Niyi Osundare’s famous poem teaches that much wisdom lies in living today in anticipation of tomorrow. To ensure “tomorrow,” Osundare says, “it is meet to live on herbs and grains today.” Unfortunately, health and wealth gospel preachers stand as the “prodigals” portrayed in Osundare’s poem, whose belly is their god. They have led many to falsely believe that the gospel primarily attends to material benefits, rather than the restoration of holy communion with God that endures the various hardships and suffering of this present age. They exhort their people to get as much as they can now, instead of anticipating God’s glorious consummation of all things.
Much wisdom lies in living today in anticipation of tomorrow.
The Bible teaches that this age is headed towards Jesus Christ’s second coming. But what are we to anticipate when Christ returns? How does it give hope today? In this article, I give a cursory view of three things that the Bible teaches concerning Christ’s return to consummate history. First, Christ will bring retribution against sinners. Second, he’ll redeem his people. Lastly, Christ will renew all things.
1. Christ Brings Retribution on Sinners
In the Apostles’ Creed, we confess that after Jesus Christ rose from the dead “he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead” (see 2 Timothy 4:1). By his substitutionary atonement, Christ dealt with sin and death once for all (Hebrews 9:26b; 1 Peter 3:18). However, he is coming back in the fullness of his glory to judge unrepentant sinners. This judgment is righteous, true, just, impartial, and inscrutable (Psalm 7:11-12; 50:6; 96:10; Isaiah 33:22; Ecclesiastes 3:17; Matthew 25:31; John 5:30; 7:24; 2 Thessalonians 1:5; 2 Timothy 4:8; Revelation 16:7; 19:2).
Many arguments have been made concerning the nature of Christ’s thousand-year reign of judgment and the timing of Christ’s return (Revelation 20). It is, however, beyond doubt that God hates unrepentant sinners. And when Christ returns, they will experience the wrath of God in its fullness (Psalm 5:4-6; 11:4-7). And the clearest form of Christ’s retribution is casting them into the lake of fire (Isaiah 66:15-16; Matthew 25:41; 2 Thessalonians 1:7b-10; Revelation 20:15; 21:8).
Believers must not envy the ungodly, because their supposed flourishing is short-lived.
God is “holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3). The unrighteous will not escape God’s fire of fury at Christ’s second coming, for they are storing up wrath for themselves on the day of wrath by their unrepentant lifestyle (Psalm 1:5; Ecclesiastes 12:14; Romans 2:5). Therefore, believers must not envy the ungodly, because their supposed flourishing is short-lived, and Christ’s retribution awaits them at his appearing (Psalm 37; Proverbs 24:1-2, 19-20). But what hope is there on the day of retribution for us sinners who have sought refuge in Christ? Redemption!
2. Christ Will Redeem His People
The doctrine of the consummation can be understood in terms of ‘the already, not yet.’ The ‘already’ points to God’s redemptive work, accomplished in redeeming sinners through the suffering, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this ‘already’ or inaugurated state, all who have come to repent of their sinfulness, who believe and confess Jesus Christ as their saviour, benefit from the grace of God. More so, they are united with Christ as new creations and they begin to participate with Christ in the life of the new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Ephesians 2:11-22).
With eagerness, Christians long for this future redemption of their bodies.
The ‘not yet’ articulates the future hope of redemption in Christ at the consummation of all things. Paul described this future redemption in this way, “for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:52-53). The miracle of taking on the imperishable lies in this: our desires and longings will be transformed into a perfect delight in glorifying God. Therefore, with eagerness, Christians long for this future redemption of their bodies (Romans 8:23-24; Hebrews 9:28).
More so, while God’s judgment awaits his people, this judgment is not unto condemnation, but unto vindication in Christ (Deuteronomy 32:36; Psalm 50:4; 135:14; Romans 8:1; Hebrews 10:30). Beloved, we have been justified in Christ by his blood, more so, we shall be saved from the impending wrath of God on sinners (Romans 5:9-10; 1 Corinthians 1:18). However, it is not only the redeemed ones that are longing for redemption, but the whole creation itself is also longing to be renewed.
3. Christ Will Renew All Things
According to the Bible, because of sin, God subjected creation to futility. For this reason, the creation groans with “pain of childbirth” longing to be renewed (Genesis 3:17; Romans 8:20-22). The heaven and earth of this present age are passing away (Matthew 24:35; Hebrews 1:11-12; 2 Peter 2:10). However, the consummation of all things not only brings the hope of a final redemption for God’s people, but Christ renewing the whole creation. John’s apocalypse describes the new creation as a “holy city,” “the new Jerusalem,” and a “bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:1-2). But the most spectacular hope contained in the joy that is set before God’s redeemed ones in the consummation is this: the triune God himself!
In the vision that John saw concerning the new creation he said, “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God'” (Revelation 21:3).
An indescribable blessedness awaits us in Christ, at the consummation of all things.
I ask, beloved, what joy is set before us which we eagerly long for in the consummation? Well, we look forward to dwelling with the Lord our God, where he will be our God and we shall be his people. In addition, God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, quench our thirst with the living water, cure our pain and suffering, and turn our mourning into laughter. In the new creation, we will worship God as we behold him face to face (Revelation 22:3-4). This eternal hope is worth it all.
Live in Anticipation of This Hope
God didn’t promise material wealth, but spiritual restoration.
An indescribable and unspeakable blessedness awaits us in Christ, at the consummation of all things. What makes prosperity gospel preachers atrocious is that by their false promise and focus on health and wealth, they deprive many of desiring that which God made them to desire: himself. By their teachings, they claim God to have promised what he hasn’t. For God didn’t promise material wealth, but spiritual restoration; not the removal of poverty, but removal of sin. Now it is the final restoration of things, to which we eagerly long as we anticipate Christ’s return (Matthew 25:1-13; Hebrews 9:28).
Therefore, how should believers who eagerly long for the consummation of all things approach life today? A few answers, by:
- Living with great anticipation of our future hope and fixing our eyes on the joy that is set before us in Christ (Colossians 3:1-3; Philippians 3:12-15; Ephesians 1:3-10; Hebrews 12:2)
- Not treasuring things of this life because they are transient (Mark 8:35-37; Philippians 3:19-20)
- Enduring the pain and sufferings of the present knowing that joy comes with the morning of Christ’s second coming (Matthew 10:22; Romans 8:18; Revelation 21:7)
- Seeking and growing to know God himself here and now, (Jeremiah 29:13; 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:10-12).
As God’s people we live today straining forward for the future imperishable inheritance we have in Christ Jesus at the consummation. As the missionary Jim Elliot said, “he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Maranatha!
