World destroyed by fire?

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Hi,

I am not sure if I am getting my Scripture right. But on my mind is the thought that Jesus says the world will be destroyed by fire, or something like that. Often, I hear people say this means like a nuclear war or something. Now, I know that the love of the Holy Spirit is often described of as a fire. Also, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended as “tongues of fire” on the Apostles. Could the idea that the world will be destroyed by fire have something to do with the fact that the fire of the love of the Holy Spirit will destroy the spirit of this world, which is the Devil’s hatred of God? This is just a thought. I am wondering what people might think of this.

God bless and may the Holy Spirit enlighten our hearts, minds, and souls, our intellects, wills, and memories.
Amen.
 
I believe sacred scripture reads that only God The Father knows the exact when and how. Jesus gave some indicators of the end of times, things that will need to come and pass.

The world destroyed by ‘fire’ would be speculating

Even Jesus apostles wondered when the end times where coming. This is a natural and sincere human concern. (even to the apostles who are receiving and spreading the good word of God first hand) It is very important that you don’t get caught up worrying about this, which is the main message, because the time of your end or ‘the end’ shouldn’t have an effect on how you live while you are here. Live every minute as it where your last but be prepared to endure a long life. Some will work the harvest all their entire life, while others only minutes.
 
The teaching that the world will be consumed by fire is a part of the Apocalypse prophecies.

The idea is that, after the General Judgement, all people will go to their respective places in the afterlife, and then this world will be “consumed by fire” to be replaced by the New Earth, and the current heaven will be replaced by the New Heaven.

I don’t know if the “consumed by fire” idea is literal or symbolic, but I think we do know from these prophecies that there will be a New Heaven and a New Earth which will be populated by the people who lived on this earth.
 
I think you might be referring to the Gospel passage in which Jesus states that everyone would be tried by fire? I don’t believe He meant it in a literal sense, but in a spiritual. You can find it at Mark 9:49. I hope this helps.

I think its only in the messages of Our Lady of Akita that we hear of the world being destroyed by fire. I’m not sure if that message was approved or not.

It is also said in Holy Scripture that after the great flood God said He would never destroy the world like that again… but perhaps it is meant only by water He would not destroy it.
 
in the end though we should not be afraid about when or how the world will come to end. if we are good practicing Catholics and receive the sacraments often there will be nothing to fear because we are not doomed to hell and Jesus says Himself He will never abandon us His people, “even to the end of the ages” just my view. it would be interesting to know when and how it will end though
 
You may be thinking of St Peter’s Second Epistle chapter 3:

The day of the Lord will come like a thief, and on that day the heavens will vanish with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and all its deeds will be made manifest. 2 Peter 10
Pope Benedict XVI:
…the word “world” does not mean primarily the physical structure of the cosmos but the world of man, of human history;…this manner of speaking means that THIS kind of world–will come to an end that is dictated and achieved by God.Introduction fo Christianity by Ratzinger, p. 304.) Not a commentary on 2 Peter but relevant, maybe.

For Catholics the FINAL end will be the final triumph of Christ who is the Alpha and the Omega. But before the final end:

“Before the final end the church must pass through a terrible trial and persecution, the final unleashing of evil, which will cause His Bride to come down from Heaven” See Catechism of the Catholic Church." Section 677.
 
Peter says the world will be destroyed by fire - but this seems to be at the end of the millenium - when a new heaven and earth will be created.
 
Here is what St. Thomas Aquinas says in the Summa Theologica

I answer that, We meet with three opinions on this question. For some say that the element of fire which is in its own sphere will come down to cleanse the world: and they explain this descent by way of multiplication, because the fire will spread through finding combustible matter on all sides. And this will result all the more then since the virtue of the fire will be raised over all the elements. Against this, however, would seem to be not only the fact that this fire will come down, but also the statement of the saints that it will rise up; thus (2 Pet. 3:10) it is declared that the fire of the judgment will rise as high as the waters of the deluge; whence it would seem to follow that this fire is situated towards the middle of the place of generation. Hence others say that this fire will be generated towards the intervening space through the focusing together of the rays of the heavenly bodies, just as we see them focused together in a burning-glass; for at that time in lieu of glasses there will be concave clouds, on which the rays will strike But this again does not seem probable: for since the effects of heavenly bodies depend on certain fixed positions and aspects, if this fire resulted from the virtue of the heavenly bodies, the time of this cleansing would be known to those who observe the movements of the stars and this is contrary to the authority of Scripture. Consequently others, following Augustine, say that “just as the deluge resulted from an outpouring of the waters of the world, so the fashion of this world will perish by a burning of worldly flames” (De Civ. Dei. xx, 16). This burning is nothing else but the assembly of all those lower and higher causes that by their nature have a kindling virtue: and this assembly will take place not in the ordinary course of things, but by the Divine power: and from all these causes thus assembled the fire that will burn the surface of this world will result. If we consider aright these opinions, we shall find that they differ as to the cause producing this fire and not as to its species. For fire, whether produced by the sun or by some lower heating cause, is of the same species as fire in its own sphere, except in so far as the former has some admixture of foreign matter. And this will of necessity be the case then, since fire cannot cleanse a thing, unless this become its matter in some way. Hence we must grant that the fire in question is simply of the same species as ours.

Reply to Objection 1: The fire in question, although of the same species as ours, is not identically the same. Now we see that of two fires of the same species one destroys the other, namely the greater destroys the lesser, by consuming its matter. In like manner that fire will be able to destroy our fire.

Here is the link ccel.org/ccel/aquinas/summa.XP_Q74_A3.html?scrBook=2Pet&scrCh=3&scrV=10#XP_Q74_A3-p7.1
 
Thanks for the great link “Christian Classics Ethereal.” This is a great resource. How come I have never seen it before–on anyone’s blog? Lot’s of young Catholics, and even Evangelicals are discovering St. Thomas Aquinas.
 
I’ve got an ever-growing website called the Aquinas Study Bible that is centered around Aquinas.
 
AnneElizabeth said:
I think you might be referring to the Gospel passage in which Jesus states that everyone would be tried by fire? I don’t believe He meant it in a literal sense, but in a spiritual. You can find it at Mark 9:49. I hope this helps.

I think its only in the messages of Our Lady of Akita that we hear of the world being destroyed by fire. I’m not sure if that message was approved or not.

It is also said in Holy Scripture that after the great flood God said He would never destroy the world like that again… but perhaps it is meant only by water He would not destroy it.
Click to expand...
St. Peter points out an interesting relationship; The world of “old” was formed by water, and it was destroyed by water. Mud, which is not burnt – can be dissolved in water a second time. That world, though, did not “disappear” – it’s only the world of men which did.

After the flood ended, a time came where man finally decided to come down off that mountain (ararat) and notably the first thing he does is burn bricks to make the tower of Babel (fire) which displeases God…

Consider:
The ancients understood the physical world to be made of four substances: earth, water, wind, and fire. (The world, though, esp. without qualification often means a particular civilization; “the world” in the bible might just mean the “Roman” world. – and Rome did “burn” under Nero…)

We left an age of water and earth with Noe, and entered the age of clay and fire;

In contrast to Babel, we have the images in Isaiah – where “we are the clay” and “God is the potter.”; but I know that until the clay is fire hardened, it is still just dry mud.

I’m thinking that:
We, as Catholics, speak of purgatory (cleansing/sterilizing by heat) – at the end of our life; so it doesn’t seem strange to me, that there will come a time when all of us, whether godly or not – will experience some kind of fire.

I suppose that this fire and Noe’s waters will share the same meaning; eg: whatever the one is, the other is. If an earthwide flood, an earthwide fire – if not, then not… etc.

Visions, unfortunately, often convey meaning through symbols – and not in the way a camera would have photographed them when they happen. They do however, record relationships and reasons for the events.
 
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