An Easter Surprise

I love surprises. Did you know that God loves surprises also? 

Easter is the reminder that God loves us, but it is also a reminder of how surprising God’s love can be:

Let me share with you some of God’s surprises and when I put my hand to my ear you yell, “Surprise!”

God told Noah to build and ark because it was going to rain, but no one had ever seen rain before but then ...

SURPRISE! it rained and God saved Noah and his family because of their faith.

Shadrach Meshach and Abendigo refused to worship anyone other than God and so the King had them thrown in the fiery furnace but then ...

SURPRISE! God saved them from the fire because of their faith.

Daniel refused to stop praying to God and so the king had Daniel thrown into the Lion’s Den but then ... 

SURPRISE! God saved Daniel from the lion’s because of his faith.

God promised that He would one day come as a King but then ... 

SURPRISE! God arrived as a baby born in a manger.

Zacheaus just wanted to see Jesus so he climbed into a tree for just a view, but then ... 

SURPRISE! Jesus went home with Zacheaus and ate dinner with him.

The disciples went fishing but didn’t catch any fish, but then ... 

SURPRISE! Jesus said try one more time on the other side of the boat and they caught so many fish the boat nearly sank.

The disciples got caught in a storm on the Sea of Galilee and they were afraid the boat would sink but then ... 

SURPRISE! Jesus came to rescue them walking on the water and then ...

SURPRISE! Peter walked on the water because of his faith.

God loved us so much that Jesus died for us as payment for our sin and was buried in a tomb, but then ... 

SURPRISE! Jesus is alive.

After Jesus conquered death, He went up into Heaven to be with God, but ...

SURPRISE! Jesus promised that one day He would come back to us.

Until that day, Jesus promised that we would not be alone. He also promised that we didn’t need to be afraid because He was with us. The way that God cares for us can be surprising. God loves to use surprises to remind us over and over again how much He loves us.

So, don’t forget that God loves you.

Jesus died for you – and today we know the good news – What is it? SURPRISE! Jesus is Alive!

Jesus is alive and promises that if we believe that one, day we will get to be with Him in heaven.

As you hunt for Easter eggs today, remember that the Egg is a reminder that the tomb was empty - After all the candy is gone the empty egg is a reminder that the tomb was empty.

Be open to the surprises of life ... they are simple reminders that God loves you!

On the way to Sunday ... Holy Saturday

On Holy Saturday the Church waits at the Lord's tomb, meditating on his suffering and death. Only after the solemn vigil during the day and night, does the Easter celebration begin.

On Holy Saturday long ago the followers of Christ began to gather in the safety of the Upper Room where they had days earlier dined with Jesus.  They gathered to meditate on the suffering and death of Christ - Why had this happened? What was the purpose? What would they do now?

Did anyone remember the story Jesus told? 

Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”  Luke 12:35ff NIV

Today as we wait for Easter morning, what will you be doing?

As we wait for the return of Christ, will you be found ready?

See you at Church ... I'll be doing my best to be ready ... will you join me?

(image taken at the Garden Tomb outside of Jerusalem)

On the way to Sunday ... Good Friday?

Today is Good Friday.  This is the Friday before Easter Sunday and on this day Christians commemorate the suffering and death on the cross of Jesus Christ. On the surface 'Good Friday' seems a ridiculous name for the day that Christ was crucified.  But let me explain ...

I have a millennial print edition of Rembrandt's etching "Descent from the Cross" hanging in my office (see image above or video below).  I often stop to marvel at the detail in the etching - each pen stroke carefully placed and meticulously made - with skill and love the picture is completed.  With care and love the people in the painting are lowering Christ from the cross to take Him to be buried. The detail and compassion revealed in this etching are the same reasons that this dark day is remembered as good!

God doesn't miss a detail on this day.  While Christ suffered and died on this day, He did so by making a choice to die - to die for all sinners - past, present, and future. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son (John 3:16). On this day, every detail is cared for - every prophecy complete.  Each detail is lovingly and meticulously cared for until the picture is complete and Christ can declare, "It is finished!"

The work is done.  My sins forgiven. My life redeemed.

If that isn't reason to call a day - Good. I don't if there ever will be a day.

This day is good, but Sunday is coming and it gets even better!

See you Sunday, until then I might take another look at that picture ...







 
 

On the way to Sunday: Maundy Thursday

"Maundy Thursday" is the traditional name for this day of Holy Week in England. It is therefore the usual name also in English-speaking protestant churches that originated in England. The word Maundy is derived through Middle English and the old French word, mandé, from the Latin mandatum. This is the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" (A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you).
This is from the statement by Jesus in the Gospel of John (13:34) in which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet. 

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"
Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." 
John 13:1-7 NIV

As the meal preparations are coming to a head. It is time for a customary cleansing. It would have been customary to bathe before attending a feast. This is in part why the custom of foot washing existed. You would bathe in preparation for the feast and then walk to the place of the feast. Upon arriving at the feast you would be seated at the tables. These tables would not be like those that we see portrayed in movies or in paintings.

You would sit in a nearly reclined position; your feet would be near the table and others. Therefore, the custom of washing your feet before the meal comes in place. The rest of your body was clean, but your feet would get dirty while traveling to the feast. This task of foot washing was a menial task and was relegated to the lowliest of the servants present at the meal.

(image at left Olivewood Carving in Bethlehem)

Imagine yourself at this meal. You have already asked who is the greatest among you with no real answer. Yet you still want to know who will it be? You see the customary wash basin in the room. You begin to look around sizing up those that are around you. You may not discover who the greatest is, but tonight you will learn who is the least. There are no servants present, it is just the disciples and Jesus and no one has volunteered to perform the task.  Who will be washing the feet? Who will it be? Surely not me! And then it happens. Jesus picks up the basin and the towels. No! Surely this cannot be. Jesus is not the least among us. He cannot be the one to wash my feet.

So much time has passed, but we are still looking for someone else to clean us up. We are willing to acknowledge that we are not clean, but we are reluctant to let Jesus be the one who will clean us up.

We want to be the one. Who will it be? We still live in a world that is reluctant to let Jesus be the one.
And now as the meal concludes, Jesus tells us that this flock of followers will scatter (Matt 26:31).
We listen as Peter loudly declares that he will not leave (Matt 26:33).  And isn’t that so much like us?
We come together and loudly proclaim in our places of worship that we will follow, but then morning comes.

As we rise from the table, I wonder, “Who will be left to follow?” 
Who will choose to pray this night with Jesus in the garden?
Who will claim to be His follower as the crowd rises to shout crucify?
Who will be at the cross on Friday?
Who will it be? 

On the Way to Sunday: Spy Wednesday

Wednesday of Holy Week is traditionally known as "Spy Wednesday" because on this day Judas made a "secret" bargain with the high priest to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. 
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 
He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. 
When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” 
They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?” 
Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It 
would be better for him if he had not been born.” 
Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “You have said so.”                         Mathew 26:14-25 NIV

We identify with the disciples when they ask, "Surely you don't mean me, Lord?"

After all, we would never act like Judas did.

Yet, we miss how the story begins ... What are you willing to give me if ...

Truth is that's how we live most of our lives ... bargaining.

We bargain in our relationships with one another and with God.

On this day of Holy Week we discover we aren't that different than Judas.

And even as we discover this and seek to dismiss it, we sound just like him,

Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?

 

Marking the Trail ... again

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,  

“Hosanna”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.  Mark 11:1-11 NIV

In this passage, Mark uses for the first time the word Lord. Mark has been quiet about Jesus as Messiah or Lord, but not anymore. The secret that has been kept quiet will now begin to be openly revealed.  The first 10 chapters are all prelude to the final 6 chapters that take place in one week! We will miss the reveal of Jesus as Messiah on this day if we read past the symbols and the parade and try to skip ahead to Easter and the empty tomb.

This parade is really a festival – a party and what a party it is … everyone coming down the mountainside and then entering the city. Lazarus is with them --- recently back from the dead. The disciples are all smiling, laughing, happy – everyone is joyous!  The path for Jesus’ kingdom is being marked from Gethsemane to the temple gate. The people are marking the trail for a king, but not for the king they will get. They don’t yet understand.  This path they mark will be followed again in the days to come, but right now they don’t fully yet understand what it is they are doing. The people respond by marking the path with branches.  The crowd cried out “Hosanna” which literally meant “Save us now!” The same word is used in Psalm 118:25 where it is translated “O Lord Save us!” The people along the way shouted believing that Jesus had the power to save them now from the tyranny of Rome, but that was not the tyranny that Jesus came to deliver them from. The crowd expected him to deliver the kingdom now.  

Have you ever asked yourself why they did this? 

The imagery of this day can get lost if we skip over the past for the imagery of the day would be lost on those that were not Jewish, but for the Jews everything must have reminded them of the Jewish Feast of the Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:42, Exodus 23:16).  John 7:37 refers to this as most Jews did “The Feast”. This feast was the most joyous of all the celebrations prescribed by God. This was the final harvest festival. It was joyous. It lasted for Seven days. This Feast heralded a time when people of every nation would one day come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Messiahs’ reign.

The people were instructed to live in temporary dwellings called Sukkah (or booths) during the weeklong festival. Additionally, as part of the festivities (Leviticus 23:40) the people would wave branches before God in celebration. These branches as prescribed by law included: Etrog (sweet fragrant citrus branches), Lulav (branches of palm trees with long leaves), Haddas (mytrle twigs covered with leaves), and Aravah (shoots of willow with long leaves and red stems).  During the festival, the dwellings and the branches were signs and symbols of God’s constant provision during the lives of His people. 

One of the high points of the festival involved the daily ritual of “drawing the water” by the temple priests. The Jewish Talmud declares: “One who did not see the joy of the water-drawing celebrations, has not seen joy in his life.”  Every morning of the feast a priest walked to the Pool of Siloam, filled a golden pitcher, and retraced his steps back to the temple entering through the Hulda gate by the teaching steps. Upon arriving at the temple, the priest was also given a container of wine. The priest would then pour the water and the wine into two silver containers that hung over the altar and both were then simultaneously poured over the altar.

During the entire ceremony, Levite priests sang hymns while standing on the 15 steps leading up to the temple area. A prayer was offered during the pouring of the wine and water: “O Lord save us; O Lord grant us success” Psalm 118:25.  

The water carried with it great symbolic meaning dating back to the prophets. Zechariah 14:8, “And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem.”  A more detailed source for this symbolism is Ezekiel 47:1-12, which describes a healing river that will flow out from beneath the prophesied future temple.  Jesus has declared that He is the living water and the water will spring forth from within the ‘temple’ of every believer.

The symbolism of the wine is not fully known. International theologian, G.W. MacRae, has stated “about the wine-pouring and its significance we know very little, perhaps it reflected on offering the fruits of the grape harvest.”  The wine libation had long been a part of Jewish temple practice and yet very little is known or understood about why this existed. I would suggest to you that the wine was symbolic of the ‘new covenant’ and ‘the blood that would be poured out’ for the sins of all.

The symbol, the story, the festivity of God’s provision is all on display on this day as Jesus enters Jerusalem. The people waved branches. The people shouted “Hosanna: Lord save us!” The one who called himself the living water was entering the gates of the city.

1) Our path is marked. We marked the trail today not fully understanding all that we had done. It is late in the day for Jesus and the disciples. Jesus enters the temple, looks around. He is deliberate and thoughtful. For the first time, Mark doesn’t speed the story up --- there is not immediately in the text followed by action. Instead, Jesus looks around and returns to the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.  We need moments like that and I am grateful that Jesus provides that model. Too often we want our faith too immediately create activity, action, drama. But it is good to look around, consider all that is at stake and pause.  I can only imagine what Jesus must have thought fully knowing what lie ahead. For now it seems he was content in taking it all in and leaving the work until tomorrow. Tonight he would relax with friends.

2) Mark reminds us constantly that we must walk the path of faith. Throughout Mark’s gospel we are called to live our faith – now! Too often the path of faith we choose to walk is not the one given to us. The path of faith is not a path of kings - it is a path of servants. It is not a path of parades and parties, but of service and solitude.

3) We like the Jesus that performs miracles, that fixes problems, that heals our broken lives, but what about the rest of the time. Isn’t that like us with Jesus today --- expecting that everything will done in OUR time and our way.  This time like so many other times in our lives, we are left with God’s plan and not our own? 

Later this week, the streets will grow dark and empty and our king will walk the streets alone entering the city under arrest. Where did everyone go?  The secret is just beginning to be revealed. This remarkable story is not over.  It is just beginning. Don’t miss the rest of the story revealed this week.

Until then we are left here with Palms in our hand and shouts of “Hosanna!” on our lips. Like the people of old, we have waved our branches and celebrated Jesus as king.  We have walked this trail, reflecting and contemplating, never quite sure knowing where it would lead us. Today the trail brought us together as part of a parade. Will you still be part of the parade as the days ahead turn dark?

PRAYER:

We have come so far.  We started together in the Judean countryside clearing a path - preparing the way.  The path has brought us today - celebrating the arrival of Jesus in the Holy City.

God, prepare our hearts for the rest of the journey that lies ahead of us as our faith is tested, our doubts arise, and questions are asked. 

God, find us faithful in the days to come just as you find us this day as we celebrate and worship. AMEN

On the way to Palm Sunday ...

A bandwagon fan is a phrase used among sports fans and sports writers to describe a fan that only roots for popular or successful sports teams. This kind of fan is typically despised by fans who consider themselves to be die-hard fans.  

In sports, bandwagons fan support their team only when they are winning. They will often "jump" on or off the "bandwagon" of teams depending on the their most recent success. Bandwagon fans will often leave a game before completion because their team is losing. Bandwagon fans will cheer for another team if their team is not doing well - just to cheer for a winning team. Bandwagon fans will only support their team when they are successful, but will claim they have always supported the team. 

However, just because a sports team wins frequently does not mean the team will have bandwagon fans. A team must not only win but must also have dynamic and popular players on the team for a successful bandwagon to begin rolling. This is what is called the bandwagon effect. This effect results in people doing (or believing) things because so many other people are doing (or believing) the same thing. 

I have never been accused of being a bandwagon fan when it comes to sports teams. I live and die with my teams - Purdue and The Minnesota Twins.  

There is certainly evidence of bandwagon fans all around our community and nation. Faded jerseys, claims of allegience, March Madness will do that to folks.  How many bandwagon fans do you think Butler, Ohio State, Indiana, and Notre Dame now have? By the time Easter is over only 4 teams will remain and countless fans will have jumped the  bandwagon. Which bandwagon have you jumped on?  Why do we call it a bandwagon anyway?

Literally, a bandwagon is a wagon that carries the band in a parade or circus. The phrase “jump on the bandwagon” was first used in American politics in 1848 as a result of Dan Rice. Dan Rice was the first truly great American clown, as well as the first clown star of the circus. Dan Rice was born in New York City in 1823. He made his first appearance as a circus clown in Galena, Illinois in 1844 at $15 a week. Gradually his popularity grew and it became so great that he was able to buy his own shows, both wagon and riverboat. He is often regarded as a forerunner of Will Rogers. By 1862 he was earning over $50,000 a year (over a million dollars in today’s terms). Rice and President Lincoln were good friends and Rice was often referred to as the president's court jester.

In 1848, he campaigned for Zachary Taylor for president. Rice used his own circus bandwagon for Taylor's appearances, gaining great attention by way of the music. He would invite Taylor to ride on the circus bandwagon in the circus parades. As Taylor's campaign became more successful, more politicians sought a seat on the bandwagon, hoping Taylor’s popularity would benefit them as well. People would comment, "Look who is on Taylor's bandwagon," inspiring the phrase "jump on the bandwagon."

By the 1900 presidential campaign, bandwagons had become a standard fixture of campaigns, and 'jump on the bandwagon' was now being used as a derogatory term, implying that people were associating themselves with something without considering what they had associated themselves with. And as they current saying goes, “now you know the rest of the story.”

Perhaps Palm Sunday was the first bandwagon:

The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" 

 "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

 "Blessed is the King of Israel!" 

Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt."  

Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. 

So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!"                                                       John 12:12-19 (New International Version)

Who knew that a donkey could carry that many people? And yet, by the end of this week, we will ask, “Where did they all go?” The bandwagon will be empty by week’s end and our wagon leader will walk the streets alone. 

As John wrote about Palm Sunday, it seemed the whole world was following Jesus.  That would not be the case later in the week when the crowd would turn and yell, "Crucify!"

So as you gather with friends and cheer on the team of choice, consider for a moment the choices you make as part of the crowd.  And then ask yourself,  "Where you will be when the cries of Hosanna turn to shouts of Crucify?"

I know where I want to be, but the illusion of victory is hard to resist.

See you Sunday, I'll be in the parade waving palms.

The Mark of the Beast

Today we tackle three questions that have seemingly plagued the followers of Christ from the beginning: 
1. What are the signs that the world is going to end soon?
2. When is the world going to end?
3. What is the mark of the Beast?

I have your attention now, don’t I?

1. What are the signs that the world is going to end soon?

Many will come in the name of God and they will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. There will be an increase in warfare and increases in famines, plagues, and natural disasters.

2. When is the world going to end?

Some people rely on tabloids, others have used things like the Mayan calendars, and others have used cryptic messages from deceased “prophets”. Others read the prophetic literature of the Bible and offer interpretation. Some people look at disasters in the world or their own feelings to tell them when the world will end.

We have lived at the end of the world for some time. We are used to it. As long as there has been a world, someone has been insisting it was about to end. But with the passing of December 21, 2012, we are entering an apocalypse desert. Gone are the days when the end-of-the-world was expected every year or so. We have no pending doomsdays waiting. Sure, there’s the Yellowstone Volcano, which could blow at any minute. There are even solar flares that might wreak all kinds of havoc next year, but they lack specificity. Hard dates are hard to find: In 2036, around April, an asteroid is scheduled to be near the Earth. And then there is Nostradamus who set our end time for 3797.

3. What is the mark of the Beast?

“And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.” Revelation 13:1

A most solemn warning is given to people who worship the beast: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.” Revelation 14:9,10

If you worship the beast and receive his mark you will receive the wrath of God. So it would follow that it is important to understand who the beast is so you can avoid worshiping him. First, the beast is not a wild animal like a tiger or a lion. He is not a literal animal. Second, the beast is not a person, a country, or a human organization. The Beast is Satan claiming to be God. He will appear to be God. But he is not God. He is the great deceiver.

When Satan comes to earth in a visible body he will be glorious, impressive, attractive and charismatic. The beast will speak in a melodious voice and will have friendly, loving eyes. He will be gentle and kind. His appearance will dazzle and charm people. He will be extremely powerful. They will be entranced and drawn to him. They will have an almost irresistible desire to worship the beast.

Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or on the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. – Rev. 13:16-17 (RSV)

Futurist views of eschatology hold that the rise of a worldwide currency will be a hallmark of the End Times. Under this view, the prophetic statements in Revelation 13:16-17 are taken to imply that the one way in which the Antichrist, the Beast or Satan, will acquire and exercise power over the Earth is via control of currency. This power would be acquired by "the Beast" by requiring all people to receive the Mark of the Beast in their right hands or foreheads in order to buy or sell, making survival for those refusing more difficult.

We can not address the mark of the beast without acknowledging the Number of the Beast. The number is 666 in most manuscripts of the New Testament, and in modern translations and critical editions of the Greek text. Although Irenaeus (second century) reported several scribal errors of the number, there is still doubt by some theologians about the original writing, as some recently discovered third century early manuscripts of Revelation read 616. This topic is a source of contention for many church groups and theologians. Most scholars contend that the number 666 is a numerical coded entry that refers to the Roman Emperor Nero. 616 was a coded entry for Nero as well derived from using his Latin name.

What does the number mean? Futurist contend that the number would be a number that all currency would be based upon (and you thought the metric system was hard?). Exact interpretations vary widely and many now refer to more current technologies:

-Some interpret the mark as a requirement for all commerce to mean that the mark might actually be  
  an object with the function of a credit card (e.g. implanted RFID tags)
-Some propose that the mark of the beast may refer to a social security number or card
-Others suppose the mark to be a microchip or a tattooed barcode on the human body

Some who take a contextual view of the Book of Revelation identify the Mark of the Beast with the stamped image of the emperor's head on every coin of the Roman Empire: the stamp on the hand or in the mind of all, without which no one could buy or sell. New Testament scholar Craig C. Hill, a Methodist, says, "It is far more probable that the mark symbolizes the all-embracing economic power of Rome, whose very coinage bore the emperor's image and conveyed his claims to divinity. It had become increasingly difficult for Christians to function in a world in which public life, including the economic life of the trade guilds, required participation in idolatry."

The ‘mark’ is also seen as an ironic contrast with the Jewish institution of tefillin – bible texts worn bound to the arm and the forehead during daily prayer. Instead of binding their allegiance to God to their arm and head, these places are instead taken up with the people's allegiance to the Beast.

When it comes to these cryptic prophecies of the future here is what I know:

1. Signs that the world is going to end soon

There is global warming, rising gas and energy prices, shortages of food and water, disasters on land and sea. There are new diseases and economic uncertainty. Terrorist activity is increasing and banks are failing. There are rumors of war, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, war, famine, poverty, and more. We are surrounded by the signs or so we think. The conditions in the world have been getting progressively worse for many years. How do we know when things have gotten so bad that the world is soon going to end? That has been the story for years, for generations, for centuries. And Jesus said these are things that will always be with us. What are the signs? In reality I don’t think any of us really know and I suggest you beware of anyone telling you that they know!

2. When is the world going to end?

There is only one way we can be certain about when the world is going to end. There is only one reliable, accurate source to find the answer to “When is the end of the world going to be?” – God. God is the only one who actually knows the future. So simply put – I do not know. And I do not think you can trust anyone who tells you that they do know.

3. What is the mark of the Beast?

Experts can’t agree: I am not an expert. Therefore, I do not know.

But do not despair. Here is what I hope you can gain from our time together: The disciples asked two key questions at the start of this conversation with Jesus: 1) When will these things happen? 2) What will be the sign that they are about to be fulfilled?

We still ask these same questions. Every generation has lived with a belief that this was the time. From the first century on, every generation has believed that the ‘signs’ pointed to right now. What we have missed is the answer that Jesus gave to the questions that very day. And even there, there are conflicting answers. There are two perspectives to the answers that Jesus gave that day:

1) Events (or signs) that Jesus described came to be in 70 AD when the temple was destroyed
2) Some events (or signs) are yet to happen.

But I want you to consider these things that Jesus also taught us and put them into this discussion:

Christ will return again
Satan (the opposer) will try to trick you
Victory is already won – it is yours to claim - God wins
How you live your faith today matters – so get on with it!

We like the disciples are so caught up in all that is going to happen (or might happen and that is called worry) that we miss the moments that are in front of us. Jesus was far more concerned with what needed to be done by You and I in the intervening moments than what was to happen at a future date or to put concern over what happened in your past.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 NIV

On the ‘to do’ list of faith – Today is now, tomorrow is yet to come and it is not promised. So what are your worried about?

It's like a man who takes a trip, leaving home and putting his servants in charge, each assigned a task, and commanding the gatekeeper to stand watch. So, stay at your post, watching. You have no idea when the homeowner is returning, whether evening, midnight, cockcrow, or morning. You don't want him showing up unannounced, with you asleep on the job. I say it to you, and I'm saying it to all: Stay at your post. Keep watch." Mark 13:32-37

When we begin to ponder the end times and all that it might mean, I believe Mark approaches this subject with the same message he has had for us every week – Live your faith! When it comes to matters like these, hear the words of Jesus, “Stay at your post. Keep watch.” “Let those who have ears, hear”