There’s an interesting conversation going on, again, atJollyblogger regarding political involvement. Coming from a dispensational background, this has always been an interesting question to me. I remember speakers at our church’s “Summer Bible Conference,” in particular one of the “end times” guys who showed up every year, who thought they had geopolitics all figured out in light of Daniel’s sixty six weeks and the eschatalogical visions in Revelation. To them it was clear: support for Israel was good; internationalism, the UN, the EU and communism were bad; and ultimately politics doesn’t matter, because it all ultimately is wrapped up in God’s prophetic plan. It was all very simple and self-evident. The fundamental message, at least the message I heard as an impressionable adolescent, was that there’s something unseemly about global politics; this world’s governance systems are passing away in any event; better to focus on evangelistic missions.
I still lean dispensational, or at least “progressive dispensational.” Like most progressive dispensationalists, and I think like most of the leaders today in the dispensational church in which I was raised, I don’t think geopolitics are so simple or clear. Rather, as I noted at Jollyblogger, I take a view that might be something of a fusion between reformed and dispensational perspectives (which, I suppose, is consistent with my progressive dispensationalism). So here are a few of the thoughts I shared there:
In terms of how we are supposed to love, very much rides on what happens in this world. Love compels us to seek the kind of political stability, intellectual freedom, and educational levels that are conducive to individual health and well-being and to evangelism. Further, God has commanded us to “do justice and love mercy” in this world (Micah 6:8). Justice and mercy, of course, are fundamental attributes of God’s character. Our efforts to do justice and practice mercy in this world matter in a deep and abiding way because God primarily expresses these attributes of His character in the world through His people.
Moreover, eschatologically, as individual Christians and corporately as the Church, we will indeed be held accountable for what happens in the city of man. True, we will not be subject to God’s wrath and separated from His presence in hell, regardless of how we perform in this life, because we are redeemed and justified by Christ. However, scripture does speak of varying levels of reward for believers. In some sense that we don’t yet fully appreciate, the way in which we fullfill our stewardship in this world will affect the nature of our participation in the eschatological Kingdom.
The society-building work we do now will carry over in some way Christ’s Millenial reign on Earth, and further will carry over in some way to the fullfillment of the Kingdom in the new creation. In fact, regardless of one’s beliefs about the nature of the “tribulation,” the millenium, and Christ’s second coming, any full concept of the Kingdom of God must recognize that the “already” aspect of the Kingdom relates in some real way to the “not yet.”