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Eschatological Discourse, Part Five: Concluding Caution
The “Heavenly Upheaval”[1] section describes the events immediately following the New Testament (NT) era. Jesus says, “But in those days, following that distress” (Mk 13:24). Since “that distress” in the preceding “More Signs” section refers to the NT era, the “Heavenly Upheaval” section must be describing the return of Jesus at the end of the world. Therefore, the language of cosmic distress (sun and moon darkened, stars falling, heavenly bodies shaken) should be interpreted literally, not figuratively, describing actual events that will occur at his parousia.
The preterite interpretation, however, sees this “Heavenly Upheaval” language as a specific reference to “the complex of events that will culminate in the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple.”[2]
Likewise, in the “Cloud Rider”[3] section, Jesus describes “the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory” (Mt 24:30). Numerous NT passages describe Jesus’ parousia with remarkably similar language. This is a clear reference to Jesus’ return at the end of the world, not to the coming destruction of Jerusalem.
But Gibbs, following the preterite interpretation, sees “the sign of the Son of Man” (Mt 24:30) not as Jesus himself (epexegetical) but as the destruction of Jerusalem, and the mourning as the accompanying suffering. The trumpet is “not associated directly with the Last Day” but refers to “the proclamation of Law and Gospel…during the time between Christ’s first and second advents.” [4] And the angels are not heavenly messengers but earthly missionaries, whom Jesus sends out to gather “his elect from the four winds” (Mk 13:27); in other words, “Jesus will send out his messengers to the farthest reaches of the earth.”[5]
The entire preterite approach to these “Heavenly Upheaval” and “Cloud Rider” sections, simply stated, is far-fetched.
Jesus’ reference to “this generation” not passing away until “all these things have happened” (Mt 24:34) poses no problem for preterite interpreters—the fall of Jerusalem would take place during the lifetime of Jesus’ contemporaries. The obvious difficulty with the traditional interpretation is that Jesus has not returned yet, and “this generation” did pass away long ago. The most probable explanation, which does not limit these words to A.D. 70, nor accuse Jesus of making a mistake, nor take “this generation” beyond its normal meaning, is this: Jesus is not saying that “all these things” must be completed or finished before this generation passes away. They simply must happen. Plenty of the interadvent troubles Jesus predicted in the Eschatological Discourse (ED) did happen during the lifetime of his contemporaries.[6]
The ED is complex, and its interpretation is complicated. To conclude this series of articles, I urge readers to be quite cautious of the preterite interpretation being advanced by several recent scholars, even within Lutheranism.
The hermeneutic that aligns the ED with the rest of Scripture in the most theologically consistent way is the prophetic perspective.
Rev. Kirk Lahmann serves as pastor at St. John Lutheran Church in Burlington, WI
[1] Heavenly Upheaval: Mt 24:29; Mk 13:24–25; Lk 21:25–26.
[2] Jeffrey A. Gibbs, Matthew 21:1—28:20 (St. Louis: Concordia, 2018), 1279.
[3] Cloud Rider: Mt 24:30–31; Mk 13:26–27; Lk 21:27–28.
[4] Gibbs, Matthew 21–28, 1285 and 1288-89.
[5] Jeffrey A. Gibbs, Jerusalem and Parousia: Jesus’ Eschatological Discourse in Matthew’s Gospel (St. Louis: Concordia, 2000), 204.
[6] Editor’s Note: For an alternate non-preterite interpretation, see Daniel Deutschlander, Your Kingdom Come: Commentary on the Gospel According to St. Mark (Milwaukee: Northwestern, 2021), 441, where he refers to Jesus’ usage of “this generation” in Mark 8:38.
Systematic Theology: What Does It Mean for Us Today?
All Lutheran theology is firmly based on the autopistia (αὐτοπιστία)—the self-authenticating nature—of Scripture. It is Scripture itself, through the work of the Holy Spirit, which convinces us of its truth and authority.
That doctrinal truth is profoundly practical for a Lutheran pastor. People ask, “How do we know we have the right books?” Or, “How do we know we have the right Word of God?” Those are genuine, heartfelt questions from people who want to be sure they have the truth.
Often our gut reaction is to turn to external proofs of the Bible’s authenticity. “There are thousands of ancient copies of the books of the New Testament.” Or, “From the earliest centuries, Christians were compiling lists of the books of the Bible that mirror ours today.”
Of course, those external proofs have value. There is a time and a place for Christian apologetics.
But external proofs aren’t what truly convinces someone of the truth of the Scriptures. What does? Scripture itself. It is autopistos (αὐτόπιστος)—self-authenticating. The best way to convince someone of the truth and power of Scripture is to encourage that person to hear, read, and study the Scriptures. Just like a person can’t make a decision to believe in Jesus without the Holy Spirit leading them, a person also can’t decide that the Bible is true without the Bible itself leading and convincing them.
Paul knew that. You know the familiar story of Paul, Silas, and the jailer at Philippi. When that jailer inquired about salvation, Paul boldly declared, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). I’ve often missed the very next phrase. What did Paul do next? “Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house” (Acts 16:32). Paul trusted in the power of the Word.
Rational explanations don’t set anyone’s heart on fire. But, miraculously, the Word of God does. Logical arguments don’t wash away doubts. But, miraculously, the Word of God does. External proofs don’t give peace to guilty consciences. But, miraculously, the Word of God does.
That means there is nothing more important for pastors than to lead their people again and again to the Word of God. Daniel Deutschlander summed it up nicely:
We do not trust what the Bible says about the Bible simply because it makes more sense than anything else…. We believe, teach, and confess that the Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God because God has moved our hearts to trust what he says in the Bible about the Bible…. The best advice we can give to one who needs to be persuaded of the inspiration of the Bible and the absolute truthfulness of its message is this: Read it![1]
Encourage your people to read the Word of God and marvel how it convinces them. That’s autopistia!
Pastor Nathan Nass serves at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Tulsa, OK. You can check out his blog at upsidedownsavior.home.blog.
[1] Deutschlander, Daniel M. Grace Abounds: The Splendor of Christian Doctrine. Milwaukee: Northwestern, 2015, p.42-43.
Historical Theology: The Works of Bo Giertz, Part Two
Adapted from the author’s 2021 essay, Dare to be a pastor: Meeting Bo Giertz
Last month I gave you an assignment: Read Bo Giertz’s The Hammer of God every year. I read it with summer assistants, vicars, and a faculty whose Bible study I decide. You find your way. But Bo Giertz was not a one-hit wonder. While The Hammer of God is his most popular work (both when written and today), it is far from all he wrote or all that is worth reading.
Giertz wrote far more in Swedish than is available in English. Thanks to men like Bror Erickson and Eric Andrae, much more is available for those of us with limited Swedish facility than in previous generations. We can divide his writings into four categories:
- Religious Novels: In addition to 1941’s The Hammer of God, Giertz wrote a quasi-prequel called Faith Alone (1943) which features two Swedish brothers divided by the Reformation in sixteenth century Sweden. In retirement he wrote about Christian soldiers battling the Turks at Rhodes in Knights of Rhodes (1972). You will want to read both of those all the way to the end. He also authored a fascinating novel about Christ from the perspective of people around him, With My Own Eyes (1947).
- Sermon Collections: A Year of Grace (two volumes) collects sermons from throughout his ministry into two postil-like collections that cover the entire church year. Then Fell the Lord’s Fire gathers together sermons or homilies Giertz preached on the occasion of ordaining candidates into the pastoral office.
- Biblical Commentaries or Devotions: Giertz wrote Preaching from the Whole Bible (1967) to provide brief commentaries on the appointed Gospels. Aimed at pastors, it works as a Meditations-like devotion book. He also prepared a two-volume devotion book for the year, published today as To Live with Christ (1973/1974). The prayers that end each devotion justify purchase all by themselves. Another retirement project for Giertz: He prepared a new translation of the New Testament in Swedish (1976-1982). This resulted in commentaries on the entire New Testament. These are published today in three volumes as The New Testament Devotional Commentary.
- Theology and Pastoral Care: One of Giertz’s earliest works, Christ’s Church (1939), is a theological monograph of the nature of the Holy Christian Church and what that means for us who live in it. After his election as bishop, he prepared a lengthy pastoral letter for his diocese (1949), recently republished as A Shepherd’s Letter.
You can find many of Giertz’s works that have been translated into English on 1517’s website. You can also search Amazon for Bo Giertz. Concordia Publishing House also publishes some of Giertz’s works.
Rev. Benjamin Tomczak serves as pastor at Bethel Evangelical Lutheran and School in Sioux Falls, SD
Practical Theology: Fostering Brotherhood Among Pastors, Part Three: Maximizing Existing Opportunities
“Do the occasions you have to get together with [brother pastors] only consist of already-built-in opportunities, like meetings, conferences, the San Antonio retreat, or mentor-mentee meetings?”
When I posed that question two months ago, I certainly did not mean to imply that those are worthless opportunities. Indeed, if we find ourselves falling short in fostering pastoral brotherhood, existing opportunities like those are the best place to begin bearing the fruits of repentance.
Let’s start with circuit meetings. Unlike conferences and conventions, you basically cannot attend a circuit meeting without interacting with everyone in attendance. So let’s put them on our calendar and make them sacrosanct, like we do other appointments. Let’s then take the time to catch up with our brothers there. And when one of our brothers organizes a recreational activity for further fellowship after the meeting, like golf or bowling (by me, it’s occasionally hunting or fishing), let’s jump at the opportunity. Those activities aren’t ultimately about showing off your skill or the final score on your card.
Traditionally, after an ordination or installation, the new pastor hosts an afterglow in his home. (We will save the importance of attending installations for next month.) This is a prime opportunity for fellow pastors to get to know a new or unfamiliar brother and to set a foundation for brotherhood.
Let’s also attend regularly scheduled conferences. Sometimes members give flimsy excuses for sporadic church attendance, and we shake our heads. Yet do we often use the same excuses not to attend conferences (don’t get anything out of them, don’t have the time, etc.)? In addition to gospel reminders, how do we advise such members? “If you think the service isn’t feeding you well, how does your absence help solve that problem?” “Church attendance isn’t just about you; your attendance encourages others, too.” The same is true of our conference attendance.
Organized, godly entertainment in the evening does wonders for enhancing the conviviality of a pastoral get-together. Conference leaders, consider facilitating the formation of a conference entertainment committee—which also fosters brotherhood by identifying brothers’ God-given abilities and putting them to use.
One of the tightest bonds one can form with a brother pastor is through private confession and absolution. Asking a fellow pastor (your divinely called circuit pastor, or another brother with his permission) to listen to you confess your sins and to pronounce Christ’s forgiveness founds a relationship on Christian humility and trust right from the start. When I served in Wisconsin, my (now-departed) father confessor quickly became my closest earthly friend.
When the opportunity comes around, catch up with familiar brothers at the San Antonio retreat. When I attended, one of the presenters wisely encouraged us also to use the opportunity to reconnect with our brothers on a more regular basis.
These are just some of the already existing opportunities God gives us pastors for fostering brotherhood with each other. Next month, God willing, we will consider the important role of the circuit pastor.
Rev. Nathaniel Biebert serves as pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Winner, SD.