Could you even try to more directly contradict the Bible?

“Our task as Christians is not to try through social action or labors or endeavors of one sort or the other to usher in the new heavens and the new earth ourselves. We’re not the agents of that. That’s something God’s going to introduce Himself, at the last day.

via Guy Waters on the Christian’s Task « Heidelblog.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

If Waters had stuck with “ourselves” he would have slipped through.  But not even agents?  And “usher in” is rather misleading.  Jesus says he’s already done it.  All that is left is growth and mopping up.  He’s now king.  A man is ruling at the right hand of God (new heavens) and the Spirit has been poured out (new earth).  The stone has shattered the empires and is now growing into a mountainPsalm 2 is fulfilled and now all nations are being given over to the Son as the Great Commission spells outPsalm 110 is being fulfilled and God’s enemies are being put under his feet.

What assumptions are being brought to the text that make this anything less than obvious?

2 thoughts on “Could you even try to more directly contradict the Bible?

  1. Scott

    Mark,

    “All that is left is growth and mopping up”. How does the day of judgement relate to this? Isn’t that day a point of significant discontinuity? Now the Lord “hath ordained civil magistrates to be under Him”. They ought to govern “according to the wholesome laws of each commonwealth” and they might be unrighteous. But on the day of judgement the righteous shall join the Lord in the judgement of the reprobate. The current order is overthrown.

    I raise the question because it appears that you and Waters are referring to different orders by the same phrase.

    Scott

    Reply
  2. mark Post author

    Sure it is significant discontinuity, but the “new creation” has plainly already begun (Galatians, 2 Corinthians). Waters may be able to make more nuances but the pull quote as Clark was using it was entirely wrong and implausible.

    Reply

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