by Rev. Michael Schuermann
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” (Matthew 24:6–8, ESV)
There’s an undercurrent of anxiety that runs throughout our world. Everyone is mindful of the end of all things. There are differing opinions on what exactly that end looks like, of course. One thing is certain: there is an end to everything.
Jesus teaches what it looks like at the very start of these last things. Wars will rage, nations will rise and fall, rulers will be displaced, disease will spread, people will starve, and even the earth itself will tremble. All this is just the beginning.
Martin Luther wrote about the reality that we’ll see strife and conflict in the world; we should in fact expect it. Why? Because the Word of God shakes things up and brings hostility. In The Bondage of the Will Luther wrote:
“[I]t is the most unvarying fate of the Word of God to have the world in a state of tumult because of it. This is plainly asserted by Christ, when he says: “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” [Matt. 10:34], and in Luke: “I came to cast fire upon the earth” [12:49]. And Paul in I [II] Corinthians 6[:5] says: “In tumults,” etc. And the prophet in the Second Psalm abundantly testifies the same, asserting that the nations are in tumult, the peoples murmur, kings rise up, princes conspire, against the Lord and against his Christ; as if he would say, numbers, rank, wealth, power, wisdom, righteousness, and whatever is exalted in the world, opposes itself to the Word of God.” (AE 33:52)
It’s clear we are living in the end times. Nation bombs nation, terrorists strike in the hearts of cities, and protests, riots, and general unrest well up in our city streets and on our college campuses. All creation groans with eager longing for Christ to come again. We Christians wait, knowing that it is for the salvation of many that Christ delays. We don’t know exactly when the Last Day – and Christ with it – will come. What should we expect when the Day arrives?
The churches of the Lutheran Reformation dealt with this question. They confidently taught from Scripture (as we still teach to this day) that on the Last Day Christ would come to raise and judge the living and the dead. Even now we can confidently lift up our heads and wait expectantly because of that precious treasure of the Reformation, the Gospel.
“Our churches teach that at the end of the world Christ will appear for judgment and will raise all the dead. He will give the godly and elect eternal life and everlasting joys…” (Augsburg Confession, Article XVII; excerpted from Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, CPH)
It is proper for us to seek to bring an end to much of the strife that we see in the world today. For the sake of our neighbor, we ought to seek justice according to the authority given us in our vocations. Our rulers are authorized to wage just wars. Parents and other authorities are commanded by God to discipline their children and teach them right from wrong.
But what about the striving against the Word of God that never seems to quit? Should we be doing whatever it takes to prevent this? Again, Luther answers:
“To wish to stop these tumults, therefore, is nothing else but to wish to suppress and prohibit the Word of God. For the Word of God comes, whenever it comes, to change and renew the world. Even the heathen writers testify that changes of things cannot take place without commotion and tumult, nor indeed without bloodshed. But it is the mark of a Christian to expect and endure these things with presence of mind, as Christ says: “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet” [Matt. 24:6]. For myself, if I did not see these tumults I should say that the Word of God was not in the world; but now, when I do see them, I heartily rejoice and have no fear…” (AE 33:52)
It’s a hard state of mind to adopt, this gladly seeing the world rage against the Word of God. By the grace of God we can do this, for we have His promises to cling to: Even now the Word of God is at work in the world, bringing repentance and forgiveness. Christ’s death has defeated sin, death, and the grave. On the Last Day, Christ will come to raise us and all the dead, and will give eternal life to His whole Church. What a glorious Day that will be. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
The Rev. Michael Schuermann is pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Sherman, IL.