Dispy PreMil XIII: Called to Wait

…He proceeded to tell a parable, because He was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’”
- Luke 19:11-13

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Fundamental to the Dispensational Premillennial view of both the Church and of individual Christians’ responsibility during the present age is the call to wait. Competing eschatological viewpoints take an altogether different tack and insist on mobilization, political strategy and institutional capture. If we are to win the world for Christ, then the Church must be on the move; we must be active and determined to establish or implement the kingdom in order to set the table for the return of Christ.

Others have done plenty of solid work in analyzing and critiquing the postmillennial Christian Nationalism movement, which I would contend is the predominant force promoting such ideas today. The point of this post is not to repeat or add to those criticisms, but rather to showcase an alternative view derived from scripture. It is my contention that while Christians are commissioned to declare the gospel, live righteous and holy lives and, yes, work according to the directions and commands of the Lord until He returns, at the heart of the eschatological message for the Church in the Bible is an exhortation to wait.

I hope it is clear to see that these two perspectives are fundamentally opposed to one another. And while neither of them is in any way determinative of salvation, it is important to understand that they are mutually exclusive. Someone is right and someone is wrong here. We are either to take back the world in order to establish the kingdom of Christ or we are to be about the king’s business until He returns to establish it Himself.

To that end, I would point to and ask you to consider the following three verses:

First, Philippians 3:20-21:

…our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself.

There are a few things to take note of here. First, “our citizenship is in heaven,” as opposed to others who, according to the preceding verse, have their “minds set on earthly things.”

Next, from heaven “we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Christ is in heaven now, “seated at the right of God,” (Mark 16:19, Hebrews 12:2, Colossians 3:1, etc.)

Lastly, Christ will “transform our lowly body” (see I Corinthians 15) by the same power “that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself.” It is Christ, not the Church, that subjects all things to Christ. It is His power which does it, not our own efforts.

So, according to Paul in Philippians 3, we wait for Christ because He is the one who will bring everything into subjection under Himself.

James 5:7-8:

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

The word “patient” appears three times here in two verses, twice as a direct exhortation and once via the metaphor of a farmer waiting for his crop to grow. Also important here is the combination of patience with immanence: we are to wait because “the coming of the Lord is at hand.”

I Thessalonians 9b-10:

…how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

We are to wait for the Son of God who delivers us from the wrath to come. Not only a solid pretribulational verse, but also a reminder “to serve the living and true God.” Our waiting is not to be unproductive or lazy or apathetic. We are to work while we wait.

This addresses a charge so often thrown at the Dispy PreMil crowd: that we are looking for an excuse not to do the work of the ministry, to bow out, to run away and escape the big, bad world. This accusation is ridiculous on its face, as so many prominent members of our camp are obviously concerned with gospel and church ministry, both lay and professional. Beyond that, we have the command of the scriptures: while we wait, we work.

In Luke 19, Christ tells a parable of instruction because He knows that His disciples are expecting the kingdom to come “immediately.” In the teaching, the Christ figure, a nobleman, goes away “to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.” (Notice: Christ must go away to receive the kingdom first and then return. The servants are not told to establish it on His behalf.) While he is gone, however, the nobleman instructs his servants, “Engage in business until I come.”

The point from scripture is clear. We are commissioned to wait and to work until Christ returns to establish His kingdom. He has not delegated that specific task to us. Instead, we are called to live as salt and light in the earth, pleading with men to be reconciled to God “as ambassadors for Christ.” (II Corinthians 5:20) An ambassador is a government representative in residence in a foreign kingdom. It is our job to inform people that the king is coming to take back the world that He made and establish His kingdom in and over it. We are His diplomats; witnesses to the reality of what is, what has been and what is to come.

It is not our job to build the kingdom. It is our job to herald it. And to wait patiently, expectantly and hopefully for its arrival.

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The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. 

- Revelation 22:17

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
- Psalm 27:13-14