I commented on a religious question on Reddit a few weeks ago and realized it would make a decent blog post
In response to: “Why did God give us the Biblical end-time prophecies if we can’t even come anywhere close to agreeing on what they mean?”
My first thought to the title question is that God gives us end times prophecies because we want to know how everything works out in the end. We see evil and suffering and we want justice and closure. We want to know that Good defeats Evil and that the crap we must tolerate now is eventually eliminated. I think God is telling us that He has a plan, and that however convoluted the methods, and however overdue His judgment may seem, everything will be made right in the end.
I can understand the OP’s problem – he is enjoying life quite a bit now, and doesn’t want to see this relatively nice sure thing he’s got going come to a premature end, making his life seem a little meaningless.
Religions tell us our heavenly afterlives will be immeasurably better. This is why many people look forward to the Second Coming; especially those well past their peak, or those who were never too happy to begin with, or those whose faith in heaven is weak….
Personally, as a serious researcher and author on the end times, I must conclude they are coming soon. And not having been raised as a Christian, I am dumbfounded that my research has led me from being a very logical and scientific agnostic – to accepting Christianity.
So to the OP, I say: 1 – I do think the end times are coming very soon 2 – The Bible promises a rewarding afterlife that will be immeasurably better than the life you know now. 3 – Your concern over having centuries for your music to be remembered… seems very self-centered. That is OK, we live as self-centered beings, we’d be homeless if we didn’t. But unless you are a very famous musician hiding here under “Ma———ie” you aren’t going to be remembered for centuries.
And perhaps you already know that what you really want is to make a positive difference in people’s lives. Whether you help a single friend or relative or make a million people smile through wonderful music, what we all want is to make the world a better place. Do that. Don’t let ego get in the way of how you do it, and only focus on fame or success or even music. Reach out to help people. Take a personal interest. Show love and compassion. You will be remembered – and imitated – for that.
I know I have relatives I work to be different from – and a few that I work to follow the example of. I have tried hard to be a good father, husband, son, friend, etc. Part of me wants to be remembered and acknowledged too, but it is satisfying enough to do things just because it’s the right thing to do.
Circling back to the end times… I think it’s pretty clear what they mean. The world as we know it is wiped clean and re-created. My books focus on timing. Some people think calculating dates isn’t even possible. I know it is. If you believe, as I do, that the end times are upon us, and this is clashing with your ego’s desire for being remembered for centuries, and you seek meaning – I simply recommend focusing on being the best _____ you can be. Whether life as you know it ends soon or not – happiness (yours, and others’) will follow.
I’m extra curious to see comments on this one
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