An Eschatology of Victory
Requires the Nations
Bow to the Lordship of Christ

Eschatology? Now there's a word to make a public school graduate cringe. I can say that because I are one.

But, seriously aren't we getting a little technical here?

The word is taken from the Greek word, "eschaton", meaning "last things." The habit of predicting the future has actually become quite an industry these days. Predicting the future can get a little dicey, but that doesn't seem to stop many people, least of all me.

In spite of the headlines, I'm actually quite optimistic -- long-term.

The eschatology of victory described in previous sections gives us confidence that the nations themselves will one day submit to Christ and His law. This is indeed our only hope.

Until we acknowledge that we have broken our covenant with God, there is no hope for any kind of covenant renewal and restoration of covenant blessing. Instead we will more than likely continue to experience the curse of God in the form of disease, endless wars, economic hardship, natural calamities, and the like. (cf. Dt. 28). Only when we confess our sin can we expect to experience the mercy of God and the restoration of covenant blessing:

Then we have God’s promise: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (II Chr. 7:14).

The National Reform Association, in its founding meeting during the Civil War, declared that “We regard the neglect of God and His law, by omitting all acknowledgment of them in our Constitution, as the crowing original sin of the nation and slavery as one of its natural outgrowths.” Convinced that the Civil War constituted an act of Divine judgment for rejecting the authority of Christ in the Constitution, they proposed that we renew our national covenant with God by the following amendment to the Preamble:

“WE, THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES, [recognizing the being and attributes of Almighty God, the Divine Authority of the Holy Scriptures, the law of God as the paramount rule, and Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior and Lord of all,] in order to form a more perfect union…do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Please join us by signing this petition for Congress to Amend the Preamble of the Constitution to enthrone Christ as Lord of the nation.

As men and women are led to Christ and the spiritual tenor of the nation is transformed, additional amendments to Article VI will also be necessary. These must declare the Word of God the supreme law of the land and require an oath of our civil officers to govern in accordance with its precepts.

Only then will American Christians be able to respond with discernment to Jesus’ Great Commission to disciple their nation.

A nation where the Bible – not the Constitution – is the highest law of the land,

A nation that defines crime according to the Word of God, not the will of the majority,

A nation that requires – not forbids – its officials to swear allegiance to God.

And thus becomes a nation that at long last enjoys the blessing of heaven under her majestic sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. This is an eschatology of victory.

Beyond the prayer of national repentance mentioned above, one practical step is to encourage local leaders in both church and state to sign a document of covenant renewal, such as the Declaration of Dependence on God. Moreover, penitent American Christians should continue to work, serve, and invest in the face of God’s impending judgment. They may be assured that their “labor is not in vain in the Lord” (I Cor. 15:58). A positive eschatology enables us to rejoice in the gathering clouds of judgment, knowing that the humanistic edifice of cultural evil is soon to be swept away.

The church should not only expect and desire cultural victory in this age, it is commanded to accomplish it – through good times and bad. Although that victory may be delayed, it will not be denied. Like the patriarchs who did not receive the promise during their lifetimes (see Heb. 11:13), we may see nothing but cultural decay in our generation.

Nonetheless, we receive a heritage from our forebears, add to it by a life of diligent labor, and pass it on to the next generation. By faith we know that this intergenerational effort will lead to the visible manifestation of the kingdom of Christ on earth. This is an optimistic eschatology indeed.

It was crisis that gave birth to the protestant Reformation. One of the major themes flowing out of the Reformation was the priesthood of the believer in his so-called “secular” calling. This doctrine in fact supplied the theological underpinning for the development of Western civilization.

AS this eschatology works itself out, the believer is increasingly elevated to higher levels of responsibility and authority. Through the service of diligent labor he gradually assumes dominion in his sphere of influence. The cumulative effect of this process over time is a free society, as the church moves out into the world dissolving the chains of tyranny in the process.

The Bible is replete with symbolism and direct example of work-motivated people snapping the shackles of tyranny through their consecrated labor. For example, Jesus was a carpenter, Shamgar defeated the Philistines with an oxgoad, and in Zechariah, four workmen (smiths) defeated four oppressors (horns).

The faithful labor of Daniel and Joseph was used of God to extend His dominion in the earth. Both were elevated by God from the depths of slavery to a position of supreme authority in Egypt and Babylon. We observe this process over and over again in the Bible, contributing to an eschatology of victory.

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