The `70’s were an age many of us would like to forget, a time of strange styles and manic music. We thought the 8-tracks and polyester leisure suits were gifts from the gods. Mood rings and pet rocks were consider high culture. Musical tastes may have ranged from Abba to Led Zepplin - but their talent takes them only to a county fair today. As the `70’s are lampooned for the shallowness of the Me Generation, it should not come as a surprise that the number one best-selling book of the decade was Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth. It has sold over 10 million copies and has gone through more than 140 printings. As one culture critic notes, “The amazing success of Late Great lay not so much in its eschatological perspective as in the timing of its release, proving the adage that 'timing is everything.'” (Power Religions p 271). The book popularized a peculiar view of Christian end-times not because of the cogency of its arguments but because of the geo-political turmoil of the age. America was coming out of a military fiasco, deflating our egos almost as fast as the deflating of the dollar. Government was suffering from an emotional breakdown. Witnessing a popular president assassinated, watching with the whole world the police brutality of the Chicago riots during the Democratic National Convention in 1968, and waiting for the unfolding of Watergate, pessimism reigned. The loss of innocence continued as the USSR and the People’s Republic of China seemed to progress to the communist utopia while democracy was waning. Fear of nuclear destruction no longer lead to an idealized hope of safety in fall out shelters. Rather mass destruction was considered the only option. The only positive force that bolstered hopes of some in the West was the emerging nation of Israel. Having fought off the onslaught of Palestinian forces in the fifties, they made themselves the David against the Goliath of Egypt and other Arab nations as they won the Six-Day War in 1967 and Yom Kippur War in 1973. A generation witnessed the near-extinction of the Jewish people in the furnaces of Nazi Germany and the rebirth of the nation. Many were certain that given all the factors, the end must be near. Something was happening in the Middle East. Then the oil crisis struck. Lindsey’s trepidation over world events and popularized depiction of the world’s demise lead many Christians to adopt his end-time scenario. As fear of the future rose, belief that God would rescue the Church out of this dying world before it got much worse, struck a note of much-needed hope. As Lindsey outlined from twisted texts of Scripture the idea of a Rapture of the Church preceding the Great Tribulation, Christians disregarded the cultural mandate of active engagement in this world for a bunker-mentality of reading the Bible through the lens of the New York Times, or more likely, the National Inquirer. For those of you who did not live through this ghettoized Christian subculture, you can see the mentality in "A Thief in the Night" or its sequel "A Distant Thunder." Bad acting and poor cinematography aside, these movies made it clear through an emotional appeal that seven years before the Second Coming, all Christians on the earth will be secretly whisked away to heaven. Automobiles driven by Christians will suddenly be driverless; planes piloted by Christians will be pilotless; teachers teaching school will suddenly be missing students. Then will come the Great Tribulation, when all the horrible things in the book of Revelation are poured out on this ungodly planet. The Jews would then build a new temple in Jerusalem complete with re-instituted sacrifices. A one-world government would take over everyone’s life with perfect control, complete with forcing all to bear the mark of the Beast, the Antichrist - 666. At the mid-point of the Great Tribulation, the Antichrist (portrayed as a great political leader) will enter the new Jewish Temple, proclaim himself to be God, and then erect a statue to himself, commanding all to worship him. This is said to be "the abomination of desolation." Is that what we are to be watching for? Is this what Matthew 24 teaches? What does Scripture say? Are we to be looking to Dan Rather or CNN to let us know if we are hurtling down the path to the end? Or does Scripture enjoin us to watch, but watch something that is very different? Last week we looked at Matthew 24:1-14 to see how Jesus responded to the two questions raised by the disciples regarding the destruction of their beloved Temple and the sign of Jesus’s Second Coming. Jesus explains to them the importance of facing the future with clear vision. The focus in verses 15-28 shifts from the general catastrophes which are part and parcel of living between the Resurrection and the return to a more specific examination of what these troubles will be like. This section gives a more thorough explanation of what we looked at last week. In this section Jesus answers the disciples' first question regarding the destruction of the Temple. As Jesus answers this question He also describes what we are to watch out for in our lives as well. 15. "So when you see standing in the holy place `the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the reader understand-- 16. then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20. Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again. 22. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23. At that time if anyone says to you, `Look, here is the Christ!' or, `There he is!' do not believe it. 24. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. 25. See, I have told you ahead of time. 26. "So if anyone tells you, `There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, `Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. WATCH OUT FOR THE SUPER-POWERFUL (Verses 15-22) The danger of the super-powerful is their quest for more control. Jesus gives the disciples something to look for in verse 15. For us this raises a huge question: What is the abomination that causes desolation? Fortunately Jesus gives a clue that provides some help. Daniel 11:31 gives us the background we need to understand this passage. What Daniel predicted in the 5th Century BC was fulfilled in the 2nd. The Intertestamental book 1 Maccabees records how Antiochus, ruler of Syria, invaded Judah from the north. Antiochus called himself Epiphanes, which means "the God Made Manifest". Worse still, he believed his own press. It was his goal to stamp out the Jewish religion. A royal edict was proclaimed suspending the practice of the Jewish religion on pain of death. He even turned priest's rooms and the Temple chambers into public brothels. In December 168 B.C., the Temple was dedicated to Zeus, and over the altar was placed a statue of Zeus which bore a striking resemblance to Antiochus. Then the coup de gras: a pig was sacrificed on the altar! This was a filthy abomination in the sight of the Jews. The Jews understood that this despicable act was the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy. But Jesus says it is yet to be fulfilled. What happened 200 years before was a type, an illustration of what was an abomination that would make the place of worship desolate. The abomination refers to any loathsome practice which would make the Temple useless. The work of Antiochus was one such act, but others followed suite. In the first century Pilate, in a show of strength, ordered the Roman standards brought into the city. The Standards carried the insignia of the Emperor. At the top of the pole was a bust of Caesar with an Eagle, the symbol of Roman power. These standards were portable temples, for the Roman legions often would use these standards as the focal point of their worship. When Pilate tried to bring them into the city, the populace erupted into riot. Ten years later Caligula tried to set up a pagan altar and standards in the temple precincts resulting in another riot. Despite the attempt, the standards never made it into the city. The abomination to which verse 15 refers occurred between 66 and 70 AD, when the Roman General Titus surrounded the city, erected earthen siege walls and broached the city’s defenses. Luke, writing to a Gentile who would be less aware of Daniel’s prophecy, makes the connection between the abomination of Daniel to the Roman army’s invasion when he says in Luke 21:20, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will known that its desolation is near.” What were they to do in light of this invasion? Run as fast as they can! With the approach of the armies, Christians were to flee the city. Historians tell us that around 68 AD, during a lull in the siege, a large number of Jewish Christians, aware of what Christ foretold, left the city, so that few, if any, Christians died in that war. Jesus makes it clear that they must move quickly; time is of the essence. Houses at that time had flat roofs which were used as an additional room during the cool evening. If the end is coming, that is, the armies are approaching, a horrible act which will desecrate the holy place will occur - leave without going into the house to get valuables. Josephus tells us that when the Roman armies approached, many people ran for protection by jumping from roof to roof until they came to the city wall. When working in the field, one would often take off the cloak and leave it at the edge or at home. It is understandable that one would want to grab this and run, since the cloak was an important article of clothing. But one is to concentrate on saving one’s life rather than try to retrieve an article of clothing. Because speed is vital, certain circumstances will make flight hard. Pregnant and nursing mothers, the winter (rainy season) or the Sabbath when strict Jews would punish or at least refuse to help, were all situations to be avoided. The only means of avoiding such a complexity is through prayer. These horrible events are called the great distress (NIV) or the great tribulation. The description here are of events that were fulfilled in 70 AD. Josephus chronicled the events of the destruction of Jerusalem with such powerful prose that many historians have concluded that the record of this attack is one of the most gruesome accounts of barbarism in recorded history. 1.1 million Jews were killed during this war. Not only were the Jews trapped within the city seeking to repel the onslaught of the mighty Roman army for four years, but there were often bloody battles within the city as various factions fought with one another as to how best to either defeat or make peace with Rome. Josephus interviewed survivors and witnessed atrocities too gory to recount, of famine because of robbery within the city walls by fellow Jews, of mothers consuming their own children, of those who tried to escape being caught, tortured and crucified on the earthen embankments surrounding the city. Josephus says that so many were crucified that there was not enough room for the crosses and not enough crosses for the victims. Josephus, who not Christian, wrote, “Neither did any other city ever suffer such miseries, nor did any age ever breed a generation more fruitful in wickedness that this was, from the beginning of the world." After surveying the destruction, the conqueror Titus said: “We have certainly had God for our assistant in this war and it was no other than God who ejected the Jews out of these fortifications, for what could the hands of men, or any machines, do toward overthrowing these towers?" That was then - but what about today? While the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was a horrible event, the warning still holds true for us as well. The purpose of this passage not only answers the questions regarding the destruction of the Temple, but also outlines what the end will be like. These prophecies give the characteristics of what we should watch out for as we live between the Resurrection and the return. Verses 15-22 tell us that we must be watchful of an abomination of desolation. This occurs whenever government intrudes into the worship of God, whenever the worship of God is forced on a civil government. Just as with Antiochus and Titus, whenever government reaches beyond legitimate boundaries to dictate who is to be worshipped and how, then we have an abomination that leads to the desolation of the land. For this reason our founding fathers wisely attached to our Constitution and signed simultaneously the first ten amendments to the Constitution. What is the first Amendment and the first clause? Freedom of religion. The reason why this was so important to our founding fathers is that they sought to protect the people from a government imposing a religion and to protect the government from a people imposing a religion. They had endured despotism from both state and church. The first place government will try to encroach is in the area of religion. If it can do that everything else will fall. In a country that has true religious freedom they have other rights as well. As “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;” this liberty stated in a negative form implies we retain these rights; this is the area where the individual is free to choose. The use of power to cajole and control faith is recounted by Chuck Colson, how, in the early 70’s he used Nixon’s appeal to middle-class American values to manipulate religious leaders. Colson’s first task under Nixon was the Middle America Plan in which they wrote off minorities, reached out to traditional supporters such as conservatives; cultivate Southern evangelicals; and build a new coalition among Catholics. It was (Colson writes) “cynical, pragmatic, and good politics, designed to exploit whatever allies would let us cultivate them.” Colson goes on to describe how he “took all kinds of groups to see the president, from friendly cattlemen to sophisticated educators enraged over budget cuts or the Vietnam War. It was always the same. In the reception room they would rehearse their angry lines and reassure one another, “I’ll tell him what’s going on. He’s got to do something.” When the aide came to escort us in, they’d set their jaws and march toward the door. But once it swung open, the aide announcing, “The president will see you, “ it was as if they had suddenly sniffed some intoxicating fragrance. Most became almost self-conscious about even stepping on the plush blue carpet on which was sculpted the Great Seal of the President of the United States. And Mr. Nixon’s voice and presence - like any president’s - filled the room.” (Power Religion, pg 34-35) WATCH OUT FOR THE SUPER-SPIRITUAL (Verses 23-28) Who are we to believe? Empty headed credulity is as great an enemy of true faith as chronic skepticism. We are to watch not only the idolatrous political power, but the idolatrous religious power. In this area people are very fickle. "Look here, no there." Any messianic leader will do. We are not to give credence to such tales. False messiahs will always lead people in false directions; false prophets will weave whatever tales are necessary to gain control. This is a consistent theme in the New Testament. The single major concern of the early church was not rampant immorality (of which in the decedent Greco-Roman world there was plenty). The issue was not morality, but theology. What we do, how we live, flows out of what we believe. To believe correctly will result in living correctly. Orthodoxy produces orthopraxy. For that reason it should not come as a surprise that in reading the New Testament letters we see this continual wrangling over truth claims. John warns his readers that “the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour." (1 John 2:18) The search for the antichrist will not be uncovered as we delve into Christian conspiracies of one-world government, Dutch computers, or powerful political leaders. John says in another letter that “many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.” What are the characteristics of false religious claims? Signs and wonders, claims. We mistakenly think any sign is sufficient to authenticate a claim, but Jesus gives a warning here. False messianic figures will not only have the power of Christian speech but who will also have miraculous deeds to back up their speech. The false teachers will not be wimps; they will be winners; they will not be dying on the vine, they will be almost unbelievably fruitful. But as Jesus had said earlier in Matthew 7:21, there will be those turned away in judgment who prophesied in Christ’s name, who drove out demons and did many miracles. The presence of the miraculous is not necessarily the presence of God. What did Jesus say? "A wicked and perverse generation seeks a sign." What sign did He give? "Kill me and in three days I’ll rise up." Do we need a more convincing proof? Often the objection goes like this: “But can’t God...” That’s not the point. God repeatedly makes it clear that He uses the foolish things to confound the wise. Certainly God could have miracles to excite people, but the means He has limited Himself to are the simple preaching of the gospel and the lives of His people. God’s greatest sign is already given: Christ’s death and Resurrection. The signs and wonders movement of our own day was spawned by evangelical interest in the charismatic movement of the 60’s. In the `80’s Peter Wagner of Fuller Seminary described this new acceptance of Pentecostalism as the “Third Wave.” Some saw a significance in the number three, others were certain that Christ would soon return, and lacking all historical objectivity, still others saw this as the final and greatest outpouring of the Spirit before Jesus returns. These signs involve healings, deliverance from demonic spirits and words of knowledge that come as immediate revelations of God’s mind and heart for the believer. Out of this third wave came John Wimber and the Vineyard churches. His seminal book in 1986, Power Evangelism, launched a movement in which signs and wonders were thought to be normative in a church where God was at work. But, as Wimber explains, there was more to personal Christian growth than just “doctrinal faith and faithfulness.” There is more than just intellectual growth and character growth; there is also “an exercise of faith for miracles, such as healing, words of knowledge, and so on,” concluding: “Emphasis on doctrinal knowledge and character development is good; this other dimension of Christian growth (miracles, healing) adds much more.” (pg 43-44) It is too easy to downgrade the transparent life of the believer, the day to day grind of Christian faith and repentance, God working out a moral life in us as being non-spiritual (as though we can be moral on our own). Through all this there is often a fascination with concepts of power working through us which is often divorced from a concept of God’s power working through the simple preaching of the gospel. Pragmatism rather than doctrine often drives the movement. Personal experience in place of biblical exposition and exegetical defenses are what justifies what is taught. Watch out - false prophets can do mighty things. Exclusive claims: Whether they point to the distant recesses of the desert or cloistered in a secret room, watch out for those who have the inside scoop on Christ. The desert was the classic place of ancient revelation. Inner rooms were the hiding places of urban underground movements. Notice that Jesus warns against those who emphasize apocalyptic signs. Instead He gives vital moral warnings. The most excited Christians are not the most trustworthy, and the most zealous are not always the most spiritual. Sometimes the deeper spirituality is to be skeptical of some Christian claims, to have doubts about some evangelical enthusiasms, and not to be open to all and sundry revelations. Today we must be on our guard against the neo-gnostic groups, those with special revelation within Christendom. Popular and perhaps well-meaning speakers, preachers and writers seem to have an inside track with God, knowing what God is doing today and tomorrow - be careful. Family Radio’s Harold Camping, despite a good Reformed background, claimed to know the date of Christ’s return through a contorted and contrived numerological system. September 8, 1994 came and went and Christ was not where Mr. Camping thought. So where is Jesus all this time? He is found right here as the Word is read and preached, as the Sacraments are rightfully administered. The search for Jesus is not complicated, for He has revealed Himself through His Word. He is not a secret waiting to be found, for He will be found here every Sunday morning as we gather together. His coming will be a surprise, it will be sudden (verses 27-28). His final return is likened to lightening. No matter where it is in the sky, all can see it, as it illumines all around. While Christ’s first coming was quiet, humble and obscure, Jesus takes pains now to say that the second coming will be dramatic, cosmic, and luminously clear. The first was in little Bethlehem; the second advent will be in all the skies. When He returns for us it will not be a secret known only to a few, not a special rapture of special people, but His final and complete return. But while His coming for us will be wonderful, there is another aspect which we must not forget. When He comes again those who are spiritually dead will be judged. As clear as a carcass is to vultures so clear will the coming of the Son of Man be to the world. The horror of their end is far more macabre than even this image can suggest. Yes, there have been eras in our history in which the times looked perilous. Again our future as a nation may look bleak, but we must never resort to the temptation of pumping up fear, of forgetting our task in telling others of Christ’s great love. We must never forget that the God who made us, is the God who will watch over us. As the Father has chosen us to be His, the Son died for our sins, the Spirit called us and sealed us so we are completely united with Him, so we can today be certain that we are safely protected by Him. Many centuries ago as Israel faced a time of turmoil, not knowing what was around the next bend, God reminded them, in Isaiah 43:1-7, But now, this is what the LORD says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, `Give them up!' and to the south, `Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth-- everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." There is no reason to fear, no reason for turmoil in our lives. We have a firm foundation on which we stand. |
