Is the Beginning of the End Here?

[Melodeonist]

I was reading my Bible (it is a special bible with Catholic FAQs in it), and I stumbled upon a page about how the world will end. It says that Jesus will return to the world in glory, but it also says that first

"…the Antichrist will appear to deceive the world and persecute the Church."

I could be wrong, but isn’t this happening right now as we post?

Popular culture is perverted, and full of immoral things. Abortion and the like are widely accepted around the world. This seems proof enough to me that Satan has deceived the world.

Christians are being persecuted (to various degrees) around the world. In some Middle Eastern countries, and Communist countries, Christians are put to death, tortured, or imprisoned. In the Western World, Christians are ignored, though as old fashioned, or thought of as cult like. This is proof to me of Christians being persecuted.

Am I right, or am I wrong?

 

[PTL]

I was reading my Bible (it is a special bible with Catholic FAQs in it), and I stumbled upon a page about how the world will end. It says that Jesus will return to the world in glory, but it also says that first “the Antichrist will appear to deceive the world and persecute the Church.”

I could be wrong, but isn’t this happening right now as we post?

Popular culture is perverted, and full of immoral things. Abortion and the like are widely accepted around the world. This seems proof enough to me that Satan has deceived the world.

Christians are being persecuted (to various degrees) around the world. In some Middle Eastern countries, and Communist countries, Christians are put to death, tortured, or imprisoned. In the Western World, Christians are ignored, though as old fashioned, or thought of as cult like. This is proof to me of Christians being persecuted.

Am I right, or am I wrong?

You are right. We are in end time. Pray the Rosary.

 

[Neofight]

The End Times have been here a long time…it started with the Fall of Man.

 

[Hans_W]

I was reading my Bible (it is a special bible with Catholic FAQs in it), and I stumbled upon a page about how the world will end. It says that Jesus will return to the world in glory, but it also says that first

I could be wrong, but isn’t this happening right now as we post?

Popular culture is perverted, and full of immoral things. Abortion and the like are widely accepted around the world. This seems proof enough to me that Satan has deceived the world.

Christians are being persecuted (to various degrees) around the world. In some Middle Eastern countries, and Communist countries, Christians are put to death, tortured, or imprisoned. In the Western World, Christians are ignored, though as old fashioned, or thought of as cult like. This is proof to me of Christians being persecuted.

Am I right, or am I wrong?

Most people will argue that we live in a time better than ever before. Look at the Middle Ages: wars and prosecutions all the time, extreme poverty, slavery, life expectancy perhaps 40 years, half the children didn’t see their first birthday, people were burnt alive for “witchcraft”. Look at the last century: the two massive World Wars. The Cold War came pretty close of wiping us off the earth.

We live in great times. Enjoy it. The end of the world has been prophesized so many times. Hundred years ago there was more reason to be pessimistic.

 

[mlz]

There are many prophecy’s that indicate it is possible some are Church approved while others are not. The bottom line is to be prepared and live close to Jesus and His sacraments which is what you will be receiving, Praise God when you enter the Church. What I do know is that God has always spoken to His Children in times of difficulty and will be with us as we have Trust and Faith in Him. You are so blessed to be coming into His Church. Welcome and feel free to PM me anytime…I am a convert. (3 years old in the Catholic faith!)
My love in HIM,
mlz

 

[7_Sorrows]

The End Times have been here a long time…it started with the Fall of Man.

Exactly.

 

[pianistclare]

People of God have always experienced persecution.
All we need to worry about (if you’re bent on worrying) is that we are ready to meet our maker.
Stay in a state of grace and love the Lord with all your heart. You’ll be fine.
God has promised those who love Him a beautiful new life in heaven.
Be at peace.

 

[St_Francis]

Whenever I am concerned about the state of the world, I read history.

It is time for me to start doing that again.

 

[pianistclare]

Whenever I am concerned about the state of the world, I read history.

It is time for me to start doing that again.

Yes.
What’s that saying? “History doesn’t repeat itself…but it sure does rhyme”.

 

[JapaneseKappa]

I was reading my Bible (it is a special bible with Catholic FAQs in it), and I stumbled upon a page about how the world will end. It says that Jesus will return to the world in glory, but it also says that first

I could be wrong, but isn’t this happening right now as we post?

Popular culture is perverted, and full of immoral things. Abortion and the like are widely accepted around the world. This seems proof enough to me that Satan has deceived the world.

Christians are being persecuted (to various degrees) around the world. In some Middle Eastern countries, and Communist countries, Christians are put to death, tortured, or imprisoned. In the Western World, Christians are ignored, though as old fashioned, or thought of as cult like. This is proof to me of Christians being persecuted.

Am I right, or am I wrong?

You are right, of course, and so there are a few business you will probably want to give money to right away. For example:
Have someone take care of your pets after the rapture.

Of course, you shouldn’t sell all your belongings or anything like that, since you don’t want to be laughed at like these people were.

But seriously, these are not the end times. If you want to disagree, the first thing I will ask you to do is to put forth the date on which you will admit you were wrong. For example, the cardinal Nicholas of Cusa predicted the world would end between 1700 and 1734. Presumably, since the world hasn’t ended a few hundred years later, we are well past the date where he would have to admit his error. If your cutoff for error is well past the end of our lifetimes (e.g. you will only admit error if the world hasn’t ended by 3015) then there really isn’t much point arguing about it here, since neither of us would be around to confirm or deny your suspicions. However, if your cutoff is close (e.g. 2025) then we can have a more interesting discussion.

 

[Crown_of_Stars]

I don’t know if it’s the End. No one knows. We aren’t supposed to. Not even the Son, only the Father. But I find myself just hoping it is the End, because I just want it all gone.

 

[victrolatim]

Theoretically, wouldn’t the end of times have begun the moment Christ ascended since the finite end is when he comes again?

 

[ellam25]

I don’t know if it’s the End. No one knows. We aren’t supposed to. Not even the Son, only the Father. But I find myself just hoping it is the End, because I just want it all gone.

No offense but why would you say this? All gone, really? There are bad and evil thing in the world (as there always have been) but also a lot of good and wonderful things. I welcome Jesus’ coming but I dont look forward to the things that are supposed to come before (the antichrist for instance). I dont like the idea of my loved ones dying, sorry I just never understand it when people say they hope something bad will happen.

 

[Lucretius]

Dear Melodeonist,

Be on the watch, then; the day of it and the hour of it are unknown to you (Matthew 25:13).

Live as though Christ will come right now, but don’t speculate. Those who speculate on this sort of thing have never predicted our Lord’s triumphant return successfully. We have a 2000 years worth of failed predictions: we don’t need more

Christi pax,

Lucretius

 

[Crown_of_Stars]

No offense but why would you say this? All gone, really? There are bad and evil thing in the world (as there always have been) but also a lot of good and wonderful things. I welcome Jesus’ coming but I dont look forward to the things that are supposed to come before (the antichrist for instance). I dont like the idea of my loved ones dying, sorry I just never understand it when people say they hope something bad will happen.

I know. No offense taken I just mean, the way I look at it, won’t we all be better off with God, and how often, when someone has died, do we hear, “He/ she is in a better place” and they “are with God now.” The way I look at it, we see the good people suffering, because of the evil, unjustly, and it isn’t fair to the good to have to live in a bad place. I agree, there are still many good things about this earth, but I’m apt to change my mind when I see all that is in the news The End doesn’t mean a bad thing…This world is not our true home…There’s better.

 

[Elizium23]

I know. No offense taken I just mean, the way I look at it, won’t we all be better off with God, and how often, when someone has died, do we hear, “He/ she is in a better place” and they “are with God now.”

Yet these are erroneous sayings, because here on Earth we cannot know the fate of a deceased loved one. The only people we know to be in Heaven are canonized saints, period. We should never “canonize” the dearly departed because that flies in the face of the very real need of their souls for prayer. A saint in Heaven is not in need of our prayer, but the suffering soul in Purgatory is very much in need of it.

I see it all too often, especially among members of the clergy who really should know better, I have seen bishops and archbishops inadvertently canonize someone who has just died. I wish they would teach the truth. I wish they would lead by example. And I can’t tell you how awkward it is to want to correct someone but not want to be tactless in the face of his grief over someone close to him who has just passed away.

 

[midori]

18“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’b If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’c

It’s far more likely that our personal end will come before the end of the world. It’s up to us to live in the time and place God has assigned to us and make the best we can in our sphere of influence. Many small lights can light up the darkness of the world that surrounds us.

 

[Angela77]

I kind of agree with you. But I feel like we must both be wrong, because I bet that the end of the world will somehow not be that explicitly recognizable to us.

But yeah, between the physical persecution of Christians in non-Western nations and the psychological persecution (and insidious relativism) in Western nations…makes me wonder if it’s the end too. But then again, during the world wars, I’m sure everyone thought it was the end of the world then too.

 

[mikekle]

Theoretically, wouldn’t the end of times have begun the moment Christ ascended since the finite end is when he comes again?

No, not really, because Jesus gave us all kinds of signs so the faithful could recognize when he is ‘at the door’, this means, there would be times before he was at the door, times when not many of these things were happening, in no other time in history has more signs he spoke of, been happening or have happened all at once, as they are right now.

Plus, Jesus said he would return at a time NO ONE expected, like a thief in the night…I think that is a huge indicator, at a time no one expects him to come.

 

[pianistclare]

You are right, of course, and so there are a few business you will probably want to give money to right away. For example:
Have someone take care of your pets after the rapture.

Of course, you shouldn’t sell all your belongings or anything like that, since you don’t want to be laughed at like these people were.

But seriously, these are not the end times. If you want to disagree, the first thing I will ask you to do is to put forth the date on which you will admit you were wrong. For example, the cardinal Nicholas of Cusa predicted the world would end between 1700 and 1734. Presumably, since the world hasn’t ended a few hundred years later, we are well past the date where he would have to admit his error. If your cutoff for error is well past the end of our lifetimes (e.g. you will only admit error if the world hasn’t ended by 3015) then there really isn’t much point arguing about it here, since neither of us would be around to confirm or deny your suspicions. However, if your cutoff is close (e.g. 2025) then we can have a more interesting discussion.

The rapture is not a Catholic notion.
It is false. Use the search function to see where this idea of “rapture” came about.
Peace.