Dear Fr. Joe: Are the "Left Behind"
books right? Does the Scripture tell us how the world is going to end?
"But
of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven,
nor the Son, but the Father alone."
-Jesus, Gospel of Matthew, 24:36
"Jesus answered them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or
seasons that the Father has established by his own authority’"
Acts 1:7
Those are a couple of important Scripture passages we need to keep in
mind. If Jesus didn’t know when He was going to return, you and I
certainly don’t have a chance here.
Predicting the future is forbidden by the Scripture, and Jesus made clear
in each Gospel that the future is not our to know.
There was a heresy in the early Church called "Gnosticism".
The people in it believed that there was secret information that only
some could know, and that knowledge is what made them special and able
to go to heaven. The Church condemned this group and this way of thinking
because the kingdom of heaven is open to everybody. Anyone who speaks
or writes of secret knowledge that they have and can give you probably
isn’t right.
Remember, the Bible is for inspiration, not prediction.
Enjoy another day in God’s presence!
Fr. Joe
E-mail your questions to faithteen@parishmail.com
or joeinblack@priest.com
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