Wednesday, November
21, 2018
“The day is coming when you will see the sacrilegious object that
causes desecration standing where he should not be.” (Reader, pay attention!) “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. A person out on the deck
of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return even to get
a coat. How
terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. And pray that your flight
will not be in winter. For
there will be greater anguish in those days than at any time since God created
the world. And it will never be so great
again. In fact,
unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, not a single person will
survive. But for the sake of his chosen
ones he has shortened those days. “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look,
here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. For false messiahs and
false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if
possible, even God’s chosen ones. Watch
out! I have warned you about this ahead
of time! Mark 13:14-23(NLT)
This passage is filled with
urgency. It’s like advice to the people
scrambling to get out of the pathway of the wildfires: don’t stop to pack, or even pick up a
toothbrush, and, omigosh, is that woman about to go into labor? When you’re on a locomotive, and the end of
the tracks is clearly in front of you, you do not spend a moment emptying the
trash bucket in the rest room … you get off that choo-choo RIGHT NOW!
Of course, scholars would explain
that Jesus was speaking of the immediate future (70AD), when persecution for
his group would blaze; these things did happen, just as the Lord
prophesied. But there is a second
meaning corresponding to this warning; in Scripture[2] the
second coming of Christ is preceded by a great “falling-away” as people reject God’s
authority, leaving worship and obedience to the Word of God as empty as most
churches these days.
Historically-speaking the church
has always been positioned in Advent; it’s not just a season on the calendar,
but rather the constant hope of all Christians.
We are awaiting the grand re-entrance of Christ,
returning to rule the nations.
Now, that is a well-known
Christian doctrine, that one day (an unknown day, except in Heaven), the risen Messiah
will return to earth to set everything in its rightful place. Preaching during Advent takes on a tone of
expectancy, not just the celebration of His first arrival in a manger, but the
urgency of an imminent breaking-in; the King could come at any time!
But notice the very end of Mark’s remembrance
of Jesus’ warnings: don’t be deceived! With urgency arrives the possibility of
frantic behavior. That is so opposite of
what Jesus told his disciples: I
give you peace … and it’s so different than the world’s idea of peace; I give
you my peace that overcomes whatever craziness life can throw at you. Here’s how the apostle John recalled what
Jesus said:
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.
So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27(NLT)
Frantic people move around from
place to place, church-to-tent-revival, to prayer gatherings and prophecy
seminars … all in a frenetic attempt to gain some new insight or hear some new and
more fascinating angle on when the second coming will happen.
Friends, that is exactly how
deception becomes a possibility. Jesus’
instructions to the disciples, (including us) is to be unafraid. That means our “job” is to live-into, and
rest-in the peace He promises. You
cannot do that running from one brand of church to another, or frantically-searching
for some new doctrine, or better way.
Life in the Kingdom is lived-out one moment at a time, largely in the ordinary,
everyday tasks that connect us with people who are real, with diapers being
changed, going to work, cutting the grass, helping a neighbor with a leaky
faucet. That’s hardly sensational-sounding,
but this is the way Jesus said it would be:
“Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken,
the other left. Two women will be
grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. Matthew
24:40-41(NLT)
Now, all that said, common sense
in the peace-gift Christ gives us, also tells us to be adventists – Christians who
understand that the times always point to the imminent return of our Lord.
And the condition of contemporary
culture couldn’t be riper for that harvest!
Many years ago, I received a gift of a little gold lapel pin that looked
like a trumpet; it had two words: Perhaps
Today! Perhaps!
You chew on that as you hit the
Rocky Road; have a blessed day.
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