We Will All Give An Account To God

I started this current series of Blogs by promising to discuss a Lutheran view of prophecy. In general, that refers to the Lutheran understanding that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and offers many spiritual blessings to those who ponder and meditate upon God's revealed Word (2 Timothy 3:14-17). I also emphasized that we can know nothing about God's true nature and being without His revelation to us (Isaiah 45:1-7; Deut.4:32-40). In other words, He is a hidden God. On the other hand, He has revealed Himself in a variety of ways, most especially through His prophets and now in these last days of this present era in His Son Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-14).

Finally, Lutherans emphasize that all of the Bible is properly divided into God's Law and the Gospel or Good News of Christ. The central teaching (known also as the material principle) is that we are justified in God's eyes and saved only by the unmerited grace of God in Christ and our faith in Him (John 5:36-40). The Old Testament, written before Christ's coming in human form, is certainly not merely a library of ancient writings teaching that men were saved by fulfilling God's commands and laws, even as the New Testament is not a series of writings by Jesus' apostles and their disciples teaching that the Law of God is now irrelevant. It is rather critical that we see that all Scripture contains both Law and Gospel. Therefore it is our task carefully and properly to divide and distinguish between the Law and the Gospel when interpreting any portion of the Bible.

Having said that, I return to the topic at hand and particularly the End Times, that time or times before Christ returns to overthrow the powers of darkness and evil completely and to renew all of His creation as the eternal home for His elect children (Romans 8:14-25). What does God reveal about these days and times in which we now live and what is to happen before our Lord returns? I hesitate to open this can, because there is SO MUCH that has been and is being written and taught about these matters. The Left Behind series of novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (1995-2007) for instance, addresses these issues in story format. In addition to more than 65 million books in this series sold, Tyndale House has sold more than 10 million related items, such as computer screen-savers. Over 11 million copies of the Kids series have also been sold. So what can I say? LaHaye and those who follow him must be right? Those who teach about end-times prophecy, millennialism, dispensationalism, rapture and post or pre-tribulation must be the correct interpreters of Holy Scripture? One certainly would think so, given the vast interest these teachers and their writings are receiving. I shall have to leave that in your hands to decide. After all, as the Apostle Paul teaches,

If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God"(Isaiah 45:22-25). So then each of us will given an account of himself to God" (Romans 14:8-12). 

 We must all be aware of this warning and speak carefully about Christ's return. For today, I shall simply invite you to turn to a fine study done by the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and the Commission on Theology and Church Relations back some 20 years ago: "The End Times, A Study on Eschatology and Millennialism." If this topic is of concern to you, that is a good place to start.

In a future day, I'll try to add to what these teachers have written.