8. The Day Of The Lord’s Return (Glorious Arrival)

As mentioned in the introduction, the end of the world is certain, not unrealistic. We do not know if it will come sooner or later. The problem is that there are too many wrong predictions, and it has not happened, making us not believe that this day will come.

• Death is not the end

Life is a mystery, to which everyone is looking for an answer, and searching forever without finding one. Ancient philosophers always tried to give life a certain meaning, and religious people looked for a possible way for human liberation.

They think that “humanity is more spiritual than all things”, and people are different from inanimate rocks, different from inanimate plants, different from soulless animals that only know how to live by instinct, eat and sleep. People are naturally endowed with an intelligence that knows the universe and themselves, knows right and wrong. They have free will and the right to act or not to act. That means they are responsible for themselves and the universe around them.

The ancients, following Confucianism, elevated humans to a higher level: “Humans are the power of heaven and earth, the intersection of yin and yang, the meeting point of the gods, the essence of the five elements” (Book of Rites, chapter Rites). Humans must transcend and cannot be assimilated to the material universe. Many people say that humans have two parts: the “animal” part lives by instinct like animals; the “human” part belongs to the noble world of gods. Humans are the synthesis of instinct and the upward attraction of the transcendental divine life.

Its fate is also determined by its nature. Therefore, humans cannot only satisfy material needs like animals, but also have something more noble.

Tangible and limited material things cannot satisfy humans who have desires that cannot be met in this life. Religion was born when humans became aware of it. The irresponsible or irresponsible actions in this life must be explained in the next life, when life ends.

Regarding Christianity, Saint Paul clearly stated in his second letter to the Corinthians: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Co 5, 10).

One of the teachings of the Gospel teaches us how to live appropriately, today, in the perspective of the coming doomsday, so as not to regret it because it is too late.

• The day of judgment of good and evil

Doomsday or the Lord’s glorious arrival, in common language, is the day when Jesus comes again, the final judgment or the end of the world.

The Book of Revelation writes: “Then he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the prophetic words of this book, for the appointed time is near. Let the wicked still act wickedly, and the filthy still be filthy. The righteous must still do right, and the holy still be holy. Behold, I am coming soon. I bring with me the recompense I will give to each according to his deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end’” (Rev 22, 10-13).

The Gospel of Saint Luke: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand” (Lk 21, 25-28)

We read the first letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 4, verses 13-18.

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep. Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, console one another with these words” (1 Th 4, 13-18).

One of the messages that Christ sends us is to always be alert and wait for the day of the Lord without being passive.

“Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13, 33-37)

The Lord’s return is the day when the forces of evil are very active, because those are the final hours of the struggle for victory between good and evil. The Book of Revelation says that it is the time of the devil, who is allowed to act recklessly: “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). He uses every trick to shake the faith of even the faithful.

• Warning against false prophets

The Lord warns us in advance about false prophets impersonating the Savior: “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, 13-15).

The Lord warns us in advance not to believe in his enticements: “Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he.’” and they will deceive many people” (Mk 13, 6).

It is clear that many of us are losing our guard against the clever allusions of false prophets, who can do many extraordinary things to prove their truth. The mystical healing movements, or “miracles” do not come from the spirit of God but from “demons in disguise”.

Let’s talk more about artificial intelligence (AI). The Book of Revelation tells us in chapter 13, verses 6-8, the appearance of a beast with unparalleled power. This beast is the force of evil, of Satan, called the antichrist, it is allowed to roam freely, to test the faith of the faithful, before the Lord’s return. The test is so severe that Jesus exclaimed: “When the Son of Man comes, will there be faith on earth?” (Lk 18, 1).

Today, AI is out of control and has reached a very dangerous level, proving what we call the arrogance of man before God.

Creativity is limitless, so man seems to feel that he can do everything and worship himself as God.

Technological elites are talking about the development, which is no longer science fiction, but is about to become a reality, in the near future, the control of all human activities, by electronic chips, even being able to do or stop, at will, before something happens.

We do not hinder the progress of science and technology, but, on the contrary, we support it. As Saint Pope John Paul II said, “Faith and reason are like two wings that help the human mind to soar to the contemplation of truth” (Encyclical Fides Et Ratio 14/9/1998). God is the source of technology and knowledge.

Today’s technological robots have feelings, can pray and do things that no one could imagine, even forcing people to worship them: “The adversary opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship, so as to seat himself in the temple of God, claiming that he is a god” (2 Th 2, 4).

But Jesus said, “Do not be afraid, I have overcome the world” (Jn 16, 33).

Jesus warned us not to follow him: “But watch out; I have told you all ahead of time” (Mk 13, 23).

The Kingdom of God is not a vague matter, but a historical message, with a beginning and an end.