Last Things First

by Mathew Block

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, the church observes Advent. In this season, we remember the waiting of God’s people in anticipation of the first coming of the Son of God in His incarnation. And we also look forward with hope towards the final return of Christ and the end of all things.

“The end of all things is at hand,” St. Peter writes. “Therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers” (1 Peter 4:7). During Advent, Christians have historically tried to put that admonition into practice, prayerfully meditating on death, judgment, heaven, and hell. By contemplating these “Four Last Things,” the faithful were reminded not to let worldly things distract them from also considering the state—and eternal destination—of their own souls. After all, this “world is passing away along with its desires,” St. John writes, “but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).

Of course, the opposite is also true; those who reject God, who refuse to believe in His Son will be condemned (John 3:18). All people must come at length to one end or the other—to heaven or hell. Advent encourages each of us to put these last things first, and to seriously reflect: where am I going?

Such questions can leave us fearful. We are sinners, after all. None of us keep God’s laws perfectly. And no matter how hard we try to put last things first—to remember that we will one day die and face God’s judgment—we never measure up to the exacting demands God places upon us: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

But the good news is that we believe in a God who also puts last things first. Go all the way back to the very beginning of the world—to before the beginning, in fact—and you’ll see that God was looking ahead to the end of all things. He foresaw the fall of our first parents, foresaw the whole long history of humankind’s sinful rebellion, foresaw even you and your sin. And before any of it ever happened, He planned your eternal salvation through Christ.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” St. Paul exclaims, “who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:3-4). Yes, even before “the foundation of the world,” God had put the final touches on His plans for your salvation. He had plotted out your redemption through the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of your sins through the riches of His grace (1:7). From first to last, He had seen it all, and the ultimate goal was to save sinners—to save you.

Yes, even before “the foundation of the world,” God had put the final touches on His plans for your salvation.

Even from the beginning, then, God put last things first. He knew His good creation would be corrupted by sin before it was ever made. And yet He made it anyway, knowing that through the death and resurrection of Christ it would ultimately be redeemed—that “sinners ruined by the fall” (LSB 435) would at last be reconciled unto God in Jesus. Such is the “mystery of God’s will… set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time” (Ephesians 1:9-10). In Jesus, then, first things meet last things—for He is both the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13).

In this issue, we reflect on the miracle of Christmas—the moment when God’s eternal plan was revealed in the flesh. For here in the life and death of Jesus, we find the fulcrum of time, the moment which gives meaning to all of the past, present, and future. Our first feature comes from one of Martin Luther’s Christmas sermons (page six). Our second, by Rev. Dr. Alex Vieira, reflects on the revealing of God’s arm in Christ for the salvation of all people (page nine). LCC President Timothy Teuscher, meanwhile, encourages us to bring the good news of Christ to the world around us, much as the shepherds did so long ago (page 42).

Trusting in the mercy which Christ won for us at His first coming, we can look with joy and not fear towards His second coming. Dear Jesus, teach us to face the Last Things in the knowledge that You have loved us from the first, and that You will carry us through to the end. Grant us Your mercy, dear Lord, that we may face death in peace, knowing that—through Your death and resurrection—You have won for us eternal salvation and a place in heaven, where we will be with You forever. 

“He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.” – Hebrews 9:26-28

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Mathew Block is editor of The Canadian Lutheran and the Communications Manager of the International Lutheran Council (ILC).

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