The knowledge that biblical prophecy indicates an intensification of persecution before the end can have varying effects on the church’s attitude towards its participation in the mission of God. Dispensationalism which emerged in Britain with John Nelson Darby (Sweetnam, 2009, p. 569) in the late 19th century has been expressed in diverse ways. This theology is, however, generally characterized by onlookers as emphasizing soteriological matters over transformation of society. In contrast, the American Social Gospel movement includes those who believe that the church is currently living in the millennial reign promised in Revelation 20 (Edwards, 2015, p. 203). I appreciate missiologist Arthur Glasser’s (2003) balanced approach: 

Revelation was written for Christians in every age to assure them that God is working both in their day and particularly when the tempo of persecution intensifies just before the end. God will not turn back from his goal of consummating his purpose in his time and in his way (p. 360) 

The New Testament’s exhortation regarding the essential nature of the unity of the body of Christ to the mission of God must be of prime consideration for the church. Glasser (2003) describes this as “Christ’s abiding concern”, for only by avoiding division can the church avoid the failure exemplified by Israel in its call to illuminate the world lost in darkness (p. 362). I would caution that Gentile Christians should be careful when describing the errors and guilt of the Jewish people, since this has historically been the source of much antisemitism.

In Revelation 14 a message of hope is given to the faithful in a moment when the kingdom of darkness seems to realize complete victory over the earth. However, the saints are encouraged that in spite of this the Lamb is still on the throne and “the consummation of history is seen as firmly in his hands” (Glasser, 2003, p. 365). This should serve as a warning to all forms of Christian triumphalism. This may take the form of a Fundamentalist celebration that the spoils of victory await in another time and world. Or it may manifest in a “Liberal” belief that the church has the capacity to bring the kingdom and needs to get on with it as soon as possible, seeing a recognition of God’s sovereignty as a hindering notion. 

The amillenial view holds that the church is already living in the period of the reign of Christ on earth, a spiritual reign that will last until the return of Christ when the New Heaven and Earth are established. This view perhaps offers less hope than what the Bible expresses. According to Glasser (2003) the amillennial flaw is not awakening hope in the glorious reign of Christ on earth: 

Although it claims that the earth and the nations will enjoy their jubilee, it provides no assurance that this will ever take place. Imagine the violence of the twentieth century having been part of the millennium (p. 368). 

The desire of God for worshippers from every people group is something that I sense a deep need to understand more profoundly. John Piper (2020) describes cultural diversity among God’s worshipers in the eschaton as “greater than the beauty that would come to him if the chorus of the redeemed were culturally uniform or limited” (p. 264). Piper (2020) believes there is something about our call to cross-cultural mission that humbles us and helps us experience God’s grace (p. 265). I believe this is rooted in the promise of Ephesians 2 regarding the one new humanity in Christ, formed from Jew and Gentile, two groups formerly separated by mutual enmity. One may contest that it was God that inspired the aversion of Jews towards Gentiles in the Mosaic Law and covenants of the Old Testament. On the other hand, the Jewish understanding of separation (even superiority?) over other nations can be attributed to a Jewish misinterpretation. However, the truth seems to lie in the middle, in that God separated a people unto Himself and called them to be a dynamic lesson on the world stage regarding human reconciliation. What reconciliation would be needed, or how deep would it be, if it only consisted of superficial religious or philosophical matters? Instead, God created a motif of reconciliation between groups that could never imagine a deep communion of equality and mutual embrace. 

God desired a beauty of diversity rooted in distinction: a cultural diversity that would not be melted into a uniform whole, but would maintain the distinction of people groups. The story of Israel reveals the value God places on a people with a proper name, whose identity will last forever. Indeed, our Savior Jesus is and always will be both a universal Messiah for all peoples, and a Jewish Messiah for Israel.

References

Edwards, W. J. D. (2015). The social gospel as a grassroots movement. Church History, 84(1), 203–206. Atla Religion Database with AtlaSerials. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0009640715000050

Glasser, et al. (2003). Announcing the Kingdom. Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.  

Piper, John (2020). Let the Nations Be Glad!: The Supremacy of God in Missions. Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Sweetnam, M. S., & Gribben, C. (2009). J.N. Darby and the Irish origins of dispensationalism. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 52(3), 569–577. Atla Religion Database with AtlaSerials.