Keeping the Gospel in the End

Those who know me well, have had the displeasure of hearing me talk what the Bible says about the "end times" and know I have more than a few bones to pick. I must confess, I have always had some problems with end of the world scenarios. I have not always been a Christian. My parents took me to church but little sunk in besides a vague belief in God and morality. That's it. When I became a Christian in college the first two books I read were Mere Christianity and Left Behind. The latter only because it happened to come out near the time I was a believer and a close friend gave it to me. I didn't think about it much. But then I saw the effects of a preoccupation with the rapture. I saw coworkers pushed away from faith in Christ because they were essentially told, "God loves me and will take me and all the good people off the earth while he destroys you and everyone and everything on it because you are so bad." Early on, I sat in on a church class that was an outreach to non-believers and someone asked about the rapture. One of our pastors was from Britain and he started laughing and said, "That is a purely American theology." These brought up questions and a general thought that I was missing something, and many North American Christians are missing something. Shouldn't Jesus returning be a good thing? Shouldn't it inspire faith and not scorn? Shouldn't it give hope? If we can proclaim the grace and mercies of God from any part of scripture or Christian theology should we not also be able to do the same on this subject? Can it be winsome?

Let me introduce a new word into your vocabulary that is essential for studying this subject: eschatology. The Greek word eschatos means "last things" and every english speaker should know if it is connected to -ology it means "study of." Thus, eschatology is the theological subject of the last things, or more commonly (thus revealing our bias) end times. This is a rich and dense subject that is extremely important to the Christian faith. Here is a good quote on its importance:

“From first to last, and not merely in epilogue, Christianity is eschatology, is hope, forward looking and forward moving... the eschatological outlook is characteristic of all Christian proclamation, and of every Christian existence and of the whole Church.” - Jurgen Moltmann

Perhaps Moltmann overstates his case as I understand he is prone to do. But he is essentially right. Eschatology is about the hope of the gospel. It is about God being victorious and making everything right. But I believe eschatology has been hijacked by a bunch of ridiculous silliness that is borderline heretical because it is not gospel centered.

Consider the impressions placed on non-Christians about God rapturing the church. "We are good and you are evil. So we will be spared and you will suffer wrath. So you better believe so that you are spared." That is not the gospel. Judgment is a part of the gospel, but it denies some central tenets. All that God created is good, the earth, people, and everything in it. Our view of the end must not deny this fact, implicitly or explicitly. Everyone and everything is affected by sin, which means no one, including Christians, are sinless or without the stain of sin. No one can claim to be good except God alone. God loves his people and his creation but he must deal with sin and remove it. The story of redemption is about God removing sin from creation while not destroying it. God accomplishes this through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, where the Son of God enters into creation. The climax of God's redemptive move is the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is the firstfruits of the new creation (1 Cor. 15:20). The implications are that God's means of redeeming creation is by recreating people through faith in Christ. God does not destroy creation, he redeems it and recreates it. Religious, legalistic, self-righteous, moralistic Pharisees says things like "God is going to take us good people away while he destroys everyone else." The gospel is we all have been infected by sin, it is a cancer that is inescapable. But God sent his one and only Son to die the horrible death cancerous sin brings to demonstrate his great love for the world... "not because it is so big, but because it is so bad." (DA Carson). God demonstrates his victory over sin and death by raising Jesus Christ from the dead to an eternal glorious reign in a recreated and incorruptible body. God reconciles all things to himself through Jesus Christ blood on the cross (Col. 1:20). The gospel is that God has done this in Christ Jesus and the only means by which we experience the recreative act is through the work of Jesus Christ who is the only one to be victorious over sin. Faith in Christ alone gives us access to God's work through the Holy Spirit to recreate us. Eventually, God will renew all things through the Spirit who completes God's creative work (Gen. 1:2; Matt. 1:18; Rom. 8:11) once all things have been placed under subjection to Christ (1 Cor. 15:25). Praise be to God, Amen. (Okay, so I just had a Pauline gospel side track.)

So let us go to a very popular passage on the "end times," specifically the rapture, 1 Thessalonians 4 & 5. People do read context. It takes 5 minutes to read the whole letter of 1 Thessalonians. I encourage you to do it, to do otherwise is actually extremely lazy.

Chapters 1-3 is essentially Paul giving his longest and most glowing encouragement to the Christians of Thessalonica for their eager reception and obedience to the gospel. He offers further encouragement to maintain sexual purity (4:1-8) and to love each other well (4:9-10). Interestingly, he strongly encourages them to work hard (4:11). Then immediately he discusses their concern about the resurrection, that those who have passed away already have missed out on it. Paul instructs them that those who are already dead will actually be raised first before those who are alive will be transformed into their resurrected bodies (4:15-17; cf. 1 Cor. 15:23, 50-53). Two words are extremely important here. The word here for " the coming of the Lord," is parousia, (also in 1 Cor. 15:23; 4x in Matt. 24; and elsewhere). It means appearance, become present or be present. Its background is very important. It was used of a coming dignitary, king, emperor, or even a deity making an appearance in a town. There was a lot of pomp and circumstance that came with it just like when the President of the United States shows up in a city. Its a really big deal, everyone knows about it and cannot escape it. Jesus Christ's coming is the appearance of a King and a God that everyone will see. The second word is "to meet" or apantesis which is only used elsewhere in Matt. 25:3 & Acts 28:15 (look up how it is used and compare). It is also full of coming dignitary connotations. This word referred to a welcoming party for a coming dignitary and would go with him immediately into the city. This is the word often summarized by the rapture. But, this passage does not teach the church will be removed from the earth when Jesus returns. It also teaches one coming of Christ, not two, as if to come get Christians, judge the earth and then come back later when they are resurrected. It is one single event. We will join him in his arrival on earth and meet him like a coming dignitary, whether dead or alive in Christ. We will be transformed in the twinkle of an eye and we will immediately come down with him to reign on earth. While not said in this context, other things occur when Jesus returns - the resurrection, the judgment of all humanity, the kingdom of God (Rev. 19-22).

But lets move on in 1 Thessalonians. Notice what Paul says next. First, you don't need to know times and dates! It will come suddenly but it shouldn't scare the Christian. Second, let us be "sober" (a Paul term meaning think like a Christian, live in light of the gospel). What does that look like - live a life of faith, love, and hope. DO WHAT YOU WERE DOING! (1 Thess. 5:11). Live the Christian life. Love people deeply and be faithful to God. Be people of hope! Third, get to work! Notice, before and after this section Paul says we should not be lazy and stop going to work knowing the end is near. Jokes about quitting our jobs, or not showing up for school or work because Jesus may come is the EXACT opposite of what Paul says we should do. You should work hard now knowing Christ may return at any moment! Why? Because to work hard in the Lord (Col. 3:18-4:1) is a reflection of living under his lordship. It is also a witness to nonbelievers that you love Jesus and have integrity. It is also you last chance to witness to people and to love them. We need to get to work living the Christian life in full view of everyone or else we will not hear "Well done, good and faithful servant," but "Away from me you wicked servant."

Knowing the end is near, Christ did not flee to the mountains. In fact, he went into the heart of the city. Paul himself, knowing the end was near, did not retreat to the wilderness but went right into the hand's of his enemies in the city, Jerusalem, then the heart of it all, Rome. Christ didn't stock up canned food and water in a bomb shelter and gather his family in it. Christ didn't quit his job, sell his house, spend money frivolously, "party like it is 1999," or anything else. He didn't tell everyone they are wicked evil people but said "Forgive them for they know not what they do." And he sure as heck didn't predict a date for the end of the world (Matt. 24:36ff; Acts 1:6-9).

What did Christ do, Paul do, and so should you? Loved and proclaimed Christ's victory over sin through his death and resurrection until it killed them. Live out the gospel in word and deed. Love until it kills you. This is keeping the gospel in the end. Eschatology is about Christian hope that enables us to live faithful NOW, in the present because Jesus is coming soon. Praise the Lord, Jesus is coming soon.