This is How the World Ends
If I had to choose, it would be by meteor. I'm not too fond of the idea of a new ice age - or a nuclear war or an alien invasion, the sun being snuffed out or a rampant mutant virus. No, a beautiful shooting star that sets the sky on fire before sending us all to oblivion by tidal wave or earthquake - that would be the way to go.
You'll probably recognise all of these grand finales from a host of films over the past 10 years. For my favourite, see Deep Impact or Armageddon. For an alien invasion, try Independence Day, War of the Worlds or the impending Transformers. Or how about global warming in The Day after Tomorrow, or solar cooling in Sunshine? Or one of the likelier scenarios for our extinction, a 'super plague' à la Twelve Monkeys or 28 Days Later (whose sequel, 28 Weeks Later, hit cinemas last week).
And I haven't even mentioned the Frankenstein factor: humankind being eliminated or enslaved by its own creation, artificial intelligence gone sentient as in the 'Terminator' or 'Matrix' films.
It seems we all get a buzz from pondering the ways our wee bit of the cosmos could come unstuck. Maybe we enjoy being reminded of our mortality. Maybe the mere thought of how easily we could be snuffed out reminds us that we are just a mote in the eye of God. After all, seeing a spaceship arrive that is the size of London is bound to give you some perspective and reawaken a sense of awe.
Or maybe these films are just expressions of our fears of nuclear proliferation, genetic modification and eco-catastrophe.
Jesus was deliberately obscure when it came to predicting 'the end of days'. For him, it wasn't so much about the how (or when) as about the now. We shouldn't have to wait for Defcon One in order to be in a state of readiness: we should be faithful servants who, like the Scouts, are always prepared.
A sobering thought... But while we're watching a cosmic space god threaten Earth with termination in this summer's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, we should remember that we're preparing ourselves not for a divine 'doomsday' but rather for the Word that spoke creation into being simply to start singing a new song.
Jason Gardner
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