He Will Come Again – Assorted Scripture
American Christians have a unique obsession with the end times. From doomsday predictions to rapture anxiety, the Return of Christ is a doctrine obscured by exaggeration, anxiety, and speculation. In Contrast, the New Testament authors spoke of Christ’s return as a triumphant and joyful conclusion to God’s conspiracy to take back His world.
Summary of the Apostles’ Creed.
The Apostle’s Creed is a summary of the Christian faith that depicts the full story of scripture. The Apostle’s Creed contains one of the most concise summaries of the Christian faith in straightforward scriptural language. It follows the narrative arch of scripture from creation to incarnation, crucifixion to resurrection, and Pentecost to life everlasting.
The Apostle’s Creed reminds us that our story and church are rooted in an ancient faith. There is no singular author by which this creed can be traced, rather it is the work of the Western Catholic Church. Though, it seems to have grown out of Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16. Its origin is as a baptismal confession, those that are laying down their life to join Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:4) confess this as their new reality and guiding story.
The Apostle’s Creed is not simply a routine repetition of doctrine but rather our pledge of allegiance to one God– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not a routine repetition of doctrine. It is a liturgical poem meant to move our heart as a pledge of allegiance to the triune God revealed in the person of Christ.
American Christians have a unique obsession with the end times.
From doomsday predictions to rapture anxiety, the Return of Christ is a doctrine obscured by exaggeration, anxiety, and speculation. One influence on America’s end-time obsession is a theological scheme called Dispensationalism.
Developed in the early 1800’s dispensationalism broadly divides biblical history into seven ages or “dispensations”.
Judaism is treated as the secret to ancient and hidden knowledge. While, our faith, our story, and our Christ have their roots in ancient Judaism– it is not the key to deciphering the mysteries of the universe.
Dispensationalism reads the biblical prophecy as predictive of our future. One of Dispensationalism’s core tenets is a historical-grammatical interpretation of everything in scripture. Everything from OT prophecies to the apostle’s metaphors are turned into items to watch for.
A theology of Escape in an event called “the rapture”. Theology of the rapture comes from one verse in the new testament, 1 Thessolians 4:16-17. Nowhere else in scripture is this idea of a flight away from the world. This theology of Escape is not found in the teaching of Jesus, Paul, or any other New Testament writer. Rather, the New Testament describes God’s plan to restore His world and that plan culminates in Christ’s return.
Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead.
“The Day of the Lord” or the Day of YHWH
The day when God (YHWH) would defeat all of Israel’s enemies.
Παρουσία | parousia
presence
coming
Ἔσχατος | eschaton
The last thing, finality
The final event of the divine plan
All three terms refer broadly to the idea that God is guiding all of history toward His ends. Where his good creation will be liberated and healed from corruption, decay, and abuse it has endured.
It is the world to come, and the world we long for – the Kingdom of our Good God.
“The New Testaments' language about the future is a signpost pointing into the mist.” – NT Wright, Surprised by Hope
And while we do not know the timeframe– we may cultivate hope for the future knowing three things–
One day–Jesus will be personally present with us on Earth
Death will be reversed
All of Creation will be judged by our King.
Jesus will be personally Present with his people.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” – Revelation 21:3–5.
The parousia literally means presence. We await the day in which our King will be present, dwelling with us– He will be our God, and we will be his people.
Death will be reversed.
Resurrection is always bodily. It always involves flesh and bone restored from the decay of death.
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” –Romans 8:11.
The Kingdom of God, your future and mine, is flesh and bone– not disembodied spirits.
The Apostle John seems to believe that all people, believers and unbelievers, will be resurrected. of Jesus’ teaching.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” – John 5:25–29.
At the coming of Christ, death will be reversed.
Everyone throughout human history will be resurrected and subject to the judgment of Christ.
Throughout the biblical narrative, the coming Judgement of Jesus is depicted as good news
“4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! 5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD! 7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! 8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together 9 before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.” –Psalm 98:4–9.
Creation itself, the rivers that have been filled with pollutants, the forests that have been decimated, the plains that have been littered– aches for one to set things right.
In the writings of John love and Judgement are not depicted as separate acts but as one.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” –John 3:16–21.
Our life of apprenticeship to Jesus is a life of training to become the kind of person who will deeply enjoy and fit right in his Kingdom.
When Jesus came preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, it always came with visual aids– It came with him saving people from sickness and death.
He offered people an up-close presentation of what he was promising in the future.
