Could it be possible that the World would end before Christ came?

[benjammin]

Like what if a meteor hit the earth today and Christ had not yet come? What would happen? I’m sure there’s an explanation for this somewhere. On that same note, what about people who are living in outer space. Will humans throughout the universe die at the moment Christ returns

 

[Armor_of_Light]

Something is telling me Jesus could show up whenever the time came.

 

[R_C]

Like what if a meteor hit the earth today and Christ had not yet come? What would happen? I’m sure there’s an explanation for this somewhere. On that same note, what about people who are living in outer space. Will humans throughout the universe die at the moment Christ returns

The future is in the hands of God, who is omniscent. The Book of Revelation (and even the very Lord in the gospels) spoke of the end times. It’s not like out of the blue a huge disaster happens and everyone is like oh well, never mind, scratch that

And besides nobody will die when Christ returns Quite the opposite, there will be a glorification of the flesh, for both the living and the souls. Even the souls in hell will resurrect in the flesh, but for a “resurrection of damnation”.

As for the people in outer space (I’m going to assume you mean astronauts, because there is no official teaching on humans outside of the earth, and as a matter of fact I recall one teaching from a Council against such a thought) I am sure the Lord knows what to do about them (that’s if by that time there is anyone outside of the earth, we don’t know that).

 

[Joe_5859]

Something is telling me Jesus could show up whenever the time came.

“Oh no! The end of the world was today!? I knew there was something I forgot to put on my calendar!”



You might be interested in what the Catechism says about the Last Judgment.

 

[benjammin]

The future is in the hands of God, who is omniscent. The Book of Revelation (and even the very Lord in the gospels) spoke of the end times. It’s not like out of the blue a huge disaster happens and everyone is like oh well, never mind, scratch that

And besides nobody will die when Christ returns Quite the opposite, there will be a glorification of the flesh, for both the living and the souls. Even the souls in hell will resurrect in the flesh, but for a “resurrection of damnation”.

As for the people in outer space (I’m going to assume you mean astronauts, because there is no official teaching on humans outside of the earth, and as a matter of fact I recall one teaching from a Council against such a thought) I am sure the Lord knows what to do about them (that’s if by that time there is anyone outside of the earth, we don’t know that).

But i heard on Catholic answers that when Christ does come again, those alive will die, they will just be instanly glorified. Or so I heard

 

[FaithInTheLord]

The future is in the hands of God, who is omniscent. The Book of Revelation (and even the very Lord in the gospels) spoke of the end times. It’s not like out of the blue a huge disaster happens and everyone is like oh well, never mind, scratch that

And besides nobody will die when Christ returns Quite the opposite, there will be a glorification of the flesh, for both the living and the souls. Even the souls in hell will resurrect in the flesh, but for a “resurrection of damnation”.

As for the people in outer space (I’m going to assume you mean astronauts, because there is no official teaching on humans outside of the earth, and as a matter of fact I recall one teaching from a Council against such a thought) I am sure the Lord knows what to do about them (that’s if by that time there is anyone outside of the earth, we don’t know that).

I don’t necessarily buy into the interpretation that revelations is just the end of life on earth and not the entire universe.

Is it not theologically possible to be interpreted both ways?

edit; to OP the prophecy is always true. I’m not sure if it specified how long Christ will be here before the Resurrection but I know for certain the world will not end until Christ returns - but first there will be an anti-Christ and 1 government.

 

[Usagi]

But i heard on Catholic answers that when Christ does come again, those alive will die, they will just be instanly glorified. Or so I heard

Are you sure that’s what they said?

“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” (I Corinthians 15:51)

Seems from this that those who are alive at the Second Coming will get their glorified bodies without actually dying. (The dead get their resurrected and glorified bodies first, though, according to Paul in another place.)

Usagi

 

[R_C]

But i heard on Catholic answers that when Christ does come again, those alive will die, they will just be instanly glorified. Or so I heard

Well, unless I got the Good News wrong, there’s no such thing as death for those who hear the voice of the Lord Now if by “death” you mean to be delivered of the imperfect body, then perhaps I’d agree. But “It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail”

I admit I don’t know the specific teaching on what happens in that very moment to those who are alive (in the more common meaning of this word) I guess that, to some degree, it must be directly related to the Dormition and Assumption of Our Lady There’s a beautiful description here from our Orthodox brothers.

 

[COPLAND_3]

The world, according to Scripture, is not going to end before Jesus comes again. Whenever I see documentaries and shows that show potential world ending scenarios, it does not scare me because I know that my faith in Scripture is much greater than some documentary or scientist theories gone wild.

I can imagine a devistating meteor hiting that wipes out a lot of things without being prophetic. I also believe Revelation even predicts a meteor or something similar which strikes the earth during the Great Tribulation.

As for someone being in outer space when Christ comes, there is no spot in the universe that man can avoid the Judgment. No matter how many light years someone goes, it is no distant for the Creator.

 

[GEddie]

Like what if a meteor hit the earth today and Christ had not yet come? What would happen? I’m sure there’s an explanation for this somewhere. On that same note, what about people who are living in outer space. Will humans throughout the universe die at the moment Christ returns

God is sovereign. The world will not be permitted to end without HIS purposes being fulfilled.

Even if the earth were to fall into the sun, that would not happen without our LORD’s appearance to take everybody with Him.

I also believe that human space travel has hit a semi-permanent snag precisely so that everybody’d be in the same place (cosmically) for judgement.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Robertanthony]

**The world, according to Scripture, is not going to end before Jesus comes again. Whenever I see documentaries and shows that show potential world ending scenarios, it does not scare me because I know that my faith in Scripture is much greater than some documentary or scientist theories gone wild. **
I can imagine a devastating meteor hiting that wipes out a lot of things without being prophetic. I also believe Revelation even predicts a meteor or something similar which strikes the earth during the Great Tribulation.

As for someone being in outer space when Christ comes, there is no spot in the universe that man can avoid the Judgment. No matter how many light years someone goes, it is no distant for the Creator.

The answer is a resounding “no”. One third of the world population could be wiped out in minutes following an earthquake or a cosmic collision, but the world won’t end until Christ comes back in glory. (remember Pink Floyd’ s song Time, it’s actually “one day closer to Jesus’ glorious return”)

 

[edwest2]

No. Definitely not.

"FOR the second time in his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI has made a point of saying that Christ’s coming as Judge and the end of the world are not “near” as some suggest; that certain events must come first before He returns for the Final Judgment.

"Paul himself, in his Letter to the Thessalonians, tells us that nobody can know the moment of the Lord’s coming and warns us against any alarm that Christ’s return might be at hand." —POPE BENEDICT XVI, December 14th, 2008, Vatican City

Jesus gave us plenty of clues, but not the day or the hour.

bible.cc/matthew/23-39.htm

Peace,
Ed

 

[R_C]

"FOR the second time in his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI has made a point of saying that Christ’s coming as Judge and the end of the world are not “near” as some suggest; that certain events must come first before He returns for the Final Judgment.

Thank you for this!

“Before the Lord’s arrival there will be apostasy, and one well described as the “man of lawlessness”, “the son of perdition” must be revealed, who tradition would come to call the Antichrist.” November 12th, 2008

 

[stevekehl]

Like what if a meteor hit the earth today and Christ had not yet come? What would happen? I’m sure there’s an explanation for this somewhere. On that same note, what about people who are living in outer space. Will humans throughout the universe die at the moment Christ returns

Asking this suggests that God can be caught off guard by the universe He created.

 

[benjammin]

What about this. What if only one person lived if a meteorite hit the earth. Would Christ wait until that last person’s death? Or would he just come? What about if man destroyed himself like we thought would happen in the cold war? I’m not trying to be a smart aleck I just wonder what would happen in these situations

 

[COPLAND_3]

I think the approach that is better taken is asking how world events will unfold in the context of Scripture rather than asking how God will modify His plan after He sees what man is going to do. God already knows how man is going to meet his fate, so what we know by divine revelation is how its going to be, though it is still obscure to us all, there is a lot of speculation that even the greatest Catholic minds have made.

From Scripture, it appears that there will be people living when Christ comes, and based upon what I have found from my studies of Bible commentators, it looks as if those Christians who are alive when Christ comes will experience a change of some sort that will transform their corruptible bodies into glorified bodies, which from what appears to me will be a death of some sort, probably painless. But it does look like their will be a remnant of the elect and a world full of unelect.

 

[benjammin]

I think the approach that is better taken is asking how world events will unfold in the context of Scripture rather than asking how God will modify His plan after He sees what man is going to do. God already knows how man is going to meet his fate, so what we know by divine revelation is how its going to be, though it is still obscure to us all, there is a lot of speculation that even the greatest Catholic minds have made.

From Scripture, it appears that there will be people living when Christ comes, and based upon what I have found from my studies of Bible commentators, it looks as if those Christians who are alive when Christ comes will experience a change of some sort that will transform their corruptible bodies into glorified bodies, which from what appears to me will be a death of some sort, probably painless. But it does look like their will be a remnant of the elect and a world full of unelect.

Thank you, this is exactly what I heard on Catholic Answers today. Thank you.

 

[GEddie]

, it looks as if those Christians who are alive when Christ comes will experience a change of some sort that will transform their corruptible bodies into glorified bodies, which from what appears to me will be a death of some sort, probably painless.

In fact, S. Paul said in 1Co 15 that “not all” would “sleep” (in death), although all would be “changed”. So what happens to those alive at that moment would not be death. They will remain alive.

Our biological bodies cannot enter life everlasting as we are, because our aliveness depends on constantly generating and expelling corruption (entropy), and there can be none in Eternity. So AIUI, the biological life will be somehow interrupted, but the instantaneous “in a moment” formation of our pneumatikon soma will prevent the person (you or me, should we be privileged to be alive then) from being dead. The pneumatikon soma, “spiritual body,” will hold the life, as the human body does now, only forever.

And when the new body has formed, death will not even be theoretically possible.

ICXC NIKA!

 

[COPLAND_3]

In fact, S. Paul said in 1Co 15 that “not all” would “sleep” (in death), although all would be “changed”. So what happens to those alive at that moment would not be death. They will remain alive.

Our biological bodies cannot enter life everlasting as we are, because our aliveness depends on constantly generating and expelling corruption (entropy), and there can be none in Eternity. So AIUI, the biological life will be somehow interrupted, but the instantaneous “in a moment” formation of our pneumatikon soma will prevent the person (you or me, should we be privileged to be alive then) from being dead. The pneumatikon soma, “spiritual body,” will hold the life, as the human body does now, only forever.

And when the new body has formed, death will not even be theoretically possible.

ICXC NIKA!

The obscurity of the details about those living when Christ comes is not easily understood because the Fathers of the Church understood that passage in Hebrews that says that man is appointed to die once and then the judgment. And also death may not be considered “sleep” when the bodies of the living are transformed into glorified bodies since when others have died and have been dead for a time would better be termed metaphorically sleeping than one who has instantly passed from mortality to immortality at the coming of Christ. I think that those experience a death but not in the same typical manner as everyone else, but theirs will be more immediate, sort of how Jesus turned the water into wine, no gradual changing process but one second mortal and next second immortal.

 

[GEddie]

The obscurity of the details about those living when Christ comes is not easily understood because the Fathers of the Church understood that passage in Hebrews that says that man is appointed to die once and then the judgment. And also death may not be considered “sleep” when the bodies of the living are transformed into glorified bodies since when others have died and have been dead for a time would better be termed metaphorically sleeping than one who has instantly passed from mortality to immortality at the coming of Christ. I think that those experience a death but not in the same typical manner as everyone else, but theirs will be more immediate, sort of how Jesus turned the water into wine, no gradual changing process but one second mortal and next second immortal.

I imagine we are just disagreeing over wordage. To me, if you don’t stop moving and breathing, become mindless, cold and smelly etc., that isn’t death. A body change that you remain conscious through cannot be death.

But we can let it pass, as this is an event that will happen only once in all of time, and so words do not exist to describe it.

Shalom, ICXC NIKA.