Yep, the end of the world. The thing everyone is thinking about, writing about, or speaking about. The End.

Well, since I jumped off the mainstream Christian bandwagon some years ago, this post might be of a little different view.

I’m not arguing that we aren’t staring down the gaping maw of the abyss, in pretty much every arena of our society from politics to love. Nothing is the same as it was even 10 years ago. Every accepted thought about life is being challenged into oblivion. And not with alternatives that have been studied at length or seriously considered for the long run.

Instead, it seems to be popular to choose important topics based on what we wish they were because our feelings were hurt. Whereas it was only a couple of years ago I was writing articles about the evil of offense, it now appears that Offense has won not only the battle but the whole war.

We are all Offended. Even those of us who believe in love and God. Our churches have offended us along with our politics, medicine, and even love. Nothing is true and everyone lies because acceptable motives are about greed. Even those who believe the End is Near are trying to rake off the top whatever icing they can before the last hurrah.

But something was bothering me about this scenario. Even when I was in the throws of massive discouragement about this state of affairs. Something nagged at me until I sat down and asked Father. (Oh, yes, he is still my one solid staple). And I heard this in my heart: “There’s more to mankind than the End.”

Suddenly, I began to see the destruction, and end-time scenarios through the scriptures. Even Adam and Eve went on to build a new life after Eden. The Israelites were told to flee sometimes and there was always a Remnant who went onward into a new era. Even Revelation celebrates the defeat of evil.

So, then I thought about history. As far back as I can remember, mankind finds a new way and survives. Whether it’s a quick defeat of evil or several hundred years of enslavement, there is always a new beginning. Mankind goes on. Creates again.

In the meantime, these end-times go out with a sha-bang. Sometimes millions of people die, and usually great nations are destroyed. But people go on. They run away. Or they fight to rebuild. One way or another, there is always another chapter.

The complete defeat of evil only happens to its current form of existence. And the people who can envision a new beginning, go on to build it.

As you can see, I’m not a Biblical literalist. I happen to believe this particular narrow-sighted theology had to die back for us to grasp the profound revelations softly couched in the stories.

There is always a new heaven and a new earth. Heaven is our new form of understanding the spiritual aspect of ourselves and earth is our new creation of society with an enhanced spin.

I don’t believe for an instant that we are facing the actual destruction of the earth and all life on it. But as always happens, the deeply inherent flaws of mankind re-emerge eventually to destroy what we’ve created.

We seem to get bored after a few hundred years and begin chasing completely illogical fantasies of unbelievable proportions. It seems to filter through half the population creating a schism without a band-aid…and the society implodes upon itself.

This is caused by that evil “side” of our minds. The side that tends to lose faith. And when it is convinced of the rightness of its faithlessness, it begins lighting the torches of destruction. Some of those faithless are so completely emptied of all Hope that they truly have not one ounce of redeeming value left within them. They will lie, cheat, steal, and murder at the drop of a hat. And they do it at such a rapid pace that the faithful reel in shock, generally not having seen it coming. Sometimes the faithful sacrifice themselves so the faithless can open their eyes.

And then there are those few. The ones who seem to know without reason or logic, that there is still some amazing, miraculous spark of life within mankind waiting to be born. That seed of God.

Inexplicably there is Hope, and it still shines brightly. I know it. Some of you do too. Keep following that star through the darkest night!

Faith