Repent! but the end is NOT near

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We are all sinners, and so we should all regularly examine our consciences and repent from any sins that we have committed, and obtain forgiveness frequently in Confession.

Each person does not know how long his life will end, and when he will die and be judged by God. And so anyone who has committed serious sin should repent promptly and obtain forgiveness from God. You do not know when your own end will occur.

But the end of the world is not anytime soon.

The tribulation is the time of intense suffering for the Church and the world which precedes the Return of Jesus Christ. Some persons think that the tribulation will be brief; some say 7 years, others say 3 1/2 years.

But my view is that the tribulation is divided into two parts, and the two parts are separated by a few hundred years. The first part of the tribulation lasts 30 years, then there is a brief time of peace and holiness on earth. Next, there is a long time of a few centuries of gradually increasing sinfulness. Finally, the second part of the tribulation occurs, including the 7 years of the Antichrist’s reign, and the last half of his reign (3-1/2 years) which is the time of the worst suffering for the Church. And only after all these events does Christ return.

So the end of the tribulation and the return of Christ does not occur anytime soon, and does not occur for this generation, but for the distant future. But the beginning of the first part of the tribulation is near.

Repent now, and go to Confession. Once the tribulation begins, there will be long lines at the confessional, and many people will think that the end is near. The end is not so soon, but it is always best to repent promptly and to avoid all serious sin.

[Matthew]
{24:6} For you will hear of battles and rumors of battles. Take care not to be disturbed. For these things must be, but the end is not so soon.

[Luke]
{12:42} So the Lord said: “Who do you think is the faithful and prudent steward, whom his Lord has appointed over his family, in order to give them their measure of wheat in due time?
{12:43} Blessed is that servant if, when his Lord will return, he will find him acting in this manner.
{12:44} Truly I say to you, that he will appoint him over all that he possesses.
{12:45} But if that servant will have said in his heart, ‘My Lord has made a delay in his return,’ and if he has begun to strike the men and women servants, and to eat and drink, and to be inebriated,
{12:46} then the Lord of that servant will return on a day which he hoped not, and at an hour which he knew not. And he will separate him, and he will place his portion with that of the unfaithful.
 
How did you come up with your time-line? No offense, but why did we have to wait nearly 2000 years for you to figure it out?

If God had wanted us to know about the end times that specifically, wouldn’t he have told us before now?

Where is your backing from the Church Fathers, the Magisterium, Sacred Tradition?

These are all questions you have to answer.
 
yes, you are right. It is only the evangelical churches that preach about the end, we are not to be in expectation of it, its far, far away. Jesus said to keep in expectation and to “keep on the Watch” he was not addressing us in our day but those that in about a million years will be near the time.
 
The Mayans believe a serpent will be thrown to the earth on December 21, 2012! Sound familiar? This is Satan thrown down by St Michael. Anyways, My sources say that October 1, 2012 New Moon dates the day of Destruction within the Earth. Meaning Nuclear or Bombs!
Either way just as we never expected 2 planes to hit, the same goes for the sudden destruction of this day (The hour of trial) This would most likely be on October 1 2012 Quote me on this.
I belong to “Our Lady of Solace parish” in the bronx of NewYork! If it is God’s will, I might be the open door mentioned about the church of Philadelphia! Peace be unto you

Ralph
 
Cashue said:
yes, you are right. It is only the evangelical churches that preach about the end, we are not to be in expectation of it, its far, far away. Jesus said to keep in expectation and to “keep on the Watch” he was not addressing us in our day but those that in about a million years will be near the time.
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The Catholic Church doesn’t teach that it is far, far away.
 
I thought God said we won’t know when the end is near?..We won’t even be able to guess it?
 
I believe that the beginning of the tribulation occurs this year.

However, my point in the original post is that the end of the tribulation cannot occur soon. There are too many events, stretching over too long a period of time, for the last part of the tribulation to occur for this generation.

here is my article, based on Scripture and the Saints, arguing that the end is not near:
The Antichrist is Not in the World Today
catholicplanet.com/future/antichrist-timeline.htm

Jesus describes the beginning of the tribulation in Matthew 24. Then He says: “Take care not to be disturbed. For these things must be, but the end is not so soon.”

The events of the tribulation cannot be fit into a day or a years or a few years.
 
Ron_Conte said:
We are all sinners, and so we should all regularly examine our consciences and repent from any sins that we have committed, and obtain forgiveness frequently in Confession.

Each person does not know how long his life will end, and when he will die and be judged by God. And so anyone who has committed serious sin should repent promptly and obtain forgiveness from God. You do not know when your own end will occur.

But the end of the world is not anytime soon.

The tribulation is the time of intense suffering for the Church and the world which precedes the Return of Jesus Christ. Some persons think that the tribulation will be brief; some say 7 years, others say 3 1/2 years.

But my view is that the tribulation is divided into two parts, and the two parts are separated by a few hundred years. The first part of the tribulation lasts 30 years, then there is a brief time of peace and holiness on earth. Next, there is a long time of a few centuries of gradually increasing sinfulness. Finally, the second part of the tribulation occurs, including the 7 years of the Antichrist’s reign, and the last half of his reign (3-1/2 years) which is the time of the worst suffering for the Church. And only after all these events does Christ return.

So the end of the tribulation and the return of Christ does not occur anytime soon, and does not occur for this generation, but for the distant future. But the beginning of the first part of the tribulation is near.

Repent now, and go to Confession. Once the tribulation begins, there will be long lines at the confessional, and many people will think that the end is near. The end is not so soon, but it is always best to repent promptly and to avoid all serious sin.

[Matthew]
{24:6} For you will hear of battles and rumors of battles. Take care not to be disturbed. For these things must be, but the end is not so soon.

[Luke]
{12:42} So the Lord said: “Who do you think is the faithful and prudent steward, whom his Lord has appointed over his family, in order to give them their measure of wheat in due time?
{12:43} Blessed is that servant if, when his Lord will return, he will find him acting in this manner.
{12:44} Truly I say to you, that he will appoint him over all that he possesses.
{12:45} But if that servant will have said in his heart, ‘My Lord has made a delay in his return,’ and if he has begun to strike the men and women servants, and to eat and drink, and to be inebriated,
{12:46} then the Lord of that servant will return on a day which he hoped not, and at an hour which he knew not. And he will separate him, and he will place his portion with that of the unfaithful.
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Well said, Ron. 👍
 
Ron_Conte said:
Repent! but the end is NOT near
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I like a story that Father Corapi tells. He said he was walking down the street once and there was a fellow hollering “The end is near! The end is near!” And Father Corapi told him: Yes, the end IS near for you, and for me.

Point being: We only live so long, and rather than worry about all that end-times jazz, we need to worry about our OWN end and the state of our souls when we die.
 
diggerdomer said:
The Catholic Church doesn’t teach that it is far, far away.
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No, you are right not far, far away, what I meant is that we are not like the evangelical churches that preach the second coming is “around the corner” … that’s what I meant.
 
The verses in which Jesus speaks of the end times can’t be mapped out in such a way that we can know when the end will be. Let’s remember that even he said that “the son of man” didn’t know the day or hour. If it was not revealed to the Christ on earth, what makes any of us think we can possibly know? Anyone might guess right. A 12 hour clock is right twice a day, but that doesn’t mean anyone can “work it out”. Attempts to do so are a futile waste of time and effort. Better to be working on loving God and neighbor, and leave the when and how to the only One who does know.
 
diggerdomer said:
Exactly. Regardless of those like Ron Conte that want to predict or preclude certain times.
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yes, that is what I was trying to say, we can never EVER say its “near” or that we are expecting it “soon” that is like lying, we can never say “the kingdom of god is AT HAND” because that would be like saying its near and that we cannot ever say!

Thank you, I wasn’t expressing myself well earlier but this puts it in a nutshell.
 
“She [the Church] already possesses a science concerning future and final realities, the science of eschatology, and she continually urges her children to study the sublime truths which it embodies, so that they may prepare themselves for the final and decisive meeting with the Creator.” – Pope Paul VI

Truths about the future can be understood by a study of eschatology, and particularly by a study of Sacred Scripture. The book of Revelation is essentially a book of eschatology; it is about the future of the Church and the world, and particularly about the tribulation. And there are numerous other passages in Scripture that reveal information about the future.

An understanding of future events can be obtained by a study of eschatology. But, other than the day and hour of Jesus’ Return, is it possible to obtain the dates of future events from a study of Catholic eschatology? After studying and writing eschatology for many years, my answer is ‘yes’. Although the dates arrived at are not articles of faith and are not absolutely certain, eschatology can provide some insight into both future events, and the order and timing of those events, in my opinion.
 
Ron_Conte said:
[Matthew]
{24:6} For you will hear of battles and rumors of battles. Take care not to be disturbed. For these things must be, but the end is not so soon.
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What do you make of this?

Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. (Mt 24:34)

Signs of chaos and catastophe were expected to precede the collapse of the OT age and the coming of Christ’s kingdom (Mt 24:3-31). It was expected, and came to pass, within the lifetime of Jesus’ listeners (about 40 years).

Looking forward, why should we expect similar signs would more than a generation (before the final days of the New age and Christ’s Second Coming in glory)?
 
Ron_Conte said:
“She [the Church] already possesses a science concerning future and final realities, the science of eschatology, and she continually urges her children to study the sublime truths which it embodies, so that they may prepare themselves for the final and decisive meeting with the Creator.” – Pope Paul VI

Truths about the future can be understood by a study of eschatology, and particularly by a study of Sacred Scripture. The book of Revelation is essentially a book of eschatology; it is about the future of the Church and the world, and particularly about the tribulation. And there are numerous other passages in Scripture that reveal information about the future.

An understanding of future events can be obtained by a study of eschatology. But, other than the day and hour of Jesus’ Return, is it possible to obtain the dates of future events from a study of Catholic eschatology? After studying and writing eschatology for many years, my answer is ‘yes’. Although the dates arrived at are not articles of faith and are not absolutely certain, eschatology can provide some insight into both future events, and the order and timing of those events, in my opinion.
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I agreed with you up until your last paragraph. No, we cannot know by any amount of study when Jesus will return. Pursuing times and dates is, as I stated, futile. And it may be dangerous to one’s soul. It’s all too easy to think you’ve cracked it and then start to say you must be right and then why won’t the Church listen to you, and so on. I’m just letting you know the pitfalls of that kind of thinking. We are to be prepared at all times because we cannot know the time or the day or the hour. That is the best and safest way to approach this subject lest we get too caught up in our own speculations and miss the whole point.
 
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