Because the Time Is Near

Introduction

If you remember, last week we began a new summer series called “Answers” in which we invited you to ask questions that you have about life, about Scripture and theology, as well as about morality and social issues that we face in the world today. And last week Jeff launched us in this series by discussing the issue of the Christian in political office.

The question I’ve chosen for this week may appear, at first blush, to be wholly unrelated to Jeff’s message. And while that’s true to a certain degree, it actually dovetails quite well with everything that we learned from him. The question I want to answer has to do with the Christian and eschatology, or more specifically, what’s the point of studying eschatology? Is there any spiritual benefit to the believer?

Now, this may appear to be a simple question with a simple answer, but in reality there’s an honesty to this that hits at a question that probably all of us have asked at one point or another. It is, in fact, a very legitimate question for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, if we’re honest, we’d admit that Bible prophecy is downright confusing. Opening up the book of Daniel or Revelation, just to name a couple, and trying to wade through all of that apocalyptic language and come to a reasonably coherent meaning almost seems to be an impossible task. And at the end of it, most of us are left asking the question, “How does this all relate to me?”

Next, that question gets added reinforcement from the fact that most churches in our time—even Bible churches who practice biblical exposition—never hear messages from their pastor relating to eschatology. Maybe these pastors feel the same way; maybe they don’t understand prophecy either; or maybe they don’t think their people are interested in it. Either way, the message to their people is clear: Bible prophecy is not an important part of church life and doctrine.

Then you have the stigma of eschatology that comes at the hands of certain people in Christianity who abuse eschatology. Some are well-intentioned believers who’ve clung on to end times topics more as a hobby and that’s all they talk about. I agree with Al Mohler when he said, “There can be no question that a preoccupation with eschatology as a hobby reveals an immature theology.” But then there’s the other group—the date setters and newspaper theologians, who like to see Bible prophecy fulfilled in every newspaper article and often announce their predictions publically. When their predictions turn out to be false, they retreat only to make another wild prediction, and the cycle continues. Meanwhile the rest of the world watches prediction after prediction fail and the end result is that Christian eschatology has become a laughing stock to the world and an embarrassment to the church.

So, I want to say up front that this is not an illegitimate question for a Christian to ask. And I want to give you an answer. But to do it, I’m not going to wade us into the depths of Bible prophecy and try to explain everything. That’s not the point. There’s a lot of great resources out there for that. What I want to do is give you an answer that will make you wantto wade into the depths of Bible prophecy for yourself.

Theological Framework

To do that, I want to take us to a text that will help give us a framework for approaching this question. So I invite you to turn to 2 Timothy 3:16-17. These verses, of course, form the foundation of our understanding of the nature of Scripture. But they also give us a starting point for understanding Bible prophecy.

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 Tim 3:16-17).

Now, it’s not our purpose to dig into this text in great depth right now. I simply want to highlight a few important points.

First, notice the statement that Paul makes about Scripture—it is “God breathed. Scripture is God’s very words. They are written down by men, guided by the Holy Spirit. But make no mistake—they are more than human words. They are divine words, and thus they come with divine authority.

And because Scripture is God-breathed, Paul says it is “profitable.” It is productive—it is able to impart benefit to the believer. How? Four areas: (1) teaching; (2) reproof; (3) correction; and (4) training in righteousness.

Teaching is another word for doctrine. It deals with truth and instruction of the Christian faith. It’s the word Paul used when he told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:16, “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching.” It’s talking about those truths which flow out of what the Scriptures talk about God, man, sin, and salvation.

Reproof has to do with rebuking someone regarding sin. For instance, in Psalm 39:12, David writes, “With reproofs You chasten a man for iniquity.” It’s the idea of exposing sin in order to bring about correction. Correction, then, is the positive side of reproof. It’s the idea of taking someone who’s sin has been rebuked, and then bringing them back to a place where they can be restored.

And then there’s training in righteousness. Just like an athlete trains for competition, the Christian trains for righteous living, and Scripture is what he uses.

And the end result, Paul says, is a believer who is “complete, equipped for every good work.” The picture is of a person who is well rounded and able to face every challenge of life and discharge his ministries effectively.

So, as we look at this passage, we see this chain of ideas form: Because Scripture is inspired, it is profitable. You can’t have Scripture that is inspired but not profitable. And because “all scripture” is inspired, then that must include Bible prophecy as well. Theologians estimate that roughly 25% of the Bible consists of end-times prophecy. That’s a quarter of the Bible.

If Bible prophecy is inspired—and it is—then it is profitable. If we don’t think it’s profitable for us, then we are, in effect, denying that it’s Scripture.

Now, remember that our question is asking, Is there any spiritual benefit to studying eschatology? And 2 Timothy 3:16-17 gives us the short answer to that question: YES! It is profitable because it’s Scripture.

But I want to go beyond that. I want to use the four areas of “profit” from 2 Timothy 3:16—teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness—as a framework to help us see how eschatology is profitable.

1. Teaching

So let’s start with teaching. What does eschatology teach us? Well, to answer that let’s turn in our Bibles to Psalm 2. And in the opening verses of Psalm 2, we find a shocking scene…

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us” (Ps 2:1-3).

It’s a scene that just as well could describe our time as it could time of David. We live in an era where the entire globe seems to be revolting against God. The moral climate of our culture and those of the world is shifting with such astonishing speed that even the newspapers have trouble keeping up. The entire world is thumbing its nose at God and at his authority. And for all intents and purposes, one could conclude that the world is winning!

It’s enough to make all of us disillusioned. How do we have any optimism about the world? How do we muster any motivation to even get out of bed in the morning and go out into a world that hates God and seems to be getting away with it? Look at verse 4…

He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury (Ps 2:4-5).

What’s the scene look like in heaven? Is God pacing the halls of heaven, hands in his hair, wondering what he’s going to do? No, instead he’s laughing at them. There’s no threat here. He’s not scared. He’s not worried. And when he speaks, he terrifies them. But it’s not that he speaks, but what he speaks that’s truly terrifying to them:

“As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you” (Ps 2:6-7).

The terrifying words of God are the news that God has a ruler, and he has installed him in one place: Zion—the capital of Israel. Now, you may be thinking, where’s the prophecy? What does this have to do with the end times? Well, look at verses 8-9…

“Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Ps 2:8-9).

David gives a prophecy of the future domination of all the nations and kingdoms of the earth by this divinely-anointed king. And isn’t it interesting that these very verses are quoted in Revelation 2 and 19 and applied to Jesus himself.

So what does eschatology teach us? It teaches us that God is sovereign! He is in control, and he’s always been in control! It teaches us that our world is not simply governed by natural forces or controlled by godless nations and world leaders. It reminds us of the fundamental truth that runs through all of Scripture—God is and has always been in control, and he is guiding history towards an endpoint determined by him.

It also teaches us that God is just. The world may be going from bad to worse. Sin may be multiplying beyond measure. Wicked people may seem to be getting away with everything. But eschatology reminds us that sin will be dealt with finally and fully, and that there’s a purpose for the current time.

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 Pet 3:4). They’re uniformitarians. Since Christ hasn’t come back yet, then he must not be coming back.

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 Pet 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 Pet 3:8-9).

The delay is because of God’s patience—because he is compassionate and good. Because he’s allowing people to be saved. So along with his sovereignty and justice, eschatology teaches us about God’s goodness and mercy.

2. Reproof and Correction

Let’s move on to a second part of our framework—reproof and correction. How does eschatology offer reproof and correction? I think the best place to answer that is in the book of Revelation.

Revelation is a fascinating book to read and think about. As it’s opening verse states, it’s a revelation of Jesus Christ which was given to Christ by God the Father, and which Christ then gave to John through angelic agency. The book is really a long letter written to seven churches scattered across Asia Minor.

And what’s really interesting is that in 1:3, we see that John expected this letter to be read—in its entirety—to these 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 doctrine 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 lukewarm and spiritually self-deceived into thinking everything was okay.

And how did the Lord rebuke these churches? He warned them with eschatology: He told the Ephesianchurch 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 of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God (2:7). He promised the Pergamum that hidden manna and a new name (2:17). He promised Thyatirathat 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 Laodiceatrue 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.

APPLICATION: I remember that it was the words of Revelation that were influential in my conversion. I wrestled with the fact that I had no appetite for the Lord. But I was also terrified that God was going to come and I wasn’t going to be ready. It was a haunting reality, and working in the heart a softened individual, eschatology can become a key evangelistic tool.

3. Training in Righteousness

Now, the last part of our framework is training in righteousness. How does eschatology train us in righteousness? Well, the first and most obvious answer is that it motivates us to holy living.

a. Motivates Us to Holy Living

We often use the 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.”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?”

b. Establishes Proper Priorities

Similarly, eschatology trains believers in establishing proper priorities. There’s a fine line between being in the world and being ofthe 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 are money goes, and where we engage our time and energy, then we’re going to think differently about like.

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 thought our Lord Jesus Christ” (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.

c. Offers Us Hope to Persevere

Thirdly, eschatology offers the believer hope and encouragement 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? It’s the promises of God about the future.

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 hopefully 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 of 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).

Where else do we go for hope? Teaching people to look to “the gospel” to deal with the chaos and turmoil of the present and yet neglecting the future aspects of the gospel means we’re pointing people to an anemicgospel. It’s a weak gospel—only for the present and not for the future.

It’s interesting that when Paul talks about the conversion of the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 1:9, he talks about them “turning to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thess 1:9-10). So apparently from their infancy, the Thessalonian believers had a foundation of eschatology given to them that was a part of the hope they had when they were first converted.

When we look further at these two letters, we see hints that Paul gave these new believers a lot of eschatology. In 1 Thessalonians 5:1, he says, “Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”

Later on, in 2 Thessalonians, when Paul is discussing the topic of the coming man of lawlessness, he writes,

Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? (2 Thess 2:3-6).

Wow—so Paul didn’t consider the Thessalonians to be too “young” in the faith for eschatology, as if it were some advanced degree. Rather, it was a part of the very gospel he preached to them and grounded his teachings to them in the fact of their persecutions.

And in this, he gave them hope.