Why Won’t the Pastors Just Tell Us How It Will All End???
Drew Page, Associate Pastor
When I heard that we were going to be hearing the book of Revelation preached in our Sunday worship services, I have to admit; I was very excited. Revelation is a book shrouded with imagery and mystery. I was looking forward to having all my questions answered and the mysteries revealed. But when it comes to my personal interpretation of how things will end, I must confess that I am still not clear. So why won’t the pastors just tell us what to believe about the end times from Revelation? It’s a great question and one that demands an answer.
First, pastors are called to rightly divide the Word of Truth. True Christian preachers must preach what God says and about what God says. In order to do that, preachers must study the Word and come to an understanding of how the original authors intended to convey their message. Such study requires researching the original languages, the historical context, the author’s background, the intended audience’s background, and more.
But sometimes, even with in depth research, there is not a clear answer to some theological questions. That does not mean the Bible is not clear. It means our understanding of it is not. And that’s not surprising. If we instantly understood everything about it, there would be no need for progressive sanctification into Christ. We could proudly say, “I know it all!” Yet there will never come a time when we will know exhaustively all there is to know about the Bible. This includes Revelation.
More importantly (and this is key), pastors are not called to preach their opinions. In rightly dividing the Word of Truth, the only truth we have is God’s Word. My opinion, or some other pastor’s opinion, on pre-tribulation rapture, post-tribulation rapture, premillennialism, amillennialism, postmillennialism, and other theological positions are derived, not directly from God’s Word, but piecing together various Scriptures to form a theological idea. There is nothing wrong with forming a systematic theology; in fact, we encourage it. But when it comes to standing behind the pulpit to proclaim, “Thus saith the Lord,” preachers cannot proclaim opinions as truth.
To the extent an opinion is given on something that is not provided for clearly in God’s Word, preachers must note that in the sermon and acknowledge that there is no definitive answer on this point. Or it can be saved for later instruction. But the beauty of Revelation is not so much in getting answers to OUR questions. The purpose of Revelation is for us to see the beauty of the resurrected Christ. And to that end, the Revelation sermons have been a true blessing (at least to me; and I hope for you as well).
