End Times Craziness (Part 1)

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ, based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said, �But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

In short, if you like smooth, watered-down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn�t for you. By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we�re called by the Divine Trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King.

Here�s our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth. Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry.

End Times Mania and a God-Centered Approach to Eschatology

Mike Abendroth here. It is time for me to predict the end of the world. I know I try to do what I can theologically in a conservative way, but the times they are a-changing. So, therefore, I predict, with high degrees of certainty, that the Lord Jesus Christ will return on.

Oh, what would prompt someone to do that? I have no idea. Anyway, my name is Mike Abendroth. We are talking about end times mania, and we are specifically talking about the importance of thinking in a God-centered way when it comes to the end times.

End times eschatology, a word about the last days, or about the last, the eschaton. And we�re trying to say to ourselves, �Selves, why are you so fixed on a date when we could never figure that out anyway

�Why shouldn�t we honor the Lord while we�re here on earth, and let�s think in a God-centered fashion That�s what we�re after. And so, on No Compromise Radio, last time, we talked a little bit about Matt Chandler, and then we did a hard break and a segue into 2 Peter chapter 3, and thinking about end times properly.

I know many of you, the eight that listen, you want me to probably talk a lot about eschatology and am I pre-mill, post-mill, ah-mill, pen-mill, pro-mill, or run-of-the-mill? I just made that one up, and I think it�s pretty funny.

I have to use that again. Well, I can say that what I used to be, I could probably say that, but I�m not really into let�s do a bunch of end-time stuff and just figure it out at the moment. So, I�m not trying to do that, but I am trying to think about the eschatological ramifications in an ethical sphere.

In other words, how do I live in light of the Lord�s return? We know He�s promised a return, and the angels have said in Acts chapter 1, the way you see Him going up, He�s going to come back. God keeps His word.

I�m not assuming for one second that He�s slack concerning His promises, as some count slackness, but He�s going to come back. And therefore, as I study the scriptures, it�s important for me to understand who God is and remember who He is so that I respond rightly.

Because it can�t just be, �When�s He coming back And it also can�t just be, �Hmm, He�s coming back, and we should do something about it. It has to be driven by the person and work of the triune God, otherwise it just turns into kind of like busy work, right?

It�s just kind of law only. Lloyd-Jones said, �We have seen that in this world we are confronted by two possible positions. We can either accept the ideas of men and their philosophies, their attempts to understand history and to explain history and to forecast the future of the world.

We can either do that or else we can believe that the Bible is the Word of God, that these prophets to whom Peter refers and these apostles were men specially chosen by God, given by Him a message and an understanding beyond human reason, and that here in this book we have God�s account of the world and history.

We must be in one of those two positions. That is the argument that Peter is working out. And you should remember how in doing so he takes past history and shows how the scoffers are utterly mistaken.

He points out how there have always been such people, before the flood and before Sodom and Gomorrah. How confident and arrogant and assured they always are. But they have been proven wrong, not only by what has happened, but also by the way in which God has finally acted after a long delay.

Peter ended on that great note by reminding them of the power of God, Lloyd-Jones� expository sermons on 2 Peter. And that, by the way, is probably the best commentary on 2 Peter. It�s basically expositions, but there�s good data in there.

And if I were to have only one commentary for the book of 2 Peter, it�d probably be that. I mean, I might want something a little more detailed with some more exegetical data, but in terms of insights, especially for homiletical reasons, I pick 2 Peter, Banner of Truth, from his lectures.

Here�s what Lloyd-Jones is saying. You�ve got two options. You can either believe the people that are running their mouths, and they can be scientists and smart people, but you can either believe them with the element of atheism and scoffing and agnosticism bubbling and boiling through their veins, or you can believe the Bible.

And the Bible is using history of the world to show that God intervenes. They, the false teachers, think they have an omniscient view of history, and yet they totally forget Sodom and Gomorrah, judgment.

They forget Noah, judgment. They forget all the judgment that�s in the Bible, and you know, that�s a big deal that God judges. And even if we don�t understand every little detail in the Bible, we submit to it.

We can�t know the nature of God for who He is. The only way we know Him is with a level of veiled, cloaked, accommodation, baby talk that is, you know, Scripture, because if God were to just, you know, totally reveal Himself, we couldn�t understand.

What Peter wants is, Peter wants the readers, including you, including me, is to think biblically about the end times. So don�t get caught up in all the �whens� and �is God really going to Those kind of questions, but to focus on the nature of God and who He is.

There�s obviously been a delay in the sense that we�ve been waiting for quite some time, and you�re either going to use that delay for optimism or pessimism. Pessimism would be, �Well, you know, maybe full Preterism is right, and He really came back in 70 AD.

Maybe it didn�t really matter. Maybe I need an excuse to go do some sins, and therefore I�ll do that. Whatever it might be. Or the option is, well, there�s a reason for His delay, and if you look at God�s nature, His character, His essence, His attributes, His promises, His Word, that will help us because we�ll think from God�s point of view.

And that�s really what we want to do with this section in 2 Peter 3. End times. Who, not when. All the charts and graphs, Steffi Graphs, all the charts and graphs we don�t need. In front of me, I�m kind of having a hard day today, and in front of me I have a monster drink.

It�s called Monster Energy Ultra Paradise, and it�s green. So the main reason I bought it was it has a lot of sodium in it. The main reason I bought it is because zero calories, and if it was green, kind of like Mountain Dew, that was the taste that I was looking for.

Mountain Dew. Do you know what? In diet Mountain Dew, there�s still some calories because I think there�s some of those chemicals have a lot of calories. End times. Who, not when. God�s perspective, God�s patience, God�s promises, and God�s people.

If I were going to be an alliterator, that�s what I would say. God�s perspective, God�s patience, God�s promises, and God�s people. I�m not so concerned about the time exactly. These seem like they could be the times.

I�m not waiting for anything else in God�s calendar, but I want to make sure I don�t buy into the scoffers. Will he ever come back? Will, today on No Compromise Radio, we�re going to talk about a God-centered perspective when it comes to end times.

And that�s really verse 8 of 2 Peter 3, God�s perspective. You might see things as chaotic, as unbridled, as frantic, as uncontrollable, as just total nightmarish, but is God seeing the world that exact same way?

He sees chaos, yes, but things are going according to plan. Do not overlook this one fact, beloved, 2 Peter 3, 8, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. And so you say, you know what, he�s waiting, he�s waiting, he�s waiting, he�s delaying, he�s delaying, he�s delaying, and maybe that�s affecting the way I think about this whole deal here.

Remember Psalm 90, verse 4, and that�s where Peter is pulling from, �For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has gone by, or like a watch in the night. The false teachers are saying things.

What does the psalmist say? There�s a perspective on things. You want the scoffer�s perspective, or do you want the psalmist�s perspective? Do you want David�s perspective? Do you want God�s perspective?

If God promised something a billion years ago, would he fulfill it? A million, would he fulfill it? A hundred thousand years ago, would he fulfill it? Does it really matter to you when God said something, how long ago it was?

He�s going to fulfill that, so you don�t want to overlook that. Now Peter, he didn�t say, �One day is a thousand, and a thousand years are one day. That just is not going to make any sense, right? That�s an illogical thing.

But because he doesn�t fit in our timeframe, because God hasn�t done what we think he should do earlier than what he�s doing, is that going to affect the promises of God? Don�t overlook that, you know, there�s a time appointed by the Lord.

And I read a commentary and it said, �They were to raise upward their eyes, for by so doing they would not limit by their unreasonable wishes the time appointed by the Lord. For waiting seems very long in this account, because we have our eyes fixed on the shortness of the present life, and we also increase weariness by computing days, hours, and minutes.

But when the eternity of God�s kingdom comes to our minds, many ages vanish away like so many moments. Impatience, right? We are an impatient people. I don�t want to be impatient, but we are. Scoffers forget things.

Scoffers purposely forget things. Scoffers scoff because they want to live sinful, fleshly lives. But even if I went to the Bible and said, �A thousand years in your sight are like a day. God�s eternal.

The eternal nature of God, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God. That�s Psalm 90, verse 2. Later on in the Psalm, Psalm 90, �You sweep away men in the sleep of death. I mean, we are frail. We�re but a breath.

We�re but a vapor, to use James 4 language. We are just temporary, transients of human life, and God�s eternal. And what the psalmist does is say, �Look it. Here�s God. He�s eternal. Now look at your life.

See how short it is. Now we�re going to take that difference and say, �Well, you don�t operate on my timetable. No, I mean, there are some places that we just, we ought not to go past. There�s a line in the sand where we just, we just should stay on our side of the line.

God has told us through Peter, �Don�t overlook these things. Time goes on, and that affects his essence? No. Time goes on, that affects his promises? No. Time goes on, and it�s like a thousand years, but to God, I mean, from God�s perspective, it�s just language of accommodation.

It�s like a day. This is not, you know, going to be used for calculating, you know, one day in Genesis is really a thousand years, and it�s 6 ,000 years instead of six days that God made the world, or, you know, that�s not where we�re going.

We don�t want to do that, but we don�t want to overlook things. That�s a present imperative. Don�t overlook. Never overlook. And if you are overlooking, don�t let this thing escape your mind. Might escape, might sneak out, might have other things that are more pressing, more important in your belief system, you may think.

Is Jesus trustworthy? He said he�s coming back. A day? A thousand years? A billion years? Oh, oh, uh, my time schedule, you�re not back quite yet. You�re not quite back the way when I want you to get back.

I like this. God has a relationship to time in the sense that he thinks about the Incarnation, uh, but his timetable is different. You know, by essence, the eternal nature of God, he would be above time, but he, he, he acts in time.

He definitely acts in time. He, he created the world, Incarnation, second coming, he acts in time. No matter what the pundits say, or the politicians, or religious leaders, or pastors, or bloggers, or polls, we walk by faith and not by sight.

Thinking about the end times from God�s perspective. God can do all things, and we know that no purpose of his will can be thwarted. That�s Job 42. God�s perspective on this is arranged in such a fashion that you don�t have to worry.

Um, sparrows, two of those are sold for a penny and not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father, Jesus said, but even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fair not, therefore, you are more valuable than the sparrows.

Get something so tiny and so insignificant, not even really valuable at all, but you�re a child of God. He, he cares for you. Will he ever come back? The question isn�t when will he come back? He will, but have God�s perspective on that.

Have the right timeframe. In addition, God�s patience, God�s patience. Jesus hasn�t returned yet. Is it because he�s senile, uh, kind of hard to run the universe, so he�s kind of forgetting a few things?

Maybe he said he�s just, but he�s not really. Maybe he said he�s faithful, but maybe he doesn�t have enough power to really pull it off. God is patient. God is long-suffering. And the reason why he hasn�t returned yet is because he�s patient and long-suffering.

2 Peter 3, 9. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. Lots of argument in this verse.

People want to argue about the atonement, and two different words for the will of God, and Arminian Calvinistic stuff, and universalism, variety of things. If I just cut to the chase and tell you that here�s what�s going on.

Let�s put it this way. God�s patient in his delay. And let�s say, for the sake of argument, for my life, I got saved 31 years ago. What if the Lord Jesus returned 32 years ago? What would have been my lot in life and everlasting life?

Looking back at it now, I�m so thankful he waited. I�m so thankful he was patient, because there are unbelievers, unregenerate people, that the Son has been given by the Father in eternity past to go die for.

And those elect people will come to faith. You want to know why Jesus hasn�t come back yet? It�s not because he�s unfaithful. It�s not because he�s unjust. It�s not because his scoffers are true. It�s because he�s patient, and he is bringing in the unregenerate elect.

As the Spirit of God makes them alive and gives them faith, he�s being patient. That�s so good, isn�t it? Aren�t you glad he waited for you? Well, once the last person believes, the final person believes, the final elect person comes to faith, then he�ll return.

But in the meantime, he�s patient. And that�s the point of 2 Peter 3, verse 9. Before you look at all the other details and argue about things, more and more as I study the Scripture, sometimes I turn a passage that�s debated a lot into something that�s not really meant to be debated.

I mean, let me rephrase that. The point of this passage shouldn�t be debated because it�s clear, but we want to make it into some kind of, you know, football that we go back and forth on and punt and kick and do all kinds of other things.

You say, well, it is somewhat related based on your interpretation. Okay, I get that. But the big point is, God is righteous. He�s not slack. He�s not morally slack. He�s not ethically slack. He is waiting because He�s patient.

And that doesn�t mean He�s just folding arms and waiting, but He�s, from our perspective, He�s waiting. And of course, the Spirit of God, He is doing all kinds of work in the people, but I�m glad He�s patient toward people.

The long-suffering of God. You know, we talk about God�s wisdom, God�s power, God�s holiness, and we think how great that is. But Pink is right. The long-suffering of God is as much of one of the divine perfections as His wisdom, power, or holiness, and as much to be admired and revered by us.

Stephen Charnock. It is part of the divine goodness and mercy, yet differs from both. God, being the greatest goodness, has the greatest mildness. Mildness is always a companion of true goodness, and the greater the goodness, the greater the mildness.

Who so holy is Christ, and who so meek? God�s slowness to anger is a branch of His mercy. The Lord is full of compassion, slow to anger. It differs from mercy in the formal consideration of the subject.

Mercy respects the creature as miserable. Patience respects the creature as criminal. Mercy pities him in his misery. Patience bears with the sin which engendered the misery, giving birth to more. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power.

Kind of unlike a lot of people these days, they�re quick to anger, and they don�t like to forgive. And yet God is slow to anger and a God who forgives. This passage in 2 Peter 3 verse 9 does not teach universalism.

It doesn�t teach that God can�t get His way. It doesn�t teach that God can be thwarted by free will. That�s not the point. The point is, why hasn�t God come back yet? Answer, He�s patient. He�s being patient.

I mean, what�s the option? Sons of Thunder? Hey, these people, we should be raining down fire on their heads, Jesus. No, that�s not what we�re going to do. Yeah, but God�s late. He�s never late. God�s indifferent.

He�s not indifferent. He�s slack. He�s not slack. He�s whatever. No. There�s a promise. The promise is, God�s going to rescue all His people. And here Habakkuk 2, 3 is probably referenced. For still the vision awaits its appointed time.

It hastens to the end. It will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it. It will surely come. It will not delay. Isaiah 13, verse 22,. �Indeed, the Lord will not delay, and like a warrior will not be patient until he crushes the loins of the unmerciful.

Plutarch, he was an Epicurean. He said, �The delay and procrastination of the deity in punishing the wicked appears to me the most telling argument by far of, you know, God�s not in charge. Anyway, my name is Mike Abendroth.

This is No Compromise Radio. God has perspective on your life and on your wife and on world history and your husband and on the return of Christ and God�s patient. Aren�t you glad for both of those? I am Mike Abendroth, No Compromise Radio.

Ministry Sign-Off and Church Information

No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible-teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life-transforming power of God�s Word through verse-by-verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 1015 and in the evening at 6. We�re right on Route 110 in West Boylston. You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.