End

"Jesus said to his disciples: 'In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.' " - Mark 13:24-25

End times. Tribulation. Armageddon. They're words that invoke a very basic, primal response in our minds. The thought that everything around us could soon be gone. That, as with all things, there is a beginning and an end. It's been envisoned as earthquakes, meteor showers, war, famine and everything in between. And Jesus isn't changing that bright image for any of us - it'll be dark and scary. 

I'm one of those people that floats in my belief - sometimes it's positive reinforcement (a beautiful sunset, a prayer being answered), and sometimes it's negative reinforcement (often brought about after considering my own mortality). And while Jesus's warning is a very useful testament for reinforcing belief, I don't think he's saying it to scare people into believing what he's preaching. I think it's something different.

He's saying, in no uncertain terms, that God has ultimate control because God has had this planned from the beginning. That our lives - while individually unique - fit into an overall plan for humanity. A plan that eventually comes to an end (at least, an end of what we're used to). A plan that's been in place before we existed, and one that goes well past our existence.

The good news is, God love us, and wants us to be a part of the new plan - the new Kingdom of Heaven. And Jesus is how we get there. It's not hard, but it is so important that Jesus spends time talking about it. 

If only if we'd listen...