"From
the earliest times in Christian history there have been those who were
convinced that they were, or are, living in the last days. Some Christians
anticipated that our Lord Jesus Christ would return during the life time
of the Apostle St John."
In the
early church there was a belief that the Apostle St. John would be alive when
Jesus would return and extend the rule of God over all things. This view was
circulated around the church and was based on an exchange which St. Peter had
with the risen Jesus there on the shore of the Sea of Galilee
"Peter
turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was
the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord,
who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about
him?”
Jesus
answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?
You must follow me.” Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that
this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he
only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” Jhn: 21:20-23
John
Saw Coming & Died
Some believe
that in one sense St. John did see our Lord's coming as he was moved to pen the
Book of Revelation in the 90s AD. St. John sees and interacts with the living
Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit as he was in exile on the Island of Patmos
in the Aegean Sea.
"Behold,
he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced
him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen." Rev: 1:7
"And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the middle of the seven candlesticks one like to the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the breasts with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like to fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shines in his strength". (12-16)
St.
John sees Jesus at the onset of the Book, and again at the very end
in Revelation: 19. St. John has long died and Jesus has not
yet descended from the Havens in the way that Christians have traditionally
believed that He would.
Trend
of History
In the
Olivet prophecy, found in the synoptic Gospels, Matthew:24,
Mark:13 and Luke:21, which was given by our Lord Jesus
himself and reveals to us the general trends and conditions of
human history from that time until the end of human civilization.
The
stream of human history is filled with religious and spiritual deception, wars,
natural upheavals, famine, epidemics and more. Each of these ebbs and flows
gathering moment and then reseeding and then again gathers intensity as the
years go by resulting in conditions that, if God would not send his Son
humanity would destroy themselves.
The
End Time
Are
we living in the "End Time”? the answer is yes, we are.
Do we know how long that time will be?..no we do not
know. What we do know is, that we are in the "general time period" of "the
end". We do not know how long it will be nor is there
an undiscovered code within Scripture that will allow us to pin point when
our Lord will return. What we can know is that Jesus will return and the world
will end, that is, human misrule under the deceptive sway of satan will
terminate at some point in the future.
Predictions
made by different ministers many times come with books, CDs, DVDs and
others items described as "vital" for the believer's
understanding, which as you obtain them it becomes apparent that they are
designed to offer you even more books, CDs DVDs and others items which again
offer more items all "vital to your understanding" and
again more items that you need to buy; you might say that the end
of the world sells.
Every
time a "time frame" is presented that Jesus will return
within, he does not come. Often dates are picked or strongly hinted
at, often these dates revolve around the Holy days found under the Old
Covenant.
Others
believe that there is a cryptic encoded message hidden within
the Bible itself that will enable you to determine when Jesus will come.
Even
in recent decades predictions have been made, the dates come and are
gone, yet , those who make them and their followers never seem
not to notice. New dates are figured and predictions are updated and again,
Jesus does not come.
Often
this habit of predictions gathers some attention, and when the prediction
fail, then skepticism in the Christian message increases and gives
the enemies of Christianity ammunition to denounce us, not for a message
about our Lord, but for failed predictions.
We
need to stay riveted upon Jesus not events. It’s important that we understand
the times, but it’s even more important to know Jesus. In many ways the Kingdom
of God has come already in the person of Jesus and through the Holy Spirit into
the lives of Christians around the world.
Some
have made ministries dedicated to the study of prophecy, yet, their
spiritual conditions are, in some cases, stunted. Rather than preaching
that the "end is at hand" let us boldly preach Jesus
that he has come, is come and, yes will come.
This
is the ultimate fulfillment of prophecy and the whole point of the Apostolic
Church message. Jesus was and is the message, who he is, and all that he has
and will do. The Christian message should be a "person message" about
Jesus not an "event message" about destruction. When Jesus is
preached prophecy is being fulfilled.
"for
the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" . Rev:19:10c
If you
do not join in the prediction of "end time"
events often you are accused of "not believing the Bible"
or as some will retort that those who do not join in are "scoffers"
such as the Apostle St. Peter says would arise in "the last
days".
"Above
all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and
following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he
promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the
beginning of creation.” 2Pet:3:3-4
Those
who make such charges often do so as a ploy, I suspect in an attempt
to force others to go-along with them or appear to be a "scoffer".
I knew a man in one of the churches which I had pastored, this man made bold "predictions" of things that he had confidently affirmed would come to pass, he even had dates set that he "knew things were going to happen on". The dates came and went.
This man never got over that he had been wrong, he sat forlorn looking at is feet, his hopes dashed, "events" did not play out as he predicted. He never was the same again.
This
constant preoccupation with "end time" events however has
one effect that those who delve into them may not realize.
When
we focus on events we are not focused on our Lord. When we make our mission to
proclaim events we diminish our Lord Jesus down to a mere participant in those
events.
All
forms of legalism, whatever the type, arises from either a diminishing of the
person of Jesus or a distortion of who Jesus is. When we lose sight of Jesus'
full humanity or full deity then we have to compensate for it through something
done on the believers' part. In every case where there is a form of legalism
there is a diminishing or distortion of who Jesus is in some way.
The
Great Disappointment
In America,
during the 1800s a man named Col. William Miller became interested in prophecy.
Col. Miller was a good and sincere Christian; he came to believe that he could
by studying the Scripture know when Jesus would return. Col. Miller arrived
at a date; he shared his findings with others they became convinced that Jesus'
return was at hand.
Col. Miller
and his followers, called Millerites, waited, some having sold homes and
lands believing that they would no longer need such things. The date came and
went, and Jesus did not return, many were crushed and dishearten.
Col. Miller
returned to his calculations. Col. Miller did his calculations again and he
came to believe that Jesus would return the following year. One year later
Jesus did not return. This episode in American church history became known as
the Great Disappointment.
Again, let
me say that YES! we are in the "general time" of "the
end", but we do not know how long that time will be, it could be
ten years or one hundred and ten. So when did the "end time"
begin?
"And
it shall come to pass in the last days, said God, I will pour out of my Spirit
on all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young
men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:" Acts:2:17
When
we look out at a world in disorder, we should not allow this to eclipse our
view of our Lord, all the more our voices should raise all the louder that
Jesus is Lord that he is God's uniquely born Son the one and only Savior of
humanity. This should be our message in all and every time, all about Jesus all
the time, not events, not even "end time" events.
No
Need to Fear
From
speaking to many believers who are intensely interested in "the
end”, it seems that eventually what comes out is fear! They
are afraid that if they do not "pay attention" to
what is going on they will get caught up in it, or they will not have "done
enough" to be found "good enough" to escape, yet, our
Lord Jesus tells us not to be afraid. Jesus tells his disciples, and
to we today.
"I
have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you
will have trouble. But do not be afraid for I have defeated the world.” Jhn: 16:33
And to
the aged Apostle St. John on Patmos in the Aegean Sea while under house arrest
for preaching about Jesus around 90-95 AD.
“Do
not be afraid." Rev:
1:17c
Christians do
not have to fear, not even the "end of the world”, our Lord is
with us in all and every time, even the "end time”.
I have
heard ministers even admit fear at the prospects of facing "the
end" of the world. It is true that the closing years of human
civilization will be difficult, yet our Lord can and will see His people
through them. The most often repeated admonition in all Scripture is
"do not be afraid”.
In Jesus,
our God has accomplished the salvation of any who will but freely receive it.
Jesus has won the victory over all that would or could keep us from
experiencing this salvation. Even the devil is defeated, and he knows it. Jesus
did this through the incarnation and his death for us all.Satan and even death
have been conquered.
"For
as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that
had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear
of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" Heb:2:14-15
Victory
Through
Jesus the fallen world and its unseen rulers are already defeated and
victory over the world is ours already, not just someday, but ours now, today!
For the Christian, when we came to believe in Jesus, we experience this victory
that is already ours in our Lord. For us, the world has ended in Jesus. What we
are witnessing in the world around us, is the outworking of the world's defeat
which Jesus has already wrought on our behalf.
"But
thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ" 1Cor:15:57
Even now,
we Christians walk as citizen of his kingdom, not just some day.
"Who
has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the
kingdom of his dear Son:" Col:1:13
The
reality that we now are under the rule of our God should inspire us to walk in
a way that bring glory to our Lord and points others to Jesus not to
"events".
"That
you would walk worthy of God, who has called you to his kingdom and
glory." 1Thess:2:12
What
Do We Know?
Again, yes, the
world will end, human history will conclude, Jesus Christ will personally come
again descending from the heavens in great glory. There are moments
under human misrule in which we live when the "end" seems
to be very close at hand, and other times when it does not, it ebbs and flows.
What
can we know regarding these things? We can know that we are in the "general
season of the end”, that this " general season" will
be characterized by difficult times. Lk: 21:30-31. There will
be, and is, deception spiritually, politically, educationally and many
others ways. Matt: 24:4-8. Mk: 13:29.
There
will be wars, natural disasters of every sort. The challenges for humanity
will intensify. Social problems will increase, humanity will become more harden
and selfish looking more to the gratification of the flesh.
There
Will Always be a Nero
Being
confronted with these challenges will lead humanity to look to itself, and to a
"personality" which will emerge at the end of human
history, for answers. Reve:13.
Many
early Christians believed that this "personality" would
be the Emperor Nero returned from the deadly wound of assassination. This
belief was circulating with in the church even in the 400s AD. St. Augustine of
Hippo wrote of this anticipation of Nero's return among some Christians
especially in the eastern churches.
This belief was known as the Nero Redivivus (Again) Legend. The legend of Nero's return lasted for hundreds of years after Nero's death, even Augustine wrote as late as the 400's AD that there were Christians who believed in the Nero Again theory.
Yet,
this "personality”, this "Nero" of
the years ahead, whom much of humanity will look to for answers, will
bring only more tyranny and suffering increasing the severity of humanities
problems with increased conflicts and power struggles, until, if our Lord
does not intervene, humanity, for which the Son of God gave himself, would
be destroyed.
Jesus
Christ will return from the heavens and the rule of God will extend over all
things and there will finally be peace. Rev: 19:11
Nero
Impostors
The
civil war during the "Year of Four Emperors" in 69AD,
was described by some ancient historians as a troubling period. Tacitus,
attributed this instability was due to the fact that emperors could no longer
rely on the legitimacy of the imperial bloodline, as Nero and those before
him did.
Galba's short
reign began with the execution of many who were allies of Nero and any possible
future enemies. One was Nymphidiue Sabinus who laid claimed to be the
son of emperor Caligula.
Otho
overthrew Galba. Otho was said to be liked by many legionnaires because he
had been an ally of Nero's and looked like him and was somewhat like
Nero in temperament. It had been reported that the common Roman hailed
Otho as Nero himself. Otho assumed Nero as a surname and made many
statues to Nero.
Vitelius overthrew Otho. Vitellius began his time of
rule with a funeral of much fanfare for Nero complete with songs composed
by Nero himself.
After
Nero's suicide, or assassination, in 68 AD, there was a widespread belief,
especially in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire that Nero was
not really dead and somehow would return.
At
least three Nero importers emerged leading rebellions. The first, who sang
and played the cithara or lyre and whose face was similar to that of the dead
emperor, appeared in 69 AD during the reign of Vitellius. After persuading some
to recognize him, he was captured and executed.
Sometime
during the reign of Titus around 79–81 AD there was another
impostor who appeared in Asia and also sang to the accompaniment of the lyre
and looked like Nero as well, but he too, was killed. Twenty years after Nero's
death, during the reign of Domitian there was a third pretender who
was supported by the Parthians.
There is,
and always will be a "Nero" who is claiming to be able to
bring what only our Lord Jesus can.
Nearer
Then Yesterday.
So, as
to the timing of "the end", in one sense the "end" has
come for those who believe, but for the world at large, these things are
yet to play out; as to when? we do not know, and if one asserts
to know the day we can only refer you to the words of our Lord.
"But
of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father
only." Matt: 24:36
But
there is also this reassurance, of the coming of our Lord
Jesus and the end of human misrule is " nearer than when
we believed." Rom: 13:11
The
coming of Lord is near at hand therefore we should go forth with godly
confidence and preach the message about our Lord Jesus Christ and all that God
has done for each and all who will but freely receive it.
The
Apostles themselves asked about the "end”, they and we are naturally
curious about such things, but Jesus directed them, and we, to our
primary mission which is telling others everywhere about
Jesus, regardless of what takes place in the world around us.
"Then
they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to
restore the kingdom to Israel?”
"He
said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set
by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on
you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.” Acts:
1:6-8
Our
Lord Jesus' coming is at hand and the end is come.
Benediction: May we each and all ever have our eyes upon our Lord
Jesus regardless of what takes place in the world around us, today, tomorrow
and forevermore. Amen.
Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor
Topinabee Community Church
Topinabee, Michigan
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