Life in the End Times

Since Jesus ascended into heaven, Christians have been awaiting Jesus’ second coming. There was a hope that it would happen very soon after he ascended. As the years went on, Christians from the first century to the the twenty-first century wonder why there has been a delay. There have been those who have tried to predict when Jesus would come again only to fail in their predictions. There have been entire denominations and even cults that have started based on when Jesus would come back.

The difficulty in reading passages that speak of Jesus’ coming again is that we try to read current events into them. We can point to major events throughout history and make claims that scripture was specifically talking about that moment whether it be the rise of communism or the reconstitution of Israel as a nation-state. The problem is that when we become so obsessed with these things it leads us away from the mission that is in front of us - namely winning souls for Jesus - because we are always looking for the next thing to give us a sign.

I suggest to you that instead of obsessing about when Jesus comes back that we focus our attention on how we live in the time before he returns. We have been living in the end times since Jesus ascended and will continue to live in the end times until he returns. So our focus needs to be “the time between the times.” Eschatology is important. It is something that we need to learn about, but it need not become our sole thought in our doctrine and theology.

The final section in the final homily in Hebrews focuses on Habakkuk 2:3 from the Septuagint translation which says, “Yet a little while, the coming one will come and will not delay.” After spending the majority of his homily on “the righteous will live by faith,” the preacher moves to the portion of the sermon that deals with the “so what.” How does it affect real life when we live a righteous life through faith? He has already talked about holiness and discipline in verses 3-13. In verses 14-17, he gives us a paragraph encouraging the readers to pursue peace and holiness and also gives a warning against not obtaining God’s grace. He reminds his readers that one must live seriously in the end times. This “time between the times” is to be lived with certain qualities for the believer so that we can effectively share the gospel with others and bring them into the kingdom. Today, we are going to look at how we understand our walk as a people of faith who look to Jesus as the author and perfecter of that faith.

1. The final goal is not fear and distance. (vs. 18-21)

Throughout Hebrews, the author gives us a contrast between the old and new covenants. He uses the example of the events around the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai as a way of helping us to understand how we are not to live in these last days. Our final goal is not to live in fear and be distant from God. Looking at what happens in Exodus 19-20 allows us to see the stark difference in the two covenants.

In Exodus 19:16, it says, “On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.” There was this incredible fear that the people had of God. Even Moses is said to be afraid. The holiness of God is something that humans nor animals could be in contact with or face death. The animals that even touched the mountain were to die. They were the closest to God that they would ever be, but they had to stay far away from him.

Many of us live with this kind of fear of God. Scripture tells us that we are to have a fear of God. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Later in Ecclesiastes 12:13, the Preacher writes, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Fearing God is a concept that runs throughout the Old Testament and particularly in Wisdom literature. But what does it mean? Does it mean that we are to be scared of God all the time? Not really. It has more to do with the desire to be obedient to God’s commandments. It is when we follow God’s commandments that we can have true wisdom.

The problem with the old covenant for the writer of Hebrews is that none of us can truly be holy and righteous because of sin and our fallenness. If we try to follow every bit of the law, we are still going to come up short and unable to truly be holy as God is holy. We cannot touch the holy mountain without death. So in that sense, there is a fear of God that is unnatural because we live in fear that we cannot fully keep the law and therefore must live distant from God. According to Isaiah 64:6 “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” The law prevents us from reaching the goal that has been placed before us and to walk the path that Jesus has prepared for us.

2. The final goal is Jesus and the heavenly city. (vs. 22-24)

In Christ, we enter into a different kind of relationship with God. God is not distant and scary. He has been brought close to us through Jesus. As John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” God has entered into human history through Christ. Jesus knows what it means to be human. That is the beauty of the incarnation - that God has tabernacled among us in the flesh rather than in a tent. As Christians, the goal of our faith is in the realization of this reality.

The writer of Hebrews tells us in verse 22, “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” This is the ultimate destination for our journey, and this reality has already joined with the present. All of this is a result of Christ’s work on the cross. He is the “mediator of a new covenant,” and we have been sprinkled by his blood. Every believer can even now enter into the presence of God and be immersed in the “shekinah” glory of God. We look to that day as John foretells in Revelation 21:10, “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,” Yet, there are aspects of what will be that are already with us. The physical heavenly city has not yet been placed on earth, but the kingdom of God spreads throughout the world because of the faith of Christians who invite others to know and experience the God who has come to us and dwelt among us.

The reality of our new life in Christ is that we are already living in God’s presence. Yes, there will be a day when the new heaven and the new earth shall come to pass. There will be a day when a heavenly city will descend upon the earth. But even now, Christ have given us access to the fullness of the promises of God. The author says in Hebrews 10:19-20, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,” Just like the high priests of the old covenant who entered into the Holy of Holies and the presence of God once a year, we can enter into his presence through the curtain of the flesh of Jesus who has made the sacrifice for us to be with God now and for eternity. We already have amazing privileges in the new and better covenant. Our goal is set. The reality of the promise is here. The consummation of the promise will be when Jesus returns. Until then, we live in the hope and the presence of God through Christ.

3. In the meantime, we must not turn away from the gospel. (vs. 25-29)

As the author concludes this final homily, he does not end without a reminder to the readers, “See that you do not refuse him who is speaking.” What does his mean by this? To answer this question, we turn to the very first verses of the book, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Hebrews 1:1-2) He couples the blessings that are received through the new and better covenant in Christ with a call for responsible behavior.

The implication to the readers and us is that we can fall into apostasy from our position with Christ. There is a great responsibility that rests upon the Christian believer because of our higher privilege in Christ. “Grace makes the Christian’s moral and spiritual responsibility to God greater than was the Jew’s under the law.” Going back to our original text from Habakkuk 2:3-4 in Hebrews 10:37-38 “For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”” We are not to “shrink back.” When we shrink back, it will lead us to turn away from him. When the believer begins to depreciate the blessings and benefits of Christ, he will end in departing from the living God, unless he experiences a radical change of attitude. Psalm 1:1 says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;”

As we live in the end times, there will be times when our faith will be shaken. It will become easy to fall away because the culture will be against us. We see that today as our nation becomes more and more secular. That which is of God is tossed to the side even by those who claim Christ because it is too hard to stand with him. Many fall away from the foundations of the faith because there is so much pressure. The need to be liked and accepted in our world has become the “law” for many. Not wanting to be criticized or seen in a negative way, there are those who will deny scripture and the work of Christ to bring change and transformation.

The author quotes from the prophet Haggai to say that “Yet once more I will shake not only he earth but also the heavens.” In the end, only that which is of God will remain. God’s judgment will come to pass at some point when Christ returns. When the voice of God in Christ is rejected even by those who claim Christ, those who reject him will be held accountable. That is why there is this warning and reminder that we must live as those who are grateful to receive a kingdom that will not be shaken and offer worship to God that is acceptable with reverence and awe.

In the end times, we live as people who take seriously the responsibility and commitment to thankful living. Our God is a consuming fire who comes into us to burn away the dross of sin and remake us into holy vessels in which to pour his love and grace into. It is not through our own work that this is possible but only through the gracious and sacrificial work of Christ on the cross, who died our death and was raised so that we might have eternal life. We can live a holy and righteous life now with him in the fullness of the presence of God because we have entered into new life through Christ’s body. We have a new and better covenant that has been made with us who are in Christ that will last through eternity, but we must take seriously the task that is before us to live for him everyday and be a reflection of the One in whom we have placed our trust.