Chances are that if you've been watching the news or keeping an eye on pop culture over the last few months, you've seen references to the year 2012 (or the forthcoming movie named for that year). A number of doomsday scenarios have sprung up around the (only partially true) notion that one of the calendars of the ancient Mayans ended in December 2012. Others have suggested that 2012 might see the earth swallowed by a black hole, or set on a collision course with another planet.
Such scenarios they are almost certainly the products of overactive imaginations; you'd be lucky to find a scientist -- or a contemporary Mayan -- who seriously believed that the world would end in 2012.
But humans seem to have always been intrigued by the notion of the end of the world. Christianity -- as well as Judaism and Islam -- carries with it the notion of the end of time. Theologians and authors disagree about the nuances of eschatology -- what exactly does it mean to say that Jesus will come again, or that there will be a final judgment?
This week's lectionary texts intriguingly explore these ideas without giving us any definitive answers. The picture they paint is mysterious and powerful, even frightening, as we read in Daniel:
"There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." (Daniel 12:1-3)
Meanwhile, in Mark, we hear of Jesus's disciples questioning him about his prediction of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, once Judaism's most sacred place. First warning his friends against being lead astray by imposters, Jesus adds,
"When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed: this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs." (Mark 13:7-8)
Indeed, references to earth-shaking events can be found throughout the Bible, including some unlikely places. Even Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, expounds on the final judgment in her song of thanksgiving for the birth of her son:
"The Lord! His adversaries shall be shattered; the Most High will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his annointed." (1 Samuel 2:9-10)
The picture being sketched is one of great unrest. And so it's no wonder that there have been people in virtually every century who have believed that the end of the world is around the corner -- every generation has its own troubles and potential signs that the end is near.
But while speculating on the end of time can be a fascinating exercise -- indeed, the movie 2012 seems destined to be a hit -- in many ways it seems fruitless to try to definitively determine on what is meant by ideas like the last judgment or the coming of the kingdom of God, or when such events might occur. Paul, after all, seems to have believed that Jesus would return in his own lifetime. And as Jesus says in Matthew, "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (Matthew 24:36).
Perhaps instead of spending our time worrying about whether or not the world will end in 2012 (for the record, I'm not holding my breath), we ought to turn to this week's passage from Hebrews, which focuses our attention on more worthwhile pursuits:
"And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25)
For more information about 2012, see NASA's recent awareness campaign here.
Photo credit here.
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