Three reasons not to buy into “doomsday” prophecy

When I was a kid “prophecy experts” would come to our church and roll out long time lines that, to our amazement, revealed how the end of time would unfold.  If I remember correctly, Russia and China were always key players in the inevitable march toward destruction.

I’m not making fun of the prophecy people.  I have great respect for those who remind us that the justice and judgment of God are clearly taught in the Bible and that what the Holy Scriptures refer to as “The Day of the LORD,” the time when God makes the world right and ushers in a new age, is an inevitable event.

What concerns me (and I think it is a legitimate concern) is the way that this biblical teaching gets distorted into a not so subtle message that the church of Christ really can’t fulfill their calling to disciple all nations.  (Matthew 28:19) 

You see, the teaching I grew up with went something like this.  The world is a really bad place full of really bad people and it is getting worse.  It is going to get worse and worse until finally it gets so bad that God has to intervene (the return of Christ) and wipe out all the bad people (which is always “those” bad people) and rescue the few “good” people left (the saved people) from the utter destruction that will rain down from heaven on the really bad world.

What I would argue is that perhaps, maybe, just maybe that's not the most accurate picture or the most healthy, redemptive understanding of what the Bible actually teaches about the end of the age.

I think there are three good reasons not to buy into doomsday prophecy.

1.      I don’t think it is the most biblically accurate picture of the end of the age and the inauguration of a new heaven and a new earth. 

Yes, the Bible clearly teaches that human beings sin and that a sinful world will ultimately be judged and by a righteous God.  (By the way, no one really wants a God that doesn’t judge and bring justice to a broken world.  There is something deep inside every human being that not only knows that the world needs to be set right, but also longs for a God who will do just that.)  But I think it is a misreading of scripture to understand that judgment comes, in some way, because of a failed venture of the church – which is what doomsday preachers tend to preach.

We could have long discussions around this concept and I welcome feedback and pushback, but I think that the popular idea that the world becomes such a terrible place that God has to step in and intervene comes primarily from a misunderstanding of the book of Revelation.  I think we have to remember that Revelation is apocalyptic literature, a genre that gives modern readers a lot of trouble.  At the very least we need to exercise more interpretative humility when reading the book of Revelation.     

However you interpret Revelation, it is important to see it as part of the entire biblical revelation.  Revelation is the end of the redemptive narrative.  The story begins in Genesis with rebellion in a garden but it ends with redemption as the city of God comes down out of heaven.  John, the revelator, hears a voice saying that now the dwelling of God will be with human beings and he will live with them.  They will be his people and God himself will be their God.  And he will wipe every tear from their eyes.  (Revelation 21:1-4)

It is not a picture of the last minute intervention of God after his bride the church couldn’t get the job done.

2.      I don’t think it is a very healthy way for followers of Christ to live in this world. 

In a sense, we’ve decided that we have lost the game before we take the field.  Imagine what it would be like to be on a football team gathered around your coach in the locker room before a big game.  The coach begins his pregame pep talk.  “Guys, here’s the way I see the game developing.  Your opponents are going to become stronger and stronger throughout the game.  Through the whole game you’re going to get beat up.  Unfortunately, we’re going to lose some players along the way.  And the other team is going to outscore you right up till the end of the game.  But don’t worry, just before the last second of the game we have a plan in place to get the game stopped on a technicality and you will be declared the winners by default.  Now let’s go get um.” 

I really don’t think that pep talk will create a lot of enthusiasm.  But that is essentially the speech that a lot of people get every Sunday.  We live in a really bad world that is only going to get worse.   But don’t worry, just before it all falls apart the ones who agreed to the right set of beliefs will all get “raptured” out.

No wonder most people say “no thanks!”

I think there is a more beautiful, more glorious story to tell.  Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the victory has already been won.  The redemptive movement of God in this world is in full swing!  We are somehow actually a part of it!  What we do in this world actually matters!  I think that’s a better story.

3.      It’s sort of a copout for the modern church.

Think about it.  If the world is just going to get worse until Christ splits the sky, then why try?  In fact, the thing that makes most sense is to be glad that things are getting worse (which is exactly what I think some “Christians” do without coming right out and saying it).  I mean, if we experience a really great movement of God’s Spirit in our world today won’t that actually slow things down?  The Lord will have to wait a while longer before he steps in and annihilates all his enemies. 

You can see why this topic is not inconsequential!

Perhaps there is a different and better way.  We can embrace the biblical teaching that there will be a time when the curtain closes on this age; when God in his wisdom and love brings justice to our hurting and broken world; when wrongs are righted and wounds are healed.

But instead of embracing the default mentality of inactive spectators, maybe we can rethink our thinking.  Maybe we can embrace a different way of thinking.  Maybe we can think of ourselves as active participants in the unfolding drama of world redemption.  Maybe we can be who Jesus called us to be; missionaries, evangelists in this world.  Maybe we can do what he invited us to do; make disciples of all nations.  

Maybe we can be transformed from doomsday people to new day people; people who believe that we are already participating in God’s new day now and will somehow participate in God’s new day then.