The Subject of the End Times and the Telephoto Effect

People who are interested in knowing WHEN the “END TIMES” will come upon us, according to the prophesy of Master Jesus Christ, are more often than not subject to a scriptural telephoto effect, where the object of attention, in this case the “End Times” is not presented within scripture with sufficient reference points to help the reader comprehend the actual distance, in other words, the vast scale of the landscape which actually exists between the current position of the reader, and distant object (the end times) referred to by the Master Jesus.

Being subject to this telephoto effect, and thus not being able to discern the true distance, many sincere and devout people have erred in predicting the coming of the end times in the short term, rather than looking to the long term which would be a much more realistic posture for the mind to take. Why a long term view would be a more realistic posture to adopt, I will briefly explain.

But first, to help the reader get a firm grasp upon what I mean by the “telephoto” effect, I offer this photograph of the Cathedral Group, in the Grand Teton National Park, taken from above and north of Lake Solitude, obviously with a telephoto lens, which makes it APPEAR that these peaks are much closer to the viewing position at Lake Solitude, than they actually are.

The pyramid shaped lower peak structure towards the left side of the frame is Mount Teewinot. The highest peak structure in the frame is the Grand Teton. The lower peak structure directly to the right of the Grand Teton, is Mt. Owen. These three peaks are commonly referred to as the Cathedral Group.

What the viewer needs in terms of fully grasping the true distance between the viewpoint at Lake Solitude, and the Cathedral Group, which appears so close in this photo, is an opportunity to walk the trail along the southern extending Cascade Canyon which separates the two.

The good people at NaturalBornHikers.com have given us a hike-a-long resource that fulfills our needs in this regard superbly. They have documented a hike, with narrative and photos, which begins at the mouth of Paintbrush Canyon, which takes a loop northwest, to the alpine divide that separates Paintbrush Canyon, from Cascade Canyon, down the divide to Lake Solitude, where the above photo was taken, and then southeast along Cascade Canyon with exhilarating views of the Grand Teton peaks along the way. You can really get a sense of their actual distance, when you are in the canyon valley, and have the valley landscape as your foreground perspective.

NaturalBornHikers - Paintbrush Canyon/Cascade Canyon Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

(Use the Hike Narrative and the Photo Gallery in conjunction with each other).

1. Hike Narrative
2. Photo Gallery

After comparing the above photo (which illustrates the classic telephoto effect) with the photos taken during this hike along Cascade Canyon, you will have embedded in your mind an excellent illustration of just how much information the above photo is MISSING. The above photo is beautiful, no doubt about it. But because of the telephoto effect, it is misleading, in terms of the true distance between the viewer and the peaks.

This is exactly the case that we have in scripture, where the Lord Jesus Christ gives us the prophesy of the End Times:

Matthew 24:14 - And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

The terminology used here by the Master Jesus Christ should be taken as those words, carefully chosen, which the minds of the people, at that time, would have the best hope of understanding, and thus passing on in the oral tradition. And those minds had a very limited perspective. Yes, they were victims of the telephoto effect, believing that the object in question, the end times, is much closer, than it actually is.

The truth is, that the end times of which the Master speaks represents an event on a truly universe sized scale. In other words he speaks of the end of the entire physical universe, where the whole thing will be dismantled, and be no more, as there will no longer be a need for it. That is what the end times is all about. God our Father said that he will not strive with flesh and blood forever. That there will be an end point to this striving. That is what the Master Jesus is referring to. The time when God decides he is through striving with flesh and blood, but not just on this planet, but on all the planets throughout the entire physical universe.

How can you communicate this idea, so vast, to people who did not even know, at the time, that they lived on just one of billions and billions of planetary homes revolving around billions and billions of stars, within billions of billions of galaxies? You must use simple language. Today, we can grasp this idea, because of the images given to us by Hubble Space Telescope. Today, we have more of a capacity to think big, as God thinks. (even though the physical universe, as vast as it is, is only a drop in the bucket to Him.)

Now, to understand the End Times, one must first have an accurate grasp of the beginning. For the end can only be the end of what first began. Why are we here, and when did we come here? An important clue is given in the whole of Revelation 12.

Revelation 12

3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

This speaks of the Great Rebellion, in very literal terms, where Lucifer drew a third of the stars of heaven (The Children of the Most High God) into a state of rebellion. It speaks of the creation of the physical universe, in allegorical terms, as the "earth", as a rehabilitation institution, into which the rebels where cast, again, for the purpose of redemption. The expanse of the physical universe testifies to the actual numbers of divine souls who were drawn into the rebellion, and whom God our Father was determined, and remains determined, to save.

The “End Times” refers to a time in the long distant future, when all the souls in this (universe sized) institution have been given ample and repeated opportunities to be redeemed. Those souls who have taken advantage of the opportunity, those souls will be saved. Those souls who have rejected the opportunity, those souls will be cast into the Lake of Sacred Fire, to be consumed. No, they will not suffer forever. They will be dead forever after, that is true. But when someone is actually dead, they do not suffer. The capacity to be consciousness is taken away, and that act of taking consciousness itself away from these rebels corresponds to God’s merciful nature. He has no desire to see them suffer eternally. They will simply be put to a final death, as the Lord God has finally determined that there is no conceivable scenario where further opportunity would be of any use whatsoever for these rebels, who cling to their hatreds with fists so clenched, that the bones in their hands, as it were, are literally fused in that posture.

Now, in all truth, it is absolutely impossible to know when this end time will come, as countless numbers of souls are still being processed through the redemption procedures on countless homeworlds in countless solar systems in hundreds of billions of galaxies.

Therefore, it is a fool’s errand to believe one can know when the end will come. It is impossible.

The attention of the soul would be more wisely focused on achieving the goal that the Master Jesus Christ set before each one of us who have obviously been assigned to this rehabilitation institution, as either inmate, or staff, as the requirements for both are the same:

Matthew 5:48 - Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Staff members, in their contact with the cultures of rebellion on this and other planets have themselves, in many cases, become corrupted in the course of their service, and have fallen in step with the traditions of rebellion from which they had first come to set the people free. How does this happen? It begins with falling for the deception that anger and hatred is a virtue. The sense that hatred is a good thing will cut the soul off from the resource of divine guidance, and without the resource of divine guidance, even the staff member will begin following the blind leaders of the blind into the ditch.

Those souls, inmates and staff alike, who have achieved this goal of perfection, as Jesus stated it, will find that when the End Time comes, having worked with the Master Jesus Christ to have every vestige of hatred for God, and rebellion against God removed from their soul psychology, having been persuaded of the wisdom of love and respect and obedience to God, and made the effort to return to those heavenly standards, and made the effort to conform our whole lives to those heavenly standards, even over the course of many lifetimes, that these are the souls who will be “saved”. They can return to their eternal life in the heavenly worlds, having had the opportunity, and taken advantage of the opportunity, to return to a state of total harmony with the standards of the heaven world.

Think about it, and deeply. How can a soul, who has any appetite left for rebellion against God, be allowed to return to the heaven world? It is impossible. The soul that sins, it will die, and keep on dying.

At this end time event, those souls who have refused, over vast stretches of time, to return to the standards of the heaven world in their thoughts, feelings, and behavior, these souls will be assigned to the second death, that is, the permanent form of capital punishment in the heaven world, where the Lord God determines that the soul no longer has any capacity to appreciate heavenly standards.

If anyone should wonder how I know these things, wonder not.

John 14

25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

In the mean time, it should be understood, that the entire redemptive process follows the Law of Forgiveness. The teachings of the Master Jesus Christ are clear on this point.

Matthew 18

21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Truly, the standard of forgiveness which the Master Jesus Christ admonishes us to uphold, does God our Father uphold in his own behavior infinitely more perfectly. Therefore, those who are not able to wiggle out of the chains of hatred (which is the central form of rebellion against God’s Law,) and the behavior patterns and belief structures predicated thereupon, are forgiven many many times, and therefore, are given many many opportunities to be cranked through the wringer of one physical life after another. Indeed this system of multiple life opportunity is a central feature of this institution.

This is the way that God our Father upholds his standards of perfection and his core identity of love, mercy, and compassion at the same time. Scripture makes it clear that the soul must repent, must learn obedience, must adhere to the standards of heaven. God makes his heavenly standards clear. And there is an ironclad requirement to adhere to them. Yet, he also makes his core nature of love, mercy, and forgiveness clear as well. He gives people opportunity to make the necessary adjustments.

Therefore, when people have a problem in toeing the line, God our Father will give people many many opportunities to get it right. And in that regard, it would not surprise me in the least, that the End Times which Jesus Christ referred to, would be literally billions of years into the future.

This universe, built originally as a rehabilitation institution in the wake of the Great Rebellion, has existed, thus far, for about 15 billion years. And as you know, it is still expanding. That means that its original purpose for existing, is far from being over.