Purpose

Bible Studies for those who love the Word or want to discover more.

Saturday, August 2, 2025

The End Times - It's Not About You, Christian!

 

There’s a lot of talk about end times lately. When the world is in turmoil many people begin to think about such things. Harold Raser traced several impactful shifts in theology and Christian foci on the Second Coming.

      In the 16th- and 17th-century Europe, a series of social, political, economic, and religious upheavals (the Reformation included) turned that part of the world upside down. In this environment, Christians began once again to seriously entertain the idea that Christ’s return might be very near.

      The Enlightenment (late 17th century and 18th century) stressed rationality, the central role of scientific inquiry in human knowledge, and the continuous progress of humanity. When that work was complete, Christ would return to claim His kingdom, raise the dead, judge the world, and bring human history to its consummation.

      The late 19th and early 20th centuries there were social upheavals in many parts of the world, devastating wars, economic depressions, growing religious indifference, and many other ills. They yearned for Christ to return—and soon. This hope for the imminent return of Christ strengthened throughout the 20th century and continues to be popular in the 21st century.[1]

 

In our current world situation, minds often turn to Christ’s return. Is it imminent? When will it arrive? Where will I be in the mix? In light of Jesus declaring that no one knows the date and time of his return, why do some Christians still declare or venture guesses at the dates? (Matthew 24:36-44)

 

So many Christians have been caught up in the fear, anxiety and sometimes outright hysteria of this that they have left homes and property, gone off to remote places or high mountains to be nearer to the event, or have left off the basic practices of Christian living consumed by the anticipation or becoming disillusioned. Whole churches and Christian communities have been caught up in predictions or disillusionment that Christ has not yet returned. One set of churches many years ago experienced this and we have Biblical documentation of the strife as well as guidance for how to live as Christians while in the time of waiting for Christ’s return.

 

The Apostle Peter had preached for many years and helped to establish churches after Christ’s return to heaven (Acts 1). He wrote the letters preserved in the New Testament at a particularly brutal time—the time of the Roman ruler Nero’s reign. “Nero was the fifth Roman emperor (54–68 ce), stepson and heir of the emperor Claudius. He became infamous for his personal debaucheries and extravagances and, on doubtful evidence, for his burning of Rome and persecutions of Christians.”[2] History tells us that he used to arrest, torture and burn Christians alive. What kind of responses to these events do you imagine were happening in churches in the area?

 

In 1 and 2 Peter we see a clear set of responses. Peter wrote circular letters to churches in these desperate times. 1 Peter 1:1 “To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia…” This is what we know today as modern Turkey. 1 Peter is full of praise to God, celebration of new birth through Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection, their identity rooted in relationship with Jesus Christ, and instructions on how to live in a culture such as that in which they lived. Peter admonished them to continue to live holy lives. 1 Peter 2:11-12 reads, “Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” There must have been incredible pressures on them for Peter to write with ardent words. He goes on with such words in 4:12-19.

 

12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And,“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

 

19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

 

That was from Peter’s first letter. There were clearly external threats to these Christians. But, even worse, there developed internal threats. Moving into 2 Peter we see some very disturbing things. But Peter first starts with again declaring their identity found in Jesus Christ, the promises that exist for all who believe, and the urging toward godly lives.

 

2 Peter 1: 3-11

 

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

 

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

 

10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

I have clung to verse 3 for many years. This verse alone has helped me through times of doubt and trouble. I believe that God has given me everything I need for life as I know it right now. If we hold to this belief, it can help us to endure, and even thrive, during difficult times. It is possible to live a Christian life in the face of persecution and great trouble—even if we feel we know so little.

 

Then Peter admonishes them to add to their Christian lives in spite of the trouble. This admonishment is one of the keys to surviving spiritual and physical trouble. The Christian life is far more than just survival! Because of the Living Hope, we can rise above and keep learning and growing. If we turn our minds and hearts and efforts toward Christian growth, that can pull our eyes off of the trouble and onto the One who saves us out of that trouble. There are some remarkable stories of Christians throughout history who have shone brightly even in the moments of their martyrdom.

 

But the internal trouble in these churches had not yet been addressed by the Apostle Peter. In Chapter 2 that is revealed.

 

2 Peter 2:1-3

 

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

 

It is here revealed that there were snakes and wolves ravaging these churches. Peter had just described the power and reliability of the prophets’ words in the Old Testament and Jesus Christ as well as the authenticity of his own, and the other Apostle’s, participation in the continued message empowered by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:12-21). But during this time of great persecution, it must have become easier to listen to false prophets among them.

 

False prophets have motives that are not godly. They either want your money, or your bodies, or your property or your powerlessness to defeat the Light. They are of Satan and his willing actors. Peter describes them this way.

 

2 Peter 2:10-12  

 

10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.

 

Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord. 12 But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.

 

Keep reading the rest of chapter 2 for unnerving descriptions of people bound to destruction. Nero-esque? Indeed! Oh, how can anyone survive such people?

 

Peter instructs these dear Christian sisters and brothers to shift their focus off of the wicked among them to the Savior of the world. God has given us powerful minds and wills. If we keep them engaged and focused on the right things, the Holy Spirit will empower us to thrive. This focus can help us to discern error and heresy and raise our eyes to the reality of the Second Coming.

 

So many times our suffering causes us to turn inward, focus on our pain, defend ourselves against those who would tear us to pieces or cause us to just give up. But do not give up, my friends there is a Day of the Lord! Here is how Peter teaches us to do this from 2 Peter.

 

2 Peter 3:1-2

Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

 

There is a deliberate act of the will, mind and heart to turn away from the unwholesome and disturbing thinking. This is far more than just “emptying our minds” as other religions teach. This is filling our minds so full of God’s truth that error and heresy have no room to rest or abide. We have a strong legacy with God’s Word and his witnesses that cannot be quenched if we choose to think on them, recall them and rejoice in them.

 

2 Peter 3:3-7

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

 

Oh, how I wish scoffers did not exist! Our spiritual lives would be so much easier. The contemptuous, ridiculing and mocking that try to drive darts of doubt into our minds are constantly set against us. If we let them get to us, lead us to deliberately set our beliefs aside, or forget that we have the power of the Holy Spirit to resist, then our lives with Christ will be lost and we will become hopeless.

 

But we have hope—we always have hope because of who God is! Peter describes the unquenchable power of God as Creator and Judge. One of the greatest temptations as we wait on the Lord’s return is to believe that it won’t happen because it hasn’t happened yet. God has demonstrated his presence and power from before the Creation of the world. That power is undeterred and unfettered. On this we can rely. Peter relied on it.

 

2 Peter 3:8-10

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

 

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

 

Peter speaks directly to the effrontery of the scoffers in these churches. Who were they to question God and his promises?! How little they knew about him, or greater still, how little they regarded him and his legacy of deliverance and grace. Peter makes sure that the Christians under such attacks need to look beyond what is known of human time and the present world to the everlasting power and love of God. We are so time-bound. This is why the prophecies about the end times that include the changes to the sun and moon that mark our daily lives are so deeply disturbing. But, if that is all we focus on, all that we believe is real, then we are missing the greater truth and are at risk of falling into disillusionment, despair and debauchery.

 

Verse 9 is one of the greatest verses about the character and purposes of God. When we wrestle with the timing of his return, when we become discouraged because our lives are so disrupted and the persecutions are so painful, we must turn our hearts to the reality that it’s not all about us, Christians. You see, God is holding out for salvation. He wants more and more people to come to him, to find him trustworthy, powerful to deliver them, and gracious to receive them. What the scoffers do not know is that God loves them despite their sin. He loves them through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He loves them and longs for them so much so that he is willing to allow us to suffer some so that they have a chance.

 

It feels unfair, doesn’t it? Why should my suffering be to their advantage? Why should what they have done to us be endured? Why? Why? Why? Because God wants to embrace them with his wonderful grace, just as we have been embraced. Even false prophets and the wicked can be saved!

 

Remember what Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:12? “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” For the salvation of others, Peter shifts our gaze from this present world to the new world.

 

2 Peter 3:11-13

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

 

Peter imbues his message with hope and joy. Yes, there will be destruction. Yes, there will be judgment. Yes, there will be the dissolution of all that we presently know. And, yes, yes, yes there will be fulfillment of God’s promise!

 

Then how do we live today? We live toward God with the knowledge that he wants to save as many people as possible. And maybe, just maybe, that’s because we live Christian lives as witnesses to God’s great power and promises.

 

2 Peter 3:14

1So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

 

Amen

 

© M.R.Hyde 2025


[1] Illustrated Bible Life, Summer 2025, The Foundry Publishing, Kansas City, MO, 2025.

Saturday, July 5, 2025

A Theology of Work

 

We can have a theology of work. What is theology? It is the study of the nature of God and religious belief. In today’s Bible study we’ll explore both the work of God and the work he has given to us to do. Out of that let’s take the challenge to explore how you view work, your work and what God has for you to do at each stage of your life in a fulfilling and satisfying purpose.

 

What is work? The dictionary defines it as activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result. Christian Scripture and theology teach us the that God is Spirit except for in the Person of Jesus Christ at during the time of his incarnation. So, we need to start thinking about God’s work not necessarily as corporeal, but absolutely and supremely powerful. The book of Genesis reveals the creative work of God in two versions. The use of the Hebrew word work in relation to God is a different word than when the Bible talks about the work commissioned by God for humans, but it has similar meanings: do, labor, effort, etc. Genesis 1:1-2:3 and 2:4-25 describe God’s work in the beginning. We won’t be spending time on the theologies of Creationism, the Big Bang Theory, or Darwinism or any other theories. That’s for another time. For today, we need to come to terms with the fact that God works. The reality that God works is from the beginning of time. In our day we are aware of the great discoveries of multiple galaxies by means of phenomenal telescopes. It is truly awe-inspiring to think of God creating all of these—for we as Christians believe that God is the Creator of all things. The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 1:16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. This is an apt summary of the magnificence of God’s great creative power. It is in Genesis 2:2-3 the we can see that Scripture defines those creative acts as work.

 

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”

 

Many centuries later the Apostle John wrote about this as well in his Gospel account—John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

 

Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the incarnate presence of God in our physical world. He came down to us to live among us and to work. That work included his sacrificial death and resurrection so that we could be saved, and now is present with the Father in Heaven. Jesus said in John 4:34 My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Here Jesus confirms his one-ship with the Father and God’s work. In John 9:4 Jesus said, I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. Here we see how Jesus was compelled to do his work and we read throughout the Gospels how profoundly active he was.

 

Jesus also described the work of the Holy Spirit. In John 16 he forecast the coming of the Holy Spirit for new believers. Verse 13 provides a summary statement of that work: When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

 

There are many other Scriptures the declare and define the work of the Trinity. So, I challenge you to find those in your own Bible study. Because we are created in the image of God, why do we and should we work?

 

Let’s return to the definition of work. The dictionary defines it as activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result. In Genesis the Hebrew word for work related to human beings encompasses to serve, worship, do, minister, labor, farm, effort, and more. In Genesis 2:15 we read: The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. The foundation of a theology of work is that God has given work for us to do.

 

That work can include paid and unpaid, hired or independent, parenting, praying, volunteering and more. We cannot simply define work as that for which we are paid—as Jesus was never paid, and I rather doubt the Creator was doing that work for financial enrichment. Work, then, can be anything that God has for us to do and that which produces good for the world. Whether that’s an elderly person who really can only pray from their sickbed or someone who runs a company or a student studying to develop their work or someone volunteering in a homeless shelter—all of us have work to do.

 

Pause for a moment and think about times in your life that your work was most fulfilling and gave you a sense of purpose. That fulfillment and purpose was in you by the design of the Creator. Be thankful!

 

Other places in the Bible have guidance and direction for both the industrious and the lazy. When we talk about work, we also have to consider the concepts of laziness, cheating and sloth—all of which are the opposite of God’s good work for us.

 

Proverbs 6:6-11 has some interesting thoughts on a theology of work.  

 

Go to the ant, you sluggard;
    consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
    no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
    and gathers its food at harvest.

How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
    When will you get up from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest—
and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.

 

This Scriptures says go to the ant, so let’s do that by considering one particular kind of ant—the Leaf Cutter.[i] Scientists believe that these Western hemisphere ants have been doing 50 million years of fungi farming for their food. There are a Large variety of ant sizes in one colony for different functions—each is important to the health of the farm. One type of ant actually does the cutting of leaves, but is not large enough to carry its cutting back to the colony, so it rides the leaf that is being carried by the carrier ants. Once back in the colony the leaf is used to grow fungi that feeds the entire colony. There are ants with a wide different jobs (including cleaning and attending to the queen), often some of them swap jobs, and some are equipped with the different body parts required to do their work. The important thing to understand about an ant colony: 1) each ant is an integral part of the work of the whole and 2) they do far more than just take care of themselves. Researchers have discovered that:

      Leaf-cutting ants are "ecosystem engineers" because their actions significantly alter the physical and chemical environment,

      impacting nutrient cycling,

      soil structure,

      plant growth, and

      ultimately, contributing to the health and complexity of the ecosystem.[ii]

 

If God has given ants such important work, how are we to approach the work that we are given? Colossians 3:23-24 reads: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

 

There are other places in Scripture that we can see guidance for the slothful or lazy that also helps us to understand a theology of work.

 

Ecclesiastes 11:6

Sow your seed in the morning,
    and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
    whether this or that,
    or whether both will do equally well.

 

Now this does not mean that we burn the candle at both ends, never resting, and never ceasing from work. For if we do that, we are doing things contrary to God’s command to take one full day of rest a week (Exodus 20:8-11). What the writer in Ecclesiastes seems to be saying is that there can be good that can be done through all of our work whatever the nature of that work is. God can bless us with fulfillment and purpose despite our circumstances. Genesis 39:2-3 demonstrates this in one who was diligent in prison, in freedom and for others. The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did... What if we saw God at work through us even through difficult circumstances or a job that is needful but boring? Or what if we gained new enthusiasm for our work or volunteering because we know that God can be glorified and pointed to because of our work?

 

There are other times when we need to reaffirm or take hold of a theology of work. In I Timothy 5:3-16 the Apostle Paul gave wisdom and guidance to a young pastor who had some people in his flock not doing their part and taking advantage of a support system in the church designed for those without proper support. These letters were for a specific occasion and time in a church in history, but the addressing of laziness is demonstrated. As you read this, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in addressing points of laziness in your own life or gaining wisdom on how to deal with lazy people. In this also not the spiritual damage that comes from not engaging in the work God has for us to do.

 

 Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame. Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

 

No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, 10 and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.

 

11 As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. 12 Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. 13 Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to. 14 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. 15 Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.

 

16 If any woman who is a believer has widows in her care, she should continue to help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.

 

So we have been given a brief theology of work. May we be challenged today by the Holy Spirit to be like God the Father and God the Son always busy with their work.

 

Respond to these questions:

·         When we are faithful to God in our work, how does God bless us?

·         Where do you find purpose and fulfillment in doing something that will help others?

 

Amen

 

© M.R.Hyde 2025