Well,
here we are at the fourth instalment in our series on the last things:
judgement, heaven, hell and now the Lord’s return.
It
won’t be in that order by the way. The Lord will return first, then will come
his just and fair judgement and then our eternal destination will be decided.
If
you had to make 10 predictions about what the world will be like in 100 years’
time - 2113 - what do you think you would say? Will travelling to
space then be as normal as travelling to Spain is now? Will all
energy be renewable, like from the sun and wind and waves? Will we be
all eating computer generated food? Will we all use one world currency? Will we
have established a human colony on Mars?
In
1900, a humble civil engineer from Pennsylvania called John Elfreth Watkins
wrote an article entitled What May Happen in the Next Hundred Years.
Well, it turns out he was amazingly accurate.
He
correctly predicted, for example, the kind of information technology we have
today. He said “Photographs will be telegraphed from any distance. If there is
a battle in China a hundred years hence, snapshots of its most striking events
will be published in the newspapers an hour later and photographs will
reproduce all of nature's colours."
He
accurately predicted increasing human height. He said "Americans will be
taller by from one to two inches" which has proved exactly right.
He
correctly predicted x-ray, ultrasound and CAT scans. He said “Physicians will
be able to see and diagnose internal organs of a moving, living body by rays of
invisible light." Wow!
He
did get some things wrong though. He said “There will be no C, X or Q
in our everyday alphabet.” He predicted that all rush hour traffic in cities
would be in underground tunnels or up in the air. And he said "mosquitoes,
house-flies and cockroaches will have been exterminated."
Nevertheless Watkins
is celebrated as a brilliant predictor.
But
the Bible’s record for future predictions is not just impressive; it is
flawless. You find for example, (and there are many, many others) you find
predictions for;
- the fall of Jerusalem
- for the rise of Babylon and
- for the spread of the Persian Empire
There's
a prophecy about the return of the Jews from exile to Jerusalem after 70 years
(not 69, not 71). There's a prediction about the destruction of Herod’s
magnificent temple and that it would be within the lifetime of Jesus’
disciples. And it all happened exactly as prophesied.
But
there's more. You find predictions for the birth of a Messiah;
- who had to be a descendant of Abraham (not Lot)
- who had to be a descendant of Isaac (not Ishmael)
- who had to be from the tribe of Judah (not any of
the other 11 tribes of Israel)
- who had to be a descendant of David (not of any
of his seven brothers, nor from any other descendant of Judah at that
time).
- who had to be born in Bethlehem, not in any other
town anywhere on earth,
- who had to die from having his hands and feet
pierced (not by any other means) and
- who had to rise again.
Every
Old Testament prediction about the rise and fall of nations came true in every
last detail. Every Old Testament prediction about the Messiah came true in
Jesus.
So
when we come to the New Testament predictions for the future, we can be quite
confident that they will be fulfilled as well.
There
is only really one major prediction about the future (that is still future for
us) in the New Testament, though it is repeated many times and it’s this: Jesus
is coming back!
That’s
what our reading from 2 Peter 3 is all about this morning.
People
sometimes ask me about the Lord's return and what the Bible says will happen.
So first of all, because there is so much confusion about the second coming of
Jesus, I want to look at the broader context of all the New Testament teaching
on this event.
There
are basically three Greek words used in the New Testament that describe what
the Lord's return will be like.
The
first word is parousia. This word parousia is
found twice in our reading from 2 Peter. Verse 4 “where is this ‘parousia’
he promised?” and v12 “as you look forward to the day of the Lord and speed
its parousia.”
We
translate it “coming” or “arrival” in English but
it’s a quite specific word that was used for the physical arrival of a royal or
official visitor. What happens when our Queen goes to visit a foreign country?
Usually she steps off a plane at an airport outside the city and is greeted by
officials before being driven with a motorcade to the city centre.
This
is exactly what it will be like with Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 4 says “the Lord
himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the
archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise
first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”
It
means that Christians, dead and alive, will greet Jesus first - like foreign
VIPs do when the Queen arrives - before he is revealed to the whole
world.
Which
leads us to the second word. The second word is epifania (from
which we get our word Epiphany). It means the manifestation or the appearance
of someone.
We
had this last year during the Diamond Jubilee when the Mall was chocked full of
people, all looking at the Buckingham Palace balcony, waiting for Her Majesty
to come out and wave. And as soon as the balcony window opened and she
appeared, everyone cheered and jumped up and down waved flags.
We’re
told in Revelation 1.7 that “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him
and all peoples on earth will mourn because of him.” That’s epipania.
And
of course Watkins' true prediction that the whole world can now witness an
event simultaneously means that every eye will see him.
And
the third word used in the New Testament that describes the Lord’s return
is apocalypsis which means to uncover, to draw aside a veil
that was hiding something so it can now be seen. We see dignitaries taking the
cover off a new statue or drawing a curtain to reveal a plaque. Well, this is
what the word means.
There
have only been two recorded unveilings on earth of Jesus’ stunning glory and
radiance to date - and as far as we know, only four people have ever had a
glimpse of it. I wonder if you can work out when those two occasions were and
who was there…
The
first was when Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John. It says it
was like direct sunlight coming through his clothes and those who saw it had to
hide their faces, such was the intensity of its brightness. Like when you’re
driving towards the sun that’s low in the sky and you have to fold down the sun
visor in order to be able to drive at all.
The
second time this happened was when Saul was converted on the road to Damascus.
Again, the brightness of the light was so extreme, so dazzling, so stunning
that Saul was temporarily blinded in both eyes.
When
Jesus came at Bethlehem, the brilliance of his appearance was entirely
concealed. But when he comes again, his true glory will be revealed and it will
be utterly overwhelming.
I
read a story recently about a large church in the USA who had hired a new
pastor (I'm not sure it's a true story but it's a good one...). The Sunday before he was due to start his ministry at the church, they
had a visitor in the morning service. That was nothing new in a large church
but this visitor was not the sort of person they were used to greeting. Dressed
in scruffy clothes, he was unwashed, unshaven, unkempt, he had a
half-empty bottle of whiskey on him and he smelled a bit rough.
He
sat at the back - but nobody said hello. Hundreds of people were there - but
nobody made him feel welcome. There were not many free seats available - but
nobody sat near him.
The
next week, it was the service to officially welcome the new pastor, and the
scruffy man turned up again. Again, no one welcomed him. He walked slowly to
the front, he stepped up onto the stage, he slowly took off his disguise and
introduced himself as their new pastor. Everyone gasped. That’s apocalypsis.
What
a shock! But, oh, the shock will be greater when Jesus returns, not as a child
and in cheap clothes as he did the first time, but arrayed in majesty so
overpowering, the Bible says, we won’t be able to look without falling to the
ground or hiding our faces!
What
everyone wants to know of course is when he will return.
That’s what they were asking in Peter’s time as well. It says in v3: “In the
last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil
desires. They will say, ‘Where is this 'coming' he promised?’”
Have
you ever asked yourself the same question? Well, Peter says four things in
reply.
Firstly,
he says in v5 that the scoffers deliberately forget that God has warned of a
great cataclysm before and he did precisely what he said he would do then.
We
now have conclusive geological and archaeological evidence of an extensive
natural disaster in the Middle East; deep layers of flood sediment that date to
ancient times. Furthermore, not just in the Bible, but in many other ancient
writings, there are similar references to a widespread and overwhelming flood.
In
other words, there is evidence if you want to study it but, Peter says, people
deliberately ignore it. They did then. They still do.
Secondly,
he says in v6-7 that God used elements that were already on the earth to fulfil
prophecy before, and he will do so again – the next time though it will be
fire, not water.
Only
things that are lasting and eternal will endure; things like your love for the
poor, your Christ-like character, your heart for God. All the things we attach
ourselves to on this earth; our houses, our cars, our possessions, our
treasures, our pursuits… all that will just vanish in a vapour.
Thirdly,
in v8, Peter explains that God experiences time differently to the way we do.
Let me ask you to think back to what you were doing about this time yesterday
morning and about this time on Friday morning…
…Well,
that’s more or less what it’s like for God to think about the Battle of
Hastings and the time of Christ. One day for us is like a thousand years to
him.
And
Peter explains in v9 that the reason why it’s taking so long for Jesus to
return is not because God is dawdling, it’s because he’s patient. And he’s
patient not because he’s indifferent - it's the opposite! It's because he’s
passionate about more people coming to know Christ.
According
to American author and political commentator George Weigel, about 80,000 people
become Christians every day. He calculates that in the year
1900 there were under 9 million African Christians. In 2011, there were
475 million and their numbers are projected to reach 670 million by 2025.
That’s
a good reason to delay the return of the Lord Jesus isn't it? If we just wait
12 years, nearly 200 million African brothers and sisters will have given their
hearts to Christ.
But
while that’s happening, Christians are also the most persecuted people on
earth. 80% of religiously motivated violence is visited on Christians. That
figure was quoted in the House of Commons last month in a debate on the
persecution of Christians in the Middle East.
Open
Doors and the Barnabas Fund - who have people on the ground - report that the
Arab spring has resulted in an organised campaign to completely wipe out the
Christian community in Libya, in Egypt and in Syria.
Then
there are further waves of violence against Christians in Indonesia, Northern
Nigeria, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, the Central African Republic and many other
places.
Why
do I say this? I'll tell you. In the 1970s and 1980s, when I became a
Christian, the great hope of the church in this country was for renewal.
"If only the church could be renewed, we need renewal, Lord bring
renewal" was the preoccupation of believers here.
In
the 1990s and into this 21st century, the great hope of the church in this
country has been not so much renewal but revival. Looking back to great
outpourings of the Holy Spirit under John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards and Evan
Roberts the cry has been “Lord, do it again. Let there be a mighty awakening.
Revive this land!”
Both
those aspirations are good. But the cry of persecuted followers of Jesus both
in New Testament times and today is not for the renewal of the church, nor for
the revival of the nation - but for the return of the Lord. “How long? Come,
Lord Jesus!” And he will.
Fourthly,
in v10, Peter says that when Jesus does return it will be sudden and
unexpected. Jesus said the same thing in our Gospel reading; “You also must
be ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not
expect him.”
And
Peter tells us, in v11 and 12, what we need to know about those who are
expecting the Lord’s return, and who will be ready for it.
They
will be looking forward to it and they will actually be hastening it by living
holy and godly lives. There will be a clear contrast between the way they
live and the way unbelievers live around them.
I
could say a lot about living a godly and holy life but I’m not going to. I just
want to simply end by saying that a Christian who is really ready for the
Lord’s return is one who will lavish as much esteem and honour on a loveless
down and out as they will on their lovely new pastor.
Are
you ready?
Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 22nd December 2013
