IN FAITH
Reflections on the “End” Times
Pastor Chris Madison-First United Methodist Church, Wabash, Indiana
5) “And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6) “As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 7) And they asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?” 8) And he said, “Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, “I am he and the time is at hand! Do not go after them. 9) And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”
10) Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11) There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12) But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake.
13) This will be a time for you to bear testimony. 14) Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer; 15) for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16) You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death; 17) You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. 18) But not a hair of your head will perish.
19) By your endurance you will gain your lives. 20) But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21) Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it; 22) for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.
23) Alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! For great distress shall be upon the earth and wrath upon this people; 24) they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
25) “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth, distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26) men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27) And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28) Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
29) And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees; 30) as soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31) So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32) Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all has taken place. 33) Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Luke 21:5-33 Revised Standard Version
Why write an article on “the end times?”
As we all know, the tensions in the Middle East have escalated, though the warfare between Hezbollah and Israel, has died down to intermittent skirmishes. American troops are still in the Middle East. Some of our former European allies have become less than friendly toward us. We’ve all noted terrible natural disasters, earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis. The world economy is going through a big adjustment. Americans are living in a “service” economy, which provides much less of the income and benefits than our former manufacturing based economy did. And evil seems to be more “up front” these days.
And what we must do is simply ask three questions:
1. Does God exist?
2. Does God have a plan for history?
3. What should Christians do until Christ returns and God’s kingdom comes in fullness?
The Bible answers the first question with a resounding “YES.”
And if one look at the complexity of the universe and nature, there is no way it was an “accident.” It was planned, engineered, created, and lovingly constructed.
The second question is harder to determine, unless one reads the Bible.
When Christians speak of “the end,” we mean that God has a goal. God’s goal is that His kingdom come in fullness, and that peace (shalom) and justice, mercy, and righteousness exist. Right now, we only see bits and pieces of these things. We believe that ultimately only God can bring the Kingdom.We can have a part in it, though. And we can live as citizens of the Kingdom, now. That’s where faith comes in. And that is where action comes in. Loving God, and loving neighbor are at the heart of this. This includes enemies. (See Matthew 5:43-48 or Luke 6:32-36).
The lesson at the beginning of this piece is from what is called “the little Apocalypse” in Luke’s gospel. There are variations on it in Matthew and Mark. Jesus spoke of a day when Jerusalem would be surrounded by armies, and the “end” would come. The temple would be destroyed (which in fact did happen in 70 A.D.). The Romans destroyed it, and left only the western wall, now called “the wailing wall.” But, God’s kingdom or rule has not yet come in fullness. And Christians of different denominations have different viewpoints on “the end” and how it will play out. We hold one belief in common, to quote the United Methodist worship service of Holy Communion:
“Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again.”
Some denominations build their beliefs almost entirely around the “end” times. Their preaching reflects this every week. Others of us tend to look at the whole gospel. But, one thing we understand together: This world is God’s. Even though our enemy, Satan, has infiltrated it, and is presently at work in terrible ways, God will never let go of God’s creation or of you and me, dear reader. That’s how much God loves us.
Where things become personal is if we lose jobs. Or if marriages disintegrate. Or if persons die. Or if our health breaks. Or if we experience financial set-backs. Then, we wonder, “Where is God? And what is God doing? And how does my faith matter under these circumstances?”
Those questions are usually in the very forefront of the things, which matter to us. No one can truly understand how the “end times” will play out, and when, Jesus, Himself, said so. (See Acts 1:7, Matthew 24:36-39).
Many pastors and Bible teachers have tried to work out timelines for “the end” but have failed so far. All speculations on the date of Christ’s return have not happened at the time when expected.
What should we do until He returns? Be faithful. Believe in God and Christ. Join with other Christians in treating others as Jesus would have us do. Let God be God. Let us be faithful.
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