Why do we want the end of the world?

So, I woke up this morning and the world was still spinning. Funny. I really thought the Mayans had this one, just like Harold Camping last May and every other would-be prophet of doom and destruction. It's the same refrain again and again: "Things are so messed up... we clearly must be nearing the end of the world!" they say. Funny, again, because reality suggests something else. If we're looking for the worst of all possible times, history is unlikely to side with the 21st century. Remember the Inquisition, the Black Death, the European wars of the middle ages, Civil Wars in America, France and other places, World War I, World War II and the Shoah. I mean, if we truly think things are worse now than under Hitler and Stalin then we need to gain some serious perspective.

Anyway, what is much more interesting than calculating how bad things have gotten and picking a date for God to end it all is why we would want the end of the world in the first place. Of course, most would-be prophets won't admit it, but that is really what's at work here: they want the end of the world. I suppose if you were to tease it out, these Christians (and people of other faiths as well, but let's be honest it's mostly Christians) are desperate for the apocalypse because it will usher in the reign of Christ. On the surface that makes sense. The world is a messy place. It would be much easier if we could just skip this business of living down here and fast-forward to the fully realized Kingdom of God. I get that.

However, it's also a rather short-sighted desire. Wishing for the end of the world right here and now points to our utter ignorance and selfishness far more than our faithfulness--ignorance because we assume that we are righteous and ready to stand before God when every faithful witness in scripture (Mary and Moses to start) trembled in fear before the Lord, and selfishness because the end of the world would mean depriving future generations of the gift of life that we have been given. It's the same reason why many Christians do not care about global warming even if they admit that it's a reality. Who cares? It will only usher in the end of the world. (Again, ignorant and selfish)

There is actually a rather simple explanation for why we predict the end of the world at all: we are afraid of death. It really comes down to just that. As much as we proclaim the certainty of our faith, death is something that causes us uncertainty. If Christ comes again and ends this whole business of life down here then we get to skip over the messiness of death and, maybe just as importantly, we don't need to worry about life going on without us. It all boils down to our selfish human nature. As much as we want to couch our language of apocalypse in faithful biblical witness, our desire for it is nothing more than our old sinful selves seeking one last ounce of control before our death rattle.

My apocalyptic advice is simple. Listen to the would-be prophets, take seriously the imminence of God's kingdom, and then continue on with your lives. When Martin Luther was asked what he would do if the end of the world were tomorrow he famously said he would plant a tree. I'm not sure why Luther said that. I suppose because it is a perfect symbol of life in the face of death. But there's also an element of honesty about the human condition in Luther's answer. We don't know the plans set before us--none of us do--so it's better to continue contributing to life in the world than to prematurely abandon life for something outside of our control.