It’s often referred to as one of the most momentous or special times in the life of a believer. Whether it is done in a lake around a small group of friends and family or in a baptismal as the whole Sunday congregation watches on, it is an event followed by many congratulations, cheers, and hugs. Baptism is a central doctrine and practice in every denomination of Christianity. We have probably heard that we are to “repent and be baptized.”

So what’s the big deal? Why is baptism as important as everyone seems to think it is? Today, we are going to unpack all of that.

Why Baptize?

³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

¹⁵ Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:13-17

Right here, we see Jesus, who was and is God in the flesh, choosing to be baptized. Now, this is a theologically rich passage, and its implications are many, so much so that we could right several articles off of it.

However, for the purposes of our topic today, what we need to know is that this passage shows Jesus affirming the practice of baptism. If Christ himself was baptized, that goes a long way in validating its legitimacy, doesn’t it?

If there is any doubt left as to whether this is an important practice, scripture goes on to cast them away.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20

What you just read is the Great Commission. These were the final words Jesus Christ gave to his disciples before he returned to the Father. You might call it the command on which the Christian Church was built and the mission statement of the Church today. Let’s break it down.

Jesus said to “make disciples of all nations.” Hopefully, we can all recognize the importance of this. This is, in large part, why God gave us our unique gifting—it was for the saving of souls! The urgency of making disciples is likely engrained in just about any church you visit, with their mission statement being some variation of the Great Commission.

However, there is more. Jesus didn’t end it there. He goes on to say that part of disciplemaking is baptizing the disciples we make “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Baptism is part of the Great Commission too. It naturally springs forth from discipleship.

In short, then, we baptize and are baptized because Christ himself affirmed it and commands it of his followers.

That raises a whole new set of questions, though. Why does Christ command us to be baptized? What is the significance of having someone dip us underwater in the name of Christ? Glad you asked.

The Meaning Behind Baptism?

In a nutshell, baptism is an outward sign of an inward change. The act of baptism, which is being submerged under the water and then reemerging from beneath the surface, is a physical representation of this passage from Paul:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 

2 Corinthians 5:17

Baptism symbolizes dying to our old, sinful, dysfunctional nature and emerging as a regenerated believer in Christ. Just as Christ died for us and was resurrected into a new and glorious body three days later, we die to ourselves when we follow him and rise again as a new creation. Baptism is a powerful picture of this—a powerful picture of us identifying with Christ’s sacrifice and consequently being made anew.

Just look at what Paul has to say in another of his epistles!

 In him [Jesus] you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ.”

Colossians 2:11-13

Who Should Be Baptized?

This is where things can get controversial. There are some who say only believers who have voluntarily accepted Christ and understand the meaning of doing so should be baptized, and there are some who claim that infants should be baptized soon after birth, as they think baptism is necessary for salvation.

The writer of this article will take the position that only those who have made the volitional, conscious choice to follow Jesus should be baptized, meaning infant baptism is not necessary or even biblical. Do not get it twisted—everyone should be baptized. Jesus commanded it. We should simply wait until the believer understands what they are doing and why they are doing it before baptizing them.

There is scriptural precedent for this.

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Acts 2:41

Here, we see believers called to repentance (i.e. placing their faith in Christ’s sacrifice to cover their sins) and then baptism. You will notice in verse forty-one it says “those who received his word” were the ones who were baptized; these were people who were receptive to Peter’s proclamation of the Gospel.

There is simply nowhere in scripture that prescribes infant baptism, and it would be theologically flawed to conclude it is necessary for salvation, as that would mean the saving grace of Christ would not be enough for salvation.

How Should We Baptize?

The question of how we should physically baptize someone refers to what mode of baptism we should use. The three modes of baptism most commonly used are immersion, pouring, and sprinkling. These are fairly self-explanatory. Immersion involves fully submerging someone underwater, pouring involves (you guessed it!) pouring water over someone, and sprinkling is, well, sprinkling water on someone’s head.

There has long been disagreement over what mode of baptism is the biblical or “correct” mode. I would posit the correct mode of baptism is immersion, and there is plenty of biblical evidence supporting this.

Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized.

John 3:23

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.

Matthew 3:16

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” ³⁸ And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

Acts 8:36-38

These excerpts yield a few notable takeaways pointing to baptism via full immersion under the water. In the first passage, John the Baptist is baptizing at Aenon, and the reason he chose that location is the abundance of water there. If baptism were only an act of pouring or sprinkling, such an excess of water would not be necessary.

The second passage describes Christ’s baptism, and the wording tells us he was baptized via immersion, as it says he “went up out of the water.” If this is the way Christ opted to be baptized, then we should pay attention to that.

Finally, the passage from Acts tells of Philip baptizing a new believer, and they go “down into the water.” Again, the wording here appears to indicate immersion baptism.

What Now?

Appreciate Biblical Baptism

We should treat the topic of baptism with the weight and importance it deserves. It isn’t something to be flippant about. It is one of the two ordinances Christ left the Church, with the other being communion.

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, and you have yet to be baptized, why wait? Find a way to get baptized by immersion as soon as possible! Publicly proclaim your death to sin and life in Christ. This is not something to put off.

Furthermore, if you are currently discipling anyone who is a new follower of Christ and is yet to be baptized, pray about having a conversation regarding the topic with them. Jesus told us to make disciples—and then he told us to baptize!

Keep Baptism in the Correct Place

We do not want to overemphasize or underemphasize baptism, and it is quite possible to do both. On one hand, if you have a friend or relative in the Lord who dies and you know they were not baptized, it is both unproductive and unnecessary to fear for their salvation. That is inflating baptism’s purpose and importance.

On the other hand, just because baptism is not necessary for salvation does not mean it is not sacred and vital. If you are a believer, you should be baptized. To not do so is to disobey Christ and miss out on an opportunity to honor your savior. Baptism is essential to living a life in complete surrender to Jesus.

If I told you that there is a lot of controversy within the Church surrounding our remembrance of the Lord’s Supper, which on its face is a relatively simple act of eating some bread and drinking some wine or juice, you may not believe me. However, believe it or not, that is reality.

As it turns out, there is by no means one uniform view on the practice of communion. People, wouldn’t you know it, have found many things to disagree about. Today we are going to unpack some of these disagreements and attempt to come to a biblical conclusion on how we ought to practice it, as well as what happens spiritually during communion.

Starting with the Basics

Jesus Christ left the Church with two ordinances to follow.

The remembrance of the Lord’s Supper is one of those ordinances in the Church (sometimes called sacraments), with the other being baptism. This simply means it is one of the sacred rituals/ceremonies Jesus instituted for the Church to do. Some people believe there are more than two, and include the practices of oil-anointment, foot-washing, confirmation, and many others in their list of ordinances. The writer would respectfully disagree; there is nowhere in scripture where Jesus commanded the Church at large to observe these on a regular basis.

To get back on track, though, a typical communion service will consist of the leader or pastor recounting the story of the Last Supper and reminding the Church why they are partaking in this act of remembrance. They will often quote Jesus word-for-word from passages such as Luke 22:19, in which he said “this is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Often accompanied with this retelling of the Last Supper is a visual demonstration—a breaking of bread to represent Christ’s broken body and the pouring of wine or juice to represent his shed blood on the cross; this is the same visual representation Christ gave the disciples two thousand years ago during the Last Supper.

After this, the congregation will be invited to eat and drink the bread and juice/wine, which are referred to as the elements of communion.

Who Should Participate?

Good question.

Some people say anyone who desires to should be able to take communion, regardless of whether they are a believer in Jesus Christ. This would be a minority view, but it does exist.

Others say anyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ can take communion, but the practice is barred from those who do not actively follow him. Many churches would hold to this view, and a large number would take it even a step further and only permit members of their own particular church or denomination to partake. This seemingly strict rule does not necessarily have to come from a place of haughty exclusivity; many churches likely just want to ensure they do not give communion to anyone who is unworthy, and only permitting individuals who have gone through a membership process is a way of ensuring that.

Speaking of the word “unworthy,” that is the central theme of the passage we will be looking at to receive an answer to the question of who should participate.

²³ For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”  ²⁵ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. ²⁷ Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup

1 Corinthians 11:23-28

Here, Paul is talking to a church whose members by and large were not at all taking communion with reverence. They were taking it sinfully and with selfish hearts. Now, our exact situation is not going to be the same as the Church of Corinth, but we can still extrapolate some principles from the text.

Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is adamant that believers take communion with the right attitude. Not one of dismissal, or self-service, or with sin festering in their heart, but with a willingness to proclaim the sovereign Lord’s death—with the proper respect for what communion means.

It is because of this passage that we can conclude participants in communion should be—first and foremost—individuals who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. If someone is not a member of God’s Kingdom, then there is no justification for them taking communion, as they cannot effectively proclaim Jesus’ sacrifice if they have not even accepted it for themselves…much less can they participate in a worthy manner if they do not have the blood of Jesus covering them!

There is no scriptural basis for participants needing to be a member of a specific denomination or of the church holding the service in order for them to partake. There is simply an absence of supporting passages to argue a convincing case for this. To summarize, then, anyone who is a member of God’s Kingdom, saved by the loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ, may participate in communion so long as they do not do so in an unworthy manner.

Who Should Lead?

The Bible does not explicitly say what type of person should or should not lead a remembrance of the Lord’s Supper, aside from the implicit and obvious requirement that they need to be a believer. There is nowhere, for instance, stating that to lead a communion service, you absolutely must be the pastor or elder of a church.

Since the Bible does not provide a clear answer, it seems best to reach our conclusions with prayer and discernment. With that said, I would suggest that the leader of a communion service should be a loving servant of God and others. They should be someone who is not needlessly divisive within the Church, continually living in unrepentant sin and modeling a bad example to the rest of the Body of Christ. Basically, there character should be such that it would not be a distracting issue as communion takes place, taking the focus away from Christ’s sacrifice.

Differing Views on Communion

Now things get really fun. There is one more major area of contention in the conversation surrounding the Lord’s Supper, and that is the degree to which Christ is present when we take communion.

The following summary of the different viewpoints is in no way comprehensive, and I recommend Wayne Grudem’s Bible Doctrine if you wish to study them more in-depth.

Transubstantiation

This view, taking literally Jesus’ statement that the bread and wine are his body and blood, believes that the elements physically become Jesus’ flesh and blood. It would maintain that when we take communion, we are literally eating Jesus’ body.

Furthermore, proponents of this view believe as soon as the bread is elevated by the leader of service and broken, grace is instilled within everyone in the vicinity, but it is given in proportion to their own spiritual receptivity. They also believe that in every instance communion is held, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ happens over again, which is the source of the grace everyone receives during the service.

Consubstantiation

This belief maintains that, while the elements do not literally become Jesus’ flesh and blood, Christ is instead present “in, with, and under” them. It could be said this is a slightly more reserved version of transubstantiation, still desiring to take Jesus literally in his “this is my body” statement without making the claim that we are consuming the Christ. Many advocates would say he is present in the elements the same way water is in a dishcloth; it is in the cloth, but it is still distinct from the cloth itself.  

It is also worth noting that this view does not believe Jesus’ sacrifice is repeated with each communion service, nor does it believe grace flows from the breaking of the bread into everyone who is present.

Symbolic View

The third and final belief regarding communion is that it is largely or perhaps even purely a symbolic act. Holders of this view do not believe Christ is literally present in the elements or even present “in, with, and under.”

The bread and wine/juice are instead representative of his flesh and blood respectively. Is this to say they believe Christ is in no way present during a communion service? Not at all, as they would believe Christ is omnipresent, and he is especially with us as two or more gather in his name. They believe Jesus blesses and spiritually nourishes us during communion—he simply is not a part of the elements in any manner other than a symbolic one.

Which View Is Right?

That’s ultimately on you to decide for yourself, but I would like to firmly make the case for the symbolic view. To me, it is by far the most reasonable.

Firstly, transubstantiation’s conviction that the elements literally become Jesus’ flesh and blood would seem to negate the symbolic manner in which Jesus often spoke. Christ did not always speak literally. He often spoke in parables. He used metaphor (i.e. “I am the true vine” and “I am the door”). It seems far more likely he was doing the same thing at the Last Supper when he lifted the bread and said “this is my body” as opposed to telling us a piece of bread and a drink of wine are his actual flesh and blood. Moreover, the transubstantiation belief that Christ’s sacrifice is repeated as a continual source of grace is, in my mind, borderline blasphemous. Christ’s sacrifice is final. We no longer have need for a sacrifice. He said as much in John 19:30 when he clearly stated “it is finished.” Also, there is simply nowhere in scripture to support communion as a continual sacrifice of Christ.

Consubstantiation, while much less objectionable than its cousin, still makes the error of taking Christ too literally. I like the way theological scholar Wayne Grudem puts it:

“In response to the [Consubstantiation] view, it can be said that it too fails to realize that Jesus is speaking of a spiritual reality but using physical objects to teach us when he says ‘this is my body.’”

Wayne Grudem

The symbolic view, in a nutshell, takes into account Jesus’ tendency to use metaphor or symbolism to convey spiritual truth while still maintaining the sacred and wonderful nature of the Lord’s Supper.

Application

Practice Biblical Communion

This one is pretty straightforward. Listen to what scripture says and ensure you and your church are in no way making a mockery out of remembering the Lord’s Supper or otherwise approaching communion in an unworthy way.

Thoroughly examine yourself before taking part. Are you doing this joyfully and respectfully, or thoughtlessly and selfishly? Remember the words of Paul. This is how we honor our glorious God. Take it seriously.

Enjoy Spiritual Nourishment

There is a profound and powerful spiritual nourishment that comes from participating in communion. In so doing, we enjoy and glorify God by proclaiming the perfect love of our savior and fill our spirit with unique renewal and sustenance.

I have talked at length at how we are to respectfully and reverentially partake in communion, but we are to do it joyfully as well! It is an honor and a privilege to exalt Christ in this way, and it illustrates how we, as the body of Christ, all take part in the benefits of his holy sacrifice.

Take It in a Worthy Manner

In his epistle to the Corinthians, Paul gives them a pretty important warning.

So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 11:27

The Corinthians had turned communion into more of a mindless, indulgent social gathering in which those who were able ate far too much and those who were less fortunate had little to nothing. They were not taking communion with sober reflection on their sin and what Christ did for them.

We would do well to follow the principle of this text: do not take communion in an unworthy manner.

When you participate in communion, do not do so thoughtlessly, or with a sinful, ungrateful heart. Do so with joy, gladness, and worship as you exalt Christ!

We have all done it countless times. Often at the end of the worship service, maybe once a month, or every other week, or perhaps every week, your church probably partakes in communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper.

Perhaps you know the basics surrounding the story of why we do the Lord’s Supper, or perhaps you do not and have been wondering why your church keeps having that weird snack during service. Either way, this article is for you! Today, we are going to explore the rich and meaningful history behind communion, its implications, and what that means for us as Christians today. It is one of the sacred and God-glorifying duties of the believer to practice communion.

Jesus Tells People to Eat Him?

Picture this. You are one of Jesus’ twelve original disciples. You have just crossed over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee with him, and he takes you to a hilly area, where a great crowd of people follows you because they know of Jesus’ miraculous deeds.

The crowd gets hungry. You start to wonder how on earth you are going to feed five thousand men, plus women and children. Jesus has you take some little boy’s lunch of bread and fish, and all of a sudden you’re serving this vast multitude of people a satisfying meal with food to spare afterward. The crowd is amazed. Jesus is glorious. It’s a good day. You go to bed in awe of what you just experienced.

The next day, a crowd of people come to Jesus, and you begin to wonder what wondrous sign he is going to perform today. You are lost in your daydreaming when all of a sudden, you hear Jesus telling the crowd that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood.

That would be quite a rollercoaster of events, wouldn’t it? Well, as you may well know, I am not making that story up.

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. ⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

John 6:44-51

We will pause right here. At face value, what Jesus just said is…well, it’s pretty weird. You don’t get to tell someone to eat your flesh without things getting kind of awkward. That sounds like something out of a cannibalistic horror movie.

However, Jesus is not one to say gross, nonsensical things. There is a higher meaning behind what he is saying. And believe it or not, as grotesque as it sounds, it is a wonderful meaning. The Jews listening to him, however, did not pick up on this.

Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” ⁵³ Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. ⁵⁷ Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 

John 6:52-59

Maybe what he’s saying is starting to make a bit more sense to you. If not, I’ll explain. Without Christ, we are spiritually dead, left under God’s wrath and enslaved to our sinful nature. Furthermore, we are on the fast track to eternal separation from God.

It is only through the loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who bore the sins of mankind on the cross, that we can be reconciled to a holy God and enjoy life-sustaining, intimate relationship with him and the Father.

This is why Christ says “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” He is saying that unless we accept the gift of salvation, made possible by the piercing of his flesh, the spilling of his blood, and the brokenness of his body, we will not have abundant life in the here and now. Moreover, we will suffer eternal death in the next life. Nobody who does not place their faith in the sacrifice of Christ’s broken body can truly live.

In this sense, he is like the ultimate manna from heaven. Christ was sent from heaven as manna was to the Israelites in the wilderness, and eating his flesh provides everlasting life: “Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

The Last Supper

This theme of Jesus’ flesh and blood being our saving grace continues later on in the Gospels. Fast-forward to the Passover night Jesus was betrayed. How precious these final moments with his followers must have been, made even more so by what he said.

  ⁴ When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. ¹⁵ And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁷ After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. ¹⁸ For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Luke 22:14-20

This passage, which has not failed to bring tears to my eyes as I read it, is Jesus’ loving commission to begin the sacred practice of the Lord’s Supper, which is a remembrance of his atoning sacrifice.

Communion is a powerful picture of what Jesus did for us. When we eat the bread and drink the wine/juice, we are doing so in remembrance of him—in remembrance of the perfect love he had for us. In remembrance of the unfathomable suffering he went through…for us. In remembrance of the fact that it is only through the broken flesh and the spilled blood of Jesus that we may be saved.

To participate in the Lord’s Supper is to honor and glorify Christ for the miracle of his mercy. It is not some boring ceremony to do out of habit or another hum-drum church event. It is one of the ways we glorify and enjoy Jesus.

With this in mind, there are some practical ways we can apply this in our personal and communal worship of Christ.

Application

Participate Joyfully

As previously mentioned, the Lord’s Supper isn’t another box to check off your spiritual to-do list. It is a commemoration of Jesus’ unparalleled servanthood. That’s not something to do mindlessly.

How precious it is to that Jesus died for us! And how precious it is to be able to honor him together in this way. We owe it to our glorious God to approach communion in the right spirit—in worship and awe and gladness. As his servants who live to honor him, that is truly the least we can do.

So next time you partake in communion, treasure the story of the Lord’s Supper in your heart. Do it in remembrance of him instead of absent mindedly eating a cracker or going through your mental list of everything that you have to do when you get home. This is a great way to grow more intimate with God.

Participate with Reverence

There is, or at least there should be, a certain weight attached to communion. I am not referring to a weight of sadness or despair. Rather, there is a sort of spiritual weight—a sort of reverence—that we should be taking with us as we remember his body, broken for us, and his blood, which was poured out for all mankind.

The imagery associated with communion, eating Christ’s flesh and drinking his blood, is intense. That is putting it mildly. But it is also powerfully beautiful, a reminder of what the almighty God of the universe did for us, and what he let us do to him so that we might live.

Communion is a reminder of God’s unparalleled, indescribable love, and we should approach it with every bit of worship and reverence it deserves.

One of the most challenging questions of the Christian faith is: What is the fate of those who have never heard the gospel? According to the Christian World Encyclopedia, it is estimated that in A.D. 100 there were 181 million people in the world, of whom less than 1 million were Christians. There were around 60,000 unreached people groups (i.e., tribes, nationalities) at that time. By the year 1000 there were 270 million people, 50 million of whom were Christians, with 50,000 unreached people groups. In 1989 there were 5.2 billion people, with 1.7 billion Christians and 12,000 unreached reached people groups. Although there is no way of knowing exactly how many people died without ever hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is safe to conclude that the majority of human beings who have ever lived fall into this category. What happens to them? How can God bring a negative judgement on their lives?

In this article, I want to explore the wideness of God’s mercy. God is infinitely more eager and passionate about bringing people into a relationship with himself than we are. God, in the expansiveness of his generous mercy, has providentially set up conditions to make himself universally and sufficiently known that all nations, tribes and people can respond positively to God’s offer of grace.

The Wideness of God’s Mercy

It is a few days before the crucifixion. Jesus speaks this parable in judgement on the religious leaders who rejected him. In doing so, he sets this judgement in the much wider landscape of the Father’s mercy.

² “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. ³ He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.⁴ ‘Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’⁵ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. ⁶ The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. ⁷ The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.“

Matthew 22:2-7

The king in the story represents God the Father. The son represents Jesus. Those invited represent the religious leaders. The rejection was very willful and personal as evidenced that some of the ones invited went as far as mistreating and killing the messengers of the king. The king invited these people out of his great generosity. He has every right to be outraged at their hateful actions. Destruction is the result. The story does not end here, though. This king was determined to have a party.

⁸ Then he said to his servants, “The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. ⁹ So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.” ¹⁰ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

Matthew 22:8-10

He sends out more servants to invite anyone and everyone. This invitation is wide and extensive. It is indiscriminate as it is being offered to “both good and bad.” (v.10) The wedding hall is “filled with guests.” (v.10) The invitation to the banquet goes out to all. Unexpectedly a problem arose.

¹¹ But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ¹² He asked, “How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?” The man was speechless.¹³ “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.“

Matthew 22:11-14

One individual thought he could come to the wedding on his own terms. When the king arrived, there was one guest not dressed in wedding clothes. The king requested an explanation, but the man remained silent, refusing to accept the king’s grace by entering into dialogue. Clearly the king showed love and acceptance to this person, but he desired to come to the feast on his own terms. Consequently, he is excluded from the party because he refuses to come on the king’s terms. Jesus concludes:

¹⁴ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Matthew 22:14

It is important to notice that the first invited guests, as well as the guests invited as replacements, are all recipients of the king’s undeserved favor. Robert Farrar Capon explains: “Nobody in the parable is outside the king’s favor; everybody starts out by being, as far as the king himself is concerned, irrevocably in…. Nobody is kicked out who wasn’t already in. Hell is an option, but it is given to us only after being offered an invitation at the banquet.” (emphasis mine) God includes all in his grace and excludes in judgement only those who spurn that grace. Only those who decline to accept God’s grace are rejected.

This wideness and expansiveness of God’s mercy, as seen in this story, is a prominent theme of Jesus. On several occasions Jesus commented on the extraordinary faith he saw among Gentiles such as the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:21–28) and the Roman centurion, whose daughter was healed (Matthew 8:10). In this last instance, Jesus concluded:

I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 

Matthew 8:11

In announcing his crucifixion, Jesus declared that the effect is a universal call to all people to follow him:

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

John 12:32

As Paul declares, God…

wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 2:4

What About Those Who Have Never Heard?

So, if God has an amazing and indiscriminate wideness to his mercy, what does this mean for those who have never heard? Let’s look at several biblical answers.

The Melchizidek Principle.

This principle goes back to Abraham, who traveled to the pagan dominated Canaan and encountered a priest by the name of Melchizidek, after rescuing Lot. (Genesis 14:18-20) Abraham, though given the special covenant revelation (Genesis 12:1-3), will receive blessing from Melchizidek and tithed to him as a spiritual superior. (Psalms 110:4, Hebrews 7:1-4) Abraham encountered a “pagan” who still had a true knowledge of God. So what? Missionaries, for generations, have observed this “Melchizidek principle” through cultures all over the world. Don Richardson tells of many accounts of God’s work among pre-Christian peoples in his book, Eternity In Their Hearts. One fascinating story is detailed as follows:

Two Christian missionaries came to the Santal people in India. One day they heard an elder speak of the “genuine God,” Thakur Jiu. When they inquired who this God was, they heard a fascinating story of how the Santal had worshiped Thakur Jiu before they came from the Middle East to India. As they migrated toward India, they could not find a pass through the mountains, so they propitiated the evil spirits of the mountains to let them through. Once through, the people had felt obligated to continue to appease the evil spirits. Over time they lost much of their knowledge of the Creator God, but they longed for reconciliation. The two missionaries concluded that Thakur Jiu and the God of the Bible were the same, and they proceeded to inform the people of what this God had done through his Son to reconcile them. The people were overjoyed to hear that their God had not forgotten them, and a remarkable number of baptisms followed in the years ahead.

Richardson observes that this revelation of God goes back before the time of Abraham, perhaps the Tower of Babel. (Genesis 11) Melchizidek obviously possessed it or something like it.

The Unknown God Principle

Paul says to the Greeks in Thessalonica that no one has been left “without testimony:”

 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.

Acts 14:17

He explained to the philosophers in Athens that they had a knowledge of the true God because:

²⁶ From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. ²⁷ God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 

Acts 17:26-27

Like the Santal people, among their many idols, they still had been given a knowledge of the true God, THE UNKNOWN GOD.

So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

Acts 17:23

A knowledge of the true God has been universal, going back to the Tower of Babel, evidenced in hundreds upon hundreds of ancient writings, songs, pictographs, rituals and tribal customs. These appear as an “interim Old Testament” for pagans which find their greater fulfillment in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible declares that God has been as sovereign over these other nations as he has Israel:

“Are not you Israelites
    the same to me as the Cushites?”
declares the Lord.
“Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
    the Philistines from Caphtor
    and the Arameans from Kir?

Amos 9:7

The Cornelius Principle

God gives more knowledge to those who respond faithfully to the knowledge they have. In Acts 10, a man named Cornelius was a Roman soldier who was “devout and God-fearing.” (10:2) He had a limited but true knowledge of God. God sent an angel and gave him instructions to find Peter. (10:3-5) The Cornelius principle states that when people respond faithfully to the knowledge they have, God gives them more. Hundreds of missionary stories can be recounted along this line. For example, an Ethiopian people the Gadeos, had some who worshiped the Omnipotent Creator God, Magano. A tribal leader named Warrasa Wange received a dream from Mangano that two white men would come sharing a message. There are many details to this dream which became fulfilled. Two Canadian missionaries, Albert Brant and Glen Cain showed up in 1948. The Gadeo people responded to Jesus and in three decades there were 200 churches among them.

Dr. David Garrison, a missionary and researcher, compiled over one thousand interviews from Muslim-background believers. Those interviews have been collected from forty-five movements of Christianity in Islam in fourteen countries. He says that quite commonly these people come to Christ through visions and dreams sharing these common threads:

• “Jesus speaking Scripture to them, even Scripture they had never heard before.”
• “Jesus telling people to do something.”
• “A dream or vision that led to a feeling of being clean or at peace.”
• “A man in white physically appearing.”

The Thief On the Cross Principle

Jesus is revealing himself to multitudes on their death bed who do not know him, and like the thief on the cross (Luke 23:40-43), their simple response of repentance and faith merits for them the declaration of the Savior, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” It has long been noticed that Christ meets many people with his Good News of peace near their time of death. I believe that at this door between earth and heaven is a place where God often gives a final invitation to salvation.

What Does This Mean?

Fulfill the Great Commission.

The Bible gives us great hope for the nations and the unevangelized because of the wideness of God’s mercy. This hope, though, points us to the fact Jesus Christ is the desire of the nations. (Haggai 2:7) Every nation needs the gospel and finds its purpose in the gospel. (Matthew 24:14) This understanding should cause us to labor more purposefully that the nations be won for Christ.

All the ends of the earth
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    will bow down before him,
²⁸ for dominion belongs to the Lord
    and he rules over the nations.

Psalm 22:27-28

Let’s live on mission.

God has made all things to point to Christ. He is the universal Savior. This knowledge should spur us to greater worship and obedience. As Paul declares:

For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Romans 11:36

On Sunday, the 25th of June, four young men from Liverpool, England known as the Beatles, did something which had never been done.  Through a satellite link, 400 million people on five continents, heard Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Star sing the catchy anthem, “All You Need Is Love.” Written on cardboard placards in an assortment of languages, flowers, streamers and balloons were added to give the sense of celebration and hope to a global community. If there was just love, peace and harmony on earth could be realized. This message was significant in that the world around them was not at peace, at all. The performers had grown up in a country scarred by war, where even great stretches of their native city, Liverpool, had been levelled by German bombs. Just three weeks before the broadcast, The Six Day War had broken out in Israel. Egyptian and Syrian planes littered landscapes that had been traveled by the biblical patriarchs. Through this conflict the Jewish people miraculously routed an Arab alliance in six days, taking back their holy city of Jerusalem.  In Vietnam hatred seemed to be burning out of control like the firebombs being dropped on the country’s jungles. Most terrifying of all were the tensions between the world’s two nuclear superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States. The world lived under the shadow of nuclear war as each country pointed their missiles at each other. As the historian Tom Holland writes, “Humanity had arrogated to itself what had always previously been viewed as a divine prerogative: the power to end the world.  Never had the world been in such a place of apocalyptic danger.”  

Yet, on that very same Sunday, approximately 650 million people across the globe, attended services of Christian worship under the most internationally recognized symbol: the cross.  The meaning behind this symbol had done more over the preceding centuries to usher in love in the areas of compassion for the weak, dignity for people, and care within relationships. It was not just an idea but a transformative power. In a world where dominance and power were seen as the controlling rule of life, the cross proclaimed that the very lowest of the low can become the highest. It is the meek who “will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) The victims of the world can become victors. The poor and marginalized are endowed with a dignity seen and validated by the Almighty. It was a message, beginning 2000 years earlier, which turned the values of the world upside down.  The cross has become the standard by which we understand and measure what the meaning of love is which the Beatles referenced.

In this article, we will see three ways that the gospel of Jesus Christ transformed the very fabric of culture making the world a much greater place for human flourishing.

The Revolutionary Message of the Cross

To the first century audience, the cross and its values appeared painfully absurd. The apostle Paul expressed the folly of the cross as follows:

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18 

Paul, who wrote half of the books in the New Testament, was obsessed with this message. He presented the crucifixion of Jesus as a stark dividing line in the values of humanity, with some deriding it and some devoted to it. At the time, the “God on a cross” was an obnoxious folly. Crucifixion was the most barbarous and cruel form of capital punishment used by the Romans to display the terror of the state for those who opposed it. Yet, over time, for millions it was this proclamation which made sense of their lives and the world around them.

Charity 

Let’s go back to the time before Jesus entered into the world.  The ethic of the ancient world was one that was ruled by the strong who had unrestricted rule over the weak, and there was never any question of it.  The greatest philosophers and thinkers would have scoffed at the idea that “all men are created equal.”

“…that some should rule and others be ruled is a thing not only necessary, but expedient; from the hour of their birth, some are marked out for subjection, others for rule.”

Aristotle, 384–322 BC

The gods and heroes of the ancient myths were predatory and scorned the weak. The starving deserved no sympathy. Beggars were best deported. Pity risked undermining a wise man’s self-control. On the sides of roads or on garbage heaps, babies abandoned by their parents were a common sight to those travelling. Few had ever questioned this practice. In Sparta, for example, condemning deformed infants for the good of the state was a virtuous practice. Neglect, disdain and abandonment of the poor and less fortunate had always been taken for granted until the emergence of a Christian people. It was Christians who were the first to ever organize widespread care for the poor, abandoned and sick.  Emperor Julian, who hated Christianity, complained to a pagan priest: 

“when it came about that the poor were neglected and overlooked by the [pagan] priests, then I think the impious Galilaeans [i.e., Christians] observed this fact and devoted themselves to philanthropy.” “[They] support not only their poor, but ours as well, all men see that our people lack aid from us.”

The roots of Christian charity ran deep. Jesus had stated that our judgement in heaven will be based on how we cared for the poor and needy. In fact, Jesus identified his very life with the hurting of the world.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.“

Matthew 25:35-36

For generations, Christians had taken weekly collections for orphans, widows, the imprisoned, and the sick. As Christianity grew in numbers so did its funding for those in need. Because of this entire system of social security had begun to emerge. This was an entirely new reality brought about by the message of the cross.

Consent 

This new way of living came to redefine the relationship of men to women. Roman law defined marriage as a monogamous institution, but that had not meant that it required men to display life-long fidelity. Men could legally divorce at will and sexually force themselves on their inferiors as they pleased. Christianity stood in strong opposition to this exploitative behavior. A sacred understanding of marriage was introduced into the world. The husband and wife were joined as Christ and his church, “one flesh” in a pledge of strict love and faithfulness to each other. By the standards of the day, this commitment and respect given to marriage was heroic. Over time, as Tom Holland informs:

The assumption that marriage existed to cement alliances between two families—an assumption as universal as it was primordial—had not easily been undermined. No couple could be forced into a betrothal, nor into wedlock, nor into a physical coupling… It was consent, not coercion, that constituted the only proper foundation of a marriage…Opening up before the Christian people was the path to a radical new conception of marriage: one founded on mutual attraction, on love.

So strange was the Christian conception of marriage that it had always raised eyebrows in the lands beyond where Christianity flourished. Indeed the message of the cross brought something entirely new.

Compassion  

It is no surprise that the Jesus movement made a priority of caring for the sick, which was the beginning of hospitals. The Greeks had their physicians to care for the wealthy who could afford it. The Romans had their “sick bays” for slaves and soldiers. But these existed to return the injured to economic and military usefulness. Christians, following the lead of teachings like the Good Samaritan, developed something altogether new: healthcare for all. David Bentley Hart gives a sketch of the early development:

“St. Ephraim the Syrian (A.D. c. 306-373), when the city of Edessa was ravaged by plague, established hospitals open to all who were afflicted. St. Basil the Great (A.D. 329-379) founded a hospital in Cappadocia with a ward set aside for the care of lepers, whom he did not disdain to nurse with his own hands. St. Benedict of Nursia (A.D. c. 480 – c. 547) opened a free infirmary at Monte Cassino and made care of the sick a paramount duty of his monks. In Rome, the Christian noblewoman and scholar St. Fabiola (d. A.D. c. 399) established the first public hospital in Western Europe and—despite her wealth and position—often ventured out into the streets personally to seek out those who needed care. St. John Chrysostom (A.D. 347-407), while patriarch of Constantinople, used his influence to fund several such institutions in the city.”

This care for the poor and sick was headed up by church leaders. From the 5th century there was, a “cascade of hospitals”. These movements were thoroughly and particularly Christian.

Today, if you need first aid, look for a white cross on a green background—the internationally recognized sign. If you’re in a crisis, it’s the “Red Cross” which millions turn. The Good Samaritan lives because of a revolution of love offered by the crucified Christ.

Is Love All You Need?

What are the lessons that can be taken from the message of the cross in relation to hope for our world?

The message of the cross must continue to inform culture.

The ideas of compassion, charity and consent that we take for granted today were once considered weird. Compassion and care for the undeserving was considered a weakness; now we consider it a virtue. Once powerful men could possess the bodies of whomever they pleased; now we name this as the abuse that it is. Once, it was assumed that certain classes of people could be enslaved; now we consider that idea a kind of “blasphemy.” This change occurred because our culture became shaped by God crucified on the cross. These ideas will always lose their meaning unless they are anchored to the message of the gospel.

The message of the cross will continue to transform culture.

It was a year before the Beatle’s transmitted their performance by satellites that John Lennon in an interview declared, “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that; I know I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now.” Yet, four years later, on April 10th, 1970, the band announced they were finished. A year later, embarking on a solo career, John Lennon wrote his hymn to atheistic secularism, Imagine.

Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky

Imagine all the people
Livin’ for today

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too

Imagine all the people
Livin’ life in peace
You

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man

Far from having “no possessions,” Lennon lived safely inside a gated community away from the sufferings of the world, on a seventy-two acre Berkshire estate, complete with a Rolls-Royce and swimming pool. In a decade his life would be no more.

Though the Beatles and their revolution of secular love abruptly ended, it would be in the 1970’s that global Christianity experienced an unprecedented growth. Far from seeing a world in which there was “no religion,” the world became more oriented to it. A pivot event was the opening of China to the rest of the world in the mid-1970’s, when Mao’s Cultural Revolution ended. China can now boast of the fastest growing church in the world, with an estimated 16,500 new Christians every day. Between 1900 and 2000, the number of Christians in Africa grew from 10 million to over 360 million, from 10 percent of the population to 46 percent. The World Christian Encyclopedia recorded that more Anglican Christians worship in Nigeria in any given week than all the Episcopal and Anglican churches of Europe and North America combined. The message of the cross is now transforming the Global South (countries south of the Equator) in the way it once did in Europe and North America. As Jesus prophesied,

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations…

Matthew 24:14

Where the gospel is established, cultures reflect more love than they do power.

You’ve probably heard it said multiple times that sin has broken down this world to a twisted form of the perfection in which God originally created it. At first, the world was a paradise, free from evil, dysfunction, and every manner of suffering. Then, sin entered the equation, and the rest, as they say, is history.

However, there are almost certainly aspects of this earth that you enjoy—that you find beautiful or worthwhile or enjoyable. Maybe you love taking early morning walks and savoring the crisp, fresh air. Maybe sitting out at a quiet dock and fishing is more your speed. Maybe you dearly treasure your relationships with friends and family.

Even as I write this, I think about the simple pleasure of running my hands through my dog’s fur as she barks at me to play fetch. The point is, there are many things about this earth that are still inherently good and lovely, despite it being warped by the curse of sin. God has richly blessed us with fulfilling, enjoyable lives.

Because of this, many of us are skeptical of the idea of a new heaven and new earth, which scripture tells us we will live in when God comes to dwell with his children forever. We might find ourselves thinking “hey, I know this world has some problems, but do we really have to get rid of it completely? I kind of like it here.”

It’s a compelling question: what can we expect from the new heaven and new earth? Will it do away with everything we loved about our lives here in place of an eternity spent sitting on a cloud, strumming a harp? The answer is a resounding no.

What Will It Be Like?

Renewed World

The setting in which it takes place…that will be something special. The new heaven and new earth will be everything we loved about our life here, but better. Like an earth 2.0! The pleasures and joys of your life here on earth won’t simply dissipate into nothing. I quoted Anthony in my prior article, and I will do it again here: “[In the new heaven and new earth] creation’s beauties will be heightened, its pleasures strengthened, our limitations lifted.”

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

Revelation 21:1-2

Consider its very name—new heaven and new earth. You will notice it is not called the different heaven and the different earth. John explicitly describes a new heaven and earth. There are two words for “new” in Greek. Neos means “brand new” and kainos means “remade.” Kainos is the word John used in this instance.

Think of it this way. Let’s say a mechanic told you he picked up an old Corvette from a junkyard and remade it. When he shows off his handiwork, you are not expecting to see a completely different object. Instead, you expect to see a new, souped-up version of the Corvette. That’s a similar situation to what happens with this earth and the new earth.

It will not be this floating, misty, colorless, ethereal realm. It will come down to earth where we are as a complete renovation of the current order. We will tend abundant gardens without overgrowths of thorns. We will hike through lush, sprawling forests without encountering dead wildlife. We will ascend mountains without worry of falling to our death.

Renewed Bodies

Also of note are the vessels in which we experience all of this, namely our new and glorious bodies. These may sound familiar to you, as we have talked about them at length numerous times on this blog.

Study this passage from Paul and see how Jesus’ resurrected body is a harbinger of the joy that is to come for us.

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

1 Corinthians 15:20

What does it mean that Christ is the “firstfruit?” Consider this! He was the first of the resurrection harvest, the first in a long line of believers who would be resurrected into a heavenly body. When he rose from the dead into a new and glorious form, that was a glimpse into our future and the world’s future.

He still had a physical body, people could recognize his features, and he was able to eat food. However, his body was also renewed. It was the same…but better. It transcended death. He was able to walk through walls. At one point, he even teleported into a room. This is a sampling of the renewed body we will one day enjoy in the new heaven and new earth.

Reunion

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

Revelation 21:3

Heaven’s greatest joy is reunion. We will be reunited with all our loved ones who died in Christ. One of God’s purposes in salvation was to create an eternal family united by a love that never fades, and we will one day see this come to fruition.

The greatest reunion, though, is with God himself. We will enjoy his loving and powerful companionship for all eternity, and our hearts will be filled with so much delight and love for him that we will not know how to contain it. It will be our honor to enjoy and glorify him forever.

Release

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21:4

This is a huge thing separating the new heaven and earth from the here and now. There will be no more pain, suffering, death, decay, and dysfunction. “No pain” means no more chronic illness. No more aching joints. No more emergency rooms, or children’s hospitals, or cancer centers, or pharmacies. All of that will have passed away with the rest of the horrors from this world.

“No tears” means no more depression. No more fear, misunderstanding, grief counselors, therapy appointments, psychological torture and existential dread. Can you even imagine a world without all of this? Probably not. It will be indescribably good. Better than we could ever dream of or hope for.

This suffering-free world is made possible through the cross of Christ, which saved us from the penalty of sin—the suffocating hold sin had on our lives and the eternity of anguish it was ultimately leading us to.

Reassignment

Think we’re just going to be sitting around on a comfy bed all day in heaven? Think again.

No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

Revelation 22:3

Who do you think those “servants” will be? If you guessed “us,” then you are right. And what do servants do? They serve! They aren’t bored; they are busy. Work was part of God’s original creation. It was not added because of the curse that came with Original Sin. We worked while in paradise. This means, when God restores the earth, work will be part of the new creation, too.

With that said, it will not be how it is here, filled with anxiety and struggle and miserable toil. God knows how he created you—how he uniquely wired you, so he knows what you love to do. We don’t know what we will be doing for certain, but we do know it will be fulfilling.

The only jobs we know won’t be there are doctors (because no one is sick) and preachers/evangelists (because everyone is saved already).

Reign

There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

Revelation 22:5

There have been some questions over what exactly we will be reigning over. Some thinks this means we will reign with God over the angels. Some say it will be over all of creation. Others, such as C.S. Lewis, have proposed we will reign over other planets and galaxies.

I do not claim to know precisely what this passage is talking about, but I do know it means we will be reigning with God for eternity, so we can be rest assured it will be wonderful beyond belief.

You see, Revelation does not end with an ending. It ends with a beginning. The new heaven and new earth is a fresh and never-ending adventure. Even after the first, say, one million years, you will never get to the point of saying “gee, I’m bored.” Instead, you will be saying “this is amazing, what’s next?”

What Now?

Look to What Is Better

No matter what manner of evil, suffering, and contempt this life throws at us, we can always take joy in our knowledge of what is to come. Let this sustain you in times of hardship. Things might be bad right now, but they are going to get better. Immeasurably better.

Furthermore, whenever you find yourself feeling empty and purposeless, just cling to what scripture says. There is a reason you have that gaping desire for purpose. We do not have a need unless there is something to fill that need. If we feel hungry, we know there is food to satisfy us. If we have sexual desire, we know sex can satisfy us. If we desire for something larger than us, something more than this life has to offer, we know that one day this need will be met in the new heaven and new earth.

Look to Build a Bridge

Thoroughly consider this question: what is something good we can do here that we will not be able to do in the next life? The answer is we can only make disciples of Jesus Christ while we are here.

Instead of following a bucket list of fifty crazy things you want to do before you die and dedicating your life towards crossing them off, why don’t you cross out everything on that list and replace them with “winning hearts for Jesus” written in big, bold letters? This is our mission here on earth. If we feel empty and purposelessness right now, it is likely because we are not utilizing the unique gifting with which God has equipped us to win hearts for the Kingdom.

So consider what it is you are skilled at. How can you use those talents to serve God and make disciples? Ponder over the relationships God has placed in your life. Which of them have spiritual potential? Be in prayer over what you can do to live for God, and watch your life become transformed as God transforms others through you.

Do not despair. One day you will stand in the presence of God, free from the burden of death and disease with an eternity of memories to make with Jesus and other believers. That will be reality one day.

In the meantime, do not keep from praying and working for the saving of souls.

Something I frequently say is that this life is simply a temporary stop on the bus ride to eternity. Nobody on this earth gets out of here alive. If you are reading this, you have a one hundred percent chance of dying someday.

Now, I know the above statement is not what most would consider pleasant. That’s not a saying you would put on a coffee mug or a motto you would repeat when in need of inspiration. It is, however, the truth. Ignoring it will do no better at preventing it than ignoring April 15 will at keeping you from paying your taxes. One way or another, the government is getting its money, and one way or another, everyone will die.

Furthermore, after death, everyone will move on to their eternal judgement, whether it is good or bad. We have all heard the term “judgement day” before, so much so that perhaps it can feel like a myth or start to lose its meaning. With that said, eternal judgement is very real. Some of the book of Revelation’s final chapters explain in-depth what will happen on this day of eternal judgement. Let’s learn more about it.  

Great White Throne Judgement

Revelation is a book written by John the Apostle, in which God shares with him various details about what will happen in the end-times. It culminates in John learning what will happen to both those who are and are not in Christ.

The people whose names are not written in the Book of Life must stand before the great white throne to be judged.

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

Revelation 20:11-12

There is a key detail here that is important to point out before continuing. It is right there in the second half of verse eleven. Read it over again.

The earth and the heavens try to flee from God’s presence…but there is no place to go. No place to hide. There is no escaping the judgement to come. The guilty, all throughout biblical history, have attempted to flee from God. Adam hid behind a bush. Jonah stowed away on a boat. Well, this time there will be no hiding. Everything will be brought to light. Every deed of the unbeliever will be weighed against God’s perfect law, and the blood of Jesus will not be there to cover them—they rejected it.

The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 

Revelation 20:13

This passage grows more sobering the more we read. You may find yourself wondering what “death and hades” are. It is the place those who are not in Christ go to after they die in order to await final judgement. It is not hell, although there do appear some similarities (you may remember the story of the rich man in Luke 16:14-31 who goes there and desperately yearns for a single drop of water on his tongue).

As for the sea that gave up its dead, this could refer to those who rebelled against Christ during his thousand-year-reign. At any rate, we see here everyone who rejected Christ’s free gift of salvation, whether alive or dead, here to receive eternal judgement for their sins.

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵ Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:14-15

The entirety of those who rebelled, after they stand before the great white throne to be judged, is now thrown into the lake of fire, where they will remain for eternity. The lake of fire, or the second death, is what we call “hell.” It is the place of eternal separation from God, the fitting punishment for sinning against our holy and just Creator.

This is just one of two possible eternal destinies. We will now explore the other one.

Judgement Seat of Christ

In these passages, the apostle Paul is telling the Church about the experience of the believer on the day of judgement, which differs wildly from that of the unbeliever.

Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 

2 Corinthians 5:9-10

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; ¹¹ for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” ¹² So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Romans 14:10-12

When believers stand before the judgement seat of Christ, they are not judged for every individual sin they committed, and the wrath of God will not be upon them. This is solely due to the loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who took the punishment we deserved and reconciled us to God.

Rather, believers will be judged on how well they lived their life in service to Christ and expanding the Kingdom of God. Did we make the most of our discipling opportunities? Did we model Christ effectively to those around us? Did we support others in the body of Christ? Did we utilize our gifting the way God commanded us to?

After appearing before the judgement seat of Christ, it will be time to enjoy our glorious inheritance. Just read!

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21:1-4

There are no words that can describe the joy of the believer’s eternal destiny accurately. The new heaven and new earth are the inheritance of every follower of Christ, and they are eternal community with God.

Have you ever worried if it’s going to be boring in heaven? Perhaps you picture sitting on a cloud all day singing boring hymns for billions upon billions of years, with everything you loved about your old life gone? Worry no longer! The new heaven and the new earth are not like that. They are everything you loved about the old heaven and earth but better! They offer renewal, not an unrecognizable change.

Heaven won’t be this misty, ethereal realm. It will come down to earth. It will be all that we held dear minus the curse of sin. As Pastor Anthony says: “creation’s beauties will be heightened, its pleasures strengthened, and our limitations lifted.”

We will walk in our new and glorious bodies, free from sorrow and disease and sin, and we will serve!

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. ³ No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

Revelation 22:1-3

His “servants will serve him.” That’s us. Work was part of God’s original creation. Adam and Eve worked in the garden even before the Original Sin. It will be part of the new creation, too. We don’t know exactly what it will be, but we can be assured it will be work each individual can thrive in and find fulfilling—tailored to our unique gifting and abilities.

In short, we will spend eternity abundantly serving, glorifying, and enjoying God in the beautiful new heaven and new earth, free from death and sin forever.

⁷ Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. ⁸ But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Revelation 21:7-8

What Now?

Choose and Teach Life

A famous and powerful passage from Deuteronomy 30:15-20 is brought to mind. In this book, God has reminded the Israelites of all he has commanded them and retold them the story of how he delivered them from captivity. After this, almost as if to summarize everything he has talked about, he tells them that he has set before them blessing and curse…life and death. Therefore, they should choose life! Our situation is much the same today. Upon reading the whole Bible and ending with Revelation, we can come to the conclusion that God has set before us life and death, blessing and curse. Which are we going to choose? Furthermore, which pathway are we going to lead others down? We know what happens to those who reject Christ. There is not utility in telling somebody their shoes look nice while they are on their way to walking off a cliff.

We have been given a sphere of influence—people we may invest in and disciple. Pray about these people and pray for opportunities to develop a spiritual relationship with them.

Look to What Is Better

In the midst of life’s pain and dysfunction, and in the midst of our struggle with sin, we can sometimes forget what it is we are working for. It is interesting how quick we are to forget our purpose and the glorious inheritance that awaits us as believers. As you walk through your darkest valleys, never forget the eternity of joy and fulfillment at the other end of the tunnel. We have a hope that never dies from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who saw fit to die for us that we might have life with Him forever. There is no greater joy than this.

World Peace. When you see the term, what comes to mind?  My wife said a Miss America pageant with one of the contestants expressing her greatest hopes. All kidding aside, many social, political and scientific movements have dreamed and envisioned an earth without war and conflict.

• Woodrow Wilson started the League of Nations in hopes of building a world without war.
• Lyndon Johnson tried to stamp out poverty with an enhanced welfare system.  
• Biosphere 2 was created to be a self-sustained Garden of Eden where vegetation could be grown apart from the outside world.  
• Seastead, an island off of California, is seeking to reinvent a life apart from government intrusion.  
• Communism had the goal of establishing a world of peace and harmony with no poverty.

All of these efforts have failed, some at disastrous levels. We will see why these experiments have always failed and where the true source of world peace will come. It is in the earth’s future golden age known as the Millennium.

The Abyss: Satan in Lockup

The Bible tells us that when Christ returns to earth he will fight the battle of Armageddon. (Revelation 16:16) You’ve probably heard of Armageddon, the popular Bruce Willis movie. But what is the biblical Armageddon? It is a hill on the plain of Megiddo, located in the northwestern region of Israel.  The plain is seven miles wide and twenty miles long. Thirty-four historic battles have been fought there.  Napoleon, when seeing this plain, exclaimed that it was the most perfect and natural battlefield in which armies could meet.  It is there that Christ will rapidly overthrow the forces of evil. He will then take the architect of all evil–Satan–and lock him up.

Here is how it is described.  

And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.

Revelation 20:1

Notice that this angel which does this is not named. It is not an archangel but appears to be an ordinary–rank and file-angel.

He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him…

Revelation 20:2-3

What is the abyss?  It is like a holding tank or jail which currently holds the worst of the worst demonic powers. The John Gottis, Al Capones, and Osama Bin Ladens of the spiritual underworld go there. 

Why is Satan placed in the abyss?       

…to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended.

Revelation 20:3^a

But at the end of v.3 we encounter something very troubling.

After that, he must be set free for a short time.

Revelation 20;3^b

Shockingly, he will be set free for a short period of time. Why?  It would be like us catching a terrorist and then letting him out–why not just keep him there? Hold that question.  

What Happens in the Millennium?

Picture this: Christ has returned and is ruling. Satan is behind bars, so to speak. What will we do? Some of you may say, “I don’t know about this heaven and eternity jazz. I don’t get too excited about floating on clouds and strumming polished golden harps. Look at what the key activity during this time will be.

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge.

Revelation 20:4

The key activity is to judge, which means to rule and reign. This will involve leadership, setting direction, achieving goals, coordinating activity. The Bible teaches that we will have a central place in God’s governmental structure on the earth and rebuilding this broken world.  Let’s look at some scriptures:

But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever–yes, for ever and ever….Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.

Daniel 7:18 , 27 

What is this reign?  Revelation does not say what the reign of Christ will be like.  It has already been elaborated in great detail in the Old Testament.  The social and political peace that the Jewish people were expecting in a Messiah at the time of Jesus is what he will bring at his return.  The verses we are going to look at were the ones they were hanging on to at the first coming of Christ.

Here are some of the characteristics:   

Characteristic # 1: Nature will not cause misery. 

How many of you have ever suffered from Poison Oak or Poison Ivy? No more.  How many of you pick blackberries?  You job will be a lot easier.  Thorn free. 

Instead of the thorn bush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed.

Isaiah 55:13

The curse that plagues nature will be gone. Along with this there will be a regular production of crops and food.  No more years of a poor harvests. The seasons and weather will work in a beautiful harmony.   

Characteristic # 2: The life span of people will increase.

Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.

Isaiah 65:20

There is death but no more miscarriages, and the tragic loss of loved ones due to illness will be greatly reduced. But notice it says there is still death.

 Characteristic # 3: Human life and animal life will be in sync. 

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.

Isaiah 11:6-8

There will be no dog bites, bee stings, or shark attacks. Further, animals will not prey on each other.

 Characteristic # 4: There will be no physical infirmities.

Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.  

Isaiah 35:4-6

Characteristic # 5: Strong social distinctions will be removed.

Revelation talked about the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer will become more pronounced. It is amazing today that the ability for social stratification has increased to levels never known before. Bill Gates or Elon Musk is worth more money than the poorest 160 million people in the world’s population.  It would take more than 2,000 years for the average teacher to make what the highest paid professional athlete makes with a seven year contract.  In the thousand year reign of Christ those types of strong social distinctions will be no more.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,‍ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—                                                            

Isaiah 61:1-3 (See Isaiah 2:1-4, 9:6-7, 11:1-5, 42:1-4)   

Characteristic # 6: Christ will be the center of worship and rulership of the entire earth.  (Isaiah 14:1-2, Jeremiah 33:15-17)                                                                          

He will be in Jerusalem.  His lordship will be supreme. And he will be in high command.  Every day will be a day of intense discovery and adventure.  Every day will offer a new reason to worship.  This will be life lived to the max.   

Let me throw you a curve ball.  What I am describing here is not the new heaven and the new earth where time will be no more, and eternal perfection will be permanently sealed. That is described in chapters 21-22.   We saw moments ago that there will be a rebellion.                  

Satan Unchained    

When Christ comes to the earth, and those who come with him, will have new bodies that will never die and be free of sin.  There will be people who have endured through the tribulation and remained faithful to Christ. They, unlike the returning saints, will not have new and glorified bodies. Those people will carry on and have human decedents.  They will have children, and their children will have children.  They will repopulate and rebuild this devastated earth.  These children will be born in sin and will have to make a decision to follow Christ–receive his salvation and be born of the Holy Spirit.  Just as people did not bow the knee at his first coming, so there will be people who do not bow at this second period of time.                                         

When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth…to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 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. 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

In this rebellion, they were smoked right away. 

Why this rebellion?        

It will be decisively shown that the great human need is a spiritual heart transplant.  

 After this rebellion it will show that you can take the boy out of the gutter, but you can’t take the gutter out of the boy.   No matter how good our circumstances are we are still motivated toward evil unless the Holy Spirit changes our heart.  The solution to the problem of the human condition is not a change of environment.  This is why Jesus stated that we must be born again. We need inward change. It is interesting that the majority of people who win a lottery go bankrupt. More money made their financial problems worse. This is the reason why grand experiments to bring paradise to earth will always fail. Our main problems are not surrounding us but in us.

It will be decisively shown that hell is eternal because those who go there have an incurable wickedness. 

Satan is unleashed.  After a thousand years what does he do?  The same old stuff.  With a thousand years to think and reflect and change he does not.  He has an incurable wickedness.  Given the perfect conditions and perfect knowledge of Christ, people still choose against him and follow Satan. It will show that hell is not a place of torture. Torture is against your will. People will go there because they made the choice to reject Christ. 

Pastor Tony Evans tells this story, “In 1929, a man named George Wilson robbed a mail carrier and killed him. He was sentenced to die but received a presidential pardon. To the shock of the Oval Office, he rejected the pardon. The president of the United States had set him free. George Wilson said no. The case went to the Supreme Court and the issue was simply this: If the president of the United States gives you a pardon, aren’t you pardoned? Can you reject a pardon given by a sovereign? Chief Justice Marshall rendered the decision. It simply read: ‘A pardon rejected is no pardon at all. Unless the recipient of the pardon accepts the pardon, then the pardon cannot be applied.’”

Those who reject the pardon of Christ do so completely and totally. God will give people over to their wills.

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.