Category: Year A

The End of the World (Matthew 24:1-14)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

The Final Sign

Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (New International Version)

I am a suspicious person when it comes to end-time gurus. I find most of them to be false teachers, trying to scare people into their own little group, like a bunch of nuts in a fruitcake.

Yet, Jesus is an end-time preacher, giving an answer to those who asked him about the future and how things will literally shake up and shake out at the end of the world. So, because I trust him when he lays out what will happen, I believe there is a time coming when there shall be a judgment of the living and the dead.

Christ’s disciples had heard Jesus pronounce doom on the Jerusalem temple, and wanted to know about when this was going to happen, along with the signs leading to it. Jesus then went on to tell them about a much bigger picture than what the disciples were asking for; Jesus described not only the end of the temple, but also the end of the world as we know it.

I often find myself warning people about buying into those who constantly and confidently talk of the end, as if they have the inside track on it. Jesus did the same; so I’ll take my cues from him. Notice the warnings he offered his disciples concerning signs of the end time:

Don’t let anybody fool you

Watch out for deceivers. False teachers are those who claim to be Christians and have insider information from all their great study. Stay clear of them. Their sense of superiority, because of their supposed knowledge, will trick many people. Don’t be fooled by them.

Don’t be afraid

Anyone who pays any sort of attention to the news – whether local, national, or international – is likely to be concerned about the state of our world. We may even become terrified. But Jesus wants us to avoid being fearful all the time. And that will only happen if we listen as much or more to him than we do people who whip up a frenzy and get us all upset – much like talk radio hosts do to their audiences; or hack preachers do to spiritually vulnerable Christians.

We can be wise and discerning without being fearmongers and constantly worried. In times of crisis and disaster, Christians really ought to be the calmest people on the planet.

Armies may surround me,
    but I won’t be afraid;
war may break out,
    but I will trust you. (Psalm 27:3, CEV)

Wars, rumors of wars, coups, famines, and earthquakes happen. All these, and more, are signs – just like a woman with labor pains, about to give birth. When we look ahead, we may feel apprehensive, upset, and afraid with pain. But our fear will eventually give way to joy. Before things get better, things will get a lot worse. Disaster and destruction will lead to the renewal of all things.

The world will hate you

Because there is fear and deception, the Church will become an oppressed victim. The world hates those who truly follow Christ. All that has been simmering underground will break out in persecution against believers.

So, it ought not surprise any Christian or any Church when there is intolerance and disdain against them. Anyone following Jesus should expect the same treatment he received in his last days on earth.

Many “Christians” will turn against each other and hate each other. They will drop out and refuse association with Christ or his Church. The outside pressure will become intense enough to force a crumbling of the Church on the inside. Parishioners will tear each other to pieces.

Unfortunately, the world’s hate leads to the church’s apostasy – a turning away from faith. And this situation is a ripe situation for false teachers to rise and have their way. People will glory in their shame.

The ones who stick it out will be saved

The true believer holds onto faith, despite the intense pressure of hatred. This isn’t salvation by works; it’s salvation by a faith that is authentic, genuine, and the real deal. This faith remains as a testimony to all that love still exists and will never be extinguished.

And then the end will come.

There shall always be the good news in the middle of all the terribly bad news. Divine sovereignty will always be above the world’s hate and disorder.

Therefore, let the believer be the herald of good news and give themselves to the mission of faith, grace, hope, and love in Christ. No matter where or when you locate the time of great tribulation, it is always open season on gospel proclamation.

God will make something out of nothing. Trouble, hardship, oppression, persecution, and death are the signs of the end. Now is the time for faith and patience. Now is the opportunity to love with the light that penetrates the darkness of hate.

Eternal God, you are the light of the minds that know you, the joy of the hearts that love you, and the strength of the wills that serve you. Grant us to know you that we may truly love you; to love you so that we may truly serve you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Second Woe Upon the Earth (Revelation 9:13-21)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.

The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts. (New International Version)

In an apocalyptic vision of God’s judgment at the end of time, the Apostle John saw seven angels with seven trumpets. Each blast of the horn brought ever increasing levels of destruction upon the earth. The final three trumpets are also described as the three woes. (Revelation 8:2-6, 13)

The Sixth Trumpet (Second Woe)

The sixth angel sounded the sixth trumpet, which was also the second woe pronounced on the world. Four angels are released from their place of restraint. Whereas the invasion of locusts in the fifth trumpet (first woe) came from the pit of hell, the next invasion comes from the east, from the outskirts, that is, outside the Roman Empire.

The terrible angels go out to kill a third of all humanity. They lead a massive destructive force that overwhelms the earth. The incredible army looks something like centaurs, being horse and rider in one. And out of their mouths come fire, smoke, and sulfur. These are three plagues which brings death to a third of humanity.

The Response to the Second Woe’s Invasion

John records the human response to the divine judgment unleashed upon humanity with the four angels and their three plagues. In reality, it’s actually a lack of response; there is no change of heart and no repentant attitude from anyone. The awful devastation does nothing to elicit any sort of self-reflection, public awareness of sin, or reconsideration of ways by those left alive.

The Apostle records that the rest of the people, after going through such a traumatic time, keep up their worship of demons and their idolatry. They continue to murder, carouse, and steal, as if nothing had happened.

What’s more, John’s graphic and disturbing vision – from it’s very beginning – does not record a single person turning away from their evil ways. The surviving inhabitants of the earth act like old Pharaoh in Egypt during the days of Moses and the exodus; their hearts are hard, and they are not about to change.

What It Means For Us

A big question for us as contemporary people, two-thousand years removed from John’s apocalyptic vision is this: Do the judgments contained in the book of Revelation have any relevance for us today?

Some might dismiss all of this as weird historical story that nobody can really understand, so we might just as well put it aside as belonging in the past. Others grew up hearing “fire and brimstone” sermons from Revelation that did nothing for them other than help them decided that they never want to be in a church again and listen to a sinner about how sinful everybody is.

Although I do not condone hellfire preaching that does little more than make people feel bad, I do believe these difficult judgment chapters in the book of Revelation have something to say to us which we would do well to hear.

  • If we dig in and want what we want, without considering anyone else or even God, then we really cannot expect blessing either in this life or the life to come.
  • If and when disaster or destruction happens – and afterwards go on our merry way as if nothing even occurred – then we have come under divine judgment.
  • If we purposely stick our heads in the sand, and intentionally avoid what is happening around us in this world, then it will not go well for us in the end.
  • If we become angry, and nurse the grudge to the point of becoming hateful and unloving, then the hardness of heart will not recognize God’s visitation when it comes.
  • If we hurt and harm others without any remorse, or make excuses for bad behavior when called out on it, then we are no better than the unrepentant mass of humanity in the book of Revelation.

There is coming a time when it will be too late. The Day of the Lord will come. There will be a final judgment. But if you are reading this, there is obviously still time. Spiritual procrastination only leads to destruction. Spiritual attention to the here-and-now leads to life. What will you do “Today?”

Our Father who is in heaven,

uphold the holiness of your name.

Bring in your kingdom

so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven.

Give us the bread we need for today.

Forgive us for the ways we have wronged you,

just as we also forgive those who have wronged us.

And don’t lead us into temptation,

but rescue us from the evil one. Amen.

The Trumpets of Judgment (Revelation 8:6-9:12)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
The seven angels with seven trumpets, and the angel with a censer, c. 1020 C. E.

Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water—the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 

They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.

The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).

The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come. (New International Version)

Angels receiving seven trumpets, c. 1255 C.E.

Woah; this isn’t exactly some light bedtime reading. It has to do with the end of all things, with God’s judgment upon the earth. Seven angels with seven trumpets are about to sound them with disastrous results. The last three trumpets are also referred to as the three woes upon the earth.

The first four trumpets are bad, yet not nearly as terrible as the last three. The first four affect the natural world and one-third of the earth; whereas the last three directly impact the earth’s inhabitants and affect the entire world.

As hard as it may be to accept biblical readings like today’s, God is not only the author of abundant flourishing, but also of devastating destruction. And it’s in direct answer to the prayers of the saints. (Revelation 8:3)

The First Trumpet: Hail, Fire, and Blood

Although hail and blood remind the biblical student of the plagues of judgment in ancient Egypt before the great exodus of Israelites, it’s the fire that does damage to the trees and grass of the earth. A third of the earth’s land resources are completely burned up.

The Second Trumpet: Mountains and Seas

The second angel blowing the second trumpet results in a great mountain being hurled into the sea. This is reminiscent, for those familiar with the Gospels, of Jesus stating that one with a small amount of faith can command a mountain to be thrown into the sea, and it will be done. (Mark 11:23)

Going back into the Old Testament, in the giving of the Law on the mountain, and with the disobedience of the people at the foot of the mountain, Mount Sinai was ablaze with fire and the glory of God. The New Testament scene in Revelation appears to be something of a Mount Sinai taken up and thrown into the sea – signifying that the grace of Christ has supplanted the curse of the law.

As a result of the second trumpet, a third of all the great oceans are destroyed.

The Third Trumpet: A Star from the Sky

Although C.S. Lewis gave the name “Wormwood” to a fictional agent of Satan, the Wormwood here is a messenger of God, a star that falls from the sky as a result of the third trumpet blown. A third of all the earth’s drinkable water becomes bitter because of the star – which seems to be a link to previous times of judgment from God:

“I will make them eat bitter food
    and drink poisoned water,
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
    ungodliness has spread throughout the land.” (Jeremiah 23:15, NIV)

“They have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water. (Jeremiah 9:14-15, NIV)

The Fourth Trumpet: Sun, Moon, and Stars

There’s nothing that falls from the sky with the blast of the fourth trumpet. Yet a third of the sun, moon, and stars are dimmed. This is a portent that something worse is about to happen – which is what the “eagle” [vulture] announces against the earth’s inhabitants.

The Fifth Trumpet (The First Woe): The Abyss Is Opened

Another star falls to the earth, but with even more disaster than the previous star – opening a pit in the heart of the earth. Smoke comes billowing out, darkening the sun. Then, locusts with the stinging power of scorpions, come upon the land.

Rather than humans having authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, these demonic insects carry the ability and the authority to harm humanity – much like the great locust horde of judgment during the time of the prophet Joel (Joel 2:1-11). The difference with John’s Apocalypse is that these are a demonic host with Apollyon the Destroyer leading them.

The previous judgments were from above; this first woe is from below – connecting the powers of death, destruction, and the grave together with the force of evil. It’s a time of sheer torture; a traumatic five months of horrendous agony.

Conclusion

None of these terrible scenes of judgment are meant to scare the hell out of anybody and put the fear of heaven into them. Instead, the New Testament book of Revelation (also known as the Apocalypse of John) is meant for devoted believers in Jesus to be encouraged that an end is coming. They can persevere in following Jesus because it will be worth it.

The hardships, difficulties, and persecutions experienced – for following the words and ways of Jesus – will not last; a time is coming soon when God will judge the living and the dead. Evil will be dealt its final blow. And we will enter a realm of unending peace with the God for whom we have given our all.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29; Deuteronomy 4:24)

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
    The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May he send you help from the sanctuary
    and give you support from Zion.
May he remember all your offerings
    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. Selah

May he grant you your heart’s desire
    and fulfill all your plans. Amen. (Psalm 20:1-4)

Unmasking the Hypocrite (Matthew 15:1-9)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.’” (New International Version)

Reading the Gospel lesson for today, I try to imagine what emotions Jesus might have experienced when confronted by the teachers of the law about his disciples’ lack of attention to tradition concerning ritual hand washings.

Maybe Jesus felt frustration, anger, sadness, exasperation, disappointment, irritation, aggravation, or discouragement. Perhaps Christ experienced all those emotions. Whatever Jesus was feeling at the time, I can easily see him taking a deep breath and exhaling a great big *sigh* over the religious leaders’ hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy is a disconnect between the values we espouse and our behavior. When there is incongruence between what we say is important and how we really live, this is being two-faced and duplicitous.

The men who came to see Jesus were plain old insincere hacks who practiced religious quackery. And Jesus saw right through their fake pretention of righteousness.

First off, this narrative is not a dig on rituals themselves but on using ritual to leverage an appearance of religious superiority over others. This type of motivation for engaging in rituals ignores their ethical and moral intention. Sometimes folks can get so doggone wrapped up in how faith is represented that they lose sight of the faith itself.

Hypocrisy has to do with our motives – not so much what we do, but why we do it. Rituals are good. Why we do them or not, or how we go about doing them, gets at the heart of our objectives for engaging religious practices. Are they truly a worship offering to God, or are they merely mechanisms for keeping up appearances of holiness?

The hypocrite is an actor. Hypocrisy is acting a part which is not truly the person. It is to live from the false self through the attempt of providing an idealized perfect person to the public, instead of embracing the true self and realizing our common humanity with one another in genuine devotion to God and service to others.

Religious hypocrisy is particularly insidious because it uses what is sacred for selfish purposes. It damages the credibility of the religion, creates idolatry, and covers hate with a veneer of pretentious piety.

The hypocrite is one who is a bundle of disparate parts in massive need of integration to a whole and real self. The cost to facing this is letting others see the true self with all of its flaws, imperfections, and weaknesses.

A lot of people have no willingness, nor the intention, to be viewed by others in the true self; so they maintain their play-acting and continue to seek attention and accolades through being the model religious person.

We all must come to grips with the reality that God cares a whole lot about why we do what we do. When the forms of faith become tools of oppression, and big burdens upon others backs, then those forms have supplanted the faith itself. Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks, and from the heart the hands and feet move.

Whenever we care more about being and appearing right – rather than getting it right and becoming better – then we have a heart problem. The heart of the issue is the heart itself. Clean up the heart, and everything else follows – not the other way around.

The probity of today’s Gospel lesson is that we might misinterpret what is important to God. We may be playing the hypocrite; and yet have the misguided belief we are genuine.

The capacity for our hearts to enlarge with love is in direct relation to an awareness of the hidden motives buried within those hearts. Evil intentions and motivations are what separate us from God – not our race, class, age, gender, religion, ethnicity, behavior, rituals, or anything else on the outside.

If we find ourselves being nit-picky of others, this is usually a clue that the unconscious self is trying to protect us from facing the pain of our own sins by projecting and focusing on another’s supposed missteps with tradition or ritual.

Fortunately, Jesus came to this earth full of grace and truth. Christ sometimes, maybe oftentimes, set aside niceness and decorum to go for the heart. In shining a light on the motives behind the deeds of people, some repented and received the good news of the kingdom of God; and, others resisted in order to maintain their illusion of control and superiority.

None could ride the fence with Jesus around. You either loved him or hated him.

The beauty of grace is that when we squarely and uncompromisingly face our sins and let go of things we consider so important, and turn to God with authenticity, we are welcome at his Table.

Most holy and merciful Father, we acknowledge and confess before you our sinful nature, prone to evil and slow to do good, and all our shortcomings, offenses, and malevolent motives. You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from Christ’s way of grace and truth, in wasting your gifts of compassion and justice, and in forgetting your love.

O Lord have mercy on us. We are ashamed and sorry for all the ways we have displeased you. Teach us to hate our errors; cleanse us from our secret faults; and forgive us our sins; for the sake of your dear Son, our Lord. Most holy and loving God help us to live in your light and to walk in your ways according to the commandment of Jesus Christ, our Savior, in the enabling of your blessed Holy Spirit. Amen.