Jesus is Coming, by Lee Short

Jesus is coming soon. The return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has always sparked excitement and passion in my spirit. I remember as an eleven year old boy sitting on a wooden pew listening to the Pastor tell us to keep looking up(Luke 21:28). He would say keep an eye on the eastern sky, because Jesus, is going to split it wide open (Matthew 24:27) and in a moment, in the twinkling of the eye we will be translated to be like Him (I Corinthians 15:52). When I was a teenager, I had shoulder length hair and drove a dark green, 68 Ford Custom and on the rear chrome bumper was a purple bumper sticker that shouted JESUS IS COMING SOON!

Yes. Yes. Yes. Jesus is our hope of glory (I Colossians 1:27). The dead in Christ will rise and we who are living will be caught up and meet Him in the air. (I Thessalonians 4:16) I soundly believe that Jesus is coming back LITERALLY, VISIBLY AND BODILY.  When it comes to having that same bedrock assurance and conviction on any singular theological position in Biblical Eschatology, I must say, it was much simpler back in the day, before I was exposed to more than one position. From my personal devotions and bible study, I began to question the party line and I realized that when you compare scripture to scripture there are a multiple possibilities of how it could all “pan out”.

Bishop N.T. Wright, respected translator and author, recommends: “In order to interpret any passage, particularly any passage of apocalyptic, the way of wisdom is to go through it one step at a time, deciding what is literal and what is metaphorical on the way.” (Wright, 1999)We get lost in the eschatological metaphors and cannot see the forest for the trees.  I take it to heart that we are to keep our eyes fixed on the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) and trust that He can keep us until that day (2 Timothy 1:12) .  I believe that it is biblical wisdom that we are not to be presumptuous, rigid or intolerant of possible biblical outcomes of future events or the end of the world as we know it.  If we do not heed this caution, we could become as disillusioned as the northern and southern tribes of Israel were when future events did not unfold according to their eschatological beliefs and expectations (Micah 1:1-16)

When one surveys vast portions of scripture as I do by playing them on continuous repeat all night long, waking up to the scriptures, one begins to hear patterns of eschatological passages scattered throughout the scriptures. I wonder if I am not leaning toward an Omni eschatological approach toward processing scripture, seeing the mention of last things over and over again as key in understanding Biblical revelation and central in living the Christian life (Erickson p. 119). The “study of the last things” is found all throughout the Old and New Testament.

Theologians, philosophers, authors and artists have searched the scriptures and have tried to process what lies ahead for mankind. Men of Letters and those led by their heart have tried in their own way whether by pen, pallet or prose, to articulate and capture the final outcome of man’s destiny. Men have wrestled with mysteries and tried to systematize their beliefs. They have mined for hidden treasures from Genesis to the Apocalypse, from the Prophets to the Psalms, from the writings of the Apostles to the eschatological parables of Jesus. The Jig Saw Puzzle and it’s many pieces which make up the major events in Christian eschatology and it’s individual subject matter deal with the topics of Death and the Grave (I Corinthians 15:55-57), the Afterlife (Luke 16:19-31), the Resurrection of the Dead (1 Corinthians 15:12-18), Heaven (II Corinthians 12:1-9) and Hell (II Peter 2:4), the Rapture (I Thessalonians 4:17) , the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21, Rev. 7:14), the Second Coming of Christ (Matt. 24:23-31), the Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 20:1-6), the Battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:12-16), the Last Judgments(I Cor. 11:30-32; Rom.14:10; Matt.25:31-46;Ezek. 20:33-44; I Cor. 6:3; Rev. 20:11-15), Recompense of the Righteous(Luke 19:7), the New Heaven and the New Earth (Rev. 21:1), etc.

The name for a Jig Saw Puzzle in Spanish is “Rompe Cabezas” which means “head breaker.” When we try to put all the pieces of the eschatological puzzle together it becomes very difficult to sort out what is the Spirit saying, what is to be taken literally and what was metaphorically stated for effect so that the Spirit is captured and the point is driven home.  At this point, I will note that the Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled in the first coming of Christ were literal. With this precedence in mind, how could we embrace a system of interpretation that spiritualizes every prophetic passage concerning Christ’s second return? If we are on a lifelong quest for the truth and are rightly dividing the word of God according to proper hermeneutical principles as the Spirit leads, we are not afraid to question and search the scriptures as the noble Berean’s did. Therefore it is not my purpose to take a dogmatic stance on any particular position but rather to continue my study with an open mind seeking the truth as revealed in scripture.

The teachings of the early church fathers known as the Didache, written approximately 100 AD were condensed from scripture in an attempt to link together the key events that make up the eschatological puzzle:

"Watch for your life's sake. Let not your lamps be quenched, nor your loins unloosed; but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour in which our Lord cometh. When lawlessness increaseth, they shall hate and betray and persecute one another, and then shall appear the "World-deceiver" as Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands, and he shall do iniquitous things which have never yet come to pass since the beginning. Then shall the creation of men come into the fire of trial, and many shall be made to stumble and shall perish; but they that endure in their faith shall be saved from under the curse itself. And then shall appear the sign of the truth; (a) first, the sign of an opening in heaven, the outspreading of heaven; (b) then the sign of the sound of the trumpet; and the (c) third, and resurrection of the dead, yet not of all, but as it is said: The Lord shall come and all His saints with Him. Then shall the world see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven."(Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. VII, 382)

Jesus said he is coming quickly and admonishes us to heed the prophecies in the book of Revelation because it will bless the reader. “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.” Revelations 22:7 (NIV)   The book of Revelation is the primary book of interest in cracking the “Biblical eschatology code”.  Many believe that this book contains the keys that are necessary to unlock the mysteries of the future. There are several schools of thought that have sprung up over the millennium and as recent as the last hundred plus years.  Each method in their particular approach makes certain presuppositions about how the book was meant to be understood and thus lays down ground rules in how to interpret the book.  We will briefly survey five different schools of thought concerning the interpretation of this book.

PRETERIST: This name comes from the Latin word Praeter which means “past fulfillment.” The liberal persuasion teaches that the prophecies were fulfilled in the first century.   The right wing branch teaches that except for the final judgment, most all of the prophecies in the book of the Revelator were fulfilled at the time it was written or in the past. They purport that the persecutions of the early church came from Judaism to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD others claim that it occurred during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian who reigned between AD 81 and early AD 96.   

THE HISTORICIST METHOD: This view has sprung up out of Reformation Theology and takes the position that the rich symbolism found in Revelation gives the unfolding of the History of the church. According to the teachings of John Wycliffe and Martin Luther the book of Revelations is a vivid detailed collage of events portraying the apostasy of the Roman Catholic Church and the events unfolding in Europe. This view does not address the events of the first century persecution of the Church and seems to only limit the possible outcome in light of their own historic persecution.  They take a chronological approach asserting that the images of trumpets, seals and bowls are judgments that have or will occur throughout the march of history. (Richards, 1982) There are still many today that carry on this same Reformation perspective and rule out that Mystery Babylon could refer to any other religious entity other than that of Rome. They are very detailed in their interpretation of allegorical symbolism and they avoid extreme literalism.

THE FUTURIST METHOD: They intrepid the events of Revelation 4 through 16 to be futuristic and relate to the end of the age. (Richards, 1982) This method also does not take in consideration the events surrounding the first century church nor the present age. Since things are taken very literal Futurist’s do not leave room for metaphoric interpretations within the poetic genre in which the book was written. They teach that the church will be raptured but they vary on whether it will occur before, during or after the Great Tribulation period taught by Jesus in Matthew 24-26. They claim that their position alone keeps people enthusiastic about the Lord’s second coming and engaged in evangelism. The majority of those following this systematic method are millenarians, dispensationalists, and literalists.

THE IDEALISTIC METHOD: This method has a positive overcoming message for all believers of every age. It does not connect the book of Revelation to any specific event in history; but rather it is a position that interprets the book of Revelation as a parable, being the proverbial struggle, between the forces of good and evil.  The criticisms of this position are that it is weak and too vague. It does not tie down any specific prophecy to any past historic or future event.  It does recognize the hand of God though out history. The goal of history is the complete and utter triumph of Christ the king over evil and all the affairs of man.

 HISTORICAL-BACKGROUND METHOD: This position echoes the Preterist’s viewpoint, namely that John was writing to encourage the first century believers. They hold that the book was written in highly symbolic language and it must be interpreted with that in mind. Therefore one should not try to look for meaning in elaborate details but rather stay grounded in the main themes of the book. The reason the messages were communicated in an apocalyptic style was to conceal it’s meaning from the hostile powers at large. Also this genre lends itself to express the inexpressible, capture the imagination while making an impact upon the reader. 

 Now that we have briefly surveyed the Methods of Interpretation of the book of Revelation we are going to give our attention to a key point of interest among many modern day believers; the subject of the Millennium. The majority of Christians who have formulated a position on Jesus’ second coming and man’s final outcome have embraced a position which has been taught to them from the pulpit or has been popularized by science fiction theology books and movies. Baby boomer Christians have cut their teeth on “The Late Great Planet Earth” by Hal Lindsey and “The Left Behind Series” by Tim LaHaye.  Millennialism by definition is the “Belief in a substantial period of divine rule on earth. In the most literal form of millennialism, this period is taken to be exactly one thousand years.” (Erickson, 1994, p. 105)  The doctrine of the Millennium is derived from a passage in Revelation 20:1-10 in which John the revelator six times uses the Greek word ‘chillioi’ meaning, ‘a thousand’ years (W.E. Vine, 1985, p. 630) when translated into English the use of the Latin derivative  was used giving us the word Millennia.

 Revelation 20, describes how Satan is bound and chained then cast into the abyss for a thousand years. Due to the absence of the influence of resident evil a vacuum is created which ushers in a golden age of unparalleled peace and prosperity. During this thousand year period the Christian martyrs that gave their lives refusing to worship the beast are resurrected and they rule and reign with Christ on earth. The Old Testament prophets foretold of this era and the material blessings upon the children of God. This concept of a Utopia period of prosperity and societal peace has been taught throughout the history of the world by both Judeo-Christians and non-Christian cultures, envisioned and longed for by their philosophers, prophets and teachers (Elwell, p. 770).

 There are three major forms of Millennialism, Post-Millennialism, A-Millennialism, and Pre-millennialism. Post-Millennialism is: “The eschatological approach which believes that Christ will return following the thousand-year reign. This means that he will reign without being physically present.”(Erickson p. 131), A- Millennialism is: “The view that there will be no period of earthly reign of Christ either before or after his second coming.”(Erickson p.11) and Pre- Millennialism in a thumbnail description is as following, “The belief that Christ will return and then set up a period of his earthly reign for one thousand years. There are some pre-millennial that hold that this period need not be exactly one thousand calendar years.” (Erickson, 1994, p. 132) . There are many variations of Millennialism, each stream has its own Baskin Robbins assortment of varieties and flavors.  In my research I found a very interesting note by Dr. Merrill F. Unger, one of the most brilliant theologians of our day that cuts across the grain held by the current day majority of millenarians who hold to a literal one thousand year reign.  In his analysis of the word he stated that it would be “more accurate to employ the term ‘Kingdom,’ which has far-reaching roots in the O.T., rather than a term signifying merely a time during which the Kingdom continues.”(Unger, p. 731)

 Pre-millennialism has sprouted three main branches. The relationship between the sequence of events concerning the Great Tribulation and the Rapture are the two pivotal events which the pre- millenarians use to define their brand. Thus the three main positions are fitly entitled Pre-tribulation Rapture, Mid-tribulation Rapture and Post-tribulation Rapture thus defining when each of the respective schools of thought believe that the rapture will occur in relationship to the Great tribulation. The overwhelming majority of Fundamentalists and other Christian evangelicals embrace the Pre-Millennial, Pre-tribulation rapture position.

 For myself there is a bigger picture that we should be focusing on rather than trying to piece together an apocalyptic chart crammed packed with all kinds of horrifying gory details. We should take to heart that everything as we know it today will be radically changed when the King returns. The King will bring heaven to earth. There is going to be a total “make over” of everything as we now know it, a complete creation restoration, the Celestial City and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord.

 My wife and I were with our youngest daughter in the hospital while she was giving birth to our grandson. There is something about the birth experience that is hard to put into words. It is a sacred moment and I was having an epiphany. It hit me so hard that I couldn’t help myself.  I blurted out, “so this is what it is going to be like when Jesus returns”.  I began to paraphrase the scriptures making reference to Romans 8:22, Matthew 24:8 and I Thessalonians 5:3.  It shook me.  It became so vivid and resonated deeply in my spirit. There is going to be a major transformation.  Prior to Christ’s return there will be great duress unlike this world has ever known, just like a woman in hard labor; then suddenly He returns.  Just like the womb restricts the unborn infant, the world as we know it exists in a natural state that is restricted and bound by natural laws.

The unborn child is secure in the womb, wrapped in a veil floating inside the embryonic fluid sustained by an umbilical cord in which he receives his sustenance and oxygen. In the womb the little one can sense light and sound from beyond. Then the moment arrives! The contractions and birth pains begin. Hard labor forces the unborn infant out from the womb and into the world. At that moment the baby comes out kicking and swinging with screams bursting out like the blast of a trumpet. His lungs fill full of air and the cord is cut.  In other words, there will be a “Born Again World.” The heavens, the spiritual realm where the throne of God resides, where God’s reign presides, and the earth, the realm of men ,will morph together and will be transformed into a New Heavens and a New Earth, because the King, who died for us, rose from the dead and makes all things new!

IN CONCLUSION: YES soon and very soon we are going to see the King! King Jesus is coming back. Rather than settling in on a rigid systematized eschatology that either tries to ‘spiritualize’ all the prophecies of Revelation and takes nothing literal nor a position that states that the Apocalypse only had meaning to the first century and cannot then have a double fulfillment, a type of  fore shadowing of a future event nor being locked into a school of thought that takes everything so literal and detailed to the nth degree that there is no other possible outcome nor an allegorical interpretation which is so focused in on the tribulation of a past day that there is no other possible scenario nor do I embrace a position that believes that the church is going to transform this old world and things are going to keep getting better and better until Christ returns. I think it is very important to develop a comprehensive knowledge of how different theologians have attempted to sort it all out. Most all the positions of orthodoxy have some degree of merit. Each position comes at eschatology from a different perspective.  Therefore from my perspective I want to glean, keep it simple, stay fresh and have a practical approach.

 There is much debate over which chapters of Revelation are to be interpreted as historical narrative and which passages are to be interpreted as apocalyptic literature. Historical narrative is to be taken literally and apocalyptic literature may be interpreted literally or symbolically and one may not know until after the fact how the apocalyptic literature should have been interpreted. Hind sight is always clearer. Therefore we must stay open minded to see how things will unfold.  Yet even this statement is a presumption that the book of Revelation will take place during my watch, this side of eternity. I must say that I do like the simplistic condensed version of the early church fathers known as the Didache found earlier in this paper. In my opinion it attempts to encourage believers to have a spirit of expectancy and it links together a road map of what lies ahead.

 The scripture encourages us like a concerned parent admonishing us over and over again with eschatological warnings that something eminent is about to occur, telling us how we need to behave in the present so that we can prepare for the future (2Peter 1:12-15).  Because the end is near we should live being ready to give a final account for our actions.  The scripture in other words is saying that we should live with the end in mind. Therefore it is more important that we are living a godly, wholesome, holy life in preparation to meet our Lord face to face (II Peter 3: 11-14) than to adhere to a one size fits all eschatology. It is more important to trust Him to take care of us than it is to cave into fear concerning the future.  It is more important that we do not hate our brother, working together for the furtherance of the gospel than it is to be worrying about getting all of our eschatological details exactly right and fighting about our position with others that take a different view from our own. It is more important to have our lives transformed than to ride a theological hobby horse.  Jesus himself said he is coming soon, “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. (Revelations 22:12) so be ready and be working and don’t worry about all the details!

Works Cited

Elwell, W. A. (2001). Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (second edition ed.). (W. A. Elwell, Ed.) Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Erickson, M. J. (1994). Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House.

Richards, L. O. (1982). The Word Bible Handbook. Waco, Texas : Word Books.

Unger, M. F. (1957). Unger's Bible Dictionary. Chicago: Moody Press.

W.E. Vine, M. F. (1985). Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words . Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Wright, N. (1999). Apocalypse Now? In The Millennium Myth (pp. 20-45). Louisville: Westminister; London.

Catalyst

Lee and I will celebrate 36 years of marriage soon. Sometimes it feels like we've only just begun, like it's only been 5 minutes. Sometimes, ( in the words of Neyda, my Mexican friend) it's like 5 minutes...under water. Such is life. Bitter is mixed with sweet, pain mingled with joy. It's worth the battle. It makes us better.

We sharpen one another like the proverb says, and together we are stronger. In the best of times we draw on one another's strengths. In the worst of times, we cover one another's weakness. God forges from the two a unit that He wields in battle and in His harvest. We complete one another and at the same time challenge one another to be the best in our uniqueness that we can be. As I remember the girl I was, I am amazed at the woman I have become. I know this man that God gave me has been the catalyst in God's process that has brought me here.

Happy anniversary Lee.

I AM

There is no way to fully define Him. It cannot be done. He is the undefinable Who came before all knowing. We want to call Him by name, but there is no other god from which to diferenciate Him. There is no other God. He is. He said, "I AM."

We call Him by those things He does for us - Savior, Creator, Provider... each name only a small part of who He is. He is deeper than our ocean, as impenetrable as the blackness of space. In all eternity we will never reach the end of Him, nor ever fully know His capacity for love and mercy.

When this life drops away we will stand before Him, some naked and ashamed because they failed to realize who He was.  He is the great I AM who was and ever will be, and yet...

We don't see Him. We fail to see Him. We take Him for granted as if we deserve his forgiveness, as if we were the center of the universe. We live our lives as if we are gods. I do it every day. I focus so intently on myself and my ideas, on my projects and my loved ones. I forget about Him.
Do you?

Lift up Your Eyes

People are treacherous. Sometimes they mean to hurt you, sometimes they don't. How do we make it through? We hold onto something higher. We cling to a fixed point in eternity that does not move. We anchor ourselves in God.

Have you noticed when you focus on your trouble; wallow in the pain, it only seems to get worse? Our feet become trapped. The mud and mire seems to multiply; up to our calves, reaching our knees, until we are immobilized.

Lift up your eyes and dwell on Him, who is in all ways refreshing and new. Think about the beauty that is His. Dwell on His goodness and grace. You will feel His mercy dripping down - first running down your head like a warm summer rain; running into your eyes, washing out your tears, cleansing your mouth as you open up to receive His sweetness.  As it courses down your body it carries away the dust and dirt you've collected on your journey, rinsing clean your hands, your arms, your legs and your feet, until you find you are free. Such is the miracle of our Great and mighty God. Let's think on Him. Lift up your eyes...

Sunrise

I love to sit in the chair in my living room and watch the shadows brighten and glow with the early rising sun. As they turn rosy, the mountains appear, and the chickens call out their greeting. The light plays against the soft clouds, and you hear the stirring sounds of people rising and animals beginning their day. What promise will we see fulfilled? How will the journey twist and then turn today? Who will come into our circle of influence to be touched or even changed by Gods great love? I sometimes despair at the tangle their lives get into. Only the One Great designer-creator can see through the tangle to unwind the strands of their experience and make something beautiful.  Help us today God. Help me today to be  better, to be what You made me to be.

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Destiny and the Come Back Kids

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