Simply Jesus Pt. 26: “Immediately After the Tribulation of Those Days…”

Has someone ever told you that it doesn’t matter what you believe about the Second Coming of Jesus as long as you believe in a Second Coming?

It sounds nice, doesn’t it? But is that a wise way to approach to approach the Scriptures? Is that a wise way to approach our Lord’s return?

Permit me to offer a few examples of varying approaches to the 2^nd coming:

Generally speaking, Post-Millennialists believe that the Church will be able to usher in a virtual golden age on earth, a literal or metaphorical thousand-year reign of God’s kingdom where evil is more or less vanquished. After that time, Jesus will return.

Pre-millennial, pre-tribulationalists believe that before Jesus returns to usher in a literal 1,000 year kingdom on earth, there will be a Great Tribulation. However, before that Great Tribulation unfolds, Jesus secretly takes all the true Christians off of the earth so they don’t have to experience any of the terrible events coming upon the earth. Then, at the end of the Great Tribulation, Jesus returns with all the raptured Christians coming behind Him to triumph over the enemies of God.

Those who believe in pre-millenial, post-tribulation/pre-wrath teaching believe that the rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of Christ will basically occur at the same time, the end of the Great Tribulation. The Church will therefore be around while the Antichrist is on earth deceiving and doing his worst to Christians, and encouraging countless numbers of us to fall away from the living God. After the Second Coming and gathering of the true Church, God pours out the seven bowls of His wrath on the rest of unbelieving humanity and Jesus reigns on earth for 1,000 years.

There are certainly more views than those three, but I believe it’s fair to say the majority of Christians around the world today fall close to one of those camps.

What about the early Christians? Well, though their writings don’t show them entering into the heated eschatological debates modern theologians frequently partake of, they certainly had their opinions on the matter. And, with what could be argued as being only a couple of rare exceptions, they believed Christians would be on the earth throughout the Great Tribulation. I demonstrate several examples of this fact in my book, New: Wineskins and the Simple Words of Christ.

The early Christians took Jesus seriously and simply. They took Him at His word. So in Matthew 24, when Jesus said He would return in the clouds to gather His people to Himself after many of His disciples fell away, they believed Him. When He said His return would be after the Antichrist was already on the scene, deceiving and destroying those on earth, they believed Him. When He said His return would be after the tribulation of those days, they believed Him. 

What effects could these varying eschatological beliefs have on our daily lives?

If, as a post-millennialist, you believe the Church will bring about a golden age, an age almost like heaven on earth, then I believe it’s fair to assume that you could be inclined to view Transhumanism as a tremendous blessing. Transhumanism is the belief that through blending humanity with technology and genetic engineering, we can eventually achieve not only immortality, but essentially a divine status. Amazingly, there is already a significant population of Christians pushing this movement. Like Adam and Eve, they believe that through our own efforts we can become as God is.

I used to be in the pre-millennial, pre-tribulation camp. With them, I was betting my life on being rescued out of the world before all hell breaks loose. At that time in my life, accompanying my faith in that teaching was a subtle belief that though Jesus may want me to fight for Him, He generally wouldn’t ask me to suffer for Him. But as I’ve written in numerous blogs (you can read two examples here and here), the Scriptures and the early Christian writings bear witness to a vastly different testimony.

A little over a half-decade ago, I began to align myself with the post-tribulation and pre-wrath camp. Two factors that contributed to the shift in my doctrinal stance were the early Christian writings and beginning to read the Scriptures more simply as they did. And the more I have meditated on the possibility of going through the Great Tribulation, the more I have accepted the truth that suffering for the faith is supposed to be a normal part of the Christian life.

As you can see from the excerpt below, the early Christians felt the same way.

Then they shall deliver you up to tribulation, and shall kill you, and you shall be hated by nations for my name’s sake. … When you see the abomination of desolation, which is spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains. … for there shall be great tribulation, such as has not occurred from the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. …

But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be moved. And then the sign of the Son of man shall appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with great power and glory. And He shall send His angels with a great trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds. …

And these are not new or sudden things which are now happening to Christians; since the good and righteous, and those who are devoted to God in the law of innocence and the fear of true religion, always advance through tribulations … in the hardship of a narrow path. – Cyprian 205CE Volume 5, p. 878-879 [CD-ROM]

Hurricane season is clearly upon us. When one is bearing down upon the coast, a Christian can either believe that God won’t let a terrible storm touch him and his family, or he can prepare his house for the worst. If the storm misses his family, wonderful! Praise God! But if it comes, will he have been ready to persevere through whatever the weather brings?

Inclement weather is coming upon the earth when Jesus returns. How will you prepare? 

Simply Jesus Pt. 25: “...Before Governors & Kings for My Name’s Sake”

An article began making the rounds on Facebook last week concerning horrific events being carried out upon Christians living in North Korea. Some watch lists rank the country as the most dangerous place in the world to be a disciple of Christ. Its dictator, Kim Jong-Un, has imprisoned, tortured, and brutally executed thousands of unashamed followers of Jesus over the last several years.

Can you imagine being crucified, then while suffocating to death, lowered over a bonfire to be roasted? Can you imagine being bound to the ground, unable to move, while a steamroller slowly crushes your entire body inch by inch? Not only are these atrocious persecutions happening to Christians, but they are being enslaved, herded off bridges to their deaths, and even raped and molested.

Why is this being done? According to the downloadable investigative report mentioned in the article:

“Among other basic human rights denied to the people of North Korea, freedom of religion or belief is largely non-existent. Denial of this right has occurred since the 1950s, and the current leader, Kim Jong-Un, continues to violate citizens’ religious freedom. Religious beliefs are seen as a threat to the loyalty demanded by the Supreme Leader, so anyone holding these beliefs is severely persecuted. Christians suffer significantly because of the anti-revolutionary and imperialist labels attached to them by the country’s leadership.”

Basically, Christians in North Korea are viewed as enemies of the State because they are a threat to the worship of the Emperor and State. Every time someone wakes up to the reality of the gospel, the stability of the State is viewed as being weakened. The more people become Christians, the more people realize that the State and its leaders are false gods.

These are intense times we are living in, and Jesus told us these days would come.

“They will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of My name. Yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.” – Luke 21:12-19

We know Kim Jong-Un's reasons for persecuting Christians, but look at what Jesus has to say about the events. He says that they are actually serving as an opportunity for Christians to share their testimonies in places and ways they couldn’t otherwise. Kim Jong-Un thinks that oppressing and exterminating Christians is accentuating his own greatness, but in reality, Jesus knows it only serves to extend His kingdom and glorify His name.

One of the most faith-strengthening effects of becoming so familiar with the early Christian writings over the last several years has been seeing the veracity of Jesus’ words be proven over and over by the Church in the first few centuries. Just like the snowball of a few deaths in North Korea gradually turned into an avalanche of fearless disciples, the early Christians gladly and nonviolently stood before governors and kings, with their deaths inspiring multitudes to believe in the new life offered by the True King. 

How powerful the word has become in a very few years, even though conspiracies were formed against those who acknowledged Christianity. On its account, some of them were put to death and others of them lost their property. Despite the small number of its teachers, it was preached everywhere throughout the world so that Greeks and Barbarians, wise and foolish, gave themselves up to the worship that is through Jesus. We have no difficulty in saying that the result is beyond any human power. … “You shall be brought before governors and kings for My sake.” – Origen 225CE, Volume 4 p. 624 [CD-ROM]

What is happening in North Korea is both utterly tragic and ultimately triumphant. It is both horrific and a cause to shout, “Hallelujah!” We need to mourn and pray for our brothers and sisters who are going through such terrible suffering. But we also need to hold them in high honor, and praise the Lord in the highest that hundreds of thousands are coming to repentance as a result, and the Name of Jesus is being exalted above the false gods of the State. 

We can learn a lot from the faithfulness demonstrated by disciples in North Korea. 

Simply Jesus Pt. 24: “A Tree Is Known By its Own Fruit”

Presidential debates are fascinating, aren’t they? The aspects that intrigue me the most are that generally, as in this election, the candidates are professing Christians. Not only are they professing Christians, but they possess vast amounts of wealth and are attempting to become arguably the most powerful person in the world.

Jesus often had many challenging things to say to the wealthy and powerful people He encountered, so it’s rather interesting to see how these professing Christians live out their professed faith in situations where the stakes are so high. Yes, I realize I keep using the word ‘professing’. Surely people with the unquenchable ambition to be the leader of the free world wouldn’t lie about their beliefs just to get votes, would they? Would they?

It’s strange, I remember George W. Bush being touted as a strong evangelical when he was first running for office. During his presidency, I remember a book of his receiving enormous publicity in certain mainline Christian stores. However, I also recall him in 2004 saying in an interview with Charles Gibson that he believed sincere Muslims and Christians both pray to the same God and will both go to heaven. He never talked like that on the campaign trail in 2000.

So how can we know the truth, especially in an age like ours when deceit is at an all time high? Jesus calls us to the fruit test.

“For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” – Luke 6:43-45

Whenever I’ve discussed this passage with others, a question seems to usually arise as to what ‘good fruit’ actually looks like. Ignatius, who was the Bishop of Antioch and a personal disciple of John the Apostle in the late first and early second century, made a simple, yet profound comment on the question at hand.  

The tree is made manifest by its fruit; so those that profess themselves to be Christians shall be recognized by their conduct. For there is not now a demand for mere profession, but that a man be found continuing in the power of faith to the end. … Let us therefore do all things as those who have Him dwelling in us, that we may be His temples, and He may be in us as our God, which indeed He is, and will manifest Himself before our faces. – Ignatius 105CE, Volume 1, p. 92-93 [CD-ROM]

According to Ignatius, our fruit is synonymous with our conduct. According to Ignatius, good fruit must be fruit that perseveres to the end. According to Ignatius, good fruit is an outflow of a good tree. If we are truly part of the Jesus tree, than our lives should bear His resemblance in our daily interactions.

The coming election has propped up two candidates who claim affiliation with Jesus, yet in conversations I’ve had about the first debate, the winner seemed to be determined by which one seemed less evil. “__________ may be the great whore of Babylon.” “Yeah, well _________ may be the Antichrist.” And of course, it's possible that those designations could be true.

It’s been said that when we’re bumped we spill what we’re filled with. During the debate, we witnessed two professing Christians being repeatedly bumped and spilling gallons of poison into the audience and our living rooms. Unfortunately, similar copycat spills are being committed by their followers with every passing day.

So what are you filled with? In this heated political season, when you’re bumped, what spills out of you? Is it healthy or poisonous?

If what spills is poisonous, if the fruit is rotten, then perhaps we should evaluate where our trust is actually placed. Does God or government have our hearts?

It is so tempting to put our confidence in government. After all, it seems like the most pragmatic thing to do. However, even the best worldly governments in their best days bear little resemblance to the kingdom of heaven. So as things get less and less godly in the weeks ahead, may we heed the wise counsel of the psalmist:

Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. ... How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God. – Psalm 146:3,5

Simply Jesus Pt. 23: “Destroy This Temple…”

In my last blog post, I shared a simple strategy for speaking with Jehovah’s Witnesses using four questions and the book of Revelation. Today’s post contains two similar witnessing strategies I’ve used that help prove Jesus and God the Father are one.

Remember, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus was the first creation of God (Jehovah), that Jesus is not therefore God, and that He used to be the archangel Michael before coming to earth as Jesus. Therefore, keeping the conversation centered on the deity of Christ is vital in any discussion with a Jehovah’s Witness. Also, recall that to be most effective with a Jehovah’s Witness, you should let them read all of these Scriptures aloud from their own Bibles.

Finally, as was the case in the previous post, during the dialogue sections I will put the Jehovah’s Witnesses translation first, and then the New American Standard version as a reference.

This first witnessing strategy developed after a Jehovah’s Witness decided to read a section of John 17 to me in an attempt to refute a claim I just made about the divinity of Jesus. When she read verse 11 she stopped in her tracks and tried to change the subject. What follows is a modified version of that conversation.

1a) Say, “Can we please read Genesis 17:1 out loud?”

When Aʹbram was 99 years old, Jehovah appeared to Aʹbram and said to him: “I am God Almighty. Walk before me and prove yourself faultless.” (New World Translation)

Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be blameless." (NASB)

1b) Now ask, “What is Jehovah’s (The Lord’s) name in this passage?”

Answer = God Almighty

2a) Say, “Can we please read John 17:11 out loud?

“I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, watch over them on account of your own name, which you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.” (New World Translation)

“I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.” (NASB)

2b) Ask, “What does Jesus say His name is?”

Answer = The same name as His Father: Jehovah/God Almighty

I’ll give you one more, an apologetic strategy I used in my book:

1) Ask, “Who raised Jesus from the dead?”

(Let them answer = Jehovah/God the Father.)

2a) Ask, “Would you please give me a verse to support that belief?

(There are many, but if they can't think of one, offer Romans 10:9.)

2b) Ask them to read Romans 10:9 out Loud:

For if you publicly declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and exercise faith in your heart that God raised him up from the dead, you will be saved. (New World Translation)

If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (NASB)

3a) Say, “In John 2, Jesus drove many money changers out of the temple for defrauding and oppressing the people, and it greatly upset the authorities.

3b) Ask, “Will you please read John 2:18-21 out loud?”

Therefore, in response the Jews said to him: “What sign can you show us, since you are doing these things?” Jesus replied to them: “Tear down this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said: “This temple was built in 46 years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was talking about the temple of his body. (New World Translation)

The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. (NASB)

4) Ask: Who did Jesus say would raise Him from the dead?

Answer = He said He would.

5) Ask: Who raised Jesus from the dead?

Answer = Jesus and Jehovah/God Almighty are one.

These witnessing strategies are not clever “Gotcha” games played to humiliate the Jehovah’s Witness you’re conversing with. They are designed to glorify God. They are structured to reveal the truth that God Himself entered humanity to suffer on our behalf. He didn’t merely send one of His creations.

God Himself came down to rescue us, and we put Him to death. When we see the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ sacrifice, we see Jehovah, we see God Almighty embodying His love for us. And that singular truth makes all the difference in the world. 

Then did the whole creation see clearly that for man’s sake the Judge was condemned, and the Invincible was seen, and the Illimitable was circumscribed, and the Impassible suffered, and the Immortal died, and the Celestial was laid to the grave. … God was put to death, the King of Israel slain. – Melito 170CE, Volume 8, p. 756, 758