I've been thinking much about personal and church transformation as I deepen my understanding of the mission of the church. The mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The world don't change unless people change. When people change and get involved in leadership and active citizenship, then the world is more likely to change.
The transformation of the world isn't simply on our shoulders. God is making a new heaven and new earth. The apostles thought of this new heaven and earth as a literal new creation coming from the destruction of this current world. Peter speaks in his second letter of the elements burning up, making way for a new creation. This current world in which we live is reserved for fire, Peter says.
These ideas come from Jewish apocalypticism, a literary style that includes wild imagery inspired by the writings of the prophets like Zechariah, Daniel and Ezekiel. These all wrote either during or shortly after the exile in Babylon. The Persians brought Zoroastrian beliefs to the Jews. The Persians told myth of a dark god expelled to earth who taught the world to war and brought disease and discord with Him.
Sounds a lot like our devil in popular Christian thought. But such thinking was not a part of Jewish theology early on. It was the influence of Persia that helped the Jews begin to adopt the thought of evil spiritual beings creating havoc on earth. Most Old Testament writings attest to God's total rule over creation and our lives. Job tells of Satan as a part of heaven's court. God gives Satan permission to torment Job as a way of proving Job's righteousness. I never liked that set up to the story. But I'm no fan of blaming every unhappy moment on the devil either.
I do believe evil is a reality. I don't think we Christians have a corner on the market for thinking about the chaotic forces at work in and around us that destroy life. When it comes to our myth, however, I do believe that love is the power that will save the world and transform the world. I believe love conquers evil, not guns and bombs. I wish I were a pacifist, because I think Jesus was, but I'm too pragmatic for that. I'd rather go to the quick solution, rather than the longer and more fruitful path. Americans are taught to think this way. We feed this kind of hawkish thinking with all of our violent films and television shows. But one of these days we're going to have to admit that war never really solves problems. It may suppress problems, but war creates new problems to accompany the festering old ones.
The bible speaks of a big war which we have come to call Armageddon or The Apocalypse. It's the end of the world! For the Christian the end of the world, with its warring factions, oppressive governments, and corrupt corporations, is good news. The end of this world means the end of unjust suffering and the birth of a new world.
Jesus taught that we would hear of wars and rumors of wars, but that the church should take heart. These are only the birth pangs of a new creation coming.
"Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28)
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| "in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home." 2nd Peter 3:13 |
The transformation of the world is something God is working on, and has been, from the very beginning. In the beginning, the earth was formless, a lifeless void. The face of the earth was covered in water. This water represents forces of chaos, in my interpretation. God created light when nothing existed but darkness and lifelessness. God separated the darkness from the light. Then God built a dome over the earth, which is the sky, to hold out the chaotic waters above the earth. Below the earth God placed pillars to uphold the earth, to keep the earth separated from the lifeless forces of chaos. Then God forced back the remaining waters and made it so dry land could appear and bear life. From the beginning God has been creating safe places for life to flourish.
I do not read the Genesis account of creation literally, but rather as a myth that points to deeper truths about who God is and what He is doing as creator. God has authority to create that which had not before existed. God establishes of every category of existence. God has power over chaos which He exerts to nurture life. Sometimes God uses the forces of chaos for His own purposes. The story of Noah illustrates this. The world had become utterly corrupt and God opened the windows of the firmament (the sky dome), and washed away all life and started over with Noah and his family. According to Peter, God has revealed fire as the means by which God will purge the earth once again of all agents of chaos.
I cannot fully embrace this idea as a literal action of God against the current world, but I do appreciate Peter's exhortation to the church. How are we to live when we know this current era is coming to an end. Well, for one, we should no longer invest in this perishing world. Instead we should invest in the world to come.
I like the way the New International Reader's Version, NIrV) puts it.
Whatever our thoughts are about the end of the world, whether you embrace a literal interpretation or a metaphorical one, the point of the language is that the age in which human weakness rules the earth is coming to an end. The new age in which God's love rules every heart is on the rise. The church is growing everywhere, but the US and Europe. And revival is coming to both. God continues to work even when the church sleeps.
Our task in hurrying the Day of the complete arrival of God's reign is to build holy community. Holy community is God's way of making safe places in society for life to flourish. For us, holy community is community in Christ where His love rules our hearts.
Until then, Armageddon outta here.
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