YouTube: The End is Near
The disciples said to Jesus, “Tell us, how will our end come?” Jesus said, “Have you found the beginning, then, that you are looking for the end? You see, the end will be where the beginning is. Congratulations to the one who stands at the beginning: that one will know the end and will not taste death.” The Gospel of Thomas #18
People have been predicting the end of the world for centuries, with various reasons and beliefs fueling these predictions. Throughout history, there have been many instances where individuals or groups have claimed to know the exact date or event that would bring about the end of the world. These predictions often arise from religious beliefs, scientific theories, or a combination of both. Some notable examples include the Y2K scare in 2000, the Mayan calendar prediction in 2012, and various religious prophecies throughout different time periods. Obviously, none of these predictions materialized.
In the days of Jesus, the Jews were looking for their messiah and the end of days, when the old order would pass, and the new age would begin. Christianity transformed this expectation to the return of the resurrected Jesus and the establishment of God’s kingdom. The book of Revelation presents a very complicated view of this expectation. As a Jew, many scholars believe Jesus adopted this expectation and may have even considered himself the one who would rule in this new kingdom.
I disagree with this assumption. As a mystic, Jesus would not be looking for changes in the social and political landscapes. He would understand the expected kingdom as an internal awakening. The old world that passes away is the belief that God and man are separate. To the mystic, the new world comes with the revelation of oneness, God centered within every person. As Jeremiah and Isaiah envisioned, God writes his laws within the heart.
In the above passage from Thomas, Jesus shows the end is near, so near in fact, it arrives the moment one becomes willing to think of God and themselves in a new way. The world as we know it does not need to end. We change the way we see ourselves and the way we experience the world changes. The end is just as near as our willingness to be born anew.