Is history moving inexorably to the full establishment of Christ’s Kingdom over a new heaven and a new earth? And if so, why can’t we see it?
Consummation, by Martin Selbrede, is a long essay that attempts to answer this question.
https://chalcedon.edu/magazine/consummation
I have to admit that for all my reading, all my study, this text is hard for me to understand. That’s because you and I are here, on the old earth, saturated with sin, and we can’t see as God sees. The smoke of battle blinds us.
But if we keep reading, we come to a final paragraph in which the fog begins to lift:
“[B]ecause providence is well orchestrated to subserve the ultimate ends of consummation. History moves towards, not away from, its appointed goal, and God Himself will push it over the finish line to release the final grip of the curse from Christ’s world (Romans 8: 19-23).”
Let me quote the cited Scripture, in case you don’t have a Bible handy:
“For the earnest expectation of the creature [all created things] waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”
Yes, there’s a whole lot of groaning going on in this fallen world today; but Jesus Christ has paid the fare, and God the Father will get us there.
Interesting that you mention that. There are, of course, people preaching the Last Days for centuries now, and the common thread is that it hasn’t happened in their lifetimes. But that doesn’t mean that everything isn’t happening according to plan.
Even Christ couldn’t answer when it would happen, but we can be sure that it will. Christ already paid for it to happen. His very last words, in Acts 1:7-8, were: “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Then, in verses 9-11: And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
He will return, and it will be awesome, and I don’t when, but whether it is tomorrow, or long in the future, our hope is secure. God has guided events, to His ends, and it will culminate as He has promised, through Christ.
And of course their question, the one He didn’t answer, was, Are you now going to restore the kingdom to Israel?
They still didn’t understand, even after all they’d seen and heard.
It is called Post-Millennialism. If one reads what God says about the earth from Genesis to Revelation, He says the earth is His and all its fullness. The New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven and incorporates the earth, so we have a new heaven and earth like when we were born-again and became a new creation in Christ. The Bible is the most beautiful story of redemption ever written.
“I have to admit that for all my reading, all my study, this text is hard for me to understand.”
I started to read it, and yes, my thoughts also. Nevertheless, I am in general agreement with the theme of that article.
I will respond to the other sentiments expressed in this post and many others from the past, concerning what many call the “last days” “end times” or the Second Coming of Jesus. The biblical coming Jesus spoke about is now a past historical event (we know when it occurred), not something that will transpire in our future. The first Christians knew something monumental would happen in their lifetime. They believed Jesus would come in their lifetime because He told them He would.
“Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come” (Matt. 10:23).
“Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here which shall not taste of death [who must be getting very old by now!] till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom” (Matt. 16:27–28).
“And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory … this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Matt. 24:30–34).
Jesus told the chief priests, elders, scribes, and council that they would live to see His “coming.”
“Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven” (Matt. 26:64).
“I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62).
Jesus said those who pierced him (which have now been dead for over 1900 years) would see Him “come with clouds” Revelation 1:7. There are 7 verses in Revelation that state the time was at hand and about to happen! There are over 70 verses in the New Testament that concur, that what many call the second coming, would happen within the generation of Christs contemporaries.
I read over all those verses for years and never understood them, for a man-made doctrine I believed, was standing in my way, as it still does for many.
We know the early Christians believed this event would be soon, as clearly stated throughout the New Testament. What then should we conclude? Categorically, Christ’s coming was believed imminent by the early Church in the First Century; and that event happened a long time ago.
When Christ came the first time many were looking for a different kind of King and kingdom, not the humble Christ and the kind of Kingdom he brought. Conversely, many are still looking for a different “coming” of Christ, not what is taught in Scripture, thus they envision a “coming” not found in Scripture, and are blind to all those verses. Therefore, they have always been wrong about the so-called “end times” and “last days” and always will be. Please take a lesson from Edgar C. Whisenant and his failed “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will be in 1988.”
(Ya mean it wasn’t?)
Seriously, folks: see Mike’s book on Israel and the Rapture.
If anyone wants to read the book Lee mentioned “Israel, Rapture, Tribulation: How to Sort Biblical Fact from Theological Fiction” or “Reindeer Don’t Fly: Exploring the Evidence-Lacking Realm of Evolutionary Philosophy” each book can be found on my website: https://thepathlifetakes.com/books/ Oh, if you do read either book, could you please place a short review on Amazon. Thanks.
Along with those two books you can read “In Loving Memory of My Wife.” An interesting short piece of how I met my wife, a woman from halfway around the world, my future in-laws, and a few interesting things about the Philippines.
Sadly, I haven’t done anything with my site since my wife died. I had just started it shortly before she passed away, and got it up and running, but not quite perfected…and well, since her death, it has just sat there, no new information or stories.
Maybe it’s enough for you to keep on living, and serving God. I doubt I could manage as well as you have.