Friday of the First Week of Advent
“It’s the End of the World!!”
This phrase has become a pet-peeve of mine, at least when it becomes associated with the second coming of Christ. To call it the end implies that, after that, humanity or the universe will cease to exist in any meaningful sense. But that’s completely contrary to Scripture. The second coming of Christ does not bring the end of the world, but the beginning of the final and complete stage of the human story. It will be the New Jerusalem – the new humanity, purified and resplendent.
When I speak about this with sophomores in high school, they are shocked. A noticeable quiet overtakes the room as they ponder this apparently new idea. It may seem esoteric and irrelevant, but it isn’t. As opposed to a gloomy, nihilistic destruction – we believe in a final perfection and fulfillment. How different would the world look with this vision before our eyes?