Views of the End Times

The “Restoration Message” is a term found in some corners of the Christian Faith. It adds much to our debate on the end times.

“And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” — Acts 3:20-21 (KJV).

When the 13th century theologian Thomas Aquinas entered the presence of Pope Innocent II, before whom a large sum of money was spread out, the Pope observed, “You see, the Church is no longer in that age in which she said, ‘Silver and gold have I none.’” “True, holy father,” replied Aquinas; “neither can she any longer say to the lame, ‘Rise up and walk.’” (Acts 3: 2–8).

There are four major Christian views of the end times, as describe in the excellent DVD series by Timothy Paul Jones of the same name. Each view has a certain strength:

• Historical Premillennialism, the most ancient of the four, sees the world as growing more evil and the church becoming more mature as it endures the trials set before her. It includes the Jew as part of God’s plan.

• Amillennialism, the belief there is no real thousand-year reign of Christ, teaches that His reign began at the empty tomb. It reminds us that Jesus has already won over evil.

• Postmillennialism teaches the gradual triumph of the Christian faith in the world prior to His coming and reminds us of the power of the gospel to change society.

• Dispensational Premillennialism, the most recent, sees the “any minute rapture” and promotes the idea of our always being alert and ready for His coming.

This latest “Restoration Message,” found in some Pentecostal circles, sees the power of the early Church, lost as it became corrupt and anti-Jew, as being fully restored to a mature, global, Christian church just prior to His coming. It also includes a fully restored Israel.

This last idea that the church has not yet achieved its full stature is helpful. It gives us hope that we will, in the end, run His church better and offer the world an even better Christian faith than we have in the past. It also helps as we see evil also growing and doing its job better.

Jesus told us in the parable of the wheat and the tares that both would grow together for awhile (Matt 13:30). As we get closer to that fateful harvest, some would argue we should not plan on getting ready to leave, but on being more willing to grow. He may have set the bar for our completing our task on earth much higher than we thought.

This idea should also be part of the debate.

Published in Pagosa Sun, Matter of Faith Column 25 May 2017

http://www.pagosasun.com/restoration-and-views-of-the-end-times/