Luke 19:11 you remember reveals the prevailing mindset of the Jew at that time. There was a great deal of anticipation. The questions about when the end would be and what the signs would be arise naturally out of Judaism, not Christianity.

This is an important distinction to make. Christianity was yet to be. Jesus, in Matt 16:13-18, had just recently introduced the idea of the Church to the disciples when He said, “I will build my Church.” The Church was a program with the same goal as Judaism, but would pursue it by different means using different tools. Put simply, Judaism was the method of God working through a nation for the redemption of mankind. Christianity on the other hand was the method of God working through a corporate body of individuals from many nations for the redemption of mankind. If put side by side, you would see individuals from both groups marching off in different directions pursuing the same goal.

Since the Church was yet to be formed and yet to be understood for many years to come (see Eph 3:1-13), the signs given in Matthew 24 have nothing to do with Christianity. They are not for the Church; they would mean nothing to Her. In fact, those in the Church following them could get lost (apostasy, see Matthew 25:1-13).

Consider the nature of a sign. A sign points the way to something ahead. Imagine being one of two people leaving Denver Colorado to make your way to Pakistan on the other side of the world. You head east and the other person heads west. How useful would your map be to the other person? And the signs that line the road that read “Kansas City, Indianapolis, Pittsburg, straight ahead” how useful would they be to him? And what would you make of him if he thought your signs were helpful on his way west to Pakistan? And more alarming still, what if he was funding and supporting projects instigated by Satan which were tearing down his signs to erect your signs in their place?

This raises some important issues, but for now I just want to make the single point that Jesus taught His disciples – we will not know when the end will be until it happens. This we can know for sure…

…the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will Matt 24:44

We all have an interest in the future so it is easy for us to listen to those that talk about it. We should be careful how we listen (Luke 8:18). We must not underestimate the power of Satan. He sends out ministers of righteousness to tickle the itchy ears of many. Their activity is not limited to work in the church, but appear in business, government, and along the roads we travel. He leads many off course not unlike he has done time and time again. Therefore, we must be careful what signs and maps we use to guide us. Did Jesus make Himself clear?

…God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth… 2 Thess 2:11-12

Gingrich doesn’t live by the strict sexual rules laid out by conservatives, because those rules are meant for other people: the poor, Democrats, gays, and minorities.

January 25, 2012

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Newt Gingrich’s win in the South Carolina primary looks like it may not be an outlier; Gingrich’s poll numbers are rising rapidly in Florida, and he has a good chance of beating Romney there as well. Gingrich is doing well in no small part because he has so much support amongst evangelical Christians; so much so that many evangelical leaders refused to go along with an attempt to unify the Christian right behind Santorum.

In South Carolina, evangelical Christians voted for Gingrich 2-to-1 over boring family man Mitt Romney. For anyone who takes seriously the notion that evangelical Christians actually care about things like family and fidelity, this support for Gingrich is baffling, since he has a history of serial adultery that he barely bothers to disavow. But a closer examination of the situation makes clear what’s going on: for the Republican base, “family values” don’t actually matter, but are just a gloss painted over what really motivates them: reactionary rage. They love Gingrich because he’s a flaming ball of rage they can wield against everyone they hate. 

The sexual double standard is the most obvious way the us vs. them mentality works. There’s nothing the modern American conservative loves more than to decry our country’s supposedly declining sexual morals. Once the Republicans swept state legislatures and the House of Representatives, punishing sexual freedom became their number one priority, which manifested in nearly 1,000 bills restricting reproductive rights in state legislatures and a bill attacking private insurance funding of abortion in the House. Eventually, House Republicans threatened to shut down the federal government in order to defund family planning clinics, basically because they’re in the business of providing contraception and STD prevention and treatment. All this while the base continues to push abstinence-only and reject gay marriage on the grounds that it’s not “traditional.” But when it comes to a serial adulterer like Gingrich, he gets a pass. After all, he’s one of theirs, and if you’re in the tribe, you get a lot more leeway. 

Nowhere is this more obvious than in the reaction to Marianne Gingrich sticking her head out, as she periodically does, to remind the world of what a terrible man her ex-husband is. This time she added the juicy detail that Newt basically demanded that he get to have both his wife and his mistress at the same time. It was a reminder that while this flagrant cheating was going on, Gingrich was repeatedly moralizing in public over President Clinton’s adultery. To this day, the GOP base still regards Clinton as some kind of perverted sex maniac. But Gingrich? Well, during the South Carolina debate when Marianne’s interview with ABC was brought up, the audience loudly booed the mere mention of her name. For the Republican base, Gingrich not only gets to cheat, he also gets to flaunt it in his wife’s face; but a Democrat like Clinton’s more secretive and brief affairs are unforgivable.

Gingrich doesn’t live by the strict sexual rules laid out by conservatives, because those rules are meant for other people. Sex is a weapon being used against all those classes of Americans they don’t like: non-white people, gays, non-Christians, liberals, Democrats, people who have to work for a living, poor people, Democratic politicians. 

With rising levels of pious posing amongst Republicans, there has been some half-hearted attempts to pretend that they hold everyone to the same standards, which helped created the spectacle of Gov. Mark Sanford’s resignation. Gingrich represents a tossing-away of that feigned concern for fairness and a return to what conservatives really love best, a pedal-to-the-metal defense of straight white male privilege, especially that of wealthy white men. He’s the living id of the Republican Party: a spoiled brat who takes what he wants without apology, and then dresses down perceived inferiors for their supposed lack of morals and work ethic. You could easily imagine him drifting out of Tiffany’s, having bought wife number three fancy baubles with money generated from one of his direct mail schemes only to pause to lecture a homeless vet on how he deserved his fate because he didn’t sacrifice enough. 

In the Republican worldview, sex is a luxury item to be reserved for the privileged, and everyone else who indulges deserves whatever horrible fate befalls them. In the world imagined by Gingrich and his fan base, rich people get to say they’re sorry and run for public office if they have sex out of wedlock; poor people should see their health decline because they have an STD but can’t afford to see a doctor to treat it. The wealthy can afford contraception and have all the sex they want, but if Republicans succeed in cutting off family planning subsidies, poor people will go without. If abortion is banned, wealthy women will be able to travel to get abortions or depend on discreet doctors, but the poor will simply be forced to have babies. 

Of course, Republicans know better than anyone that simply giving into their worst instincts and promoting the career of someone like Newt Gingrich tends to turn off the moderates and swing voters they need to win elections. But it seems this year they don’t really care. Conservatives seem sick and tired of paying lip service to equality and family values, and instead are just enjoying the ride of cheering for the screw-you-I-got-mine guy. Will they wise up before it’s too late and Gingrich has the nomination? At this point, it’s hard to say.

Amanda Marcotte co-writes the blog Pandagon.

Matt 24:3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” NASU

With all the excitement going on in Palestine the disciples now wanted to know when the end of the age will be.  Luke 19:11 reveals anticipation filled the air.  Much like learning your favorite football team made it to the Super Bowl the next question to ask is “when will the big game be?”  Imagine asking Jesus, the know-it-all, the omniscient One, and hearing his answer, “I don’t know.”  Unbelievable!  If you hear Jesus right, then His answer sounds stale, flat, and disappointing.

Matt 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. NASB

Jesus would not be a very exciting conference speaker at any prophecy seminar today!

Matt 24:36-40 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.  37 “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.  38 “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,  39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. NASU

Compare what “signs” we see today to what Jesus’ disciples must have seen.  They must have been very excited.  Imagine then the disappointment when they heard Jesus say He didn’t know.

The record of the New Testament shows they accepted Jesus answer.  You don’t read about them applying the signs Jesus gave to current events happening in the Middle East.  They could have, but they were wise not to.  They acted as if they could not know the time of the end so they didn’t try.  Actually, they acted as if they had a lot of work to do.  To them the matter was not like looking up into the sky, analyzing it, and concluding “it looks like rain today.”  Instead, they acted like those that went out diligently to build a roof on a church not knowing if it would rain or not today.  They accepted the fact that the timing of the end would be unpredictable; it would be like the time of the flood when the ever present cloud would just one day break loose surprising everyone.

We should be like them.  To supplement eschatology with human wisdom, to say the end is near is not commendable.  In fact, it is damnable.  Think about what I’m saying.  Imagine going to hell for holding the wrong view about the end time. Yet, according to Jesus teaching in Matt 25:1-13, living according to a misconstrued view of the end will damn you.  How can this be?  Maybe we should ask if Jesus has the right to condemn those who cannot handle the responsibilities that come with an extended delay on His part.  I think Jesus sees this as no different then mixing human wisdom with soteriology; both are damnable.

Prov 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. NASU

Certainly understanding Matthew 25:1-13 is one of the reasons why the disciples lived the way they did.

The application Jesus draws from the unknowability or ignorance of the timing of the end is clear.

Matt 24:42-44 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.  43 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.  44 “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. NASU

Apparently, God holds such people who think the big game is going to be on a Sunday in the late afternoon to be dangerous. He is right because they are presumptuous.  History is filled with the destructive ways of the presumptuous.

Isa 5:18-19  Woe to those…Who say, “Let Him make speed, let Him hasten His work, that we may see it; And let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near And come to pass, that we may know it!”  NASU

The Apostle Paul confronted the Corinthian church over that astonishing claim made by a Christian; “Jesus is accursed” (1 Cor 12). Such unfounded contradictions appear in the church and if not eradicated society ends up having to deal with a satanic force for evil rather than a godly one for good. I am not talking about a people bent on doing wrong, but a mob with the best of intentions doing evil. Who can count all the “religious” people that have opposed God from day one? Paul summarizes well what he witnessed with these words.

Rom 10:2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. NASU

Consider what zeal they had. Think about what they had accomplished. A rather small group of men had subjugated God’s religion (the entire Old Testament economy) to their whims! Add to that the Roman government. At the time arguably the best government man could make, the Roman Republic, had to make concessions to this “zeal for God without knowledge.” In exchange for his citizenship the Jew exempted himself from worshiping the emperor.

It is unfortunate that the Jew had gained so much religious freedom only to be despised by both man and God. The devil can destroy your life in that way. Deception leads to no earthly or heavenly good. Salt that has become tasteless, Jesus taught, “is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”

In an attempt to salvage the Corinthians, Paul reminded them of the ways of Satan. The devil disguises himself as an “angel of light.” The devil doesn’t move around with a pitchfork in a red suit. Like God he even commissions “ministers” into the world, but notice what kind.

2 Cor 11:14-15 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness… NASU

Satan has the power and the personnel to gain the attention and devotion of large segments of the Church. Therefore, it is not hard for me to understand how those in the church can go around and say things like “Jesus is accursed” or how Christendom can subject herself to men like Tetzel who would sell them indulgences. It is not hard for me to understand how God at times needs to send a prophet into the darkness to tell His people directly to stop it with all the contradictions.

Isa 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! NASU

So with this ability of Satan to delude the flock and man’s ability to hold contradictions what are we to think about the end times? Is the Lord’s Second Coming near or far or do we not know? And what are we to think about government? Is it good or evil?

I am writing to sort out in my own mind the answer to these questions. First I will talk about the time of Christ’s return. To start I would like you to consider with me (and I say this with no disrespect) this question; what might be the dullest thing Jesus ever said?

Until next time…

Waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord,

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Why Believe The End Is Near?

Matt 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. NASB

I guess it was politics that woke me up to the dull meaning of this statement.  I used to run with the crowd that could see Jesus’ return on the horizon.  We would say all the signs make His imminent return clear.  Besides, I wanted Him to return.  I wanted the weight of responsibility that comes with knowing the truth off my shoulders.  I wanted all the pain that comes from all the wrongs in the world made right and relieved right now.  I wanted to see Jesus.  But the more I studied Scripture and considered the meaning of “no one knows,” the more I could see I was going along with a crowd rather than letting the Lord and Scripture guide me.  I became uncomfortable with this.

I had been debating my atheist brother for over a year when two planes knocked down three buildings.  He had been sending political statements that showed me a side of government I had never seen before (nothing related to 911 by the way).  As I validated some of these things I began to appreciate the Christian view of government more than I had before (and probably to his chagrin).  God made government for the well being of His people and all people.  This I knew, but I had never placed much value on this fact before.  Instead, I had come to demonize government, downplay it, and ignore it, and hold the same view those who could see Jesus coming on the horizon had for it.  I began to see how inconsistent these views were with the ones I held for God’s other institutions such as family and Church.  I became uncomfortable with this too, so I sought to resolve it.

Surprisingly, as I moved government back to its rightful place in my life, I began to see many false perceptions I was holding.  Some of those perceptions pertained to my view of the end times.  I began to see the possibility of Satan deceiving and misleading the Church down a path that would ultimately turn Her into one of his greatest allies.

I knew enough about the Bible to know that apostasy in the Church must come first, then the end.  I always thought I would be able to stand up, shade the sun from my eyes, and see apostasy come on the horizon.  But now I thought what if the apostasy wasn’t out there somewhere to see?  What if it was right here, all around us, so when you stood up to look for it you would never see it coming?

History shows again and again that apostasy happens that way.  Who could imagine someone standing up in a congregation of Christians to boldly proclaim that Jesus was accursed?  Who could imagine Christians flocking to buy indulgences? These contradictions to Christianity happen within Christianity more than we would care to admit.

Running with the crowd is never a deterrent to apostasy.  Individual adherence to the truth is the only antidote.  With that in mind I want to sort out in my own head what I think about the end times.  I’ll be writing about that here over the next couple of weeks.  I invite your comments and opinions as I make this journey.

Beginning At The Sanctuary.

Ezek 9:6 Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple. NKJV

III. The doom of the sanctuary is a warning to the world.

The beautiful temple of Solomon was burnt; Jerusalem itself was destroyed; the Jews were scattered. These things were done in part for our warning. They show that great guilt will surely bring great punishment. They make it evident that no favouritism will prevent God from punishing the guilty. The members of a Christian Church will have no immunity on account of their membership, nor will pious phrases condone impious deeds. The bosom of destruction wilt make a thorough search of the most secret refuges when God does begin the dreadful work. Let us flee from the sanctuary to the Saviour.

Source: The Pulpit Commentary via Biblesoft 

Beginning At The Sanctuary.

The apostles, when entering on their missionary labours, were to “begin at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47). The destroying messengers were to begin their direful work at the sanctuary.

Ezek 9:6 Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple. NKJV

I. There is no protection in the sanctuary.
II. The greatest guilt is found in the sanctuary.
III. The doom of the sanctuary is a warning to the world.

II. The greatest guilt is found in the sanctuary

No doubt the punishment was to begin there because the worst sin was practiced in that place. The previous chapter gives an account of the abominations of the “chambers of imagery” in the temple. Many things concur to make the sins of the sanctuary great.

1. They are sins committed against light. The sins of Christians are worse than the same deeds done by the heathen, because Christians know the evil of them. People brought up under religious influences have not the excuse which may be pleaded for the poor waifs and strays of the streets.
2. They are sins committed by men who profess better things. Hypocrisy is thus added to the guilt of the offences themselves.
3. They are stumbling blocks to others. Where a good example is looked for, people see the shame of a hypocritical pretence. This is enough to destroy all faith in religion.
4. They are dishonouring to God. The holy place is desecrated. Where God should be most honoured his Name is most outraged.

Source: The Pulpit Commentary via Biblesoft 

Next up…
III. The doom of the sanctuary is a warning to the world.

“What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists, is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents.” ~ Robert F. Kennedy

“We must admit the vanity of our false distinctions among men and learn to find our own advancement in the search for the advancement of others. We must admit in ourselves that our own children’s future cannot be built on the misfortunes of others. We must recognize that this short life can neither be ennobled or enriched by hatred or revenge. Our lives on this planet are too short and the work to be done too great to let this spirit flourish any longer in our land. Of course we cannot vanquish it with a program, nor with a resolution.  But we can perhaps remember, if only for a time, that those who live with us are our brothers, that they share with us the same short moment of life; that they seek, as do we, nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and in happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can.”
~ Robert F. Kennedy