the last gospel
“What will be the sign that it is going to happen?” —Luke 21:7
Though no one knows the day when the world will end and Christ will come again, the Lord has given us many of the last events on earth. The following is a partial list in a probable order:
1) “This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world...only after that will the end come” (Mt 24:14).
2) “All Israel will be saved” (Rm 11:26).
3) Then, “they will manhandle and persecute” Christians (Lk 21:12). “All will hate” us for our faith in Jesus (Lk 21:17).
4) “Many will come” in Jesus’ name “saying, ‘I am He’ and ‘The time is at hand.’ Do not follow them” (Lk 21:8).
5) “The mass apostasy” will occur (2 Thes 2:3), and “the love of most will grow cold” (Mt 24:12).
6) You will “hear of wars...These things are bound to happen first, but the end does not follow immediately” (Lk 21:9).
7) “There will be great earthquakes, plagues, and famines...and in the sky fearful omens and great signs” (Lk 21:11). “These are the early stages of the birth pangs” (Mt 24:8).
8) “The lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will destroy him...by manifesting His own presence” (2 Thes 2:8).
9) “The heavens will vanish with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire” (2 Pt 3:10).
10) “The Lord Himself will come down from heaven...and those who have died in Christ will rise first. Then we, the living, the survivors, will...meet the Lord” (1 Thes 4:16-17).
11) “When the Son of Man comes in His glory...He will sit upon His royal throne, and all the nations will be assembled before Him” (Mt 25:31; Rv 14:14ff).
12) We who have loved God faithfully “shall be with [Him] unceasingly” (1 Thes 4:17) and “see Him as He is” (1 Jn 3:2).
“Console one another with this message” (1 Thes 4:18).
Prayer: Lord, I want to be ready.
Promise: “He comes to rule the earth.” —Ps 96:13
Praise: St. Cecilia is the patron of musicians and poets.
Reference:
Rescript: In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from October 1, 2022, through November 30, 2022. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 3, 2022
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