The question i pose tonight is a very simple one, and yet not as simple as it seems. What are two things in the world that remain constant in every facet of life? The answer to this, as i implied, is a simple one--the beginning and the end. All things must start and all things must end. There is only one problem with this question as it stands--the phrase "in the world." We, as human beings, are aware of our birth, as it is necessary for our existance, and also understand we are destined for death. Only one entity is not--God. There is no beginning and no end to God, as he is the external Creator. This is all well known.

I move now into questioning the "beginning" of time, as that is the only proper place to start. And it is this question of "time" that will drive this discussion. Before God made the Earth and human beings, God created angels. These angels were powerful, and were given free-will. Free-will is the ability to make the pivotal decisions that shape the future. One angel, Lucifer, decided to use his free-will to turn from God. He then tempts Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, who in turn use their free-will to disobey God, and human kind is tainted by original sin forevermore. One, with at least some knowledge of God, must ask the question,"Why?"

God is omnipotent and omniscient. What also must be understood is that he is outside of time. Every second of every existance on Earth is simply the present to God. He is the past, present, and future. With this in mind, God must have known how "creation" would unfold. He knew before he created Lucifer, Adam, and Eve, what role they would play in the fate of mankind. He knew that the perfect relationship He desired with man would be lost. Why then, did he create Lucifer, or even mankind? It seems ridiculous to create a people for the sole purpose of worshiping God, already knowing that they would turn. And yet, He did. Why then?

Once again, we find ourselves back at free-will. Free-will--the same tool used by Lucifer, Adam, and Eve to create Evil--is now a chance to start over. When the Lord created existance in all its glory, he was already aware that Evil would exist. And yet, here we are. He knew we would be tempted, He knew we would fall, but He also knew we could use our free-will to start over. Each day we begin, we know we may fall. We know Evil exists and that we will be tempted. However, the Lord intends for his followers to one day be worshipping Him in Heaven. The goal is not unattainable, it is difficult. And hence, i have arrived at my point. The Lord did not create the world only knowing Evil was inevitable and that we would fall. No, he created the world knowing that free-will will lead His chosen people to salvation.

I move now to the "end." In this, I am of course referring to the end of time, the calling of God's Church to Himself. When this is done, only those chosen by God will be saved. What it takes to be "saved" can generate quite a discussion, but I choose not to delve into this this evening. Rather, I intend to question when the Lord will return. As everyone knows, we "know not the day, nor the hour." I am not questioning that aspect of "when." I am more questioning the "why" of "when."

What could call for the Lord's return? It has been said to me in the past that if everyone in the world, or even a large portion of them, were to join hands and say a prayer, such as the Our Father, then the world would end. I have always wondered, what is the basis for this? Supposedly, the people of the world, in order to join together and say such a prayer with meaning, must all be followers of, or at the very least, believers in, God. If this much of His creation were his followers, then it would seem that the Church would be ripe for harvesting, so to speak. This made sense to me at the time, and, in a sad way, illustrated how unlikely this event was to ever occur. But more importantly, it led me to another question. Can the world end with so much sin present? The answer to this is clearly "Yes" as the world can end whenever God intends for it to. But the real question is, "Can a Loving God end the world, knowing so much of his creation is not destined to be with Him?" Would it not make more sense to come at a time when the greatest number of His people had joined His flock? As he is outside of time, God already knows when this moment is. However, we do not. So in short, we do not know when the world will end, but the time may already have been determined.

This brings my theological discussion to a close for the evening. I doubt much of it raised any questions within your own mind, as at least part of it was simply a rehash of Catholic theology. However, it was something I needed to put onto paper, to reaffirm my own faith. Goodnight.