity and, for the sake of some crazy illusion, applies the strategy of “the stronger attack first”.
- The followers of God are persecuted, when moral principles are overturned:
Jesus said, “They will hand you over to the courts. You will be beaten in synagogues. … Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death” (Mk 13:9-12).
The currents of hasty life, moral decadence, atheism, idolatry, indulgence of sexual instincts, are more chaotic than in ancient Sodom. The Gospel of Luke wrote: “On the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all” (Lk 17:29). Is it the time?
- Challenging faith:
Today, many people, especially young people, are lured by the physical comforts, enjoyment, and modern technology so much that they forget to worship their Creator.
Believers are not as obedient to the clergy as in the past. The teaching of the Lord through the Church is no longer honored: “For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires … and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths” (2 Ti 4:3-4).
The Catholic faith is going through many tests. The Lord said, “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Lk 18:8)
- Sudden and devastating:
The end of the world comes suddenly: “…Whoever is in the field, let him not go back and take his coat” (Mk 13:16).
And devastatingly: “For those times will have tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of God’s creation until now, nor ever will be” (Mk 13:19).
It will be even more terrifying, when it seems that what John wrote in Revelation, the book of revelation and prophecy, is being fulfilled in every detail. People are afraid that the horrors the Bible speaks of are for today. Doomsday period.
- The Book of Revelation predicted the end of the world:
John wrote about visions of the epic battle between the good and the evil of the end times. Fraudulent schemes, deceit and demonic power, to mislead believers.
- The time of the demon king:
The era of demons being released to do whatever they like: “The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth” (Rev 12:9). The devil shows up, sometimes undisguised, like the birth of the Satanic cult that advocates ideas contrary to Christian values.
- Subordinate demon army:
The serpent gave authority to the beast, the subordinate devils:
“They worshiped the dragon because it gave its authority to the beast; they also worshiped the beast and said, “Who can compare with the beast or who can fight against it? The beast was given a mouth uttering proud boasts and blasphemies” (Rev 13:4-5) … “It was also allowed to wage war against the holy ones and conquer them, and it was granted authority over every tribe, people, tongue, and nation” (Rev 13:7). According to Revelation, the demon king and his accomplishes are allowed to act: they are clever, cunning, strong and very powerful and man is not an equal adversary.
- False prophets:
This last time is also full of false prophets serving the beast: “It wielded all the authority of the first beast … It performed great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of everyone. It deceived the inhabitants of the earth …” (Rev 13:12-15).
Speaking of the false prophets and their activities, Jesus told us: “Many will come in my name saying, ‘I am he,’ and they will deceive many” (Mk 13:6).
In the Church today, false prophets appear as many as mushrooms after the rain, and they claim their private revelations and misuse their power. Taking advantage of the crisis of faith of many believers, they declared many false apostolic doctrines, opposed the Pope and the Ordinaries.
They are false prophets, under the disguise of moral people and miracle workers to lure many gullible people.
Jesus said long ago, in the gospel: “False messiahs and false prophets will arise and will perform signs and wonders in order to mislead, if that were possible, the elect” (Mk 13:22).
Then He instructed us: “Be watchful! I have told it all to you beforehand” (Mk 13:23).
CONCLUSION
We don’t know for sure when the apocalypse will come.
Christians do not fear the end of the world, but on the contrary look forward to it, knowing that after that day will be the coming of the Lord. Christ reigns in glory.
“A new heaven and a new earth” will form: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away … God will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain” (Rev 21:1-4).
It sounds like the original Eden, when Adam and Eve hadn’t sinned? Wherever it is, the “new heavens and new earth” is a place full of eternal happiness, which God has prepared for those who believe and love Him. But in order to receive the glory of the resurrection, one must go through the suffering of the cross. That is also the law of human life.