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They asked him, ``Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?'' He said to them, ``It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority.'' (Acts 1:6-7)
From time to time one reads in the newspapers of some person who has announced that on a certain day the world will come to an end. Or, such a person may say that at a particular time the Lord will return in a dramatic way. Sometimes those who followed such heralds have sold all their property so they would be unencumbered by any material possessions on the great day that is to come.
In July, 1960, Mount Blanc in France was the scene of a remarkable ceremony. Members of a religious group camped hign on the mountain to await the end of the world which their leaders had forecast for 2:45 p.m. on July 14. As the time approached, women began to scream, and a Tyrolean wearing leather shorts began blowing a bugle that represented the trumpet of doom. This lasted for about a minute; then the leader of the Doomsday cult, Dr. Elio Bianca, an Italian pediatrician, announced, ``We made a mistake.'' The New York Times reported the fiasco under the headline, ``World Fails to End.''
Many people are acquainted with those who spend their time traveling from door to door preaching that the end of the world is imminent, claiming that only those who believe as they do will be saved.
Many of these people base their beliefs on one particular passage in the Bible. These persons fail to see that most do
not go to the book of Genesis for scientific knowledge regarding the beginnings of the world; it is equally absurd to base all our thoughts of the end of the age on one small passage near the end of the Bible.
People with this thought pattern feel that there is no human remedy for the evil in the world. They believe that only the intervention of God can remedy the chaos of the world, with his destructive power at Armageddon. It is well to remember, however, that the word Armageddon appears only once in the Bible, in Revelation 16:16. The writer is describing the place where the last decisive battle is to be fought on the day of judgment; the name may suggest the region around Megiddo where several important Old Testament battles had been fought.
In the 20th century thoughts of how and when Christ will return have come to the forefront in the thought of many Christians because of wars and the devastating effects of those wars. Many have concluded that human efforts are hopeless and only the dramatic intervention of Christ can remedy the evil of the world. Those who hold these views do not, it must be emphasized, draw a blueprint of Christ's return as do some of the fringe sects of America.
The Christian faith is one of expectation and anticipation. In one of Jesus' parables, the woman not only persisted in her search, but she actually found the lost coin. There is a lesson in his story of the woman who beat her knuckles raw on the unyielding door, but she eventually awakened the judge and obtained justice. If one was to dismiss the idea of Christ's return, we would fine these tireless women -- sweeping, sweeping, sweeping or knocking, knocking, knocking -- thru endless ages of eternity, and accomplishing nothing.
Those who look for this great and dramatic intervention of God are not unique in history. Knowledge of biblical history shows that one of the hopes of the Hebrew people was that God would dramatically intervene and save the nation. In the second century before Christ the Jews experienced the Maccabaean wars which eventually, in 143 B.C., freed the Jewish state from foreign domination, a freedom which lasted until 63 B.C., when the Roman legions came. Before they attained their freedom the Jews hoped and hoped for God's intervention as they had done for centuries.
This hope was especially pitiful and intense during the period of religious persecutions from about 180 B.C. to 143 B.C. It was in this period that much was written, including the book of Daniel, to encourage the Jews to hold to their faith.
These longings for God's intervention were also prevalent at the time of Jesus. He brought what people perceived in him as hope for a political victory. Then Christ was crucified. That brought great disappointment to the disciples and the general populace. With his resurrection, however, their hopes also rose for they now expected him to use his power to bring
about the kingdom which they still perceived as an earthly kingdom.
Luke, the author of not only the gospel account that bears his name, but also the book of Acts, wrote that after Jesus' resurrection he appeared and spoke to them about the kingdom of God. They still did not understand. They asked him, ``Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?'' They reflected popular thought that looked for the divine intervention in a forceful and dramatic way. Jesus answered them, ``It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority (Acts 1:7).''
The confusion perpetuated by some religious groups is because some claim to have an inside track to the mind of God by which they predict what and how God will bring about the kingdom and to conquer the presence of evil in the world. The apostles thought Jesus would do it with an army. The answer Jesus gave to the disciples is applicable today: ``It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority (Acts 1:7).''
It cannot be ignored that Jesus often spoke of his return. The parable of the talents was told to impress his followers that when he returned, he would expect them to have shown good stewardship.
The relevance of this is obvious. Speculation concerning the return of Christ is often discussed. The return of Christ has always been discussed in times of crisis in life which threatens despair over the outlook for human history. Augustine and Luther, each at some point in his career, was firmly convinced that the evil age in which he dwelt could not outlast his lifetime -- Christ would surely return to end
history.
Luke reports Jesus telling his disciples, ``There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory (Luke 21:25-27).''
One of the familiar parables of Jesus is that of the wise and foolish bridesmaids in which those who did not prepare their lamps found that they were shut out of the festivities when the bridegroom arrived, a story which parallels the coming of Christ and those who will be unprepared to welcome him.
In his first letter to the church at Thessalonica which was written about the year 51 and is considered by some to be the earliest book of the New Testament, Paul emphasized his belief that Christ would soon return. After that Paul seems to emphasize the idea of Christ's return less and less while he, Paul, was living. That Paul was wrong as to the time when Christ will return does not cancel the idea that he will appear again. Paul, however, does give a bit of astute advice, even though he does seem to proclaim Christ's imminent return, as he said ``the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2).''
This suggests that Christ's first coming was a surprise. Anyone who was among the wise men of the world in that day would certainly have felt that any Christ who was coming to save the world would come in an important place and in an important way. Some would expect the Christ to come in a place like Rome which was the political capital of the world.
Or, perhaps the Christ could come in Athens which was the cultural capital of the world, with its tradition of great philosophers.
Others would expect the Savior of the world to come from Alexandria, the educational capital of the world with its great university. Or, in Jerusalem, the religious center, recognized as such by people of many cultural backgrounds. Instead, the Christ appeared in Bethlehem. That was the least likely place for him to appear. Likewise, it is not for us to know the time and place in which Christ will re-appear, whether soon or at the climax of history. If Christ's first coming was a surprise, His second coming will probably also be a surprise as to time and place and means.
There are some people who feel that all they have to do is to sit back and wait for the return of the Lord. Jesus indicated, however, he wants us ready whenever he does return. There is no indication that in the meantime he would have people sit and twiddle their thumbs. It is well to remember that God does not work in the crises of history; he also works in the processes of history. No one should wait for him to make a grand appearance in some great crisis.
Jesus indicated to disciples that it was not for them to know when God would set up the kingdom. He had said, ``It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority.'' Then he continued, ``But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witness in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).''
This means that our work is cut out for us. It means that the touching of life by the Holy Spirit is both a necessity and a promise. When that occurs, something will happen to the Christian. The power of the Holy Spirit will enable us to do God's work here. That work is to witness from a local community to the ends of the world.
Luke records that John the Baptist told the crowds that claiming to be
of Jewish heritage was not sufficient, that they must ``bear fruits that befit repentance (Luke 3:8).'' The people asked him what this meant. He told them to share their material substance with the needy. Tax collectors should not take more than was allowed by law, and soldiers should abstain from violence and not make false accusations against anyone. John
declared that charity, justice and righteousness were requisites for the first coming of Christ; those who prepare for the second coming of Christ must do the same.
In the conversation of Jesus and his disciples as recorded in Acts, it is important to note the sequence of what he was saying: You are trying to probe the mind of God for things that are not your business. But you do have a business, a challenge. Wait until the Holy Spirit has come into your
lives. Then you will have so much to do that you will not have to speculate about my return or how God is going to enforce his kingdom. Your task is to witness to my power everywhere in the world.
Jesus never gave his disciples a blueprint of the kingdom. Neither did he give a blueprint of the end of the age or tell of the specific manner of his return. The Christian faith is not a diagram of the end of the ages, but a faith in the Christ of the ages. The Christian's task is to witness to this Christ.
The threat of atomic warfare and other types of social disintegration find many people trembling about ultimate disaster. They wish God would intervene to save the righteous. The time and means that he will use are beyond our knowledge. In the meantime, it is well to remember the attitude of a man when the world seemed to be threatened with what seemed to be ultimate disaster.
On May 19, 1780, during the anxious days of the Revolutionary War that darkness came at noon. Bats flew and chickens roosted.
A meteorological phenomenon seemed to bring day to an end when the sun was at its zenith. Panic broke out, and many thought the end of the world was at hand.
At Hartford, Connecticut, the state legislature was in session and, when darkness came at noon, the meeting of the lower house broke up in alarm. In the state senate a motion for adjournment was made, so that the legislators could meet the day of judgment with whatever courage they could muster.
The motion to adjourn was opposed by Abraham Davenport, a Yankee selectman and judge who was a friend and advisor of George Washington. Davenport faced the panic about the end of the world with the best of Yankee heart and head. He arose and addressed his legislative colleagues, ``I'm against this adjournment,'' he said. Then he explained his position: ``The day of judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish, therefore, that candles be brought.''
Whenever the world has been threatened by disaster people have looked for the intervention of God. There are many who want such intervention today. However, Abraham Davenport gives us an example for times like these. When people are haunted by doubts and threatened with disastrous warfare and the seeming collapse of moral values and are undecided what to do, Jesus would have us be his witnesses. Abraham Davenport suggests
the only possible answer, ``I choose to be found doing my duty.''
Main idea from Seven Worlds, Eric Ritz
