Final Hope

From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead…I believe in…the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

            23 little words, but so much to say…Last things are a source of endless fascination for a lot of Christians, and most of what they think is wrong. You might never have heard of the premillennial dispensationalism, but it’s the theory of the end times that is most prominent in American Christian publishing and broadcasting. You may never have heard of it, but you’ve heard of the rapture, the antichrist, the tribulation—all key features of premillennial dispensationalism. And to put it simply, it’s a misreading of the Scriptures, which know nothing of a secret removal of Christians from the earth or a single demonic figure who ushers in the last days.

            No, everything you need to know about the last things can be summarized in four words. First, the second coming of Jesus is unexpected. Jesus Himself likens it to a thief in the night, coming by surprise (Matthew 24:43). No matter how closely you try to ‘count signs’ it will always catch you unawares. Second, it is unmistakable. Again, Jesus: “For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other” (Luke 17:24). No secret raptures here! Third, it is sudden: everything happens at once; there’s a reason the Bible constantly refers to it as a “the day.” When that day arrives, Jesus will appear in glory, the dead will be raised, Jesus will execute the final judgment, and the heaven and earth will be recreated in an instant. Finally, that day is joyful for God’s people. As Paul says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The last judgment holds no fear for the one whose righteousness is Christ Himself. Anyone who speaks of the last day in terms of terror and anxiety hasn’t fully grasped the Gospel.

            And there’s another common mistake that these 23 words correct. It’s an error that faithful preachers often make when we make it seem like the ultimate goal of Christianity is to die and go to heaven. Paul names death the last enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26) and the wages of sin (Romans 6:23). Now, I get that after a long suffering death can seem like a relief, even a mercy, and—full disclosure—I’ve spoken that way myself. But I prefer to speak about it the way one of my professors taught me years ago. Instead of speaking of death as a friend, I prefer to maintain the language of an enemy and simply say, “Death stopped tormenting him.” Or maybe even, “God has rescued him from death’s torments.”

            The Creed helps us with this very simply. It doesn’t confess life after death or life in heaven. It skips right past that to ultimate things: I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. See, we aren’t supposed to long for escape from this life and world; it’s Shakespeare who talks about ‘shuffling off this mortal coil,’ not Scripture. No, we are meant to rejoice in bodily life in this creation. Our longing is not for escape but for restoration, restoration to Eden itself, a restoration beautifully described in Revelation 21-22.

            That concludes our look at the Creed, and I think it ends on a beautiful note. It ends with joy and restoration, a return to the First Article, to God the Maker—and renewer—of heaven and earth, a renewal that is possible because of the work of Jesus, His only Son, our Lord.

            Bring your questions and comments to Facebook Live tonight at 7:00. See you then!

Governor Evers’ Safer-at-Home order expires on May 26, which we hope means that we can start to worship more normally on Sunday, May 31. (There are still a lot of questions; we’ll get out a congregational letter when we have a clearer picture.) In terms of these devotions, I’ll continue them until May 30. Starting tomorrow, I’m going to try to tackle Romans.