13 We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
15 Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore, console one another with these words.
1 Thesselonians 5:1-6
1 Concerning times and seasons, brothers, you have no need for anything to be written to you.
2 For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night.
3 When people are saying, "Peace and security," then sudden disaster comes upon them, like
labor pains upon a pregnant woman,and they will not escape.
4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief.
5 For all of you are children of the light 1 and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness.
6 Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober.
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There are a lot of people out there who are intrigued with the End Times, and some are completely consumed by the subject. I keep coming back to a few ideas. First – we the day will come as a thief in the night. We’re not going to be able to figure out when it’s coming. Second – if you’re living in the light, there is nothing at all to fear. Third –- when we say "Thy kingdom come" we are praying FOR the end times to occur! We’re praying for Christ to return and put an end to all this madness. In my opinion it is healthy to be aware that they’ll occur and what our instruction is for that time, but being overly consumed with the subject is an unhealthy diversion. It takes our mind of the present, which is where Christ tells us to live.
Here’s an excerpt from the cathechism:
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2818 In the Lord's Prayer, "thy kingdom come" refers primarily to the final coming of the reign of God through Christ's return. 88 But, far from distracting the Church from her mission in this present world, this desire commits her to it all the more strongly. Since Pentecost, the coming of that Reign is the work of the Spirit of the Lord who "complete[s] his work on earth and brings us the fullness of grace." 89
2819 "The kingdom of God [is] righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." 90 The end-time in which we live is the age of the outpouring of the Spirit. Ever since Pentecost, a decisive battle has been joined between "the flesh" and the Spirit. 91
(Link to the Knights of Columbas searchable catechism: http://www.kofc.org/publications/cis/catechism/index.cfm )
