March 01, 1995 by Ralph D. Winter

What does the AD2000 and Beyond Movement have to do with the Return of Christ?

How about you? Do you (honestly) think very often about the end of history?

What if history might come to an end while you are still alive? Or before we elect another president? Or before you can use up your pension funds? Or before your children graduate from college, have children, before their children have children, etc.? Surprise, yes!

Confusion abounds on this subject. Some leaders have missed out on the incredible excitement of the AD2000 Movement (and thus the importance of the upcoming GCOWE meeting in Korea--see pp. 7-14). Why? The reason they have held back is the simple fact that the Return of Christ and the End of History are to them unacceptable subjects of discussion. They want to have nothing to do with people who think that Christ just might return sometime soon. A liberal pastor in Los Angeles used to have a sign in front of his church that said, "One world at a time."

Even within the AD2000 Movement some leaders refuse to consider the possibility of the year 2000 being something spiritually special. They are glad to go along with the year-2000 evangelistic goals, but that's all.

However, recently in my morning devotions while translating my way through Paul's words to the Thessalonians I encountered a radically new idea (new for me). I don't know why I had not seen it before.

Ever since I was a teenager I have puzzled over Paul's paradoxical statement that the Day of the Lord will "come as a thief in the night" but "to you who walk in the light it will not overtake you as a thief." My translation of I Thess 5:2-10 makes this new insight clear:

"You already know perfectly well that the Day of the Lord will be totally unexpected, and that it will be bad news for most people--like a robber breaking in at night. People may say, 'Everything's okay, no problem, don't even think about things like that.' But just as a mother expecting a baby never knows from one minute to the next when the birth pangs will really begin in earnest, so also there is just no way you can know precisely when this Event will occur.

"However, brethren, as believers this Event--however unpredictable--is not going to be for you an unpleasant surprise. For you the sudden Appearance will not be that of a thief but of a rescuing friend.

"You are living in the light, not in darkness. You don't have deeds of darkness to hide or be revealed against you. People who doze and drift and get drunk, do so in spiritual darkness. But you are of the day, and you are living soberly and righteously with faith and love leading to salvation. That's right. God's plans for us who believe are for good and not for evil--for salvation in Jesus Christ. He gave His life for us. The result is that whether we die before He comes or are still alive at the moment He returns, we will live with Him!"

For me, these verses settle once and for all that that Day does not--or should not--hold any terrors for those who are walking in the light. For me, at least, it is settled once and for all that no one should try to predict that Day-- IT WILL BE A SURPRISE FOR EVERYONE. "As in the days of Noah," or "as with a mother expecting a child," etc., it will be a surprise. What we will know

On the other hand, an expectant mother is not completely in the dark about the time of birth since there are many signs leading up to it.

Similarly, it seems eminently reasonable that God would have some fairly practical goals in mind prior to the Return of Christ. Matthew 24:14 is pretty clear: "This Gospel must be preached… as a testimony to all peoples, and then shall the end come." There seems something here needing completion just as do the words in a Psalm of David, "Declare His glory among all nations (peoples)," (Ps 96:3, see also I Chron. 16).

It is important to note that these verses do NOT speak of our somehow winning (or even evangelizing) every soul on earth--or even all individuals on earth who have arrived at the age of accountability.

Why not expect to win everyone, or at least "evangelize" everyone? Perhaps such a goal is a bit artificial since every day 411,000 more children grow up into an age of accountability. This requires every village on earth to be re-evangelized every minute. Would it be meaningful to achieve that goal for a split second before falling back from it?

We have to believe that God has plans we don't know of in detail. What about all those who die in abortions or who are not yet born at the time of His Return--for example, 113,000,000 babies still in utero at any given moment!

But, admittedly, Scripture is fairly explicit. Let's check again three sample passages:

1. "Sing to the Lord all the earth. Declare His glory among all nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples." (Ps 96, and also I Chron 16:24) This speaks of a result not a mission strategy--that is, it speaks of a great choir made up of all peoples singing to all peoples. It goes on to say, "Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength… the glory due to His name," (v. 7,).

This is the spirit-filled Psalmist crying out (with God's goals in mind) what ought to happen. If God's wish is our command then we ought to go out and do everything within our power to make happen His specific wishes known to us.

But even so, precisely what has to happen for this result to be properly fulfilled? What if all heads of state produce a truly spiritual choir in the U.N.? Would that do it? What if only a handful of believers within every people were to raise their voices in praise to the living God? Would that do it?

2. Take the other key verse: This Gospel must be preached …as a testimony to all peoples, and then shall the end come." The wording here could conceivably allow you merely to preach, to expose, with or without results--if the Psalmist had not indicated that all nations in some sense are to "sing unto the Lord."

3. Or, take the "Great Commission" phrase: "Disciple all peoples," (Matt 28:19).

Problem: we may feel more confident about discipling a person than discipling a people (to disciple a people is a phrase that has no parallel elsewhere in Scripture). But the "Great Commission" goes on to speak of "baptizing them… teaching them…) and this is pretty specific. But, does this mean baptize every single person?

Let's jump to the end of the story! Revelation 5 portrays every creature in heaven, on earth and under the earth singing. Rev 7 speaks of a great, uncountable multitude "from every nation, tribe, people, and language" before the throne.

In an often mistranslated passage, Rev 21:3, we see God addressing "His peoples" (this is often translated improperly as "His people"). The great missionary linguist, Kenneth Pike, once said something like: "A divine Gardener may be more interested in the survival of a rare flower than in a huge quantity of any one flower." Note also that "wipe away every tear" comes AFTER His Return.

But enough. Would you like me to explain how I reconcile the tension between every person and every people?

In my mind the most strategic of all goals posed for the year 2000 is simple: it is that of giving every person in the world access to the Gospel. But, note carefully:

I don't mean by access merely the existence of a strange church next door. Far better: an intelligible church across town. People must have someone (like Jesus) who can speak to them from within their society--THAT is the "incarnation" of the Gospel.

So, is it fair if some people still lack access to a completely indigenous church movement? Is it fair if some people cannot hear in their mother tongue?

No, what is essential is a missionary breakthrough of communication whereby the Gospel becomes intelligible on the linguistic and cultural wave length of every person. That means we cannot blithely by-pass "pockets" of people--peoples sealed off by significant differences, where only cross-cultural techniques of evangelism will suffice.

Amazingly, all of this is summed up by the phrase, "A Church for Every People by the Year 2000."

All of this, furthermore, explains why it is equivalent to say "A Church for Every People and (thus) the Gospel for Every Person by the Year 2000."