Transformed

Mark 13:24-37New International Version (NIV)

24 “But in those days, following that distress,

“‘the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown

32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

When I first started preaching, I didn’t look forward to Advent because I had no idea how to preach these apocalyptic scriptures.... It seems like the jolliness and cheer of Christmas was overshadowed by these dark and fearful threats of Christ’s imminent return.  Images of fire and destruction run rampant as I read them.  It made it difficult to get excited to preach about the end times as we approach celebrating Christmas.  You see, I struggled to see the hope offered by such scriptures.  I was focused on the destruction that I believed they represented.  Most likely heavily influenced by the Left Behind movie series of my youth, I pictured only doom, death and destruction upon Christ’s return.  When I picture that final battle between God and satan, I picture complete annihilation.  Complete destruction.  I picture the earth a scorched landscape that is uninhabitable.  And those souls who had given their hearts to God go off to a distant realm (heaven) and those who had not go to a realm of eternal damnation.  This point of view is common amongst many active church goers today and it may be your held belief.  If this is the case, I ask you, “Does this give you hope?”  And likely, you say to yourself, “Yes” because you have given your soul to Christ.  Fair enough.  But can I ask you a favor?  Please consider all that follows.

We have all heard of the fire and brimstone approach to preaching.  It uses fear to manipulate the hearers of such a sermon into giving their life to Christ.  Over the years, Evangelical Christianity perfected this technique by still using a little bit of fear but also added some promises to help “win” souls for God.  It can be easy to appreciate the tenacity of these techniques because we may feel they are honest even if we don’t like hearing it.  These techniques are a manipulation of your thoughts.  Think about it... If God sent his son to die for humanity, why then does He eventually want to destroy it?  It’s almost like God has created some sort of deadline that we are unable to know anything about but we must accomplish everything as a human race before that deadline because God is going to annihilate the earth at that moment.  This way of thinking destroys hope.  For example, are we going to cure cancer before the deadline?  Are we going to end human trafficking before the said deadline?  Are we going to end the opioid epidemic?  Or autism?  Or any disease that attacks children?  Can we create a socially just society before the deadline?  Whatever wrongs you see or whatever your convictions, will they be accomplished before the deadline?  We don’t know because Jesus could come back tomorrow... Or it could be 10,000 years.  We don’t know and really the efforts seem mundane if God is going to destroy everything the human race has worked for anyway, right?  

For this reason and many others, my perspective on Christ’s return has been altered.  Don’t get me wrong, I do believe Christ will return to earth in his bodily form, that hasn’t changed.  Mark 13:31 says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”  I guess I can see how some may think the earth will be destroyed by reading those words but I thought those souls who had given their life to Christ were going to heaven.  If we are set on the earth being destroyed by reading Christ’s words recorded in Mark, then we should also consider heaven being destroyed.  But how is that possible, I thought that was our destination for when the earth was destroyed?  Other Biblical translations say heaven and earth will wear out or disappear instead of pass away.  So what do we make of this? That both heaven and earth will be destroyed or wear out or disappear.... Where are we supposed to go now?  I thought Heaven was our destination for when the deadline clock strikes zero....

Fear and manipulation are good tools to get the short term results you desire.  Think about it.  Even the best of us has probably used these techniques to achieve a result.  But think harder on the lasting effects of that result.  Was the result maintained over a long period of time?  Or did we have to make another twist in the manipulation or add to the fear in order to maintain the result?  These tactics work but their results fade once the manipulation is uncovered and the fear conquered.  Let’s dive into the way Jesus approached his ministry.  Jesus very easily could have used his miracles to stir fear.  He very easily could have conquered earthly kingdoms and forced his citizens to follow him.  He very easily could have manipulated those in power to concede to his demands.  But he didn’t.... Instead of manipulation and fear, Jesus inspired his followers to transform their lives.  Instead of threatening them with death, he died for them.  Instead of condemning, he healed.  When someone is inspired to transform their life, the results are more easily maintained.  

That being said, our understanding of heaven and earth very well may pass away, wear out or disappear.  But what if heaven and earth were also transformed instead of completely destroyed.  What if we apply the tactics God used through his son and apply them to the second time Jesus comes to earth?  If God’s plan was to destroy the earth, then I think the indication from Christ would have resembled that the first time he was here.  I mean, why would God turn from this loving and merciful God that sent his only son to die for us into a god who desired destruction and death?  I think God will seek justice upon Christ’s return but not complete annihilation.  What if heaven and earth pass away as we know them because they are merged into one.  Contemplate what a heaven on earth may look like.  Consider it.  Reread apocalyptic scriptures with that image in your mind.  Inspired and transformed rather than feared and manipulated.

Think about the hope this way of thinking instills in us.  We aren’t shipped off into some other realm where we only sing praises to God for all eternity.  Rather, our heavenly home is also a resemblance of our earthly home where enjoy the things we currently enjoy but without all of the stress, and sin, and sickness we encounter on an everyday basis now.  Imagine your life where you are free to do the things that bring you the utmost joy without restriction and in doing those things you are praising God.  Imagine a world without cancer, without human trafficking and abuse, without hatred, without war, without depression and anxiety.  When you allow your mind to wonder what a heaven on earth would look like, you cannot help but to be filled with hope.  That being said, I do think heaven currently exists.  In this very moment, there is a heaven.  Consider it a holding place until Christ’s return.  Man, it must be great there but they too are still missing a little something.  Those souls in heaven, of course, get to experience all the majesty and glory of heaven but they have not yet experienced it in its entirety.  Those souls have experienced heaven, but not heaven on earth.  Christ’s return will usher in a new era that combines heaven and earth as the old order of things ceases to exist.

Whether we are in heaven or on earth, we must stand watch, stay alert and be vigilant in the preparation of Christ’s return.  This means standing firm in our hope.  This means inspiration instead of manipulation.  This means transformation instead of fear.      Amen.