161 | TE005 | Transcending Eschatology | Part 5 | Making It Plain
Date: May 22, 2023
Welcome back to our series on Eschatology - the study of End Time events.
Episode 1: The Doomsday Clock - We discussed our social and cultural beliefs about the End of Time. Typically based on science and entertainment.
Episode 2: The Flip Side - We dove into End Time beliefs that are based on spiritual or religious belief systems. And we looked at some of the major world religions.
Episode 3: Carrying the Torch - We discussed the history and origins of Christian Eschatology - and how it can be traced all the way from Adam and Eve to us today.
Episode 4: Choosing Sides - We discussed the high level categories most Christians fall into when it comes to eschatology.
Today we start getting into the details with our topic:
Today's Topic: Transcending Eschatology | Part 5 | Making It Plain
Back to the Bible
Prophecy and Parenting
Conversations with Adult Children
// CHAPTER 1: BACK TO THE BIBLE
If you fee like we've had this conversation before - you're probably right.
Because at the end of the day - this entire series is pointless without us coming to terms with the Bible.
I mean eschatology is fun for a lot of people:
Thinking about the world ending
Trying to theorize how it could happen
Watching apocalyptic TV and movies
Talking with your friends about different ideas
Reading into culture, politics and religious happenings
Watching events unfold on the world stage
Wars
The turmoil in Israel
Natural disasters
UFO sightings
People posting content about paranormal things happening to them
There's just so much going on right now. And you can get drawn into that world for sure.
But as a Christian - at the end of the day - you have to make a personal decision on one thing...
What are you going to do with the Bible?
Last week we discussed three ways you can view the Bible:
The inerrant Word of God: Every single word was determined by God. There are no errors. There is no debate. God said it, and I believe it
Errant, but very important: So even if there are some problems and contradictions - the Bible is still the inspired book God will use to get the truth to future generations
A good book with some good stuff in it: The Bible is simply a compilation of human writings - some are helpful, some are simply meant to inspire us and there are a lot of artistic, and poetic things left up to our interpretation.
And we discussed that this will be a very important decision - because the Bible is the source of truth in the church today.
Yes we have pastors, preachers, teachers. People we can go to with questions. But where do these people get their answers?
The Bible! Because the entire Christian religion is build on that foundation.
Now throughout time we have had oral traditions passed down. But the Bible is the resting place for many of these oral traditions.
If the Bible is right - and people lived close to 900 years at the beginning - oral tradition makes perfect sense. Because the number of generations living at one time would be huge.
Today - we're shocked because with increased life expectancy we've stretched the number of living generations at any given time to 6. And if we can keep working on our health and prosperity - that may reach 7.
But here are the 6 we have today:
The GI Generation: 1901 to 1926
Mature/Silent Generation: 1927-1945
Baby Boomers: 1946-1964
Gen X: 1965-1980
Gen Y/Millennials: 1981-2000
Gen Z: 2001 to the present
Now some people believe the next generation is already here. They call it Generation Alpha. And they believe it began in 2013.
If that's the case - we are living in a time where 7 generations are living at the same time.
But again - that's with life expectancy hovering around 77 years.
But that's nothing compared to living 900 years.
So oral tradition was a very real thing - until life expectancy dropped - and people stopped passing down these oral traditions as they did in the past.
At some point it became important to write things down. To document the oral traditions for future generations.
And the Bible is a compilation of stories that did just that.
So back to the way we view the Bible.
It's not unique - in fact I would argue that every religious tradition in the world has a sacred text. If not one book, two. Or maybe a compilation of writings from the leader.
But there's always something - some foundation upon which the religion exists.
So why would it be any different for Christianity?
In Episode 3, Carrying the Torch - I spent the whole thing following the truths we have from the dawn of time to today.
From oral tradition to prophets writings, to the Jewish Torah, to the writings of the early Christians who lived during the time of Jesus, to the Bible we have today.
It's obvious that there was a torch being carried. There was a through line that has existed all the while.
And it left us holding this one, sacred book.
The problem is - that book is under fire.
The Bible has never been more scrutinized than it is right now.
With the Internet, podcasts and social media - people all over the world are weighing in on the Bible. Some to uphold the sacred status - but others to tear it down and point out the obvious errors within its pages.
In doing the research for this series I can't tell you how many TikTok vidoes I've seen where the creator has thrown out the prophetic books of the Bible because they are obviously apocalyptic literature. Similar to a genre of writing that was popular at that time. And because it was popular back then - it means the ones found in the Bible are of the same type. Simply the science fiction of the day. Artistic prose - telling stories of impending doom and yet all with positive outcomes. A victor rises in the end to save people and set things right.
Again - back to the importance of how you view the Bible.
These creators have chosen the third explanation.
A good book with some good stuff in it: The Bible is simply a compilation of human writings - some are helpful, some are simply meant to inspire us and there are a lot of artistic, and poetic things left up to our interpretation.
And some of these creators may be part of a 4th group. People who believe the Bible is bad. That it's full of lies that lead people down a road to nowhere.
But again - it's not important what other people think - it's important what you think.
Because that will probably determine your next steps when it comes to eschatology.
When you take that word apart - you get "eschato" or "eschaton" - which refers to the end of the age, or the final events in the divine plan...
And you get "ology" - which means, the study of...
And when you study something - what are you typically doing?
Well, you could be observing the thing. You could be experimenting on the thing. But most of the time you're reading about the thing. At least in the classical education systems we all grew up in.
So it makes sense that a student of eschatology would need a book, or books to study from.
But that's where I'm going to leave things today. With the understanding that we all need to come to terms with the Bible. Because it's where we find a great deal of the discussion about the end of time.
For me - I think I've been pretty transparent about my beliefs on the Bible:
I've moved away from viewing it as "inerrant"
I just find that this belief was blindly passed down over the years
And it doesn't take a person long to point out things that don't match up
Things that seem to contradict other things
At the same time I don't think I'll ever be able to look at the Bible as a collection of inspiring stories
Like a good bedtime book for adults
There is WAY too much going on
Numerous authors - all writing about the same God, the same Jesus, and the same universal story with a beginning and a projected end
And I just can't get around the fact that in order for a book like the Bible to exist - there had to be some level of celestial intervention
Not that God wrote the Bible - that would be the Inerrant view I've let go of
But that doesn't mean God couldn't have influenced each of these writers to document their little piece
To where - when all of them were brought together - you had an amazing snapshot that would have the power to lead an entire people group from the death of Jesus, through the church age and to the end of all things
I do believe there are errors in the Bible - because people are human - and each story written was at a different time and from a different perspective
These days if you asked 5 people to document a Taylor Swift concert - you would get 5 completely different perspectives on it - and probably a few contradictions as well
Because people experience things differently
People interpret things differently
And people miss things that others do not
At the end of the day - the fact that there is so much consistency in the Bible is what does it for me
So I'm somewhere in the middle
I don't believe every single word is from God and can't possibly be wrong
But I also view the Bible as one of the most important books we'll ever come in contact with
And that amongst the contradictions and errors - there is a through line that still exists
And if we can get past all of the bickering and arguing over the details - that through line will guide us where we need to go
Okay - that was a rant to be sure - so let's keep moving...
// CHAPTER 2: PROPHECY AND PARENTING
So to be clear - the rest of this series will be based on my view of the Bible. A view that suggests we can trust the through line. That there is truth, and even predictions in there for us to find. Easter eggs. Nuggets of gold. Things God specifically inspired the Bible writers to include in their writings because they were part of that through line.
Each of these pieces would hold the book together - making it important. Following this train of thought - I also believe God intervened during the canonization process. That He inspired those in attendance to select the right books to be included in the Bible.
Now, over time that original canon has been reworked, retranslated and rewritten numerous times. Do I believe errors crept in over time because of this - 100% I do.
But if I believe God inspired the original authors, and if I believe He inspired the canonization of the Bible - I have to believe that He is protecting the through line.
That the important elements haven't changed.
And that gives me hope as we dive further and further into the prophecies of the Bible.
So let's start small.
Let's start at the beginning - with pieces we can all understand.
In Episode 3 I suggested that there are two levels of eschatological content in the Bible:
Level 1: Oral Tradition and Plain Language:
The kind of thing you would discuss around the fire at night
Normal conversations about what will happen in the future
Written stories and information that is written in plan language - making it obvious what you meant by it
Level 2: Bible Prophecy:
Apocalyptic literature
Stuff that is anything but plain and simple
Writings that are couched in symbols, similes, metaphors and even mathematical elements that have to be decoded
Not for the faint of heart
But at the same time - often explained, or decoded right in the same book!
Today - we start with the Level 1 stuff.
It's the ground floor of eschatology so to speak. Like reading the Spark Notes on the full length novel.
You get the entire thing in simple terms and a summarized format. But obviously not as complete as the entire book.
And so it is with a lot of the things we'll look at today. We'll see great statements, and pretty straightforward information about very specific things.
But it won't be the complete story.
Only the highlights. But before we discount them - maybe we should read some of them to see just how real the Bible actually gets about the End of Time.
My goal here is to show that we can learn a lot about the End of Time in plain old simple language. Long before we dive into beasts, dragons, trumpets and seals.
So let's start with a little caveat.
I know that some of the belief systems we talked about last week incorporate Old Testament passages into their beliefs about the End of Time. Passages from prophets like Ezekiel, Isaiah, Joel, etc. But this isn't something that I grew up with.
And when it came to these prophets - these were the two things I heard about them:
A lot of the prophecies delivered by these prophets were situational. In other words - they pertained the Israel of that day. Things that would happen if they chose God's way. And things that would happen if they chose the highway
These prophecies - even though they weren't about the End of Time specifically - did offer some crazy overlap and language that matches the prophecies about the End of Time
Here's just one example:
In the Book of Amos - God is having an entire conversation with the Children of Israel through Amos.
It's pretty obvious that God's people are doing their own thing and forgetting who they are - God's children.
An entire chapter (Chapter 8) is God explaining how things got so bad, and how they will continue to get worse in the future.
The chapter has many illustrations of the way things will get worse. Some might be illustrations for the Children of Israel. But I find it fascinating that these phrases are used:
v9 The sun will stop shining at Midday
v11 There will be famine in the land
v12 People will stagger from sea to sea and walk to and fro
Now this is all in one passage helping the people understand their future if they continue to walk away from their Creator.
It's localized and specific to them. But, as we'll see when we get deeper into End Time prophecies - these very words are used in other parts of the Bible to describe things at the End of Time.
Now I'm sure theologians have a term for this - as there is a term for everything these days.
But I just call it "layers" or "overlap." And it's one of the things I see in the Bible that makes me believe it's more than just some random collection of books thrown together for inspiration.
These happy coincidences exist all over the Bible - and for me - they show that God had His hand in it somehow. Like He sprinkled these little Easter Eggs throughout the book for those willing to find them and appreciate them.
For me - this is the "otherworldly" aspect of the Bible.
The elements that I just don't see human authors being able to come up with.
Yes we're intelligent beings - and we can spin a good tale. But I don't believe multiple authors living in multiple time periods would be able to pull together a book the size of the Bible and have the level of connectedness and complexity it has. The through line we've talked about. And the Easter Eggs too.
At some point it just seems like an impossible task without a little help from a Higher Power.
But I digress - back to the Bible and the plain language conversations about the End of Time.
So in the Old Testament we find a lot of prophetic passages:
Ezekiel is full of them. The vision of the dry bones. The sign of the two sticks.
In Zechariah - the visions of the horses among the Myrtle trees and the man with the measuring line
In Isaiah and Jeremiah there are multiple prophecies against the enemies of Israel
And as you read through these books you can't help but see a pattern.
Over and over again God is showing things to the prophets. Things that need to be pointed out. Corrective things. Parenting if you will.
I've come to view the prophecies of the Old Testament as parenting kids between the ages of 2 and 18.
Think about it. As parents - we set up rules and expectations in our homes. And as long as things are going well and the kids are following the rules - there is peace and safety. For the most part the family is getting along and the kids are learning and growing into the adults they will become.
But when a child goes his or her own way and decides to do what they want in direct opposition to the rules of the home - things break down.
There is now a separation between the parent and the child. Created by the child lying, manipulating, or doing something that could harm themselves or others in the family.
Let's say it's a 5y old finding matches and trying to burn things in the house. They've been instructed that matches are for adults only - and that they are dangerous - but the time has come for them to see for themself.
The 5y old lights a match and sets a small piece of paper on fire in their bedroom. Thinking they can just blow it out when they are done having fun. But it drops to the ground and now the carpet is on fire. And soon a set of curtains catches fire and before you know it the entire room is going up in flames.
Not only is the 5y old in danger - but now the entire family is in danger. And the lives of everyone in the family will be forever changed.
Or maybe it's a teenager. Sneaking out to a party at 2am. At the party there is drinking, and a new thing where kids bring Rx pills from home and throw all of them into one large container. Then the game is Russian Roulette. Kids pop 5 random pills at a time - washing them down with shots of vodka. And then everyone waits to see how killer the buzz will be.
Only the pills your teenager took were ones that don't play nice with alcohol.
After the party - he or she staggers home and goes straight to bed. But during the night the interaction between the pills and the alcohol reach a climax - which stops the heart. And it's lights out. The teenager doesn't wake up. Obviously these choices impacted their life. But also the lives of everyone in that family for a very long time.
And what was our role as parents that whole time? From 2 to 18?
To set boundaries
To teach our kids right from wrong
To warn them about the consequences of bad decisions
To help them see that some decisions can have devastating effects on your future
And to provide consequences along the way for behavior that is outside the lines
Thereby helping your kids see that there are negative consequences when you break rules
Rule that are typically in place to keep you safe
And that's what I see when I read through these books in the Old Testament.
I see God as a parent - trying to raise rebellious kids between the ages of 2 and 18.
He sees them doing things that will hurt them - so He pulls the prophet aside and provides guidance.
The prophet then has a conversation with the people and explains the error of their ways.
Sometimes the Children of Israel listened and everything went back to peace and safety in the land.
But other times they chose not to listen and they ended up going through dark, and difficult times - often under the thumb of another ruling kingdom.
So most of the passages that appear to be prophetic, or seem to be talking about the future - are just this. God working through the prophets to guide His people away from danger.
Now...there is one MASSIVE exception to this - and it lies smack dab in the middle of these prophetic books.
It's the Book of Daniel. Which we will dive into in a future episode. Daniel is packed full of information about the ruling civilizations of his day. But then, at some point the book transitions into content about the future - and even the End of Time. I've always viewed Daniel is the sister book to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament. And you could almost view them as bookends - with every important piece of prophecy in the Bible being squeezed between them.
So that's where we'll leave things in the Old Testament.
Now - back to my parenting illustration...
When our kids reach 18 what happens?
We send them off to college
They gain independents
They eventually move out and start their own families
And the entire relationship changes from "parent-child" to "parent-friend" or "parent-adult child"
But the change is obvious - because conversations are no longer, "Do this because I said so, and it will keep you safe."
Conversations are now, "Tell me about your life, and what you're doing? How are things going? And what are you learning?"
And this is my view of the New Testament:
Between the two testaments was a quiet period
Kinda like your kids being away at college
Then Jesus came to Earth, lived the perfect life and died on the cross to make a way for people to live forever
And the entire conversation changed
No longer was it the rules, regulations and strict micromanagement we saw in the OT
Now it was a relationship
Open communication
Jesus wanting to spend time with us just because
Jesus asking us how we're doing? And yes - offering advice that we can use to have a better life
But no longer the day in and day out, "Do this or else bad things will happen."
And...in my personal opinion. The NT shifts from prophecies about our immediate future - to discussions about the end of all things.
It's as if God shifted from "parent-child" relationship into the "parent-adult child" relationship in the NT.
Instead of watching our every move in the here and now - and describing the negative consequences of those actions. He is now encouraging us to think for ourselves, make good decisions on our own - and hold on - because very soon it will all be over.
The end is coming - and I can't wait for all of you to join me for eternity.
// CHAPTER 3: CONVERSATIONS WITH ADULT CHILDREN
So let's look at some of the NT passages that take on this new approach. Plain language prophecies about what's coming.
Looking at it through the lens of God, or Jesus wanting to have plain conversations with His adult children.
We don't have time to walk through every single passage. Nor would I ever be 100% sure I had them all.
But here are some of the most popular ones:
Starting with the first book in the NT:
Matthew:
I'm just going to read off a bunch in a row so you can get the flavor for what I mean by plain language conversations about the End of Time:
4:17 - From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”
7:21-23 - “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
16:24-27 - Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.
24:3-51 This is going to be a long one...
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”
4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you,
5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.
6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.
7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.
8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.
10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.
11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.
12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.
13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.
15 “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!)
16 “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.
17 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack.
18 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat.
19 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days.
20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
21 For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again.
22 In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.
23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it.
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.
25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.
26 “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it!
27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.
28 Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.
29 “Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
32 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near.
33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.
34 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.
35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day.
38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.
39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left.
41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.
42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.
43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into.
44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.
46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.
47 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.
48 But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’
49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?
50 The master will return unannounced and unexpected,
51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Okay - let's do one more from Matthew...
28:19-20 - Called the Great Commission - what Jesus left us with right before He left Earth - and promised to return...
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Now - for those of you who grew up in the church - or have some history with the Bible - you understand that the NT starts out with 4 books called The Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
All 4 tell the story of Jesus - His birth, life, death and resurrection. And so, some of the verses I just read appear in those other books. And some do not. Because each author tells the story from a slightly different perspective. And each had a slightly different experience and saw things through a slightly different filter.
So I'm not going to try and pick out all references to the End of Time in all 4 books.
Matthew had a lot of references to the End of Time - and that's what I'm really hoping you'll see.
The OT followed people, and eventually a large group of people from the beginning of time to the life of Jesus. Or the coming of the Messiah. And a lot of the prophecies in the OT either focused on the future of God's chosen people, or were pointing to the Messiah.
However, when the Messiah came the focus changed. The first book in the NT makes that pretty clear. Jesus was a deconstructionist. He tore down a lot of the religious customs that had been created over time. He lived a life of peace and tolerance. And He demonstrated what it meant to love other people. And serve their needs.
And while He did that - He kept talking about this thing coming in the future. The End of the Age. A time when everything would end and things would be made right.
Not a huge part of the OT - but here in the NT - it becomes a new theme - and a thread that is woven throughout the final 27 books of the Bible.
Do you find that strange? In a culture like ours where people live like there will always be another day - like the world will never end.
And yet the Bible many of us believe in is riddled with information about the End of Time.
It isn't a secret. It isn't hinted at. It's right there in plain language.
OK - let's do a quick walkthrough of some other passages in the NT:
Acts 1:1 - And said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Acts 17:31 - For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.
1 Corinthians 15:52-54 - “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”
Hebrews 9:28 - So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
1 Timothy 4:1 - Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 - But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
1 Peter 4:7 - The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.
2 Peter 3:3-7 - Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
2 Peter 3:10-13 - But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Revelation 3:11 - I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.
Revelation 22:20 - He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Now - that might seem like a lot already - but there's another chunk I pulled out and held to the end.
It's a bunch of passages from the books of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 - An entire section of the book dedicated to helping people understand the order of things at the End of Time:
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 - And the next section builds on that idea - and what things will be like at the End:
Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-11 - And finally - the writer goes over things one more time:
Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming. This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them.
Wow...
I know some of you might be a little uneasy right about now:
Some, because you've never heard all of these verses read back to back before
Others because this is the first time you've heard them to begin with
And still others - because you've heard them - but reading them again brings back that anxiety and fear that led you to put the Bible on the top shelf and rarely open it
And I get it. Like I said - many people choose to read the Psalms, a few Proverbs every now and then - and of course the Book of John because it's such a touching version of the life of Jesus.
But the minute you start hearing things about the End of Time - all bets are off. Let's put the book back on the shelf where it belongs.
But if you're like me - you can't help but see the pattern. That the entire NT is setting things up for a giant climax. Act 3. The final showdown - the end of the story - the final chapter - the closing scene in a movie that has you on the edge of your seat.
And that's my hope for you today...
Not to get you all nervous. Not to kick up your anxiety.
But instead to remind each of us that Jesus came to rewrite history. To make a way for us to live forever.
On this little planet - death seems like the end. Nobody wants to talk about it. Everyone pretends like it will never happen to them. People exercise and eat right to eek out another year or two if possible.
But Jesus came to fix that problem. Yes, death is still hovering at around 100% for each of us. But He made a way so it isn't the end. Death doesn't get the final word.
And that's the beauty behind the End of Time. Because that's when it all starts.
That's when death no longer wins.
The dead in Christ will rise to be with Him in the clouds.
If that isn't good news - I'm not sure what is.
Let's Land the Plane:
This week we dove into some very basic End of Time language - in plain and simple words we can all understand.
And we discussed how we can view these verses in a couple ways:
With fear and anxiety - because it sounds a little scary
With fascination and gratitude - knowing that in order for us to live forever, and for our loved ones to return to life - the End has to come
I'm so glad you chose to be here again this week. My goal is to keep us focused on the positive - the good news that the End is really the Beginning of something brand new. Something that will last forever - something so amazing we can't even imagine what it will be like.
Next week we move from plain language to the deeper stuff. But don't worry - we're starting simple - with a little history lesson from the Book of Daniel.
Have a great week friends, and until next time, keep Transcending Human!
References:
https://www.marketingteacher.com/the-six-living-generations-in-america/
https://www.pureflix.com/insider/11-powerful-bible-passages-about-the-end-times-and-jesus-return
https://www.christianity.com/bible/bible-verses-about-the-end-times-58
https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/end-times-bible-verses/
https://www.biblelyfe.com/blog/bible-verses-about-the-end-of-time