Tuesday, July 24, 2018

The Impact of Christ's Immanent Return


Image result for he is coming with the clouds

Last September, I shook my head in disappointment when I saw that the mainstream media started reporting the doomsday predictions of another kooky date-setter. This time it was David Meade, a preacher and self-published author of end-of-the-world survival guides, who prophesied that the end of days would arrive on September 23, 2017. Meade claimed that the Planet Nibiru would collide with Earth, setting off one cataclysm after another, climaxing in the Second Coming of Christ.[i]

When September 23, 2017 came and went with a yawn, Meade joined the ranks of other false prophets whose dubious predictions suffered the same fate as the Hindenburg and Titanic.

A few years ago, Harold Camping ended up with egg on his face after he erroneously attached a date to the rapture of the church, not once, but twice in 2011. Obviously, neither Camping nor Meade learned from the mistakes of the past. Consider William Miller and his band of 19th-century Americans who left their fields unplanted and sold their worldly goods in anticipation of their exodus date from planet Earth — Oct. 22, 1844. After their “Great Disappointment,” they eventually became the Seventh-day Adventists. Then there were the followers of Charles Taze Russell, a 19th-century preacher who looked for Jesus’ return and the resurrection of the dead in 1878 and again in 1914. They became Jehovah’s Witnesses, who now ring doorbells and pass out Watchtower literature like there is going to be no tomorrow.   

If only these fellas would have studied their Bibles as much as they did the zodiac and numerology they could have avoided a lot of embarrassment. In Jesus panorama of prophecy, the Olivet Discourse, He spoke about the foolishness of date setting, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only . . . Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matt. 24:36, 44).   

This passage and several others teach the doctrine of immanency—meaning “likely to happen at any moment; impending.” When we speak of the imminence of Christ’s return, we mean that He could come back at any moment (James 5:8; 1 Peter 4:7; 1 John 2:18). There is nothing more in biblical prophecy that needs to happen before Jesus comes again. At this point, it is good to distinguish between the Second Coming of Christ and the Rapture of the Church. The Second Coming of Christ, when He defeats His enemies and sets up His earthly kingdom, will not occur until after certain other end-times events take place, specifically the Tribulation (Matt. 24:15-30; Rev. 6–18). Therefore, the Second Coming is not imminent. However, according to the pre-tribulational view, the Rapture will take place before the Tribulation. The Rapture--when Christ comes to remove the Church before God's wrath is poured out on the Earth--could occur at any moment (1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:50-54) and can rightly be called “imminent.”  

With that being said, the reality of Christ’s impending return should have at least 3 effects on us.

·         We should weigh matters Biblically. In Acts 17:11 we read about the believers at Berea, “they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Because you and I cannot know the day of Christ’s return it means that we must rightly divide the scripture and discern the times carefully. The Lord doesn’t want us turning every eclipse, natural disaster, sensational headline or new-fangled prophecy into an omen for His appearance. We should be wary of books and sermons that predict more than what the Bible allows us to know for sure. The Bible is our ultimate measuring stick, not man’s speculations.

·         We must walk in purity. In 1 John 3:2-3 says, “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.” Notice that last part—we ought to be living a holy life because Christ could return today and we wouldn’t want to be engaged in shameful, sinful behavior. Think of the teacher who steps out of the classroom and while she is gone her students start shooting spit-wads and sharing answers. Those kids breaking the class rules would be in for a rude awakening when the teacher came back in the classroom unexpectedly.

As C.S. Lewis explained, “Note that because we cannot precisely predict the moment, we must be ready at all moments. . . The schoolboy does not know which part of his lesson he will be made to translate: that is why he must be prepared to translate any passage in the assignment. The sentry does not know at what time an enemy will attack, or an officer will inspect, his post: that is why he must keep awake all the time. The Return of Christ is wholly unpredictable you cannot guess it.  If you could, one chief purpose for which it was foretold would be frustrated. And God’s purposes are not so easily frustrated as that.”[ii]

·         We must witness urgently. One of the greatest reasons why Christ didn’t reveal the time of His appearing is because if the lost knew they would be tempted to postpone any decisions about Christ until the last minute so they could sin up to the day of His return then get Hell insurance. Conversely, if believers knew they would be tempted to live without any evangelistic urgency. To study prophecy and not grow with a strong desire to witness is unnatural. It would be like studying meteorology, seeing a tornado coming on radar, but having no desire to warn others. But the student of God’s word who understands the practical implication of prophecy and believes it matters today, wants to warn others of the approaching danger and how to find refuge in Christ.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed nearly a quarter of a million people, drove home the need for scientists to develop better warning systems. These systems can give people time to move to higher ground and get out of the way of the destructive water. The scientific community developed buoys equipped with sensitive equipment which could measure changes in sea level and earthquake shockwaves on the ocean floor. These early warning devices were called DART buoys, which stands for Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis. This system often provides the only warning signal for islanders to prepare for the oncoming danger.  
            On October 25, 2010, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean set off a tsunami that leveled whole villages on the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia. At least 343 people were killed, and many more were never found. Survivors say they had no warning that a giant wall of water was headed their way and the reason was simple: two DART buoys off the islands failed to trigger the warning alarm.
            Unfortunately, according to scientists who investigated the problem they noted that the buoys “sensors were corrupted” from sea water which leaked into the on-board computers and rendered them “inoperable at their hour of greatest need.”[iii]

As followers of Christ, we not only have the privilege of sharing Christ's love; we also have the responsibility to gently confront sin and warn people of judgment. If, like the buoys, we fail in our task of evangelism and if our love has grown cold or apathetic, we may leave others unprepared for the consequences of not being prepared for the return of Christ. -DM


[i] Kimberly Winston, “Will the World End on Saturday?” USA TODAY, 20 Sept 2017 <https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/09/20/world-end-saturday/685041001/>
[ii] C.S. Lewis, The World’s Last Night and Other Essays, “The World’s Last Night” (1952), 107. 
[iii] Sarah Zielinski, Smithsonian Magazine, "Did Broken Buoys Fail to Warn Victims of the Mentawai Tsunami?" (October 28, 2010) < http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/did-broken-buoys-fail-to-warn-victims-of-the-mentawai-tsunami-37576333/?no-ist>

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Derision, Delay or Decision


Image result for Paul Mars Hill

When Paul traveled to the city of Athens he found that preaching the Gospel brought different reactions from the intellectuals and philosophers that proudly debated atop Mars Hill.

32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” 33 So Paul departed from among them. 34 However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them (Acts 17:32-34).

As I have witnessed to folks over the years I have found these three responses to the Gospel still universally true today. The first response is derision. When Paul presented Christ to the Athenians many mocked Christ on the basis of their prejudice against the resurrection.

If you share Christ, some people will laugh at you, others will slam the door in your face, and some will shake their head saying, “How could you believe in something so ridiculous?” Adrian Rogers once quipped that “Most Christians would rather stick their head in the mouth of a lion than hear ridicule from the mouth a skeptic.” Paul would later write in 1 Cor. 1:18 that, “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.” If you present Christ they make fun of your faith, but it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means they will be without excuse when they stand before God.   

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The second response is delay. Some of Paul’s listeners procrastinated and said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” This is one of Satan’s greatest tactics in discouraging people from Christ. It has been said that the most dangerous word in the sinner’s vocabulary is “Tomorrow.” In fact, Jesus warned of this very trap in his Parable of the Sower, “When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts” (Mark. 4:15).

The third response is decision. Some were persuaded by Paul’s sermon and they repented and believed. We aren’t responsible for the outcome, but we are responsible for our obedience. Share the Gospel and leave the results up to God. You never know who might believe.

I am reminded of a quote by the old country preacher Vance Havner and a story. Havner once noted that many college professors are searching for wisdom while the janitors that clean their offices may have discovered it years ago. Here’s an example of that very principle.  

Alexander Grigolia emigrated to America from Soviet Georgia, earned three doctorates, and started teaching at the University of Pennsylvania. Despite his achievements, he was unfulfilled. One day while getting a shoeshine, he noticed the worker went about his task with joy, and Grigolia asked, “Why are you always so happy?” The bootblack replied, “Jesus. He loves me. He died so God could forgive my badness. He makes me happy.” The professor snapped his newspaper back in front of his face and balked at the crazy idea of man dying on a cross.

But Dr. Grigolia could not escape that simple testimony. He soon began investigating Christianity and he surrendered his life to Christ. Whenever he gave his testimony he always credited that simple shoeshine man for breaking through his hard heart. Strangely enough, Grigolia later became one of Billy Graham’s professors at Wheaton College.[1] -DM




[1] Ruth Bell Graham, Legacy of a Pack Rat (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1989), 187.

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

The Patriot Pastor

John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg is born - On This Day - October 1, 1746

In 1746 Peter Muhlenberg was born in the Pennsylvania colony. His parents had settled there as Lutheran Missionaries from Germany. Much of Peter’s youth however, was spent in Europe, for his father wanted him educated in Germany. Young Peter bristled at the idea of schoolbooks and lessons. So, his tutors apprenticed him to a grocer for six years. Muhlenberg had other ideas though and escaped to join the army before returning to Philadelphia in 1767 to study for the ministry under his father.  

Eventually, Peter did settle down and was ordained for the ministry by the Anglican church. His first pastorate was a small church in Virginia. Muhlenberg was beloved by his congregation and quickly became a leader in the community. He was elected to the Virginia Legislature in 1774 and became an outspoken advocate for colonial rights. He was present at St. John’s Church in Richmond when Patrick Henry gave his immortal cry, “Give me liberty or give me death!”

Peter was so moved, he enlisted under George Washington and returned to his congregation to give his farewell sermon. He began by reading from Ecclesiastes 3:1, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Looking up from the pulpit, he said, “There is a time to preach and a time to pray, but there is also a time to fight and that time has now come.” Then to the shock of his congregation, he flung off his ministerial robe to reveal underneath the uniform of a militia colonel.

Muhlenberg recruited other men from his church and they became known as the “German Regiment.” Muhlenberg finished the war strong and is portrayed in a painting displayed in the United States Capitol Rotunda of the surrender of the British at Yorktown. 

After the war, Muhlenberg continued to serve his country. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives not once, but three times.  He was also elected to the Senate in 1801. Peter Muhlenberg passed away in 1807 at the age of sixty-one and today his tombstone reads, “He was brave in the field, faithful in the cabinet, honorable in all his transactions, a sincere Friend and an honest man.”[i]

I know there are some Christians who would criticize Muhlenberg for leaving his pulpit for war. Some Christians even adopt pacifism—yet, God commanded Israel to fight several times in the Old Testament (Deut. 20:16-17). Moreover, at Christ’s Second Coming we see him pictured as conquering king who will vanquish His enemies by the power of his word (Rev. 19:11-21).  

In a world filled with evil people, sometimes war is necessary to prevent even greater evil. If Hitler had not been defeated by World War II, how many more millions would have been killed? If the American Civil War had not been fought, how much longer would African-Americans have had to suffer as slaves? There are some things worth fighting for.

War is a terrible thing. Some wars are more “just” than others, but war is always the result of sin. At the same time, Ecclesiastes 3:8 declares, “There is a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” Christians should not desire war, but we are dual citizens of heaven and earth, which entails that we must represent Christ everywhere we are called to serve—in the church, at school, at work, on the playing field or in a foxhole. -DM




[i] Robert J. Morgan, From This Verse (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1998), “A Time to Fight,” April 16.