We as Christians have interpreted a passage of Scripture in error, but that is not the reason I’m writing this now. I wish to use my words with prudence-- speaking out when a matter of Truth is truly at stake, instead of making mere factual corrections at every chance to display my knowledge.
The topic at hand regards our understanding of the end times (eschatology in theologian-speak), which seems to threaten my aforementioned goal. Various Christian scholars before me, after all, use Scriptural logic to defend a similar diversity of interpretations regarding the world’s end; how am I supposed to distinguish Truth amidst such subjectivity… and why do I need to, if we’re in agreement on the most crucial point: “Jesus is coming back”?
However, my concern here goes deeper than surface issues of astronomy and hermeneutics, reaching at a subtle entity of falsehood that lurks in the shadow of innocent oversight. The mistake alone does not worry me, so much as the reason we made it (or were taught it) in the first place. What if our Biblical blunder reveals a larger deception-- our generation’s desires for dramatic doomsaying, eclipsing in opaque fear the originally radiant message of hope and restoration?
It is for this reason - a suspicion, but one serious enough to address - I am writing this now. The recent “blood moon” tetrad is not so much fulfilled oracle of the final judgment, but a merciful witness to us who missed the greater signs and apocalypse that already occurred.
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Before I continue, please let me clarify: I am not suggesting that Jesus’s second coming and the resurrection of the dead (1 Thessalonians 4:16) are in history’s rear-view mirror. Paul called out the teachers of this ‘ninja-second coming’ by name, identifying them as cancerous cells to Christ’s body (2 Timothy 2:16-18). Their interpretation that Christ already came back on some abstract, invisible level upset the believers (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2), who in the midst of brutal persecution held hope for tangible renewal and total justice. It’s in that same example of Paul that I call out the Jehovah’s Witnesses, for teaching the same deception today to cover their failed prediction of Christ’s return a full century ago.
No-- though Jesus indeed comes as a “thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2), it is not in the context of stealth but an unpredictable timing (Matthew 24:36-69). Earlier, our Savior compares His second coming to flashes of lightning, which are unmistakable and happen in an instant (v. 27). Also, we can be certain our bodies will resurrect spiritually and physically, in the same manner as Christ (Luke 24:38-43). There will be just punishment for every deed and person uncovered by Jesus’ freely given blood (Revelation 20:12), and our entire universe - heaven and earth alike - will be renewed to how God intended it (21:1-5).
So while THE end has yet to come - and I will not deny that Truth - what I wish to make clear is that we nonetheless live in an apocalyptic age.
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Before Hollywood associated this Greek word apocálypsis with radioactive wastes and flesh-eating zombies, its literal meaning was to uncover something hidden. John the Baptist and Jesus preached that the kingdom of God - though its perfect fulfillment would not arrive for at least two millennia - had at that time come near (Matthew 3:1-2; 4:17)
What does this mean then, in light of the prophetic words spoken through Joel?
“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.”
Joel 2:30-31 (ESV)
Taken at face value, I would suppose it means that God’s eternal kingdom is extra near in the twenty-first century. Of course, with the 2014-2015 blood moons, you could always watch a 12 minute video for why this natural phenomenon coinciding with Jewish holidays based on a lunar calendar is no extraordinary omen… but I’d rather turn our attention from the fake to a positive portent, revealed when Peter quotes that same passage and its surrounding verses in his sermon on the day of Pentecost.
“But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out 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;
even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”
Acts 2:16-21 (ESV)
Some scholars argue that Peter was making only a partial comparison of prophecy with the present, because he did not explicitly mention Joel’s words as “fulfilled”. While it is true this prophecy was not finished in every way at that moment, I would argue its connections were obvious at the time, and would be entirely fulfilled in that very generation.
“I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh” - The Holy Spirit fell upon the community of believers only moments before (Acts 2:1-4), leading to God’s outpouring of personal miracles bestowed even
“I will show wonders in the heavens above” - Yahweh set the bar high when it comes to wonders in the heavens. He paused the sun and moon for about a whole day in the Israelite’s battle against the Amorites (Joshua 10:12-14), then later reversed the sun’s orbit as a divine reassurance to a sick king (2 Kings 20:8-11). By contrast, the predictable dance of earth and moon into each others’ shadows seems like a parlor trick, even if it was to precisely match an event.
Jesus’ crucifixion, in accordance with that lofty expectation, sets the stage for an awesome and irrefutable wonder of cosmic proportions. All of the gospel accounts but John mention a period of darkness between twelve and three in the afternoon. Luke casts doubt on the theory this was coincidental dust or cloud cover, when he writes that the sun’s light “failed” (Luke 23:45)-- which is “ekleipō” in Greek, from which the word eclipse derives.
However, a basic understanding of the moon’s orbit reveals this was not the solar eclipse we’re familiar with. Passover, the holiday on which Jesus was crucified, only occurs during a full moon: when we see the sunlight hitting our orbiting neighbor’s full face. A solar eclipse only happens during new moon: when the lunar body is lit on the side we can’t see as it stands between us and the sun, and it never lasts longer than eight minutes. Contradicting these scientific facts, critics of ancient Christianity called it a natural eclipse… but if anything, their desperate cover-up supports the gospels, for they could easily have denied this darkness if it was an embellishment.
As for the moon turning red, we can only speculate where the gospels do not give detail. Most scholars agree that Jesus’ crucifixion occurred either in AD 30 or 33, and we know that for the latter date a partial lunar eclipse occurred. This means that the moon only passed into the edge of earth’s shadow, where the change in brightness is invisible to the naked eye. That said, we’re talking about the God who, when competing with a false god to burn a sacrifice, has His prophet drench His target with water before igniting it in holy fire (1 Kings 18:30-40). I think it only fitting that He eclipse the sun, and perhaps redden the moon, on a day where opposing odds best contrast His miraculous might.
“and signs on the earth below” - Peter’s audience would likely connect the rock-splitting earthquake at Jesus’ death as a sign on the earth (Matthew 27:50-51), though it is not directly tied to blood, fire, or smoke. For the second of those specific examples, listeners may have recalled the tongues of fire resting on believers that day (Acts 2:3; Matthew 3:11), and readers afterward might have associated all three with the siege and burning of Jerusalem along with its temple in AD 70 (Matthew 24:1-2). Again, we are left to speculate where the Bible does not provide a single clear answer. The point remains that the early Christian community would think of these signs in the context surrounding Jesus.
“everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” - Paul, in his epistle to the Christians in Rome, quotes this part of the prophecy after stating “. . . if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9). This salvation, where we actively express an inward dependence in Christ’s sacrifice, is a reality in the present. God generously extends this grace to us today, as He has for every generation since Jesus struck a mortal blow against death (Hebrews 2:14-15), and even for people before who placed their faith in this now fulfilled hope (11:1-2).
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While the last day of the Lord (singular; final) is not yet, and there are details of this prophecy left for interpretation… unprecedented signs such as God’s Spirit indwelling all believers, earth-shattering/darkening phenomena at Christ’s death, and the global offer of redeeming grace through Christ’s life are all clear indications that we and early Christians still live in the last days (plural; ongoing).
I’d like to close by highlighting the practical importance of this Truth-- that the unveiling of this world’s end is, in an important sense, a present reality. Though the opposite notion - that the apocalypse is only for modern Christians - seems relatively innocent compared to the distortion that Jesus returned invisibly… its subtle nature still affects how we carry out our mission on earth, and can be especially pervasive unless we question our assumptions about the end times.
Our heart for how we understand the last days should…
Anchor into the Gospel
That is, our view of the end should be within the Biblical narrative, in which God is the main character, and the heart-transforming reunion of heaven and earth the plot.
Christians typically use the Scriptures to back up their eschatology, which is by itself good. This becomes unfortunate, however, when the only verses examined are for “discovering” a secret code to date the second coming, or making a comparison between the seven-headed beast and a modern news report. When this happens, our hope is banking not in Christ’s promise but human speculation, and the latter always disappoints.
I highly recommend we distance ourselves from these extra-biblical expectations, if only to avoid embarrassment to the greater Church. Jesus made it clear enough that we can’t anticipate the specific timing of His return (Matthew 24:44), which makes sense for how the signs of the end were fairly predictable (v. 3-12), yet the Jewish expectation of instant utopia required He acknowledge temporary hardship.
There is a second and more critical issue with an un-anchored eschatology, though, where the events of Revelation and other apocalyptic passages (as exciting as they are) take our focus away from the bigger picture of Scripture.
Jesus is the One who deserves our attention (hence the miraculous solar eclipse). He usurps our present evil age by ransoming our hearts from sin (Ephesians 2:1-5), and upon returning, He doesn’t stop at ending our universe, but also renews it (zombies or any other catastrophe can’t do that). The twin realities of Christ’s resurrection and second coming are the climax and resolution of an eternal Story, and though we have our own backstories, we are ultimately supporting characters in that greater arc.
Let’s trust and focus upon Christ at His Word - that His return could be before you finish reading this sentence or a thousand years from now - and neither enigmatic mathematics nor mortal governments have authority to comprehend or quicken that glorious day.
Redeem through the Present
This point means that our awareness of the apocalypse should not produce a helpless and fatalistic attitude, but encourage us to join God’s work in the present moment.
My concern is that, due to the general Church being reluctant on topics of eschatology, we have misunderstood the end as this time of great evil that God ordained us to suffer. While I’m not writing this post to promote one interpretation of Revelation above another, I intend to challenge your mindset for whether it defines your efforts as pointless or purposeful.
The end as I see it in Scripture is not some exclusive event at history’s final moments, but a stage between Christ’s first and second coming where children of light and darkness clash over the course of multiple generations.The disasters and wickedness predicted at the end of the age, then, are not an unprecedented time of super-turmoil to dread, but an assurance that the tribulations already and currently endured by our martyrs are no threat to our God’s sovereign will. Let me reword that: if the apocalypse is already occurring in a sense, then we turn our attention away from dismal fear for the future, and see current trials as our part in a battle that God prepares and equips us for.
Regardless of your take on a/the tribulation, we are all called to be like salt to the world (Matthew 5:13). Salt flavors and preserves an otherwise bland and decaying piece of food. What good would salt be if it separated itself, despairing of the food’s tasteless and rotting state? What good is a Christian, lamenting our spiraling world as God’s fixed destiny for humanity and distantly scorning unbelievers for the same moral depravity we were born with?
Some distressed Christians in the U.S. believe their nation is headed for hell morally, and Satan is manipulating our politics and culture. I have many personal thoughts in response to that… but more on topic: Jesus said, even to sincere listeners among the original nation under Yahweh, “You are of your father the devil” (John 8:44) (that is, he remains our father until we are adopted to God’s family through Christ). Satanic parenthood is not some especially grave description reserved for sociopathic cultists and New Age endorsing celebrities, but the ordinary default for all of fallen humanity. Yet Jesus confidently states “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:12) and “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (28:20).
Perhaps history will grow more ugly before the second coming, but that’s not the full Story. Even surrounded by demonic hordes and in the midst of a world that hates us, our Lord trusts and empowers us to go on the offensive-- to enrich the most rancid reaches of our culture with saltiness, and storm the gates of hades tearing throughout creation. Christ isn’t finished with the earth yet, and neither are we, and within that Truth is my final point...
Center upon God’s Goodness
If my reason for sympathizing with end times excitement among general Christians is that Revelation is just plain cool, then I relate with teachers of a modern apocalypse by the potential of their message for producing conversions. The esteemed preacher Billy Graham, for example, launched “My Hope America” last year, at least partly from an urgent conviction-- that signs of the end are converging in our generation. Why should I dare to speak out against the salvation of souls and the Bible being proclaimed as uniquely relevant to our day?
I speak because when our focus is upon the supposed nearness of Christ’s return, our attention is fixed on God’s wrath instead of His mercy. He is a God of justice, and His wrath is fearsome, so I’m not saying we should hide those Truths… but when it comes to evangelism, “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance” (Romans 2:4).
My fear is that many of these salvations are the result of… well, just that: fear. This is a cheap way to coerce converts, which could prove fragile when apocalyptic predictions fail. “Heaven sounds a lot better than hell, and I might not get to pray on my deathbed if the second coming is near, sooo… my instincts for survival tell me I need Jesus.” I trust God will still work in the lives of these believers as they let Him, but I greatly prefer them to count the cost that Christ might not return in their lifetime, and then make a commitment to Him out of genuine Love.
Sin and death ravage men, women, and children through every generation… and yet God patiently waits still. He waits for you and I, and every other human made in His image who through Christ’s sacrifice might be purified as His own, to share eternally a heaven and earth in His presence. I want to Love that God, not out of my emotions alone but with my whole body, heart, and soul. Even if the sun implodes before the Son appears, I want to Love the God who Loved me first.
“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
Very well said/researched. I appreciate that the focus is clear and scriptural. Keep up the good writing!
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