Last summer in Spain, Meggan and I spent a couple days with some new friends of ours, a family of Spanish Christians. We had been getting to know these folks for a few weeks, and we grew to love them. They showed us incredible cross-cultural hospitality! They opened their homes to us beyond what the average Spaniard would do, and I must add that the husband was immensely patient with my atrocious broken Spanish. On our second day hanging out, at one point in conversation, the wife said (as I remember and translate it), "I don't understand how any Christian could read the Bible and not be pro-Israel."
Earlier this summer, after moving back to Madison from Denver, Meggan and I went to the farmers' market around the capitol square on a Saturday morning. It's a staple of the summer in Madison, and on a beautiful morning, it's just a great place to be. In addition to the farmers' stands along the four sides of the square, each of the four corners holds a number of card tables set up by groups promoting their particular causes. One such group that Saturday was supporting Palestinian rights. Their primary informational Q&A sheet comes from an organization called Inter-denominational Advocates for Peace (IDAP). These are enthusiastic folks from at least six Christian traditions who believe in divestment from companies who profit from the harming of innocent Palestinian lives, an end to U.S. funding for the Israeli military, and an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.
What's going on? How is it that different Bible-believing Christians look at this situation and come out with such diametrically-opposed viewpoints? Well, eschatology plays a big role in this conversation. Let me show you how.
A couple posts ago (on "the millennium"), I asked the following question:
--Does God have a special plan at the end of time for the land of Israel, the city of Jerusalem, or the Jewish people?
Answer: It depends who you ask... so let's ask a couple different groups.
Dispensational answer (for a refresher, see post on "two types of premillennialism"): Yes, yes, and yes.
Amillennial answer (see post on "the millennium"): No, no, and no.
Not surprisingly, our Spanish friends mentioned above are dispensational (whether they are familiar with that term or not), and the U.S. denominations represented in IDAP come from amillennial traditions (Methodist, Anglican, Presbyterian, and more).
However, the question for a Christian of whether to support the present-day political state of Israel against the Palestinians is not just a question of dispensationalism vs. amillennialism. There are amillennials who support Israel and dispensationals who don't (and plenty of Christians for and against Israel who are unfamiliar with eschatology altogether). The Israeli/Palestinian question is wrought with historical, political, and theological complexities.
I am the wrong person to break down the historical and political issues. What forces led to the post-WWII creation of the state of Israel? What has transpired in the military conflicts since then? How have civilians been put in harm's way, and by whom? Is Israel a democracy, an apartheid state, or both? (Is that even possible as a combination? Gosh, I'm ignorant.)
On the other hand, I am a little more qualified to talk about the theological issues. In no particular order, here are some questions to consider.
Who are the people of God? In a certain manner of speaking, all people are God's children. He loves and cares for every human being. He desires that each of us would have our basic material needs met, he expects each of us to hold to basic moral standards, and he wants us all to come into a personal relationship with him through Jesus Christ.
This points to another way of answering the question - God's people are those who trust in Jesus with all their being and become part of the global Christian movement (a.k.a. the Church). These people may come from any ethnic background or religious upbringing. In Israel/Palestine, they include Muslim-background followers of Jesus (a tiny group in number), messianic Jews (a larger but still very small number), and Palestinian Christians (the largest of these three groups, though still a small minority among all Palestinians).
There might be a third way of answering the question, depending on your eschatological viewpoint. Dispensational Christians would say that ethnic Jews remain the people of God. They assert, as we mentioned a couple posts ago, that God is doing two separate things in history, one with the Church and one with the Jewish people. Eternal salvation for individual Jews can still only come in Christ, but God's Old Testament promises to the Jewish people still stand. Amillennial Christians would disagree, saying that the Church has replaced Israel as the people of God since the coming of the Messiah.
Does the land of Israel belong to the people of God? The answer to this question is usually tied to the third part of the previous question. From an amillennial perspective, the Old Testament promises to the Jews about the land of Israel and the temple will find their ultimate fulfillment at the end of this age, in God's reign over all of the new heavens and new earth. The new Israel, the Church, is a kingdom that is "not of this world," yet it will spread "all through the dough." That is to say, there is no land or country that necessarily belongs to the people of God, but the people of God will continue to spread throughout every country on the planet and have a positive influence within in every land. The land of Israel/Palestine has no special significance for amillennial Christians.
Dispensational Christians would agree with much of this - the Church has no land yet is spreading to every land, and the land of Israel does not belong to the Church. On the other hand, they would say that the Old Testament promises to the Jews about the land of Israel and the temple will be literally fulfilled on this earth for ethnic Jews in the land of Israel/Palestine. This fulfillment will come in Christ's millennial kingdom on this earth at the end of the age. Because of this perspective, a great number of dispensational Christians place a high significance on the founding of the modern-day nation of Israel about 60 years ago, seeing it as a sign that the end of this age is coming soon. Many dispensational Christians desire to see the modern-day nation of Israel expand to include the widest territory in the region God ever promised to the Jews (a region much larger than either Old Testament Israel or modern-day Israel at their largest points).
How are the people of God called to live in their political lives? Entire libraries have been written on this topic over the past 2,000 years, so we'll stick to some basic points, important for our conversation, which the majority of Christians would endorse. The Bible shows a healthy skepticism of human government throughout the OT and the NT. Political states are entities that can accomplish some good in administering criminal justice, protecting the people, and caring for the poor and downtrodden... but they (and the people in them) are prone to arrogance, injustice, violence, and corruption. God's people who find themselves in positions of political influence should work for gains in effectiveness in the former categories and (naturally) declines in the latter categories.
Two specific biblical outworkings of these general principles deserve our particular focus. THESE ARE PRETTY IMPORTANT FOR WHERE WE'RE GOING, SO PAY ATTENTION. First, while God expects the pursuit of justice, peace, and the common good from all political states, he has higher expectations of his people. He believes we can live far closer to these ideals than people who do not know him (see, for example, Amos 1-2). Second, the Old Testament people of God were repeatedly instructed to show kindness and generosity to the non-Israelites living in their midst. This instruction was usually tied to remembering that their ancestors had been in that same position when they were foreigners in Egypt.
Where does the modern-day political nation-state of Israel fit into this conversation? For the amillennialist, the answer is short and sweet - there is no theological reason to favor or disfavor the nation of Israel. One should care about the political situation in the Middle East for the same reasons one cares about other political situations around the globe: for the control of human violence and the promotion of a just peace between warring factions.
For the dispensationalist, there are approximately four options worth considering:
(1) The current state of Israel is unrelated to the kingdom of Israel to be restored in the millennium; or
(2) it is in some way a precursor to that coming kingdom of Israel; or
(3) it is the same state as the one to come in the millennium, when it will be ruled by Jesus; or
(4) "I don't know if it's the same state or not."
Most dispensationalists opt for (2) or (3). The reasons to hold different positions depend on what one thinks of the nature of the state of Israel in the millennium. If one expects it to be a mix of people who are faithful to God and people who are not, much like the Israel of old, the current state of Israel (which holds Jews of every stripe, from secular to Orthodox) could fit that description. If one expects the millennial Israel to be comprised of the remnant of Jews who are faithful to God, the current state could not be the same as the one to come - it would be a precursor at most.
Here's the rub, and this is the money shot... Most Christians who unquestioningly support Israel are dispensationalists who believe it has a role to play in God's end-times drama. But if one truly believes that the current state of Israel is, in this important way, the "people of God," one should hold them to HIGHER standards of justice and peacemaking, NOT give them carte blanche. The dispensationalist should be MORE CONCERNED that Israel would show kindness and generosity to the non-Israelites in their midst, rather than supporting anything Israel might do to "claim its land" from the Palestinian inhabitants. For these reasons, regardless of one's particular theological beliefs about the role of the Jewish people or the land of Israel at the end of the age, one should never overlook or excuse any injustices perpetrated by the Israeli government. Even if you think it is God's will that the Jews should have this land, you should not be content as they violate God's ways to pursue that end.1
That's my bit, and a little longer of a post than I had expected. Apparently it takes a bit of space to address a complex issue, even though I'm only addressing it from one angle. For those who are interested in a little more reading, including more historical and political perspective than I have provided here and a list of other potential resources, this article by one of my seminary professors can serve as a launching point for further investigation. As you read you'll see that my thoughts on this matter have been influenced by Dr. Carroll's. UPDATE (Oct. 1): See Claire Rymer's comment to this post for two helpful resources. Claire has massively more knowledge about international political realities than I have.
Next post: the end and the environment.
1. As a disclaimer for those of you who might need to hear it at this point, I'm not trying to say that all Palestinians are merely innocent victims. I'm just not willing to turn a blind eye to the evidence of injustices committed on both sides.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Accessible Eschatology: Why I Do Not Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture
I have this vivid memory of being a little kid, sitting in a gym watching a movie about the rapture, accompanied by Larry Norman’s “I wish we’d all been ready.” Later in middle school youth group, I watched the entire series: A Thief in the Night (1972), Distant Thunder (1977), Image of the Beast (1980), and The Prodigal Planet (1980). I was terrified. Terrorized. I remember having several conversations with my dad, asking him if he really thought we’d have to choose between Jesus and the guillotine.
Years have passed. My interest in the “weird” things in the Bible has somewhat decreased. The bizarre imagery of Revelation and accounts like the Gerasenes demoniac don’t interest me nearly as much as they once did. However, that does not mean that the Bible doesn’t interest me. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I began studying the Bible in a new way, inspiring me to continue at Denver Seminary.
So what is the purpose of this blog post today? It isn’t to show off all that I’ve learned in Seminary. It isn’t to say that if you don’t agree with me, you’re ignorant or just plain set in your ways. The topic of Revelation is always controversial because the book is extremely mysterious. Sometimes the best answer to a question about Revelation is simply “I don’t know.”
However, I have learned quite a bit that certainly challenges what I learned as a child and adolescent on the topic of Christ’s return. I share that with you, readers, not to puff up, but to build up. How we think about Revelation does affect how we think about the present, not just the future. I humbly ask you to read this (well…you should probably go back and read all of Ben’s posts on this topic, too) without your guard up. We can agree that in the end, God is in control and he alone determines the manner and timing of Christ’s return.
What does the term pre-tribulation rapture mean? Well, if you’ve read Ben’s posts, he explains it in his most recent post, under the heading Dispensational Premillennialism (that’s a mouthful). Basically, this is what the movies I watched as a kid portrayed. One day, the Christians of the world will all disappear. Have you ever seen that bumper sticker: “In the event of the rapture, this car will be unmanned”? The tribulation is thought of as a time of intense suffering on earth – probably lots of war, famine, death. You get the picture. The pre-trib rapture advocates say that we as God’s people will escape this because it is God’s wrath being poured out, and we as Christians do not face God’s wrath. Remember that important point; it will come up later. (For more on the role of Jewish people in this time, see Ben’s previous post.)
At first glance, this sounds pretty awesome, right? I mean, seriously, who wants to live on earth through the terrors of extreme war, famine, natural catastrophes like hail mixed with fire falling from the sky, insane dictators, genocide, psychopath murderers, let alone any sort of spiritual horrors that we could imagine (if you can’t imagine, check out Revelation 9 which describes some really creepy, satanic scorpion creatures that sting people until they want to die, but they’re not allowed to die)? No one wants to suffer. No one invites suffering into their lives.
But, I cannot uphold the pre-trib rapture view. I’ll tell you why.
1. The nature of Apocalyptic Literature
This is Revelation’s genre of literature. We do not read a novel the same way that we read a newspaper. We do not read poetry the same way we read the sports column. In order to understand a text, we need to understand the genre. Apocalyptic literature was very common, especially in the time in between the Old and New Testaments. The purpose of Apocalyptic literature was to give hope in the midst of difficult circumstances and show that God was totally in control, no matter the situation. To talk of escaping the troubles was simply not normal in this genre.
2. The repetitive nature of troubles on earth
Ignoring the satanic scorpions for a moment (okay, and the hail mixed with fire), all those other things like war, famine, and natural catastrophes should sound pretty familiar unless you’ve been living in a cave for the last 2,000 years! That doesn’t mean we’re not in the end times. We are. But, we’ve been in the end times since Jesus’ resurrection.
This has two implications.
A. First, don’t believe all this sensational stuff about how this or that current event NOW REALLY tells us that we’re at the end.
Jesus is very clear in Matthew 24 when he talks about the end of the age. The disciples, just like us, were curious about the future. Remember that they thought Jesus was coming to overthrow Rome and establish Israel again. That was their definition of a Messiah. So, they ask Jesus for a sign. Jesus talks about all kinds of terrible things that will precede his coming: false christs, wars, famines, earthquakes, martyrdom, family division etc. But, he calls these the beginnings of the birth pains (24:8). This isn’t the birth yet. These are the first contractions that must occur, but the end is not yet! If there is really one clear message in Matt. 24, it’s that no one knows the hour except the Father (24:36), so keep watch. Keeping watch doesn’t mean tracking international events in order to crack a code. That’s the first point.
B. The second point is that many Christians have been experiencing all these horrors all over the world during these past 2,000 years. Where was their pre-trib rapture? While a rapture is very appealing to us as Christians in America, we cannot forget that there are millions of Christians throughout history who have not been exempt from suffering.
3. Theology of Suffering
This stems from B. above. As I already mentioned, no one likes to suffer. But, suffering is inseparable from our walk as Christians. We are to follow and imitate Christ, the suffering servant (see Isaiah 52-3).
However, remember that above I mentioned that proponents of the pre-trib rapture argue that we must be raptured so as not to suffer the wrath of God? I absolutely agree that we do not suffer God’s wrath. Jesus suffered that for us. But, when I say that I think we will and are experiencing the tribulation already, that is not experiencing God’s wrath.
Revelation is very clear about drawing strong lines of allegiance. Everyone’s heard of the mark of the beast, 666. Without getting into what I think that actually means, that isn’t the only mark, or seal, present in Revelation. The people of God are sealed as well (Revelation 7). It is that seal that exempts them from suffering the effects of the trumpets and bowls of wrath. The evil scorpions? They are ordered not to harm those with God’s seal (Rev. 9:4). The earth suffers, those without God’s seal suffer. And make no mistake, God’s people suffer, too. The Two Witnesses are killed because of their stand for God. But, that is not God’s wrath. That is oppression from Satan and his followers.
Suffering is a part of our walk with Christ on this earth. We have the promise of eternity (see Ben’s post on life after life after death) without suffering. We were never promised life on earth without suffering. Is a pre-trib rapture theology just an attempt for us to escape suffering?
4. 1 Thess. 4:17 – a weak argument for the rapture.
This is the primary place in scripture to which proponents of a pre-trib rapture argument point. It isn’t a good argument. Paul is writing to people who are worried about what will happen to people who have died. Remember, they were expecting Jesus’ return any day. So, what about those who died in the meantime? Paul assures them that those who are dead as well as those who are alive will meet Christ in the air. The word for caught up in the air actually describes a welcoming party. Sort of like, a movie star is coming to your town and you are assigned to pick them up at the airport and escort them to the town’s celebration for them. So, in the historic premillennial view (see Ben’s posts and diagrams), this is Christians welcoming Jesus in the air as he descends to set up his kingdom, where in some way, we will reign with him.
5. Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer
In John 17, Jesus is praying for himself and for his disciples, as well as all future believers. He says “My prayer is not that you [God] take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (17:15). This reinforces what we’ve already said about suffering not being equated to God’s wrath.
6. Redemption of Creation
Care of the Earth as God’s creation is really important. If we see the world merely as something we’ll escape, why should we care for it? However, if we see Earth as God’s creation that he called good and will come and restore and renew in his millennial kingdom, that’s a whole different story. I realize this post is more about arguments against a pre-trib rapture, but I do believe in a millennial kingdom on earth. That understanding reveals again God’s nature as one who keeps his promises, even to creation.
Next post (back to Ben): support for Israel?
Years have passed. My interest in the “weird” things in the Bible has somewhat decreased. The bizarre imagery of Revelation and accounts like the Gerasenes demoniac don’t interest me nearly as much as they once did. However, that does not mean that the Bible doesn’t interest me. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I began studying the Bible in a new way, inspiring me to continue at Denver Seminary.
So what is the purpose of this blog post today? It isn’t to show off all that I’ve learned in Seminary. It isn’t to say that if you don’t agree with me, you’re ignorant or just plain set in your ways. The topic of Revelation is always controversial because the book is extremely mysterious. Sometimes the best answer to a question about Revelation is simply “I don’t know.”
However, I have learned quite a bit that certainly challenges what I learned as a child and adolescent on the topic of Christ’s return. I share that with you, readers, not to puff up, but to build up. How we think about Revelation does affect how we think about the present, not just the future. I humbly ask you to read this (well…you should probably go back and read all of Ben’s posts on this topic, too) without your guard up. We can agree that in the end, God is in control and he alone determines the manner and timing of Christ’s return.
What does the term pre-tribulation rapture mean? Well, if you’ve read Ben’s posts, he explains it in his most recent post, under the heading Dispensational Premillennialism (that’s a mouthful). Basically, this is what the movies I watched as a kid portrayed. One day, the Christians of the world will all disappear. Have you ever seen that bumper sticker: “In the event of the rapture, this car will be unmanned”? The tribulation is thought of as a time of intense suffering on earth – probably lots of war, famine, death. You get the picture. The pre-trib rapture advocates say that we as God’s people will escape this because it is God’s wrath being poured out, and we as Christians do not face God’s wrath. Remember that important point; it will come up later. (For more on the role of Jewish people in this time, see Ben’s previous post.)
At first glance, this sounds pretty awesome, right? I mean, seriously, who wants to live on earth through the terrors of extreme war, famine, natural catastrophes like hail mixed with fire falling from the sky, insane dictators, genocide, psychopath murderers, let alone any sort of spiritual horrors that we could imagine (if you can’t imagine, check out Revelation 9 which describes some really creepy, satanic scorpion creatures that sting people until they want to die, but they’re not allowed to die)? No one wants to suffer. No one invites suffering into their lives.
But, I cannot uphold the pre-trib rapture view. I’ll tell you why.
1. The nature of Apocalyptic Literature
This is Revelation’s genre of literature. We do not read a novel the same way that we read a newspaper. We do not read poetry the same way we read the sports column. In order to understand a text, we need to understand the genre. Apocalyptic literature was very common, especially in the time in between the Old and New Testaments. The purpose of Apocalyptic literature was to give hope in the midst of difficult circumstances and show that God was totally in control, no matter the situation. To talk of escaping the troubles was simply not normal in this genre.
2. The repetitive nature of troubles on earth
Ignoring the satanic scorpions for a moment (okay, and the hail mixed with fire), all those other things like war, famine, and natural catastrophes should sound pretty familiar unless you’ve been living in a cave for the last 2,000 years! That doesn’t mean we’re not in the end times. We are. But, we’ve been in the end times since Jesus’ resurrection.
This has two implications.
A. First, don’t believe all this sensational stuff about how this or that current event NOW REALLY tells us that we’re at the end.
Jesus is very clear in Matthew 24 when he talks about the end of the age. The disciples, just like us, were curious about the future. Remember that they thought Jesus was coming to overthrow Rome and establish Israel again. That was their definition of a Messiah. So, they ask Jesus for a sign. Jesus talks about all kinds of terrible things that will precede his coming: false christs, wars, famines, earthquakes, martyrdom, family division etc. But, he calls these the beginnings of the birth pains (24:8). This isn’t the birth yet. These are the first contractions that must occur, but the end is not yet! If there is really one clear message in Matt. 24, it’s that no one knows the hour except the Father (24:36), so keep watch. Keeping watch doesn’t mean tracking international events in order to crack a code. That’s the first point.
B. The second point is that many Christians have been experiencing all these horrors all over the world during these past 2,000 years. Where was their pre-trib rapture? While a rapture is very appealing to us as Christians in America, we cannot forget that there are millions of Christians throughout history who have not been exempt from suffering.
3. Theology of Suffering
This stems from B. above. As I already mentioned, no one likes to suffer. But, suffering is inseparable from our walk as Christians. We are to follow and imitate Christ, the suffering servant (see Isaiah 52-3).
However, remember that above I mentioned that proponents of the pre-trib rapture argue that we must be raptured so as not to suffer the wrath of God? I absolutely agree that we do not suffer God’s wrath. Jesus suffered that for us. But, when I say that I think we will and are experiencing the tribulation already, that is not experiencing God’s wrath.
Revelation is very clear about drawing strong lines of allegiance. Everyone’s heard of the mark of the beast, 666. Without getting into what I think that actually means, that isn’t the only mark, or seal, present in Revelation. The people of God are sealed as well (Revelation 7). It is that seal that exempts them from suffering the effects of the trumpets and bowls of wrath. The evil scorpions? They are ordered not to harm those with God’s seal (Rev. 9:4). The earth suffers, those without God’s seal suffer. And make no mistake, God’s people suffer, too. The Two Witnesses are killed because of their stand for God. But, that is not God’s wrath. That is oppression from Satan and his followers.
Suffering is a part of our walk with Christ on this earth. We have the promise of eternity (see Ben’s post on life after life after death) without suffering. We were never promised life on earth without suffering. Is a pre-trib rapture theology just an attempt for us to escape suffering?
4. 1 Thess. 4:17 – a weak argument for the rapture.
This is the primary place in scripture to which proponents of a pre-trib rapture argument point. It isn’t a good argument. Paul is writing to people who are worried about what will happen to people who have died. Remember, they were expecting Jesus’ return any day. So, what about those who died in the meantime? Paul assures them that those who are dead as well as those who are alive will meet Christ in the air. The word for caught up in the air actually describes a welcoming party. Sort of like, a movie star is coming to your town and you are assigned to pick them up at the airport and escort them to the town’s celebration for them. So, in the historic premillennial view (see Ben’s posts and diagrams), this is Christians welcoming Jesus in the air as he descends to set up his kingdom, where in some way, we will reign with him.
5. Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer
In John 17, Jesus is praying for himself and for his disciples, as well as all future believers. He says “My prayer is not that you [God] take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (17:15). This reinforces what we’ve already said about suffering not being equated to God’s wrath.
6. Redemption of Creation
Care of the Earth as God’s creation is really important. If we see the world merely as something we’ll escape, why should we care for it? However, if we see Earth as God’s creation that he called good and will come and restore and renew in his millennial kingdom, that’s a whole different story. I realize this post is more about arguments against a pre-trib rapture, but I do believe in a millennial kingdom on earth. That understanding reveals again God’s nature as one who keeps his promises, even to creation.
Next post (back to Ben): support for Israel?
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Accessible Eschatology: two types of premillennialism
If you're reading along from post-to-post (which, regrettably, is probably the only way this is gonna make sense), you'll recall premillennialism as it was introduced in the last post. Let's look at it again, shall we?
Remember, the cloud stands for Christ's return, and the throne stands for Judgment Day. So at the end of this age, premillennialists believe that Jesus will return to establish his global rule over all things. It will be a spiritual, social, economic, and political rule, known as the "millennium" (whether or not that period will last exactly 1,000 years). Those who have died in Christ will be resurrected when he returns to live and reign with him in the millennium. At the end of the millennium, the ungodly who have died will be resurrected, Christ will judge all people, and then the "new heavens and new earth" will come.
There are two major versions of premillennialism, and they differ in their expectations of what will happen during the period of intense tribulation immediately before the millennium...
Dispensational premillennialism. This view has been widely popularized by such books as the Left Behind series. There is an emphasis on a pre-tribulation rapture: Jesus' return is expected to come in two stages. There will be an unseen return, when he takes all those who are already Christians off the earth. This will be followed by seven years of intense tribulation on earth. After that seven years will come Jesus' public return, and he will bring all the Christians back with him. Dispensationalists believe that God is doing two separate things in history (different "dispensations"), one with the Jewish people and one with the Church, and the seven years of tribulation will be a time when God is primarily dealing with the Jewish people. There is an emphasis in many dispensational churches on the importance of saving people's souls because of the view that the Church needs to help people get out of the way of the coming tribulation. Many dispensationalists are staunchly pro-Israel in their political views.
Historic premillennialism. This view expects Jesus' return to be a single event. There will be no unseen return to take Christians away from a period of tribulation - we will still be on earth for that time. The "rapture" will be concurrent with Jesus' public return, and it will not be a matter of Christians being taken away from earth. Rather, Christians will be caught up into the air as Jesus descends to serve as his "royal welcoming party" to earth, and we will immediately descend back to earth with him to rule in his kingdom. (This is often called a post-tribulation rapture.) Historic premillennialists emphasize the unity of God's work in history concerning the Jewish people and the Church. Because they believe Christians will live through the tribulation, there can be a stronger emphasis in historic premillennial churches on holistic ministry, desiring to meet people's spiritual, physical, and even political needs. (To give a random example, a "dispensational soup kitchen" might view feeding people as a fringe benefit to gaining a captive audience to hear the gospel; a "historic premillennial soup kitchen" might view the act of feeding people as integral to what it means to share the gospel with them.) Finally, historic premillennialists may or may not be politically pro-Israel.
Are you beginning to see how these different theological views inform practical choices in life and ministry? I hope so!
In the next post, you get to hear from Meggan!!! Her topic: Why I Do Not Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
Remember, the cloud stands for Christ's return, and the throne stands for Judgment Day. So at the end of this age, premillennialists believe that Jesus will return to establish his global rule over all things. It will be a spiritual, social, economic, and political rule, known as the "millennium" (whether or not that period will last exactly 1,000 years). Those who have died in Christ will be resurrected when he returns to live and reign with him in the millennium. At the end of the millennium, the ungodly who have died will be resurrected, Christ will judge all people, and then the "new heavens and new earth" will come.There are two major versions of premillennialism, and they differ in their expectations of what will happen during the period of intense tribulation immediately before the millennium...
Dispensational premillennialism. This view has been widely popularized by such books as the Left Behind series. There is an emphasis on a pre-tribulation rapture: Jesus' return is expected to come in two stages. There will be an unseen return, when he takes all those who are already Christians off the earth. This will be followed by seven years of intense tribulation on earth. After that seven years will come Jesus' public return, and he will bring all the Christians back with him. Dispensationalists believe that God is doing two separate things in history (different "dispensations"), one with the Jewish people and one with the Church, and the seven years of tribulation will be a time when God is primarily dealing with the Jewish people. There is an emphasis in many dispensational churches on the importance of saving people's souls because of the view that the Church needs to help people get out of the way of the coming tribulation. Many dispensationalists are staunchly pro-Israel in their political views.
Historic premillennialism. This view expects Jesus' return to be a single event. There will be no unseen return to take Christians away from a period of tribulation - we will still be on earth for that time. The "rapture" will be concurrent with Jesus' public return, and it will not be a matter of Christians being taken away from earth. Rather, Christians will be caught up into the air as Jesus descends to serve as his "royal welcoming party" to earth, and we will immediately descend back to earth with him to rule in his kingdom. (This is often called a post-tribulation rapture.) Historic premillennialists emphasize the unity of God's work in history concerning the Jewish people and the Church. Because they believe Christians will live through the tribulation, there can be a stronger emphasis in historic premillennial churches on holistic ministry, desiring to meet people's spiritual, physical, and even political needs. (To give a random example, a "dispensational soup kitchen" might view feeding people as a fringe benefit to gaining a captive audience to hear the gospel; a "historic premillennial soup kitchen" might view the act of feeding people as integral to what it means to share the gospel with them.) Finally, historic premillennialists may or may not be politically pro-Israel.
Are you beginning to see how these different theological views inform practical choices in life and ministry? I hope so!
In the next post, you get to hear from Meggan!!! Her topic: Why I Do Not Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Accessible Eschatology: the millennium
So, what happens after the "signs" we talked about in our last post? The Bible is clear about one thing: At the end of time, Jesus will return to earth. It will be a glorious return! In his first coming, he came as a baby, lived as a servant, and suffered on our behalf. When he comes for the second time, it will be in power, honor, and glory. He will take his rightful place as ruler of all things and all people. He will right all wrongs. He will establish true justice and peace. Those who have died will be resurrected, and he will judge all people. This coming should inspire awe, hope, and fear - hope for victims of injustice, fear for those who take pleasure in their wrongdoing. All Christians can agree on this - Jesus is coming, and it will be a great day indeed! (Some scriptures about this: Isaiah 11; Jeremiah 23; Ezekiel 37; Joel 3; Matthew 24:30-51; John 5:27-30; Acts 1:6-11; 1 Corinthians 15, especially vv. 20-26; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:4; 2 Peter 3; Revelation 19-22.)
However, there are some significant details about Christ's return where many Bible-believing Christians disagree. These peripheral items may seem unimportant, but they actually have a practical impact on some important questions:
--What is the destination of the physical elements of this world?
--->In light of that, should I care about the environment?
--->Also, does my job have significance as more than just a paycheck?
--Does God have a special plan at the end of time for the land of Israel, the city of Jerusalem, or the Jewish people?
--->In light of that, should I support politically the modern-day state of Israel?
So, let's consider the three main options. These options can be most clearly distinguished by how they interpret the following passage:
"And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:1-6, emphasis added)
Notice that repeated phrase, "thousand years"? That's the millennium. The three main options for interpreting this language are as follows:
Amillennialism. This view holds that the millennium described above should be understood as a metaphor for God's kingdom rule in history (either after the cross or after Christ's return, depending on the theologian). We should not expect a literal millennium of Christ's rule on earth between his return and Judgment Day. Instead, we should expect that Christ will return, followed immediately by the resurrection of all people and Christ's judgment of all people, followed by the "new heavens and new earth" (spoken of in Isaiah 65 and Revelation 21). (This has been the majority view in the church since the fourth century. The name "amillennial" signifies "not millennial" - as in, there will be no literal millennium.)
Here's a "timeline" of amillennialism in picture form. The cloud represents Jesus' return, and the throne represents Judgment Day. (Giving credit where it's due - these three pictures come from our friend Craig Blomberg. I think he has similar diagrams in his book, From Pentecost to Patmos.)
Premillennialism. This view sees the millennium as a literal period of Christ's rule on this earth. Christ will return, God's people who have died will be resurrected, and Jesus set up the rule of his kingdom (spiritual, social, economic, and political) on this earth. After a long period of time (the "millennium," whether or not it will literally last for one thousand years), the ungodly who have died will be resurrected, Christ will judge all people, and then the "new heavens and new earth" will come. (This was the majority view in the first three centuries of the church, and it has experienced a resurgence in popularity over the past 200 years. The name "premillennial" signifies that Christ will return before the millennium.)
Another "timeline" picture - again, the cloud is Christ's return and the throne is Judgment Day.
Postmillennialism. This view expects the church to usher in the millennium. The Holy Spirit will work through the church to usher in a golden era of the reign of godliness over the whole earth in all areas of life (spiritual, social, economic, and political). After a long period of time (again, the "millennium"), Christ will return, all people will be resurrected, Christ will judge, and then the "new heavens and new earth" will come. (This view has been most popular during times when Christians had high confidence in progress, such as during the Enlightenment or significant missionary movements. Very few Christians today espouse this view. The name "postmillennial" signifies that Christ will return after the millennium.)
Here's "timeline" picture #3.
Clear as mud? Don't care? If you have to reread this section about the three main views on the millennium to understand it, go ahead and do that. It will serve as our foundation as we continue our conversation, and I promise this conversation will eventually have some practical bearing on your life (see the questions above).
But let's just get one thing out of the way - postmillennialism is not the way to go. There is no strong biblical support for this view, and experience tells us the church is not about to usher in a utopian global society. As alluded to above, postmillennialism is a perspective that has had its heyday in Christian communities that have been a little too optimistic about the church without being realistic about the world. It's darn near impossible to believe in postmillennialism in those places in the world that have been wrecked by genocide; ditto in places where the church has eroded significantly. Also, remember my last post about the signs of the end? There were positive and negative signs, an increase of both good and evil on earth. The postmillennial view has to ignore the growth of evil in the world.
So, moving forward, we'll be restricting our conversation to different forms of amillennialism and premillennialism.
Next post: two types of premillennialism.
However, there are some significant details about Christ's return where many Bible-believing Christians disagree. These peripheral items may seem unimportant, but they actually have a practical impact on some important questions:
--What is the destination of the physical elements of this world?
--->In light of that, should I care about the environment?
--->Also, does my job have significance as more than just a paycheck?
--Does God have a special plan at the end of time for the land of Israel, the city of Jerusalem, or the Jewish people?
--->In light of that, should I support politically the modern-day state of Israel?
So, let's consider the three main options. These options can be most clearly distinguished by how they interpret the following passage:
"And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:1-6, emphasis added)
Notice that repeated phrase, "thousand years"? That's the millennium. The three main options for interpreting this language are as follows:
Amillennialism. This view holds that the millennium described above should be understood as a metaphor for God's kingdom rule in history (either after the cross or after Christ's return, depending on the theologian). We should not expect a literal millennium of Christ's rule on earth between his return and Judgment Day. Instead, we should expect that Christ will return, followed immediately by the resurrection of all people and Christ's judgment of all people, followed by the "new heavens and new earth" (spoken of in Isaiah 65 and Revelation 21). (This has been the majority view in the church since the fourth century. The name "amillennial" signifies "not millennial" - as in, there will be no literal millennium.)
Here's a "timeline" of amillennialism in picture form. The cloud represents Jesus' return, and the throne represents Judgment Day. (Giving credit where it's due - these three pictures come from our friend Craig Blomberg. I think he has similar diagrams in his book, From Pentecost to Patmos.)
Premillennialism. This view sees the millennium as a literal period of Christ's rule on this earth. Christ will return, God's people who have died will be resurrected, and Jesus set up the rule of his kingdom (spiritual, social, economic, and political) on this earth. After a long period of time (the "millennium," whether or not it will literally last for one thousand years), the ungodly who have died will be resurrected, Christ will judge all people, and then the "new heavens and new earth" will come. (This was the majority view in the first three centuries of the church, and it has experienced a resurgence in popularity over the past 200 years. The name "premillennial" signifies that Christ will return before the millennium.)
Another "timeline" picture - again, the cloud is Christ's return and the throne is Judgment Day.
Postmillennialism. This view expects the church to usher in the millennium. The Holy Spirit will work through the church to usher in a golden era of the reign of godliness over the whole earth in all areas of life (spiritual, social, economic, and political). After a long period of time (again, the "millennium"), Christ will return, all people will be resurrected, Christ will judge, and then the "new heavens and new earth" will come. (This view has been most popular during times when Christians had high confidence in progress, such as during the Enlightenment or significant missionary movements. Very few Christians today espouse this view. The name "postmillennial" signifies that Christ will return after the millennium.)
Here's "timeline" picture #3.
Clear as mud? Don't care? If you have to reread this section about the three main views on the millennium to understand it, go ahead and do that. It will serve as our foundation as we continue our conversation, and I promise this conversation will eventually have some practical bearing on your life (see the questions above).
But let's just get one thing out of the way - postmillennialism is not the way to go. There is no strong biblical support for this view, and experience tells us the church is not about to usher in a utopian global society. As alluded to above, postmillennialism is a perspective that has had its heyday in Christian communities that have been a little too optimistic about the church without being realistic about the world. It's darn near impossible to believe in postmillennialism in those places in the world that have been wrecked by genocide; ditto in places where the church has eroded significantly. Also, remember my last post about the signs of the end? There were positive and negative signs, an increase of both good and evil on earth. The postmillennial view has to ignore the growth of evil in the world.
So, moving forward, we'll be restricting our conversation to different forms of amillennialism and premillennialism.
Next post: two types of premillennialism.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Accessible Eschatology: read the signs
"When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times." (Matthew 16:2-3)
What does the Bible have to say about signs from God? In this passage the Jewish religious leaders had asked Jesus for some kind of proof of his identity, but he went on to say that no sign would be given to them "except the sign of Jonah" (Matthew 16:4, referring to his impending days in the tomb as similar to Jonah's days in the belly of the big fish). The gospel of John is filled with references to Jesus' miracles as signs of his identity. There's the passage about the fleece and the dew from Judges 6, where Gideon hears from God but still asks for a sign to confirm that he heard him right.
What about signs that the end is coming? Well, the Bible talks about those, too. This fuels a great deal of speculation in certain circles, where people try to say that such-and-such an event corresponds with some sign of the end predicted in the Bible. Is this conclusion warranted? Let's take a look at some of the signs and find out...
"Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but whoever stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:5-14)
"There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. ... Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand." (Daniel 12:1, 10)
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (1 Timothy 4:1)
"Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved." (Romans 11:25-26)
"Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for [that day will not come] until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." (2 Thessalonians 2:3-10)
"I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, 'Who is like the beast? Who can make war against it?' The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. It was given power to make war against God's people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. ... It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name." (Revelation 13:1-8, 16-17)
So where does that leave us? Let's make a list of signs we can expect. First, some negative signs:
--false Christs, false prophets, and false teachings
--an oppressive, blasphemous religious/military/economic leader
--counterfeit miracles and false worship
--wars, earthquakes, and famines
--persecution of Christians, including martyrdom
--apostasy (Christians leaving the faith)
All that being said, there are certainly some positive signs mentioned:
--the global spread of the gospel
--the salvation of many Jews
--many Christians remaining strong in the faith in spite of persecution
What do you think? Do you see these things happening in our world today? I do.
The thing is... they've been happening for two thousand years. Not one thing on this list wasn't taking place in some shape or form in the first century of the church. The signs we should expect to precede the end of the world are an intensification of things that have already been seen throughout church history. We are not looking for anything categorically different. Evil is on the rise, but so is good! This is just what the Bible would lead us to think.
I'm not making this up; it's in the biblical passages themselves. Notice, for example, how Paul shifts from talking about the future to talking about the present in 1 Timothy 4:1-3: "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (Sounds like the future.) "Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods." (Sounds like the present.)
In the same vein, consider 1 John 2:18: "Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour." (emphasis added)
So, what should we see in the biblical teaching about the signs of the end, and what should we see as we look at the world around us? We should recognize that evil is on the rise. Satan is still active in many awful ways at this time on earth. There are great injustices, religious persecution, false teachings, violence, oppressive dictatorships, and many who reject Christ. We are called to resist this evil and persist in following the true Christ in the face of all obstacles that oppose goodness. God is also moving! The gospel has spread to every political nation-state on the planet. Jewish people continue to embrace Jesus as the true Messiah. Many persecuted believers are persevering in the faith. And alongside great injustices, there have been many strides for justice, human rights, and freedom of conscience. We should not be surprised by the increase of evil, we should praise God for the increase of good, and we should seek to be a part of the latter rather than the former.
Next post: the millennium.
What does the Bible have to say about signs from God? In this passage the Jewish religious leaders had asked Jesus for some kind of proof of his identity, but he went on to say that no sign would be given to them "except the sign of Jonah" (Matthew 16:4, referring to his impending days in the tomb as similar to Jonah's days in the belly of the big fish). The gospel of John is filled with references to Jesus' miracles as signs of his identity. There's the passage about the fleece and the dew from Judges 6, where Gideon hears from God but still asks for a sign to confirm that he heard him right.
What about signs that the end is coming? Well, the Bible talks about those, too. This fuels a great deal of speculation in certain circles, where people try to say that such-and-such an event corresponds with some sign of the end predicted in the Bible. Is this conclusion warranted? Let's take a look at some of the signs and find out...
"Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but whoever stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:5-14)
"There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. ... Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand." (Daniel 12:1, 10)
"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (1 Timothy 4:1)
"Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved." (Romans 11:25-26)
"Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for [that day will not come] until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." (2 Thessalonians 2:3-10)
"I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, 'Who is like the beast? Who can make war against it?' The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. It was given power to make war against God's people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. ... It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name." (Revelation 13:1-8, 16-17)
So where does that leave us? Let's make a list of signs we can expect. First, some negative signs:
--false Christs, false prophets, and false teachings
--an oppressive, blasphemous religious/military/economic leader
--counterfeit miracles and false worship
--wars, earthquakes, and famines
--persecution of Christians, including martyrdom
--apostasy (Christians leaving the faith)
All that being said, there are certainly some positive signs mentioned:
--the global spread of the gospel
--the salvation of many Jews
--many Christians remaining strong in the faith in spite of persecution
What do you think? Do you see these things happening in our world today? I do.
The thing is... they've been happening for two thousand years. Not one thing on this list wasn't taking place in some shape or form in the first century of the church. The signs we should expect to precede the end of the world are an intensification of things that have already been seen throughout church history. We are not looking for anything categorically different. Evil is on the rise, but so is good! This is just what the Bible would lead us to think.
I'm not making this up; it's in the biblical passages themselves. Notice, for example, how Paul shifts from talking about the future to talking about the present in 1 Timothy 4:1-3: "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (Sounds like the future.) "Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods." (Sounds like the present.)
In the same vein, consider 1 John 2:18: "Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour." (emphasis added)
So, what should we see in the biblical teaching about the signs of the end, and what should we see as we look at the world around us? We should recognize that evil is on the rise. Satan is still active in many awful ways at this time on earth. There are great injustices, religious persecution, false teachings, violence, oppressive dictatorships, and many who reject Christ. We are called to resist this evil and persist in following the true Christ in the face of all obstacles that oppose goodness. God is also moving! The gospel has spread to every political nation-state on the planet. Jewish people continue to embrace Jesus as the true Messiah. Many persecuted believers are persevering in the faith. And alongside great injustices, there have been many strides for justice, human rights, and freedom of conscience. We should not be surprised by the increase of evil, we should praise God for the increase of good, and we should seek to be a part of the latter rather than the former.
Next post: the millennium.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Accessible Eschatology: THE END OF THE WORLD!!!...?
Okay, so far we've introduced the topic of eschatology, defined it, discussed the "already, but not yet" character of life after Jesus according to the Bible, and addressed one underemphasized theme on the topic of personal eschatology (see previous posts). Now we turn our attention to general eschatology, which addresses the question, "Where is world history going?"
So, let me be the first to tell you, "THE END OF ALL THINGS IS NEAR!!!" (1 Peter 4:7, ripped bleeding from its literary context)
Yes, the Bible does talk about the future, and we have good reason to believe that what it says about the future will genuinely come to pass. For starters, it's happened before - the Old Testament prophets foretold a great many events that came to pass, both in their own generations and in the person of Jesus. Jesus himself predicted the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, an event that came to pass 40 years after his ascension. So, when the Bible talks about things that it claims are yet to come, we have good reason to believe they're coming.
How should we respond to that truth? In my first post in the series, I talked about the two most common responses - ignore it or sensationalize it. Let's talk a little about the sensationalistic tendency. It's a very understandable response. A person comes to see the Bible as an authoritative book; like all of us, they have a natural human curiosity about the future; they learn that the Bible has something to say about the future that can be trusted; they try to figure out the future based on the Bible. This is where it gets tricky - the passages that talk about the future seem clear as mud to the average 21st-century reader; someone (maybe the person themselves, maybe someone else) suggests a way to interpret these passages that makes them fit together in an understandable picture; the person accepts this picture and uses it as a lens through which to interpret any and all biblical passages that might be talking about the future, so that the Bible makes sense in a way it didn't before. The person feels satisfied now. And depending on that interpretive method they have bought into, the person might start to interpret CNN in light of the picture they think the Bible gives us of the future. "THE END OF ALL THINGS IS NEAR!!!"
On the other hand, let's think of some different people. These people were the original audiences of the biblical texts - Isaiah, Daniel, Matthew, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Revelation, etc. These people keenly felt the brokenness of their world. Some were in exile from their homeland, while others were suffering persecution for their faith. They needed hope. Along comes a new message - from a prophet, from Jesus, or from a trusted leader in the global Christian community. This message says, "yes, times are hard. But God is in control! The future is his! He has promised that he will one day set all things right! Take courage!" The audience receives just what they needed - hope.
And that's the idea. In the Bible, apocalyptic books - books like Daniel and Revelation, wherein God reveals mysteries like the future - were not written to satisfy the curiosity of those of us with some time on our hands to "crack the code." They were written to give hope to people living in desperate circumstances. God has plans for an unprecedented redemption in the future, and you are a part of his plans. What you're going through now will not last forever. Therefore, our primary response to language about the future in the Bible should not be to stimulate our curiosity, but to dare to hope in the midst of life's crap.
Next post: read the signs.
So, let me be the first to tell you, "THE END OF ALL THINGS IS NEAR!!!" (1 Peter 4:7, ripped bleeding from its literary context)
Yes, the Bible does talk about the future, and we have good reason to believe that what it says about the future will genuinely come to pass. For starters, it's happened before - the Old Testament prophets foretold a great many events that came to pass, both in their own generations and in the person of Jesus. Jesus himself predicted the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, an event that came to pass 40 years after his ascension. So, when the Bible talks about things that it claims are yet to come, we have good reason to believe they're coming.
How should we respond to that truth? In my first post in the series, I talked about the two most common responses - ignore it or sensationalize it. Let's talk a little about the sensationalistic tendency. It's a very understandable response. A person comes to see the Bible as an authoritative book; like all of us, they have a natural human curiosity about the future; they learn that the Bible has something to say about the future that can be trusted; they try to figure out the future based on the Bible. This is where it gets tricky - the passages that talk about the future seem clear as mud to the average 21st-century reader; someone (maybe the person themselves, maybe someone else) suggests a way to interpret these passages that makes them fit together in an understandable picture; the person accepts this picture and uses it as a lens through which to interpret any and all biblical passages that might be talking about the future, so that the Bible makes sense in a way it didn't before. The person feels satisfied now. And depending on that interpretive method they have bought into, the person might start to interpret CNN in light of the picture they think the Bible gives us of the future. "THE END OF ALL THINGS IS NEAR!!!"
On the other hand, let's think of some different people. These people were the original audiences of the biblical texts - Isaiah, Daniel, Matthew, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Revelation, etc. These people keenly felt the brokenness of their world. Some were in exile from their homeland, while others were suffering persecution for their faith. They needed hope. Along comes a new message - from a prophet, from Jesus, or from a trusted leader in the global Christian community. This message says, "yes, times are hard. But God is in control! The future is his! He has promised that he will one day set all things right! Take courage!" The audience receives just what they needed - hope.
And that's the idea. In the Bible, apocalyptic books - books like Daniel and Revelation, wherein God reveals mysteries like the future - were not written to satisfy the curiosity of those of us with some time on our hands to "crack the code." They were written to give hope to people living in desperate circumstances. God has plans for an unprecedented redemption in the future, and you are a part of his plans. What you're going through now will not last forever. Therefore, our primary response to language about the future in the Bible should not be to stimulate our curiosity, but to dare to hope in the midst of life's crap.
Next post: read the signs.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Accessible Eschatology: life after the afterlife
And now that life is a little less day-to-day, back to our "accessible eschatology" series. Today I didn't even remember what I had already talked about, so I went back and read everything I've already said starting back in January. If you're new to the series, I encourage you to do the same, or else this will just float out there with no context for you.
We turn our attention now to personal eschatology, the study of the question, "what happens when a person dies?" Under the umbrella of eschatology, this is the arena that is most often talked about, because death happens. Sure, it's possible to ignore death or not think about it, especially in our culture where death is the realm of select health care professionals, but since "there are only two certainties in life - death and taxes," death is way more real to most people than the coming return of Jesus. ("What coming return?" Exactly.)
So, what does happen when a person dies? If I had to guess, I bet the three most common answers to that question in our culture would be as follows, in order:
1. "I don't know."
2. "You go to heaven."
3. "Nothing. You decompose."
Let's work with #2 - "You go to heaven." What do people mean by "heaven"? Well, it's rather common and even cool these days to use your imagination to craft a compelling vision of heaven (like in Mitch Albom's book, The Five People You Meet in Heaven). A lot of that is very meaningful to the person doing the imagining, whatever else other people (myself included) think of it. Some "you go to heaven" folks would alter that just a bit:
"Good people go to heaven, and bad people go to hell."
Many evangelical Christians would tweak this to say:
"People who trusted in Jesus as their personal Savior in this life go to heaven, and those who never trusted in Jesus go to hell." (Sidebar - we could have a nuanced biblical conversation about who gets the "thumbs up" and who gets the "thumbs down," but that is another conversation for another day. In the meantime, if you're more curious about that than you are about the topic of this post, by all means close your browser and go read a good book like this one.)
Asked to describe heaven, the average Christian might say something like this: "There will be streets of gold, and we will worship God for eternity."
For a picture of the afterlife, this has some quality slices of the truth incorporated. However, there's something important missing, something that is rarely taught about in a great number of churches: The ultimate biblical hope for the future is not for the afterlife. It's for life after the afterlife.
What does this mean? Human beings were created as bodily creatures. We were meant to live a physical existence. Ever since the Hebrew prophets, the hope of the people of God has been for our resurrection from the dead. Among other things, the resurrection of Jesus was God's way of declaring his faithfulness to the promise of our resurrection. We will all be raised from the dead in bodily form; Jesus gives us evidence of this as the "firstfruits" of the resurrection (see I Corinthians 15; the firstfruits metaphor is drawn from agriculture).
The Bible teaches that paradise (what we commonly think of as "heaven"), our home in the afterlife, will be a splendid place. We will no longer struggle with sin there, and we will experience fellowship with Jesus. On the other hand, paradise is a holding tank where we will await the even more glorious resurrection from the dead. That... is our real hope. We will possess incorruptible bodies, engage in meaningful relationships, and pursue physical tasks - all without the frustration and futility that faces us today. It will be paradise-plus. The ideals of the kingdom of God will be lived out in a physical kingdom, not just a place where our souls float around. It will be more wonderful than paradise; it will be more wonderful than the garden of Eden; it will certainly be more wonderful than any utopia that can be imagined by the human mind.
We'll talk more about this place in coming posts. In the meantime, I probably have a good number of skeptics in the audience. Allow me to provide a few readings from the Bible for your consideration:
Isaiah 26:19
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Daniel 12
I Corinthians 15
I Thessalonians 4:13-18
Revelation 19-22
And if you don't believe me yet, consider what Anglican Bishop Tom Wright has to say - he has a whole book on the issue: Surprised by Hope. I don't agree with Wright on every count, but he knows the Bible very well, and he gets a lot right in this book. *UPDATE* (Saturday, March 14): I wrote this post yesterday, the same day a much more prominent blogger - evangelical Methodist scholar Ben Witherington III - posted this interview with Bishop Wright. Check it out.
Next post: THE END OF THE WORLD!!!...?
We turn our attention now to personal eschatology, the study of the question, "what happens when a person dies?" Under the umbrella of eschatology, this is the arena that is most often talked about, because death happens. Sure, it's possible to ignore death or not think about it, especially in our culture where death is the realm of select health care professionals, but since "there are only two certainties in life - death and taxes," death is way more real to most people than the coming return of Jesus. ("What coming return?" Exactly.)
So, what does happen when a person dies? If I had to guess, I bet the three most common answers to that question in our culture would be as follows, in order:
1. "I don't know."
2. "You go to heaven."
3. "Nothing. You decompose."
Let's work with #2 - "You go to heaven." What do people mean by "heaven"? Well, it's rather common and even cool these days to use your imagination to craft a compelling vision of heaven (like in Mitch Albom's book, The Five People You Meet in Heaven). A lot of that is very meaningful to the person doing the imagining, whatever else other people (myself included) think of it. Some "you go to heaven" folks would alter that just a bit:
"Good people go to heaven, and bad people go to hell."
Many evangelical Christians would tweak this to say:
"People who trusted in Jesus as their personal Savior in this life go to heaven, and those who never trusted in Jesus go to hell." (Sidebar - we could have a nuanced biblical conversation about who gets the "thumbs up" and who gets the "thumbs down," but that is another conversation for another day. In the meantime, if you're more curious about that than you are about the topic of this post, by all means close your browser and go read a good book like this one.)
Asked to describe heaven, the average Christian might say something like this: "There will be streets of gold, and we will worship God for eternity."
For a picture of the afterlife, this has some quality slices of the truth incorporated. However, there's something important missing, something that is rarely taught about in a great number of churches: The ultimate biblical hope for the future is not for the afterlife. It's for life after the afterlife.
What does this mean? Human beings were created as bodily creatures. We were meant to live a physical existence. Ever since the Hebrew prophets, the hope of the people of God has been for our resurrection from the dead. Among other things, the resurrection of Jesus was God's way of declaring his faithfulness to the promise of our resurrection. We will all be raised from the dead in bodily form; Jesus gives us evidence of this as the "firstfruits" of the resurrection (see I Corinthians 15; the firstfruits metaphor is drawn from agriculture).
The Bible teaches that paradise (what we commonly think of as "heaven"), our home in the afterlife, will be a splendid place. We will no longer struggle with sin there, and we will experience fellowship with Jesus. On the other hand, paradise is a holding tank where we will await the even more glorious resurrection from the dead. That... is our real hope. We will possess incorruptible bodies, engage in meaningful relationships, and pursue physical tasks - all without the frustration and futility that faces us today. It will be paradise-plus. The ideals of the kingdom of God will be lived out in a physical kingdom, not just a place where our souls float around. It will be more wonderful than paradise; it will be more wonderful than the garden of Eden; it will certainly be more wonderful than any utopia that can be imagined by the human mind.
We'll talk more about this place in coming posts. In the meantime, I probably have a good number of skeptics in the audience. Allow me to provide a few readings from the Bible for your consideration:
Isaiah 26:19
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Daniel 12
I Corinthians 15
I Thessalonians 4:13-18
Revelation 19-22
And if you don't believe me yet, consider what Anglican Bishop Tom Wright has to say - he has a whole book on the issue: Surprised by Hope. I don't agree with Wright on every count, but he knows the Bible very well, and he gets a lot right in this book. *UPDATE* (Saturday, March 14): I wrote this post yesterday, the same day a much more prominent blogger - evangelical Methodist scholar Ben Witherington III - posted this interview with Bishop Wright. Check it out.
Next post: THE END OF THE WORLD!!!...?
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Personal odds & ends
Life's been a little hectic for me lately, hence, no "accessible eschatology" posts in the last couple weeks. So, what's been keeping us busy? Well, here's a brief respite from the series of theologizing for some random bits of "what's up?" in our lives...
Graduation is in sight! We're less than three months from the end of our time here at Denver Seminary. It's nice to be finishing up, but it's also bittersweet. This season of life here in Denver has been a blessed one for us, and we will dearly miss the people and communities that have made this time so special.
In order to graduate, we each have capstone projects that we're working on. Meggan implemented her course last October on incorporating dance into the corporate worship setting, and she's wrapping up her paperwork for that. My capstone project is a doctrinal paper outlining my personal views on a variety of issues in theology and ministry philosophy. I handed the paper in yesterday after a couple weeks of cRaZIneSs getting it ready. I will stand before a panel of two professors in mid-April for an oral defense of the paper. So, for both of us, one part down, one part to go.
Separate from her project, Meggan danced in church a couple weeks ago. (The picture is of the four gals who danced, along with some friends from Littleton Dance Academy who came to show their support.) I've started working with the high school youth at church, and I'm enjoying it a lot. I meet with a senior guy every other week or so. He wants to be a political science major, so we're reading this book together about how different Christians have chosen to engage politics in the past hundred years. Youth ministry is a privilege and a pleasure. I'm excited (and rather nervous) to engage youth in Spain.
We're moving along in the appointment process with WorldVenture. We have an interview scheduled for this Tuesday. We continue to consider it an honor to be working with such a quality organization.
In the meantime, there's next year! We're planning to move back to Wisconsin in July to raise our team of financial and prayer partners for our return to Spain. While we're in Madison, I hope to volunteer with my friend Lief, who's a high school pastor there. Meggan has a potential job lead that would be a really good fit, and we found an apartment while we were home over Christmas break. It's right across the street from Vitense Golfland, so we'll be mini-golf pros by the end of the year. :-)
Another honor - I've been chosen as one of the senior preachers here at the seminary, which means I'll get to speak in chapel. I'm very much looking forward to it. If you're in the Denver area and available, you're welcome to join us; it's Tuesday, March 10, at 11 AM. If my preaching doesn't interest you, come to hear Meggan sing!
In other news,
for the first time in my life, I got glasses. Yup, the son of two parents who wore glasses from the age of six (Dad) and two (Mom) finally got some of his own. I'm 20/20 in my left eye, but too much time in front of books and computer screens for grad school got me a stigmatism in my right eye. The price of education. They're taking some getting used to, but the transition has been smoother than I would have guessed; no major headaches or anything.
And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming...
Graduation is in sight! We're less than three months from the end of our time here at Denver Seminary. It's nice to be finishing up, but it's also bittersweet. This season of life here in Denver has been a blessed one for us, and we will dearly miss the people and communities that have made this time so special.
In order to graduate, we each have capstone projects that we're working on. Meggan implemented her course last October on incorporating dance into the corporate worship setting, and she's wrapping up her paperwork for that. My capstone project is a doctrinal paper outlining my personal views on a variety of issues in theology and ministry philosophy. I handed the paper in yesterday after a couple weeks of cRaZIneSs getting it ready. I will stand before a panel of two professors in mid-April for an oral defense of the paper. So, for both of us, one part down, one part to go.
Separate from her project, Meggan danced in church a couple weeks ago. (The picture is of the four gals who danced, along with some friends from Littleton Dance Academy who came to show their support.) I've started working with the high school youth at church, and I'm enjoying it a lot. I meet with a senior guy every other week or so. He wants to be a political science major, so we're reading this book together about how different Christians have chosen to engage politics in the past hundred years. Youth ministry is a privilege and a pleasure. I'm excited (and rather nervous) to engage youth in Spain.
We're moving along in the appointment process with WorldVenture. We have an interview scheduled for this Tuesday. We continue to consider it an honor to be working with such a quality organization.
In the meantime, there's next year! We're planning to move back to Wisconsin in July to raise our team of financial and prayer partners for our return to Spain. While we're in Madison, I hope to volunteer with my friend Lief, who's a high school pastor there. Meggan has a potential job lead that would be a really good fit, and we found an apartment while we were home over Christmas break. It's right across the street from Vitense Golfland, so we'll be mini-golf pros by the end of the year. :-)
Another honor - I've been chosen as one of the senior preachers here at the seminary, which means I'll get to speak in chapel. I'm very much looking forward to it. If you're in the Denver area and available, you're welcome to join us; it's Tuesday, March 10, at 11 AM. If my preaching doesn't interest you, come to hear Meggan sing!
In other news,
for the first time in my life, I got glasses. Yup, the son of two parents who wore glasses from the age of six (Dad) and two (Mom) finally got some of his own. I'm 20/20 in my left eye, but too much time in front of books and computer screens for grad school got me a stigmatism in my right eye. The price of education. They're taking some getting used to, but the transition has been smoother than I would have guessed; no major headaches or anything.And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming...
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Accessible Eschatology: the "already, but not yet" in spiritual formation
So, the "already, but not yet" of the Christian faith is an expression of the tension we experience as followers of Christ living between his first coming (in humility, service, and suffering) and his second coming (in power and glory, to rule with true justice over all the earth). I believe that understanding this tension can help us understand the ebbs and flows of our relationship with God. It can teach us about our seasons of life, others' seasons of life, self-esteem, and suffering.
Allow me to use my personal journey as an example. I first started taking my faith in Christ seriously as a college freshman. Each week I participated in a Bible study, went to church, and went to a large-group campus ministry meeting. I was reading my Bible and praying privately almost every day. I went to a fall conference and a winter conference with the campus ministry group, and I volunteered for random stuff here and there. My faith was growing like gangbusters - the Bible was speaking into my life in ways I didn't know it could, I was connecting with God as never before, and my thoughts and actions were being reshaped by my growing convictions. I spent that first summer doing what was called a "summer project" with the campus ministry group, and I came back my sophomore year on a huge high - continuing to grow individually, and also growing as a new leader of others in ministry. God was bearing fruit in me and in others' lives through me. It was an exciting time!
In retrospect, I see that I was experiencing the "already" of life in Christ. Everything was new, and the horizon of life was expanding before my eyes. My appetite for learning new things and experiencing new things regarding life in Christ was insatiable. It was wondrous and wonderful... and I couldn't understand how some other Christians were living anything but an abundant, victorious life.
Fast-forward a few years. I had been exposed to all of the "big truths" of the Christian faith on at least some level. I became resigned to the fact that I would very rarely learn anything truly new from a preacher (or even from the Bible!) ever again. I had experienced a wide variety of ministry opportunities, and I had learned that ministry wasn't as simple as I once thought it was. I was seeing the world through increasingly pessimistic lenses, recognizing that many people aren't just passively naïve of spiritual truth - they can be intentionally ignorant, avoidant, and unresponsive. I had learned that the church had more problems than I thought it did & way more than I thought it should. I had been through a rough patch in life, facing issues that did not have simple answers. I began to long for God's deeper redemption.
I was living in the "not yet" of our life in Christ. At the same time, this felt wrong. I had one category for what life in Christ should feel like, and that was the "already" category. In this place of "disequilibrium," where the old ways of thinking were no longer working, I could have become disenfranchised with the whole enterprise - church, trusting God, Bible, prayer, ministry... whatever. Disenfranchisement could have taken the face of enduring pessimism in these areas or outright rejection of all of them.
Fortunately, I took a better road: I allowed new categories to take shape in me. These weren't entirely new categories for the Christian life, but they were new to my life. I found that life in Christ is big enough for both "already" and "not yet." In fact, I found that this is the essence of what it means to live for Jesus in this age on earth - we need both.
Those of us who find ourselves in a season where the "already" dominates must not look down on those currently soaking in the "not yet" (as I had in my early walk of faith). Those of us abiding in the "not yet" should not look on "already" folks with snorts of sarcasm and a "just wait and see, buddy" attitude. We need each other - "already" folks need to be reminded that life with God isn't always roses, and "not yet" people need to recognize that God really does bless his people and transform their lives in many ways in this life.
Marinating at one end of the spectrum while ignoring the other is unhealthy and unwise. A "not yet" life with no theology of the "already" wrongly resigns itself to the thought that spiritual growth and freedom from patterns of sin can't happen; the "not yet" self-esteem is too low. An "already" life with no theology of the "not yet" wrongly labels everything that isn't going right in another person's life as the result of that person's sin; the "already" self-esteem is too proud. A mature spiritual life is a blend of the "already, but not yet," allowing for certain seasons of life to ebb and flow between being deeply satisfying and truly painful. The "already, but not yet" self-esteem is on the high side, because we know that we have been created in God's image and even re-created to become like Christ, but we are not unrealistic about personal limitations and ongoing struggles with sin.
God is there in the midst of all seasons. The risen Christ celebrates with us when his reign is evident in our lives. The crucified Christ suffers with us when life sucks. We praise God for his blessings on this side of Christ's first coming, and we praise God for the coming end to our frustrations when Christ will come again.
Next post: life after the afterlife.
Allow me to use my personal journey as an example. I first started taking my faith in Christ seriously as a college freshman. Each week I participated in a Bible study, went to church, and went to a large-group campus ministry meeting. I was reading my Bible and praying privately almost every day. I went to a fall conference and a winter conference with the campus ministry group, and I volunteered for random stuff here and there. My faith was growing like gangbusters - the Bible was speaking into my life in ways I didn't know it could, I was connecting with God as never before, and my thoughts and actions were being reshaped by my growing convictions. I spent that first summer doing what was called a "summer project" with the campus ministry group, and I came back my sophomore year on a huge high - continuing to grow individually, and also growing as a new leader of others in ministry. God was bearing fruit in me and in others' lives through me. It was an exciting time!
In retrospect, I see that I was experiencing the "already" of life in Christ. Everything was new, and the horizon of life was expanding before my eyes. My appetite for learning new things and experiencing new things regarding life in Christ was insatiable. It was wondrous and wonderful... and I couldn't understand how some other Christians were living anything but an abundant, victorious life.
Fast-forward a few years. I had been exposed to all of the "big truths" of the Christian faith on at least some level. I became resigned to the fact that I would very rarely learn anything truly new from a preacher (or even from the Bible!) ever again. I had experienced a wide variety of ministry opportunities, and I had learned that ministry wasn't as simple as I once thought it was. I was seeing the world through increasingly pessimistic lenses, recognizing that many people aren't just passively naïve of spiritual truth - they can be intentionally ignorant, avoidant, and unresponsive. I had learned that the church had more problems than I thought it did & way more than I thought it should. I had been through a rough patch in life, facing issues that did not have simple answers. I began to long for God's deeper redemption.
I was living in the "not yet" of our life in Christ. At the same time, this felt wrong. I had one category for what life in Christ should feel like, and that was the "already" category. In this place of "disequilibrium," where the old ways of thinking were no longer working, I could have become disenfranchised with the whole enterprise - church, trusting God, Bible, prayer, ministry... whatever. Disenfranchisement could have taken the face of enduring pessimism in these areas or outright rejection of all of them.
Fortunately, I took a better road: I allowed new categories to take shape in me. These weren't entirely new categories for the Christian life, but they were new to my life. I found that life in Christ is big enough for both "already" and "not yet." In fact, I found that this is the essence of what it means to live for Jesus in this age on earth - we need both.
Those of us who find ourselves in a season where the "already" dominates must not look down on those currently soaking in the "not yet" (as I had in my early walk of faith). Those of us abiding in the "not yet" should not look on "already" folks with snorts of sarcasm and a "just wait and see, buddy" attitude. We need each other - "already" folks need to be reminded that life with God isn't always roses, and "not yet" people need to recognize that God really does bless his people and transform their lives in many ways in this life.
Marinating at one end of the spectrum while ignoring the other is unhealthy and unwise. A "not yet" life with no theology of the "already" wrongly resigns itself to the thought that spiritual growth and freedom from patterns of sin can't happen; the "not yet" self-esteem is too low. An "already" life with no theology of the "not yet" wrongly labels everything that isn't going right in another person's life as the result of that person's sin; the "already" self-esteem is too proud. A mature spiritual life is a blend of the "already, but not yet," allowing for certain seasons of life to ebb and flow between being deeply satisfying and truly painful. The "already, but not yet" self-esteem is on the high side, because we know that we have been created in God's image and even re-created to become like Christ, but we are not unrealistic about personal limitations and ongoing struggles with sin.
God is there in the midst of all seasons. The risen Christ celebrates with us when his reign is evident in our lives. The crucified Christ suffers with us when life sucks. We praise God for his blessings on this side of Christ's first coming, and we praise God for the coming end to our frustrations when Christ will come again.
Next post: life after the afterlife.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Accessible Eschatology: already, but not yet
The central thrust of New Testament eschatology can be summed up in one phrase: already, but not yet.
At the end of my last post, I said this idea has the power to serve as a holistic framework for the way a Christian looks at life. That sounds a little over the top, doesn't it? Do I really mean that? Well, yes. When I first heard a professor focus on the already-but-not-yet character of our life in Christ, it gave me a row of hooks to hang all my hats on. It fits the biblical evidence so well, I would be so bold as to say it's the second-most important Christian idea that is only indirectly taught in the Bible, right behind the doctrine of the Trinity.
The "already" is about the fact that the kingdom of God has already come to earth. Jesus came as God in the flesh, the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. He lived a perfect life, empowered by the Holy Spirit, saying and doing exactly what God the Father wanted him to say and do. He healed the sick, embraced the outcast, challenged corrupt authorities, and taught broken people about eternal life. He died for all people, making it possible for us to be reconciled with a holy God, corrupt though we are. As a result, those who embrace Christ are current participants in the kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit, who was only given to special individuals under special circumstances in the Old Testament, is now available to the entire community of people who follow Christ, just as the prophet Joel had promised.
The "not yet" is about the fact that the kingdom of God has not yet reached its ultimate fulfillment on earth. Jesus did not bring final judgment on the wickedness of this earth, so the good stuff remains mingled with the bad stuff. Everything is in shades of gray, the worthless so frustratingly intertwined with the worthwhile. The Old Testament expectation of the Messiah had included complete restoration and redemption - socially, politically, economically, spiritually, physically, vocationally... you name it. It had included Judgment Day, because that had to be part of the equation; if God were to usher in a golden age, he would have had to cleanse Israel from all evil. Christians continue to embrace this Old Testament hope for the consummation of the kingdom of God on earth, which we expect to occur when Jesus returns to earth (cf. Acts 1:1-11).
One way to put this is that we are currently living in an era that is an overlap of the old era (earth before the Messiah) and the new era (earth under the Messiah's rule). A visual representation of this is helpful (this is from our professor/boss/friend Craig Blomberg's Jesus and the Gospels, p. 385 - click the image for a larger view):
Thus our life in Christ is replete with the tension between the already and the not-yet. We experience it in our struggle with sin: we have the power of the Spirit living within us to make us conquerors over sin, yet we still struggle almost constantly with our enduring sinful tendencies (see Romans 7-8). We experience it in our worship and knowledge of God: "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." (1 Corinthians 13:12) We experience it in our churches: the church is sometimes the most beautiful example of community the world has ever seen, yet it has known all the interpersonal ugliness one can find anywhere else in the world. We experience it in our mission in the world: the gospel continues to spread in Africa, Asia, and Latin America; William Wilberforce successfully argued for the end of the slave trade in England; the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement here in the U.S. brought an end to institutionalized racism, and we now have a biracial president... YET, the gospel has eroded in lands once populated with Christians through forces such as Islam in the 7th century and the Enlightenment in the 18th; though no longer sanctioned by our governments, there is more slavery on our globe today than at any point in human history; much of the Western world has decided it's okay to kill the most vulnerable persons in our societies for the sake of convenience. We experience it in our work: we often find satisfaction in our efforts and toils, particularly when we get to do something we enjoy or when the fruits of our labors are evident, yet we all too often find work to be a frustrating, futile endeavor, or our job brings us very little joy, or demand drops and we lose our income.
There's plenty more to say on this topic, but there's already plenty of food for thought in this post, so we'll draw the line here and save some for the next post, where we'll talk about the "already, but not yet" in spiritual formation.
At the end of my last post, I said this idea has the power to serve as a holistic framework for the way a Christian looks at life. That sounds a little over the top, doesn't it? Do I really mean that? Well, yes. When I first heard a professor focus on the already-but-not-yet character of our life in Christ, it gave me a row of hooks to hang all my hats on. It fits the biblical evidence so well, I would be so bold as to say it's the second-most important Christian idea that is only indirectly taught in the Bible, right behind the doctrine of the Trinity.
The "already" is about the fact that the kingdom of God has already come to earth. Jesus came as God in the flesh, the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. He lived a perfect life, empowered by the Holy Spirit, saying and doing exactly what God the Father wanted him to say and do. He healed the sick, embraced the outcast, challenged corrupt authorities, and taught broken people about eternal life. He died for all people, making it possible for us to be reconciled with a holy God, corrupt though we are. As a result, those who embrace Christ are current participants in the kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit, who was only given to special individuals under special circumstances in the Old Testament, is now available to the entire community of people who follow Christ, just as the prophet Joel had promised.
The "not yet" is about the fact that the kingdom of God has not yet reached its ultimate fulfillment on earth. Jesus did not bring final judgment on the wickedness of this earth, so the good stuff remains mingled with the bad stuff. Everything is in shades of gray, the worthless so frustratingly intertwined with the worthwhile. The Old Testament expectation of the Messiah had included complete restoration and redemption - socially, politically, economically, spiritually, physically, vocationally... you name it. It had included Judgment Day, because that had to be part of the equation; if God were to usher in a golden age, he would have had to cleanse Israel from all evil. Christians continue to embrace this Old Testament hope for the consummation of the kingdom of God on earth, which we expect to occur when Jesus returns to earth (cf. Acts 1:1-11).
One way to put this is that we are currently living in an era that is an overlap of the old era (earth before the Messiah) and the new era (earth under the Messiah's rule). A visual representation of this is helpful (this is from our professor/boss/friend Craig Blomberg's Jesus and the Gospels, p. 385 - click the image for a larger view):
Thus our life in Christ is replete with the tension between the already and the not-yet. We experience it in our struggle with sin: we have the power of the Spirit living within us to make us conquerors over sin, yet we still struggle almost constantly with our enduring sinful tendencies (see Romans 7-8). We experience it in our worship and knowledge of God: "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." (1 Corinthians 13:12) We experience it in our churches: the church is sometimes the most beautiful example of community the world has ever seen, yet it has known all the interpersonal ugliness one can find anywhere else in the world. We experience it in our mission in the world: the gospel continues to spread in Africa, Asia, and Latin America; William Wilberforce successfully argued for the end of the slave trade in England; the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement here in the U.S. brought an end to institutionalized racism, and we now have a biracial president... YET, the gospel has eroded in lands once populated with Christians through forces such as Islam in the 7th century and the Enlightenment in the 18th; though no longer sanctioned by our governments, there is more slavery on our globe today than at any point in human history; much of the Western world has decided it's okay to kill the most vulnerable persons in our societies for the sake of convenience. We experience it in our work: we often find satisfaction in our efforts and toils, particularly when we get to do something we enjoy or when the fruits of our labors are evident, yet we all too often find work to be a frustrating, futile endeavor, or our job brings us very little joy, or demand drops and we lose our income.
There's plenty more to say on this topic, but there's already plenty of food for thought in this post, so we'll draw the line here and save some for the next post, where we'll talk about the "already, but not yet" in spiritual formation.
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