Will people choose to trust in God and live in the moment, or will they let catastrophe dictate their lives?
With all of the tragedies striking around the world, it feels as though the apocalypse is upon us. Again, it only feels like the end of the world; but is it? Plenty have made speculations about the end times, but obviously, none have been correct.
Sophomore journalism major Brenda Covarrubias shared her point of view on recent predictions.
“It was kind of annoying to me, because they give so many end of the world predictions, but they never come to fruition. There was an end of the world prediction in 2000 and another one in 2012. Then there is this one,” Covarrubias said. “I believe every time there is a political or social issue, many people start jumping to apocalyptic prediction. I think that it is very troubling that people focus on the end of the world, rather than focusing on the present issue.”
When asked about her position in this matter, Covarrubias strongly expressed her disagreement.
“I very much disagree with it,” Covarrubias said. “I heard that it came from a viral on YouTube video, and it is just something people always come up with, with no core facts, no basis, and no proof, except to cause hysteria.”
Covarrubias also asserted the possibility that the end of the world could become reality by firmly sharing her faith in God.
“I think the end of the world could happen,” Covarrubias said. “There has to be a beginning and an end for everything. But God exists outside of time and space, and so long as we have faith in Him, we don’t have to worry.”
Covarrubias also acknowledged the signs of the potential conclusion of the world.
“I don’t truly believe there will be an end of world experience,” she said. “For us, I think you could look at the Bible for examples of what to expect, but I think apocalyptic texts are to be broken metaphorically, not literally.”
Covarrubias said that the Bible should be for people’s wellness, not for destruction.
“We should look at the Holy Text as love, as we do to God, and seek Scripture that makes our lives better, instead of looking for texts that diminish our good nature and inspire havoc,” Covarrubias added.
Covarrubias said she does not worry a lot about the end of the world. She declares that everyone should concentrate on life, love and happiness, rather than worrying too much about death, destruction and stress.
“I think everyone’s fears and opinions are valid because they come from genuine worries, and we should be kind to those in fears and to everyone. But when you see someone who is ‘speaking death,’ you should respond with love and patience,” Covarrubias said.
Despite the disagreement, she still shows others deep respect.
“I disagree with their perspectives because the way they are referencing the Bible is under a different interpretation than mine, but I don’t judge them as people,” she said.
Beside Covarrubias’s reaction, there are plenty of other students expressing the same ideas and opinions regarding the unrealistic aspect of this prediction.
Caitlin Johnson, a junior biology major, expressed her perspective about this prediction.
“I didn’t take it seriously at all. I didn’t think the world ending is going to happen,” Johnson said.
Similarly, Morgan Brown, an undeclared freshman, also expressed her view opposing this prediction.
“Whenever people are trying to predict the end of the world, it just makes me laugh, because of the part of the Bible that just says, ‘no one knows the day, no one knows the time, God knows, God is the only one, and it’ll come like a thief in the night,’ so I just laugh every time people try to predict it,” Brown said. “I don’t believe that any human can put a date to the time that it happens.”
Whether or not the people believe the end of the world will happen, the Bible clearly declares that only God knows the exact day of this event. And even so, there are plenty of people debating its looming inevitability.
This existential topic will probably only make its way out of relevancy when the world does, so it should be advised to not dwell on it, but to choose to stay positive, speak life and stay in the moment as often as possible.