CATASTROPHIST OR CONTINUIST
2 Peter 3:2-4 (KJV)
That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
Some months ago I listened to a lecture on the fall of the Roman Empire which, according to the lecturer, occurred somewhere between 410-500 AD.
The reason it isn’t nailed down any tighter than that is because it wasn’t an actual event as much as a process.
According to this teacher, there are plenty of historians that would claim Rome never fell but only transitioned into something else.
As Roman history progressed, Rome was divided into two parts;
· the western region with Rome as its capitol and
· the eastern one with Constantinople[1] as its capitol
Constantinople never fell and, even after the city of Rome fell, the Eastern Roman Empire claimed that they were the true Roman Empire anyway.
There were a million lessons to be learned in this history:
First, invaders like Attila the Hun never considered attacking Eastern Rome because they were just too strong.
· Their military
· Their government and
· Their patriotism
Was too well established to be defeated, so the barbarians never attempted it.
Western Rome, on the other hand, had gotten soft.
They had an army, but it was composed mostly of hired soldiers from other regions of the world.
People were too soft. They enjoyed themselves too much to be bothered with politics, military service, public interests.
When they were invaded, they never really even resisted.
Frankly, America is headed this direction pretty quickly. The liberals already believe it would be wrong if we did resist.
Second, Rome didn’t technically get invaded.
The Germanic barbarians who conquered Rome had already lived there for many years. They were not a fearsome people; they were just not Roman people.
They occupied many of the service industry type jobs and they represented a large number of the soldiers in the Roman Army.
When a Germanic leader did organize a resistance, the population was already pro-Germanic and the Roman people didn’t really care.
They just deposed the child ruler in Rome at the time and informed Constantinople that they would let their ruler be ruler of Rome too.
The population of Rome had gone from upwards of a million people in its heyday, to less than 30,000 when they were invaded.
The actual Romans literally just moved into the coliseum, built homes in there and let the barbarians have the rest of the city.
For these reasons, historians debate when the fall of Rome happened or even if Rome ever fell.
According to Paul Freedman, the Yale Professor teaching this course, historians of Rome fall into one of two classes:
· Catastrophists and
· Continuists
Catastrophists – Rome fell under a catastrophic event that took place somewhere between 450-550 AD
Continuists – Rome never technically fell but continues still in the Eastern Empire or, at the very least, in the Roman Catholic Church
The professor himself claims to be a catastrophist albeit a “soft catastrophist.”[2]
I heard that and thought, everyone I have ever met views life as either
· A Catastrophist
· A Continuist
or sometimes a little bit of both.
Are you a catastrophist or a continuist,
I. EMOTIONALLY
A. Some people see a catastrophe in everything.
Their life is a catastrophe
· Dinner is burned – it's a catastrophe
· The kids are sick – it's a catastrophe
· The alarm clock rings – it's a catastrophe
· The car is out of gas – it's a catastrophe
· The clerk at the store was rude – it's a catastrophe
· I have to work for a living – it's a catastrophe
Life does not have to be a catastrophe.
You could choose to give thanks in everything.
· You can be thankful you have a job to get up early to
· You can be thankful you have children to care for when they get sick
· You can be thankful you have a car that runs out of gas
Why not learn to be thankful about life?
There are some things in life that are hard and difficult, and we would rather not have to go through, but even in most of those things, if we choose to be thankful, they can be used of God to make better people of us!
I was at a local business the other day, at the counter. The clerk serving the person next to me got into a conversation. The costumer remarked that it was about closing time and asked the clerk if she would be going home to fix dinner for her kids.
She said, and I quote, “No. My kids refuse to eat what I cook so I don’t cook for them anymore – they have to fend for themselves. I fix food for myself and sometimes for my husband, but those kids are on their own.”
I have to tell you – there is something wrong in our world when a parent has that few parenting skills.
It wouldn’t hurt these days for some people to endure some hardness and get some character.
B. Christians are often catastrophists with world events – everything is the end of the world.
· A drought in California is the end of the world
· A flood on the Mississippi is the end of the world
· A hurricane in Florida is the end of the world
Sam Davison used to hammer on his congregation not to buy into that. “We know we are in the last days” he would preach to them, “but we do not know that the latest f-5 tornado is a sign of His soon return.”
Every few years there will be a new book out on why Jesus is going to come back this year.
· It’s almost always going to happen in the fall
· It’s almost always in September or October and
It’s almost always made a mockery by the media.
I am certain that we ought to preach that Jesus is coming again.
I just don’t think we need to stand on the street corner in a dirty robe with scraggly hair and a sign that says, “The end is near.”
Are you a catastrophist or a continuist
II. PRACTICALLY
Christians ought to live as if Jesus will come back in the next moment but serve as if He will not return for many generations.
· We don’t want to move into the mountains and wait for him
· We don’t want to spend ourselves into debt and leave the unsaved to pay for it after the rapture
· We don’t want to live as if we have no concern for what future generations will have to deal with on this earth.
When I lived in Astoria I met a lady who had lost everything she had when she became convinced that Jesus was coming that year.
She sold her belongings and moved to the mountains with a group of people, to await the return of Jesus.
She eventually came back to town but had lost all credibility.
· Her family was gone
· Her home was gone and
· Her Christian testimony was gone too
I can give you a dozen reasons why I believe Jesus will rapture us to heaven very soon.
I can give you at least a dozen more reasons why I pray Jesus will rapture us to heaven very soon.
But I want to urge you – live every day.
· Wake up
· Get out of bed
· Work your job
· Clean your house
· Save your money
· Pay your bills
Make full use of every moment of life that you have.
Are you a catastrophist or a continuist,
III. THEOLOGICALLY
2 Peter 3:2-4 (KJV)
That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
Jesus is coming again – soon.
He is.
I believe He will come back before I die.
I will not be surprised if He doesn’t return in my grandchildren’s lifetimes.
But I do believe that Biblical signs point to His coming back any day.
It would be a grave mistake to take the scoffer’s position, “Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were…”
One of these days things will not continue as they were and, if you are not prepared, it will be a catastrophe for you!
A. Looking for that blessed hope
Titus 2:13 (KJV)
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
There is no question that the Bible teaches us to have our eyes toward the heavens, looking for the appearing of Jesus Christ.
· We need to be saved and know it
· We need to be hopeful and live it
More than that,
B. We need to believe it and be pure because of it.
1 John 3:2-3 (KJV)
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
I purposely did not read the verses just before Titus 2:13 so I could do that right now.
Titus 2:11-13 (KJV)
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Conclusion
Pour yourself into every day as if Jesus will not come back in your lifetime, or your kids.
But live every day in the promise of His coming and purely as you await His coming.
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