Commentario in Apocalypsi

Through out history many brothers and sisters of our Christian family have spent much effort on trying to guess the end times.  So many times has the world been predicted to end and yet none of them have been true.  Many brothers and sisters have looked to scripture to try to explain and predict the end times sometimes causing a great anxiety among the people of God.  But what does scripture actually say about the end times?

In the Gospel of St. Mark chapter 13, Jesus says to his disciples,

""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 the 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.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

"But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

The end of the world is something that we as Christians believe and believe with great faith.  For it is during this time that we shall stand before the judgment throne of Christ and be given our eternal judgment.  With this end, all struggles and sufferings will come to end and all the faithful will rejoice in the company of angels, saints and the faithful departed.  

However, Jesus says, in the last line, "no one knows, neither the angles in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."  So, it is in vain that anyone one should continue to worry about when the world is going to end since, Christ himself, true God and true man, does not know the time when the world will come to its end.  

So what about those who teach that world will soon end?  Should they be believed?

The Gospel of St. Luke chapter 21, warns about this very thing.  

Jesus is asked by his followers "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"

Jesus answers them,

See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.'

Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end."

Then he said to them, 

"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky."

All of us, must be weary as to who we follow when it comes to the end times.  For Christ warns that many will come in His name stating that they are "he" and that "the time has come".  DO NOT BE AFRAID! For Christ, says that even though these wondrous signs are taking place in the world, "it will not immediately be the end."

There have been many speculative theories about the end of the world.  One of the popular, most recent, has been the theory that the world will end on December 21st because of the Mayan Calendar.  However, the Mayans were not greater than God almighty! Therefore, they too, do not know the time when the world will come to its end.  Should the world end on December 21st, then it will be because God wills it.  However, we should not and shall not be afraid of this time.  

These predictions of the end of world have gone on for centuries; even before Christ.  The Romans in 634 B.C.  believed that their world, their cities, would be destroyed because of a myth that it has been revealed to Romulus.  Since then many other predictions have been made and continue to be made.  However, those of the past have never been correct.  

And so, our focus should on our own preparedness for the end time.  But when is the end time?  Well, for each of us, individually, there is an end time.  The time when God will take us from this earth.  When a person passes away, it is their end time here on earth.  Do not worry about when the entire world will end, because it is not for us to know.  It is rather, for us to remain vigilant over our souls and bodies, so that when Christ comes for us, we shall be prepared to meet our maker, face to face.

The question is not, "Will the World End?" but rather, "Am I ready for when Christ comes for me?"