Where I live in southern Oregon, our valley is filled with smoke from massive forest fires. For days we have endured deteriorating air quality now defined as hazardous. Because the sun has been reduced to an apocalyptic orange glow, it caused me to ponder the words of the Lord regarding the end of time.
Our speculative interpretations of how time will conclude are just that, speculations. Only the Lord knows. Our over-confident interpretations of what is to come often sound like either a person whistling as they walk by a cemetery at night or someone whose eschatology is filled with rainbows and unicorns.
In 526 AD a series of volcanic eruptions on several continents took place sending debris in the atmosphere that caused the world to enter a global winter that lasted for several years. Worldwide temperatures dropped because of the reduction of solar radiation at the surface of the Earth. It caused crop failures that led to famine, the migration of entire cultures, and the collapse of empires. Some historians describe the events during the ensuing span of 4-5 years to be the worst time in human history to be alive.
A letter written by the Roman statesman, Cassiodorus, describes those years as a time when the sky was “blended with alien elements just like cloudy weather, except prolonged. It was stretched like a hide across the sky and prevented the ‘true colors’ of the sun and moon from being seen, along with the sun’s warmth.”
In 536 AD and the following years, I am sure some in the Church thought the world was ending. The events of that time caused people to prepare for an end that did not come. It sounds like some voices telling us today that our world will soon end. Like it was in 536 AD, fear is rampant.
One day on the Mount of Olives after Jesus told His disciples the events that would occur when the end finally came, the disciples asked the Lord, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:30). Jesus answered telling the disciples the events that would transpire on Earth and in the heavens before the end comes and added, “for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end” (vs. 6). We forget the last six words the Lord spoke. No matter how apocalyptic our word might appear, “that is not yet the end” until God makes that call.
Over the last 40+ years, I’ve taught the Book of Revelation several times verse-by-verse. Each time I taught Revelation, I had to adjust my understanding. That journey of understanding confirmed for me our interpretations are just that – our interpretations. I’ve come to realize no matter how dark a time in history might appear, God is the only one who is calling the shots on the conclusion of our world.
Like it was in 536 AD, those who live through trying times have hope because they know the Lord will come for them because they have believed in Him and trusted Him when the skies of life were overcast and filled with doubt. Our hope is sourced in this one thing, “And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens” (vs. 30). Faith causes us to look up in expectation, not down in dread, when the signs of the times seem to be telling us the end is near.
This is such and encouraging and insightful post; thank you! I don’t remember the events of 536 AD in History Courses, but the parallels with today’s events are unmistakable. Eyes Up…