Is This the End?

What do you all think about the end of the world.  A pastor named Harold Camping  predicted that the end of the world would be coming last week.  Well we are all still here, so it looks like he missed the boat. But still I think it makes a lot of us wonder.

Jesus promises that he is going to come again (check out the verses below).  And in some places in the Bible, that coming again sounds mighty scary.  People have been wondering when that coming back would be since the very beginning.  The eleven apostles wondered if it would be in their life time.  The Apostle Paul early in his career was certain that Jesus was coming back soon, and then in his later writings began to teach people how to live as Christians while still waiting for Jesus to return.

Discussion Starters

• What did you think of when you heard the predictions about the end of the world, and the “rapture?”
• Do you think predictions of the end of the world are scary? Funny? Both? Something else?
• Why do you think so many people were willing to believe Pastor Camping? Did you?
• What would it take to convince you that the world was about to come to an end?

What the Bible Says

¹⁴“But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; ¹⁵the one on the housetop must not go down or enter the house to take anything away; ¹⁶the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. ¹⁷Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! ¹⁸Pray that it may not be in winter. ¹⁹For in those days there will be suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, no, and never will be. ²⁰And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut short those days. ²¹And if anyone says to you at that time, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘Look! There he is!’—do not believe it. ²²False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. ²³But be alert; I have already told you everything.

²⁴“But in those days, after that suffering,

    the sun will be darkened,

    and the moon will not give its light,

²⁵ and the stars will be falling from heaven,

    and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

²⁶Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. ²⁷Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. Mark 13:14-27

Notes On the Text

The desolating sacrilege:  This phrase refers back to the book of Daniel.  In Daniel God warns that Jerusalem is going to be attacked and overrun by enemies, and that someone is going to set something up in the temple that is a sacrilege (something offensive to God) that desolates (separates people from God).  In Daniel this is almost certainly a reference to a Syrian King (Antiochus Epiphanes) who after conquering Jerusalem sacrificed pigs on the alter in the temple.  Pigs were considered unclean in the Jewish faith, and to bring a pig into the temple,  much less sacrifice it to a foreign god would make the temple unfit for Jewish worship. 

It isn’t clear what Jesus is referring to by referencing Daniel, although it that Mark expects us to understand when he writes “let the reader understand”. The Roman’s in Jesus time more than once violated the temple and threatened to make it unfit for worship. 

This passage warns that when this happens, life in Jerusalem will become unbearable. Those who can should run for the hills, and you should pray that it doesn’t happen in the winter when it would only be that much worse.

One of the particular threats is that there will be false prophets and false messiah’s who will come offering false hope and trying to lead God’s people astray.

Apocalyptic Literature: This section of Mark, the book of Daniel, the book of Revelations and a few other passages in the Bible are called Apocalyptic Literature.  They describe a time in the future marked by terrible suffering and violence, and lots of supernatural events.  The images described in these texts is often quite disturbing.

Apocalyptic literature is almost always written during times of great distress and upheaval, times when the people of God are suffering and looking for hope. The message of these texts is almost always, times are tough now, you are suffering, the world seems in an uproar, maybe even like it is coming to an end. But know that God is with you, and that Jesus is going to come for you.  He is greater than anything that threatens you.

Predictions of the end of the world come every few years, and just like apocalyptic literature, they seem to group themselves around times of distress and suffering and fear.  These days are beginning to feel a bit apocalyptic for a lot of people, the bad economy, wars, political differences are making many people fearful and hopeless.  We should not be surprised if there are more predictions of the end of the world in coming months and years.

Discussion starters:

·        Are you comforted and encouraged by God’s promises of salvation?

·        Should Christians hope for the end of the world, fear it or something else?

·        What message do you think Christ has for the world during turbulent times?

What the Bible Says:

³²“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. Mark 13:32

I think we need to take Jesus at his word.  He says know one knows when the last day is.  He doesn’t even know.  I think I will trust Jesus over other folks, and try to “KEEP ALERT” and be ready when Jesus really does come back, instead of getting too excited when the next person comes along predicting the end of days. What about you?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus you have promised to return and to finish what you have begun, to put an end to pain and suffering, and to bring peace to the world.  Give us faith in both times of joy and times of struggle to trust that we are safe in your loving care.  Amen

It Gets Better

What a wonderful project and what a wonderful video to promote it.  While the video talks about homosexuality, it could be about lots of things, couldn’t it?  Almost all of us are put down, bullied, abused or harassed at some point in our lives.  And this seems to be especially a problem in our Middle School and High School years.  Where you are right now!

The message of this video is so important.  It does get better!  As hard as life is now, it won’t always be.  There is a future out there for you that is as bright as the sun, as bright as the grace and love of God.  Sure there will always be mean people, but most of the bullies grow up, and the ones who don’t loose most of their ability to cause us pain. 

Discussion Starters:

• Have you been bullied or put down?
• Have you ever realized that you were being a bully?
•       -    If so do you know why you were doing it?
• Who is responsible for dealing with bullying?

What the Bible Says:

⁷Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.  1 John 4:7

³¹Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, ³²and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31-32

⁷So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:7-10.

The life God wants for us isn’t a life of pain and suffering. God didn’t create us to hurt one another, make fun of one another, or to be victims of one another. God created us to live a full, wonderful, rich life. God created us to have live and to have it abundantly! 

Sometimes the way we talk about God doesn’t make that sound true.  We talk a lot about what God doesn’t want us to do, or what we need to do because of our faith, as if God just put us here to boss around and to judge.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  God put us here to love and to be loved, to live life to the fullest, and experience all the good things that he has thought up for us. Certainly God has given boundaries to our lives (rules and commandments) but even these are given so that we can truly have an abundant life. 

Some of those boundaries are about how we treat others, what we say about them, what we do to them, because God knows how destructive gossiping, criticizing, and bullying can be. God wants us to love one another – to love one another as much as he loves us!

Discussion Starters:

• God wants us to be kind, tenderhearted and forgiving, is that hard or easy to do?
• The video encourages us to hold on because things do get better. How can we help one another hold on?
• Who can we turn to when we are struggling with how others are treating us?
• What do you think Jesus’ abundant life looks like? Feels like?
• How can we work together to have the life that Jesus has promised us?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you know the pain we often feel because of our treatment at the hands of others. You know how much words can hurt, how rejection can suffocate, and how scorn can kill.  Fill our lives with people who love, accept and affirm us, who can remind us how precious we are, especially to you. And dear Lord, teach us to see the worth of others, and to love those who feel like no one else does.  In your name we pray, Amen.

The Fog of War

In the last few days the news has been filled with reports of the death of Osama Ben Laden, the man behind the attacks on September 11^th.  As a place to start our online Bible Studies I thought I would start here.

If you are in middle or high school now - you were somewhere between 8 and 2 when September 11^th happened.  Some of you probably don’t remember that day at all, while others will have more or less recollection of the actual event.  But whether you were still a toddler or already off to school, the biggest part of your lives have been lived in the aftermath of that terrible day.

Discussion Starters

• If you are old enough to remember it, do you remember how you felt that day?
• Do you remember how people reacted? Did they cry? Did they look sad? Were they angry?
• How do you think the war has affected your outlook on the world?

One of the promises of God’s kingdom is that it will be a place and a time without war, or violence or tears. 

What the Bible Says

Micah 4:1- 5

¹   In days to come

    the mountain of the LORD’S house

    shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

    and shall be raised up above the hills.

    Peoples shall stream to it,

²    and many nations shall come and say:

    “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,

    to the house of the God of Jacob;

    that he may teach us his ways

    and that we may walk in his paths.”

    For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,

    and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

³   He shall judge between many peoples,

    and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;

    they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

    and their spears into pruning hooks;

    nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

    neither shall they learn war any more;

⁴   but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,

    and no one shall make them afraid;

    for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.

⁵   For all the peoples walk,

    each in the name of its god,

    but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God

    forever and ever.

There is a day coming, God says, when there will be no need for the tools of war, swords and spears, or guns and tanks and bombs. We can beat them into plow-blades and we can melt them and use them for children’s toys.  There is a day coming when no one will be afraid.  This is God’s promise to us, and a part of the hope we share as God’s people.

Discussion Starters

• Do you hope for a day when people will not make war anymore?
• What can we do in our everyday lives to make peace?
• Micah suggests that peace will come when all people come to worship the God of Israel.
• Is this an intolerant point of view?  If not, why?
• Is this one of the causes of war?
• How should Christian’s share their faith with non Christians?
• Do you think the war is close to being over now that Ben Laden is dead, or do you think it will cause more people to be terrorists?

Prayer

Lord Jesus you taught us that peacemakers will be blessed. Help us to be agents of grace and love and peace in our world.  Teach us and our world how to get along with one another.  Bring your Holy Day of peace!  In your name we pray. Amen

An online Bible Study? Really?

We are all going to be so busy this summer, what are the chances that we can all be in the same place at the same time?  Not very good I would say.  So how about we try an online Bible Study with this blog?  Each week I will post a short Bible Study, and then we can discuss it together in the comments.  If we like it we can continue, and if we don’t we can move on to something else.

Let me know what you think…

and say hi in the comments!

God bless you all,

Have a great summer