Robert Smith – Page 28 – What Does This Mean?

Last Things 7G: Stay Awake! Don’t Close Your Eyes!

[Thirteenth in a series of posts on last things] Encore Post: Even with the effects of the fall, the world can be very sweet, pleasant, and beautiful. When God finished creating the world, he stood back, looked it all over and said, “very good.” (Genesis 1:31) Even after sin entered the world, bringing with it death, sorrow, grief, pain, disease, and disaster, the hand of the creator is present everywhere. Breathtaking sunrises and sunsets, seashore views and gentle, warm breezes, mountain valleys and peaks all speak to us of his majesty. Even cloud patterns before a storm cause us to admire his majesty. There is the pleasure of the presence of loved ones, holding your child or grandchild for the first time.

Life is very precious to us. It absorbs us in planning, working towards goals, saving, dreaming, and enjoying the many gifts God gives to us. We deal with it as best as we can with the tragedies of life, but there are long stretches of time when we think it will never end. We forget that this world—and, more to the point, our world — is passing away. We go to sleep spiritually. The work that God calls us to do, especially to witness to the Good News of salvation in Jesus, doesn’t seem quite so important. When sports tournaments are held on Sunday, we skip worship to watch our kids compete. We put caring for the poor, contributing to the work of the church with our resources and time second; we put off uncomfortable conversations with loved ones who wander from the faith.

Yet it is very much at times like these that our Lord will return for us. He will do so suddenly, without warning, the way that the flood came in the day of Noah, the way the sudden attacks on Pearl Harbor Day and 9/11 came. It may be at the end of time or at the end of our time. It is why Jesus calls on us to stay awake! We remember he came at the fullness of time, lived the perfect life for us, suffered and died for us, rose again for us, and ascended to prepare a place for us. And so we set the watch, day and night, knowing that he is coming for us. In the meantime, we work for the day, and the time will come when we can no longer work. All the while, we pray: Come, Lord Jesus, come!

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Last Things 7f: The Gospel Preached to the Ends of the Earth

[Twelfth in a series of posts on Last Things] Encore Post: One of the most popular of the signs Jesus predicted would happen before the Second Advent is the success of the missionary mandate. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world ,” Jesus predicted. (Matthew 24:14) This sign appears to be, unlike the other signs, a unique condition, one that was not fulfilled during the ministry of Jesus. Millennialist prophecy scholars observe it wasn’t until the 19th century that many areas of the world were visited by missionaries. While this is true, it is based on an English translation of the prophecy. The passage is better translated: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole civilized world. (οἰκουμένῃ–oikoumene–Ecumene)”

The Greek language of the New Testament uses several words that are translated world in our English Bibles. οἰκουμένῃ was used by the Greeks and Romans for the lands of the Roman Empire. They thought of humanity as made up of two classes of people, the civilized Graeco-Roman nations and the barbarians. κόσμος (kosmos–cosmos) was the word used by Greek philosophers to speak about the universe. Greek-speaking Judaism used it to translate the Old Testament phrase “Heavens and the Earth” — all of creation and especially all peoples. This is the word used in John 3:16. The word γῆς (ges–the root for our word geography) was used for the physical world, translated earth or the land.

This prophecy, then, is similar to the others we’ve examined. It refers to the gospel being preached to all peoples. It was fulfilled already when St. Paul reached Spain, known in his day as “The End of the World.” It continues to be fulfilled wherever Christians preach the good news of salvation, wherever they live. As they fulfill Christ’s sending, baptizing and teaching, the Holy Spirit uses their witness to create faith, call the lost to faith, and build Christ’s church. When he completes this task and our mission in accomplished, Jesus will return to bring his bride home.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Last Things 7e: Persecution of the Church

[Eleventh in a series of posts on Last Things] Encore Post: Jesus repeatedly warned his disciples that they would be hated for his sake. Already in the Beatitudes, Jesus tells them they will be blessed when they are persecuted and slandered for his sake, for they have the kingdom of heaven and are like the prophets who came before them. (Matthew 5:10-12) He tells them that being a disciple means taking up their cross and following him. (Matthew 16:24-26) The enemies of Jesus and his gospel would arrest you and throw you in prison, bring you before kings and governors. Even parents, family members, and friends will betray you to the authorities. Some will even be put to death. You need not worry, however, because the Holy Spirit will give you the words to speak. Yet you will not perish. (Luke 21:12-19)

So, as a sign of the end, this prediction is nothing new for them or for us. That it is associated with the end of days should not be a surprise. It is not, as some millennialist writers believe, a specific prophecy of the persecution of the Jewish church after the rapture. Like the previous sign, they describe the times that are infected by sin and its effects.

This prophecy was fulfilled in the days following the Ascension of Jesus and continuing to the present. All but one of the apostles died a martyr’s death. Throughout the early Church, persecution occurred from time to time. The witness of these early witnesses to Jesus was so impressive that pagans — including persecutors came to faith. As Tertullian put it, “The blood of the martyrs is seed for the church.”

Throughout the ages, the church has continued to be persecuted until today, and more Christians are persecuted and martyred than in all of history. Like their Lord, they laid down their lives for Jesus. When Jesus returns in glory, they will come with him to greet those of us who are alive on that day. With them numbered may we be, here and in eternity.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Last Things 7d: Many Will Come in My Name

[Tenth in a series of posts on Last Things] Encore Post: When Jesus’ disciples asked him for signs of the end of the age, the first sign he gave them came with a warning not to be deceived. (Luke 21:8) The Lord warns us that two things will happen. First, there will be people who claim to be christ. Second, others will tell you the end is near, but it is not. ( Luke 21:8, Matthew 24:5 , 11, 23-28) But Christ will not return secretly, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach, or by birth, as Sun Myung Moon claimed when he declared himself the second coming of Christ, or as a prophet who came after Christ, like Muhammad and Joseph Smith, or many others. Christ will return from the sky with all his angels and the saints who have gone before us to Heaven. Every eye will see him. In addition to these, in almost every generation, some false prophet or another would appear and announce they knew what even the Son of God did not know — the date of the Second Advent.

Like all of the Biblical signs of the end, these signs were fulfilled during the lifetime of the Apostles and every generation since. These describe our times, not specific events to be checked off. False Christs show how desperately the devil wants to take God’s children away from Him. It tells us, as do the other signs, that the age is coming to an end and that Christ can really return at a time we do not know.

Instead of false Christs, their fake miracles and promises, we seek Christ where He truly is. He is with us until the end of time already — in his word purely proclaimed, in baptism, and especially in the Lord’s Supper. There he comes to us to give us his body to eat with bread and his blood to drink with wine. There, he offers what he earned for us on the cross — the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. We look forward to the day when he returns from Heaven to bring an end to sin, death, and the power of the devil. On that day, he will wipe every tear from our eyes and bring us to his new Heaven and new Earth forever.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Last Things 7c: Wars and Rumors of Wars

[Ninth in a series of posts on Last Things] Encore Post: The second sign that Jesus gave to his disciples to show the world is coming to an end is that there will be wars and rumors of war. (Matthew 24:6-7, Luke 21:9)

The first time we read this prophecy, it strikes us as kind of strange. After all, there is nothing unusual about wars and rumors of wars. In fact, this is a constant problem for people seeking to determine the year of Christ’s coming. The way they cope with it is to admit that, yes, there have always been wars. But they will get more and more intense as we get closer to the end. They do have a point there, since Jesus describes these signs as labor pains. At first, labor pains come far apart. The closer you get to birth, however, the more frequently and more intensely they come.

The difficulty with this kind of sign, however, is that wars sometimes come one after another, and at other times, years pass with few happening. So, most Romans at the time of Jesus did not experience war. The peace of Rome kept things quiet in most places. Yet, in thirty years, the Jewish people would see war in full measure as the Roman legions crushed a revolt in the Holy Land. In our day, the two worst wars of all time happened in the early and middle of the twentieth century. Nothing like that has happened since, thank God. The wars we and other powers have waged were much smaller.

So, for the purpose of pinning down when the end will come, they do not help much. So, why did Jesus give them? This sign is about helping us to see that all is not well in the world and that it will one day come to an end. He did not want us to do what Christians sometimes do. When they suffer in war, they worry that everything will come to an end right away, and they will suffer more. Or they may be convinced that this would be the war to end all wars. Instead, we should take them as a reminder that Christ will indeed come again and to encourage us to cling to him in faith as we look forward to the New Heavens and the New Earth, where war will cease and we will live in the peace of God that has no end.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Last Things 7b: Earthquakes and Famines and Pestilences

[Seventh in a series of posts on Last Things] Encore Post: Before the world comes to an end, Jesus told his disciples, there would be earthquakes, famines and pestilences. Fearful things and strange signs in the heavens would appear. (Luke 21:11, Matthew 24:7) As with wars and rumors of wars, these signs aren’t of much help in predicting the Second Coming of Christ. After all, disaster is part of the curse that Adam and Eve received for committing the first sin. St. Paul describes creation as subject to futility, groaning like a woman in childbirth. (Romans 8:20-22)

Pastor Hans Fiene observes that, because of the fall, the creation is cursed, having been turned from harmony with us to being hostile towards us. The world is trying to kill us with extremes of heat and cold, disease, floods, forest fires, famine, and other disasters. Human beings need to exercise dominion over it to survive.

These signs were present from the very day Jesus predicted them would be. Even as Jesus died on the cross, an earthquake struck the Holy Land and the sun went dark during midday. Famine struck during the dark days of the AD 60s and 70s. Throughout the millennia that followed, many natural disasters have destroyed many lives.

Many Christians have concluded that these events will become more and more frequent as we get closer to the Second Advent. Perhaps. The problem is we will never know for sure that such indicates the return of Christ in our generation. The key to understanding what these events tell us is to realize they describe the time from the Ascension to the Second Coming. They are not like the prophecy of the Virgin Birth, the town of Bethlehem or the precision of Psalm 22 describing the crucifixion. What these signs do is remind us that the world is cursed and will one day fail. It keeps us from getting too comfortable in our sin and warns us to repent and cling to Christ.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

It is the End of the World

Encore post: Yes, we are living in the last days. All the signs of the return of Christ have been fulfilled. Jesus may return any moment now. So be ready! He is coming for you!

Now, to be fair, it has been the last days for nearly 2000 years now. The signs of the Second Advent were fulfilled before the New Testament Scriptures were written down. That is why the Apostles and every generation since their time fully expected to greet Jesus. Just like a child thinks a day lasts forever while days clip by ever faster as adults grow older, so two thousand years are to God short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun. (2 Peter 3:8-10) Even if the end of days does not come in our day, the end of our days will come.

So, the end times are not a complicated weave of events, hidden in riddles recorded in the Book of Revelation. It is already here, ushered in when Jesus died, rose and ascended into heaven. Jesus is quite clear that “no one knows the day or hour” that he will return suddenly, like a thief in the night. It will be like the days of Noah. He doesn’t tip us off so we will remain alert, rather than relax and grow lazy.

In fact, the way Jesus tells us about that day is very simple and straightforward. He will return suddenly, accompanied by the angels and the saints. It will be sudden, complete and final. The angels gather us before the judgment throne. We are judged and the righteous live forever, the unrighteous thrown into hell with Satan and his demons.

For a Christian, this is greatly comforting. God will live with us forever. There will be no more sorrow, crying, grief and pain. Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Meet Martin Chemnitz, the Second Martin

Encore Post: Martin Chemnitz was a gifted churchman. He reformed churches, examined and taught pastors, preached, and brought doctrinal unity to regions he supervised. As a skilled ecclesiastical diplomat, he helped to settle disagreements between theologians. As a careful, well-read, and thorough author, he clarified Martin Luther’s teachings and forged bodies of doctrine for Lutheran territories. Most importantly, he led a team of theologians in crafting the Formula of Concord and gathering the chief confessions of the Lutheran church into one volume, The Book of Concord.

Martin Chemnitz was born in Treuenbrietzen in Brandenburg. Saxony, Germany, on 9 November 1522 to Paul and Euphemia Chemnitz and baptized in St. Mary’s Church. His father died when he was eleven years old. To help support the family, he first became a weaver’s apprentice and later worked for his brother in the family business. When he was twenty, he began his university studies, interrupted by the need to work to finance his education, teaching school, and collecting local taxes on fish. He briefly attended the University of Wittenberg, where he studied under Philipp Melanchthon, and heard Martin Luther lecture and preach.

After the death of Luther, Chemnitz attended the then-new University of Königsberg, where he served as the librarian for the Duke of Prussia and the University. He used the time to read widely and begin his study of theology. He returned to Wittenberg in 1554 to study under Melanchthon and lecture on the reformer’s Loci Communes.

Martin Chemnitz was ordained in November of 1554 by Johannes Bugenhagen to become co-adjutor of Joachim Mörlin, who was ecclesiastical superintendent for the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and a leader in the Gnesio Lutheran movement. In 1566, he succeeded Mörlin as superintendent, in which office he served until his death.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Last Things 7a: The Signs of the Times

[Eighth in a series of posts on Last Things] Encore Post: As winter approaches in many areas of the world, plants and animals begin to prepare for the change in the climate of their home. In the American Midwest, the leaves on many trees change color and fall from their branches. The Canada geese first fly in circles and then most head south for the season. The juncos, small sparrow-like birds, are the last to leave where I live and the first to arrive in spring. When these things happen, you can expect winter weather, and cold will not be far behind.

The date of Christ’s return is unknown to us. Jesus taught that even he did not know when it would happen — only the Father in Heaven. (Matthew 24:36) Yet we do know Jesus’ return is near. He told his disciples that they know summer is near when the fig tree starts to grow leaves. They knew — and we know — that time is growing short because we see the signs of the times that the Lord gave them.

Yet the signs of the times are not specific events, nor are they like variables in some prophecy algebra problem — you know — insert the invention of television, the establishment of the modern nation of Israel, the identity of the anti-Christ, and the use of bar codes, and then you know the year of Christ’s return. These signs are like those that identify the season — they tell us the kind of times that we live in. These signs tell us the world is passing away.

Since Jesus told his disciples they would see these signs in their generation, what is taking so long? Over two thousand years does not seem like soon — at the very gates — to us. St. Peter explains this to us. The return of Christ is not measured on our human calendar. It is on God’s scale. For the Father, a thousand years pass like a day passes for us. (2 Peter 3:8-9)

We had a similar experience. When we are on a long trip with young children, they often ask: “Are we there yet?” We say, “soon.” But while an hour or two is soon for us, it is very long for the children! He waits for the last person who will be saved to repent. And we should be glad for it — it includes us!

Yet still we remain alert. We do not know when that day will come, and the great marriage feast of the Lamb will begin. We want to be ready for that party!

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Last Things #7: Between the End of Your Time and the End of Time

[Seventh in a series of posts on Last Things] Encore Post: The question that most haunts our lives is the question of life after death. What will it be like? Will our spirits wander the earth, becoming the ghosts of popular imagination? Will they gain new bodies to work off negative karma? Merge with the whole universe or become a spiritual guide for others for a while? Will they go to a dark underworld forever? Will they go to a place to purge their remaining sins before being fit for heaven? Or will they cease to exist entirely when our bodies die? The Scripture tells us firmly “no” to these things. None of these fates awaits us or our loved ones.

It may come as a complete surprise, but Scripture tells us very little about what happens to us when death rips our souls apart from our bodies. Most of the passages that speak about the end of things focus on the second coming of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the bodies of all people, the glorious transformation of our bodies into our eternal, spiritual bodies, the last judgement, and eternal life for the saints and eternal death for the damned. The few things it tells us are often vague, sometimes speaking of their intermediate state (the theologian’s term for the time between death and the resurrection), and other times of our glorious bodies. There is even some doubt whether there is an intermediate state at all from the perspective of the soul.

No matter which description fits a Christian at the moment of death, for a Christian, eternal life begins before death, when God adopts that person as his own son or daughter. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, even if he dies, yet shall he live. And he who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26; see also John 3:26, 5:24). They commend their souls into the hands of God. (Acts 7:59, Luke 23:46) For those without faith, death brings with it eternal separation from God, a prison for spirits (1 Peter 3:19) until the Last Judgement, after which eternal punishment in Hell with Satan and his angels awaits.

So, what can we conclude about the life our loved ones who departed in Christian faith enjoy now, while waiting for the resurrection of their bodies? They are with Christ in paradise (Philippians 1:23, Luke 23:43). The angels carry them to be with him and others who died in the faith. (Luke 16:19-31) There, God will comfort them and dry every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7:16-17, 21:4) They are at rest from their labors, as Christ rested in the tomb on Holy Saturday. The deeds they did with faith in Christ will follow them. (Revelation 14:13) They are free once and for all from the Old Adam or Old Eve that plagued them in this life, and their sin are purged from their souls. (2 Timothy 4:18) They will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father (Matthew 13:43).

What is certain is that, as glorious as life is in the presence of Christ now, the best is yet to come. When their souls return with Christ at the second advent, he will raise their bodies from the grave, reunite them with their souls, and transform them to be fit for eternity. Life in the world with Christ is good, at rest with Jesus better, but by far the best is yet to come. On that day, God will once again look at all he had made, and now redeemed, and say, “Look! It is very good!”

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana