Return Of Chist

What if Christ does not Return for Another 1000 Years? Or 2000 or 10,000 years? Even to a casual reader of the New Testament, it is clear that the disciples of Jesus expected him to return soon. Every generation since has had this same expectation. Yet, nearly 2000 years later, Christ has still not returned. However, in spite of this delay, expectations of his return are near "frenzy" levels. Books, such as the "Left Behind" series have topped the New York Times Best Seller List, bringing end times eschatology into ordinary households. Christians--and nonChristians--seem to be absorbed by current events and how they fit into Biblical prophecy. Every national and international event is scrutinized for end time relevance. There is even a website dedicated to this endeavor (www.raptureready.com). According to a Time/CNN poll conducted in July, 2002, 17% of Americans believe that the end of the world will happen in their lifetime. Personally, I can attest that after I read the Late Great Planet Earth, by Hal Lindsey as a teenager, I never believed that I would see the year 2000. To an outsider, this must appear bizarre! Anticipation of Christ's return has resulted in individuals engaging in misguided, foolish and even dangerous actions. As a teenager, I considered not going to college because it would be a waste of time since Jesus was returning soon. I have met people who actually did not complete their education for that reason. People have sold possessions and headed for the hills as an attempt to preserve themselves in the coming tribulation. Many have hoarded food and water for the same purpose. The prospect of horrible times has struck fear in the heart of many. Even worse, cults such as Heaven's Gate and cult leaders like Jim Jones and David Koresh manipulate end times prophecy to deceive and control people with horrible consequences. Not all response is negative. The Christmas just prior to the turning to the year 1000 saw churches overflowing. People repented of their sins, forgave debts, gave food and clothing to the poor, and reconciled with enemies, all in anticipation of Judgment Day. Unfortunately, when Jesus failed to come at the appointed time, debts were suddenly remembered, old animosities resumed and life was soon back to less-than-holy normal (Frederick Marten, "The Story of Human Life and Doomsday") Even worse, when Christ does not return when expected the faith of many can be damaged. Prior to the communist take-over in China, the pre-tribulation rapture view was widely taught and believed by Chinese Christians. When they were not spared severe persecution, many lost their faith because they were in great tribulation. I pose that a belief in the imminent return of Christ is unhealthy, emotionally and spiritually crippling and harmful to society. The examples given above illustrate the negative imact such a view has had upon many people. Until recently, I believed that we were in the end times. Since I had no firm knowledge of when Jesus would return, I also believed in planning for the future. However, I can testify that personally, the belief that we were in the end times colored my decisions. Even though I am predominantly an optimistic person, I had a pessimistic view of the future of the world. I am a financial planner by trade. Because of this view, I did not really believe that any investment would work out well long term. It would cause me to see the thundercloud in every silver lining instead of the other way around. My worldview shaped my decisions, primarily in a negative way. This view was unhealthy and crippled my ability to make clear-headed decisions.

Society is hurt by the foolish actions of a few. Even more, it is hurt by the attitudes of many. The pervasive attitude within Evangelical Christianity is that the world is "going to hell in a hand basket." Until Jesus returns, the world will become an ever-growing evil place. There is no hope for the world, save the return of Christ. Therefore, why try? It seems to be a waste of energy to try to transform something which is inherently wicked and doomed to become even more so. The best we can hope for is to save as many souls as possible out of the fire. Therefore, it is easy for the Christian to be more heavenly minded than earthly good. To the degree that a Christian does engage in social action, it is sometimes done with the subconscious thought that they ought to be applying their efforts towards more "spiritual" or “eternal” ends, since this world is destined for destruction. James Watt, Ronald Reagan's first Secretary of the Interior told the US Congress that protecting natural resources was unimportant in light of the imminent return of Jesus Christ. In public testimony he declared, “when the last tree is felled, Christ will come back. Accordingly, there is a real danger to holding too tightly to the imminent return of Christ. The outworking of this view is detrimental to progress in human rights, social injustice and the environment. If Christians over past centuries had known that Christ would not return for a very long time, might they have behaved differently? We can say for certain they would have. No one would have sold everything and run for the hills. People would not have abandoned education, but would have pursued it. The extreme cases would not have occurred. Accordingly, the overall education level would have improved, which has a generational effect. The removal of accumulated foolishness would have a net positive gain. Furthermore, if people did not think that doom and gloom was around the corner, that the world was not teetering on the brink of God's final judgment, they might have been more inclined to do something to improve the world. Every generation has thought that they were the final generation. They could point to many signs that the end was near. Yet, so far, they were wrong. What makes us so certain that Jesus' return is any more imminent than it was 1000 years ago? Someone once said that an insane person was one who kept doing the same thing, expecting different results. Is it insane to expect Christ's return soon? How do we differ from the multitudes before us? What if we knew Jesus would not return for 50,000 more years? How would that change our thinking? How would it change our attitudes and behavior? I dare say it changes dramatically. Now, our children, grand children and great generations following us must live in this world. What kind of a world will they live in? What kind of a world do we want them to live in? Just asking this question, I can feel my motivation changing. I am beginning to feel like I want to make this world a better place. It is the only hope my progeny has. Let’s look at scriptures for a moment from a different vantage point. It is no surprise to God that the end has not yet come. God is infinitely patient. A day is as a thousand years to the Lord. For every fulfilled end-times scripture, I can point to an unfilled scripture. Here are a few pertinent ones:

“May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me.” (John 17:23). Would Jesus’ prayer for his followers go un-fulfilled? “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, [etc.]…, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13). Paul states that God has an objective of unity in faith and maturity for the Body of Christ. Have we seen this yet? “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:9). This is a prayer for God’s kingdom to come here, now in this world and that his will be done here and now. “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35) The world has yet to be convinced because of our love one for another. One can easily say that these scriptures are not specifically prophecy and to the extent that they are, they are to be fulfilled in the coming Millennium. Consider this: perhaps we have it backwards. Maybe God's plan is not to fulfill these scriptures after he returns, but before. Maybe the reason Christ has not returned yet is because we have not become what he died and rose for. Perhaps he will not come until we learn to live like Jesus lived and serve one another. Jesus came proclaiming the Kingdom of God had come. Think of how much better the world would be today if the church had worked at building the kingdom here on earth instead of waiting for it to come. Now, think about how much better off your children and children's children will be if we begin to live the kingdom here and now, instead of waiting…. Does such a view rob us of our hope? Not in the least. We still hope for a better life after death and we hope for a better life for our kids. In fact, it is a far more positive theology. It affirst that God's will is to redeem the world and that we play a vital role in that plan. But what about the verses that speak of watching and waiting expectantly for Jesus’ return? Let us take a look at a few of them. "Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matt. 24:42-44) Jesus said that we do not know what day the Lord will come on and that he will also come at a time in which we do not expect him. He will come when we will not expect him. How can we be ready when he says he will come when we are not expecting him? What does he mean by this? He clearly answers as he continues with a parable.

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth; he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 24:45-51) Jesus says that the faithful and wise servant of his is the one who feeds Jesus' other servants at the proper time. This is reminiscent of Jesus' words to Peter after the Resurrection: "Feed my sheep." Love one another, care for one another, as Jesus has said. But the wicked servant is the one who abuses others and lives an indulgent life. What makes the servant wicked is not that he believes the master to be slow in returning, but what he does. To demonstrate this, we need only look at it from a slightly different perspective. The faithful servant may have said, "My master is staying away a long time, I must be all the more diligent in caring for my brothers." One does not prepare for the return of Christ by looking for all the signs. Indeed, Jesus all but says that is fruitless because he says he will come when we do not expect him. Rather, we are ready when we are doing the Lord's work when he returns. Again, following the parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus says, "keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." (Matt. 25:13). Note that the virgins who were ready, who had the oil in their lamps were not awake when the bridegroom arrived. "The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep." (Matt. 25:5) How curious that those who were ready were actually not watching! What constituted watching in this parable was not that they were watching for the bridegroom’s arrival, but that they had oil in their lamps. I am not going to get into the theological debate of what this oil represents, but it is clear that the symbolic meaning is that they their hearts were ready. This parable is followed by the parable of the talents which Jesus says is another example of the same kind (v.14). The servants who are praised are the ones who were faithful with what God gave them, not the one who was afraid to do anything. In addressing the Thessalonians, Paul says, "Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." (I Thess. 5:1-2) If Paul did not feel compelled to write his people about when Christ would return, then why should we? He goes on to say: "But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Thess. 5:4-9).

Why will the day not overtake us by surprise? Is it because we were expecting it and knew it was at hand? No. It is because we are people of the light. Being of the light does not mean we know when Christ is returning. Rather, it is a reference to our life in Christ. He goes on to compare light to darkness. Those in the light are alert, self controlled, have faith, love, hope and salvation. He contrasts that with those who are of the night, who have dulled their senses through drunkenness and who do not have those qualities. The day will not take us by surprise because those who live in the light are always ready for the Lord's return, whenever that may be. In conclusion, I believe that at the least it is best not to expect the imminent return of Jesus for these reasons: 1. Throughout history, this perspective has a 100% wrong track record. 2. People tend to make foolish and harmful decisions, such as not completing an education, making long term plans or building a better world. 3. When expectations fail, the faith of some is damaged, especially that of new or immature Christians. 4. Failed realizations lead to a loss of confidence in Biblical accuracy. 5. Ridicule is brought upon the name and cause of Christ in the world for no good reason. From a practical level, I believe that it is better to live as if Jesus may not return for a very long time, but knowing that I may go to meet him at any time. Then, go and live the Kingdom of God here and now. Wayne McDaniel May, 2005 785-842-2097 [email protected]

Personal Postscript Prior to less than a year ago, I believed in a pre-millennial return of Jesus Christ. I was undecided upon the timing of the rapture, but leaned towards a pre-tribulation view. I then embarked upon a several month study of scripture and the various Christian views of the second coming. I found a great deal of Christian scholarship and refreshing perspectives of scripture. As a result, my views were dramatically changed. I became convinced of at least a partial-preterist perspective and lean towards a post-millennial return of Christ. More importantly, regardless of how and when he comes, I decided that I would live my life as if he was not going to return in my generation. Instead, I will endeavor to have a positive Christian worldview and work bring about his Kingdom here on earth, as our Lord instructed us.

Suggested Reading

. The Last Days According to Jesus, by R.C. Sproul (Baker Books, 256 pages). This book will be a real eye-opener to many Evangelicals. Sproul is a respected Evangelical teacher. When it comes to End Times Prophecy, Sproul does not get caught up in current events or populist views. Unlike end times books, Sproul address the critics who point out that Jesus and his disciples apparently expected his eminent return. I recommend this book as an introduction to the topic, because Sproul will challenge your current beliefs. A Basic Guide to Eschatology: Making Sense of the Millennium, by Millard J. Erickson (Baker Academic, 199 pages). This is an excellent book if you wish to get an overview of various Eschatological views on the Millennium and return of Christ. For each of the major views (except the preterist) he presents a brief summary, history, the basic argument for the position and its advantages and disadvantages. He presents each position from such a balanced perspective that one does not even know what his own view is until the very end. Postmillennialism: An Eschatology of Hope, by Keith A. Mathison (P&R Press, 287 pages). This book presents a compelling case for Post-Millennialism. Mathison does a survey of End Times Prophecy from Genesis through Revelation as well as a history of the church's view on the subject. Mathison provides solid Biblical exegesis for his assertion of a post-millennial return of Christ. He deals also with difficult passages and objections. If someone wants to understand post-Millennialism, this book is an outstanding resource. Last Days Madness: Obsession of the Modern Church, By Gary DeMar. (American Vision, 455 pages). One editorial review called this “the most thoroughly documented and comprehensive study of Bible prophecy ever written!” DeMar explores all the hot end-times themes, including the rapture, the great tribulation, the nation of Israel, the "seventy weeks" of Daniel, the antichrist, the dragon, the beast, the mark of the beast, the man of lawlessness, mystery Babylon, the battle of Armageddon, and the "day of the Lord." This is the book to get if you want to see the other side of “Left Behind.”