Parousia?

 Famously and according to many theologies, eschatology, the end of times describes many tribulations before the second coming of the Messiah, Parousia.

With the planet now in the grip of a multitude of natural disasters, the question of the imminent realisation of these fears needs to be addressed. The planet is warming. Ice caps and glaciers are melting, the Siberian permafrost is releasing massive quantities of carbon into the atmosphere and wild fires threaten massive land areas on every continent. Volcanoes seem to be more active and earthquakes devastate communities around the world. Heavier than ever rainfall creates flooding that demolishes whole communities. There are other natural events that should be noted. The number of species that are becoming extinct is growing. New diseases such as covid and ebola are proliferating adding to the misery of homelessness, starvation and loss of fresh water. Never in my lifetime have I felt so pessimistic about the future faced by my children and grandchildren.

It has happened before, causing diaspora of dispossessed folk migrating into new pastures and often upsetting the residents. This too is happening, causing much of Europe to be wary of the influx of sub saharan africans and middle eastern refugees bringing with them their 'alien' cutures and beliefs. In the Americas, walls have been built to stem the flow of people from the Central countries and Mexico to the US. Wars have started with less provocation.

Are these tribulations those that heve been forecast in antiquity? Or is it simply that nature is playing out its destiny according to the rules of physics. No amount of human behaviour can change this progression. There have been times of heat and ice before as the cyclic nature of the planet evolves but now, technology allows humans to better accommodate the changes. This will not protect everyone, especially the most vulnerable in under developed Countries but is this too, part of nature's plan to stem population growth and protect the viability of the planet. With the global population approaching eight billion is now the time?

Is the second coming imminent or could it be that the theological predictions are no more than a melodramatic description of the old adage that: 'The darkest hour always comes before the dawn'?