Eschatology really matters.

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

Mark 13:24-27

The longest discourse from Jesus in the book of Mark is found in chapter 13 as Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. It consists of Jesus giving His own prophecy of the destruction of the beautiful temple built by Herod in Jerusalem. (Mark 13:2)  Then Peter, James and John come to Him wanting to know just when that event would occur (Mark 13:4), because they know full well that nothing short of full-blown war could result in the temple’s destruction. Jesus warns them that they would suffer for proclaiming the gospel in the context of many false Messiahs also rising up in opposition, but that the gospel would advance to the world. (Mark 13:5-13).

Then Jesus goes on to reference an Old Testament prophecy that plays heavily in His teaching on the end times. He talks about the abomination of desolation. (See Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11). Any Jew who had studied the prophets (quite a common practice in Jesus’ day) would understand the reference. And Jesus talks about a time period he refers to as “tribulation” unlike any time on earth that has ever happened or will ever happen. This is more than just a skirmish in the Middle East. And I have preterist friends who see Titus’ sack of Jerusalem in 70 AD as the focus of these words. But Jesus’ description would be full of hyperbole and not prophecy if this is the case. For Jesus, the tribulation time has worldwide and even universal effect. It is after this tribulation that the Son of Man returns with accompanying celestial signs.

Ultimately, Jesus does not give His disciples the kind of answer they were looking for. Instead, He hints that they would face some of it (Mark 13:30), but will not know exactly when He will return. The final word from Jesus on these things is to watch for Him and live expecting His return (Mark 13:37). Personally, I find this compelling and extremely motivating to find out more of what He meant by this.

It is very popular today among theologians young and old to have no settled opinion on eschatology. Some might think “It does not really matter.” “It is just too confusing.” But it meant enough to Jesus to spend this long sermon on the subject. It might do us well to delve into it, to compare scripture to scripture, to take up His suggestion to understand what Daniel is saying about future events, and live expecting His return as He commanded His disciples.

Technorati Tags: Mark,Eschatology,Olivet Discourse

Why Expectant Living is Important

He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Revelation 22:20

The book of Revelation ends with this commitment to expecting the return of Christ. I think it is something that we have not paid as much attention to as we should have. I grew up during a tumultuous time (the 1960’s and early 70’s). The culture changed dramatically in a ten year period, and my parents and I came to faith in Christ in the middle of all that social change. And the Baptist church we attended preached A LOT of eschatology. With war in Vietnam, radicalism redefining culture, the vivid daily threat of nuclear holocaust, drug culture going mainstream, and political corruption, it all seemed to be lining up. As a kid, I fully expected Jesus would return before the 1980’s were upon us. That really bummed me out, because I wanted to at least graduate high school!

The one advantage of all those sermons on Christ’s soon return was that I lived with a sense of urgency and expectancy. I knew that when the church was raptured and the events of biblical prophecy began to unfold, one of them would be the judgment seat of Christ where I would give account of myself. And being aware of the immediate possibility of that happening kept certain clear spiritual priorities in front of me. This is why I believe that good eschatology ought still be preached, maybe not with the newspaper headlines that it had in the 70’s but at least with some conviction that it is imminent!

And 2009 has been already a year of sweeping change. Old threats are re-emerging. North Korea has gone from sounding like a toothless old man, to flexing some serious nuclear muscle. Iran is leading radical Islam dangerously toward a hellfire confrontation with the West. Despite eight years of effort, the war on terrorism continues unabated in threats against American life. And America transformed in the 60’s and 70’s by a culture war is now leaning further toward Sodom than ever. Gay marriage, family redefinition, government bailouts of the largest corporations and banks, and a weird new socialistic ethic have seized the culture. And the evangelical church looks like the 1960’s again with social gospel, liberal theology, cutesy inspirational talks, and political liberation displacing the gospel in many churches. Time to remember that Jesus is coming soon. It never was time not to remember that truth.

Technorati Tags: Revelation,Second Coming of Christ,Eschatology

The Days of Noah

For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Matthew 24:37-39

Jesus' clear teaching in Matthew 24 is one of expectation. His ministry would leave some "unfinished business" that would require His return again as the Son of Man. The times described in Matthew 24 are future to Jesus and His disciples as He describes them. And it is clear (even for those who see primarily the 70 AD destruction of the temple in this chapter) that the events described here are foremost in the future for us to consider today.

Of particular note is Jesus' insistence that His return in judgment will take the world by surprise. The Father knows when this will occur. The Son will be told. And the days before that will find the world spinning further and further into its daily grind of iniquity. The metaphor fitting this according to Jesus is the description of the pre-deluge world of Noah. There the earth had become
"corrupt", "filled with violence", and "all flesh had corrupted their way" (Genesis 6:11-12). If anything, Jesus' description is a little more descriptive, because this corrupt bunch of violent people had become casual partiers, eating, drinking, and celebrating marriage banquets even as Noah built his ark and prepared for the flood.

So is my generation. We have our parties. We celebrate our perversity and unwillingness to confront sin as sin and call it "diversity" and "tolerance". And even as the economy tumbles we simply spend ourselves into a party of poverty. And this will continue right up to the return of the Son of Man. So in the din of celebration, I wonder if anyone hears the rumbling thunder.

The gospel confronts this. There is still time as long as the Lord delays. And in these days especially, I am duty-bound to proclaim the gospel at EVERY opportunity for the glory of God and the salvation of souls that He died to redeem.

Technorati Tags: Jesus,Judgment,Future