Scientists regard the earth as finite, but in fact see danger points for the human race long before then. There are concerns about the ability to feed our ever-increasing population, about the adequacy of our water-supplies, about oxygen depletion… Add to that the worries about human-induced problems like dangers from nuclear war, the ozone layer, the energy crisis… It can seem like a very bleak picture!
Peter writes about the finiteness of the universe, too. He relates it to "the day of the Lord" when "the heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be burned up" (2 Peter 3.10 fn). Our confident expectation is "a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness" (v. 13).
As we look towards the end times, it is of utmost importance how we live (v. 11) - "make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with [God]" (v. 14b). Peter refers to the teaching of "our dear brother Paul" on the subject - "His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction" (v. 16). There are those who are still doing it!
The Old Testament prophets spoke on a number of occasions about the end times. "The day of the Lord" sometimes referred to divine visitations in history or to an event at the end of time. Woven throughout the Old Testament are a whole series of passages referring to a messianic figure who will come and whose role is seen to include "bearing the punishment on behalf of all those who have gone astray". "The Day", however, is especially seen as a day of judgment.
The New Testament sees the time we live in as "the last days" (Hebrews 1.2). The promised outpouring of the Spirit (Joel 2.28) has occurred (Acts 2.16-17).
However, we look forward to "the age to come" when the promises of God will be completed for us (Mark 10.29-30). What we experience here of God's grace and Spirit is just a foretaste of what he will give in the coming age (Ephesians 1.13-14; Hebrews 6.5). Indeed, what Christ achieved by his death and resurrection will be brought to consummation by his return in glory.
We live amid tension and conflict. Christ has come. The ransom has been paid. The good news of salvation is freely available for all people. Yet among the wheat there are weeds to be culled out at the harvest and destroyed (Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43), there are worthless fish to be thrown away (vv. 47-50).
Jesus taught that one of the Kingdom qualities is persecution because of righteousness (5.10-12). He warned and reassured his followers, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!" (John 16.33b).
Often "the world" refers to what Paul calls "the present evil age" (Galatians 1.4). Satan claims power here. He offered "all the kingdoms of the world" to Jesus (Matthew 4.8-10). Paul calls him "the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient" (Ephesians 2.2) and "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4.4).
By his death and resurrection, Christ has broken the power of Satan - "Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out" (John 12.31; Hebrews 2.14). But, though defeated, a guerilla war continues as the devil opposes the redemptive purposes of God. During this age there is continuous struggle between demonic evil and the Kingdom of God (Revelation 12). God has rescued his people "from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1.13-14).
The climax of Satan's opposition to the Kingdom of God will be the appearance of one who will embody evil - "the man of lawlessness… doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God" (2 Thessalonians 2.3-4). This is the "antichrist" to whom John refers (1 John 2.18,22; 4.3; 2 John 7).
The book of Revelation graphically describes this person as the Beast, satanically inspired and enabled to do wonderful signs (13.1,3,13). The aim of the Beast is to draw the worship of people away from God (vv. 8,12). He will demand total allegiance of his subjects - religious as well as political - and will use economic sanctions to compel submission (vv. 16-17). Fierce opposition will be directed against those who refuse to submit (v. 7; Matthew 24.21). Those who stand steadfast in their faith in Christ, refusing to worship the Beast, will win victory over the Beast, even in death and martyrdom (Revelation 15.2).
This time of great trouble will also be a sign of the beginnings of divine judgment on Satan and his followers. Revelation describes these judgments in symbolic terms as seven trumpets (chs. 8-9) and seven bowls (ch. 17).
The Nicene Creed affirms, "[Christ] will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end."
The return of Christ - his Second Coming (Hebrews 9.28) - will bring the rule of the Antichrist to an end. Several Greek words are used to describe it.
Parousia means "presence" or "arrival". The same Jesus who was taken up into heaven will again visit the earth in personal presence (Acts 1.11) at the end of the age (Matthew 24.3) with power and great glory (v. 30) to destroy antichrist and evil (2 Thessalonians 2.8); to raise believers who have died (1 Corinthians 15.23); and to gather his chosen people (Matthew 24.31; 2 Thessalonians 2.1).
His return will be an apokalypsis - an "unveiling" or "disclosure", when the power and glory that he laid aside at his first coming (Philippians 2.6-11) will be disclosed to the world (1 Peter 4.13). Christ is now reigning as Lord at God's right hand (Hebrews 1.3; 12.2; 1 Corinthians 15.25), but his reign is invisible to the world. It will be made visible by his apokalypsis (1 Corinthians 1.7; 2 Thessalonians 1.7; 1 Peter 1.7,13).
A third word, epiphaneia, "appearing", indicates the visibility of his return (1 Timothy 6.14; 2 Timothy 4.8; Titus 2.14).
The New Testament has many references to the return of Christ but we cannot put them together into a coherent scheme. Some points, however, are clear. (a) It will be a personal and visible return to earth. (b) It will be glorious and majestic, in contrast to the humiliation of his first coming. (c) It will be sudden and unexpected - in fact, the time is unknown, except to the Father (Matthew 24.36). (d) It will be the complete and final triumph of righteousness.
We have already noted that believers who have died will be raised and gathered with believers still living to be with the Lord. Jesus said, "a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out - those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned" (John 5.28-29).
God's patience waits long for people to respond to his redemptive work in the Son and his convincing work by the Spirit. But the time will come when it will no longer be "the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6.2).
Jesus was about to send his "brothers" - his disciples and representatives (Matthew 12.48-50; 23.8) - into the world and the final destiny of people would rest on how they had received these messengers (24.46; 10.40).
But what about those who haven't heard? Salvation is only through the redemptive work of Christ. God is both loving and just and he can be trusted to do what is right. We note some principles here. Those who have not had the law of Moses will be judged apart from the law (Romans 2.12); they have the light of general revelation (1.20) and the law written in the heart (2.15).
Jesus spoke of two destinies. The righteous (those who are right with God) will go to eternal life, but the others will go to "eternal punishment" (Matthew 25.46). Heaven - or hell.
God has the authority to throw people into hell (Luke 12.5). It is the final destiny of the Beast, the false prophet and anyone whose name "was not found written in the book of life" (Revelation 20.15). While both fire and darkness are symbolic of punishment, they describe the fearful reality of banishment from the presence and blessings of God in Christ (Matthew 7.23; 25.41; 2 Thessalonians 1.9).
On 4th December 1973 the Blackburn family were in the final throes
of packing to go from Childers to Stanthorpe. We were well organised
- everything was being carefully packed, labelled, catalogued.
The removalists were due the next day. At about 8.30am the mail
came. It included the October 26 issue of Christianity Today,
a fortnightly periodical from U.S.A. I had no time to read it,
but, to relieve the pressures, flipped over to the "What
if…" cartoon which was a regular feature. It showed
a man with a prophecy chart looking over his shoulder at three
angels blowing their trumpets. The caption - "You're early!"
That raised a chuckle.
Then, at 9.00am the doorbell rang. It was the removalists - a day early! Suddenly, our priorities radically changed. Much of our careful labelling, packing and cataloguing went by the board! I still recall our typewriter getting tucked in near the top of the load - no box, no label!
Christians have always lived "towards the end times" - always aware that the promised return of the Lord Jesus is near, called to fulfil his will. It is not for us to plot a time-line of events that the Father has kept in his own counsel but to be constantly about the mission he has given us to do.
Nearly 2000 years ago, Paul wrote, "I tell you, now is the time of God's favour, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6.2c). In the light of the imminent Return of Christ, we cannot become lax in either life or mission.
We don't know when our Lord will return. What we do know is that "now is the time…", that "now is the day of salvation".
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