Friday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Revelations 20:1-4,11-21:2, Psalm 84, Luke 21:29-33
“Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done.” (Revelation 20:12)
When God made man, he had no intentions that our life would be limited; that we would die or that we would have to suffer. God’s intention for man as contained in Genesis 1:26 simply states: “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
To be in the image and likeness of God meant that man was supposed to be like God, immortal, powerful, great, in-charge of every other thing that exists. But something went wrong! The inability of man to resist the temptation to sin brought change everything.
As attractive as sin may be, it always comes with its consequences. There are physical, psychological, social and even spiritual consequences of sin. Environmentalists often warn of physical destruction of our planet (though gradually) through the continuous burning of fossil fuels. Some countries have declared that in a few years they would completely ban cars that run only on gasoline.
It is troubling that while the world sees the immediate danger of physical pollution, no one seems bothered about our collective moral pollution (sinfulness) and its implications on the future of the world. In truth, every sin, every wrong deed, every transgression of God’s commandments is worse than environmental pollution.
The book of Revelation may appear very difficult to understand, but the message is unambiguous – The world will come to an end, and God will judge the world. This is not mere speculation. It is a reality that is playing itself out already. To those who imagined that Jesus was merely speaking in tongues, He said: “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.”
This means that the words of Jesus continue to be fulfilled in every generation. How? The world has we have it today is not the way it was a thousand years ago. That old world has ended. The world has changed but the words of Jesus remain ever relevant. In two hundred years from today, we would all be dead, and the world would be totally different; ‘our world’ would have ended, and it would be a whole new world. Perhaps, a more technologically advanced world – only God knows.
In the end, the only thing that should concern us is whether or not our names are written in the book of life. What shall it profit a man that he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Nothing! Today is a day to repent, to begin afresh; to perform good deeds that would inscribe your name in that book of life.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, when the books are opened, may my name be there. May I be found among those counted for eternal life in heaven. Amen