Any time you start to discuss the end times things get weird fast. Mention the end times at church, work or with your family and you will get flooded with all kinds of theories. You will hear words like tribulation, rapture and prophecy. You might also hear thoughts on the antichrist, blood red moons, the State of Israel, microchips and secretive government programs. In all honesty, discussions about the end times can be exhausting, confusing and overwhelming.
Yet one of the things that I've noticed in having conversations about the end times is that it tends to be governed by our questions. The questions that we bring to the discussion usually dictate the conversations that we have. This is especially true when we bring our questions about the end times to the Bible and demand an answer. Those questions create a kind of lens or point of view that the Bible might not even be interested in answering.
The types of questions that typically swirl around about the end times take the gift of scripture and turn it into an absolutely crazy confusing mess. As a kid that grew up going to church, I heard more than once that there is going to be a Great Tribulation, which those whom Jesus recognizes as his own will not have to endure. God will remove the elect (and or truly faithful Christians) from earth by means of the rapture before judging the earth. Then Israel will be restored as God’s primary instrument in history, the wicked will be destroyed in the final battle of Armageddon, and Christ will begin a 1,000-year reign on earth. Once all of that happens the earth is destroyed, and all the saved folks hang out with God in heaven. What if all of this kind of thinking about the end times is built on asking all the wrong questions? (For more details see this post.)
What if our lens about the end times is out of focus compared to what the Bible wants to talk about? Are the questions that we are asking matching the questions that the Bible is asking? I will tell you that often the questions we bring to scripture are not the questions that scripture is trying to answer. It takes a mental shift to grasp that in the Bible the end times are more about the present moment and not about future events.
Let’s take a look at three texts from the Bible.
Matthew 24 and 25.
Let’s begin at Matthew 24:36 which says, “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. In verse 36 Jesus just kind of dispels all mystery. All those questions that we have of when will the end come or when is Jesus’ second coming going to happen, Jesus clearly states that only the father knows.
Whenever Jesus says something so bluntly and blatantly, kind of like love your enemies, maybe we should obey it! Jesus, in black and white, tells us no one has a clue when the second coming is going to happen. Nobody knows. No prophecy group or prophet knows. Not your family member. Not your church preacher. No author or TV preacher/personality knows. No news outlet. Only the Father knows. Not even Jesus knows (which is a whole other subject). Why would anyone even dare to state that they do know. Is there any human that knows something that Jesus himself does not? But that doesn't sell books and get folks to show up to conferences with well-paid speakers. Nobody knows what the future holds. There is no special combination of events that anyone can foretell.
Matthew then tells us four successive parables and each of the parables has the same message. No one stinking knows so always be ready. No one has a clue when God is going come and set things right so make sure you are ready. Because whenever it does happen it will be unexpected. Nobody will see it coming. Matthew 24:42 says that “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” Then skip down to verse 46 which states, “it will be good for that servant whose Master finds him doing good when he returns.” So no one knows and make sure you are ready.
The first parable is in Matthew 24:47-51 and it's the parable of the wicked servant. In the parable a master leaves town and leaves one of his servants in charge. The servant in charge goes on a power trip and starts to maliciously beat his fellow servants. All of the sudden the master returns from his trip. The master is not pleased with how the servant he left in charge behaved. The master deals harshly with that wicked servant. No one knows the day or hour so always be stinking ready.
The second parable comes to us in Matthew 25:1-13. It is the parable of the ten virgins. The parable goes that there are 10 virgins waiting for the bridegroom to arrive at a wedding celebration. They end up waiting a long time. They have been waiting all day long and the sun has gone down. It starts to get dark. Luckly, they have lamps that they can light to dispel the darkness. Five of them have brought enough oil to keep their lamp lit. The other five didn't have enough oil.
The five with enough oil are called wise and the five without are called foolish. The five foolish ones make the choice to leave their post and go get more oil for their lamps. While they are gone the bridegroom arrives for the wedding celebration. He invites the five wise women to the wedding celebration. When the foolish women return, they find that they have been locked out of the wedding celebration. Point being don’t miss the party that is happening. No one knows so be stinking ready.
The third parable is the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. In this parable a master gives various gifts to his servants before going away for a while. The master gives one servant five talents, another servant gets two talents, and one servant gets one talent. The master tells the servants that he is going away for a while and expects that while he is gone the servants are to use their talent(s) to their full potential.
Each of the servants responds differently after the master leaves. When the master unexpectedly returns, he inquiries about what each servant did with the talent(s) given to them. He finds that two of the three servants have taken their talents and increased what was given to them. The third servant states in Matthew 25:24-25 that, “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ The master responds in verse 26 with “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?" The servant didn’t do what was asked of him. The point is . . . be ready. No one knows when the master will return so be ready.
Matthew 25:31-46 is the fourth parable. This parable continues the same theme as the first three parables. It is the parable of the sheep and the goats. This one is probably familiar to you. Matthew 25:31-33 tells us that “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left."
When the Son of Man returns, he will separate the Nations into sheep and goats or into the faithful and the unfaithful. In verses 35-36 notice that we are given a list of evidence for being faithful . . . “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
Matthew chapters 24 and 25 are talking about the second coming but it is not answering the questions that we typically ask of the texts. When is Jesus coming back? It says very clearly no one knows. Instead of being obsessed with what is going to happen in the future the parables want you to focus on what you are doing right now. Are you ready? What are you doing to get ready? What if the master unexpectedly showed up today? A lot of the times when we talk about the end times we are obsessed about the future. But the Bible, when it speaks of the end times, is focused on how we are living in the present.
Revelation chapters 20 and 22 are no different except this time instead of the second coming we are focused on heaven. Revelation 21:1-4 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
We are told in his passage that heaven comes down to earth. God's dwelling place (heaven)1 is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. Further God will set things right. For the Jewish people the sea was a metaphor for things chaotic. One minute the sea was calm and the next there was a storm. When we are told there is no more sea it does not mean no more water or that all the seas dry up. It is a way of saying no more random acts of violence. Earth has been renewed and restored. How many of us long in our hearts for things to be right. No more injustice. No more cancer. No more tearful funeral services. God has set things right. The way things are in heaven are now the way things are on earth.
In Revelation 22:2 we are told about a river and on either side of the river stands the Tree of Life. The tree of life is a reference back to Genesis 2 and 3. We are back in Eden. We are back in communion with God. We are in heaven but here is something interesting. Revelation 20:12 says, And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
While Revelation 20-22 is about heaven coming down to earth it is focused on the present. Just like Matthew 24 and 25. The overarching message of Revelation 20-22 is that the renewal of all things is coming. Nobody knows when that is going to happen so be ready. The focus is not on waiting around for particular special moments in the future to occur. The attention is on the present which is typical of the New Testament.
When it comes to end times texts it is always in the context of ethics. What does it mean to live a good life and are you living that now? We may not know when he is coming but be ready. How are we ready? By paying attention to how we are living now.
2 Peter chapter 3 drives this same message home in a very clear way. 2 Peter chapter 3 is talking to a group of Christians. These Christians find themselves coming into contact with various waves of scoffers and false teachers. These scoffers are making fun of them. These scoffers want to know when the supposed return of Jesus is going to happen. 2 Peter 3:3-4 “Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
When is the second coming going occur? The scoffers imply that maybe God has forgot about them. They say just look around. Everything is just like it always has been. Nothing has changed at all. Maybe God has forgotten about you all.
Peter, seeking to encourage his fellow brothers and sisters, writes in 2 Peter 3:8-13 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. 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. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
This is some intense imagery and there is a lot to consider here. A lot of folks get hung up on the 1,000 years part (which is not meant to be taken literally) and the fire part (which is not about the earth being destroyed). In context text Peter is saying nobody knows when God is coming back. It could be a long time or short. Who knows. And just like fire purifies metal God will one day renew the earth. The new heaven and earth are coming; we just don’t know when.
Peter asks in the context of end times what kind of people ought you to be? Peter says in 2 Peter 3:14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. This is not a comment to everyone. Peter is speaking to followers of Jesus. You don't know when the renewal of all things will come so be ready. Get your house in order so to speak.
Do our questions about the end times match the questions that the Bible is asking about the end times? It seems that most of the time when it comes to end times, we are asking the wrong questions which means we are getting wrong answers. We are asking questions about when will the world end? Or when will Jesus come back? Or are we living in the last days? Or what will heaven look like and be like?
When scripture talks about the end times, it is not obsessing over questions that cannot be answered. Scripture is way more focused on the here and now. Matthew 6:9-13 is often called the Lord's Prayer. Maybe you have heard it before. It goes like this “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
When it comes to end times, we're asking questions trying to crack the code of what is heaven and when will Heaven. What Jesus wants to tell his followers is that they are to be living like heaven has already arrived on earth. We are to be living lives, in whatever situation we find ourselves, that are about living out heaven on earth. What actions might you take in your family, with your place of work, how you vote, how you spend your money, how you treat your neighbor if you were seeking to live the will of heaven on earth? Embrace this question and the end times discussion become a lot less crazy and confusing.
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