3:00am Thunderstorm

Thoughts on the End of the World

4-4-23

A couple of days ago I was woken by a thunderstorm at 3:00am. First it was the far away rolling thunder, then flashes of lightening that became more frequent along with the peals of thunder. Finally when the thunderstorm was right on top, the thunder was so loud it literally shook the house, and the lightening lit up the room as if it were daylight.

I love thunderstorms, especially the 3:00am ones. As the thunder and lightening rolled off into the distance, leaving only rain, I stared at the ceiling for the next hour and thought about what it would be like when the end of the world came.

When Jesus comes for the final judgment, will it be like a 3:00am thunderstorm on steroids, rolling simultaneously across the entire globe? Jesus said it would: † "For as the lightning that lighteneth from under heaven, shineth unto the parts that are under heaven, so shall the Son of man be in his day." † (Luke 17:24).

Imagine, the sky lit up with a lightening flash never seen before, the roll of thunder never heard before and the shaking of the ground never felt before. That is exactly what is going to happen and there is no doubt JESUS IS COMING AGAIN for the FINAL JUDGMENT. This time He is coming not as a tiny baby, but in all His glory. He said so and Jesus is not a liar.

I’m coming…

So I stared up at the ceiling and wondered what humans would actually see at the end of the world. How can ALL humans across the globe see the world end at the same time? What about people in prison, underground working in mines or under the sea in submarines, flying in airplanes, or even the people in outer space? How can a global thunderstorm encompass all humans at once? It's beyond our human capacity to understand that's for sure. But it will happen, although none of us know when. Even Jesus does not know when He is coming back to end the world: † "But of that day or hour no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray. For ye know not when the time is." † (Mark 13:32-33).

It's been almost 2000 years since Jesus came the first time. That is a long, long time for humans. In those two millenniums, countless people have wished and prayed that Jesus' second and final appearance would happen in their lifetimes. I do as well. Why do we feel that way? Weariness with the world mainly. We wish to see Jesus come back and take us home while at the same time judging the evilness of the world for the final time. Earthly and Heavenly judgment meted out at the same time in a flash of lightening and thunder! Beautiful!

Do we want to be like this cake at the final judgment?

But it's God's mercy that delays the end of the world. If Jesus came back during my lifetime, it would not surprise me to see Jesus separate me on the wrong side at the final judgment. I hope for Heaven and try to live my life to get there, but I don't delude myself in thinking I am better than anyone else. God delays the final judgment to give us time to reach Heaven by how we live our earthly lives. God knows in His infinite patience that humans can do better, and is giving us plenty of time to correct our ways. As St. Peter says: "But of this one thing be not ignorant, my beloved, that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord delayeth not his promise, as some imagine, but dealeth patiently for your sake, not willing that any should perish, but that all should return to penance." (2 Peter 3:8-9).

As my 3:00am thunderstorm thoughts continued, I was trying to understand what would really happen at the end of the world. What would we think? Would nonbelievers and all the satanic evil-doers see Jesus' glory and still not care? Or would it all become clear and our souls would take precedence over our earthly bodies and desires? Would all of us be so overwhelmed with the majesty, and yes, horror of it all, that at that moment we would either go to Hell or Heaven for eternity and there was absolutely no going back from the choices we made in our lives?

Uh, oh …

Jesus described His final judgment as follows:

And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty. And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.... Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.... And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting. (Matthew 25:31-34, 41, 46).

It's so easy to deny the existence of God and Jesus, as we live our earthly, selfish lives day to day until 80 years old or so (130 years for our overlords), since we don't see what happens to us after we die. At the final judgment, we will see, and it will be impossible to deny God's existence as Jesus stands before ALL OF US and judges EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US. But how would that even be done? I think when the end of the world comes, Jesus will come on a 3:00am thunderstorm to beat all thunderstorms and every human that is alive will immediately die. Just snuffed out, all at once. There will be no rapture or only certain good humans taken up, while the not-so-good humans remain. No, when Jesus comes again for the last time, IT IS THE LAST TIME FOR ALL OF US.

The eternal 3:00am thunderstorm.

So does that mean the earth is gone too? Maybe, or maybe not. Maybe God will destroy it completely or maybe it will go back to the Garden of Eden, minus Adam and Eve. The thunder and lightening of Jesus' second coming will rumble and flash away into the distance and the earth will be empty of the human race. I think the current "me-tooism green freakout" about saving the Earth is all just satan's ploy to delay Jesus' final judgment. The planet is not going anywhere until God says so, and contrary to what satan and his demons whisper into human ears, there is nothing humans can do to destroy the Earth. But satan and humans are going somewhere. Who knows if it will be today, tomorrow, or in 100, 1000, or 10,000 years, but it will happen.

Wahh! The Earth will outlive me? That’s not what I was told.

The 3:00am eternal thunderstorm will come someday and that's a good thing! Happy Easter Week to all as we commemorate Jesus' passion, death and resurrection!