Israel.

At first glance, this small, seemingly innocuous county may not look like much to talk about. Its population totals in at about 9.2 million. When it comes to size, it is about two hundred square miles smaller than the state of New Jersey, clocking in at 8550. Externally, there is nothing grandiose or awe-inspiring about it.

And yet…this small country is not only one of the most prosperous nations in the world, one of the most technologically advanced civilizations on planet earth, and the subject of much international conversation/conflict—it is also a powerful example of God’s loving faithfulness and his determination to carry his plans for the New Heaven and New Earth out completely.

Israel’s Roots

To understand where God is taking Israel in the future, however, we must first understand what has happened in the past.

Israel got its start much earlier than many people might realize. You can trace its beginnings back as early as Genesis 12—only 12 chapters into the Bible’s first book!

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. ² “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Genesis 12:1-3

To clarify what’s happening here, this takes place long before God establishes Israel as a nation. It is a conversation between the man who will one day be called Abraham and his Creator. This man doesn’t have establishing the nation of God’s chosen people on his mind. What he wants is a son. Someone to carry on his name.

That’s where God steps in, though, and boy does he give Abram more than he bargained for. God doesn’t just inform him that he will indeed have offspring (that would have been miraculous enough already). He tells him that he will be the father of a great nation—one through which all the nations of the world will be blessed. And indeed, all nations have been blessed through Israel. That is where our Messiah Jesus Christ came from!

Abram probably didn’t know it, but this covenant, known as the Abrahamic Covenant, was God’s promise to restore the brokenness of the world through his chosen nation Israel (thus explaining why Israel will be a “blessing” to all nations). Before Israel even really existed, God had a plan for it. He had his hand over it.

Israel’s Growing Pains

The more you read the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Old Testament), the more it becomes clear that when God makes a covenant, he will be faithful in keeping it. Always. Indeed, if it were not for God’s fiercely devoted faithfulness to Israel in the past, it would not be here in the now, and it certainly would not be a major player in biblical end-times prophecy.

God was faithful to provide for and ultimately rescue the Israelites when they found themselves under Egyptian rule. Fast-forwarding a little bit, even though there was much rebellion, grumbling, and sin on the part of the Israelites, God was faithful in delivering them to their new homeland (Joshua 3). Israel is then established as a light to the rest of the world, and other countries take notice of its great and powerful God of love.

When Israel insulted him by asking for a human king, he saved them from the dysfunctional rule of King Saul with King David (2 Samuel 5:1-4). This is just the beginning of God’s loving faithfulness towards Israel.

During the timeframe of the books First and Second Kings and Chronicles, Israel enters into a pattern of repetitive sin—it continually seeks after pagan gods, repents for a little while, and then goes back to the detestable practices of false idols. It breaks its end of the covenant repeatedly. After this cycle plays out for many years, God finally determines that a major course correction is required. Instead of wiping Israel off the face of the earth and choosing another nation in his plan to save the world, God gives it over to its sin. He allows foreign nations to carry the Israelites off into captivity, and they are exiled from their homeland for many years (2 Kings 17:18-20).

But God is faithful even then, and he later delivers them back to their homeland, setting the stage for Christ’s birth. Never does God forget his covenant with Abraham.

Israel in the End Times

After Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection, God still is not done with his chosen people. They still have his hand of protection and a glorious, glorious inheritance. Jesus promised to return to earth one day, and he will reign out of Israel for a thousand years, as well as later establish a New Heaven and a New Earth, of which the New Jerusalem will be the crown jewel.

Satan, as you might imagine, is not happy about this. He has tried to destroy Israel for thousands of years, and in the future, this will not change.

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. ² She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. ³ Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. ⁴ Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.

Revelation 12:1-4a

Let’s pause here. The identity of the pregnant woman in question is none other than the nation of Israel, as evidenced by the twelve stars in her crown, which contains one star for each of Israel’s tribe. The baby she is about to give birth to represents Jesus, as Israel is the nation in which he was born.

As for the identity of the dragon, it is Satan. Not only is he referred to as such later on in the passage, there is also the detail of his tail sweeping a third of the stars from the heavens and sending them cascading to earth, just as Satan brought a third of the angels down with him in his rebellion.

The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. ⁵ She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.

Revelation 12:4b-5

In this passage, we see Satan attempt to destroy Jesus so his mission to save mankind and rule from Jerusalem as our King cannot be completed. If this sounds familiar, it should be—we read about this in the Gospels!

When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴ The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. 

Revelation 12:13-14

This passage details events that will happen near the end of days. A vengeful, spiteful Satan, knowing that Jesus is now out of his reach, will pursue Israel with all his might in hopes of utterly destroying it. He wants God’s chosen people gone.

God does not let that happen, though. His hand of protection is over the Israelites, and he is with  them as they escape (possibly via aircraft, as the woman’s wings would seem to suggest) to the place he prepared for them in the wilderness for the last 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation. All those years in the future, he is still going to see them through. Israel is the nation from which Jesus will rule in the New Heaven and New Earth—they aren’t going anywhere.

The Here and Now

As we wait for Jesus to come back, Israel’s very existence in the present-day is a source for much hope. It is an example of God’s faithfulness, serving as a reminder that he will never abandon or forsake us. Why? Because by all rights, Israel should not be here.

In 70 AD, the Roman empire completely conquered Israel, laying waste to Jerusalem and destroying the temple. The Israelites were scattered across the globe, forced to live among other cultures for over a thousand years.

Historically, when a society’s country is conquered and it is forced to disperse across the world, the society dies. The culture fades away. The people naturally assimilate to the practices and beliefs of their new homelands.

However, in a sociological miracle, the Jewish people kept their identity, and that is part of why they were able to join together and reestablish themselves as a nation in 1948. Israel just won’t go away, no matter the odds, no matter the time period, no matter the enemy (and there have been many enemies).

Speaking of enemies, Israel’s reestablishment is also miraculous because of the surrounding situation in which they returned. The surrounding Arab states were not willing to recognize Israeli independence. Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, and others swiftly set out to invade and destroy them. The Israelites were massively outnumbered and surrounded at all sides of their border.

And yet, despite these odds, Israel miraculously (and I mean miraculously) thwarted every single attempt to take them down. This is a miracle on par with Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt or the Israelites claiming the Promised Land from pagan influence in Joshua.

Furthermore, today Israel is thriving! It has a robust economy, booming agriculture, and a technological industry to rival that of Silicon Valley! Talk about God’s provision! Clearly, he has a plan for them that will outlast the end of the world.

Now What?

1. Take Heart in God’s Faithfulness

One thing that will stand out to you if you read about Israel for any length of time is how many times God stuck with them when it would have been far easier to dump them. It is quite a marvel how many times Israel was willing to stray away from the God who had been so good to them, and even more so a marvel that God was never willing to abandon them to destruction.

This principle applies in our lives, too. We mess up a lot. Often times, we don’t feel good enough. We feel weak. We feel too wicked for God to use. But guess what? God is faithful and just even when you are not. God loves you even when you are at your lowest, most sinful point. God is there with you even in the midst of your greatest struggle.

2. Take Heart in Your Inheritance

Throughout history, no nation has suffered as Israel has. No people has suffered quite like the Israelites. It is likely, amidst their constant attacks, punishments, and roadblocks, they wondered if they truly were God’s chosen people. He said he had a plan for them, but there were plenty of times where that was probably pretty hard to believe.

Nevertheless, God delivered them through each of their hardships. They remain his people, and he still has big plans for Israel.

This is encouraging for us too, even if we are Gentiles. Because of this, we can know life’s storms cannot rob us of the joy that is to come. Whatever you are dealing with right now, whether it be a difficult-to-overcome sin, a family conflict, a roadblock in your ministry, a sick loved one, or anything else…never forget the joy that is to come in the New Heaven and the New Earth. God has an awesome plan for you, greater than you could ever imagine or hope.

When traveling on a long trip (maybe as much as 2 hours) with my very young children, they used to ask, “How close are we?”  People are asking, “How close are we to the end?”

• A world-wide pandemic.  This is the first event which has been experienced and suffered by the entire world (177 countries/territories) all at once. 
• The Russian invasion of a peaceful sovereign nation, Ukraine, has altered the geo-political landscape. (Finland and Sweden are joining NATO.)  
• Iran is negotiating with Russia and other countries to attain nuclear power. 
• Political breakdown, decaying morality, social strife, economic uncertainty. 

In times like this it is important to understand that Jesus gave us a blueprint to understand what we are going through and how we are to respond. It can be summarized in three commands:

1. Be Watchful
2. Do not be alarmed
3. Stand firm

In times like these Jesus calls us to pray for stronger backs not lighter loads.  Let’s look at what Jesus says about the very times we are in and how he calls us to respond. 

The End of the World As They Knew It

Jesus has already experienced what we know as Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter Sunday.  People were declaring him to be the Messiah.  He has cleared out the Temple as a rebuke to the leaders of that day.  In Matthew 23 he condemns the leaders as corrupt. Jesus is now at the Temple.  There is anticipation that Jesus will bring a political revolution.  Two days before His crucifixion, Jesus says these words:  

Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.  Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God.

Matthew 24:1

They weren’t kidding.  The Temple was 37 acres.  Some of the stones were several tons.  The temple was considered one of the most beautiful structures of the Roman world. There were 18,000 men who labored to build it.  Its location on Mount Moriah made it look like a mountain of gold. Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, wrote that when the sun shone on it, “it radiated so fiery a flash that persons straining to look at it were compelled to avert their eyes.”

Jesus continues:

 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “ I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

Matthew 24:2

The midrash, which is an ancient commentary of the Old Testament, stated that Israel is at the center of the world.  Jerusalem is at the center of Israel.  The temple is at the center of Jerusalem.  The center of God’s work and presence on earth was the temple.  This was God’s very house.  For it to be destroyed was unthinkable. But what Jesus said was fulfilled with jaw dropping accuracy.  In 70 A.D. (less than 40 years from this time) the Romans invaded the city and ordered both the city and the temple be levelled to the ground.  Soldiers gutted it by fire and then literally pulled the stones apart to reclaim valuable metals embedded in them. After it’s destruction, it looked like a city that had not been inhabited.  In 50 years of this destruction there was not a single Jewish inhabitant in all of Israel. 

Whenever this happens the nation is dispersed and becomes mixed in other populations.  

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Matthew 24:3

The word for coming in the Greek is “parousia.” This means appearance, like appear in greater power, and did not relate to a second coming or return in the minds of the disciples. In a Sesame Street episode, the friendly blue character, Grover, teaches kids the difference between “near” and “far.” He begins close to the camera saying “near,” and then runs away yelling “faaaaaar.” His lesson is helpful to read what Jesus is saying because the disciples are thinking near.  But the verses we will look at are far. Jesus describes six events which will occur with increasing frequency. He calls them “birth pains.”

All these are the beginning of birth pains.   

Matthew 24:8

When Brenda and I took Lamaze class (a class on labor and delivery) we learned that when contractions start you need to get to the hospital and the more frequent they become the closer we are to the delivery. These “birth pains” or contractions are the wake-up calls which are preparing us for something better.

Contraction # 1: Reestablishment of Israel. 

³² “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ³³ (Things are heating up.) Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. ³⁴ I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.   

Matthew 24:32-35 

The fig tree is symbolic for Israel. Miraculously the nation of Israel was reestablished in 1948.  After 1900 years of being dispersed through the world, as well as being the most persecuted and hated people to ever live, and coming out of the Nazi Holocaust; Israel maintained its ethnic and religious identity and reestablished itself as a nation.  No nation of the earth has ever done this.  In fact, sociologically it is considered impossible. 

Further, they were outnumbered 80/1 by the Arab populations who fought them from the surrounding areas. To add to this, they were an immigrant community of farmers. 

“Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day, or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.

Isaiah 66:8

1948 was the time when the contractions started.  The world started to look considerably different.

Contraction # 2: Growing deception. 

For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

Matthew 25:5

When the light comes on the bugs gather to it. The spread of deception has greatly increased since this time.

Contraction # 3: Increasing warfare and conflict. 

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars,

Matthew 24:6

Will China invade Taiwan? Will Iran be an aggressor against Israel? Is Poland the next target of Russia? There will be increasing speculation along these lines. Since 3600 B.C. it is estimated that there have been 14,500 wars in which 3.5 billion people have been killed.  If you were to tally up the property damage of all the wars it would amount to a belt of gold 30 feet wide and a hundred feet thick around the earth. War is not new. Yet, the intensity and frequency of war will increase.

but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.

Matthew 24:6-7

The word for nation in the Greek is ethnos. This appears to indicate the break up of ethnic groups in nations. Nations will split and divide into separate nations.  In 1948 the United Nation was composed of 66 countries.  After 1948 there were an additional 128 countries that came into existence.  Some of these were nations that grew out of ethnic divisions. Think for example of North and South Korea in the 50’s.  North and South Vietnam in the 60’s.  Yugoslavia split into five different countries. 

Contraction # 4: Escalation of natural disasters. 

There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Matthew 24:7

Luke adds these words:

There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places…

Luke 21:11

Slate magazine predicted this to be a century of disasters.  That has proven accurate.  Hurricanes in Gulf Coast. Flood fatigue in much of the country. Snow fall shutting down the south. Yes, Texas getting more snow and ice than Michigan, where I live.  There was once the hope that infectious diseases could be eradicated.  But now it is more prominent.  Since 1980 outbreaks of infectious disease have tripled. 

Contraction # 5: Increased falling away. 

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, (Matthew 24:9-12)

In our lifetime more Christians have suffered and been killed for the faith than all the other centuries combined.  

Contraction # 6: Rapid spread of the gospel. 

These are the birth pains, so where is the baby?  The Good News is that in the mess there is a message. 

¹³ but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 24:13-14

What are you saved from?  A mind that is fractured and pulled apart by the rising epidemic, anxiety and depression. For those who stay focused on God and his mission, they will be a part of the rapid spread of the gospel to the nations.

What do you need to do?

View these times through the lens of patience.

Stand firm and do not be alarmed.  How do I get this patience?  It is going through         tribulation that produces the ability to go through tribulation.  Your ability to walk through the difficulty you are in right now will come through walking through the difficulty you are in right now. I can hear the response, “Oh I hate that.”  The testing of your faith produces patience.  We need to pray for stronger backs rather than lighter loads.  Instead of proclaiming with the Psalmists, “I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death,” we ask God to “airlift me from mountain top to mountain top experience.”    

View through the lens of purpose

Watch As I grew up in 1970’s I can remember the Bee Gees, Bell Bottoms, Candy Cigarettes, and of course, Star Wars. As a child, born in 1969, I was far more into Scooby Doo than politics of any sort. But I do remember the long lines at the gas pump.  Oil prices doubled in 1979 due to the Iranian Revolution which held American hostages and was threatening to push Israel into the sea. Gas prices quadrupled in 1973 because of OPEC embargoes due to American aide to Israel during the Yom Kippur War. This was a result of the Iranian Revolution, a revolution which was holding American hostages and threatening to push Israel into the sea. Before that the price of oil quadrupled in 1973. Along with this:  

• Inflation was at 14.5 percent in 1980. 
• Crime was at its highest making major cities looking like something out of a batman movie. 
• Russia invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and we armed and trained a group called the Mujahidin.  These would become the Taliban. 
• American cities were in turmoil over forced busing causing many to abandon cities for a more rural location.
• 1973 the Supreme Court legalized abortion.

To be honest, the 1970’s was a time of contractions. But it was not the final time, obviously. I can honestly say, like I did in response to my children’s question, “How close are we?” “We are closer than we have ever been.”  So the words of the Savior are as relevant as ever:

• Be watchful
• Don’t be alarmed
• Stand firm

In the mess we have a message.

I recently had the privilege of teaching a class on biblical end-times prophecy. It was an enlightening time for all involved, teacher and student alike. Something we learned rather quickly through the course of our eight-week study was how well-saturated so many concepts from end-times prophecy are in our culture.

Most of us, regardless of whether we are practicing Christians, are at least vaguely familiar with end-times imagery. For example, not everyone may know they come from the book of Revelation, but most of us have heard of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Not everyone may know what it means, but the term “rapture” is one most people have heard thrown around at least once. In this same way, some people may not know who the antichrist is or what he does, but they certainly have heard the term several times before.

The same goes for the doctrine that is central to end-times prophecy along with the Bible as a whole: the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Nearly everyone has heard of it. Large swaths of the population have, at bare minimum, some vague idea of what will transpire when Jesus returns and how his return will take place.

However, despite Christ’s return being a rather widespread idea within our society and especially within the Church, in many (most?) instances, our knowledge of it is surface-level—if that. If someone we were discipling were to ask us about it, we may struggle to articulate a thorough, comprehensive thought on the matter.

The nature of Christ’s return is not a doctrine the believer can afford to leave so hazy. We will never have all the answers or learn all there is to know about the matter on this side of eternity, but we can have an informed view on the topic because scripture has a lot to say about it. The purpose of this article is to provide a basic summary of all the major things one must know about the next time Jesus comes to earth.

It Will Be Bodily

Theologians often refer to the coming return of Jesus Christ as bodily and glorious. Let’s discuss the first half of that statement first. When we say that Jesus’ return will be bodily, we mean that he will literally and physically come back to us. He will be there with us in the flesh. Visible. Tangible. Consider these confirming verses:

So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Hebrews 9:28

Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

Revelation 1:7

In the same way we can have a face-to-face conversation with a friend, or in the same way we can physically embrace a loved one, so it will be when Christ returns. He will dwell among the beloved creation that he has lovingly rescued from death, and this time, he will never leave. We will be able to brush our hands over the holes in his hands and touch the gash in his side.

It is important to emphasize the bodily return of Christ, as over the years (and even now) there are some who have offered alternative, fallacious views of the nature of his return. They may claim that he will return “in our hearts” or that perhaps his return is a metaphor for a widespread societal shift in morality yet to occur. These and theories like them are incorrect. It is worth repeating once more: in his second coming, Jesus Christ will literally and physically come back to us.

It Will Be Glorious

Now we tackle the second half of Jesus’ “bodily and glorious” return.

The second coming of Christ will be glorious in more ways than one. For one, it will simply be a fantastical event that magnifies the beauty and sovereignty of God. Just read!

For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Matthew 24:27

Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Matthew 24:30

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.

1 Thessalonians 4:16

You can only imagine the indescribably awesome, glorious sight this will be! It will be a glory beyond words or thought. As previously stated, though, this is not the only way it will be glorious. The Second Coming of Jesus will also be glorious because of the new and glorious body in which Christ will return.

Remember reading about Jesus’ resurrected body in the Gospels? It was clearly a human one; the disciples had no trouble recognizing him as Jesus. He was able to eat and do other normal activities mankind partakes in. And yet, it seemed to be the typical body we would be used to and then some. Like a Human 2.0.

In this glorious form, Jesus could walk through walls (John 20:19). He could suddenly appear out of nowhere (Luke 24:36). Most obvious of all, this form transcended death. Jesus being broken and battered and ultimately slain did not stop it coming to be.

Why does this matter to us? Study these passages from Paul:

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Philippians 3:20-21

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

1 Corinthians 15:20

Jesus Christ’s will return as the first, or the “firstfruit” of all who will follow him. When he returns, those in Christ will be risen up into new and glorious bodies as well, free from suffering and sorrow—they will be like the bodies we had before…but better!

The Second Coming of Christ in his new and glorious form signals to us how he has conquered death definitively. Not just for himself when he rose from the dead, but for us as well.

It Will Be Unexpected

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”

Matthew 24:36

Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Matthew 24:44

Scripture tells us to be ever watchful, for Christ’s return will not be a predictable event. Far from it. He is going to return when he is least expected. This is why we must be on our guard, always being mindful that he will one day return.

It’s a good thing we have this warning, too. Sometimes, if we do not keep our eyes on the prize, then we tend to lose motivation. Jesus Christ’s return reminds us of the awesome inheritance we have to look forward to, and it inspires us to push onward in our discipleship and our mission. We don’t know when it is, and we certainly do not want to be caught slacking when he finally arrives.

Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.

Revelation 3:3

It Will Be Triumphant

When Jesus Christ comes back, he will be here to stay. He will have complete dominion over the world to rule and cast out evil, and that is precisely what he will do. Upon his return, he will have Satan cast into a prison for a thousand years and reign as the undisputed King of the World with all of his children.

And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. ² He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. ³ He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. ⁴ I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. ⁵ (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. ⁶ Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

Revelation 20:1-6

After this thousand-year reign, which a future article will explore more in-depth, Satan will be released from his prison for one final confrontation against Christ. Rest assured, it will never be a close fight. He will lose, and he will lose badly. The power of Jesus will prevail over evil once and for all.

⁷ When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸ and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. ⁹ They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. ¹⁰ And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Revelation 20:7-10

That right there is why Satan is surely not looking forward to the time when Jesus Christ comes back to earth. His time is limited. When Christ arrives, the destruction of wickedness will be assured. Jesus Christ will have the final word, and he will emerge triumphant.

So…

Anticipate the Future

Ultimately, we should not be seeking to know all this just for the sake of head-knowledge. It is the physical, glorious, and victorious return of Christ that should fuel us in all that we do.

If you feel discouraged in your discipling relationship and are having trouble finding motivation to continue, look at what is to come. Ask yourself if the labor you are struggling through right now is worth the end result of having this person join you in celebration when Jesus returns.

If you feel like your spiritual gifts and the unique talents with which God has equipped you are useless—like they are not actually accomplishing anything—then take a pause. Look to the return of Jesus Christ. God has wired you in a precise, unique way to accomplish his purposes in a way that nobody else can in order to usher in the wonderful end result of Christ’s Second Coming. Take heart in that. What you do for the Kingdom right now matters. Your service to God right now matters.

Jesus Christ is returning one day. In the meantime, roll up your sleeves and get to work!

Appreciate God’s Patience

You may be reading about these wonderful things that will transpire once Jesus returns and thinking “gee, why doesn’t God just hurry up and have Jesus come back already?” An eternity of abundance with God, after all, is infinitely better than our current situation. So why the wait?

Simply put, it is because of God’s loving patience. His desire is that none shall perish, and he wants as many people as possible to come to Christ before the end of days arrives.

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 Peter 3:9

This waiting period before Jesus Christ’s return is an act of divine mercy that once again demonstrates the goodness of our God. He loves us more than we could understand and wants to pour out mercy upon mercy. Be glad, and use this time as we wait to lead more of the lost to him.

Questions commonly asked when it comes to the ministry of healing are:

• Can we always expect God to heal us? 
• Should the ministry of healing be a regular part of the church’s ministry? 
• If I’m not healed physically what does it indicate? 

In answer to these questions, the bottom line is that healing is to advance the mission and message of Christ. Sometime this is done through making the sick person well, and sometimes it is done by empowering the sick person to live well. To explore this question further, let’s take a deeper dive into Acts 3:1-4:4. This gives one of the best descriptions of God’s purposes in healing, and then serves as a springboard to answer some of the challenging questions.  

God’s Purposes for Healing

 ¹One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 

Many of the Jews prayed three times a day. This practice developed when the first Jewish temple had been destroyed in 586 B.C. Nonetheless, the practice continued after the temple had been rebuilt. Peter and John, fresh off the heals of Jesus’ resurrection, continue in this custom as seen in verse 1.  

²Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.

Often times, if not most of the time, people undergo physical illness or defects for no detectable cause.  We can’t say, in many cases, cancer, miscarriages, diabetes, asthma, etc. was caused because of something a person did or did not do. The only causal connection goes back to Genesis 3 where sin entered the world bringing physical suffering.  That is where this guy is in this story.  He was “lame from birth.”  

Not only is he born this way in physical suffering; he is in social suffering, as well. He does not have a social net of support.  There is no Medicaid, no SSI, no public assistance.  He has to put food on the table through begging.  Nonetheless, he is strategic and resourceful.  He begs at a highly trafficked area at the gate of the temple where people entered and exited to worship. People would have been going to the temple with money to give. This probably made some more charitable. It is also important to note that because of his defect he is not allowed into the temple courts. He was excluded from worship to God.  

³When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴ Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 

As this man begs for money, Peter, in essence looked at him saying, “Read My Lips.” This guy does not grasp what is about to happen. At best, he is hoping for a generous gift.  He is not believing in faith for a miracle.  He is not claiming his healing.  He is not sending in $200 to a TV ministry.  When Peter says to look at him he wants him to grasp the message behind the miracle. The miracle can be viewed as signposts to a deeper message. We see three signposts that this healing miracle points:

Signposts # 1: Healings point upward. 

⁶Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 

What we will see is that Peter does not even pray for this guy’s healing.  This miracle is to authenticate the message of Jesus which the apostles are now proclaiming.  The ultimate goal is not healing, it is the glory of God through highlighting the message of “Jesus Christ of Nazareth.”  Healing is secondary.  Through the attention that this healing brings, Peter is able to proclaim to the crowd at the temple:

¹⁵You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. ¹⁶By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.

The focus was not on the man’s physical recovery, as wonderful as that was. Rather, it was to highlight and authenticate the message of the apostles regarding Jesus as the Savior. The writer of Hebrews reinforces this point:

³This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. ⁴God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Hebrews 2:3-4

Signpost # 2: Healings point forward.

Going back to Peter and John’s interaction with the lame man, notice Peter’s initiative.

⁷Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. ⁸He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.

There is no longer an exclusion from the temple. This man is now healed physically, but it points to a new reality all of the world gets to look forward to–restoration physically, socially and physically. If you go to the movies you usually encounter sneak previews: short promotional trailers which give a taste of what is to come. Miracles, including healing, show what is to come.  They point forward to the kind of restoration that Jesus was going to bring to the whole world with his coming rule and reign on the earth.  The prophet Isaiah, approximately 700 years before Jesus, describes this world in which the Messiah will usher:

⁵Then will the eyes of the blind be opened

    and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

⁶Then will the lame leap like a deer,

    and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Water will gush forth in the wilderness

    and streams in the desert.

Isaiah 35:5-6

It is key to understand that the miracles done by Jesus and his followers were not pure displays of power but displays of his coming restoration which the Old Testament has prophesied. Other than Jesus’ ascension he never flew like Superman; he didn’t just use Jedi telekinesis to move objects at the Last Supper; during his suffering before and during the crucifixion, Jesus did not heal like Wolverine. (There is nothing for comic book geeks and nerds to get real excited about in the Gospels.)  Jesus did nothing on the level of magic tricks, daredevil stunts, or awe-inspiring displays of showmanship. The reason is that he was wanting to transform hearts and minds toward his kingdom.  

When the Savior healed leprosy, cured blindness, stopped storms and even raised the dead, these kinds of miracles show us that God is no happier with the brokenness of the world than you and I are. God did not create the world with pain, storms, blindness, disease or death. All of this came through the corruption of sin. Miracles, which include healing, give a sneak preview to the world as God will make it to be again. That is Peter’s concluding statement to the watching crowd:

“Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.“

Acts 3:21

Healings point downward. 

  Moving on the Acts 4:1-4.

¹The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. ²They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. ³They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 

There is no reward, nothing like a CNN interview, no Time magazine “Man of the Year” cover story. Instead, it is go straight to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200. The miracles in Acts often get the miracle worker in trouble. The lame man gets to walk; Peter and John get confined to prison. The same was true of Jesus’ ministry. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead John writes, “From that point on they determined to kill him.” (John 11:53) Tim Keller observes, “By taking Lazarus out of the grave, he put himself in.” When Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood who came up behind him and grabbed his garment, the power “went out” from him. Healing for the world will come as life and power and money and opportunity—go out from us.

What do we learn about healing?

Be willing to pay the cost.

When God gives power to heal others, it makes us vulnerable. It costs.  We’re supposed to pour out our money and power and opportunity as genuine sacrifice. Sometimes we must preach unpopular messages and opposition comes, but that should be done in the midst of outpourings of love and healing. Our community should say about us, “We don’t believe what those crazy people teach, but thank God they’re here because they do so much good.”  

⁴But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.

Pray for biblical priorities.   

God glorifies himself through making sick people well, and other times he does it through empowering sick people to live well.

Does God always heal?  Yes, but not in the timing and way we always pray for healing.  Aren’t we healed by his stripes, according to Isaiah 53:5? At times we do experience sneak previews of the kingdom world to come through miracles and healings, but the Bible has already given us the ultimate spoiler alert. Ultimate healing will be experienced with the new and resurrected bodies.  Christ overcame death, but we decay and die.  But there will come a day that we will not die.

God glorifies himself through making sick people well, and other times he does it through empowering sick people to live well. I believe we should pray for the sick with the idea that God will heal. I think we should do it more often that we do. But we need to pray and believe with a kingdom focus. Sometimes healing is a process as we pray, love, serve, visit and care. Through someone’s illness community is built, and the church becomes tighter with God. 

Press for biblical proclamations.

The miracle is that he brought the man from the outside into the inside.  He was outside the temple—separated from access to God.  The physically healing allowed him access to God.  There are plenty of people who are in perfect physical health—selfie obsessed with amazing bodies–but their lives are empty, unhappy and worst of all condemned by sin.  If someone falls off a bicycle and breaks a leg, he can go to the hospital and get it fixed. You stagger around on crutches for a while. Eventually, he starts to walk normally again. You can fix a broken leg, but you cannot fix a broken relationship with God.  That is accomplished through the gospel.