At least somebody is reading these posts

Last week, I posted my own dire view of the current state of the world.  It was really meant no more than an exposition of my own misgivings and the seeming harbingers of imminent doom; truly enlightened and uplifting thoughts.  But, I have since read that the end of the world has been given a date and time:  May 21, 2011 at 6:00pm, by none other than noted televangelist Harold Camping.  Mind you, Mr. Camping doesn't note the time zone, but one can assume he meant his local Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-8) zone.

I wish this were a joke, but it isn't an April Fools Day bit.  It can be verified via searches of a number of news (BBC) and pseudo-news services (Fox News).  His own credibility, unfortunately, has to be called into question, especially in light of Matthew 24, esp. v36-51.

Part of me prays he'll live to see the error of his own prediction, and that those who follow him will then seek a greater understanding of their own about the source of his prophecy.  If he is correct, well then, the question for each of us needs to be, "Am I ready?"

Living in the end times...

Disasters abound across the globe.  It's Friday, and that simple sentence is a viral hit on YouTube by some girl named after a Biblical character and the absence of light.  My mother-in-law, whom I greatly respect and love, is now the proud owner of an iPad 2, yet she doesn't know how to use her cell phone.  My son said it, quoting R.E.M., "It's the end of the world as we know it; and I feel fine."

OK, it's easy to think that the end is near.  Must have felt that way in the Middle Ages, in the midst of the Black Death, with citywide conflagrations in several places in Western Europe, or when the Conquistadors arrived in Central America.  For all our accomplishments, we have managed to hasten the pace of destruction; be it conflict or contagion, disaster or dereliction of duty to man, vice or virus; we cannot defeat death.  In fact, we seem to be hastening to embrace it's cold hands.

2012, a popular myth if the end of time, or is it prophetic.  Or, is mankind simply working to fulfill a prophecy...