Category: Martyrdom

Why Judgment Day Waits

The Bible describe three things which factor into the arrival of Judgment Day. They are the spread of the Gospel to all nation, a complete number of martyrs, and God wanting all to be saved.

The people of the first generation of the Christian Church were getting antsy. Jesus had not come yet. Some of their brothers and sisters in faith had been killed as martyrs. Others had even died naturally. Where was Jesus? He had said, “Yes, I am coming soon.” (Rev. 22:20). What is “soon”?

“Soon” is a relative word. Usually, it is a brief period of time by our accounting. In this case it is not. There were clues that this period of time before Jesus’ return was going to be protracted. As Jesus prepared his disciples for their work before Judgment Day, He shared the Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14). While the Master in this story is on a journey, the servants were to work. It doesn’t say it, but it seems implied that this could be a long journey. There is work to be done first, a lot of work. Judgment Day isn’t delayed, but why hasn’t it happened?

First, you like me, we should be glad it hasn’t happened. If it had happened in the first century, we wouldn’t be a part of the Kingdom of God. We live at a time when there are more people on Earth than ever. In fact, some argue that there are more people now and there has been cumulatively. That means there is a lot of work to do.

The Bible does give some metrics for when Judgment Day will come, but these metrics do more to explain the work than they do to give a date. The first and most well-known is that the Gospel must be preached to all nations.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14 (ESV)

This whole mission of spreading the Gospel started among a completely Jewish crowd. Then, quite controversially, it spread out among the Gentile peoples of the Mediterranean basin. The disciple Thomas, traveled a long distance to get things started in India. That was the reach of the first generation. People in my family tree maybe were exposed to the Gospel by 1000AD. Here we are still working at it. We are still working on people groups in India! When God said, “all nations” he meant all. How does He define “nations”? I don’t know. Maybe by language. Maybe by genetics. We will find out. The important thing is that it included you. Whoever you are. The New Heavens and New Earth were not going to kick off until you had a chance to get in on it.

There are other parallel metrics. Here is one you may not know.

10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. Revelation 6:10-11 (ESV)

The full number of martyrs is not so much a goal, as is Gospel to all nations. It is more a parallel statistic that speaks to the nature of the Gospel mission. It is dangerous. Not everyone will receive you with open arms. Many will see the bringing of the Gospel as a threat to culture, or family tradition, or economic opportunity, or governmental control, or cherished worldview. They will deal with this perceived threat with death sometimes. Those who give their lives for the sake of others receiving salvation will be highly honored. It is as Christ-like as you can get.

Does the Gospel threaten the things mentioned above? Yes, some of them. Culture is formed by many things, including religion. If the religion within a culture is transformed or replaced then culture changes. It still can remain unique. God loves certain aspects of cultural diversity. There would be growing pains for families. Some would have to repent of their cherished ways. Worldview is radically changed and people resist that. I don’t see Christianity as a threat to government unless it dictated religion like North Korea or Rome, but in combination with other forces a governmental change could be facilitated anywhere.

There is one other Judgment Day metric that I overlooked for a long time, and it is so obvious.

8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 2 Peter 3:8-10 (ESV)

God’s timeline is not ours. We think He is slow. He is working quickly. It says God doesn’t want any to perish. How does this work? With successive generation more are saved, but even more are lost. I have to bring this passage along side of my most disliked passage:

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV)

Where is “destruction”? There are things to suggest that this is a reference to Gehenna, the lake of fire, Hell. A similar word is used to talk about the Antichrist as the “son of perdition/destruction”. Is that the son of the place or the son of process or condition? He destroys. I don’t feel like a word study of the Greek (apoleion) gets us anywhere. Jesus is saying most people will not experience life but will experience destruction. My question is where and is this permanent? If this is Sheol and before Judgment Day, is there some process that closes the gap that makes the 2 Peter 3 passage make sense?

The early Christian church fathers all taught about posthumous salvation in connection with Jesus’ descent to Sheol. Some (i.e. Origen) took it too far. We can see from other passages (like Matthew 25:31f) that there are people being eternally damned at Judgment Day. So if there is posthumous salvation it is not comprehensive. The percentage suggested by Matthew 7 for those saved during life seems small. “Few” is a relative word, too. But it seems below 50%. Is the delay of Judgment Day in order to give time to Christ’s work in Sheol? I hope so. I don’t know so.

In the end, we have our mission. We want people to avoid the ultimate judgment in Gehenna. We want them to avoid a more immediate judgment in Sheol. We want them to experience Heaven at their death. That is a worthy mission, even if it is dangerous. When God had established us with a place in eternity with Him through what Jesus did, then we have little to lose and people to gain. Judgment Day will come at just the right time. I won’t worry about it. I will worry about the salvation of others.

The Glory I Had with You

In Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer in John 17, Jesus speaks of returning to a “glory I had with you before the world existed”. What would Jesus consider to be glorious? Is it a glory that we will be able to see? Is it something that will be experienced in other ways?

The first thing to note is that “glory” is probably not the same in God’s eyes as in ours. We think in terms of power, praise, pleasure, and authority. I expect that such categories would also be a part of God’s definition. But God would add love to that list.

In His prayer, Jesus asks the Father to glorify Him. This request is focused on what would happen before Jesus ascended back to Heaven. Crucifixion is not glorious. Being forsaken by God is even more inglorious. Being crucified with the purpose of fulfilling God’s Law for others because you love them and honor the Father, that is very glorious. Paying the ultimate price when you didn’t owe it out of love, that is the pinnacle of glorious.

Prior to the crucifixion James and John and their mom went on a glory-seeking mission. Having been enculturated to see glory in terms of praise and power they approached Jesus about sitting on His right and left when He entered into His glory.

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

Matthew 20:20-23 (ESV)

James, John and mom definitely were thinking in terms of some sort of throne arrangement. Jesus indicates that this isn’t what you are thinking. His ultimate glory would be on the cross. The thieves to the right and to the left are the ones “chosen” for roles. These are not necessarily coveted positions. None-the-less, James and John would be chosen for the glory of suffering for the Gospel and, in James’s case, martyrdom.

This brings me back to the idea of heavenly glory. Is it all just bright lights, beautiful music and praise? I expect the glory of love will remain a big part of it. Will there be a necessity for sacrificial love in Heaven or the New Earth? Maybe. It will be nothing like the cross and nothing near forsakeness. The need to care for each other, to give to each other is not just limited to a world with sin and the curse in it. We will experience God’s love for us and a love for each other in many ways.

For me, this emphasizes the importance of our current life. Because sin, the curse, and the work of Satan are such influential forces, the need for genuine, sacrificial love is so important. The need and the opportunities abound. This won’t be so in Heaven or the New Earth. Living in a world that incorporates evil is terrible and I want no more of it than I have to take; but I am willing to stay as long as I can be useful and exercise my “glory” which is the love of God working in me.

This point-of-view can also illustrate why Sheol and Gehenna are so bad. Yes, the description of fire and maggots is mortifying. But the absence of the glory of God is worse. There is a growing absence of love.

In the one story about Sheol that we have, that of the beggar Lazarus, at least the rich man has compassion on his living siblings. He cares whether they arrive in Sheol. This indicates to me that being forsaken by God has not yet set in. In Gehenna, post-Judgment Day, I don’t expect any hope or unselfishness to be found. It is completely inglorious.

The glory of God, in Jesus’ crucifixion, enables the experience of the broader glory of God in eternal life. We will observe His glory in astounding beauty and power. We will live in the midst of the light of His glory in the New Jerusalem. We will experience and express His glory in a great love for each other. We can get a head start on it now.

The Souls of the Martyrs

There are relatively few biblical passages that give us a look into Heaven.  There are even fewer that include human beings.  Revelation 6:9-11 is a short passage that does just that.  What insights does it give?

The first thing to note is that this is part of the unsealing of a scroll within the throne room of God.  The contents of the scroll are unspecified, but a good guess is that this scroll actually unveils God’s good plan for His people.  Unfortunately,  a fair degree of judgment has to fall on mankind before we get to the good stuff.  Seven seals are ultimately broken.  Most bring tragedy to the inhabitants of the Earth.  The strange exception is the fifth seal.  The fifth seal produces a vision for the author of Revelation, John.

John sees the souls of those who have been killed for being Christians.  We are all aware that we will die somehow.  When you are violently put to an untimely death because of your faith those left behind have to wonder “is this worth it”, at least a little.  The vision given is a message for the living.  The martyrs are not gone, they are living.  They are close to God, and God is caring for them.

John says that he sees their souls.  The soul is the immaterial part of our being.  “Immaterial” just means that it is not properly a part of our current universe.  Are souls “material” in Heaven?  In the last verse they are given “white robes”.  This is not apparel.  Pulling on Paul’s language in 2 Corinthians 5, I would conclude that the white robes are actually a Heavenly body.  Or in other words, a physical body in Heaven to pair with the soul.

Their location is also interesting.  They are “under the altar”.  This sounds small, as if they were mice; but the dimensions of the throne room of God are likely very large.  If this throne room is what is seen descending to the New Earth in Revelation 21, then the space under the altar could be the size of Kansas.

The martyrs seem a bit disgruntled but perhaps they are just being curious.  “How long until you judge the inhabitants of Earth and avenge our blood?”  This is not a complaint about being stuck under the altar, but rather a call for justice.  God’s justice will come but not without time for repentance, time for all nations to hear the Gospel, and time for the total number of martyrs to be completed.

The final item seems like a weird criteria.  Martyrdom seems like a bad thing.  Even the martyrs don’t seem particularly fond of it.  But God has set apart special honor for those who are willing to die for Jesus.  He knows who they will be throughout time.  None who are chosen would want to miss the opportunity of this honor.  It is well worth it.  Martyrs for Christ are being made to this day.  Who knows when this will be complete, but each person brings us closer to Judgment Day.  To be a “martyr” means that somebody kills you.  You don’t kill yourself.  The Muslim idea of martyrdom is more suicide and blasphemy than honorable.  A real martyr gives a witness.  That is what the word “martyr” means.  It is a witness that shows I believe and trust God even unto death.  Jesus gave such a witness about His love for us.

The vision is brief but instructive.  In the period between death and Judgment Day, people who belong to God are consciously alive and in Heaven.  Heaven is not their ultimate destination.  Judgment Day will usher in the New Earth. Both Heaven and the New Earth are the gift of Jesus and something to look to with anticipation.

 

 

The Special Status of Martyrs

The word “martyr” gets in the news these days in the context of suicidal Muslim terrorists.  It is ironic that such people are called “martyrs”.  The word actually means “witness”.  What does their actions and their death say about their theology?  I hear, “God is full of hate”, “I am full of hate”, and “I will do anything to advance my selfish ambitions for the afterlife.”  Not exactly a compelling witness.

Christians have long used the word “martyr” for those who lost their lives because of their faith.  They did not commit suicide or even seek death, their lives were taken from them out of hatred for God or his message.  Their witness was “The gift of eternal life is better than this life”, and “I am not afraid to die because I trust God”.  That is a very different witness.

Martyrdom for Christians is not something isolated to the first century.  While the Romans took their share, genuine disciples of Jesus have been killed through the centuries, sometimes even by nominal Christian institutions.  Today, Christians are under the greatest threat of death in Muslim and Communist countries.

A strong theme, maybe even the main theme, of the book of Revelation is that martyrdom for the sake of Christ is well worth it.  Martyrs get special mention in Revelation 6:9-11, 12:11 and 20:4.  What do these passages teach us about this special class of people?

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had be slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.  They called out in a loud voice, “How long Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?  Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. (Rev. 6:9-11)

This passage is important because it rules out the idea of soul sleep or that we go immediately to Judgment Day at our death.  It also lines out one of the criterion for the timing of Judgment Day–there are a preset or pre-known number of martyrs.  You might think this a strange and morbid standard, but to be a martyr is a high honor.  Those who experience this are chosen for this.  Their location “under the altar” brings to mind where the blood of the sacrifices was poured.  Only the sacrifice of Christ has merit in saving others.  But the death of the martyrs hasn’t historically deterred faith in Christ but it has counter-intuitively advanced it.  They are a sacrifice pleasing to God in the sense that they truly trusted him, and their deaths advanced the Gospel.

The gift of a “white robe” is common for all who die in Christ.  It is probably not clothing but a reference to a heavenly body that is pure.  The desire for judgment may be a surprise.  It doesn’t feel like love for your enemy.  Such judgment is just, however.  It doesn’t preclude the possibility of repentance and forgiveness.

In Revelation 12 the martyrs are honored and their praise is sung.  In Revelation 20 it speaks specifically of souls who were beheaded.  This is probably synecdoche and actually refers to all martyrs.  Here they have the honor of reigning with Christ.  What is that?  In this context, it would seem that they are part of God’s divine council, which actually participates in making decisions executable on Earth.  This honor would make sense since their lifetimes were cut short on Earth.