I am not a doomsday, end times, mass hysteria kind of person. Yes, I do love a good conspiracy theory as much as the next guy. And, yes, I am pretty sure our digital assistants will rise up, al la the Terminator, and try to destroy us. But, other than that, I am pretty solidly grounded in reality. With that said, 2020 has been unusual in what I consider an end times sort of way. 

Consider the following . . .

Kanye West

Ok, hear me out on this one.

Kanye is now one of the most prominent Christian artists/preachers in the country. Yes, you read that right. Kanye West. If I had told you that was on the horizon in early 2019, you would have laughed at me. Kanye's 2018 hit, I Love It, opens with the lyric, "you're such a @#!$^ ho, I love it." The lyrics are not an anomaly. Pre 2019 conversion, this is the content Kanye West was known for. Then, late 2019 Kanye dropped Jesus is King. 

Since that album, Kanye has renounced his former life. He has spoken out against pornography and witnessed as radical a conversion as I can imagine. His concerts have become Revivals. 

I don't know Mr. West personally. But, to all outward appearances, his conversion looks genuine, and his Sunday Service tour is bringing the Gospel (albeit A Kanye filtered Gospel) to un-churched people. What he is doing is something that institutional Christianity has not been able to. What the fruit of it is, has yet to be seen, but there is undeniably, something happening. 

Am I saying it is a sign of the end times? No, but I did make a point to get to Confession the weekend Jesus is Lord dropped.  

Corona Virus, Novel Corona Virus, Covid19

I am writing this on Monday, March 9th, at about 10:30 AM. My 15-year-old son is at home. He is distinctly not at school. Why? Because his high school is closed due to concerns that a teacher may have contracted Covid19. Seventy-one students are in mandatory in-home quarantine. I am told that if the teacher's test comes back positive, it will mean, at minimum, a two-week closure of the school. 

You may be thinking to yourself, "this is ridiculous!" and I am tempted to agree. The reality is most people infected with this virus will not have more than a nasty cold. However, it does appear that around ten percent of those infected will need some hospital care and that roughly one to three percent of those infected will die. To put that in perspective, a terrible flu year has about a one percent mortality rate. It is awful, but again, you might be tempted to think, "Ok, it's just a bad flu year." and it might be. The problems begin to arise when you consider the impact on America's emergency medical care system. Hospital beds are not infinite, nor are saline bags, inhaled steroids, or other supplies that would be required to support patients struggling with Covid19. Because of that, municipalities are doing everything they can to slow this thing down. By slowing it, the hope is that the hospital system will be able to absorb Covid19 patients without shortages of necessary medical supplies. Because when, let us say, Saline bags run out, that means no surgeries are going to happen, at all. 

Again, I am not saying Covid19 is an end-times plague. But, it should make one consider that the end time is always closer than one might think. 

No Masses in Rome

If there is an item on this list that has an apocalyptic ring to it, this is the one. For the first time probably since ancient times, maybe since before there were any Christians in Rome, there will be no public masses celebrated in Rome. The faithful in Rome, a place with what I am guessing is the highest concentration of priests in the entire world, will not be able to go to Mass. 

Just stop for a moment and let that sink in. This is something that has not happened since Emperors reigned in Rome. Before there were nation-states in Europe, Mass has been taking place in Rome. So, yeah, this one makes me sweat a little. 

Now, I get why they are doing it. This is not a judgemental paragraph. Italy is on the verge of a breakdown in its medical system along the lines of what I described in the last section. They need to slow things down. It is prudent to cancel large gatherings. I get it. But, dang. I think we should all collectively take a moment of pause. What the what is going on? 

Is it the end?

I am not saying it is the end times. I am also not saying it is not the end times. All I know is that I am looking around the world, what I see makes me want to be ready for the coming of the Lord. 

And that desire is grace. 

I have been reflecting on John 16:33 a lot since my son was diagnosed with Lymphoma in May,  

I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.

When my heart is troubled, I know it is a grace calling me back to the one who has promised me peace.

Yes, there is a lot of uncertainty in our world. Truthfully, there always has been, and there always will be. We are walking through a strange patch of history right now. If you are uncomfortable watching it all unfold, maybe rather than stockpiling toilette paper (although we do have a little extra on hand), we should be spending more time examining our consciences. Perhaps we should spend more time running to the Lord than we are spending in line at Costco. 

As Kanye would say, "Jesus is King."  

I want to live in his promise. 

Lord, let me run to you when my heart is full of worry. Call me to repentance. Call me to you.