OPTIMISTIC POSTMILLENNIALISM AND THE END

Postmillennialism (PM) is the view that we are already in a non-literal millennium in which the Church will gradually Christianize the world before Christ’s return. This optimistic view has energized societal change:

·       Postmillennialism was a dominant theological belief among American Protestants who promoted reform movements in the 19th and 20th century such as abolitionism and the Social Gospel. (Wikipedia)

However, through the disillusionment resulting from the two World Wars, PM has lost favor:

·       John Jefferson Davis notes that the postmillennial outlook was articulated by men like John Owen in the 17th century, Jonathan Edwards in the 18th century, and Charles Hodge in the 19th century. Davis argues that it was the dominant view in the nineteenth century, but was eclipsed by the other millennial positions by the end of World War I due to the "pessimism and disillusionment engendered by wartime conditions." (Wikipedia)

I cannot find any clear and explicit support for PM in the Scriptures. Instead, it seems that the end will be characterized by widespread apostasy and persecution:

·        “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (Matthew 24:9-13 ESV)

·       Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (Matthew 10:17-23)

·       But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

Jesus had rhetorically asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8). He taught that the world would be taken by surprise at His coming:

·       They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. (Luke 17:27-31)

Rather than being in the majority, as PM suggests, we will belong to a persecuted minority, which is forced to flee. The Book of Daniel describes the “shattering of the power” of God’s people:

·       “And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.” (Daniel 12:7)

·       As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom. (Daniel 7:21-22)

However, this “shattering” will only be temporary:

·       “He [the evil king] shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time... And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’”(Daniel 7:25, 27)

Nevertheless, God will strengthen and purify His people prior to our Lord’s return:

·       “He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder...  and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.” (Daniel 11:32-33, 35)

In His Olivet Discourse, Jesus taught that His people wouldn’t be cowered into submission. Instead, this would be a great time of evangelism:

·       And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)

The noted preacher, Charles Spurgeon wisely wrote, “If the road to heaven were smooth, heaven wouldn’t be so sweet in the end.” His words mirror those of Peter:

·       Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. (1 Peter 4:12-13)

We have every reason for confidence, for our confidence is in our Savior.

·       Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake. (Philippians 1:27-29)

THE SPIRITUAL AND CHRISTOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE

Biblical interpretation is complicated business. While a computer can beat a chess master, there is no way to throw a verse into its metal jaws and have it spit out a reliable interpretation.

Why not? There are many reasons for this. For one thing, to understand any one verse, we need the commentary from the rest of the Bible. For another thing, its meaning is spiritually discerned:

·       Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:12-13 ESV)

Without the Spirit, we can only interpret Scripture superficially. Consequently, before the Spirit was given, Jesus had to open the minds of His faithless Apostles so that they could understand what they had previously failed to understand:

·       Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. (Luke 24:44-45)

This means that we are dependent upon our Lord in order to understand Scripture. Therefore, it is more important to be down on our knees than to earn a PHD in Biblical Interpretation.

This also suggests that in order to understand Scripture, we must first know Scripture, meditating on it both day and night (Psalm 1; Joshua 1:7-8). The key to Scripture is Scripture itself.

We also have to understand Scripture Christologically. For years, I had balked at this idea. It seemed unjustifiably dogmatic to me. However, I began to see that there are compelling Scriptural reasons for this. Jesus insisted that even the Hebrew Scriptures were about Him:

·       You [Pharisees] search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:39-40)

According to Jesus, even Abraham had been aware of Him:

·       Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." (John 8:56; Galatians 3:8)

Peter preached that “all the prophets” of Israel had foretold Jesus, even if only cryptically:

• Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. (Acts 3:24)

• To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins." (Acts 10:43)

·       Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. (1 Peter 1:10-12)

Israel heard the Gospel, even if they didn’t have the ears to hear:

·       For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they [Israel] did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. (Hebrews 4:2)

The Law was a shadow or representation of the Gospel:

·          The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. (Hebrews 10:1)

Paul claimed that Christ had fulfilled all the OT promises:

·       For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. (2 Cor. 1:20)

·       So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow [symbol] of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. (Col. 2:16-17)

Bearing these verses in mind, we have every duty to read the OT Christologically. However, this is also a great pleasure and a tremendous support for our faith. How? It reveals the grand and unified design of God, a design not humanly possible in view of the many authors who contributed to the Bible in their distinctive languages, cultures, and worldviews.

Joyfully, this subject is so extensive that I can only scratch the surface. Isaiah wrote that the “Angel [or “messenger”] of His Presence” had “saved” and “redeemed” Israel, something that only God could do:

·       In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them and carried them all the days of old. (Isaiah 63:9)

Isaiah equated this Angel with God. The Angel had also appeared to Moses in the midst of the burning bush in the middle of the desert:

·       And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Exodus 3:2-4)

Notice that this Angel is also called “LORD” [“Yahweh”] and “God.” All of these appearances provide us with evidence that God or “Yahweh” is not the single Person that the rabbis claim about the God. All of these references should also put to rest the rabbinic claim that God does not take on human form. Instead, these appearances of a Messianic figure provide us with evidence for the Trinity.

The Angel continually appears throughout the Pentateuch. As strange as it may seem, He was the One who brought Israel out of Egypt:

·       When we [Israel] cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice and sent the Angel and brought us up out of Egypt. (Numbers 20:16)

However, other verses claim that it was God who brought Israel out of Egypt.

·       And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. (Exodus 13:21)

·       “The LORD has said to me [Moses], ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ The LORD your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the LORD has spoken… (Deuteronomy 31:2-3)

Well, did God accompany Israel or didn’t He? How do we resolve this apparent contradiction? Again, it seems that the Angel Himself is God, but also a distinct Person.

Elsewhere, God distinguishes Himself from His Angel:

·       "Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him… For My Angel will go before you… and I will cut them off.” (Exodus 23:20-23)

If God’s “name” is in Him, this is the same as saying that “My essence or nature is in Him” (Mat. 28:18-19). Elsewhere, God the Father again makes a sharp distinction between Himself and the Divine Angel (or “Messenger” – an alternate meaning of the same word, “malach”):

·       “And I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people." (Exodus 33:2-3)

This is only a very small sampling of how we should interpret the Bible Christologically.

THE CULTURE OF THE SCHOOL SHOOTER

In The Stream, Jennifer Hartline writes that our concern about gun laws overlooks the deeper issues and societal changes:

·       What is creating such violent, heartless, furious young people? Are we ready yet to turn the microscope on ourselves and our culture at large? We need a ruthless and candid evaluation of our society and our values.

·       Why do so many young teens seem to lack even the smallest measure of charity? Why are so many children full of despair? Why are so many children physically harming themselves or taking their own lives? Why has the rate of suicide among children doubled since 2000?

There are many indicators that something has gone wrong. In many ways, our youth are giving up. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche had written:

·       "If one has a 'why' to live for, one can bear almost any 'how'!"

Do the youth have a “why” to live for? Well, they do have their dreams of a successful career and the money to do those things that make them happy. But what happens when that dream dies? Do they have anything on which to fall back? Do they have supportive families? A church family?  

Do they have a higher “why” and purpose for their life, a transcendent vision of the good that can carry them through, something to lift them out of their pain? Many times, they do not. Why not? They have been persistently taught that such resources do not exist:

·       Evolution has taught them that they are just an animal, not created in the likeness of God, the product of an accident in a purposeless universe. Consequently, others are also just animals who can be treated as animals.

·       Materialization has taught us that we are no more than sophisticated bio-chemical machines, which can be discarded when they no longer serve society.

·       Hyper-sexualization training and pornography has taught them that they are sexual objects, and that pleasure is their right and choice is its servant. Whatever they choose is “right” for them, concern about others be damned.

·       Moral relativism has taught them that there is no objective right and wrong. It’s just a matter of your own arbitrary choices. Their task then is merely to clarify their own evolving values and purposes. From this perspective, the school shooters have merely been an exemplary product of their education. One young lady just wrote, “I never listen to anyone who uses the word ‘should’ in a sentence.” “Shoulds” represent to her limitations to her freedom personhood.

·       Multiculturalism has taught them that we cannot judge other cultures, because they are all valid. Then any lifestyle, no matter how destructive or violent, is also equally valid. After all, if there is no objective standard of judgment, we cannot coherently judge.

·       The drug culture, including psycho-pharmacological drugs, have numbed their minds and feelings, their very humanity.

However, society refuses to scrutinize these unquestionable underlying beliefs. Consequently, the only “why” to live for is pleasure and the discharge of emotions, whatever form they may take. Therefore, Hartline concludes:

·       If we don’t turn the same passionate scrutiny on our society and our choices that we’re turning on our gun laws, then we really are just arguing about window treatments while the house goes up in flames.

STRANGE FOODS

Why do so many Christians seem more worldly than Christ-like? For one thing, they just aren’t being taught the Scriptural basics, as this Barna study suggests:

·       Matthew 28:18-20 is the most well-known biblical record of what is commonly referred to extra-biblically as “the Great Commission.” But despite the significance of these and other verses that call Christians to “go and make disciples of all nations,” a surprising proportion of churchgoing Christians in the U.S. are generally unaware of these famous words from Jesus.

·       Barna conducted a study of the U.S. Church’s ideas about missions, social justice…When asked if they had previously “heard of the Great Commission,” half of U.S. churchgoers (51%) say they do not know this term. It would be reassuring to assume that the other half who know the term are also actually familiar with the passage known by this name, but that proportion is low (17%). Meanwhile, “the Great Commission” does ring a bell for one in four (25%), though they can’t remember what it is. Six percent of churchgoers are simply not sure whether they have heard this term “the Great Commission” before. (barna.org; 3/27/18)

Christian growth is based upon Christian teachings as so many verses suggest:

·       Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:2-3 ESV)

·       But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)

God provided His Church with teachers of the Word to produce maturity:

·       …until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (Ephesians 4:13-14)

Scripture is our growth food. However, today’s church has selected other foods, which fail to please our Lord or build His Church:

·       Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. (Hebrews 13:9)

There is no shortage of “strange teachings” ranging from mysticism to psychotherapy to meditation. However, it seems that these are the unscriptural foods that our churches are consuming, “foods which have not benefitted those devoted to them.”

How long, O Lord?