God’s agenda for earth, not heaven

The hope for peace in our world is to some extent dependent on hundreds of thousands of followers of Jesus adopting a different perspective on the “end of the world.” The dominant Christian perspective is held in the viselike grip of premillennial dispensationalism, which teaches that the world will keep getting worse and worse until the day when Jesus returns, the saints are raptured and the predicted end-time events are set in motion, leading to the establishing of Israel as the national power and the ultimate annihilation of Israel’s enemies.

I’m not sure I’m ready to offer a compelling alternative end-times scenario, but I am ready to argue that the belief that the world will just continue to spiral into increasing moral and spiritual decay is contrary to the hope expressed in the advent of God’s kingdom on earth through the person of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. God has a vision for the earth, a vision that the hearts of men and women can be changed and that the values of God’s kingdom can be lived out in human relationships. God has a vision for the earth that repeatedly—in various times, in various people and in various ways—evil will be overcome by good, that blessings will be returned in place of insults and that the other cheek will be turned in response to violence.

If God’s kingdom is indeed going to increase on earth, if God’s will is going to be done on earth as it is now being done in heaven, followers of Jesus are going to have to become convinced that God is up to more on the earth than simply getting people ready for heaven. We are going to have to believe that the way we live on the earth matters and is a critical part of God’s agenda for the earth. We are going to have to spend more time measuring our lives by the values and standards set forth in the Sermon on the Mount. We are going to have to understand that God has as much interest in the character of the lives we live on earth as he has in getting us to heaven.

Jesus gave his life for the vision of God’s kingdom on earth. He lived by the values he taught and did not respond to violence with violence. He invested his life in teaching kingdom values to his disciples, not so that they could go to heaven when they died but so that they could carry on this kingdom work in their own lifetimes. He instructed these disciples to keep making disciples, not because that would make for more people in heaven but so that more and more people on earth would be living by kingdom values.

People are called to repent and follow Jesus not so that they can go to heaven but so that as they progressively adopt and live by kingdom values, life on this earth can get better for them and for those with whom they interact. Jesus came to the earth to make a difference on the earth. I do not wish to downplay the reality and hope of heaven and of eternal life with Christ in God’s presence. I would rather think of heaven as the byproduct instead of the main focus. Life lived by the values of God’s kingdom keeps getting more and more fulfilling, and then you die and find out that God saved the best for last.

Life is better for people when relationships are characterized by peace and justice. When people are treated fairly and can live without fear of violence, their lives are better. The more human relationships are characterized by peace and justice, the better life on earth will be. It is not surprising that Jesus was passionate about peace and justice. It is no mystery that Jesus expected his followers to share that passion and commit their lives to working to these ends, even sacrificing their own comfort and security to advance these causes for others. When this happens, life on earth gets better. As more and more people repent and choose to follow Jesus, it naturally follows that things on earth will get better.

To say we have far to go is a gross understatement. There are so many people and institutions and governments on the earth that are operating by values contrary to God’s will. And the old liberalism that assumed that men and women could simply educate themselves to a higher moral and spiritual plane has been proven false throughout history. But Christian hope cannot be made contingent on the scope of the challenges that confront it. Christian hope must be rooted in the power of God, through the work of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to transform lives and form communities of people who are living by Sermon on the Mount values and who through their witness are challenging other people and institutions to follow Jesus’ way of peace and justice.

The challenges are profound. But can’t we say that the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa has made and is making life better in that nation? Can’t we say that the progressive (hopefully) dismantling of racism in our nation is making life on earth better? Can’t we say that courageous stands for justice in Central America have made a difference for many? Sometimes by giant leaps, sometimes by small increments and sometimes in spite of setbacks, the kingdom of God is advancing. For me, Jesus clinched the deal when he assured his followers that God is the one who is building his church, and even the gates of hell will not be strong enough to withstand its forward movement.

Marlin Birkey served as a pastor for 19 years and is currently completing a masters degree in community counseling from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan.