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APOCALYPTICS AND THE KINGDOM OF Christian and the 'pursuit of the millennium'

Anton Houtepen

At the dawn of the third millennium and the end of a century of extensive exegetical and systematic theological debate on history and eschatology, on apocalyptics and the kingdom of God, both ecumenism and mission theology are still left in a certain crisis of interpretation with regard to 'the last things': and life after death, the final judgement and victory of God over all evil, the completion or end of history and the shape of the ''. Confessions and denominations differ considerably in their eschatol- ogical configurations of time and life. Some of them seem not to be interested at all in speculations about the afterlife or the end of the world, others herald immediate expectations of the end of time, pessimistic or optimistic millennial dreams, doomsday announcements or prosperity . Even within one and the same Christian tradition there seems to be no clear consensus about what is meant by the basileia tou theou in the preaching of I Jesus or the vita venturi saeculi of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed.' Both ecumenism and mission theology cannot overlook too easily how much they were inspired by the eschatological and even apocalyptic background of the 'great commission' of Mt 28,18-20 and Lk 24,44-49, Mk 16, 14-20 and Jn 20, 19-23. Certainly, apocalyptic imagery is implied in these sayings, but with different emphases. Mt 28 refers to the apocalyptic vision of the '' judging over all peoples from Dn 7,14. Luke points to the empowerment to the proclamation of forgiveness and liberation in the framework of the Jubilee year of grace (cf the mission of Jezus in Lk 4,18-

In May 1979 the Roman Catholic Congregationfor the doctrine of the faith tried to formulatesome basic principlesfor Roman Catholiceschatological thinking, as did the Catholic Catechism of 1992 (nrs 988-1060). Two aspects are strongly emphasized: resurrectionis only thinkablelike Christ, with Christ and through Christ (995); life after death is a life within the 'communionof saints' and related to the earthly communityof the church in a solidarity of prayer (prayers for the dead, commemoration and intercessionof saints)and praise(the communityof adorationof the living God, together with Christ). Life after death is only thinkableas life with and in God. It is remarkable, that most of the apocalyptic imagery-the eschatologicalwar, the role of angels, the cosmic events, the role of Satan-have been left out and that the 'fire' of hell (the Gehenna)and purgatory are interpreted symbolically(to live without God, a purifying fire). 291

22). Mark is characterized by the proclamation of the signs and wonders of the kingdom of God (among which the resurrection of Jesus from the dead). John elaborates on the outpouring and reception of God's Spirit for the forgiveness of sins for all people who repent.2 The very word oikoumenè occurs in Mt 24,14 in an explicit apocalyptic and eschatological setting and the unity of the disciples, for which Jesus prays in Jn 17, is one of the signs of the final credibility of his mission to the world (Jn 17,20-21). Historically speaking, apocalyptic visions were behind the missions to far regions in the world (the original missiones to England, the papal missions to the Mongols) in order 'to reach the unreached' and to convert them to the 'before the of Christ', or to hasten the day of the final reign of God. Even Columbus' sailing to 'India' was legitimated by Spanish theologians on the basis of arguments from the apocalyptic book of 4 (=II ) and Is 60,9. In the thinking of the pioneers of the missionary and ecumenical movements of the 20th century, like John Mott, Charles Brent, Nathan Soderblom, Leslie Newbigin or Willem Adolf Visser 't Hooft, eschatological motifs, and especially the idea of the coming kingdom of God have played a decisive role.4 The eschatological gathering of all believers into the one, holy and universal church, reconciling church and synagogue in Jerusalem, has been one of the high goals of 20th century ecumenism. Some missiologists, and not only evangelicals, even today would consider

2 See the very instructiveand exegeticallynuanced exposition of M.Ariasand A. Johnson, The Great Commission.Biblical Modelsfor Evangelism, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992; similarly David Bosch, TransformingMission. Paradigm Shifts in Theologyof Mission, Maryknoll:Orbis, 1993, 15-180who adds the 'mission theology of Paul' and his apocalyptic perspectiveof the triumph of God, ib. 139-153, and his vision of the church as an interim eschatologicalcommunity, ib. 165-169. Such attentivenessto the New Testamentplurality of missionarymotivations and configurationsof the 'gospel' and even of its different eschatologicalmodels, selected from the Jewish prophetic, apocalypticand wisdomliterature seems an importantkey for an ecumenicalmissiology, which is still eagerly wanted. Cf. A. de Groot, 'One and Many Interpretative Contexts: Hermeneuticsin Missiology', in: F.J. Verstraelena.O (eds), Missiology.An ecumenicalintroduction. Textsand Contextsof Global Christianity, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids 1995, 144-156. 3 A. Hamilton, 'The Book of "Vaine Fables": The Reception of 2 Esdras from the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century, in: C. Augustijn e.a. (eds), Kerkhistorische opstellen aangeboden aan prof.dr. J. van den Berg, Kampen: Kok, 1987, 45-62; id., 'Interpretaties van 4 Ezra van de vijftiende tot de achttiende eeuw', in: J.W. van Henten/O.Mellink, Visioenen aangaande het einde. Apocalyptischegeschriften en bewegingendoor de eeuwen heen, Zoetermeer: Meinema, 1998, 221-248 (224) with reference to A. Milhou, Colóny su mendalidadmesiánica en el ambientefranciscana español, Valladolid 1983, 217-218; A. Wessels, Jezus zien. Hoe Jezus is overgeleverd in andere culturen, Baam: Ten Have, 1986, 55ff. under referenceto J.A. Mackay, The Other Spanish Christ, London 1932. 4 Cf. W. Weiße, PraktischesChristentum und Reich Gottes. Die ökumenischeBewegung Life and Work1919-1937, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck& Ruprecht, 1991.