Fighting for Real Estate: Part #8 – New Covenant Take-A-Ways

“I Don’t Care When He Comes, Or Who He Hangs With!”

By Richard Allen – June 24, 2024

Looking back, this Blog might have been the very first in this series: “Fighting for  Real Estate.” But I did have a method to my madness in that I wanted to first ground us all a bit in the “hermeneutics” of Apostolic Interpretation of the Bible. This Blog is meant to be a distillation of principles we’ve learned, and serve as guide to where we’re heading. My intent is “not” to take our eyes off “The Blessed Hope” of Christ’s return yet to be accomplished, but to encourage us to live in anticipation of it!  Paul, in the New Testament, reminds us of Jesus’ physical return to “judge the quick and the dead,” and to “consummate all things.”  He says:

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:11-14).

In this passage from Titus Chapter 2, the Apostle Paul gives us a treasure trove of practical teaching. For those who are interested in “context,” Paul First explains what he means by saying that the ”Grace of God has appeared,” offering Salvation to all people. So we won’t think Paul is teaching “Universal Salvation,” the context of verses 1 – 10 of the second chapter of Titus explains who the “All People” are: Older Men, Older Women, Young Men, Young Women and Slaves – that is, All Kinds of People from All Classes and Age Groups!  Paul goes on to say that this Grace teaches us all to say “no,” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled lives in this present age. But all of this is a build-up to verse 13, where Paul explains “why” the Grace of God appears to all kinds of people and teaches them to live godly lives. It is to: “Wait for the Blessed Hope!”  For Paul, this one event is motivation enough to live godly lives of obedience: To be ready for the Appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Greek: apocalypsus).

This prompts me to ask the question: “Why should we focus on, and study Jesus’ Second Coming?”  For some, it’s no doubt a place to contend for their own particular views. For others it might be to show their superior knowledge of the Scripture. And others may yet be fascinated by the “Sci-Fi-like” images of end times prophecy. But contrary to these motives, the verses above make it clear that prompting us to “say No to ungodliness, and to live sober lives” is the best outcome of keeping Jesus’ coming in our conscious thoughts.  Let me share my whole premise for this week’s Blog as:

“I don’t care when He comes, or who He hangs with – as long as I am with Him!”

Mind you, that’s not a quote from anyone, it’s the title of a piece I wrote some 40 years ago.  I think my statement gets at the purpose of Jesus’ coming – to redeem and purify a “people that are His very own!”  If, in all our discussions about faulty doctrine we miss this point, we’ve missed everything! To be with Him in the end – whether we are Raptured away to Heaven, or Greeting Him in the Air as He Returns to earth – bringing with Him those who have died in Faith, it’s all good.  With this in mind, let me map out what I think we need to grasp from the first seven Blogs in this series, and keep in mind what is most important to us as Jesus’ Church:

• Jesus became “head over all things for the Church” (Ephesians 1:22), not a Physical Israel or any other carnal “temporary kingdom” that will yet be “defeated and dissolved” at the end of a “not-so-glorious-millennial reign.”

• When Scripture says “so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17), It means we will always be with Him. He won’t Rapture His Gentile Bride up just to drop us off for a 1,000-year Christ-less Honeymoon!

• There are “no second chances” once the Bridegroom has returned. Christ will sit in judgment of the “sheep and the goats” after which history comes to an end, and “all enter into eternity” (Matthew 25:46).

• Regardless of the Millennial Beliefs you have, the “so great Salvation” that’s offered freely through Jesus Christ” today is the “only Salvation” that God has to offer. There aren’t two different Salvations for Jews and Gentiles.

• To expand on the previous point, “Salvation by Grace through Faith,” enabled by the work of the Holy Spirit regenerating and producing Saving Faith (Ephesians 2:8), is the only Grace offered by God. There will be no return to “law-keeping” in the Millennium, or a willingness to be beheaded that will merit Salvation!

• Whether this present world is getting better through the preaching of the Gospel, or experiencing “evil men and seducers to get worse and worse,” doesn’t’ change God’s message for poor sinners: “Believe in Jesus Christ!”

• Focusing on “signs of the times” or trying to force current events into Biblical Prophecy is a fool’s errand.  God commands us “to watch and be ready” – because we “don’t know the day or the hour!” (Matthew 24:42-51).

• The “New Man in Christ,” made up of the Redeemed from both Jewish and Gentile Believers (the Church), cannot “again” be divided into “Jew and Gentile!” There is only one company of the Redeemed (Matthew 8:11).

• Is Jesus “Reigning right now?” Or was His kingdom postponed until a carnal version could be accomplished? This is critically important, as He has either triumphed and we now reign with Him, or not (1 Corinthians 15:25).

• For those who believe in a “realized Kingdom” right now because Jesus was resurrected to His Father’s Throne, does not preclude His coming again to rescue His Bride and Judge the Quick and the Dead!
  

These are the things that are most important to us as believers – not because our Millennial schemes say they are, but because of the Gospel Truths that can’t be negated! As I’ve grown in the Faith for these past 50 years, I realize how important “Gospel Truth” is, and how peripheral and unimportant so many of the other end-times musings are.

As I have learned, each system of thought has some strong points and serious draw-backs.  This is true of all three of the major Millennial Schemes:  Premillennial, Amillennial and Postmillennial. But even more important, so many who are “obsessed with end-times Prophecy,” are not personally following the teaching that Paul gave to Titus above: “To live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ!” As I mentioned at the beginning, I really “don’t have much of a dog in this fight.” I believe there are any number of ways that God could conclude History (which really is “His-Story”). But to disparage the Cross of Christ as “Plan B,” or to teach there is another company of the Redeemed, and that they will be saved apart from “Grace through Faith,” that is very clearly “false doctrine” I want no part of. I was first obsessed with the “modern end-times Prophecy” in the summer of 1974, working as an apprentice in a maintenance shop at an automotive manufacturer. While babysitting the fabrication of framework and underbody assembly, I performed routine maintenance to keep a variety of “welding machines” and “spot welders” running. As a result, there were often nights when I had lengthy periods of time when I wasn’t busy, but needed to be ready to go, to keep the line running.

Bored and looking for something to read to occupy my mind, I went to a local bookstore that sold paperback books. My first selection was “Chariots of the Gods” by Eric Von Donnegan, which I thought to be farfetched, even if it was fascinating. After only a few days, I was already looking for another paperback to read, and came upon Hal Lindsey’s “The Late Great Planet Earth.” This was my first exposure to any kind of Prophetic Biblical teaching, more important, Hal Lindsey sparked in me an interest in Biblical Prophecy in general – and the Scriptures in particular!  Over the next four years I too was obsessed with “timelines” for the Plan of the Ages, Biblical Prophecy, End Times and Interpreting recent events as proof Jesus was coming any day.  Now, 50 years later, I see Scripture and Bible Prophecy as still very relevant, but I will not get worked up over “false-tabloid-prophetic hype.” Today I am at least 90% in disagreement with Hal Lindsey. Yet I can say that the “Sci-Fi-like” stories that he told – using Scripture as his springboard – did prompt me to read God’s Word, and for that I am truly grateful to him. But like so many others before him (and more to come after him), Hal Lindsey’s predictions have failed to come to pass 100%. As Evangelicals, we are quick to point out the “false Prophecies” of cults like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-Day Adventists. But truth be told, the Evangelical Church has made more than its share of “false-prophetic” utterances and predictions. This is the danger of using Scripture to predict current political or future prophetic events. When we do, we are now held to the standard of a Prophet:

“If a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it” (Deuteronomy 18:22).

For Believers like myself, who have lived through the past 50 years of Mideast Struggles, Oil Embargoes, Iranian proxy wars, and constant threats to the National State of Israel – it’s easy to get caught up in every current crisis – and predict that “we are at the end.”  My encouragement to you readers is to give them two warnings that Jesus gave His disciples:

1. “All these things must happen, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:6).  And,

2. “Watch, pray and be ready, for you don’t know the hour when your Master will return” (Matthew 24:42).

Like our passage from Titus Chapter 2, our goal should be to live self-controlled and righteous lives in this present age. When I see that in the life of another brother or sister – I’m convinced that they really believe Jesus is Coming Again!

Soli Deo Gloria!