The End of the World as We Know It

It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

This was the rather jaunty chorus to R.E.M's song The End of the World as we Know It, a fitting anthem for this day. There has been a hullabaloo (such a great word) about this day, December 21st, 2012, being the last day for the planet, according to predictions by Mayan astrologers. Except that Mayan experts (how did these folk become experts on Mayan culture?) assure us that these predictions are entirely unfounded.

It hasn't stopped people from speculating endlessly and actually preparing for the eventuality:
MOSCOW—A Cold War-era bunker designed to save Soviet leaders from a nuclear attack will host a 24-hour party for Russians willing to pay $1,000 for a ticket to escape the apocalypse... Bunker No. 42, now a tourist attraction full of red alarm lights, is located 56 metres underground in central Moscow, near the Kremlin, and can accommodate up to 300 people.

Any excuse for a party! Even the American Red Cross has taken this opportunity to remind people to be prepared for disasters.

Lots of religious types like to scare their followers into believing that the end is nigh, sometimes with dire outcomes for their followers who decide to take their own lives pre-emptively, or give away all their possessions. The guy who gets to me is Pastor Hagee, the tele-preacher from the States who talks incessantly about the end to a big congregation and audience. He lives in a mansion in a gated community and has a salary of about a million dollars a year. Do you wonder if he is sincere?

Jesus told his followers not to speculate about the end, that we won't know the day or the hour. He does invite us to live faithfully,  as though every day matters, which makes alot of sense. I asked our bible study group what they would choose to do with their day if they know Christ was showing up at 7:00 PM. One of our octogenerians, as fine a Christian as you're going to meet, said she didn't want to seem arrogant, but she wouldn't change much. I can see why. She is a kind, generous, loving person. Why would she mess with a good thing?

Any End Times thoughts folks? Are you glad you're still here, or you a little disappointed? What would you do if the end was at hand?

http://groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.ca/2012/12/monkey-business.html