In today’s post, as we head towards the end of our current series on Jesus Christ, we will look at Jesus as he is now, and what he will do at the end of time. This is
especially appropriate to reflect on during this month of November when we remember the deceased, and think of the end of our own life journeys.
We read in one of Saint Paul’s letters which was written a
few decades after the Ascension:
God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from
the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all
rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named,
not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under
his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his
body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
(Ephesians 1:20-22)
The Catechism notes several things about Our Lord’s
existence now:
1)
Now that he has ascended into heaven, Jesus
Christ reigns with his Father. He is
the lord of history, and all of creation.
This means he is lord of the
past, present, and future, and not just of this world, but of the world to
come, the kingdom, which he inaugurated.
2)
He is also head of the church. The Church is his body, and it is through the
Church that Christ dwells on Earth. This
he can do while still reigning in heaven.
3)
This kingdom is present, and through it, the
world is being irrevocably transformed, but it is not yet fulfilled completely. Our Lord inferred this when he spoke to his followers just before the Ascension: So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority (Acts 1:6-7) This fulfillment and realization of the kingdom will come only at the end of time.
4)
Christ does reign in heaven, and in the
Church, but not all things in the world are subject to him. That will
only come when Jesus comes again. This is a time of watching and waiting, with some trial and tribulation mixed
in because evil still has some leeway to operate.
The Catechism then notes a few details on the coming of Our
Lord at the end of time:
1)
The Lord will not come until Israel
recognizes Jesus as Messiah. This,
in turn, only will happen when the Gospel has been preached to the end of the
earth. We read in #674 “For
if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance
mean but life from the dead?" The "full inclusion" of
the Jews in the Messiah's salvation, in the wake of "the full number of
the Gentiles", will
enable the People of God to achieve "the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ", in which "God may be all in all". Read Romans Chapter 11 for
Scriptural evidence of this belief in the necessity of this happening.
2)
Another thing must happen, too, before
Our Lord returns. The Antichrist will
come. We read in #675: The
persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the
"mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering
men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the
truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a
pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his
Messiah come in the flesh. Read 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2 for Scriptural
foundations for belief in the coming of the Antichrist. This Antichrist will cause a shake of faith
that will shake the Church, and cause much trial and tribulation. The subject of the Antichrist is definitely
worth a post of its own at some point.
3)
After these things have occurred (the Gospel has been preached to the ends of the world, Israel
accepts Jesus, and the Antichrist has come), Our Lord will return. Our Lord spoke of the judgment of the
nations: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him,
then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before
him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the
sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand
and the goats at the left. (Matthew 25:31-33)
We read in #682: When
he comes at the end of time to judge the living and the dead, the glorious
Christ will reveal the secret disposition of hearts and will render to each man
according to his works, and according to his acceptance or refusal of grace. Unlike his previous coming, when he came humbly
as a poor child, in this one, he will be fully transparent and clear to all: he will
come in all his glory.
There are two posts I have written already that relate to
what we have discussed here that might be worth revisiting if you have not read
already. One has to do with Jesus as
judge, and the other has to do with judgment, both our particular judgment and
the Final Judgment. Links are below:
So now we have covered the titles and identity of Jesus, as well as
provided a birds eye view of his life before he became man, his life here on
Earth, as well as what his existence is like now as he reigns in glory with his Father. We have also touched on what is still to come.
In the next post, the final in this series, we will reflect on
all that we have gone over, and what it means for us.
Joseph most strong, pray for us.
This picture may be known to some of you. It is the mosaic of Jesus as judge at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.)
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