|
by
Doug Ward |
As I write, Yom Teruah, the biblical Day of Trumpets, is just weeks
away. In this season of the year I often think about the return of Jesus the
Messiah and the resurrection of the righteous, events to be announced by the
blasts of heavenly trumpets (Mt 24:30-31; I Co 15:51-52; I Th 4:16-17; Rev
11:15-18).
Christians
have looked forward to Christ's coming (parousia
in Greek) ever since his original disciples received the promise of his return
at his Ascension (Ac 1:11). Those disciples eagerly anticipated that return in
their lifetimes, as we see. for example, in Paul's first epistle to the Thessalonians
(1 Th 1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:1-11, 23). The parousia
is frequently mentioned in both the Gospels and Epistles (e.g., Mt 24:3, 27,
37, 39; 1 Co 15:23; 2 Th 2:1, 8, 9; Ja 5:7-8).
|
Waiting
is a Feature, not a Bug |
Those early disciples, of course, did not live to experience Jesus' coming. It
is often alleged that Jesus and Paul were simply mistaken on this subject, and
that the church underwent a crisis when its hopes were disappointed. However, I
believe that the biblical evidence suggests otherwise.
First,
Jesus and Paul did not say that the parousia
was guaranteed to occur soon (Ac 1:6-8). In his Olivet Discourse, Jesus stated
that although the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple would occur within a
generation (Mk 13:1-4, 30), the time of his coming was known only to God the
Father (v 32). He also mentioned a number of things that would happen before
either of these events (vv 5-23).1
Similarly, Paul, in his second epistle to the Thessalonians, tempered
overheated expectations of Jesus' return by explaining that certain things
would occur before the parousia, including a
major apostasy and the revealing of the "man of lawlessness" (2 Th
2:1-3).
Second,
delay in Jesus' return did not create a major trauma for the early church
because balancing expectation and delay was nothing new in the experience of
the people of God.2 We see this balancing act in the lives
of the patriarch Abraham and other heroes and heroines of faith, who received
great promises and learned to wait patiently for their fulfillment (Heb 11).
Beginning
with Moses, Israel's prophets warned that the nation could be defeated and go
into exile if it strayed from its covenant with God (Lev 26:33; Dt 4:25-28;
28:64-68; 29:22-28). These warnings came to pass when Assyria conquered the
northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC and Babylon captured the southern kingdom
of Judah in 586 BC. The prophets also affirmed that God would not leave the
Israelites in exile. The nation would one day be restored in the Promised Land
under the rulership of a righteous king from the line of David (Eze
36:22-37:28).
Starting
in about 537 B.C., thousands of Jews did have the opportunity to return to the
land. The temple was rebuilt, and a significant religious revival later
occurred under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah. Still, the former exiles
did not experience the unprecedented prosperity and universal spiritual renewal
described by the prophets. Under the rule of Persian, Greek, and Roman
overlords, Israelites continued to wait for the complete fulfillment of the
prophecies. Meanwhile, God's promises were repeated and elaborated by Haggai
(Hag 2:6-9), Zechariah (Zec 8, 10, 14), and Malachi
(Mal 3:1; 4:1-6).
|
The
Art of Waiting |
A delay in the parousia thus was not a crisis
for the early church; waiting had always been a part of life for followers of
God. That does not mean that waiting was, or is, easy. Scripture and history
show that there are some pitfalls to avoid in anticipating Jesus' return.
On
one hand, we should not give up hope or ignore the reality of Christ's return
(2 Pe 3:3-4). The time since Jesus' ascension is known as the "last
hour" (1 Jn 2:18). Jesus taught his disciples to be watchful and indicated
that many would be surprised by his return (Mt 25:1-13; Lk 12:35-48; 21:34).
During the past century, we have reached an era when the destruction of mankind
is possible (Mt 24:22). An ingathering of Jews to the land of Israel has
occurred, with the establishment of the state of Israel a nd
now a rise in global anti-Semitism. The end of this age seems to be closer than
ever.
On
the other hand, we should avoid becoming preoccupied with end-time speculation.
With so much information about current events at our fingertips, it can be easy
to become obsessed with how today's events might fit into a particular model of
prophetic fulfillment. Setting dates for Jesus' return has been a temptation
throughout Christian history; hardly a year goes by without some prediction
making the news. If we are counting on a certain date, then it can be easy to
slip into a doomsday prepper or survivalist mentality and retreat from life in
the world.
The
Bible teaches a balanced approach to these matters. When we pray, "Your
kingdom come" (Mt 6:10), we pray for the progress of God's kingdom, both
now and in the future. The church father Tertullian, writing in the early third
century AD, reported that Christians in his era prayed "for the delay of
the final consummation" (Apology, Chapter 39). These Christians
shared God's desire that as many as possible should come to repentance (2 Pe
3:9) and hoped for additional opportunity to assist with that goal.
We
know that events will proceed according to God's timing, which may be different
from ours (v 8). He is the one who knows the optimal moment for Christ's
return. We also play a role in that calculation. In our efforts to advance the
kingdom, we are "waiting for and hastening the coming day of God" (v
12). With Paul we declare, "Our Lord, come!" (1 Co 16:22)
1See, for example,
Robert H. Stein, Jesus, the Temple, and the Coming Son of Man, IVP
Academic, 2014.
2On
this point, see Charles L. Holman, Till Jesus Comes: Origins of Christian
Apocalyptic Expectation, Hendrickson, 1996.
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On 24 Aug 2025, 17:46.
