Embracing uncertainty in our STRANGE NEW WORLD. PART 2

I’ve absolutely rejected the idea of running around proclaiming that the end is near and that we all need to repent or face eternal damnation. But, as I’ve said in previous posts, I’m finding good reasons to believe that biblical end-times prophecies are coming true. It isn’t hard to relate certain parts of the Book of Revelation to events that are taking place right now. And there are other sayings by Jesus and st. Paul scattered throughout the New Testament. There are the wars and rumors of war, famine, diseases, the mindsets of people in the End Times, the global tyranny that is on the rise, the persecution of Christians (look at what is happening in for example India, China, Pakistan or Egypt right now) and so on.

The point of these posts however, is not to give a comprehensive overview of Biblical prophecies coming true. If you want to look closer at this, the internet is full of information about it. It is interesting to note however, that one of the absolute cornerstones throughout the Bible, from that of prophetic warnings in the Old testament, to the prophecies about Jesus, to the prophecies about the End Times, is precisely prophecies and their fulfilment. 

Even if I haven’t looked into it, I also believe that it is very possible that the different kings in the prophecies in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament will fit neatly with the main actors on the global stage today. 

And I don’t know what to make of this. Because as many know, these prophecies are pretty serious stuff. They are pretty violent, full of cataclysmic events and suffering. 

But I want to approach this as openly as possible. Because I quite frankly don’t know what is going on. I understand very well how much our upbringing shapes our beliefs and perception of the world. Which means that I most definitely can’t trust the judgment of anyone else. Or of myself for that matter. So I have to be very careful with believing things without sufficient evidence. 

A big problem is that as humans we crave certainty. We want things to be simple. Especially if we think that there is danger in being wrong. And if you think about it, this is quite natural, as for the absolute majority of our evolution as a species, our continued existence has relied on us being right about the world. So, what happens when we bring in this need of certainty into spiritual realms? Realms that are more real than anything physical, but where we cannot check our beliefs against reality in the same manner, as for example whether an area is full of sabre toothed tigers or not. I think that this is quite an interesting question. 

The conclusion that I’ve come to, is that even though the potential of being wrong with regards to spiritual matters is something that scares me, there must come a point where I just let go and trust. I often ask God for guidane. And I know that God is listening. And the only guidance that I receive, is that all will be well and that I shouldn’t be afraid. It’s really only the wordmachine in my head that tells me otherwise. And when I look at those that tell me that the end is coming and that sinners will be judged, they seem to only speak from their intellects as well. And if my reasoning here is sound, it follows that the intellect alone is not reliable in spiritual matters.