THE SPRINGFIELDER EDITORIAL COMMITTEE ERICH H. HEINTZEN, Editor ~ ~ A Y M O N D F. SURBURG, Book Review Editw Davm P. SCAER, Associate Editor JOHN D. FRITZ, Associate Editor PRESIDENT J . A. 0. PREUS, ex officio Contents EDITORIAL LOUIS H. BET0 IvlEMORIAL LECTURE RICHARD R. NIEBURR, Professor of Divinity, Harvard University C. A. GAERTNER, Zion Lutheran Church, Dallas, T Indexed in INDEX TO RELIGIOUS ~ O D I C & L r m u l ~ a a , American Theological Librmy Association, Speer Library, logical Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey. of address should be sent to the Business Manager of The Sprhr rflrclii~ I'h~nlogical Seminary, Springfield, Illinois 62702. Address communications to the Editor, Erich H. Heintzen, logical Seminary, Sprin&eld, Illinois 62702. Chapel Address Living In The Light Of Eternity HE TWENTIETH AND TWENTY-FIRST chapters of the book T of Revelation answer one of the most significant questions confronting us today: "What is the ultimate goal and purpose of your life and mine?" If I were to ask you why you are here at the seminary, you would probably answer: "to prepare for the public ministry, to become a pastor." But if I were to inquire farther and ask why you want to be a pastor, then you might repIy: "I want to devote my life to leading men to Christ, helping them to come into a personal relationship with their Lord and Savior." But if I were then to continue pressing with other questions, searching your heart for reasons why you have made the choice that you have, you would finally arrive at an answer that would be closely related to Revela- tion 21 or a similar passage. Our life must ultimately add up to one basic task, namely, preparing ourselves and others for the day when this world will come to an end with all of its sins and weaknesses and every individual will henceforth spend eternity in the presence of God or as an outcast from Him. We hear much today about the urgency of problems that face us here and now, problems having to do with food, with housing, with equal opportunities for education, and the like. All of these are indeed important, and I do not wish to sav anything that might give the impression that these problems should not concern us deeply, but when all is said and done there still remains that one question which transcends all others: "Am I getting ready for heaven?" Are we ready for that final day when everything that constitutes this earthly life will fade into the past and only our relation to God will matter? How do we make such preparations? The last chapters of the book of Revelation suggest two specific questions in this regard. First of all, are we ready for that final onslaught of satan against the faith which will occur just before the end comes? We are given some insights into what conditions will be in the church during those final days when we read verse seven of chapter twenty: "Satan shall be loosed out of his prison and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle." Satan himself, the father of deception, will assume leadership; he will spearhead new attempts to deceive the nations of the world in order to recruit them for the final battle. This is not to say that great masses of people here on earth have not already been deceived by satan. In chapters 13 and 19 the lamb- beast is pictured as carrying on an active program of deception even prior to this. But the deception spoken of here is the climax of all that has gone on before; it is thc last and most effective kind of deception, the final effort that will endeavor to ~ersuade even those who have previously been hesitant. What is more, the deception that will be ~ l a n n e d and led by satan himself will succeed, at least in part. This is implied by the aorist infinitives in this verse. And what will be the purpose of the deception? The holy writer, in a vision, sees nations in all parts of the earth being deceived into opposing and antagonizing the Lamb and His church. Under the leadership of satan nations will be deceived into gathering together in satanic unanimity for the battle that will have as its sole purpose to wipe off the earth forever the last saint and the last sound of the Gospel. This is the picture painted for us in Revelation 20. It is a picture familiar to us also from the writings of Ezekiel and Daniel. I t is a theme that occurs in both testaments. It is prominent in Paul's letters as well as in John's. St. Paul warns young Timothy in his second letter to his coworker that "the time will come when men will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts they shall heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables." I am not going to decide for you whether we are now living in these times; I will only ask you, "Are you ready for such times if they are here now, or if they should come in the near future?" When St. Paul warns young Timothy to be re pared for just such conditions, he urges him: "Watch in all things, endure affliction, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." Again he advises: "Be instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." Finally he adds these pertinent words which should ring in our ears: "Study to show thyself approved unto God as a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, cutting the furrow straight," i.e., holding a straight course, presenting the truth rightly and fully. Just a few words of advice from an aging apostle. Perhaps we can find them relevant also for our lives. Thev can inake us ready for the day of which the apostle John here speaks. But the holy writer suggests aIso a second question that appears pertinent for our day. Are we living our lives with heaven in mind? With what kind of an attitude are we looking at things around us, the evils, the problems, the perplexities, the social ills, the loveless- ness, the lust, the hatred, the challenges to the Christian faith? What is your reaction when you read the newspapers or come face to face with the sordid side of life? Docs the fact that a heaven lies beyond have any relevance at all in this situation? Yes, says John. for it changes our whole outlook on life. It puts things in a proper perspective. It reminds me in a most dramatic fashion that 1 have a purpose in life; I have a goal to which I am traveling. Many others may see no meaning in their lives, but that cannot be true Living in The Linht of Eternity 17 of you and me when we consider our destiny, whcn we recognize by faith that we are children of God on the way to heaven. And what a heaven it is. Listen again to the words of the apostle as he describes the events of that last day, as far as the Christian is concerned: "I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was n o more sea." Note the emphasis on the word "new". Today the youth of our land are clamoring for a new approach to things; they are tired of old mistakes, of old weaknesses, of old cures and reme- dies- Brethren, my generation thought along similar lines. We had l ivc~l throuoh the depression and through the second world war. We too wanted peace and prosperity. I suppose that this is an ever- Present wish in the hearts of men. We tried to do something about it; and it must be said that the forties and fifties were not without Progress; we enjoyed blessings which those before us had not But my generation did not produce anything like a utopia. Nor will the present generation. It is our fervent hope and prayer that life will improve for all people. But never \will perfection be reached in this world where satan is at work. At least, not until God Himself will intervene and produce a new heaven and a new earth jn which dwelleth righteousness. And that day will most certainly come. John saw i t and he describes it for us in thcsc words: "I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Only God can produce what men and women in the depth of their souls are longing for-a world without sin and its consequences, a lvorld without in'ustices and frustrations, without inequities, with- o u t privations, wit out wars and strife. $$re should thank God that He has indeed promised -"st that. The apostle writes: "And God shall wipe awav all tears f' ronl their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither *sorrow, nor rrving, neither shall there be any nmre pa in , for the former things are passed awa!." T h e new heaven and the new earth which shall come into existence on that dav will reprerent a totally new ant? different order of things. Thedwor]d of sin, of lovelessness. of temptation. of tears will have passed awa .. \\7e shall then live in the dimension of God. The Lord Himse i f dwell with us. W e shall be His people and He will be our God. This prospect must change our outlook on life. It must affect o u r attitudes. Idet it never be said that life is without lneaning for those who live with such a bright prospect for the future- Life jn- deed does have a goal; it does have a purpose. What is more, if this is our philosopl~ of life, then tve have the strongest incentire the most compelling njotivatjon prompt- ing and moving us to concern ourselves also with the h o ~ e ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ the hunger, the and frustrations of fellorvmen are toiling on their war through life. \Ye haw reason to sense the depths of their need. \Ve have learned what lore for Our neighbor means. \VP are fullv aware also of our Sarjor's promise that On last day He will remember the concerns that we now have for the needy, the hungry, the ill-clothed and underprivileged. We shall then hear Him say: "I was hungry and ye fed me . . . naked and ye clothed me; I was sick and ye visited me," for whatsoever you have done unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Do we need a greater inducement than that to look with compassion on our fellowman in his misery and come to his aid?