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Dear Friends,
I write to you today out of pastoral concern.
As the year 2000 draws near, we are seeing more
and more end-time scenarios as apocalyptic zeal
rises to fever pitch. There were early-bird predictions:
Edgar C. Whisenant's 88 Reasons Why the Rapture
Will Be In 1988 and a follow-up book The
Final Shout: Rapture Report 1989, 1990, 1991,
1992, 1993 . . . sold several million copies;
South Korean Lee Jang Rim convinced followers
around the globe that Christ would return in October,
1992; and on the air and in his book, 1994,
the popular American radio Bible teacher Harold
Camping targeted September 6 as the date for the
final trump.
But the year 2000 (1) is right now favored by
most prophesy preachers—though it isn't clear
whose calendar we are supposed to follow or why
God favors round numbers! (Two heavy hitters on
the apocalyptic scene have recently weighed in
with their contributions to the subject: Hal Lindsey
with Planet Earth—2000 A.D. and Pat Robertson
with The End of the Age, a novel which
is conveniently set in the year 2000.)
All of this is big business today in Christian
book stores and at the Christian Booksellers Convention.
And in the general public, a recent prime-time
series on ancient prophecies warned that futurists
from Nostradamus to Edgar Cayce have targeted
the year 2000 for the end of the world.
We are today awash in a sea of apocalyptic tabloid
books. Not since the Millerite movement a century
and a half ago has there been such a feeding frenzy
over the end of the world. We can only expect
it to increase.
We could let all this pass without comment expect
for two important factors:
One, apocalyptic speculation demeans the everlasting
gospel of Jesus Christ. The church is constantly
doing damage control as the predictions of these
self-appointed prophets fall into public ridicule.
Two, it is confusing to many sincere people
who want to be faithful disciples of Christ. Good
people become sidetracked from the substantive
issue of continuing to grow in grace into foolish
conjectures about when the Rapture will occur,
where the Antichrist will be born, and the like.
Gaining
Perspective. End-times speculations are nothing
new. A little historical perspective may be helpful.
Consider the following sampling:
--In
the second and third centuries Chiliasm (a name
based on the Greek word in Rev. 20:3 which denotes
the number 1000) predicted an early return of
Christ and a millennial reign in Jerusalem. One
leader in Pontius declared that the last judgement
would come in two years, and his followers ceased
to cultivate their fields and got rid of houses
and goods. Another leader in Syria led his flock
out into the wilderness to meet Christ.
--Second-century
Montanists prophesied that there would be an early
end to the world, that the New Jerusalem would
"come down out of heaven from God," and that Jesus'
Second Coming would occur at Pepuza, a village
in the Phrygian region of Asia Minor.
--Doomsday hysteria erupted around the year 1000
as wandering hermit messiahs fanned into flame
the hopes of marginalized peoples. When Jesus
did not return, the people's expectations were
dashed, and they were left in even greater misery
and despair.
--Gerard of Poehlde was convinced that the 1000-year
reign of Christ had begun with the ascent of Constantine
to power, and so in 1147 he predicted that Satan
would be released soon from bondage and would
conquer the Church.
--The radical reformer Hans Hut predicted the
return of Christ at Pentecost, 1528, and set about
gathering 144,000 elect saints to prepare for
this event. Another self-styled prophet, Melchior
Hoffmann, set 1534 as the date and Stasbourg as
the place for Christ's return. Both of these men
died in prison with their prophecies unfulfilled
and their disciples disillusioned.
--Apocalyptic passion fueled the Crusades, leaving
a legacy of hate and suspicion that has lasted
well into the twentieth century.
--In 1661 "The Fifth Monarchy Men" tried to hasten
Jesus' Second Coming by attacking the restored
Stuart monarchy. This they felt would prove to
God that "there was faith on the earth" and so
Christ would return and establish his millennial
reign in London. The sorry affair failed, and
with the perpetrators jailed or beheaded, the
movement fizzled.
--Postmillennial schemes were advanced by eighteenth-century
American colonial leaders like Jonathan Edwards
and Timothy Dwight. In the nineteenth century
Charles Finney was convinced that if people were
"united all over the world, the millennium might
be brought about in three months."
--William Miller, founder of the Seventh-Day Adventists,
following a painstaking study of Bible prophecies,
declared that Christ would return in 1843. When
that date passed without the expected Second Advent,
he recalculated his data and set the date in 1844.
Followers sold goods and properties and sat on
a hill, waiting for an event that never occurred.
You can imagine the resulting disillusionment.
Counsels
for Today. In light of history and the contemporary
apocalyptic fervor, I offer these counsels.
1.
Hold high "the blessed hope" of Jesus' return.
It is too precious a doctrine to be co-opted by
self-proclaimed prophets who lack training in
historical theology and biblical interpretation.
Christ's parousia has always been and will always
be the expectant hope of the people of God. Jesus'
words are clear, "I will come again and will take
you to myself, so that where I am, there you may
be also" (John 14:3).
2.
Reject the fallacy of date setting and place setting.
Friends, there simply is no "countdown to Armageddon."
The future is contingent upon the give-and-take
of God's initiative and our response. Faith, not
some artificial calendar scheme, is the catalyst
for Divine providence. God is patient, "not wanting
any to perish, but all to come to repentance"
(2 Pet. 3:9). Jesus was clear that before his
return the gospel must go forth into every ethnic
group, and we can never know what is fully implied
by "the completion of the Great Commission." Who
knows but that God is holding back the parousia
in order to bring in peoples you and I know nothing
about. Maybe he is waiting for you or one you
love to come into faith!
3.
Get some solid education in eschatological language.
For example, many today use the phrase "the last
days" as if this period started a week from last
Friday and will end within a few short years.
In biblical usage the term "the last days" refers
to the period from the coming of the Spirit at
Pentecost to the Second Coming of Christ. At Pentecost
when Peter quoted the prophet Joel, "In the last
days . . .", we see phenomena that covers both
what happened at Pentecost—"I will pour out my
Spirit upon all flesh"—and what will occur at
the end of the age—"the sun shall be turned to
darkness and the moon to blood" (Acts 2:17-21).
It is all "the last days." We have been in the
last days for nearly 2000 years now, and none
of us knows whether it will continue on for two
years or two thousand years or two million years.
Some basic education in apocalyptic literature
will go a long way in helping you distinguish
good interpretation of the text of Scripture from
"holy baloney."
4. Avoid mixing nationalistic myths with the
everlasting gospel of the Kingdom. Have you
noticed how many end-time scenarios give favored
status to the United States? Or demonize enemy
nations? With the fall of communism the well-worn
association of Gog with Russia is no longer viable
and so prophesy preachers are scrambling to find
alternatives. Islamic countries are favorite targets.
"Is Saddam Hussein the Antichrist?" is the sort
of popular sermon title that is used today. Who
will it be tomorrow? I plead with you, do not
be a part of this misguided nationalistic fervor.
5. My final counsel is especially directed
toward Christian leaders. Please, for God's
sake, refuse to exploit the hopes and fears of
your people with speculative prophecy preaching.
Don't weaken the gospel by tickling the ears of
your people with the latest apocalyptic scheme.
Reckless end-times scenarios have always been
counterproductive. They only lead to disillusionment
and cynicism. And they discredit the gospel of
Jesus Christ. Others may exploit this hot topic
for their own gain, but don't you do it. Stay
faithful to your calling. Preach Christ risen
and present among his people. Preach the kingdom
of God here, now, and coming. Make eschatological
hope a foundation for faithful living and growing
conformity to Christ, not an escape from discipleship.
Stoutly refuse to demean the gospel by mixing
hope of the Second Coming with reckless speculation.
A Trustworthy Model. In the fourth century
St. Augustine opposed the prophetic literalism
of Chiliasm. Instead of the imminent, material,
millennial kingdom of Chiliasm, he helped his
people see "the City of God." Out of pastoral
concern he taught them that the kingdom of God
was already a present reality among them in the
community of faith and that its full consummation
will come in God's time and in God's way in "the
blessed hope" of Christ's return. Augustine's
wise, sensible, biblical vision won the day and
influenced the Church for centuries to come. May
something of that same faith-filled sensibility
arise today.
Peace and joy,
Richard J. Foster
(1)
With these comments I am not referring to legitimate
organizations that use the year 2000 as a target
goal for their endeavors. The "AD2000 and Beyond
Movement" is one such group that uses this date
to stimulate their evangelistic efforts. I applaud
their work and that of other similar groups.
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