Are you worried about the end of the world?

[Fantine]

I believe my fears are warranted--and up to 65 million people agree with me. People I don't even know (our home had several owners before us) own oil and gas leases (mineral rights) on our acreage, and we occasionally get mail for "Rally Oil Company" at our address (we can't figure out who Rally Oil Company is). There are coal mines only 30 miles away. There is so much fracking going on nearby that the number of earthquakes in the state per year has gone from about 30 to over 900. So am I concerned about environmental devastation? Absolutely.

And in terms of nuclear dangers, all of my friends believe, as I do, that the president-elect is catastrophically impulsive, vindictive, defensive, combative, and narcissistic. I just hope if he ever tries to push the button some patriotic Secret Service men will tackle him and cart him off to a mental hospital. Sure, they'll suffer some temporary consequences, but eventually everyone will realize they're American heroes.

 

[Michie]

Let's lay off the politics.

 

[Fantine]

Can I help it if I didn't worry about the end of the world when we had capable, ethical leadership and treaties with other nations promoting environmental stewardship and conservation?

The question is: Do you worry about the end of the world? And my answer was, "Until November 8, 2016, I didn't, but now I am much more concerned."

That's my honest answer. Changing conditions made me much more apprehensive. If I answered any differently, it wouldn't be honest (and I speak for millions when I say it).

 

[Michie]

Can I help it if I didn't worry about the end of the world when we had capable, ethical leadership and treaties with other nations promoting environmental stewardship and conservation?

The question is: Do you worry about the end of the world? And my answer was, "Until November 8, 2016, I didn't, but now I am much more concerned."

That's my honest answer. Changing conditions made me much more apprehensive. If I answered any differently, it wouldn't be honest (and I speak for millions when I say it).

I think some of you did not read the article in the spirit it was written.

 

[Fantine]

In my first post I mentioned living mindfully, taking the opportunity to let those you love know, etc.

I also believe that although we are entering into a very dangerous period, we can still adjust our course. I still have faith in the decency and intelligence of Americans, despite my disappointment in their recent discernment capabilities.

 

[Michie]

Good grief. I give up.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Am I worried about the end of the world? Not particularly. Eventually, I guess, the sun will do as science suggests, and expand to the extent that it swallows the Earth. But that is several hundreds on millions of years away yet, by which time I fully expect humanity will inhabit other worlds, and so does not greatly concern me. And, as the economist John Maynard Keynes once said, 'in the long run, we are all dead.'

Am I worried about the end of the world as we know it? Considerably. The possibility that democracies might implode, civilisations disintegrate, societies collapse, and the Earth return to dog-eat-dog barbarism is an ever present threat. And that would be a mite inconvenient.

Best wishes, Strivax.

Some times I just think BRING IT ON.

 

[bill5]

Am I worried about the end of the world? Not particularly. Eventually, I guess, the sun will do as science suggests, and expand to the extent that it swallows the Earth. But that is several hundreds on millions of years away yet

About 5 billion IIRC. Like it matters, lol

i.e. to answer the question: not in the tiniest.

Hey @Michie - I noticed your hiccup (guessing it's a technical error) with the thread posted 3x in OBOB and so I locked the other two for you to keep replies all in one place.

Even after the world ends.........Michie's cell phone will still be hiccuping.

 

[Michie]

About 5 billion IIRC. Like it matters, lol

i.e. to answer the question: not in the tiniest.



Even after the world ends.........Michie's cell phone will still be hiccuping.

I love you Bill... Even when there are times I want to punch you in the face.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

I don't think you understand how a mortgage works. If the world ends I don't have to pay it off.

But the lender gets shortchanged. That might be what he meant.

 

[StevenMerten]

Hi Michie,

Fatima (1917), St. Faustina (1935 ish) and St. Pio (1950), all are apparitions and locutions indicating the Restoration of Israel. The ‘Golden Era’ of peace that the Blessed Mother talks about is telling us about, lays within Christ’s Kingdom Come, on earth, in the near future.

Right before Christ’s Ascension into heaven; His Apostles want to know, ‘What about the restoration of Israel?’ (Acts 1). They want to know because this is the big event that God Promised His Messiah would do. Apparitions from Mary and Locutions from Jesus, are indicating that God’s Big Promise to Israel is about to be fulfilled.

In His Beatitudes, Jesus tells us that the meek and humble and pure of heart will inherit the earth. How does God do this? God is going to come through in a great judgment and put to death all the unrepentant wicked. Christ’s faithful will come out of their darkened homes, and into Christ’s Kingdom Come of Messianic Reign. They will see the massive number of corpses of the unrepentant wicked who rebelled against God. Like Israel in Egypt, Christ’s faithful will not be harmed by the Woes of God, being deployed at Armageddon. Christ’s Church, those of Christ’s Church faithful to Jesus, will survive to inherit the earth. Christ’s faithful will see all the blessings of God that He so greatly wants to bestow upon them.

It is Christ’s Church, the Catholic Church, which will metamorphosis into Christ’s Kingdom Come of post Armageddon, Zion, aka the New Jerusalem. The end is not coming for all of us. Probably most of us on earth will be destroyed by God’s wrath, but a remnant will survive to become the fulfillment of God’s great Promise to Israel, new born Zion.

NAB ISA 66:7 Mother Zion

Before she is in labor, she gives birth; Before her pangs come upon her, she delivers a male child. Who ever heard of such a thing, or who ever saw the like? Can a land be brought forth in one day, or a nation be born in a single moment? Yet Zion was scarcely in labor when she bore her children. Shall I bring a mother to the point of birth, and yet not let her child be born? says the LORD. Or shall I who bring to birth yet close her womb? says your God. Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her, all you who love her; Rejoice with her in her joy, all you who mourn over her-So that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; That you may drink with delight at her abundant breasts!

For thus says the LORD: I will spread prosperity over her like a river, like an overflowing torrent, the wealth of nations. You shall nurse, carried in her arms, cradled upon her knees; As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort. You will see and your heart shall exult, and your bodies shall flourish like the grass; The LORD’s power shall be revealed to his servants, but to his enemies, his wrath. For see, the LORD will come in fire, his chariots like the stormwind; To wreak his anger in burning rage and his rebuke in fiery flames. For with fire the LORD shall enter into judgment, and, with his sword, against all flesh; Those slain by the LORD shall be many. Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one who stands within, eating pig’s flesh, abominable things, and mice, shall all together come to an end, with their deeds and purposes—oracle of the LORD.

God Gathers the Nations.

I am coming to gather all nations and tongues; they shall come and see my glory. I will place a sign among them; from them I will send survivors to the nations: to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands which have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory; and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations. They shall bring all your kin from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries, to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD. Just as the new heavens and the new earth which I am making Shall endure before me—oracle of the LORD—so shall your descendants and your name endure. From new moon to new moon, and from sabbath to sabbath, All flesh shall come to worship before me, says the LORD. They shall go out and see the corpses of the people who rebelled against me; For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be extinguished; and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.

 

[Fantine]

I am sorry that you don't appreciate my honest answer to your open-ended question.

I'm not big on prophecies--but I know when I see disaster staring me in the face.

 

[BroIgnatius]

Jesus said that the closer it comes to the Second Coming the worse the world will get. He said it is like birth pangs. It gets more intense and more frequent the closer we get.

That means that it does not matter who is President or leader in any country, or what we we do, society will continue to get worse. This is necessary to create the conditions necessary for the anti-Christ to take over, who will facilitate the Second Coming. The Navarre Bible Commentary suggests that the anti-Christ may be a regime, rather than an individual. The commentary suggests:

... that "basically the beast [of Revelation] is a symbol for regimes which reject God and put man on a pedestal. Nowadays emperor worship is seldom a problem but militant atheism has been a modern parallel whether in the form of atheistic secularism or of dialectic materialism."

We have been witnessing this tread toward 'militant atheism as been a modern parallel whether in the form of atheistic secularism or of dialectic materialism" growing by leaps and bounds since around 1994. It has it origins in modern times going back to the 16th and 17th century or so, with a major uptick in the 19th and 20th Century. But, with a paradigm shift around 1994, it has been exploding with each year. Thus, from this point-of-view we need to thank God for all that is happening because it means we are closer to the time with our Lord will return.

With this said, battles are still being waged over people's souls. We thus need to continue to fight for virtue in our culture, preach the Gospel to all, and be involved in the marketplace and the town square of our communities to sanctify the world as best as we can.

Instead of fear, we need to focus on this mission. If we do we will not have time to be fearful. In addition, we need the faith to remember that God will give us the grace to deal with whatever we must deal with. Remember St. Lawrence? He was barbecued to death. In the middle of this he said to his torturers, "I'm done on this side, you can turn me over." Was this presence of mind from a human source? No. The Holy Spirit gave him the grace to not only deal with his martyrdom, but to be humorous about it.

Be not afraid! St. Peter walked on water as long as he had his eyes on Jesus. It is only when we looked at the storm raging around him instead of at Jesus that he began to sink, and Jesus said, "ye of little faith."

Be not afraid!

 

[Strivax]

Jesus said that the closer it comes to the Second Coming the worse the world will get.

This seems to me to be something of a council of despair. The truth is, some civilisations have made progress, and there seems no reason, barring catastrophe, to think that they will not continue to do so. I defy you to mount an argument comparing the life of the average 11th century European peasant, or the average 1st century Roman slave, and identify why such meagre lives were 'better' even than the poorer than average 21st century Western citizen. Indeed, even the poorest of the poor in the developing world have better prospects than ever before. It is simply up to our agency to ensure such prospects are made reality.

Best wishes, Strivax.

 

[Michie]

This seems to me to be something of a council of despair. The truth is, some civilisations have made progress, and there seems no reason, barring catastrophe, to think that they will not continue to do so. I dare you to mount an argument comparing the life of the average 11th century European peasant, or the average 1st century Roman slave, and identify why such meagre lives were 'better' even than the poorer than average 21st century Western citizen. Indeed, even the developing world has better prospects than ever before.

Best wishes, Strivax.

I think you are missing the point of the article which is written from
A theological perspective. Not a secular one.

 

[Strivax]

No, I did not miss that point. I simply think that a theological perspective that ignores secular reality is likely to be irrelevant, just as a secular perspective that ignores theology is likely to be misguided. In other words, I think the material and the spiritual are two sides of the same coin, and either without the other lacks integrity.

Best wishes, Strivax.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

No, I did not miss that point. I simply think that a theological perspective that ignores secular reality is irrelevant, just as a secular perspective that ignores theology is likely to be misguided. In other words, I think the material and the spiritual are two sides of the same coin, and either without the other lacks integrity.

Best wishes, Strivax.

The modern world is worse because it is post-Christian.

 

[Gnarwhal]

It's the year 2017 and the prognosticators and prophets have come up with a heady mixture this time.

When you read history you realize that in every age people have been reading the signs of the times and predicting a great catastrophe.

The end of the world, just like an overdue bus, is always just around the corner.

Continued below.
Worried About the End of the World? - Standing on my Head

I refuse to worry about the end times. I genuinely think I have some mild trace of PTSD from my ex-wife's mom because of her end times obsessions. It was disturbing the things she believes and espouses.

 

[Strivax]

The modern world is worse because it is post-Christian.

On the contrary, I find the modern world has many valid criticisms to make of Christianity, and I find the faith is the stronger for reacting to them.

Best wishes, Strivax.

 

[BroIgnatius]

This seems to me to be something of a council of despair. The truth is, some civilisations have made progress, and there seems no reason, barring catastrophe, to think that they will not continue to do so. I defy you to mount an argument comparing the life of the average 11th century European peasant, or the average 1st century Roman slave, and identify why such meagre lives were 'better' even than the poorer than average 21st century Western citizen. Indeed, even the poorest of the poor in the developing world have better prospects than ever before. It is simply up to our agency to ensure such prospects are made reality.

Best wishes, Strivax.

This is a counsel of hope. Jesus is not a God of despair. It is a Christian dogma that we look forward to the Second Coming of our Lord. This will be a joyous time for those in Christ as we will be entering eternity in friendship with Him. There will be a new earth and new heaven, Jesus says. There is no despair about it.