Dr. Blount’s U2 Eschatological Countdown
by Dr. Douglas K. Blount & Sarah Frase
Let's get real, every day of finals week at seminary were longing for the eschaton, right? Now that you’re done with that last BE final, research paper, or exegetical, why not kick of your summer with a U2 listening party? Our own Dr. Blount is pleased to share with you his personal end times top 10 and related scriptures.
Here's to a Maranatha summer folks, enjoy.
10. Wake Up Dead Man
Listen For: The altar call sung to listeners who are dead apart from Christ and the plea for God to raise the physically dead, in Christ. Scripture: Romans 6:4, Revelation 20:12
9. City of Blinding Lights
Listen For: The city the singer describes is the New Jerusalem. He longs to be in God’s presence and anticipates being raptured. YouTube concert footage is pretty sweet on this one. Scripture: I Thessalonians 4:15–18, Revelation 21:22 –25
8. Window in the Skies
Listen For: The celebration of the victory of Christ’s incarnation and how His life has given humanity a window into the Kingdom of Heaven to come. Look for imagery of shackles being broken and an allusion to the stone being rolled away from the tomb. Scripture: Psalm 107:13–15, Luke 24:2Â
7. Love Rescue MeÂ
Listen For: The Song of Lament tone including allusions to Psalm 23, with the singer identifying himself as his true enemy and asking for divine deliverance. He only finds rest in the last stanza when he anticipates entering Christ’s Kingdom. Scripture: Psalm 23, 1 Corinthians 13:10–13
6. Peace on Earth
Listen For: The singer pleading with God for the peace on earth that the gospel promises but which will not be realized until Christ’s return. Written in response to the violence of the IRA Omaugh Bombing in Northern Ireland in 1998, the names of victims appear in the song. Scripture: Mathew 2:18, Luke 2:10–14, Revelation 21:4
5. Yahweh
Listen For: The singer lamenting the pain and darkness children must endure before the Kingdom comes and his plea to be transformed into an instrument of God’s grace. Scripture: John 16:21, Mathew 5:14
4. 40
Listen For: Familiar lyrics of declarative praise lifted from Psalm 40 combined with a refrain calling for the Kingdom’s coming. Scripture: Psalm 40, Acts 1:6–7
3. Beautiful DayÂ
Listen For: The celebration of the day of Jubilee: debt forgiveness and freedom from slavery which foreshadows God’s Kingdom and the Day of the Lord. The singer cries out for healing and hope. Scripture: Leviticus 25:9-55, Revelation 22:1–7
2. Where the Streets Have No NameÂ
Listen For: The singer anticipating the beauty of the New Jerusalem, that city raised up on a desert plain, and inviting his listener to go with him to that city. Â Â Scripture: Revelation 21
1. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking ForÂ
Listen For: The singer’s longing for the true justice of the coming Kingdom of God when racial strife will become peace. The singer champions his belief in the finished work of the cross and commitment to keep running the good race, though true satisfaction will not come until God’s Kingdom does. Scripture: Revelation 7, Hebrews 12:1–2, Philippians 3:12
