Maranatha!

At the end of service today someone asked about other resources that present a similar understanding of the world to come that I have been preaching in this series of lessons. N.T. Wright has written a splendid book entitled, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. (Some may be familiar with Wright's book, Simply Christian.) I am greatly indebted to him for helping me understand some difficult passages in regards to End Times. The greatest weakness of the book is his near omission of any mention of 2 Peter 3: 10ff which talk about the destruction of the earth by fire. The best analysis I found of that passage comes from a journal article by Allan J. McNicol entitled, "All Things New" and is found in the Austin Graduate School of Theology publication, Christian Studies (Volume 21/ 2005-2006). If you are interested in this let me know and I can send you a copy.

Barbara R. Rossing helped me in my understanding of the message of Revelation in her book, The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation. Finally, Joe Beam and Lee Wilson wrote an easy to read book with the title, The Real Heaven: It's Not What You Think. All of these authors teach that when the Lord returns earth will not be destroyed but renewed. For a better understanding of the Biblical teaching concerning Hell see my post from last week.

Since beginning this study I have been amazed at how differently I look at the earth. I find that I am continually amazed by what God has created. I feel at times like a child with eyes wide in wonder. A simple thing like water is the evidence of such creative genius. Even a blade of grass or a flower or the texture of an apple is cause for pondering at the character of a Creator who would make such beauty. I'm glad to know that it's not destined for a bon-fire but for redemption. Maranatha! Come Lord and make everything new!

Hell Yes, Hell No

Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. His message was one of condemnation and wrath and it tore him up to have to preach it. He wept as he contemplated the certain end for his people since they were unwilling to repent and change their ways. I felt like weeping at the end of today's sermon. What a terrible topic to have to preach on! I tried to end the sermon on a high note but somehow it didn't feel like we quite made it. It is exceptionally good news that Jesus went through hell so that we could enjoy new life now and eternal life forever! However, the whole message of the cross is entirely unfair. But isn't that the true nature of love? Love doesn't ask what is fair, but what is needed. What a Savior!

Several people told me I had succeeded in raising more questions than I answered in the sermon (which I warned you might happen). The best that can be said for the traditional view of hell is that it wraps everything up in a neat package. Biblically, however, the traditional view is full of gaping holes. God simply does not give us enough information to know everything we might want to know. However, if you would like to dig deeper I would recommend Edward Fudge's book, The Fire That Consumes. Edward is an elder at the Bering Drive Church of Christ and has done a great service to the people of God in writing this well researched book. You can read my review of Edward's book by scanning through my brief book reviews. Just follow the link on the left side of my home page.

On another note, this is the 100th blog entry that I have written. It doesn't seem like I've been doing this that long. Also, did anyone notice the picture on last week's blog? It gave a date for Mother's Day in March. I almost changed the picture but decided to leave it to see if anyone noticed.

Judgment Day

I was frankly surprised at how many scriptures there are that mention the last judgment. The sermon this morning did not give the opportunity to explore the many teachings of Jesus on this topic such as the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31ff), the Parable of the Net (Matthew 13:46-48), or the Parable of the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30). In each of these parables one of the important truths taught is that judgment belongs to God--not us. Only God is qualified to fill that role.

However, as we discussed this morning, thinking of judgment as a day of rewards (and not just a day of condemnation) should cause some serious evaluation in terms of how we are living right now. That's why I like the image of judgment as a job evaluation. How am I doing the job God has given me to do? Of primary concern would be my job as a husband and father. But how about my job as a neighbor or co-worker? What about my unique mission that God has specifically equipped and trained me to do? How am I doing in my struggle against sin? Am I still battling or have I given up and become hopeless?

Remember this word of encouragement:
⁸The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." (Galatians 6:8-10)

The Brand New You

During his communion reflection Gary Robbins made mention of a book he is reading that examines how 15-30 year olds in the United States view the church. If you are interesting in learning more about this subject the book is entitled, UnChristian. To read my review of the book see the "Byron's Brief Book Reviews" section on this blog.

Some see End Times as a subject for those who are curious about the future. Interesting information, perhaps, but not really that relevant. The New Testament writers saw it as just the opposite. They viewed End Times as a subject that should define how we live right now! Any information the Holy Spirit communicated through their writings about the future is intended to make a difference in our day to day activities.

On a slightly different note (though not entirely); someone asked me today about cremation. Since our current natural bodies will somehow be transformed in the End to be like Jesus' body--is cremation an acceptable option for the believer. If you give the lifeless body enough time after death it will look very much like cremated remains! Since God made Adam out of dust originally and the natural order of things is for our bodies to return to dust; we simply have to trust that God can recreate however much of our natural bodies as he needs to in order to "build" our new bodies. Cremation may be a very sensible option for those concerned about responsible use of the earth and/or simply being good stewards of their money.

Someone else asked me about the scars visible on Jesus' resurrected body. What are the implications for those who have terrible physical injuries in this life. Will they be hopelessly scared for eternity? The best guess I have on this (which really means I DON'T KNOW) would be that perhaps Jesus' scars in his resurrected body are more like badges of honor. It makes me wonder if others might have similar "badges" because they, like the Apostle Paul, have joined Christ in his suffering. I have every reason to believe that our resurrection bodies will not be defective or deformed (as is sometimes the case in This Age).

The Eighth Day of Creation

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is not only the beginning of The End; it is, more importantly, the beginning of a whole New World! What God created to be "very good" was destroyed by sin. Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross took sin's power away. Now that sin has been defeated, what is the point of the resurrection? Simply this: the resurrection is the new beginning of creation. It's not enough to be saved from sin, as wonderful as that blessing is. What we need is to be recreated.

Jesus was the first to be clothed with immortality when he became the firstborn from the dead. The New Age has begun. The Kingdom of God has been established. Jesus is the firstfruits of what will be a glorious harvest in the Last Day. In the words of theologian N.T. Wright, "The resurrection is not an isolated supernatural oddity proving how powerful, if apparently arbitrary, God can be when he wants to. Nor is it at all a way of showing that there is indeed a heaven awaiting us after death. It is the decisive event demonstrating that God's kingdom really has been launched on earth as it is in heaven" (Surprised by Hope).

Now we can all sing our new final verse for the Creation Song: "Day eight, day eight; Jesus rose now all can be great!" Maranatha!

I'm A Soul Man

I have found sacred cow tipping to be a dangerous, yet necessary function for preaching on the End Times. I have made many assumptions regarding what is taught in Scripture in regard to the end of all things, only to be astounded that, upon serious investigation, I could find no scriptural basis for my beliefs. There are many concepts that have been handed from one generation to the next, with each generation assuming that the earlier one was passing on a belief that resulted from a deep study of Scripture. The reality is that some ideas go unchallenged in one generation simply because they "make so much sense". However, as the world changes, and worldviews change, people begin to think more critically about things that a former generation simply took for granted.

A sacred cow is a belief that some feel should never be challenged. That is where the danger comes into play. It is my contention that no belief should go unchallenged! Truth never has anything to fear from honest investigation. I have approached this study of the End Times with a deep desire to conduct such an honest investigation of the Scriptures. I am certain, however, that even with such an aim, there are things that I will not see clearly. My prayer is that the generation that comes after us will have the freedom to closely examine all of our conclusions and embrace only what they discover the Bible to actually teach.

Even though we have not yet covered the Biblical teaching concerning Hell in our sermon series, I thought some of you might want to take a quiz developed by my friend Edward Fudge. You may be surprised how many sacred cows we have yet to bar-b-que! Click here to take the 20 question quiz on what the Bible really says about the end of the wicked.

If you want to read more about where the idea of the immortal soul came from I would recommend this article I found searching the internet.

The Appearing

Here is a look at the Sacagawea dollar coin that I held up for the children to see this morning. We sometimes think, "if only I could actually see an undeniable, biblical type of miracle, I could easily believe." The evidence clearly shows that many saw just those miracles but still didn't believe. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus Jesus said, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead" (Luke 16:31).

The Jesus' Appearing slide show this morning was a rather embarrasing look at how desperate we humans are to have physical, tangible proof that Jesus is really with us. As I said this morning, all such "evidences" make Christianity look silly.

What we have is the evidence of a created world working in perfect order (as opposed to a random mess) , historical witnesses to many of the events, people, and places we read about in the Bible, the trustworthy Word of God as preserved in the Bible, and the evidence of transformed lives. The most powerful witness to the truthfulness of the Bible's message of Christ is the change that occurs in the lives of Jesus' followers. May people see Jesus living in all of us this week.

Don't Be Afraid

I hope that the revelation of Barney, the cute purple dinosaur, as the anti-Christ was not too disturbing for young children. Of course, many adults have long suspected the Great Purple One was exerting an unusual influence on their young.

On a more serious note, this sermon gave me no small amount of struggle. Normally in dealing with difficult texts in the Bible there is enough that can be known to give one a good grasp on what is being taught. However in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 there is little to grab on too. More than once I wondered why in the world I was feeling the need to preach on this obscure text. In my limited experience I don't recall ever hearing a sermon on anti-Christ or any serious attempt in a sermon to explain the "man of lawlessness" in 2 Thessalonians.

What drove me in deciding to tackle this theme, was the End Times drama that is so popular today in books and movies. The anti-Christ figures are so frightening that I thought I should at least do something to help keep people from being alarmed at such presentations. Hopefully, that task was successful.

By the way, I did double check my math to make sure my calculations were correct: Barney is the anti-Christ! Math has proven it to be so.

The Arrival

After the sermon today someone asked me when the doctrine of the rapture began. The person who developed the teachings that today are called The Rapture was John Nelson Darby (1800-1882), a British preacher and founder of the Plymouth Brethren. While Christians have always taught that Jesus would return to earth, Darby taught that Jesus would come twice! Darby invented a grand timetable for world events that included a series of seven dispensations (or ages). He popularized his system in the Scofield Reference Bible which was first published in 1909.

The best refutation I have read of the doctrine known as The Rapture is found in The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation by Barbara R. Rossing. Dr. Rossing, who teachings New Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, wrote the book to answer the popular Left Behind series of books (and movies). In her words, "..., I have underscored the central image of Jesus as the nonviolent Lamb, who triumphs not by killing people but by giving his life in love.... Love and healing--not Armagedoon and war--are the messages people of faith must keep lifting up as God's vision for our world. The message of the biblical book of Revelation is not of despair or war, but of transformation and justice."

The message of Jesus' return is of central importance to the writers of the New Testament. We must strive to avoid all sensationalism and seek to understand what those writers had in mind when they wrote about The Arrival (or Parousia). May we all remain viligant as we contantly remind ourselves that The King is Coming!

The Second Coming: It's Not the End of the World

One of the difficult tasks of all Bible students is to harmonize texts that seems, at first glance, to say contradictory things. When comparing the following texts which one determines the meaning of the other?

" . . . the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God." (Rom. 8:21)

"The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare." (2 Pet. 3:10)

I have chosen to buck the seemingly predominate view of the total annihilation of the earth, by teaching that the fire of 2 Peter 3 (literal or not, I don't know) will purge all evil thus enabling the liberation of the earth to finally be what Isaiah, 2 Peter, and Revelation all refer to as the "new earth." The End Times pictures that I get most excited about come from the book of Isaiah. The new earth is seen as a place where fear has no presence, where current unnatural alliances are completely natural, where war is no longer a reality, and the predominate emotion is joy. Peter seems to have no quarrel with this as he borrows Isaiah's phrase "new heavens and new earth" when speaking of what happens after Jesus returns (See 2 Peter 3:13 and Isaiah 65:17).
No wonder the earliest Christians prayed, "Maranatha!", which means "Come, Lord Jesus!"

A Tour of New Jerusalem

Comparing the visions of Revelation to Dorothy visiting Oz opens the door to a renewed sense of wonder and amazement at what God has done for us through his Son. The tour through New Jerusalem helps us "visualize" the things that are at the very heart of God. I love how John's final vision is full of the reminder that God gives life (not death) abundant food (not starvation) thirst quenching water without cost, and healing for all the nations. This is what God has always been about and in the End we will see a new Beginning - the garden of Eden fully restored.

By the way, Katie Thompson wins the Inquisitive Bible Reader award today. While I was reading the list of jewels that are part of the New Jerusalem she thought that they sounded familiar. She had been reading in Exodus recently so she turned back to re-read the description of the High Priest's breastplate. It is not coincidence that John uses some of the very jewels that the High Priest wore over his heart as he ministered before the Lord in the Most Holy Place. Revelation is full of surprises like that for the discerning reader.

What's the Big Idea?

To properly prepare a lengthy series of sermons (like the End Times series we started this morning), I like to spend a long period of time (generally a year or more) reading, studying, and pondering the significance of what I am learning. I never feel completely ready to begin putting the mass of information into sermons, but finally just have to "bite the bullet" and begin.

As I have studied the End Time material of the New Testament my thinking has been challenged in ways that I didn't expect. My previous understanding has gone through a dramatic shift. I must admit that I am a bit fearful as I now am faced with the task of presenting these "strange" teachings to the congregation. However, as I have come to accept my new understanding of the scriptures as true to God's plan from the beginning, it has set me free to really appreciate the magnificence of God's sending Jesus to the earth. We just scratched the surface this morning and Lord willing, we will dig deeper in the weeks to come.