Welcome back to the podcast on this memorial day here in the States, a day when we remember
in honor soldiers who have died while serving in the armed forces.
War has been on the forefront of many minds here in the past 15 months, no matter how close
or far we are from the front lines.
War has impacted all of us.
Of course, Jesus said that we can expect to hear of wars and rumors of wars and that
nation will rise against nation, which are but the beginning of the birth pangs.
Jesus said in Matthew 24, verses 6 to 8, Jesus said this in the context of his return to
earth and what we can expect before he comes again.
Pastor John, you just published a new book, Cumbler Jesus meditations on the second coming
of Christ, and in it, Matthew 24, verses 6 to 8, and mentions of war make many appearances,
especially in the second half of the book.
This new book is very relevant for our age of wars and rumors of wars.
And today I have another open question for you.
With the books released, you have done a handful of interviews with various ministries online.
I think our listeners will be interested in all of those conversations.
If anyone asked you a question that you didn't quite expect, or ones that maybe have
opened new insights into the biblical teaching on Christ's return for you, any question
surprised you.
In fact, that did happen.
In fact, it happened more than once.
The one that was most provocative and caused me to see some texts in a different light
was a question about how a healthy expectation of the second coming might actually bring stability
to a person's mind who is feeling psychologically fragile and vulnerable and off balance, maybe
because of personal circumstances, losses, tragedies, pain, or because of upheavals in society
that disorient people and pull them this way and that and make them feel fragmented and shaky,
maybe even agitated and frenzied.
And what was surprising to me about the question itself was that it seemed a bit counterintuitive.
In other words, I think a lot of people would perhaps mistakenly say,
well, the second coming is not a solution to that problem, it contributes to that problem.
They would say, wouldn't it add to the vulnerability and shakiness and fragility of mind if you stir
something as cataclysmic as the second coming into the mix of all the social and personal
upheavals of our time?
So I had to really step back and ask, does the Bible, this is the way I put the question
to myself, does the Bible present the hope of the second coming in a stabilizing way or
a destabilizing way?
Is it really presented explicitly in connection to this problem or do I have to just kind
of manufacture connections with this problem of instability?
And frankly, I was surprised, I mean, the question was, did anything surprise you?
I was surprised.
So in the hope of helping folks who feel like this and we all do from time to time, in
the hope of helping people who feel off balance, wobbly, agitated, fretful, racing mind,
quite grab hold of peace, of mind, in the hope of helping us, let me show you what I saw
and just draw attention to some of these amazing explicit connections between second coming
thoughts in the Bible and stability of mind that we all need in these shaking times.
So here's second Thessalonians 2, verses 1 and 2, Paul said, now concerning the coming
of our Lord Jesus and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you brothers not to be
quickly shaken in mind.
Now the reason that text jumped out at me after I heard this question was that a literal
translation is even more surprising, it says that we ask you brothers not to be quickly
shaken from your mind.
Out of your mind, in other words, Paul saw that there were people in Thessalonica who were
going out of their minds.
They were no longer able to be rational or reasonable, you couldn't reason with them.
The upheavals that were happening around them and were shaking them loose from their minds
were causing them to lose their stability and a kind of hysteria or frenzy was taking
control of them and it had to do with a combination of social circumstances and misinformation
about the second coming.
And Paul's solution, this is amazing, I think for a lot of people it would seem amazing.
Paul's solution to their frenzy was to teach the truth about the second coming rather
than neglect the second coming, he didn't say, wow, you folks are thinking way too much
about the second coming, you need to stop thinking about it and get a grip on reality
like where you live now go to work.
What he did, in fact, was the opposite.
He spent a whole chapter dealing with that instability by teaching on the second coming.
And so that's what I take away.
Paul believed that a right understanding of the second coming would not add to the frenzy
or the instability of life, in fact, it would be part of the remedy.
So that's my first text.
Second one is from Jesus.
And I think it's where Paul got his thinking on this because the language is so similar.
I've got a whole section in the book on the similar language between Matthew 24 and
the Thessalonian epistles, which I think is just huge with implication for how they understood
Matthew 24.
Jesus said in Matthew 24, 5 and 6, many will come in my name saying, I am the Christ and
they will lead many astray and you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.
And then he says, see that you are not alarmed for this must take place, but the end is not
yet.
So Jesus recognizes that the world is going to be a destabilizing, alarming, anxiety-producing
place, false Christs, wars next to verses, talk about famines, earthquakes, endless difficulties
as the end draws near.
And he realizes that it is natural for people to look around and be alarmed, frightened,
uncertain, off balance.
So what's his solution?
His solution is to give true instruction about the second coming.
Most of the chapter is for that purpose.
So one remedy to our instability and anxiety is not ignorance or disregard of the second
coming, but solid, biblical knowledge about the second coming so we can be expected and
hopeful, but not be alarmed or fretful.
Here's another example of the connection between the second coming and the stability of
our minds, Philippians 4, 5 to 7.
Well Lord is at hand, do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God and the peace of God
which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Now most of us, most of the time, make the connection between the guarding of the hearts
and the guarding of the minds with prayer.
Let your requests be made known to God and who guard you.
But the preceding verse says, the Lord is at hand, don't be anxious, the peace of God
will guard your minds.
So there's a connection, there's a connection between a right grasp of the nearness of
the Lord and Christian heart and mind being guarded from anxiety and instability in fretting
about the world.
Here it is again in 1 Peter 4, 12, beloved, do not be surprised.
In other words, don't be alarmed and thrown off balance and anxious, don't be surprised
at the fiery ordeal that comes upon you to test you as though something strange
were happening to you, but rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings that you
may rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
In other words, a right perception, a right anticipation of the glory of Christ appearing
at our joy in that day is a stabilizing force to keep us from being surprised, alarmed,
thrown off balance at the end time stresses and sufferings that are coming.
I mean, you've one more example, 1 Thessalonians 5, 2, 2 to 5, you yourselves are fully
aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
While people are saying, there's peace and security, then sudden destruction will come
upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman and they will not escape.
But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
For you are children of light, children of the day, we're not of the night or of darkness.
That's just great.
In other words, Paul's remedy to fretfulness and alarm and instability in the last days
is right and true and balanced teaching about the second coming and who we are in Christ
as we eagerly wait for him.
So Tony, I had seen all those texts.
I had seen them all, but I had not seen them in the light of that particular question
of contemporary, frenzy or instability.
This is, I think, a really good example of how we keep on learning and growing and how
the Bible is an inexhaustible reservoir of help for every kind of human problem.
Amen.
Proven on this podcast a week after week after a week.
Thank you, Pastor John.
And this concludes a little four-part series on Pastor John's new book, Come Lord Jesus.
Be sure to get a copy.
I'm holding one right now, turned out beautifully, and of course, you can download the whole
digital book online at DesiringGod.org.
There are the recent episodes on the book include APJ's, 1941, 1942, 1944, and concludes
with this one, 1945.
Thank you for joining us today.
Ask a question of your own.
Find all those episodes in our growing archive or subscribe to the podcast all at aspesterjohn.com.
I'm your host Tony Rankie.
We'll see you next time.