Let’s talk about the “end-times.”
This is a topic that’s usually either loved or completely avoided out of fear. Yet it’s really important to look at it, because how we view the end of the world affects how we live in the present. If we are all just going to die and then live as angels in the sky, that’s not a lot of motivation for our present lives. If the world if just going to burn up in flames one day then what does life matter?
The Apocalypse
First, let’s talk about the word “apocalypse.” Usually when people hear this word their minds are flooded with images of Left Behind books (or movies), demons, cities burning, etc. Oh how the devil has tricked us on this one. The word “apocalypse” comes from the Bible. It’s in the very first sentence of the Book of Revelation. The word comes from the Greek word “apokalypsis” and it simply means revelation. It’s a word that’s used when something is “revealed.” Something that is hidden that comes out into the open. Paul even prayed to the Father that we would have the Spirit of wisdom and “revelation” (apocalypse).
So the apocalypse is simply about God being revealed. Right now, everything is hidden. Jesus is not physically here so everything must be taken by faith. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are all hiding throughout the world. But the apocalypse is coming and one day They will be fully revealed.
We have been raised with Christ and are currently seated in heaven. We can experience it by faith, but it’s still all hidden to the world and only those with eyes of faith can see it. Paul said, “your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:3-4) The apocalypse is the glorious revealing of Jesus for the whole world to plainly see.
The Last Days
Now let’s talk briefly about the commonly used phrase, “the end-times.” If you’re a Christian (and even if you’re not), you most likely have heard people talk about the “end-times.” Once again, this phrase usually fills people’s minds with images of terrifying earthquakes, tsunamis, wars, and many other tragedies. But let’s talk about the Biblical meaning of the “end-times.”
The phrase “end-times” can be traced to the Jewish prophecies of the Old Testament. The Jewish prophets prophesied of the “last days” when God would intervene in the world and do a new thing. The Jews saw the “last days,” or “end-times” as a wonderfully good thing when God’s Messiah would restore the world and fulfill all the promises of God. These promises included things like world peace, financial prosperity, abundant joy, peace with the animals, and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.
One important example of these prophecies comes from Joel 2. The prophet Joel prophesied, “In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.” Now what I want to point out is that the Apostle Peter quoted this prophecy in the Book of Acts and he actually declared that the “last days” were at hand. He announced that the promised Spirit that would be poured out in the last days was being poured out before their eyes through Jesus the Messiah (Acts 2:17-36).
This may sound odd to you but I promise you this is what the first Christians believed: we have been living in the “last days” or the “end-times” since Jesus rose from the dead. His resurrection marked a new stage in history. At that point we entered into the time where Jesus was seated at the right hand of God and the promised Spirit was being poured out on all flesh. To this day, we are still in this stage in history. Jesus is still seated on the throne and still pouring out His Spirit on all flesh. We are now living in the last days and rejoicing in the Lord, while also waiting for the glorious apocalypse (revealing) of all that is hidden.
I the Lord Do Not Change
So what exactly is going to be “revealed” at the apocalypse? Well, if you’ve been reading up to this point you can already guess. If you’re hoping that God changes from a Happy Trinity to some other God who is going to destroy the world then you will be disappointed. The funny thing is, God doesn’t change. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
The same Jesus who loved the world and laid down His life for the world is going to be revealed. The Father who delights and parties with music and dancing (Luke 15) is going to clearly seen by the whole world. You see, God doesn’t change. When the Psalmist said, “His mercy endures forever, “ he meant it. What that means is that God’s joyful mercy towards us will endure and never waver, forever and ever. No matter how bad humanity is, God doesn’t change. He’s love, delight, and pleasure in us is faithful and consistent.
There is a day coming when the God who loves the whole world with an unfailing love will reveal Himself in all His glory. Far from being a day that we should fear, this is going to be the second greatest day in all of history (it seems that the day Jesus died on the cross will remain the greatest day in all of history, even in heaven they are still praising Him as the “Lamb who was slain”). The Apostle John literally told us to have “boldness” and “no fear” on the day of judgment because God is love (1 John 4:16-18)
The Day of Judgment
Now there is still a day of judgment coming and I’d like to explain what this day of judgment is going to be about. If John tells us to have boldness and not to be afraid on this day of judgment, than what is this day going to be about? I think the parable of the prodigal son is a great picture that puts the day of judgment in proper context.
In the famous parable of Jesus, the prodigal son comes home and the Father hugs and kisses him. He then gives him a robe and a ring and throws him a wild party with a fattened calf, wine, music, and dancing. In the story, the prodigal’s older brother gets jealous and refuses to join the party. The Father goes outside and talks to him. The older brother is bitter about the party. The Father corrects him and tells him, “I am with you always and all that is mine is yours” (Luke 15:31).
Herein lies the day of judgment. All of creation was created to be a party. The Happy Trinity created this planet to be a celebration of His Goodness. The world is destined to be a party forever in the love of the Father, the joy of the Son, and the Song of the Spirit. The only judgment that will ever come to this planet is a judgment on any “older brother” who will remain bitter and not join in the fun.
It’s funny that it’s ultimately God’s goodness that carries a “judgment” towards anyone who refuses that goodness. For a long time people have thought that Jesus was coming back to judge people for their sin. What nonsense! Paul literally said point blank that in the gospel, “God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19). God is not going to be judging people for their sins on the day of judgment.
On the day of judgment, God’s great party is going to be revealed in all its splendor, beauty, and music. The judgment will be upon those who reject His free gift of forgiveness and love. This will simply be the open manifestation of what already happens in a hidden way now. For those who believe, there is a party of joy and love in this life now. Anybody can receive this free gift by faith. But many people reject it because it just all seems so foolish.
Tremble at His Goodness
There’s another wonderful prophecy that describes the apocalypse and it’s found in the book of Hosea. It says, “and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days” (Hosea 3:5). This is a great picture of what that day will look like. Will there be fear and trembling? You betcha! The living God who has the power to create and hold together millions of galaxies is going to be revealed in all His power! But He will be revealed in all His goodness.
His goodness is everything that it sounds like. It’s His love, His passion, and His extreme fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). It’s going to be terrifyingly happy! “Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 40:5). As Moses found out, God’s glory is His goodness (Exodus 33). And the whole world will be completely stunned at the smiling goodness of God. Zephaniah prophesied that the Lord would sing over us with exuberantly joyful songs. Can you imagine the living God visibly and audibly singing over multitudes of people with extremely joyful songs?
The Lamb Makes All Things New
One final thing: this world is destined for glory. In the past, many people were taught that this world is going to be destroyed one day. That’s simply not true. Jesus said, “the meek will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). God created this world in the beginning and said it was “very good.”
God is going to restore this world and make it beautiful. Habakkuk prophesied that the whole earth would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. The whole earth is already filled with His glory (Isaiah 6). But one day, the whole earth shall know it. And how is this all going to happen? The Lamb is making it happen.
The “Lamb” is the image that the book of Revelation uses to describe Jesus. The devil has purposely lied so much about the book of Revelation because he’s so afraid of it. How funny is it that we’ve been so afraid of a book with a Lamb as the leading character. When the first Christians read the book of Revelation they were incredibly comforted by knowing that the Lamb who loved them and died for them was the One in charge of the world, making all things new.
That’s the promise of the Book of Revelation; that God the Father, the Lamb, and the Spirit are making all things new (Revelation 21:5). No matter what the news, false prophets, fearful pastors, and your worried grandma says, this world is headed for glory. Jesus, the Lamb of the world, who died to heal it, is working throughout all of history to make everything right again. All the pain, all the tears, and all the struggles of every human being ever are going to be healed and personally taken care of by Jesus. The Lamb is making all things new.
The promise of the good news is that we are all going to live forever. Even though we might die, we will come back to life. “Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and will come out” (John 5:28-29). We get to live forever! We will be reunited with friends and family and we will meet all the great people throughout history. We will witness reconciliation between people who killed each other in the previous life. We will all celebrate with real wine and real bread.
Nations will no longer wage war against each other as world leaders learn to rest in the love of the Father, Son, and Spirit. There will be a sharing of food, money, and resources like never before seen in the history of the world. The sons and daughters of God will reach levels of creativity that we can’t even yet dream about. And forever we will praise the Father for His love, rejoice with the Son, and rest our hearts in Their Spirit.