The End

The 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s Readings: Dan 12: 1-3; Ps 16; Heb 10: 11-14, 18; Mk 13: 24-32

In the year 1980, I was living in a little town in western Maine called Fryeburg, in the White Mountains near the New Hampshire border. A man named Howard Ruff had just written a book called How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years. You can sometimes find it in flea markets for about a penny a copy, but back then it was hot stuff. Ruff’s premise was that we as a nation were heading for doom and disaster. There was going to be financial collapse and famine and widespread panic. Ruff said sell your stocks, buy gold, store up at least a year’s worth of food and provisions, and have plenty of ammo on hand to hold back the hordes who wanted to take it away from you.

I don’t know what we were thinking, but we kind of bought into some of it. Don’t ask me why, but we bought cases of stuff—everything from coffee and powdered milk to pop-tarts and ammonia. Years and years later, we were still trying to use up our original supply of ammonia...

Well, needless to say, Howard Ruff’s dire prophecies never came to pass. Oh—and he’s still publishing his newsletter, spinning new theories even as we speak.

Then a few years later, many devout Christians sincerely thought the end of the world was coming as the last millennium ended and we ushered in the twenty-first century. Remember all the “Y2K” predictions? Computer systems were going to fail, banks would collapse, financial markets would be in ruins, the country would have blackouts because the power stations were all going to go down—and Jesus was coming, too! Profiteers made a fortune hawking supplies and programs to the gullible and fearful. Pseudo-religious gurus spoke about the prophecies of Nostradamus, amazing astrological conjunctures, secret patterns in bible texts a la DaVinci Code, and more. As a result, some people sold their homes, moved to rural areas—any of you here?—armed themselves against possible thieves, and prepared for the very worst. They thoroughly were ready for violence and other natural and human disasters based on their fallible understanding of Holy Scripture. Other Christians insisted the end of the world couldn’t take place until the gospel had been preached to the whole world and the Jews converted to Christianity.

It’s interesting. Devout people throughout history have believed that the end was in sight when the world experienced famine, earthquakes, tsunamis, and other natural disasters. Wars and rumors of war always bring this speculation. I guess Christian disunity on the subject isn’t news. It’s as old as the New Testament.

The bible tells us that someday there will be a great and terrible day of God’s holy, righteous judgment. We read today: In those days after that tribulation, 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. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.

Those are the words of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to prepare us for that day so we can stand before God with confidence as beloved children. He doesn’t want us to be quaking in our boots. Many Christians differ in their interpretation of when and how and if this will actually and literally happen. The original disciples approached Jesus privately for a fuller explanation. Today’s gospel passage is a very difficult teaching to understand.

But the simple fact is, some day, in some way, this world will come to an end. Every material thing will disappear. Physicists and astronomers and other scientists can guarantee that all stars eventually burn out—including our sun… if we don’t blow ourselves up first in a nuclear holocaust. And whenever and however that happens, Jesus Christ is coming again. We take that on his very words and on faith. The signs of the end times will most likely be very chaotic and confusing. But according to Scripture, the signs will be as plain as knowing that summer is coming when you see trees starting to bloom.

The Scripture also tells us in other places that many—falsely, of course—will claim to be Christ. The real Christ warns us: Do not be deceived. The world will experience suffering beyond description. Be brave. Christians of every stripe will be persecuted, put to death and hated because of Christ. Be faithful unto death. Many believers will waver in their faith and lose their love for God as a result of their suffering. But you, be vigilant and stand firm through your last breath.

And then, when the entire world has heard the liberating gospel message of Jesus Christ, in God’s timing which he alone knows, the end will come and a new heaven and a new earth will be ushered in.

This is a mystery that’s so deep that you can barely wrap your mind around the concept… but believe it you must.

Don’t be frightened. Trust in God’s profound love and merciful protection. But at the same time, don’t put off strengthening your relationship with Christ. Everything depends on it.

Keep looking up! Jesus is coming! Maybe even today…