Robert Smith – Page 3 – What Does This Mean?

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

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 the disaster, the hand of the creator is present everywhere. Breathtaking sunrises and sunsets, seashore views and gentile, 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 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 care 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. So it is that Jesus calls on us to stay awake! We remember that 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 in short and the time is coming when we cannot work. All the while, we pray: come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

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

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 in any way during the ministry of Jesus. Millennialist prophecy scholars observe that it wasn’t until the 19th Century that many areas of the world were visited by missionaries. While this is true, it is based upon 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 in 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 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 like the others we’ve looked at. 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 to build Christ’s church. When he completes this task and our mission in accomplished, Jesus will return to bring his bride home.

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

Last Things 7e: Persecution of the Church

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 before them. (Matthew 5:10-12) He tells them to be a disciple means to take up their cross and follow 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 to 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 also should be not 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 signs, they describe the times, which is infected by sin and its effects.

This prophecy began to be fulfilled in the days following the Ascension of Jesus and contiuing to the present. All but one of the Apostles died a martyr’s death. Throughout the early Church, persecution occured 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 continued to be persecuted until today more Christians are persecuted and martyred than in all of history. Like their Lord, they lay down their life 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.

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

Last Things 7d: Many Will Come in My Name

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 that claim to be the 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 with he declared he was 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 indicate 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 look for Christ where he really 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 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 him to his new Heaven and new Earth forever.

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

Last Things 7c: Wars and Rumors of Wars

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 one is a constant problem for people seeking to discover the year of the coming of Christ. 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 difficultly with this kind of sign, however, is that wars sometimes come one after another and other times years pass where few happen. 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 them, thank God, has happened since. The wars we and other powers have wages 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 have done. When they suffer in war, they worry that everything will come to an end right way and they will suffer more. Or they may be convinced of 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.

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

Last Things 7b: Earthquakes and Famines and Pestilences

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 a 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, 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. 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 indicate 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.

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

Last Things 7a: The Signs of the Times

Blogger’s note: Somehow I forgot running these posts after Last Things #7… I’ll run them starting now. Apologies for them being out of order.

Encore Post: As the winter approaches in many areas of the world, plants, 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 Christ’s return is unknown to us. Jesus taught that even he did not know when it will 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 passes like a day passes for us. (2 Peter 3:8-9)

We have 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!

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

Last Things #16: The Best is Yet to Come: Life forever with the Son of God

Encore Post: When people speak of the Second Advent of Christ, the focus almost always is on his descent from Heaven, with all the angels and all the saints who had died. That is a natural thing to do, because it is very dramatic. The skies parting, the army of heaven with countless members descending with the Son of God in his full glory. The tombs are rended, the dead raised as the author of life calls them forth in the glorious resurrection of the last day. Then the drama of the destruction of sin, death and the power of the devil and the summons all must obey to the Judgment Seat of Christ. Then the book of life is opened, all secrets are revealed and those with faith in Jesus pronounced “not guilty” before the throne of God, for the Son of God, the Lamb who took away the sin of the world, was slain for their sake. Then the unbelieving will be sent with Satan and his angels to the unending lake of fire prepared for them.

But the best is yet to come and gets little attention. Perhaps it is because we merge it in our minds with the state of the dead who, in this age, die in the Lord. They are with him forever. And yet their state is not yet perfect. Their bodies are yet to be called by Jesus from their graves, so they may be fully restored and improved for eternity.

Perhaps it is because we really can’t understand it. So, the Scripture describes it for us and paints several images for us. Eternal life is — well — eternal! We will die only once and once resurrected, live forever with the Lord. It will be without sin. Having been defeated on the cross. We are cleansed of it forever. There will be no more sorrow or sighing or grief or pain, for these things will pass away. God will dry every tear from our eyes. Our bodies will be glorified, purged of sin and its curse. We will shine like the stars in the joy of our Heavenly Father. We do not know what we will be like except that we will be like Christ.

Best of all, we will be with Jesus and see him face to face. Then, with joy, we will sing his praises forever.

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

©2019-2023 Robert E. Smith. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com

Last Things #15: The Judgment Seat of Christ

Encore Post: When Jesus returns from heaven, all Christians will be united with him forever. Those who have died will rise from the grave, their souls reunited with their bodies. All will be restored to be just like him, sin and death removed forever. While that is much more than enough for us, it is not the only thing he intends. He will make a new heaven and a new earth, removing the effects of sin and death forever. A key event in that restoration is the judgement seat of Christ.

The angels sent forth to raise the dead will gather all before the throne — both the saved and the lost, all angels and demons will be brought before him. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Saints and angels will all sing his praises. These events are beyond our comprehension and so the Holy Spirit has revealed in Scripture the things we can understand in words and images, sometimes in ways we can’t put together easily. Yet all are true.

At the throne of judgement, the Book of Life will be opened, where the names of all God’s people are written. Every event in human history, along with every thought and deeds we thought secret. The standard to judge these deeds will be God’s Holy Law. The verdict is clear — God is righteous and no one else. Yet for the sake of the sacrifice of the Lamb-who-was-slain, all who trust in Jesus will be declared not guilty. All their sins were forgiven and forgotten. All that remains is the good deeds done for the sake of Christ. These will follow us into eternal life.

Jesus himself recounts how this works: whenever we cared for the least of his children, we did it to him. The lost, however, will be remembered for what they did not do. So, in the end, the saved will shine in the joy of God the father and live forever with him. The lost will be thrown into hell with the demons forever separated from God and his love.

Following the judgement, the Marriage Feast of the Lamb will begin. We will live with God and his people forever in a celebration that never ends.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Last Things #14: The Missing Millennium

Encore Post: Called the “Jewish opinion” by the Lutheran Confessions, the belief in a Millennium comes from a face value reading of Old Testament prophecy and poetry about the Church or about eternal life with God after the Second Advent. It also treats the Book of Revelation, written in a symbolic code called apocalyptic, in a similar way. By doing so, it uses difficult to understand passages to complicate the very clear words of Jesus, Peter, Paul and other New Testament writers. It is the view of the Pharisees that caused them to rule out Jesus as the Messiah, because he did not intend to battle the Romans and to miss that the Scriptures pointed to the birth, life, sufferings, death and Resurrection of the Son of God.

The word itself comes from Revelation 20, where the reign of Christ through in his church is described as 1000 years. This number is not a literal 1000 years, but is Jewish numerology. The number ten meant to them perfection and when multiplied three times, the number of God, it means when everything is completed. It points to our times when the Gospel has reached every corner of the earth.

While it may seem harmless to believe such things, it detracts from the what Christ has commanded us in order to read every event, looking for the return of Christ. Instead, we should be ready, as Jesus instructs us, making disciples of all nations by baptizing and teaching them, knowing he is with us always.

Rev. Robert E. Smith

Pastor Emeritus

Fort Wayne, Indiana

©2018, 2023 Robert E. Smith. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com