A certain religious sect, the members of which seem to like to knock on our doors, has predicted the end of the world five times-all within the twentieth century. Scientists assure us that one day, billions of years from now, the world would end because the sun, a source of energy, will exhaust its fuel. The Church teaches that the world, and indeed the universe will end, but not in the way or at the time that either this religious sect or some scientists believe.
Jesus taught that the time for the end of the world is hidden within the plan of God the Father. In fact, Jesus dismissed questions about when all of this will happen as insignificant. And so the Church teaches us that “we do not know the time for the consummation of the earth and of humanity.” The Scriptures and other teachings of the Church call us to understand that God purifies what he has created, but then, he does not destroy it. God directs what he has made toward perfection, not annihilation. And so the Church also teaches us through the Vatican Council that “We do not know how all things will be transformed. As deformed by sin, the shape of this world will pass away, but God is preparing a new dwelling place and a new earth where justice will abide and whose blessedness will answer and surpass all the longings for peace in the human heart.  And so the truth about the end of the world is based on both the power and the love of God. God’s power gives him complete control over the universe, and his love for his creation moves him to bring it to perfection. And that perfection will be achieved when Christ comes again. The Lord will come to rule the world with justice.