Predicting the Return of Jesus Christ.

The following is a small portion of the final sermon delivered by Edmund Calamy the Elder on the 28th of December, 1662, with the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament as an allusion to Christians and God's timing:

"We must not pry into the ark. This was the sin of the men of Bethshemesh. 'They looked into the ark, and God smote them, and cut off fifty thousand and three-score and ten men' (I Sam. 6:19). Be not too curious in searching where God has not discovered or revealed. For example, there are great thoughts of heart as to when God will deliver his people and set his churches at liberty; and many men talk much of the year 1666. Some say that shall be the year in which antichrist shall be destroyed. And there are strange impressions upon the hearts of many learned men as to that year. Some go to the year 1669, and others pitch upon other times. But truly, if you will have my judgment, and I am glad of the is opportunity to tell you, this is to pry too much into the ark. Remember the text, 'It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power' (Acts 1:7). And thus to fasten upon any particular time, if you find you are deceived, this is the way to make you atheists, and thus afterwards you will believe nothing. Those ministers do no service, or rather ill service, to the church of God that fix upon the times and seasons."
- "Trembling for the Ark of God," from Sermons of the Great Ejection, The Banner of Truth Trust. New revised and reset edition 2012, p. 25.

I find it fascinating that Calamy notes that fixing upon the date of the Lord's return results in men feeling deceived, and makes them into atheists, believing nothing. This reminds me of the Apostle Peter's prophecy, "...that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, 'Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the father fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.." (II Peter 3: 3-4, ESV). Unfulfilled predictions can lead to scoffing and unbelief.

Likewise, I am fascinated that people predicted the date of the Lord's return in the 17th century just as many do in contemporary times. Instead of focusing on dates, prophecy focuses on God fulfilling His plan. Events are predicted, and some have already occurred (e.g. the first advent of Jesus), but the time of final events is not specified. Indeed, the Apostle John said, "Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour." (I John 2:18, ESV). Notice, an antichrist is predicted to come, but there are already many antichrists in existence. Thus, with prophecy, the end event is preceded by similar events. This has been called "the already and not yet." Therefore, focusing on a date in the future neglects the current situation that resembles the final event. Likewise, confusing current events with the final events results in unfulfilled predictions, which as noted above, can lead to scoffing.

Rather than predicting the date of the Lord's coming, which will happen in His time (Revelations 22:20), we must pay attention to Jesus' words: "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes" (Matthew 24: 45-46). We are told of Jesus second coming so we will understand that the work He has given us to accomplish while we are alive on this earth has meaning and purpose, not so that we will make predictions which can come close to divination ("There shall not be found among you....anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens...for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD..." Deuteronomy 18: 10 & 12 (ESV); see also Isaiah 8:19 and Daniel 2:27-28). Our work has purpose in God's plan, and according to His plan, this world will pass away and be replaced by the new heaven and new earth one day when Jesus returns (see Revelation 21:1-8). In the meantime, our work does not involve prying into the ark, metaphorically.

[Edmund Calamy the Elder was an English Presbyterian and a member of the Westminster Assembly of Divines in the 17th century who sought to reform the Church of England]

The Older Son and the Laodicean Attitude.

Every now and then The New York Times has a special article about Christianity. David Brooks has written one in an Op Ed piece entitled, "The Prodigal Sons," and references Tim Keller. If you have not read Keller's book, The Prodigal God, do read Brooks' article, and then I encourage you to get a copy of Keller's book and read it. 

In his Op Ed article, Brooks notes how the attitudes of the prodigal son and his older brother are both seen in American society today, especially in our political culture. This is an excellent article with keen insight into problems in American culture, today.

In my view, too many modern American Evangelical churches are characterized both by the attitude of the older brother in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son, and also by the attitude of the Laodiceans as described in Revelations chapter 3 vs. 14-22. 

The older son's attitude was cold hearted and judgmental, assuming the blessings he had been given were earned by his good behavior. The younger son was the libertine who had no desire for a relationship with his father until he was at the mercy of the consequences of the way he lived his life.


In my view, the attitude of the Laodicean church in Revelations chapter 3 church parallels the attitude of the older brother in many ways. Notice, Jesus does not mention any theological problems concerning the teaching in this church, nor does He mention any specific moral, ethical problems. Of the seven messages to the churches in Revelations chapters 2-3, only Smyrna, the persecuted church, is spared a warning from Jesus. Indeed, Jesus mentions both good and bad things about each of the other churches...except of Laodicea! Jesus has nothing good to say about this church. 

Laodicea is certainly a church made up of believing Christians because it is represented by a lamp stand/candlestick with the other churches in the vision John writes down. Yet, Jesus stands at the door this theologically correct and ethical church, and He knocks to enter in and have fellowship with these Christians (vs. 20). Indeed, this is the only church among the seven in this scripture passage that makes Jesus want to throw up (literally, to "vomit"; see vs.15-16). 

Many of us are spiritually hurting. The "older brothers" shun us in our churches, and the "younger brothers" are no better off then we are in society. So where do we go?

We need to go to the Father through Jesus, and "we" means both older brothers and sisters and younger brothers and sisters; those in churches and those outside these churches. Then we need to meet together regularly as a body of broken people being healed by Jesus. For this type of church to exist, it needs a spiritual leader, specifically a missionary pastor who sees his calling as a mission from God, rather than a "womb-to-tomb" profession (more on this in an upcoming post). These are rare leaders, though. May God raise up such leaders from among us.

"Have a better heart, good sir, for I assure you nobody can rob you of your God, but by your own consent, nor spoil you of any of the articles of your faith. If you look for them, where God has placed them, in the holy scripture, and take them as he has framed and fashioned them there; there you will always find them safe and sound. But if they come out of an artificer’s shop, and be of human invention, I cannot answer for them: they may, for aught I know, be nothing but an idol of your own setting up, which may be pulled down, should you cry out ever so much, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”"

- John Locke, "A Second Vindication of the Reasonableness of Christianity." The Works of John Locke: The Two Treatises of Civil Government, On Human Understanding, Elements of Natural Philosophy, Of the Conduct of Understanding ... (Kindle Edition, Locations 48992-48996).

Partial Revelation

“No revelation can be other than partial. If for true revelation a man must be told all the truth, then farewell to revelation; yea, farewell to the sonship. For what revelation, other than a partial, can the highest spiritual condition receive of the infinite God? But it is not therefore untrue because it is partial.......Only, whatever it might reveal, if its nature were such as to preclude development and growth, thus chaining the man to its incompleteness, it would be but a false revelation fighting against all the divine laws of human existence. The true revelation rouses the desire to know more by the truth of its incompleteness.”

- George MacDonald. "The Consuming Fire," from Unspoken Sermons. iBooks. 

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Life is no series of chances with a few providences sprinkled between

“Life is no series of chances with a few providences sprinkled between to keep up a justly failing belief, but one providence of God; and the man shall not live long before life itself shall remind him, it may be in agony of soul, of that which he has forgotten.”

- George MacDonald, from "The Child in the Midst," in "Unspoken Sermons.” iBooks. 

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John Locke on Scripture...

"The holy scripture is to me, and always will be, the constant guide of my assent; and I shall always hearken to it, as containing infallible truth, relating to things of the highest concernment. And I wish I could say, there were no mysteries in it: I acknowledge there are to me, and I fear always will be. But where I want the evidence of things, there yet is ground enough for me to believe, because God has said it: and I shall presently condemn and quit any opinion of mine, as soon as I am shown that it is contrary to any revelation in the holy scripture."

- John Locke, in A Letter to the Right Reverend Edward, Lord Bishop of Worcester, from The Works of John Locke: The Two Treatises of Civil Government, On Human Understanding, Elements of Natural Philosophy, Of the Conduct of Understanding ... (Kindle Edition, Locations 72443-72447).

Treating things of God like questions of politics...

 The following quote seems to be very applicable to our world today in the United States:
"There are those today who treat religion like questions of politics, people who are colder than ice towards the things of God, yet more ardent than fire where their own interests are concerned."
- Theodore Beza in The Life of John Calvin, Evangelical Press, 1997, p. 140.

Contending for the truth.

"...we should contend earnestly for the truth, but we should first be sure that it is truth, or else we fight against God, who is the God of truth, and do the work of the devil, who is the father and propagator of lyes; and our zeal, though ever so warm, will not excuse us, for this is plainly prejudice."

- John Locke. Of the Conduct of the Understanding, in The Works of John Locke: The Two Treatises of Civil Government, On Human Understanding, Elements of Natural Philosophy, Of the Conduct of Understanding ... (Kindle edition, Locations 1446-1448).

“Culturally-Correct” or Called Church Lay Leaders

There is much written about leadership from both secular and religious viewpoints. Of what I have read, most of these books focus on the qualities of a leader, developing leaders, etc. Such books are certainly needed. However, I have not found much written about situations where it is wise not to choose a leader, especially lay leaders in churches.

Let's say there is a position open in your church for an elder or deacon. How often does that position go unfulfilled when you know of individuals in the church who could be elected or appointed to such a position? In my memory, I cannot remember a time in any church I have attended when such a position went unfilled.

This raises a significant issue: are such positions filled because the individual is spiritually qualified (see I Timothy 3:1-13), or are such positions filled because of culturally based qualifications (e.g. having the right social standing, the right occupation, influence, etc.), or because the individual is simply willing and available?

In my profession, university departments often conduct searches for qualified faculty. These credentials include having the appropriate degree and field specialty, ability to conduct research, ability to teach, and collegiality. Often a person with excellent credentials may apply for such a position, but not have the field specialty we need (for example, we need someone whose specialty is in Public Policy, but a candidate's specialty is in American Government). Other times, an individual may apply who lacks other qualities (e.g. ability to teach university students), thus indicating this candidate may not be successful if appointed to the faculty position. I have seen such cases where the department decided not to hire anyone because of such concerns. Usually, the faculty position is advertised again in the future.

This is critical because if someone is hired to a faculty position who is not qualified, he may not only lose his job in the future, but also cause the department to suffer in the meantime.

What about churches? The process for finding and appointing a pastor is different from identifying and appointing a lay leader in a church. Pastors can be called from within a congregation, or promoted from within a church. However, pastors are often called outside the church, while lay leaders are recruited from within the church body.

Therefore, unqualified pastors are often more obvious to the church because they stand out during the interview process, and thus are not hired to begin with, or can be removed after some time if appointed. Likewise, if a person is elected or appointed to a lay leader position and subsequently violates ethical standards, such individuals can be removed or disciplined. There are usually provisions for such situations.

However, what about a person who is elected or appointed to a lay leader position who is spiritually unqualified, and yet in all other ways is ethical and competent from a cultural standpoint (for example, he is a successful businessman, breaks no laws, does not cause problems in the church, etc.)? How often are such people removed from church leadership because they lack spiritual calling?

Spiritual leaders who take their spiritual calling seriously make mistakes and fail, but their direction in leadership continues towards the goal: Jesus Christ. To be like Him is their calling, and they take it seriously. It brings a sense of humility individually to all leaders who have this goal because they realize that all Christians fail daily in this calling. Therefore, such Christians find that they must live by grace (Galatians 3: 1-6).

Yet, lay leaders who are appointed based on culturally based criteria have no need for humility because they already fulfill the cultural standards daily. Therefore, on what basis would such a person be removed or disciplined? After all, these people are ethical and successful.

The point here is that it may be wiser and easier not to fill an open lay leader position than it would be to remove a spiritually unqualified lay leader (who is otherwise ethical) once elected or appointed. In such cases, I propose it is better to wait for the Lord to bring the right person for the position than to appoint a “culturally-correct” person who just does not have the Lord's calling.

This means it is critical for church leaders to review the criteria they use to select lay leaders. Not only should current church leaders review explicit criteria, but also implicit criteria that stems from the culture in which the church lives (Galatians 1:10). Are we looking for someone who has a spiritual calling, or a person who is successful in his or her occupation and will not "rock the boat." In other words, shouldn't we ask if the person has both the external calling of the church and the internal calling from the Lord?

What do you think?

A prayer appropriate for our times.

Edmund Calamy the Elder was an English Presbyterian leader and a member of the Westminster Assembly of Divines during the turbulent days of 17th century in England. After Charles II was restored to the throne, Calamy was forced from his pulpit, as were many other Christian ministers in England, on “Black Bartholomew's Day” in 1662 for not conforming to the government's edict regarding conformity to the state church. The following prayer, though several hundred years old, could be prayed today, modified for our own nation.

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Edmund Calamy's Prayer at Aldermanbury, 1662:

Oh most Holy, thou ever blessed Lord God, thou fillest heaven and earth with thy presence. We pray thee fill all our hearts with the presence of thy grace, and let it appear that thou art in the midst of us, with that powerful assistance of thy Spirit, that we may receive a token of love from thee at this time. It is a singular favour that the doors of thy sanctuary are open to us and that we might meet together in thy name. We pray thee continue it to us, and sanctify it to us, that every Sabbath may add to our stature in Jesus Christ.

Oh most Holy, thou ever blessed Lord God, thou fillest heaven and earth with thy presence. We pray thee fill all our hearts with the presence of thy grace, and let it appear that thou art in the midst of us, with that powerful assistance of thy Spirit, that we may receive a token of love from thee at this time. It is a singular favour that the doors of thy sanctuary are open to us and that we might meet together in thy name. We pray thee continue it to us, and sanctify it to us, that every Sabbath may add to our stature in Jesus Christ. 

We confess we have forfeited all our mercies; we have heard much of God, Christ and heaven with our ears, but there is little of God, Christ and heaven in our hearts. We confess, many of us by hearing sermons, are grown sermon-proof; we know how to scoff and mock at sermons, but we know not how to live sermons. 

It is a miracle of free grace thou hast not taken thy gospel from us ere this time, but thou art a merciful God, and though we cannot please thee, yet mercy pleases thee; and we have no argument to bring along with us to beg thy favour but thy mercy in Jesus Christ. We pray thee that thou wilt glorify thy sovereignty, in being gracious to us, and pardon our many and great transgressions. 

Thou makest use of the malice of men for thy glory; thou killest Goliath with his own sword. Oh, help us to put our trust in thee, thou that canst kill, and cure by killing. 

Bless these nations of England, Scotland and Ireland, and find out yet a way to save us. Pour down thy blessing upon the head and heart of our sovereign, Charles, by thy grace, King of Great Britain. Thou hast done great things for him; let him do great things for thee. Bless him in his royal consort, in his royal relations, in his council; bless the magistrates and ministers of this realm. 

Lord, forgive us, for we live as if we had been delivered to work wickedness. We cannot sin at so cheap a rate as others do. We pray thee humble us under our great and grievous sins. Give us repentance unto salvation and a lively faith through the blood of Jesus Christ. Quicken our graces, forgive our sins, make alive our souls. Let us be such as thou wilt have us to be. Make us Christians not only by outward profession, but an inward heart-experience, that we may live in heaven while we are on earth and come to heaven when we shall leave the earth. 

To that purpose bless thy Word unto us at this time, and give us all grace to make conscience of what we hear and how we hear; and all for Jesus Christ's sake, to whom with all thy blessed self and Spirit be all glory and honour, Amen.

- from Sermons of the Great Ejection, New & Revised Edition, The Banner of Truth Trust, 2012, p. 5-6. ISBN: 978-1848711525

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I am most impressed how Calamy did not seek scapegoats for this situation, but rather, humbled himself before God. Indeed, in this prayer he leads the congregation in humbling themselves before God. 

Rather than curse the King, notice how Calamy prays for blessings on him.

Today, there are plenty of politicians and radio hosts who strive to make people angry. They seek scapegoats on which to blame the ills of our day. They stereotype their political opponents and further flame the fires of their ire. 

I pray the Lord moves our ministers to take on Calamy’s attitude and lead Christians to humble ourselves before the Lord.