Wednesday, April 2, 2025

It is the 2nd of April 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

As you may have heard we are celebrating 2,000 episodes here on April 9th with a live show on April 10th- so 10 days of a little change of pace- if you have questions about the show- the topics, send those in to danv@1517.org.

I know Seth and Mai and Grant are doing things with the stuff you’re sending in- audio, images, stories… I’ll share a few- this one was sent to me from the team so I don’t know who wrote it- but man oh boy….

"My youngest son and I have listened. to CHA every morning on the way to school for about 4 years. Now he drives, and I ride shotgun. He’ll drive on his own next school year, but he told me he’d continue the tradition of listening to Dan in the mornings.”

Thank you. I don’t deserve to be such a part of peoples lives… ok- today’s topic: the number one question that I’m getting- especially of late: do you have a favorite episode? Ok, so this gave me an idea- in the next few days I will go back and highlight from my favorites- some have been weekend editions some from the much bigger daily catalog.

I’ll start with my broadest answer- but so much flows in and from this: the history of the doctrine of the end times. Historical eschatology, we might call it. I told the story that my senior thesis was on Reformation interpretations of the end times. And yeah, reading on the end times is beneficial in its own right- but I want to see what people have believed and how it has changed their lives and, oftentimes times, society. And it’s where we get some of the real “weird” stuff… apocalyptic preachers are as old as… John the Baptist.

A show I loved making was “It’s the End of the World as We Know it”, called that because in some ways I’m genX deep in my bones and any work on eschatology has to have this title with a wink to the others floating around 50.

Link in the transcript: https://www.1517.org/podcast-overview/2022-10-01

My second ever podcast was 13 years ago, interviewing a fascinating filmmaker who followed Harold Camping around- the guy who said the world was gonna end on May 21, 2011. It didn’t, and the part of the story that caught me was the tragedy of the normal people who lost everything- they got duped, and that happens sometimes. But the bigger point for me, even, is that eschatology is, in many ways, lived theology. That is, our view about how it all ends drastically changes how we live in the present- from the extremes (selling all you have because pastor so and so got a word), we see it in the boom of the evangelical world missions movement from the 19th and 20th centuries. And for those of you writing in about how meaningful it is to hear “everything is going to be ok,” it is because that’s an “eschatological” statement- an assurance that in Christ- come what may and pray for peace but you’ve read the last page of the book.

Some of us can make it complicated and weird… and that may make us- lean toward- complicated and weird. But what I find interesting is the breadth of opinions with relative peace- yes, there are no shortages of loud voices appealing for A-millennialism or Postmillennialism or Pre-Millennialism (not to mention if you’ve got a rapture and if its pre, mid, or post tribulation).

I should also note that I have lived most of my life in Southern California amidst the Calvary Chapel explosion, the birth of Saddleback church and much of my fascination with them was how they linked contemporary cold war events to the book of Revelation and that- while inadvisable- makes for fascinating conversations.

And in light of our “2000th episode,” I’ll remind you of those who claimed 2000 as the year of the apocalypse (a word that means unveiling) based on math- it was Bishop James Ussher who pegged creation to Sunday, October 23, 4004 BC and counted one 2,000 year epoch from creation to Abraham, 2000 from Abraham to Christ and then a final 2,000-year epoch in 2000 (or 2004?)

So, End Times stuff always has a place in my heart- but I’ll be running down my favorite characters and stories over the next few days.

The Last word for today comes from Revelation 20- because there’s no better eschatology than this:

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 2nd of April 2025 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man reminding you it’s “eschatology” with an e in front, and that e makes A LOT of a difference- he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who advises you to go to the link for the weekend show, if not just to hear a story about the guy in the rainbow wig with the John 3:16 sign at everything in the 80s… I’m  Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.