YouTube: Are We in the End Times?
A member of our YouTube audience posted this comment: “I hear so many Christians say, ‘we’re in the end times’. What does that mean?”
Eschatology is the fancy name given to the study of the so-called end times. The book of Revelation appeared when early Christians suffered under severe persecution from the Roman empire. The book’s intended purpose was to encourage Christians to hold fast, Jesus was coming soon. Following the legalization of Christianity, Revelation fell out of use for hundreds of years. It was during the Middle Ages that interest in the book reignited, but without its historical context. Since that time, doomsdayers have exploited the mysterious imagery as signs that the end was near.
Of course, there are many ways that human civilization could end. The eruption of a super volcano, an incoming asteroid, a major solar flare, or nuclear war could all do the trick. We can also study the downfall of the once-great world powers of Rome, Greece, and Egypt and see implosion from within as another option.
One takeaway we can glean from observing this obsession with the so-called end times is that we can fall into the same trap on a personal level. In our challenging moments, we can turn from God within to the belief that we need an external savior. The most effective starting point is to reestablish our expectation in our true center of power—God within. Once we do this, once we rise above the fear of some impending doom, we can move through our challenge from the peace of strength.
In the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas, the disciples asked Jesus when their end would be. He said,
“Since you have discovered the beginning, why do you seek the end? For where the beginning is, there will the end be. Blessed is he who shall stand at the beginning, and he shall know the end, and shall not taste death.”
The advice is to be here now. Obsession over the end prevents us from engaging in a new beginning. The transforming power we long for is always with us. Be still and know this power, and you will find your way through any challenge.
J Douglas Bottorff 