“On April 3rd, 1843 there were scores of believers in the Northeast who were awaiting the end of the world. They all followed a New York evangelist named William Miller. They were called “Millerites.” Journalists had a field day. Reportedly some disciples were on mountaintops, hoping for a head start to heaven. Others were in graveyards, planning to ascend in union with their departed loved ones. Some high society ladies clustered together outside town to avoid entering God's holy kingdom amid the common herd. When April 4th dawned as usual, the Millerites were disillusioned, but they took heart. Their leader had predicted a range of dates for the end -- dates that have also come and gone” (Today in the Word).
Since then, many others have claimed that they knew the day when the world was coming to an end. Of course, those days have come and gone, too. What do we make of all of this?
A Controversial Subject
Of all the themes of our faith, what the Bible says about the end of the world ranks as one of the most controversial subjects. Not surprisingly, its controversial nature has also caused it to be one of the more popular subjects of our faith. Go into any Christian book store and you will see a plethora of books on the subject. These books contain as many opinions about it as there are books written about it. Turn on the TV, and you will see preacher personalities touting their latest opinion about the end of the world. Some have elaborate maps and timelines and seem to be obsessed with the subject. We still have religious leaders who try to predict the very day that the world will end. The day comes and goes and many well intended people are simply left with lighter wallets and purses because they bought the books about these predictions. The obvious conclusion is that what the Bible says about the end of the world is misinterpreted and misunderstood.
Before we can come to a right understanding and perspective of this profound subject, we need to be formally introduced to it. I am going to throw you a big word. The word is eschatology. The word comes from the Greek word, esckatos, which means “last.” Eschatology is the study of “last things.” Eschatology is the study of what the Bible says about final events and God’s ultimate purposes for us and the world. You could also say that eschatology is the study of the destiny and conclusion of all the things that God has created, according to the purposes of God. Put simply, eschatology is about how God has designed the world as we know it to be transformed.
God Is Going Somewhere
The study of eschatology is very important to our faith. Christians believe that God is working towards an end. We have a linear faith. God is working his purposes out so that the world as we know it with all of its sin, evil, and injustice will end, and the peaceful world he has intended will begin. This is what we mean when we sing the old hymn, “Marching to Zion.” “We are marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion. We are marching to Zion, the beautiful city of God.” This hunger and eagerness for this world to end and God’s world to begin is expressed powerfully in Romans 8:19-25:
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
God is transforming us and the world to become what he has wanted from the very beginning: a world in complete obedience to him. Another way we refer to this is the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is where God reigns supreme. At this moment in time, God’s Kingdom both is and is not yet. We see bright glimpses of it, but it is not yet complete. Paul’s words above express our deep yearning for God’s Kingdom to come and reign in all of its fullness.
Are We Left Behind?
Since most Christians yearn for the reign of God, you will find these deep yearnings expressed through many different views and opinions as to how and when the world will end and God’s complete reign will begin. We don’t have to look very far to find someone who has an opinion on it. In fact, many would not believe how many different views and opinions there are about the end of the world. When people are emotionally charged about a subject such as eschatology, it is inevitable that there will be intense debate about it. I will not go into great detail about these differing opinions and views, but suffice it to say that some are speculative, some are ridiculous, and some are just good fiction. There are many bestselling books out there that do a great job entertaining folks with graphic tales of the return of Christ, but they are not based on any serious scholarship of Scripture. Most of them are based on a questionable approach to Bible study called dispensationalism. This approach to understanding the Bible is relatively new within the life span of the church, and it is not supported by church tradition.
Nevertheless, there are many Christians who diligently seek the Bible for answers about the end of the world. Some believe Christ will come before a tribulation and take away those who are saved and then come again later to receive those that are left. Some feel that Christ will come in the middle of a tribulation. Others are convinced that we have to suffer through a tribulation and then Christ will gather believers. There are those who call themselves “premillenialists.” Pre-millenialists believe that Christ will come and reign on earth before the end of world and the last judgment. Others are “post-millennialists,” and they believe that Christians will reign on earth first and then Christ will come again. Still, some call themselves “amillenialists,” and they are convinced that there will be no thousand year reign, but the world will gradually convert and it will finally be God’s world. I am a “pan-millenialist.” I believe it is all going to PAN out! I say this because Jesus specifically tells us that no one knows when the world will end, not even him! It is not our job to know:
But about the day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Mark 13:32).
We are not called as Christian to obsess about the details of the end of the world. We are called to be faithful. If we are obedient to God, we can be at peace with however and whenever God chooses to transform the world and establish the full reign of his Kingdom.
Four Things Are Certain
Is there anything about the end of the world which is certain? I believe there are four definitives that all Christians can agree upon when it comes to the end of the world as we know it and the establishment of God’s Kingdom.
First, our world will be transformed. Notice I said transformed, not destroyed. There are many misinformed doomsday Christians that tout this Halloween faith, which gleefully tells of horrific ways in which God will destroy our world. There is nothing in the Bible that says that God will destroy this world. In fact, God created this world and called it good. And what God is doing as we speak is transforming this world with his love so that it can be the world he intended it to be. We, as Christians, play a part in that transformation. We are to be a sneak previews of how the world will be when it is transformed. You see, the world will not end. It will be transformed. When it is all done, we will not be celebrating in some other dimension. We will be celebrating with God in this very world!
Second, we can be certain that we will be transformed. Throughout Scripture we are promised that just as the world will be transformed, so will our bodies. We eagerly wait for the return of Christ and the redemption of our bodies so that the “earthly tent” we live in will give way to the heavenly dwelling the Lord has prepared for us. Our earthly bodies fail and decay, but our heavenly bodies will never pass away (2nd Corinthians 5:1-2).
Third, when the world ends we can be certain that we will be judged. The Bible is consistent about the fact that there will be a time for God to judge each of us. Paul makes it clear: “For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil” (2nd Corinthians 5:10). The distinction here is that it is not our sin that will be judged but our actions as a result of being forgiven by God in Christ. The judgment of God for those who are not Christians is another matter. As Christians, our sins have been taken care of through God’s work of redemption in Christ. They key word Paul uses in the above passage is “recompense.” Therefore, the judgment that Paul speaks of is about our faithfulness or lack of faithfulness being recognized by God. How we behave in response to being saved has eternal significance.
Fourth, when the world as we know it ends we can be certain that God will reign forever. There will be no more sorrow, suffering, or tears, only everlasting peace and joy as a result of God’s glorious and infinite reign.
There is an old story about a preacher who was preaching to his congregation one Sunday morning. He confessed that when he was a kid in school he used to read the back of his text book for the answers to his homework. Then he grinned, lifted up his black-leather bound Bible and shouted, “And I have read the back of this book and I know the answer. God wins! God wins!”
Be Ready
All of must be ready for the full reign of God. We do not know how or when the world will end and God’s complete reign will begin, but one thing we do know: we need to be ready. Whenever I think of the moment of Christ’s return and the establishment of God’s Kingdom, my mind harkens back to the days when I was in elementary school and our teacher would need to leave the room to retrieve something. She would tell the class to behave while she left the room for a few minutes. Of course, as soon as she was gone the class would go crazy. We would stand on the desks, throw things to each other around the room, and play “keep away” with people’s lunches. But there was always someone in the room who would shout, “Ya’ll better get back in your seats and get quiet because the teacher is going to be back any second.” We usually listened to this wisdom, and we were glad that we did because none of us wanted to disappoint the teacher. Jesus said:
Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake” (Mark 13:35-37).
Series: The Seven Wonders of the Faith