The Hope Beyond the End

When people imagine the end of the world, they often picture chaos, destruction, and despair. For many, it is a frightening thought. We imagine the worst, and in a sense, we are right to do so. Yet for Christians, the end of the world is not ultimately a time of despair, but of great hope. It is the moment when the King of Kings will return to establish His reign fully over all creation.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus offers a glimpse of this through His prophecy of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. Its beauty and grandeur would be wiped away. His followers would be persecuted, even betrayed by those they loved most. Yet in the midst of suffering, they would not be alone. God Himself would be with them, giving them words to bear witness. Even death would not have the final word, for Jesus promises, “Not a hair of your head will perish.”

The prophet Malachi adds another dimension to this vision. For the proud and evildoers, that day will be one of reckoning; they will suffer the consequences of their own rebellion. But for those who fear the Lord, it will be a day of healing and joy. Together, Luke and Malachi remind us that the end is both a trial and a promise, urging us to live prepared lives. The Lord will come to rule the earth with justice, and His people will rejoice at the sound of His coming.

This is why we must live in readiness, not only for that final day but for the day of our own death. Whether Christ returns in our lifetime or calls us home first, each of us will stand before Him in judgment.

Saint Paul, in his Second Letter to the Thessalonians, gives us a model for how to prepare. Though he was an apostle, he refused to claim privileges. Instead, he worked tirelessly, “toiling day and night,” so as not to burden others. In this humility, he mirrored the self-giving love of Christ Himself.

Love is not the kind of thing that can be bought or earned. You cannot trade gold for someone’s trust. That is exactly what Paul is trying to tell us through his example of self-sufficiency: his love does not come at a price, at least not in that sense. Love is free, but it costs everything: our very selves.

We, too, are called to live in this way, to give ourselves away in love. We offer our time and our work to God, but we must also offer our hearts to our neighbor. For only love, strengthened by grace, enables us to persevere, to “run the race,” to “win the imperishable crown,” and to “keep the faith.”

Those who persevere in love will secure their lives. Those who live only for themselves “eat and drink their own destruction.” May we, then, live each day in hope, ready for the coming of our Lord, whose justice brings healing and whose reign is everlasting.