AND THEN SHALL THE END COME.
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a testimony to all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24: 14)
I am pretty sure that theologians are puzzled by this text. All around the world the Christian Religion is in decline. The concept of ‘kingdom’, meaning God’s rule on earth, has become a no-no, hardly ever mentioned in sermons or in Christian gatherings. Piety prevails, of course, but it is principally applied to personal prayer and song, and remains far removed from day-to-day activities. Jesus’ statement that he came to bring LIFE and that to the full – John 10:10 – is limited to spirituality, even as Christ’s statement indicates that there is no split in life.
It becomes increasingly clear that, being a Christ follower, simply means adopting a ‘way of life’, a total immersion into Christ-like living, 24/7, inundated in LIFE that reflects the NEW life to come.
Christian living is not a ‘looking back to the past’, but looking ahead to the New Creation to come, seeking new ways of holiness, living not only within the means and ways of creation, but in total symbiosis with all created matter, air, soil, water, fauna, flora, humanity, fully recognizing and implementing that Creation is God’s expression to us, first and foremost.
God’s way of punishing
When, in the Hebrew Bible God’s Chosen People, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, neglected the WAY, God punished them through natural disasters, often drought for years on end. That’s how God manifested his power, and showed his people his authority over all created matter. The ten plagues that beset Egypt before it let the Israel people go, were mostly climate related, except the last one, when ‘the angel of the Lord’ killed all the firstborn of man and beast, sparing no family.
Today is no different.
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a testimony to all nations; and then shall the end come.
The Greek word for ‘gospel’ is eu-angelos, or the good news. Just as the Ten Plagues were good news for God’s people, so the current unnatural disasters are Good News for God’s people as well. They shout loud and clear that God’s creation cannot be tampered with without serious consequences. Climate Change, melting icecaps, horrendous hurricanes, wars, are causing more CO2, more diseases and epidemics, while uncontrollable forests fires rage with double whammies, more CO2, less absorbing powers. All these events are just pinpricks compared to what is still to come
God’s Kingdom is today’s tool to punish us, the trespassers into God’s Kingdom. The laws of Ecology come to mind, reflecting divine intentions, captured into 4 simple statements: Everything is connected to everything else; Creation knows best; There is no free lunch; Nothing disappears. The bills of our riotous living are now due.
A lot of questions.
How can we, under these circumstances expect the Gospel of the Kingdom to be preached to all the world? A sudden church revival? A miraculous opening for the Kingdom prospective? A population receptive to God’s message? No, none of these above. What then?
Here is how I see this.
One clue lies on the Calvary Hill, just outside Jerusalem when Jesus died. There occurred a sudden conversion, but was it really sudden? I think that Jesus showed both murderers, both his cruel cross companions, vivid descriptions, in blazing colors, vital impressions of the New Earth to come, and their possible place in it. One accepted his place in paradise; one rejected it. Take note: their destination is not heaven, but the restored Garden of Eden Paradise.
I know, this is pure conjecture, but it sounds true to me: Jesus mentioned Paradise for a purpose. Nothing happens in isolation.
To continue this possible scenario, here is my take.
When all those who have ever lived, have been assembled, Jesus will address them, and give them too, an eyeopener of the Kingdom, a snapshot, a total overview of the new creation, with the invitation to accept or reject it, just as the two murderers, crucified with Jesus, were offered a final choice. That is, I think, what is meant when “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a testimony to all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Here it is Jesus himself who, just as when he was on earth, in word and deed, shows us the Gospel of the Kingdom, in its eternal entirety, in its total splendor, in its uttermost beauty. Accept or reject, because then shall the END come. Last chance.