[Note: this is part of our annual Guest Writer Series. Meet guest writer #9.]
I am a Christian. But for those of you who consider yourselves to be non-Christians – and this might sound odd – much of the church actually owes you a bit of an apology.
See, much of the missionary work that churches endeavor to accomplish is derived from the Christian belief that Jesus Christ has sent them on a lifelong Great Commission to convert as many people to the faith as possible before He returns to judge earth’s rebellious inhabitants with such wrath that it will result in the obliteration of everything we see before us. The “end of the world,” therefore, plays an inherently bigger part in the Christian message than most people realize because most Believers have been taught that Jesus promised to come back at any moment (“like a thief”). Naturally, this increases the urgency in evangelizing.
So, to enhance this resolve, the American church has invented a terrifying narrative of “end-times” (eschatological) theories to propel the corporeal fear associated with being the object of God’s wrath when Jesus returns. For example, ever hear of the famous number sequence, “666” or the “mark of the beast?” (Revelation 13) Sure, you have. Movies, songs, games, and countless societal elements have incorporated this biblical reference into its superstitions. Many popular, evangelical pastors teach this future mark will be administered through some form of digital technology that will be implanted into the human body as a control mechanism, authorizing one’s status as a public consumer; without it, one cannot buy or sell anything in the marketplace. And, they say, anyone who takes it will be eternally condemned (Rev. 14:10).
So great is the fear surrounding this mark that three years ago, a group of young men committed suicide after they became convinced that it had arrived in the form of the COVID PCR test. They chose to kill themselves rather than face the risk of everlasting condemnation from inadvertently receiving “the mark” (They planned to ‘ride out the end of the world.’ They wound up lost at sea | CNN.)
Consider also the message coming from the pulpit at Grace Community Church, pastored by eminent evangelical minister, John MacArthur. In his fierce opposition to the perceived hysteria of climate change activism, he has unashamedly taught that, because of man’s sin and immorality, God has “cursed” this “disposable planet” and that if what humans presently see before them worries them, they should know that “this is nothing like what’s going to happen next time” when “He will destroy [it] in an instant.” This is one of the most famous evangelical ministers in the United States teaching that God has deemed this planet – a throwaway item. All because Eve ate the apple.
And with evangelical teaching that convinces congregants of the universe’s eventual destruction, is it a wonder that, in the last decade, white evangelical protestants are the most “unconcerned” religious group regarding climate change? (Why conservative Christians don’t believe in climate change – Bernard Daley Zaleha, Andrew Szasz, 2015 (sagepub.com)
How many doomsday pastors have had their time in the spotlight because of their predictions about Jesus’ Second Coming? Harold Camping, made popular by his brazen, repeated predictions about the world’s end, prophesied that God’s final judgment day would arrive on May 21, 2011. His unwavering confidence in this revelation jumpstarted a public campaign into which he invested tens of millions of dollars and dispatched numerous followers around the country to spread the message, some of whom had “quit their jobs and sold all their possessions” to support the cause. One man reportedly spent more than $140,000 of his personal savings on advertisements to bolster the efforts.
Of course, it’s 2023 – and here we are. Never mind that there are people in debilitating need; he thought that funds were far better spent on forecasting an event that the Bible says is impossible to predict (Matthew 24:36).
What about a future “Antichrist?” Surely, secular media (film, books, etc.) has so entrenched this term – which represents some future person who will embody all evil – that the average non-Christian cannot claim ignorance of a character with this distressing identification. Believe it or not, evangelical opinions about the Antichrist impact how some Christians vote in elections. Did you know that Franklin D. Roosevelt received 666 votes at his 1932 Democratic Convention presidential primary? That occurrence was sufficient for many contemporary evangelical leaders to convince their congregants that a vote for FDR was a vote for the Antichrist. Even Republican legend Ronald Reagan was not immune to such an accusation – Ronald (6) Wilson (6) Reagan (6).
In 1932, two prominent American missionaries, Ralph and Edith Norton, toured Europe to assess the religious state of several of its countries. They eventually arrived in Italy where they had the unique opportunity to interview prime minister Benito Mussolini. In their evangelical religious studies, the Nortons had come to believe that the Bible taught of a future Antichrist who would come to power through a resurrected Roman Empire (Dan. 2:31-35, 7:7-8, Rev. 13:1-2). Consequently, they asked Mussolini, “Do you intend to reconstitute the Roman Empire?”
As they proceeded to explain their understanding of biblical prophecy, Mussolini displayed surprise at their insinuation, inquiring as to where the Bible made such a prediction. And “in one of the great ironies of fundamentalist history, by the time the Nortons had finished with Mussolini, he apparently believed – and maybe even hoped – that he was the long-awaited world dictator, the antichrist, prophesied in the book of Daniel.” What long-term effects did this have on the prime minister? We do not know. What we do know is that within a decade, he allied Italy with a political entity that would become responsible for the largest Jewish genocide in world history – Hitler’s Nazis.
What about David Koresh and the 1993 Waco, Texas compound massacre? That cult was borne out of a one man’s obsession with what he believed to be a future narrative in the book of Revelation, into which he placed himself and convinced his followers that the “end of days” was upon them. Eighty-two people were killed in a standoff with law enforcement. All because people do whatever they want with the Bible.
So, what am I doing with all this? These examples comprise the tip of the iceberg regarding the absolute devastation that some of the church’s “end-times” teachings have produced on society and culture. Manipulation, defeatism, demonization – death. I’m sorry.
And all of it predicated upon one foundational concept: that Jesus is coming back very soon to judge mankind while God the Father destroys everything around you. So, they say, “you better hurry and ask Him into your heart.”
Fortunately, there is biblical resolution to stopping all these false concepts. Are you ready?
I believe Jesus Christ already came back. It’s been accomplished. I’m serious.
And if He has already returned, then all of this “end-times” nonsense goes away and instead of Christians yearning desperately to leave this world behind, they can begin to truly live as He lived.
Respectfully…
ZDB