“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” (Titus 2:11–14)
I am writing this on the night before what Harold Camping has predicted to be the return of Christ and the end the world. If you are reading it, he was wrong. But someday, the prediction won’t be wrong. Someday, Jesus will return. Someday, Jesus will reign, uncontested, over the entire universe. On that day, everything will be turned right again. The curse will be the only thing cursed. Sin will be but a memory. Disappointment will disappear forever. Death will die.
We call that day The Consummation.
Why the World Turns
In the marvelous sentence we know as Ephesians 1:3-14, the Scripture declares that all things are “summed up” in Christ. The language expresses a plan or purpose. God’s plan for the entire universe was to bring it all together under one head, His Son, Jesus (cf. 1:22-23). Everything is united together in Him. He is the consummation of all things. He is where everything is heading.
To put it another way, Jesus is the story God has been telling since He first created the heavens and the earth. The Old Testament in its entirety is about God’s Son. He is the second Adam, the priest of Melchizedek’s order, the seed of Abraham, the true Israel, the new Moses, and the son of David. He is the ark, the law-giver, the temple, the Sabbath rest, the prophet, and the fulfillment. He is the skin which covered Adam and Eve, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and the final sacrifice. Jesus is the story of the Old Testament.
He is also the story of the New Testament. He is Lord over heaven and earth who actively extends His kingdom into every tribe, tongue, and nation. He is Lord of all. Someday, every human being will bow before Him declaring His lordship and kingdom. Regardless of their prior confession, on that day there will be no skeptics, no unbelievers, and no deniers. All will see and know that Jesus is Lord. Since the beginning of creation, everything has been heading toward that glorious, consummating Day of the Lord Jesus.
Herein is the universal philosophy of history: God created time and space, the universe and the world. He promised and prepared for the arrival of His Son to earth. In the fulness of time, He sent His Son into the world as a man. Jesus fulfilled the previous promises and made atonement for sin. He rose from the dead. He sent missionaries into the world to call all nations to faith and obedience. He ascended to the throne of the universe. One day, He will return to consummate His kingdom and judge all who oppose Him.
Jesus is why the world turns.
Anno Domini
It used to be common to include the letters A.D. when writing the year (e.g. 2011 A.D.). Most people today would object to using it on public documents because it stands for the Latin phrase, “year of our Lord [Jesus].”
Many people don’t know what it means. For that matter, many people don’t know why we are counting years at all. Test me this winter. On New Year’s Eve, ask your non-Christian friends what year we are entering. Then ask them, “Two thousand years since what?” The entire western world has been counting the years since the establishment of the kingdom of Jesus Christ (A.D.), and yet the majority of those who count either don’t know or don’t care why. New Year’s is just another reason to have a party.
In earlier days, people cared. They eagerly acknowledged the reign of His Majesty, the Lord Jesus, and eagerly anticipated His consummating return. It was a pronouncement of joy to declare the “year of our Lord.” Those days are gone. But whether people believe it or not, truth is true. This is the year of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The End Will Come
God is in the process of placing all things under the feet of Jesus. He is actively building His Church and crushing His enemies. His wake-up calls ring throughout the world every single day with each tragedy, hostility, and death. You see, in the final analysis, there is no such thing as a natural disaster. They’re all super-natural. The ominous horsemen of Revelation 6 ride throughout the lands, bearing the seal of their Master, sounding the alarm to all survivors: “Today may be the day. Are you prepared to meet your King? Have you loved Him? Have you obeyed Him? Will you welcome Him? Or will you cry out for the mountains to crush you before He does?”
The day is coming when the Father will issue the authorizing nod releasing the Son to finish what He began over two thousand years ago. The king will return from his far off journeys to see who has been faithful and true. The elder brother will inherit his vast estate and receive the worship of his younger siblings. The husband will take his bride into his chambers and at long last consummate their eternal marriage. The glorious end for which God created the world will finally arrive. The day is coming.
Therefore, religion must not be man-centered, it must be Christ-centered. Missions must not be man-centered, denomination-centered, or welfare-centered; it must be Christ-centered. Everything must be Christ-centered: science, philosophy, theology, school systems, homeschooling, church-planting, book writing, song writing, painting, sculpting, family planning, vacation planning . . . everything. Nothing exists “just because.”
Jesus divided the world into two groups: those for Him and those against Him. Nothing is neutral. Not even Switzerland. Everything is either intentionally obsessed with glorifying Christ or it is not. Every person is either in the kingdom of darkness or in the kingdom of the beloved Son.
Consequently, the Church should boldly proclaim the gospel in the midst of the kingdom of darkness because the King has come. He will win, for it is His destiny. And He cannot lose even one whom the Father has given to Him. On that Day, dying becomes living, ending becomes beginning, mourning becomes dancing, crying becomes laughing, suffering becomes glory. It will all happen at the consummation.
Being Intentionally Christ-Obsessed in All Things
Knowing that the entire universe is heading toward the day of consummation should transform today into a day of anticipation. Our hopes, dreams, and plans should reflect God’s purpose to unite all things in Christ. I’m not so much thinking of dinner plans for Friday night (although, I suppose truly eating and drinking to the glory of God would include pondering the coming consummation feast of Jesus Christ.). But the trajectory of our life goals and purposes should point toward what will bring Christ the most glory.
I know a family with extra living accommodations in their house. They regularly open it for missionaries on home assignment. This is not unique to them. You probably know people who do that. Maybe you have done the same yourself. What impresses me is how intentional they are in having it occupied. They believe that if it’s not being used for such purposes, there’s no point in having it. A few months ago they purchased a cabin in the nearby Rocky Mountains. Their perspective for it is the same. If Christian families, ministries, ministers, missionaries, or somebody is not using it for refreshment for their service to the King, then it’s wasted space. Yes, it’s beautiful, delightful, and restful, but most of all it’s profitable for exalting Christ.
I recently met a man whose business has made him very wealthy. He retired, but before long found himself back at it. This go around, things appear ready to explode, bringing exponential profits. He plans to handle this success the way he handled it before. He and his wife have established their “finish line,” the amount of money they want to live on. Everything beyond that is given to building Christ’s kingdom. Contrast that with Bill Gates and Warren Buffet who have given away billions to charities which are not specifically pursuing Christ’s exaltation. The latter are missing the God-given point of their wealth.
A young man I know entered the Air Force specifically to study dentistry so that he would have a needed skill that would open doors for overseas missions. Six years in the American military to prepare for a lifetime of Christian military.
I know a woman who after flirting with romance decided that her life would be better spent if she remained single. It would give her more time to devote to serving the administrative endeavors of a world-wide missions organization.
One well-known pastor tells of how he used to allow his daughter to invite as many people over as she wanted to on Friday nights. The only stipulation was that none of them could be Christians. The family wanted their home to be an inviting place for adolescents to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The examples could multiply, but this is enough. The arc of the lives of these families and individuals are purposefully shaped into a pattern which brings Christ glory. Major decisions were made for the express outcome of serving Him. They are intentionally Christ-obsessed.
Getting Ready to Consummate
Think of the implications for ethics. If you knew that tomorrow would bring a major catastrophe, you would get ready for it today. You would gather food, water, and other necessary things. You would seek protection. You would warn others. You would proactively pursue the appropriate preparations for such an event.
If I believed there was any biblical reason to trust Harold Camping’s prediction of Christ’s return, I would not be taking the time to write this book. On the other hand, because I believe that Christ will return one day, I am writing it, with the hope that you will be well-prepared for His Day. It will happen. It’s God’s final destiny for the created order as we know it. The question we must ask then is, Am I ready for that day?
Have you ever noticed what all of the New Testament’s end-times passages are really about? We tend to be preoccupied with the timing, events, signs, and so on. But in every case, the greater biblical weight lies in the call to be ready, to be prepared, to have our oil stored and lamps trimmed, to be on the lookout as if for a thief, to be awake and alert, to be soberly working hard when the Master returns. We are told to eagerly look for His appearing, not by staring at the stars, but by denying sin and worldliness, and by living sensibly and righteously in this age (Titus 2:11-13). We prepare for the future day of Christ by serving Him faithfully now.
But too often a Christian’s sanctification is driven by moralism or competition or guilt, like a child who only obeys his father out of duty. It’s better than disobedience, but it falls far short of the desired outcome. Parents want their kids to obey because of a loving desire to please them. Similarly, there is a world of difference to a husband when his wife wants to bless him sexually because she loves him versus when she does it out of sheer duty. Believers who understand their created purpose to exalt Christ will obey Him purely out of a desire to make Him happy. They will want to please Him because of who He is.
I will never forget the first time I saw my soon-to-be wife on our wedding day. I wept as she glided down the center aisle. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Part of her beauty was that she was about to be mine and part was that she had made herself beautiful just for me. It wasn’t for the pictures or the audience or the joy of feeling good about herself. It was for me. She wanted to be more beautiful than ever when she gave herself to me. As the Bride of Christ, believers should strive for good works with precisely the same motivation. Our pursuit of righteousness is not box-checking or rule-following or law-keeping, it is our bridal gown as we anticipate the consummation of our marriage to Jesus (Rev. 19:7-8). We seek godliness as preparation for our union with Christ. Think about how much “getting made up” is required in order to be ready for a Saturday afternoon wedding. Long before the day arrives, measurements are taken, material is ordered and altered, refinements are made. Then, on the day itself, hours of makeup, hairstyling, and dressing take precedent over everything else, including sleeping and eating. The bride wants to look her best for her groom. So should be our motivation for righteousness.
Do you see how this is not the same thing as trying to be a good person or being nice to others or giving enough to charity to quiet the conscience or going on a short-term missions trip a couple of times? Every minute of today and tomorrow are given to you for the purpose of exalting Christ. You should plan to use them for their intended purpose. You should live on purpose, this purpose. Trying to be good to my fellow man is not the same as trying to help him as an expression of obedience to and love for Jesus. Going to a third-world country for a tough week of construction and VBS is not the same thing as seeking to take the gospel to the ends of the earth for the glory of Christ. It can be. But it can also be an exciting change of pace that makes us feel good about adding to our self-sacrifice quota. A Christian wants to be righteous because she loves Jesus, because he wants to please Jesus, because his or her only real goal in life is to honor Jesus.
Conclusion
When the world reaches its consummation, when our marriage to Christ is consummated, we will be pure, holy, sanctified, glorified, righteous, perfect, and a whole bunch of other sublime adjectives. We will be robed in virginal white. But we should start getting dressed now, in anticipation. We should ponder the coming of our Bridegroom-King and make ourselves as beautiful as possible for Him.