I have always wondered why people so anxiously await the ‘end times’ and the second coming of Christ. I could understand if we lived in an endlessly hopeless time. But we don’t! Yes, there are some big problems that seem unsolvable.
I guess wishing for the magical appearance of something that would solve all the problems of this world is appealing. But I suspect that what God is expecting of us is that we solve our own problems. Perhaps we are here to become adults and not remain children waiting for the adults to come along and sort everything out. I’m no expert on all the religions of the world but from what little I have seen there does seem to be an emphasis on telling us to behave ourselves or the big daddy will punish us. Whether you are talking about the ‘end times’ or humming along to the Christmas song, ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’, you are basically being told to behave and follow the rules. Think about the lyrics to that song and how Santa is keeping a list and checking it twice to see who s naught and who is nice.
Wouldn’t it be ironic if Jesus were to come back and immediately condemn all those who have been so anxiously awaiting his return because they had done nothing to make the world a better place? An amusing thought, don’t you thing? Well, until you stop and think that maybe you haven’t done much either.
Unfortunately, what is more likely is that millions will die in an apocalyptic war and Jesus won’t show up. Then generations if not millennia will be spent getting back to where we are today. Is it possible we have gone down this road before?
An interesting and thought provoking post. If there is a God, who made us with free will - then surely what is wanted is that we do use it to learn and develop. If 'God' merely wanted 'obedient children' he could have made them instead.
Posted by: Francesca Gray | September 08, 2006 at 07:42 AM