How Revelation Is Organized

In chapter 5 of John's Revelation four seals were opened to reveal four horsemen traveling across the earth. Three seals remained for the Lamb to open. The fifth seal reveals a crowd of martyrs:

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. - Rev 6:9-11 ESV

Peter Paul Rubens - The Martyrdom of St Stephen

John's vision is rooted, as always, in the vision of earlier prophets. In this case we are drawn back to Ezekiel's vision of the heavenly Jerusalem and its huge Temple (40-44).  The earthly temple was a counterpart and prototype of the same. There, beneath or beside the altar are the souls of those who had been violently put to death because of their witness to the risen Christ. These include the deacon Stephen, stoned in Jerusalem (Acts 7:54-60), Peter, Paul, James the brother of Jesus (Josephus, Antiquties 20.9.1) and many others The Roman historian Tacitus tells of the many Christians martyred by the Roman ruler Nero in A.D. 64 (Tacitus, Annals 15.44). There will be others, says the Revelation. Ultimately the whore Babylon will be drunk with the blood of the saints, the martyrs of Jesus (Rev 17:5-6).

These martyrs are troubled. With a loud voice they cried out, ""O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"

As the prophets of old had comforted the believers when their cities and lands were ravished by the Babylonians (Isa 26:20-21), so these souls are comforted and told to rest a little longer. Given a white robe as a pledge that they will feast at the marriage of the Lamb (Rev 7:9,14; 19:7-8), they must wait until God's plan is complete.

The sixth seal's opening reveals further terrible things about to happen. Revealed in symbolical language used by the prophets of old, these catastrophes signal the end of world history:

They (heavens) will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, - Psa 102:26 ESV

All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree. - Isa 34:4 ESV 

At this point it seems wise to understand how John's Revelation is organized, lest we get caught up in a great argument about exactly when these things are to take place. The number seven is vital to our understanding, especially since it is the sacred number of creation and completion (Gen 2:2-3). The first two visions described our Lord appearing to John in His risen and ascended glory. John is to share a message to each of the seven churches. Chapters 4 and 5 are the heart of the Revelation. They describe the worthiness of Jesus, the Lion of Judah and the Lamb who was slain, to open the seals. He is the victorious Ruler. He will indeed rescue His people and judge the unbelieving world.

Thus in chapters 6 - 21 seven scenes of the End Times are presented, each revealing more about what we are to expect in these last times as we await the return of our King.

1. Christ opens the Seven Seals (Rev 6:1-8:5)
2. Seven Trumpets are blown (Rev 8:6-11:19)
3. The battle between the Triune God and the Anti-Trinity (Rev. 12:1-14:20)
4. The pouring out of the Seven Bowls of Wrath (Rev 15:1-16:21)
5. Babylon, the Prostitute, is overthrown (Rev 17:1-19:21)
6. The Final Judgment (Rev 20:1-21:8)
7. The New Jerusalem, the Bride, the wife of the Lamb (Rev 21:9-22:5 

Epilogue: Come, Lord Jesus! (Rev 22:6-21)

There is no need to get wrapped up in the many confusing and complex interpretations of these seven scenes with talk about the Rapture and the Millennium. This all comes about when modern self-proclaimed prophets turn John's symbolical language into a variety of literal timelines of days and years. As we continue through this most comforting book we will learn that Jesus, by His death and resurrection, has bound Satan. He can no longer accuse us. God's plan, hidden for ages, is now revealed in Christ. In Him we are bold, for we have direct access to the throne of God (Eph 3:7-12). Christ's perfect reign has begun, symbolized by the 1,000 years leading up to His return (10x10x10 = 1,000; 2 Pet 3:8; Rev 20:6).

So we join with the ancient church simply to proclaim in the words of the Apostles Creed our faith  in the Risen Christ who "sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead. . . We believe in . . . the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting."

Maranatha! Even so, Come Lord Jesus! (1 Cor 16:22)

Interpreting The Four Visions Of John's Revelation

As noted above, we've completed the first of the four visions of Revelation. They are as follows:

Introduction: Rev. 1:1-8 - John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ who is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him.

1. Jesus and his people between his first and second comings (Rev. 1:9-3:22). John introduces the next section with the phrase "after this." 
2. Jesus and events surrounding his return (Rev. 4:1-16:21). 
3. Jesus and the two rival cities (Rev. 17:1-21:8): Babylon and Jerusalem
4. Jesus and his bride throughout eternity (Rev. 21:9-22:5)

Conclusion: Rev. 22:6-21 - Blessed are those who wash their robes so they may have the right to the tree of life and enter the New Jerusalem. No additions or subtractions to the words of this prophecy are allowed. 

As we move into a discussion of these visions it is helpful to realize that there are a number of approaches to interpreting them. These include: 

1. Amillennialism - held by most Christians up to the 1500s. Unites and equates OT Israel and NT Christians as one group. 
2. Postmillennialism - held by many N American Christians during the 1800s. Resurgence today. 
3. Historic Premillennialism - held by many during the first four centuries of the Christian era. Held by many today. Takes Rev. 20 (and even the entire book) literally.
4. Dispensational Premillennialism - divides history into either seven or three dispensations. Promises that most Christians will be raptured before the Great Tribulation. 

My own response to these various views will become clear as we move further into our study of the upcoming chapters. In his Pentecost sermon the Apostle Peter pointed out that we have entered the last days promised through the Prophet Joel 2:28-32.  

"'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' - Acts 2:17-21 ESV

In these last days God has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. - Heb 1:2-4 ESV

The Kingdom of God is at hand

So the Kingdom of God has drawn near, is at hand (Matt 4:17) now that Jesus has completed the work of the Messiah. Demons are being cast out by the Spirit of God and the kingdom of God has come upon all believing children of God (Matt 12:28; 19:14). We await the imminent return of the King. Soon now he will return in glory (Matt 25:31-32). When he returns he will sit on his glorious throne and all the nations of the world will be gathered before him.

Looking Ahead To The Signs Of Jesus' Return

When Jesus warned his disciples that the Herod's Temple would be torn down, they responded by asking two vital questions. They wanted to know when that would be and what would be the sign of his coming and the end of the age. The sign and the end of the age were interconnected in their minds (Matt. 24:1-3).

The Lord did not tell them when the Temple would be torn down. He did make it clear that the entire city of Jerusalem would be surrounded by her enemies (doubtless the Romans) and laid waste as the prophet Daniel had foretold (Matt. 24:15; Daniel 9:24-27). In those days of vengeance Jerusalem would be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles (Luke 19:43-44; 21:21-25). Other prophets as well as Daniel had foretold this, because Jerusalem and her leaders had rejected their promised Messiah. So the book of the prophets ends with Malachi saying,

"For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. - Mal 4:1 ESV

Further, such death, desolation and destruction would mark the coming of the Messianic king who would usher in a new era of peace and joy. Malachi continues,

But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. - Mal 4:2 ESV

Jerusalem was destroyed as the prophets foretold and Jesus confirmed. In 70 A.D. the Roman armies finally breached the walls and laid waste to the temple. Many of Jesus' disciples fled the city, forewarned by his words. The abomination of desolation had been foretold by the prophet Daniel (Dan. 12:11). It had already happened once back in 168 B.C. when Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempted to wipe out Judaism. Jesus uses the same language to warn that it was about to happen again. Abominable statues of false gods would again be set up in the Temple's holy place.

"So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short." - Mat 24:15-22 ESV

The problem we later believers face is this: how much time is there between the destruction of Jerusalem and Christ's return in glory and power? And what signs do we look for to mark the end of this age in which the church, the living body of Christ, lives and serves? What signs demonstrate that Christ's return is imminent and about to happen? Follow Matthew's record of Jesus' words.

1. False messiahs and false prophets will arise: "For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. ... And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. . . Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. . . So, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it.'" - Mat 24:4-5, 11, 23-24, 26 ESV
2. Wars and rumors of wars will abound: "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom . . ." - Mat 24:6-7 ESV
3. Jesus' disciples will be persecuted and hated: "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake." - Mat 24:9 ESV
4. Many will stumble and fall away from Jesus: "And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. ... And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold."- Mat 24:10, 12 ESV
5. Natural disasters will occur: ". . . there will be famines and earthquakes in various places." - Mat 24:7 ESV
6. The Gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed worldwide: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." - Mat 24:14 ESV

Some critical things to remember about all this:

• "All these are but the beginning of the birth pains." - Mat 24:8. The age of the Messiah is coming, but the signs above only point to the beginning. They are pains to be sure. The birth will take place, but the when is not for us to know. 
• The exact time of Christ's return remains in the hands of the heavenly Father: "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." - Mat 24:36 ESV
• The people of this world will be clueless about the Christ's return: "For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." - Mat 24:37-39 ESV
• Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. ... Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. - Mat 24:42, 44 ESV

There will be no mistaking Jesus' return. It will be sudden, loud, as bright as lightning and obvious to everyone. He will come on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. Then the Day of Judgment and Renewal will take place.

"For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. 

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 

"From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place." - Mat 24:27-34, ESV

So as we await our Master's return each day we joyfully give ourselves to the tasks of our calling. And we keep looking up, because this could be the day.

"But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes." - Mat 24:43-46 ESV

He Is With Us Always, To The End

This week we Christians begin our annual four weeks of preparing to celebrate the first coming or birth of our Lord Jesus. During these four weeks we meditate upon the several other ways by which Jesus comes or will come among us. We rejoice that he has never in fact left us, but rather remains very present to speak to us and guide us in his living Word as well as in in the sacraments of Baptism and his holy Supper. In this way he fulfills his promise to be with us to the very end of this age. And yes, this present age will come to its appointed end. Then he will return in glory with all his holy angels (Matt. 16:27; 24:30; Mark 10:37).

As has often been true, unbelievers view this prophecy as so much nonsense or they get all wrapped up in other esoteric prophecies like the Mayan calendar's prediction of the end on December 21, 2012, less than a month from the day upon which I write these words. In response to Jesus' disciples' private question about what was to be the sign of his return and the end of the age he said,

"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." - Mat 24:36 ESV

Mocking those who promote about the Dec. 21 date, our pastor recently quipped in his sermon, "Can you imagine the let down for those folks when it doesn't happen? And wouldn't it be neat if just when they give up in despair, Jesus comes back on Dec. 22!"

So what about all this business of the end of days and signs of Jesus' return? Jesus told us before his own crucifixion that there would be (Matt. 24:3-31; Luke 21:5-38):

• messianic leaders promising to save the world from all its woes 
• wars and rumors of wars
• nations or kingdoms rising up against other nations or kingdoms
• terrors from the heavens
• famines in various places
• earthquakes
• tsunamis and floods
• hurricanes and tornadoes
• plagues and epidemics
• widespread drunkenness from drugs 
• persecution and murder of Christians

Sounds like today's news reports from around the world, doesn't it?

We believers sometimes panic when we hear about these things. Do not. While the list above gives us good reason to be sober about what is happening around us, we have no reason to panic. We always remember Jesus' promise just before his ascension,

"Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." - Mat 28:20 ESV

So we go about the work he has given to us as we await his return. Moms care for their kids. Dads teach their sons to throw a baseball. Engineers design bridges, lawyers plead cases before judges, musicians create music. We join hands to feed the poor, care for the sick and weak, rescue folks from various disasters and whenever we have opportunity we share the good news about Jesus. And all the time we remain awake and in prayer, awaiting his return at any time (Matt. 24:44-47).

Failed and current end of the world predictions

Here's a list of failed end of the world predictions from 30 to 1920 AD, pulled together by www.religioustolerance.org.

The end of the world is even the name of a website that gathers together what the authors consider the twenty major Bible prophecies, such as

• world-wide preaching of the Gospel via the internet, radio and TV
• a growing understanding of Biblical prophecies
• frequent disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis

And so forth and so forth . . .

More recently groups of believers guided by Harold Camping on Family Radio have travelled across the USA proclaiming May 21, 2011 as the date of the rapture and the end of the world as we know it. That is but eleven days from the date of this writing. The people of this Bible fellowship do indeed believe these predictions and are obviously deeply committed. That much we must grant.

And then there is the much ballyhooed 2012. I've written about that phenomenon several times in the past couple years (July 09 and Oct. 17, 2009; Jan. 05 and 06, 2010). This prophecy about the earth's destruction in December, 2012 is tied up with the Mayans, ancient people who supposedly arrived on the earth from the stars millennia ago and preserved their knowledge in the Mayan calendar. These prophecies are not related to those found in the Bible.

Assuming that none of it happens, we will see even more mockery of the Bible  and the New Testament prophecies about the second coming of the resurrected Christ. We Christians have indeed confessed across the centuries in our Nicene Creed,

"And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. 

"And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end."

 Since various groups and leaders to this very day proclaim they know the exact date of Christ's return, and since all have failed in their predictions again and again, is it any wonder that unbelievers doubt the veracity of the Bible and the prophecies of the end found in it? What shall we who earnestly believe that Jesus' sacrificed life is the source of God's mercy toward us make of this? The best place to go to in the New Testament is Matthew 24, especially these words of Jesus,

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only" (Matthew 24:35-36). 

A few verses earlier we read of our Lord's warning that the "abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel" would stand in the holy place. That was to be a sign for the disciples of Christ to get out of town and into the mountains, because much pain, suffering and destruction would take place. Most believe that this particular prophecy was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Romans under by Titus in A.D. 70.

I will not at this time interpret the entire chapter. It is quite complex. However, I draw your attention to the quote above about no one knowing the day and hour of the Son of Man's return. Here Jesus speaks as the man he was, like us in all respects, before his resurrection and return to glory in heaven. Even he did not know the date set by the heavenly Father. As the apostles confirmed, the day of the Lord's return will come like a thief in the night  (2 Peter 3:10). He will return quite unexpectedly.

The point Jesus and his apostles make is simple and direct. We are not told nor should we attempt to discover the date and time of our Lord's return to judge the world. Instead we are to be ready and waiting for his return every day. As Peter wrote, "Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness . . . be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace." (2 Peter 3:11-14).

Signs Pointing To Christ's Return

Yesterday morning I had breakfast with a friend at a local restaurant, as we often do on Wednesdays. We talked about the sorry state of world affairs and the struggles we both have in personal and family life. That is a common theme of our conversations. A couple hours later a pastor-friend dropped by my study to share some all too familiar problems he has in shepherding his flock. Members of long standing are no longer coming to worship. No matter what he or his elders do or say, they will not fellowship with other members. In several cases those folks even refused to open their doors when visitors from their congregation come by.

As you know, if you've followed this week's Blogs, we are meditating upon lessons the church has chosen to read on this second-last Sunday of the church's year of worship. The Gospel, Luke 21:5-28, speaks about the same things that my two friends and I discussed. Jesus says we are not to be surprised when we hear about earthquakes, famines and pestilences, as well as terrors and great signs from heaven. What do we read in the news? Here's an example from but a few weeks ago:

A sudden storm left at least five quake survivors dead and dozens more wounded as it blasted through Haiti's capital, tearing down shabby tent homes, trees and power lines. Those killed on Friday included two young girls and a 93-year-old woman who lived in close quarters with the tens of thousands of people left homeless by the powerful January 12 quake that devastated this impoverished Caribbean nation. 

In addition to that, we hear of Christians being persecuted in many lands, as has been the case from Jesus' day to the present. This very month we read about a string of anti-Christian killings in Baghdad. Since Tuesday evening of last week, there have been 13 bombs and two mortar attacks on homes and shops of Christians in which a total of six people were killed and 33 injured. A church was also damaged.

The attacks came less than two weeks after 44 Christian worshippers, two priests and seven security personnel died in the seizure of a Baghdad church by Islamist gunmen and the ensuing shootout when it was stormed by troops.

Our Lord Jesus predicted this very thing as he said, "You will be hated by all for my name's sake" (Luke 21:16-17). He also said these sorts of things in the natural world and in human affairs would continue right up to the very end of this present age. Listen to His words:

"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Luke 21:23-27).

We Christians are a peculiar lot. We believe that our Lord and God is intimately involved both in the happenings of the natural world and in the affairs of man. So deeply committed is He that He chose to become one with us, a plan He announced from the creation of the universe. He by whom all things were made and without whom nothing can continue, became a Man. He did all this so that He might rescue us from our own folly and unfaithfulness by His sacrificial death upon a cross (see John 1:1-16).
He who came once in great humility is coming again soon to complete what began then. When He returns we and the entire created world will finally be set free from hatred, war and death. That's the new song we sing and we invite everyone to join with us (Psalm 98:1-9).

No Work, No Eat

As we move toward sermon preparations for the Second-last Sunday of the church year there remains one final lesson to study, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-13.

The Apostle asks this congregation to pray for him and his work of proclaiming the Word of the Lord. He request reminds us that the Lord is honored among us when we believe and trust His Word. Among the Thessalonians the Word had indeed sped ahead. Paul longs for that to happen in other places as he preaches and teaches. He wants his hearers to trust in the Lord's faithfulness and reliability. He knew the members of this group would indeed trust in the Lord and fulfill His commands, directed by the Love of God and the steadfastness of Christ.

Even as he says this he asks for prayers to be delivered from wicked and evil men. This is another sober reminder that we live in the final days of this era before Christ's return. In other parts of the letter Paul speaks about the destruction of the Roman Empire—a most unthinkable concept—and the rising up of the Antichrist. We don't have time today to get into a discussion of the Antichrist. If you own The Lutheran Study Bible, you will find good information there about the meaning of that widely misunderstood teaching.

The point the Apostle makes in our passage is that, yes, we live in the final days, but we still must live each day. That is to say, we will have to deal with evil men, the evil one and our own sinful natures every day while we wait for our Lord to return. One of the temptations we face is that of idleness or laziness. That refers to the habit of expecting others to take care of us and not being willing to do our part in the family, in the community and in the congregation of believers.

Paul invites us to look at him as an example. He did not ask for their support while he was there. He paid his own way, supporting himself by his tent making trade. He had a right to be supported, of course, even as everyone who devotes himself to full-time pastoral work. In 1 Corinthians 9:14-15 Paul had pointed to a command from the Lord Jesus Himself that "those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel." He taught the same thing in 1 Timothy 5:17-18 where he urges that elders or pastors be considered worthy of double honor as they labor in preaching and teaching. And yet, Paul himself refused to accept remuneration for his work. Why?

Paul wants his hearers to recall the Gospel. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. Paul imitated Christ. Now he wants them to imitate him. He wrote extensively about this understanding in his letter to the Ephesians 5:1-21. We are children of light, he says. Christ has shined upon us to open the eyes of our hearts to His love and His promised return. So we walk and live in that light, filled with the Spirit of Jesus and addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody to the Lord with our hearts. At all times we give our Lord thanks and seek to serve one another, rather than being lazy.

So we have great encouragement as we wait for our Lord's imminent return. Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Sing A New Song

The church has an ancient tradition of choosing certain lessons to read and meditate upon for each Sunday of the worship year. Consequently, as I prepare my sermon for the second to the last Sunday of that year it is important that you and I look at those lessons. They were chosen for a reason and have been reviewed again and again.

The first of those four lessons for this Sunday is Psalm 98:1-9. The Psalm begins with worshippers inviting one another to sing a new song.

I do and I don't like new songs. I don't because then I have to learn a new melody and new words and it is much easier to keep on singing the old songs. They can be so nostalgic, bringing back old memories of good—and sad—times, places and people. That's true with hymns. For instance, singing "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," the Lutheran hymn of the Reformation, always brings back memories of my years at both Concordia College, St. Paul and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. On cold Reformation Day mornings, October 31, we would gather at 6:30 a.m. before a statue of Martin Luther to sing that hymn, listen to a meditation and pray. That's a fine tradition, but in northern climates in can also bring memories of shivering in the cold when you are barely awake.

Psalm 98 says, "Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him." 

Undoubtedly this is a song to celebrate God's new work of salvation. There was an old, familiar song that celebrated God's acts in former days. That song was the Song of Moses in Exodus 15:1-8.

"I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."

The LORD kept his promises to his people. He brought them out of slavery and put them into a new land of prosperity, a land flowing with milk and honey. Psalm 98 invites us, however, to sing a new song. There was another time in Israel's history when they were enslaved by the Babylonians for 70 years. For those who returned to the Promised Land, there was good reason to sing a new song. Thus when the exiles returned and finished the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem their musicians led them in singing a new song with gladness and thanksgiving (Nehemiah 12:27-30).

For us, however, that's an old song, like the hymn of the Reformation, familiar, good to sing, filled with many memories of our LORD's mighty acts, but an old song nevertheless. What new song shall we sing? What new wonders working salvation and revealing his righteousness have we to sing about? At this point we remember who this LORD is. It is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the long awaited Messiah who revealed his righteousness in the sight of all nations of the world. That righteousness revealed is his holy life and his bitter suffering upon the cross of Calvary. By those wonders the Son of God removed the righteous judgment of God upon the children of men. He offered his life for ours. He was forsaken that we might never be. In this way "he has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel" and "the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God" (Psalm 98:3).

But wait, the song is not yet ended. He who came once is coming again. Now there is something to get worked up and excited about. As we think about it, we realize that the entire creation is waiting on tip toes for this to happen (Romans 8:18-25). Everything in creation is in bondage, just like old Israel was. We who are part of that old creation see it all around. Corruption, decay and death abound on all sides. We ourselves are wasting away, day by day. With God's people of old we cry, "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but all is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 1:2-11).

What new song have we to sing? Will it always be this way, the same old same old? Oh no! Our LORD has done a new thing. Christ is risen! Say it with me. He is risen indeed! That's the seal of our salvation. The Father has accepted the sacrifice. His death is our death. His life is no our life and we too shall rise with him. His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him AND for us.

"Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity."

In these last days of the church's year of worship we remember that Christ is coming again—soon! And so our hearts are filled with a new song.

 

Completion of the Ages

Many are troubled by the events going on around the world. One young woman asked me this past week—as many have—whether the signs listed in the Bible point to the imminent return of Christ. Will it be soon? When will it be?

As noted in an earlier Blog, movie makers are aware of this angst and are using it to their own ends. Friday of this very week the movie 2012 will be released, supposedly documenting some heretofore unknown Mayan prophecy about the end of the world as we know it, a very scary concept to say the least.

At the same time the Christian church approaches the end of yet another year of public worship. Those of us who follow the ancient liturgical tradition will hear many lessons reflecting upon the end of the present era and the promise of a new and eternal succession of eras led by Christ, the returning and victorious Lord.

 In the next several days I will reflect upon this passage from the New Testament letter to the Hebrews:

"For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.  25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own,  26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.  27 And just as oit is appointed for man to die once, and  after that comes judgment,  28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, tnot to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly uwaiting for him" (Hebrews 9:24-28).

Today I will focus upon but one phrase, "the end of the ages." 


The word for "end" in this passage is—in NT Greek—synteleia. This is a compound word that speaks of completion, consummation, where the whole business has been heading. We are the folks that live in that day and time when God's plans for us humans and our planet are coming to completion. We are about to see the plans completed in Christ. 

Our Lord Jesus spoke about those matters with His disciples. They used the same language when they asked Him,"Tell us, when will these things be (He had just foretold that the temple would be torn down), and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close (synteleia) of the age?" (see Matthew 24).

To start with, Jesus warns them of the dangers of being led astray and deceived by folks who mess with the Bible or throw it out altogether in favor of some human science or philosophy. And that's good advice for us as well, because there are plenty of deceptive teachings and ideas being thrown around.

One of those will come popping up this coming weekend when the 2012 movie opens. As one of my friends-in-the-know says about the Mayans, "Strange that we should take seriously the prophecies of a people who couldn't even foresee the end of their own civilization."

The ROH Project

Yesterday was our nation's birthday. In his speech to the nation our president talked about what we have inherited because of the sacrifice and commitment of millions who have gone before us to make this land the envy of people around the world. The USA is to our modern world what Rome was to the world of NT times.

That leads me to another thought: the title and theme of both this Blog and the monthly Ezine posted on our website by the same name speak about heritage. We have inherited so many spiritual blessings because of the labor of those who have gone before us. However, just as eternal vigilance is the price of our national liberty, so vigilance is also the price of our freedom in Christ. This is why several of us began the Reclaiming Our Heritage project, now approaching its second birthday. We believe that the task of Reclaiming Our Heritage in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a never-ending journey. The world we live in is ever at work, under the leadership of the prince of this world, to erode and destroy this wondrous heritage of grace.

This was further driven home by the growing attention being given to 2012 and apocryphal events connected to it in large parts of the Christian community. Consider, for instance, the millions of books sold in the Left Behind series. July 4, 2009, according to some, was to mark the beginning of a 3 1/2 year countdown to Dec., 2012 when the world is to come to an end or the Antichrist is to be elected, etc., etc. We Lutherans have ever had to challenge this approach to Holy Scriptures in the name of the Gospel. In turn, we are being challenged for closing our eyes to the momentous events in current history (1947, the founding of Israel, UFOs in Roswell, NM, planet X, etc.) that all point to the imminent Second Coming, Rapture, Armaggedon, the Millenium, etc., etc.

In Mark 12 we read that Jesus was also challenged on every side for his teaching, e.g. about paying taxes to the Roman government and about the resurrection from the dead. One of the scribe/theologians underlined Jesus' answers by complimenting him for telling the truth. Jesus, in turn, told the scribe that he was not far from the Kingdom of God. Jesus' answers shut all the rest of them down for the moment. Then he deepened his answers with a challenging question for them to answer.

I invite you to read that chapter, because it is high time that we Lutherans loudly proclaim clearer and wise answers to the growing confusion about the end times. Such theology ultimately leads believers into the sin of pride for being in-the-know. In days gone by, this was called the heresy of gnosticism. Many others are thereby captured by the giant called Despair and locked in the Doubting castle.

There are other similar theological questions that beg to be answered. Answers from God's Word must be provided to Christians tempted by lust, pride, despair and doubt and many other modern sins.

This is why I pray that the Reclaiming Our Heritage project grow and expand. In turn I challenge other Lutheran pastors and teachers to join me on this Blog, to lift up the peculiar Lutheran emphasis upon grace, faith and the Word of God. Lutherans also emphasize the correct division of Law and Gospel. More and more it seems that we are among the few who do. Witness the vast confusion of Law and Gospel in the multitudinous teachings about the End Times.

If you relate to what I am writing and would like to contribute to this Blog as well as to the ROH Ezine, please let me know. I can easily change the photos, add more links and bios, share the password and open these pages to those of you who agree with the Lutheran perspective. I'd love to hear from you. I also thank those Lutherans who are laboring diligently in other areas of this vast and complex cyberworld.