Nigh? What's Nigh?

So I'm watching Hal Lindsey's crazy armageddon news show tonight and finding out how exactly the current research and proposed investment in tactical nuclear weapons will play out during "the end times." It turns out that rather than being a bad thing, tactical nuclear weapons are cute and one more step in the right direction if we are trying to bring about the end of the world and the coming of Jesus. It turns out the Bible specifically and unequivocally mentions these types of weapons will be used in the great final battle between good and evil.

What? You don't see that clearly outlined in any part of the Bible you're familiar with? Well maybe that's because you are actually familiar with the Bible. Suppose you're not though, or suppose you're paranoid or don't understand the nature and role of Biblical prophecy. Then you might be singing a different tune.

If you don't know who Hal Lindsey is you should be very thankful. Odds are though that your life has been touched by him. Ever seen an "In case of rapture..." bumper sticker? Has anybody ever tried to scare you into heaven? Ever have your Wednesday evening TV viewing ruined by some NBC executive's decision to show Revelations the mini-series? Well he's part of the picture that made all that possible. Well, I guess I am overstating the influence Hal Lindsey has had. Really, he's just representative of a particular type of theology. You know what it is, the one that at least some 65 million people have been exposed to, the one that many may imagine represents the Christian conception of the future and the role of the church via the Left Behind Series.

The Bible does have things to say about the future and the way good overcomes evil. The thing is, this view of the "last things" propagated by the likes of La Haye, Lindsey, et al is well outside the historic perspective of the church and scripture and the Hebrew prophetic tradition. This is just a blog so I'm trying to avoid getting into a long wonky post about the philosophy and origins behind this eschatology but I don't want to be too glib about it either. This is a big deal.

There is a fatalism in Lindsey's approach to the news. And even though he and others from that camp would advocate a certain political perspective, it is pointless because the future is out of our hands. Not only are all human decisions and goals tentative and contingent, they are ultimately completely corrupt so we shouldn't do anything but wait for the end. The emphasis is on the maintenance of the remnant that will be saved. The church's purpose is not to make the world better via our actions- rather it is to restrain personal evil until we're whisked off to heaven before a tribulation. This has not been the historic position of the church nor is it true to the purpose of prophecy.

God and humanity interact towards a future that is unfolding. That's a pretty loaded thing to say but look at an OT prophet like Amos. The purpose of the word of God coming to him was so that people could be warned of the coming judgment as a result of their actions. There is present the possibility of different outcomes and the possibility of God's mind changing. There is a particular social ethic that is demanded, there is a point to moral activity in the political arena (this requires a very specific definition of politics). The Kingdom of God means something.

Of course apocalyptic literature is in the Bible but its role is different from the prophecy that speaks of the relational interaction between God and humanity. Jesus himself does speak of apocalyptic things but not in a way that eliminates the role of the people of God. Even in Jesus' apocalyptic speeches, he highlights the participatory role of his people. Their role is not to stand idly by while the War Pigs have their way. There is the implication that we will be actively engaged in the Gospel which invariably will lead to conflict- not the kind of conflict that comes from demanding the 10 Commandments be displayed in public places but the kind that comes from demanding justice flow like water and righteousness like a stream, the kind that comes from pitting the world's power brokers against the powerless, the kind that, like Jesus said, gets you beaten and killed.

We don't rejoice because we stand on the sidelines and watch things get worse. We don't take delight in the proliferation of nuclear weapons, human policies that lead to genocide, war, famine, and the rapid spread of disease. We don't hope for things to get worse and point at our actions that increase injustice and poverty and say, "See, the end is coming." We rejoice because we have the power to say this is wrong and do something about it.