Hope on… Journey on!
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My wife is fond of saying “It is always the end of times!” And you know what? She is correct.
With the fervor of a Chicken Little “The sky is falling!” rant, humans have expected the world to end each time we are embroiled in a war, as we watch the news on our phones, witness seemingly increasing natural disasters, to now, hear that AI threatens to kill us all in 2 years. We seem to be anxiously awaiting the end of the world. It’s a morbid fascination, kind of like how we all slow down to get a detailed look at a car wreck.
The meaning of “the end of the world” is different to many folks. To some it is the literal destruction of everything on the planet and of the planet itself. Perhaps an ELE (extinction level event) generated by an asteroid hitting the Earth or by the atmosphere no longer able to shield us from the Sun’s rays. Perhaps all the ice on the planet will melt and drown us all. Could be a secret combination that is plotting to accelerate the Earth’s demise for whatever reason.
We members of the Church have a completely different definition of what “the end of the world” means. And we have someone up on the watchtower, keeping an eye out for us, so we can be prepared for whatever comes. Mormon Doctrine explains that there are two distinct scriptural definitions of “the world.” The first is that the world is the planet on which we reside. The second is “the social conditions created by such of the inhabitants of the earth as [they} live carnal, sensuous, lustful lies, and who have not put off the natural man by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.”
So, how do we define the end of the world? Back to Mormon Doctrine, it “is the end of unrighteousness or of worldliness as we know it, and will be brought about by ‘the destruction of the wicked.’ When our world ends and the millennium era begins, there will be a new heaven and a new earth.”
When will this happen? Well, there are signs. However, as we know, no man, not even Jesus Christ knows the exact time of His own return. Which will “end the world” and usher in the Millennium.
As hard as natural, societal or secret combinations work to accelerate this process, only Heavenly Father knows when this will happen, and it will be on His time table, not determined by some pack of lunatics who want to force the issue. In the meantime, we are charged to not focus on the morbid, but to maintain hope. Easy, right?
President M. Russell Ballard mentioned several situations that may cause some to lose hope, and he offered counsel about where to find hope:
“Some of us may find our lives laden with frustration, disappointment, and sorrow. Many feel helpless to deal with the chaos that seems to prevail in the world. Others anguish over family members who are being carried downstream in a swift, raging current of weakening values and declining moral standards. … Many have even resigned themselves to accept the wickedness and cruelty of the world as being irreparable. They have given up hope. …
“… Some among us may have lost all hope because of sin and transgression. A person can become so deeply immersed in the ways of the world that he sees no way out and loses all hope. My plea to all who have fallen into this trap of the adversary is to never give up! Regardless of how desperate things may seem or how desperate they may yet become, please believe me, you can always have hope. Always.” (“The Joy of Hope Fulfilled,” Ensign, Nov. 1992, 31–32)
May we all maintain an eternal perspective and “hope on, journey on” as we watch the wackiness around us. Thank you for reading…
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