We are hearing, but not listening, We are looking but don’t see.

             

Not long ago I received an email that warned me that the area I live in (the west coast of North America) will one day experience an earthquake, not a small one, we have experienced those before, but one with a high number on the Richter scale.

Be prepared it said, do this and have that, all excellent advice.

It reminded me of a passage I read shortly before that, it said:

“And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of war; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs”.  Some may recognize this as a quote from Jesus in a private conversation with His disciples.

Wars and talk about wars are nearly always going on somewhere in the world. Earthquakes, slight ones and severe ones, are no exception either. Famines are not very common in most parts of the world. Other areas have a continual problem to feed the people.

The purpose of Jesus statement was, and still is, that life on earth will get worse before it gets better. Birth pangs are still here.

Hurricanes, large forest fires, floods, droughts, etc are part of our lives. Are they birth pangs? Yes, they are!                                                                           

A new life does start when the birth pangs are over! This new life starts with the answer to the disciples’ question:  Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Are we only hearing and not listening? Are we only looking and not seeing?

References are from the New Testament, the gospel of Matthew chapters 23 and 24. I strongly recommend reading those chapters as a complete background. They are the words of The Almighty!

THERE IS MORE TO GOOD FRIDAY THAN MEETS THE EYE

 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus, who is called Christ? ”Pilate asked.

                            They all answered: “Crucify him”

  Many descriptions we read and hear about Jesus’ suffering focus on the physical part of his suffering; undeniably scourging and crucifying were extremely painful. In most cases death was agonizingly slow.

   Some say that Jesus suffered so much more than the other two men who were crucified at the same time because he was innocent. Yes, Jesus was innocent; in our eyes this was a political murder. It was not Jesus, though, who was hanging there; it was you and I. He suffered the penalty we were supposed to suffer. But why did he have to die such a gruesome death?                 

  John Calvin, (a 16^th century theologian) in the Institutes of the Christian Religion, gives us the reason. He says: “The very form of the death embodies a striking truth.  The cross was cursed not only in the opinion of men, but by the enactment of the Divine Law. Hence Christ, while suspended on it, subjects himself to the curse, and thus it behooved to be done, in order that the whole curse, which on account of our iniquities awaited us, or rather lay upon us, might be taken from us by being transferred to him.”

  In addition to this physical suffering another suffering did take place.     
 The Bible gives a few examples of this suffering. It takes place after an individual has physically died and the soul and the body are separated from each other.
  One example is the parable Jesus told about a rich man and Lazarus.  In Luke 16: 24, the rich man states: “I am in agony  in this fire." “They (the angels) will throw them (everything that causes sin and all who do evil) into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. Why were they, although they were dead, in agony and were weeping and gnashing their teeth?  Because, in addition to having died physically, they had been rejected by God.
   This rejection, this forsakenness, this everlasting death, is the punishment we would have received in addition to our physical death if Jesus had not substituted for you and me. This punishment, this rejection, this God forsakenness, is being in hell.   Jesus did not suffer only the physical punishment; he also experienced those pains of hell. He descended into hell, the place of ultimate God-forsakenness.

 One of the things that Jesus spoke when on the cross was, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Calvin, in dealing with the statement in the Apostles Creed where it says, “He descended into hell” wrote that: “if Christ had died only a bodily death, it would have been ineffectual.
 No- it was expedient at the same time for him to undergo the severity of God’s vengeance, to appease his wrath and satisfy his judgment.  For this reason he must also grapple hand to hand with the armies of hell and the dread of everlasting death.” In the same section he says that “not only was the body of Christ given up as the price of redemption, but that there was a greater and more excellent price- that he bore in his soul the tortures of condemned and ruined man.” Later he wrote, “And surely, unless his soul shared in the punishment, he would have been the Redeemer of bodies alone.”

    There are different opinions of when and for how long this forsakenness took place, but that it did take place is indisputable.
   God accepted Jesus’ suffering and rejection as a substitution for our punishment and, after the payment had been made, raised him from the dead.  In time He will raise us also. Those who accept the fact that Jesus was our substitute are raised to eternal life, not only physically but also to a restored relationship with God. Those who reject Jesus’ offer are also raised physically, but to eternal rejection.

  There are two reasons why the awareness of Jesus’ soul suffering is important. First of all, it shows us, Christians, how great a calamity we have escaped by accepting the fact that this was done for us, and secondly, it shows how great a condemnation is waiting for those who reject this rescue.
                                                             

ON THE BEACH SOMEWHERE IN THE TROPICS

          

    He always said that he did not believe in God, heaven or hell but when he died he wanted to go and lay on the beach in some tropical country; those were his favourite places to spend a holiday. 

     After his funeral some friends came together and wondered if he did get his wish.

     They could not know this but his wish had indeed been fulfilled, he was laying on the beach. He did not see anybody else there but they probably were in the hotel having a cool drink.

It was getting warmer so he decided that he could do with something cool himself. He stood up, looked around, no hotel to be seen. It must be a little further down the beach.

It was hot. Don’t see any parasols either. No trees for some shade.

Soon it will be evening and it will cool down.

The evening and the night were not any cooler. He started to dread the heat of the coming day.

    The heat came, it was even hotter than before. No comfort at all.

No shade, nothing to quench his thirst, nobody to be seen, what kind of a place is this?

He looked towards the sea and thought “Why did I not think about this before, I can go in the water and cool off”.

He hurried towards those little ripples of water on the edge of the beach to cool off his feet, he stepped in them, did not feel any cool water had a good look they were all little ridges of sand.

Looked ahead and saw that all this water was a mirage.

Walked up and down the beach for a while, looked up and cursed the God he did not believe in.

Then he heard a voice saying: “Don’t curse God, He only sent you here because you wanted to. It was your choice to reject His offer of reconciliation with Him.”

“Tell me “Voice” what kind of beach is this anyway?”

“This is not just a beach; it is the state of God forsakenness” the Voice answered. It is identical to the being in hell in which you did not believe”.

“How come I am the only one here?”

“There are many more in here but the one is not aware of the presence of the other this is what causes the loneliness.” answered the Voice.

“I have a question for you too” said the Voice, “if you had known about the horror of this place would you have looked for a way to stay out of it?”

“Nobody ever told me that there is a place like this, all I had to do was re-establish the connection with God they said, they never mentioned anything about this place if I did not.”

 “You know now” said the Voice “that this is the worst place someone can be in, that is why nobody likes talking about it. Some did though, however many more should have done so.”

“Tell me Voice, how much longer do I have to be here?”

The Voice pretended not to hear his question.

“Voice, I asked you a question, how much longer?”

“You’ll be here forever!”

“I want to die!” he screamed. “You are dead already” was the answer.

He cursed and cursed and cursed again the God who had granted him his wish and meted out His justice.

He will be cursing God forever.

Reflection on Good Friday and Easter

Passover is a celebration to remember that the Israelites have been taken from slavery into liberty. The blood of the lamb put on the door posts of the Israelite houses indicated that God would pass over those houses and not strike down the firstborn. The application of the blood of the lamb did not refer to forgiveness of sins.

Forgiveness for the sins of the nation was not celebrated until the Day of Atonement.The instructions for the celebration of that day are clearly given in the book of Leviticus.

Let’s summarize them. The high priest makes atonement for his sins and the sins of his household so they are ceremonially clean.

To atone for the sins of the nation two goats have been set apart.Although there are two goats, they are one sacrifice. The high priest draws lots to determine which of the goats is “for the Lord” and which one is the “scapegoat”

The one destined for the Lord is sacrificed and its blood applied to, among other places, the cover over the Ark of the Covenant. “… the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22)

The high priest puts his hands on the head of the other goat, “the scapegoat”, indicating that the sins of the nation are placed on it; it is led into the desert by someone chosen for this task. God does not want this part of the sacrifice, He rejects it.

Shortly before his arrest Jesus asked his Father three times “to take this cup from Me”. Silence was the answer.

          On Good Friday Jesus is sacrificed.

Jesus sheds his blood so there is forgiveness of sins for mankind.

One of Jesus sayings while hanging on the cross in great agony is: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” this is a consequence of the refusal of his Father to “take this cup away from Him.”

Thus Jesus experiences, like that second goat being led into the desert, the worst fate imaginable, Jesus went to hell, the place of being godforsaken. Jesus chose to be our “scapegoat”; suffering for the sins we have committed and would have been punished for.

A few days later God released Jesus from this godforsaken place as well as from physical death because Jesus Himself was not guilty but “God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son (Jesus) that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”

This is our release from slavery of hell into the freedom of Heaven. On this day of Passover God combined it with a Day of Atonement for all mankind.

SINNER, COME HOME!

                              Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling.

               Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading?

               Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing.

                 O for the wonderful love He has promised,

                         promised for you and for me.

             Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon.

                         Pardon for you and for me.

In spite of Jesus’ urgent call to come home many do not answer this call.

We observe this because many do not worship Him anymore, do not read His word, do not communicate with Him in prayer, and use His and His Father’s name as swearwords. His rules are not adhered to. Some commit murders, thefts take place all the time. Sexual mores are disregarded 

continually. Prostitution in many forms is practiced. A nearly unlimited amount of pornography is available. Sin in all its forms is rampant.

In spite of all this the song reads:

           “Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon.

                         Pardon for you and for me.”

The only way we can and will receive this pardon is by accepting that Jesus paid our (my) penalty.

If we say that we don’t need it, are not interested in it or will come at a later date we should ask ourselves what the consequences are.

He who is “tenderly calling you” makes you aware of those consequences.

In the 1990’s the expression WWJD (what would Jesus do) was often used.

To find out about the consequences of not answering His call we could use the acronym WDJS (what does Jesus say).

Many of Jesus sayings are recorded in the gospels.

Jesus always invites us to believe that the restoration of our relationship with God will be restored through Him.

Jesus also says that the result of not believing this will be that our

relationship with God is not restored, we are rejected by God

One of the clearest examples is the parable in Luke 16: 16:31named:

“The rich man and Lazarus.” When you read this do not come to the conclusion that the rich man is rejected because of being rich. Listen to Abraham’s advice for the brothers to stay out of that “place of agony.”

Obviously the rich man did not listen to Moses and the prophets.

One more parable Jesus told among the many that are recorded, is the one of the farmer who had sown wheat in a field, an enemy sowed weeds in the same field. At harvest time the weeds were taken out first and burned. (Matthew 13:24-29.) And it’s explanation in the verses 36 to 43.

                Are you part of the wheat or are you a weed? 

Just in case you are one of the ones who have decided to come to God at a later date, I read a bumper sticker that says:

  “Some people want to get their account with God straightened out at the

             eleven’s hour, unfortunately many of them die at 10.30”

Curious about the lyrics of “Sinner, come home!”? you will find them on the internet.

IN THE FIELDS NEAR BETHLEHEM

                        

                                                    

      I had a dream a while ago.

I saw myself walking down a pasture strewn with rocks, rocks with jagged edges and sharp corners: sheep were grazing between those rocks and I was wondering why I was there.

    A man came walking towards me, dressed in a cloak and wearing a headdress.

When he came closer, he said to me: “Shalom to you stranger.”

I returned his greeting and then he asked: “Are you looking for someone or something”? When he asked this, I knew why I was there.

      “I am looking for the shepherds to whom an angel made the announcement that the saviour of your nation was born.” I said.

“My name is Eli, and I am one of those shepherds.”

“Please, tell me how you felt when this angel suddenly appeared?” I asked.

He hesitated for a moment and then said that this experience was an extra-ordinary ending to an ordinary day.

“Do you know, stranger, what an ordinary day of shepherding sheep looks like”? he asked.

I admitted that I did not.

“Then let me explain what we normally do.

Look at that cave besides us; we use it as a sheepfold.

Since the opening to it is quite wide, we have built a low wall of rocks in front of it otherwise the sheep keep on walking out. A small opening in this wall acts as a gate for the sheep to go in and out.

In the morning, the sheep go out to graze freely among the rocks.

If one of them wanders away too far we use a leather strap as a sling, put a small stone at the end of it, swing the strap around a few times, let go of the stone and when the stone hits the sheep or the ground near it, the startled sheep runs toward the flock again.

See the short heavy stick I have in my hand? We use it to chase the wild animals away when they want to attack the sheep or us.

That long stick with the crook at the top we mostly use as a walking stick and also for leading the flock.

At the end of the day, we lead the sheep to the fold again and one by one, they go through the gate. We know how many sheep there should be so we count them when they enter. If they are not all there, we go and look for them until we find them and bring them back.

Sometimes one of them goes too far away and did not see the flock return or heard us call and sometimes one of them is hurt.

       The evening you are asking about the flock was inside the fold. We sat outside and talked about the Roman occupiers of our country who had ordered everyone to go to the town where their ancestors came from. We talked also about our desire to be a free nation again.

For many years already the rabbis had taught us that one-day a Savior would come. He would be a descendent of King David.

    This king David governed many years ago. Before God chose him to be a king he was a shepherd and a wonderful poet.

In one of his poems he realized that he himself had a shepherd also and that this shepherd did for him what he did for his sheep.

                         The highlights in this poem are:

                                The Lord is my shepherd,

                                  I shall not be in want

                He makes me lie down in green pastures,

                    He leads me beside quiet waters,

          (and the conclusion for him, being the Lord’s sheep)

                          

   Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

                                 I will fear no evil,

                               For you are with me;

                               all the days of my life,

             and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

                                     forever.

      It was time to go to sleep and we decided that Moshe, one of the other shepherds, was going to do the first watch.

Just when we were going to lie down a brilliant light suddenly surrounded us and in that light stood an angel. He realized that we were terrified and told us not to be afraid because he had good news for us, not for us only but for all people.

He told us that in the town of David, Bethlehem, a Savior had been born. We would recognize Him by being wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

When the angel had finished his message a choir of angels appeared, they praised God by saying:

                             Glory to God in the highest,

                             And on earth peace to men on

                             whom his favor rests.

      We hurried to Bethlehem to see our Savior.

The only place where there would be a manger is in the inn”.

“Do you know, stranger, the layout of an inn in this country?”

“I don’t know,” I said.

On the ground floor of an inn are only stables.

After the travelers have watered their animals at the outside watering troughs they stable their animals there.

Some travelers have donkeys, some have camels, and all are tied down in front of mangers in which food for them is provided.

Above the stables is a floor with a number of small rooms in which the travelers sleep.

When this couple arrived there were no more rooms available; they had to be satisfied with an empty space in the stable area.

    We found the place where the parents were staying and the baby in the manger.

       We told the parents and others, the message the angel had given us. When we returned to our flocks, we glorified and praised God for all the things we had heard and seen.

You know, stranger, what struck me in the announcement made by the angel, he said that this Savior was for all people, not only for our nation.”

     I did not have a chance to say thank you to Eli for sharing this experience with me, for just then I woke up.

ARE YOU READY FOR CHRISTMAS?

            “Henry, are you ready for Christmas?” asked Pete

“Not quite, Pete, but I will be ready in time, though.”

Pete continued: “Do you know who was first in getting ready for Christmas?”

“Someone in the office or in the shop maybe?”

 “No, it was none of them. It was God who was first.”

Henry listened quietly as Pete went on to explain that God began his preparations for Christmas shortly after Adam and Eve had disobeyed the command: “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden...”

At that time God spoke to the serpent, Satan, who had enticed Adam and Eve to disobey his command: “...I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head...”

That was when God promised the coming of the “he”.

Satan tried everything to prevent this coming. He caused mankind to be so evil that God decided he had to destroy it. Except for a select few, God did destroy all of them; that was the time of “The Flood”. The “Tower of Babel” was another of Satan’s efforts; communications confusion was the result of it.

God chose Abraham so that through his posterity this “he” would appear.

Abraham’s descendants, God’s chosen people, became slaves to the Egyptians for more than four hundred years but under the leadership of Moses God liberated them.

Satan caused the “chosen people” not to be always faithful in their worship of God.

Shortly after they had left Egypt he succeeded in influencing them to build a “golden calf” and worship it. After they had entered the Promised Land they several times worshiped the idols of neighboring countries, but when they repented God forgave them. Their special “chosen” relationship with God came from the promise that “he” would be a descendant of Abraham.

 “Weren’t they part of other empires a few times?” Henry asked.

“Yes, they were. When they were a part of the Roman Empire God decided that it was time for this “he” to be born.  His mother, as well as his “adoptive father“, had been told to give him the name Jesus. I am sure, Henry, that you know that the name Jesus means, “the Lord saves” and that Jesus is the Greek form of the name Joshua.”

“By the way, Henry since we’re discussing names, the addition of Christ to Jesus’ name is Greek for “the Anointed One” which is the equivalent for the Hebrew word Messiah. But let’s get back to Christmas”.

Pete continued by recounting that when Jesus was born there was no great celebration, a few shepherds came visiting, a few wise men came by, no one else.

 “How did we come to celebrate Christmas the way we do now?” asked Henry.

 Pete explained that different beginnings and reasons for this celebration are recorded. Many agree that it was in the fourth century that the church tried to clean up a celebration that had existed already for many years. Saturnalia, the festival in honor of the Roman god Saturn, the god of agriculture, had become a festival of drunkenness and utter debauchery. Many years earlier the Roman Senate had forbidden the celebration of Saturnalia, without much success though. By the 4^th century the Christian church wanted to put some Christian spiritual content into the pagan festival. The church’s efforts were not a complete success either, some pagan symbols crept in, the Yule log is one example, the mistletoe another.

Other traditions were added also: Christmas trees, Christmas cards just to name a few and let’s not forget Santa Claus. These distractions Pete explained interfere with the commemoration of the arrival of the “he”; the birth of Jesus, and his ordained purpose to “crush Satan’s head”.

The Christmas symbols, said Pete, have made the real reason for our celebration secondary. Satan succeeds in his distraction from God’s word if our Christmas celebration is limited to good eating, drinking and giving presents. We even justify our gift giving by pretending that we are copying the bringing of gifts by the Wise Men. Satan likes everything about Christmas except commemorating the birth of Jesus. Satan knows that Jesus is the “he” who has come to “crush his head”.

Pete went on to explain that Satan knows that those who accept the fact that Jesus lived, died and rose again, and did so for them, have a restored relationship with God and that Satan has lost them. Every Christmas, Henry, I am reminded of the fact that Jesus went back to heaven after Easter and that when he left the angels made the statement that “he” will return again. This time, however, as our judge and as it says in the book of Revelation: “...every eye will see him...” not just a few selected people, no, “everyone”.

“Henry, are we preparing for that Christmas? The very last one! If not give it some thought. The bible says it might be any day. Let’s keep in mind that today this coming is already a day closer then it was yesterday and tomorrow it is closer yet.”

You’re right Pete, said Henry thoughtfully; God was the first to prepare the world for Christmas, now we have to be prepared for Jesus return.