(reading Left Behind) Hey there. With all the readings in the next few weeks focusing on the end times, I thought I’d better do a little research on the subject. You know, it’s pretty amazing, these two guys wrote . . . what? Twelve books dealing just with the end times? You get the impression they must really know their stuff.
It makes me think about when I was younger. I’ve been a Lutheran all my life, and you know as Lutherans we don’t talk about the end times very much. But I had friends who were from other churches where they preached this stuff all the time. And my friends and I would get in these conversations. They’d know all sorts of things about the rapture, the tribulation, the millennial reign of Christ . . . and they’d get me awful worried about the whole thing. They’d tell me that unless I had made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and asked Him into my heart that I wouldn’t be counted as a true believer at the end. And like these books, the sheer weight of their knowledge—the way they could put all the Scriptures together, the way they could look at the world and see how Biblical prophecy appeared to be unfolding—the sheer weight of their knowledge made me question just how valid my faith really was.
Now certainly, my childhood friends’ view of the end times is probably the most prevalent view in evangelical Christianity today. A good 90, 95% of the preachers on TV are going to have this Left Behind kind of understanding. You’ve probably heard any number of people—whether they were your friends or a preacher on TV, or maybe in a book—talk about the rapture, the tribulation, the signs of the ends of the age . . . and maybe you thought, “How come pastor has never told us about this?”
So let me see your hands. Who here, like me, has ever worried about being left behind? Why? What made you worry? _________________________
Have you ever worried about the Tribulation? It sounds kind of scary, right? In our Old Testament reading from today, the prophet Daniel records the frightening words of God, saying in Daniel 12:1, “ . . . There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then.” He’s talking about the end times, about the end of the world, and He says that the whole earth will be in great distress. Elsewhere in Scripture we’re told that the Church specifically will be the target of a great outpouring of Satanic attacks. Believers will be persecuted for their faith. Some will be even be killed. Has thinking about that ever worried anybody here? ___________________
What about the signs of the end of the age? Wars and rumors of wars. Earthquakes. A blood-red moon . . . have you seen any of those signs? Does it make you worry that the end is coming soon? That you might not be ready? That you’ll be left behind?
These things can cause us fear, in part because it’s the other churches that seem to have all the answers. There have been all sorts of church groups that have given different answers. Some say to live a holy life—that’ll make you ready. Some say to invite Jesus into your heart, to pray the Sinner’s Prayer, and that will make you ready. Some in the past have even gone so far as to tell people to sell all their worldly goods, to get rid of all your worldly distractions, and that will make you ready for when Christ comes. If you pay attention, you’ll hear all sorts of answers from good folks as well as from the TV preachers telling you how to make sure you’ll be ready when the Kingdom of God comes.
So how can we be sure we’re ready? What’s our source of comfort and security as we face these questions? What does God’s Word say? Let’s turn to Hebrews chapter twelve for some answers.
The author of Hebrews begins these verses by making a reference to the time when the children of Israel were gathered around Mount Sinai to hear God speak. Such was the holiness of His word that the very earth trembled at His voice. Hebrews 12:26-29 “26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."”
Now this verse, when taken with verse twenty-seven, tells us that God puts everything into two basic categories: those which can be shaken—which is to say those things that can be removed, those things which are not truly permanent—and those things which cannot. “27 The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken-- that is, created things-- so that what cannot be shaken may remain.”
Things that can be shaken are temporary things. They are not eternal. Which category do you suppose the Kingdom of God belongs to? ______________ Right . . . that which cannot be shaken. The Kingdom of God is permanent. Reliable. Eternal. Unshakable. And . . . it is ours.
Verse twenty-eight goes on to say, “28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful . . .” We . . . are . . . receiving this unshakable Kingdom
Let me ask you a question: If God does something, is it permanent? Will it last? Is it possible for man to undo something that God has decreed as done? Is it possible for man to take back something that God has decreed as given?
When Jesus says to Nicodemus in John 3:5, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”, does you believe that He means that those who have been baptized into His name have indeed received the Kingdom of God?
When Paul says in Ephesians 2:8, “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”, do you believe it to say that you have received something that is unshakable? Can God’s gift be trusted?
In Christ we receive forgiveness of sins. In Christ we receive righteousness before God. In Christ we are made part of the Kingdom of God. With faith even as small as a mustard seed, we receive the Kingdom of God in full. Right now. It is already ours, and we are a part of it. We are already receiving it.
This unshakable Kingdom—the Kingdom of God—is something that we already possess! It’s ours! Jesus Christ died on a cross, and when He did He ushered in His Kingdom. It was His death that conquered Satan, that conquered sin, that conquered death. Those things were the things that used to rule, they were the kingdom that reigned in all the earth. But no more. Christ is utterly, completely, and totally victorious. His Kingdom is here, reigning in the hearts and lives of those who believe in Him.
So what does that mean for us? First, let’s begin by doing what the author of Hebrews says to do in Hebrews 12:28, “28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe . . .”
When we come to worship God, we are in a place where He gives His gifts so that we can remain connected to Him. As we gather together in worship He offers us His comforting and powerful Word. That Word tells us that we are members of His family and citizens of His Kingdom. When we worship God, He offers us His Supper. In that Supper He strengthens our faith and renews in our minds the claim He has placed upon us as part of His body, as part of His Kingdom. As we worship Him, we stand before a holy and righteous God. We are totally exposed to Him, there is nothing about us that He does not know. No secret remains hidden, no sin. And yet as we worship Him He comes to us and, for the sake of Jesus Christ, declares us as holy and perfect in His eyes.
That’s what it is to be part of the unshakable Kingdom of God. It is because of Christ and His work. And so it is better than permanent . . . it is eternal. It is unshakable.
So, if we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken . . . can we be “left behind”?
Now, I certainly don’t agree with the Left Behind type of theology. I don’t believe in this notion that all the believers in the world will suddenly just poof away and leave the unbelievers here on earth. The notion of anyone being left behind in that way is simply not clearly taught in the Scriptures, if you ask me.
But there will be a day when Christ returns, when all the earth will be judged, and He will gather all believers to Himself. Could I be left behind with the unbelievers in eternal condemnation? Not if I am already part of God’s Kingdom, I can’t. I don’t need to fear the judgment, I don’t need to fear whether or not God will deem me worthy to enter into eternal life, because He already has given me that in Christ.
If the Kingdom we are receiving cannot be shaken, will even a great tribulation be able to pull us away from Christ?
Although I wish I could say otherwise, I have to say that Christians will suffer—and sometimes suffer greatly—for the cause of Christ. It’s happening in many parts of the world right now. Not so much here in the United States, but it is happening. And it is also my opinion that the sort of persecution we see in other countries will one day happen here. I’m not sure I’m ready for that, personally. I don’t cherish the idea of suffering.
But I do know that, if it were to happen soon—today, even—that I could remain confident in Christ. I could remain confident that no matter what may happen to me in the body, no matter how terrible persecution may become, that Christ’s power and sacrifice would keep me solidly in His Kingdom. No persecution can overcome Christ and His Kingdom.
If the Kingdom we are receiving cannot be shaken, should we fear when we see the signs of the end of the age?
Now, to a certain extent we’ll handle that question next week. But for now it’s enough to say, “No.” For although the signs may trouble us a bit, we know that simply seeing them cannot take the Kingdom away from us. The reason Jesus Himself gives is simple: Luke 17:20-21 20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." Again, we don’t need to fear the coming of the Kingdom because we are already receiving it.
Yeah, I sometimes still envy the left behind guys sometimes because of all the answers they seem to have. But then I remember that it’s not about the number of end-times dots I can connect, but it’s about the One who connected me to God. In Christ I am firmly connected to God. That is a bond that cannot be pulled apart, that cannot leave me behind, and that cannot be shaken.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
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