Because the Time Is Near

There’s been a flurry of discussion among evangelicals over the past several months regarding all the events occurring throughout our nation. In fact, I’ve seen some images coming out of California and Oregon which could truly be described as apocalyptic. It would seem like the entire west coast is on fire. Add to the mix the massive uptick in crime and rioting in virtually every major city, public furor over social issues, and a global pandemic. And don’t forget the murder hornets.

All of these accumulating issues and events have reinvigorated evangelicals to the reality of eschatology and end times events. Now this is fascinating, because we haven’t seen this kind of attention given to this topic since the publication of the Left Behind Series in the mid-90s. It just hasn’t been on too many people’s minds.

Now, I can’t say that this is entirely the fault of the average church-goer. Instead, I would put the blame squarely on the pastors of churches across the nation…even churches that practice biblical exposition…who never crack their Bibles open and deliver solid, theological messages relating to eschatology. After all, why would we expect folks who are already confused and intimidated by weighty books like Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Revelation to wade into those waters when they don’t see their own pastors doing it either? Thus, the unspoken assumption in the minds of believers in the pews is reinforced by the preacher in the pulpit: Eschatology and Bible prophecy have little relevance to me and my life.

Now, I say that this is an unspoken assumption because I dare say no Bible-believing Christian would actually speak those thoughts out loud for others to hear. Perhaps they might whisper them quietly in some dark recess of the church foyer to a trusted friend, or shamefully confessed it in the relative safety of a home group meeting. But no evangelical (I know of) would stand up in the middle of a membership meeting, puff out their chest, and confidently assert that one-fourth of the entire Bible is pointless for practical Christian living.

But the assumption is there nonetheless, which begs the question as to why it’s unspoken. I think it’s because Bible-believing Christians are “Bible-believing” because they truly believe what Paul told Timothy about the divine origins of Scripture:

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

They believe that the Bible is not just a human book, regardless of what liberal theologians say. They believe it is inspired by the Holy Spirit, who superintended the authors of Scripture to write exactly what God wanted them to write without overriding their own unique backgrounds, personalities, wills, styles, etc.

Now you should see the contradiction pretty clearly. It’s hard for someone to say, “I believe 2 Timothy 3:16-17,” while at the same time asserting, “Biblical eschatology doesn’t have any relevance to my life.” Unless they’re postmodern. But that’s a whole other issue. What they’re really admitting is that while they believe it might be inspired, they don’t believe it’s profitable. It may be “breathed out by God,” but it is not able to teach, reproof, correct, and train for righteousness so that a believer may be fully equipped for every good work.

I shouldn’t have to say this, but I will anyway: there is no letter, word, phrase, or sentence in the Bible that is simultaneously inspired but unprofitable. Inspiration guarantees that is it profitable. To put it another way: If prophecy isn’t profitable, then it isn’t inspired. Let that sink in…

This is why the sudden resurfacing of interest over prophecy and end times is so interesting. I think our current state of affairs nationally and globally is stirring within our collective Bible-believing hearts the truth we have been denying for so long: prophecy has more relevance than we think it does. There really is profit for us personally in learning it and studying it the way we would any other section of the Bible.

Here’s a few reasons why.

Prophecy reminds us why we’re still here

In 2 Peter 3, the apostle Peter reminds his readers that false teachers would come along and scoff at the idea of the end times. They would try to convince people that Christ isn’t coming back. They say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4).

They’re uniformitarians. Since Christ hasn’t come back yet, then he must not be coming back at all. But Peter reminds his readers with these words: “But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Peter 3:7). In other words, the God who created the universe by speaking it into existence has prepared the world for destruction in divine judgment. But what’s stopping him? The answer comes in verse 8:

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9)

The message is clear: judgment is coming, and the reason it hasn’t come yet is because God is still mercifully calling for sinners to repent. Now, if you can finish this phrase, then, you already know the immediately relevance of this fact: “Now, how will they hear unless…”

That’s right, biblical eschatology reminds us that we’re still here because we have a mission. We preach a message which rescues sinners from eternal wrath, which God is patiently withholding out of his sheer kindness and mercy.

Prophecy warns and corrects against worldly living

In Revelation 1:3, we see that John expected this letter to be read—in its entirety—to seven different churches: “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and keep what is written in it, for the time is near” (Rev 1:3).

Now, in chapters 2-3 we find seven letters, one to each of the seven churches. As we look through these letters, we find churches that were in various stages of health. Some were in good order, like Smyrna and Philadelphia. But the other five were plagued with serious doctrinal and moral issues.

The church in Ephesus (2:1-7) was strong outwardly. They believed the right things and served one another. But it was empty devotion. They had lost their first love. The church in Pergamum (2:12-17) seemed to have doctrinal loyalty, but had compromised and had become tolerant of error and sin. The church in Thyratira (2:18-29) displayed righteous deeds, but they tolerated false teaching and gross immorality in the church. The church in Sardis (3:1-6) had an outwardly spiritual reputation, they were actually dead spiritually. And the church in Laodicea (3:14-22) was so bad that there was nothing good to say about them. They were spiritually tepid yet deceived into thinking everything was okay.

And how did the Lord rebuke these churches? He warned them with eschatology: He told the Ephesian church to repent before their lampstand was removed permanently (2:5). He told the church in Pergamum to repent or else he would come and “war against them with the sword of my mouth” (2:16). He told the church in Thyratira to repent or else he would strike them dead with sickness (2:22-23). He told the church in Sardis repent and wake up, or else he would come like a thief in the night (3:3). And he told the church in Laodicea to repent and come to him for true righteousness and stop trusting in themselves (3:16-19).

Each one of those rebukes directly corresponds to what they will read about later in chapters 5-19 of Revelation. The warning was clear: repent or come under the judgment that is coming.

But he also offered correction to them—promises of what would come if they repented. And just like the warnings, all these promises directly correlate to language used later on in the book. He promises the Ephesians that they would eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God (2:7). He promised Pergamum hidden manna and a new name (2:17). He promised Thyatira that they would rule the nations with Him (2:26-27). He promised Sardis white garments and a permanent name in the book of life. And he promised Laodicea true fellowship with Christ and the right to sit on his throne and rule with him (3:20-21).

In each of these cases, Christ used the coming end of days to both rebuke and warn these churches and then correct them and encourage them to repent and continue in faithfulness. He did just like we do as parents. We use the threat of discipline to rebuke our kids and we use the hope of reward to encourage them to grow.

Prophecy motivates us to holy living

We often use God’s omniscience and omnipresence as a means of motivating people to live in holiness. We remind people that even when we’re alone, we’re never truly alone. Christ is with you and he sees you. You can’t hide your sin. Now that’s a tremendous motivator.

But the apostle John wrote in 1 John 2:28, “And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.” So the return of Christ will be an event that will cause some believers to rejoice in confidence, but will cause others to shrink back from him in shame. So John goes on to say in 3:2,

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2)

The hope of seeing Christ and becoming like him motivates the Christian to pursue holiness even now.

Peter told his readers the same thing in 2 Peter 3:11. The day of the Lord is coming, in which God will destroy the present order and judge the world in sin. So Peter asks, “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God.” A few verses later, he answers that question: “Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot of blemish, and at peace” (3:14).

Anticipation of Christ’s return awakens in the believer’s heart a desire to be found pure in his eyes. Paul Benware put it this way:

A believer who gets out of bed in the morning thinking My Lord Jesus could return today will probably not let sin take root in his life. But Christians who rarely, if ever, reflect on the realities of the future life, the Lord’s coming, and the judgment seat of Christ are far more vulnerable to temptation and sin. And perhaps that explains something of the sin and apathy seen in much of the church today. Could it be that many are saying, “My Lord delays His coming?”

Prophecy establishes proper priorities

There’s a fine line between being in the world and being of the world. Often we use that phrase when we talk about living in worldly ways. But I think it’s equally applicable when speaking about worldly thinking. It’s perfectly possible for a Christian to live in an outwardly righteous way yet have a worldly mindset, where their actions are “OK” but their priorities are off. The decisions that they make, the directions they take in life, how they spend their time and money and energy—it can all reflect a mind that’s all too comfortable in this life.

But eschatology trains us to think about the world to come. Because if all of this is temporary, and if there are eternal consequences to the decisions we make now and the conversations we have or don’t have with people, and where our money goes, and where we engage our time and energy, then we’re going to think differently about life.

Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:2, “For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then suddenly destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thess 5:2-4). So in other words, God’s coming judgment will come quickly and unexpectedly upon a world that is spiritually asleep.

But Paul then tells then,

“But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-9).

The world isn’t watching and waiting. They’re asleep in spiritual death and sin. But the believer is awake. And he watches. And he doesn’t waste time. He doesn’t waste his life on trivial pursuits. Sure, he has fun. He enjoys life. But he’s never distracted from the reality that Christ is coming and time is short and the patience of the Lord toward the world is quickly growing thin.

Prophecy offers us hope to persevere

Life gets hard. Afflictions amount. You’re suffering for your faith. You’re ostracized by people. You’re put out of business because of your convictions. Those aren’t remote possibilities. That’s happening now. If that’s you—where do you go for hope? Where do you go to find encouragement to endure to the end? What gives you hope that the pains and sufferings of this life lead to something better?

When Peter wrote to the suffering Christians in 1 Peter, he acknowledged their trials. “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 1:6-7).

And it’s that event—that great day when Christ returns—that forms the backbone of Peter’s letter. In fact, in 1:13 he writes, “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” He doesn’t say, “set you hope on the event,” or even, “set your hope on Christ.” In the midst of their sufferings and afflictions, he says, “Set your hope on the grace“—the end of your sufferings, and the completion of your salvation.

The doctrine of the future is an anchor for the soul. When the believer is ready to quit, when he’s all spent, when there’s nothing left to give and he wonders why the world is the way it is, he is reminded that there is hope—hope beyond the present to the future. When he comes, we’ll have relief from our afflictions (2 Thess 1:7). When he comes, justice will be served against those who afflict you (2 Thess 1:6).

One of the key factors in my own salvation was the faithful preaching I was exposed to at my home church in Fairbanks. I was a senior in high school, struggling with all the various issues and sins that plague teenagers. I was weighed down by guilt. I didn’t have assurance of my faith. I was, in fact, not a believer at all. The pastor of my church was preaching through the book of Revelation, and I found myself in a continuing state of anxiety over the truths that were being taught. I was worried about my own soul. I was worried about what would happen if Jesus Christ were to return and find me where I was. I knew I was not reconciled to God, and the warnings of that book haunted me.

It would be a few more years before I came to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but I will never downplay the effect that biblical prophecy and warnings of future judgment had on me. God used his own words from Revelation to prepare me for repentance.

Knowing what the Bible says about the future isn’t really an option. It’s there, it’s written, and it’s coming. Let the Word have is full affect on you as you humbly expose yourself to everything the Lord has said.