The End of The World—Again !
2018년 11월 17일Every year around this time, our liturgical calendar draws to a close with dramatic imagery of the end of the world: the sky grows dark, the sun, moon and stars fall from the sky, the earth quakes and the sea boils. Terror and trembling seize the people. On one hand, some Christian sects use these texts to stir up their congregations into expecting the Second Coming of Christ. On the other hand, skeptics and atheists point out that Christians have expected the end of the world for more than 2,000 years and we’re all still here.
Interestingly enough, they’re both right. The earliest Christians (and Jews) experienced the end of the world in 70 A.D. when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, burned down the Temple and sent the Jews into exile. Nine years later, the world ended for those living in Pompeii when Mt. Vesuvius erupted, the sky turned black, fire rained down from the sky, the earth quaked and the sea boiled.
Truth be told, every generation faces the end of the world, whether through war or natural catastrophe or political upheaval. The world ended for the Soviets in 1989. The world ended for Haitians in the 2010 earthquake. Even as you read this, the world is ending for Californians in the terrible wild fires. So the world is always ending somewhere and eventually it will end for us. The question is, will we be ready?