In my corner
of the Western Christian world, I’ve noticed a shift in recent years in the
tone and frequency of conversation regarding matters of eschatology. Okay, I’ve
never heard that particular word spoken among my Christian friends with any
regularity, but talk of the End Times, the Rapture of the Church, and the
Second Coming of Christ used to fill our hearts with expectation. We used to
argue…I mean reason together over our pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib views.
Now I’m
speaking Christianese, so here are some definitions:
Eschatology:
theology as it relates to the final events of the history of mankind.
Rapture: the
removal of the Church from the earth, that is, all believers who have
surrendered to the call of Christ are taken up into Heaven at once.
Second
Coming: the literal return of Jesus Christ to take His place as King of Kings
over all the earth.
Pre-trib, mid-trib,
post-trib: varying ideas and interpretations about the timing of the Rapture,
that is, if it will occur before, during, or after the Great Tribulation.
Great
Tribulation: an unparalleled period of torment, natural disasters, evil rule and
death that will end in a final battle between Christ and Satan.
I used to
know where most people in my Christian community stood in their understanding
of these important matters. At some point, the lively conversation waned, and
the conviction blurred. We stopped talking about it. One reason for the shift
in focus may be that the overall teaching of the Church took a step back from a
subject becoming more and more other-worldly, more science fiction than Bible
truth. We began to focus instead on the present needs of our members, and on
sharing the gospel with the lost. This was not a bad move. Perhaps too many of
us were sitting around daydreaming about the fantastical nature of upcoming
events, rather than following the call to make disciples of all nations.
Another
reason our glorious anticipation may have gotten left behind is the harsh
judgment of society. Open discussions of the long-expected hope of the believer
might once have received a polite nod from the skeptic, an “I hope you’re
right” reaction to our assertion that Jesus would soon set all things right.
Now, such talk is used to classify Christianity as a dangerous and hateful
religion. As if we're personally scheming to end the world as we know it. As
if we're praying for the next big earthquake to take out our
enemies. Nobody I know prays that way. While I hear an occasional “Even so,
come Lord Jesus” I haven’t known anyone to pray hate against God’s creation.
Twenty years
ago, a friend recommended a book that espoused her mid-trib point of view. She
believed we had to at least endure some level of persecution before Jesus swept
in to rescue us. Even back then, I considered her thinking as far too Western,
her vision too focused on her own experience. In other parts of the world,
persecution was already a way of life for some Christians.
Today, Christians
face death in greater numbers. Some must worship underground. Even where
freedom of religion is still the right of the people, a discriminatory attitude
often shuts our mouths. I’m not saying were already experiencing the
Tribulation. When it happens, there will be no question about it.
The
Christians I know aren’t concocting The End. We don’t mean to come off as
bidding for the apocalypse. We’re not encouraging death and destruction. That
wasn’t our intent when eschatology was a more popular subject of study among
believers, and it’s not our purpose now. For those of us who cling to the
inevitable truth and prophetic message of the Word of God, our hope isn't that
our opponents meet a violent end, but that they meet their Savior before The End
comes.
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel
and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise
first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Therefore encourage one another with these words. I Thessalonians 4:16
