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The Age of Pentecost

            This Sunday May 19, the Church celebrates its birthday and the infilling of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday in 30 AD.

            Pentecost was one of the Seven Feasts of Israel which formed the religious calendar of the Torah and served as Prophetic signposts of God’s plan of redemption. The first three, Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits look back to the Exodus, but foreshadow the death and resurrection of Christ during these feasts in 30 AD. The last three, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles celebrated the final ingathering of the Harvest (Ex 23:16) and looked forward to the Second Coming of Christ. Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Harvest, celebrated the sowing of the crops in preparation of Harvest. (See Ex 23:16), and represents the beginning of the Harvest of believers by the Church in 30 AD.

            Throughout history Christians looking for the return of Christ, as represented by the Feast of Ingathering, have thought that the Age of Pentecost, represented by the Feast of Harvest, was coming to an end. From the generation after Christ to the predictions of 1000 AD, 1844, 1914, 1988, 2000, and numerous others, people who predicted the end of the Age of the Harvest have been proven wrong. Now we have a new batch of Doomsday predictions based on the writings of an Irish monk who listed the future Popes, ending with the current Pope. Some even suggest that he may be the Antichrist.

            Just for the record, Pope Francis is a remarkable Christian who has participated in some of God’s most important movements in the Earth. As Archbishop of Buenos Aries, he supported the Charismatic Catholics, who have brought millions into the Kingdom of God, and promoted the Reconciliation Movement which is responding to Christ’s prayer for unity of believers. We wish Pope Francis a long and blessed life until God takes him home and the election of the next Pope exposes the foolishness of the “Last Pope” prophets.

            The real damage done by these false Doomsday prophets extends far beyond their foolishness and slander of a good Christian. The focus on gloom and fear is a distraction from our mission to bring good news and hope to the world. Attacks on fellow Christians are not only a form of rebellion against Christ’s command to love our brothers, but also create divisions which undermine the Gospel.

            We must leave foolish controversies behind and get about our business of making disciples throughout the world (See our Special Report “The Age We Live In”).  
            We still live in the Age of Pentecost. Celebrate it on Sunday. Live it on Monday

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The Lesson of May Day

 

            Some years ago we counseled with a young man who considered suicide because of a $5,000 debt. That’s when we learned that its not the amount of debt that matters, it’s the burden of the debt on the soul.

 

            Now we hear that hard economic times are being blamed for a 31% increase in suicide from 1999 to 2010. Since the beginning of the 2008 recession more people have died in the suicide epidemic than were killed in auto accidents. The hardest hit group is no longer teens or the elderly, but adults ages 35 to 64, for whom suicide are now the fourth most common cause of death. And middle aged men suffer most of all, with suicides out numbering women by 4 to 1. 

 

            It should not be too surprising that men are the primary victims of the suicide epidemic. Men feel the responsibility of providing for their families, and feel condemnation when they cannot. Their self esteem is often derived from their work, with devastating results when the job is lost. Men learn not to communicate their emotional needs and many are too proud to ask for help. In a prolonged economic slump, hopelessness takes hold and some begin to feel that the world would be better off without them.

 

            Our experience has been that people can escape from debt and prolonged financial bondage, but the real problem here is spiritual, not financial. The antidote to failure and condemnation is to realize that the whole Christian religion is built on forgiveness for our past mistakes and moving forward without guilt. Self esteem comes from the value placed on us by God, whose children we are, and can be realized not just through work but also through Church, family, and friends. Men may not sit in a circle and sing Kum-Ba-Ya, but they can learn to humble themselves and let others help them. And they can realize that they are still needed by their friends, families, and Churches.

 

            Reaching out to men in trouble is hard to do because they hide their feelings and often behave badly. The first thing you can do is to involve them in some activity to keep them busy and slowly rebuild self esteem. Share your own failures openly and never insult them by being patronizing. Let them know that their life is valuable by asking for their advice and help. Share your faith if you can, pointing to a better future. And make ‘em laugh.

 

            Our young friend rediscovered his hope in life with a little encouragement and little help. Hope was the key to the rest of his life.

 

            So, keep hope alive and stay alive. There is so much to live for.

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The Terror Tactic

            Last week America was delivered a sad reminder that terrorism continues to be a tactic of choice for Islamic extremists.

            The terror tactic has a long and tragic history. Military historians tell us that the worst terrorist of all time was Genghis Khan, whose armies destroyed the agricultural hinterlands of their enemies, drove the peasants into the cities, and then destroyed the cities without mercy. Second to the Mongolians were the Romans, who merely destroyed the cities without mercy. Modern examples abound, from the London Blitz to the 9/11 attack.

            As a military tactic, however, terrorism is a double edged sword. More often than not, it backfires on to the terrorists. Thus, the London Blitz steeled British resolve and in the end it was the cities of Germany that were reduced to rubble. Palestinian terrorist intifada attacks brought swift retribution and isolation behind the Israel wall. The 9/11 perpetrators were tracked down and their Afghan sanctuary was overrun by Americans. It turns out, according to military historians, that terrorism only works for militarily dominant powers like Genghis Khan and Rome. For weaker opponents the terror tactic only leads to destruction.

            Even so, terrorists inflict much suffering from their self destructive path. There is also a spiritual battle, as terrorists hope to paralyze their enemies with fear and goad them into overreacting in order to create more terrorists. This is truly spiritual warfare, and we must use our spiritual weapons to defeat the terror tactic of the ultimate terrorist, Satan.

            We must first learn to pray blessings on our enemies. Not blessings for their violence, but blessings that their eyes be opened and that they will be satisfied with good things and desire to live in peace. Judgment still belongs to God, and it is for Him to avenge, not us. At the same time, God wants our enemies to come into His Kingdom, and we must not let bitterness or unforgiveness set us against God’s purposes. Instead we must deploy the powerful spiritual weapon of love to stay in step with God.

            We must also turn back the spirit of fear which has been sent against us. We know from the famous 91st Psalm that our protection comes only from God, and that He will be with us in our trouble. Yet we also know that we can overcome the evil one if we do not love this life more than the next (See Rev. 12:11). Let us live fearlessly in faith as God intended, looking forward to the day when we will be called home to Heaven.

            Yes, we mourn for the victims of these cowardly terrorist attacks, and pray that God will comfort them. But we will not quit loving our enemies and living by faith.         

            And, just as the terror tactic is a losing strategy for weaker opponents in the natural world, so is the terror tactic futile against the most powerful kingdom on Earth, the Kingdom of God.        

 

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God’s Turnaround

            In these days of economic trouble, government oppression, increasing human needs, and disdain for life, many intercessors have begun to fear that it is too late to turn our society around.

            The people of Alexandria, Egypt, were in a similar state of despair when John of Amathus was named as Patriarch on this day in 610 AD. The story of John of Amathus  shows how God can use one person to achieve a turnaround.

            John’s first acts were too confront the culture of death in Alexandria. He tore down the infanticide walls outside of the city and called on the people to respect the sanctity of Life. Putting deeds with his words, he opened a maternity hospital, homes for the aged, and hospitals for the sick. He became famous for his concern for the needy and is now known as Saint John the Almsgiver.

            But John was also interested in the economic well being of his city. He fought against corruption and excessive taxation which had caused a damaging economic decline. He pushed for tax reform which took the government off the backs of the people and brought about an economic revival which benefited both rich and poor. As a result of his efforts Alexandria recovered its position as a leading commercial center in the Byzantine Empire.

            Of course we do not have to go back to the seventh century to look for these who fought to restore freedom and make a better life for their people. Margaret Thatcher, who has just passed away, led a British turnaround which saved the country’s economy. Ronald Reagan did the same in the U.S. while defeating the Communist threat to freedom.

            It is true that the American nation has come under God’s Judgement because of its turning away from God (See our Blogs of 9/10/2012 “Revisiting the Harbinger” and 11/7/2012 “The Day After”). It is up to the Church to act like the Church, repent, and pray for revival. Let us pray that the Church will wake up and take its place of Leadership.
            And let us also pray that God will send another in the spirit of John of Amathus to help accomplish God’s turnaround in our time.

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Carbon 14 and The Bible

For years some scientists have been using Carbon 14 dating to undermine the Biblical timeline of History and attack the truthfullness of the Bible. Now they are having to rethink their arguments.

  The Carbon 14 dating method measures the amount of the radioactive Carbon 14 isotope in organic material and, comparing it with modern levels of Carbon 14, productes an age based on the radioactive decay of Carbon 14. This dating method is assumed to be good for 40,000 years, and produces very old dates for archeological sites.  However, it also produces dates which clash with historical dates derived both from Biblical information and other historical and archeological sources.

  The problem with Carbon 14 dating is simply that the current levels of Carbon 14 are much higher than past levels of Carbon 14, and this produces a much earlier date than the actual date.  Based on the more  accurate data about past Carbon 14 levels, one scientist documented 15,000 findings and found that none were over 7000 years old, and that many were about 4500 years old, the date of the worldwide catastrophe we call Noah’s Flood. Thus , for example, an American Indian artifact claimed to be over 11,000 years old may really be only 3,000 years old.

 Now archeologists are joining in the criticism of the Carbon 14 dating system. At a recent meeting, a noted archeologist observed that “In some circles it has been a crime to cast doubt on the accuracy of radiocarbon dating.” Nevertheless, this scientist showed conclusively that radiocarbon levels fluctuate from season to season and vary with location, providing erroneous age readings. When added to historical fluctuations in Carbon 14 levels, the whole Carbon 14 dating method becomes very suspect.

 The reason that some scientists cling to the inaccurate Carbon 14 system is simply that it produces results which are much older than actual. They fear that the real dates would be more in line with Bible history, and they would rather be wrong than give up their Anti-Biblical bias (See our Blog of 1/9/2013 “The Battle Over Biblical Archeology”). Their problem is that the more Science learns about the past, the more it supports the Bible (See our Blog 2/2/2013 “Looking Back to Look Forward”).

 We salute the courageous Scientists and Archeologists who challenge the Anti-Biblical Orthodoxy of their peers. Let us pray that God’s truth will prevail and that proofs of the accuracy of the Bible history will continue to be discovered by truth seeking Scientists.

 And may the attempts to destroy the faith of believers by false, Anti-Biblical, Pseudo-Scientific theories be exposed. Let no weapon formed against us prosper.

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The Other Francis

                A lot of attention has been focused on St Francis of Assisi after Cardinal  Bergoglio took the name of Francis upon his election as Pope. As well we should, because St Francis taught his followers to share the Gospel more by what they do than what they say.

                But this week, on April 8, we mark the life of another Francis who, it is believed, is also a role model for the new Pope. On that date in 1541 Francis Xavier began his extraordinary missionary journey to the East. Over the next ten years he traveled through 50 kingdoms and baptized over 1,000,000 people. He founded churches from India to Japan, earning the title “Apostle to the Indies.”

                 Francis Xavier lived in an age of upheaval, when Europeans had begun challenging the Pagan kingdoms of the East for commerce and, later, military supremacy.  The European traders were interested in gold, not God, but they undermined the power of the Pagan Kings and the Pagan Gods they claimed to represent. The traders also curtailed the power of the Islamic merchants and stopped the Islamic expansion into the Far East. As a result, societies which had been closed to Christianity became more open, and Christian missionaries were able to present the Gospel. For Francis Xavier, a million baptisms followed.

                These European powers eventually spread their empires throughout the world, replacing pagan kingdoms in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. While these nations were seldom, if ever, interested in spreading Christianity, many missionaries followed in the footsteps of Francis Xavier and brought Christianity to the colonized peoples. Today there are thriving Christian communities in the Americas, Africa, and Asia because of these missionary efforts.

                Also, today, we find that it is Europe which has abandoned  its Christian roots and fallen into darkness. So it seems somehow to be fitting that the new Pope taking the name Francis would come from a place which was Christianized by missionaries like Francis Xavier, and would now return to Europe to preach a new evangelism to the lost Europeans.
                We pray for Pope Francis, a man of the Spirit and a uniter Christians, that he will help lead the whole Church to challenge the European societies and open them to the Gospel like the Europeans did to the Pagan world 500 years ago. We pray also for the unity of the Church and a spiritual awakening of the Church to enable it to be faithful in our generation as Francis Xavier was in his.

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Celebrating Three Passovers

                Next Tuesday, on March 26, Jews will celebrate the feast of Passover. The Passover feast, enshrined by God into the Calendar, should be an important time of remembrance for Christians as well.

 

                The first Passover Christians should remember is the original Passover which occurred during the time God was setting Israel free from Egyptian slavery. God had humbled the gods of Egypt through the plagues, saving the final humiliation for last as the Angel of Death struck down the Horus God-King son of Pharaoh and the first born of Egypt. But God spared His people by having them sprinkle the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts, and the Angel of Death passed over them. This deliverance through the Blood of the Lamb has been celebrated in the Passover and the Seder meal from generation to generation ever since.

 

                A second Passover Christians should remember is the Passover Seder Jesus celebrated with His Disciples the night before He was crucified. Using a portion of the Seder meal, Jesus explained that his body must be broken and His Blood become the new covenant to set people free from slavery to sin and death. Jesus fulfilled the promise of Passover, shedding His Blood be the perfect Passover Lamb and providing through His Blood the way to reconcile God and man. Christians remember Jesus, the Lamb of God, by taking the portion of the Seder meal Jesus used, the broken bread and the wine, in communion with Him. 

 

                The third Passover Christians should remember occurred 40 years after Jesus was crucified, when a Roman army surrounded Jerusalem. The city Jesus wept over had crucified Him and persecuted His followers, and now the prophesied Abomination of Desolation had come. But Jesus warned Christians to flee from Jerusalem when it was surrounded by armies, and there were no Christians among the dead or those put in slavery after the city was destroyed. Those who had followed the Lord where again passed over, while those who rejected Him entered a worse slavery than their ancestors had endured in Egypt. This third Passover is symbolic of the deliverance of God’s people from the Judgment to come, as the Angel of Death passes over those sprinkled with the Blood of the Lamb. It will be celebrated in Jerusalem by both Jews and Gentiles, united into the Church, after Jesus returns.

 

                So on this Passover we join in celebrating the first Passover with the Jews and the second Passover with the Christians. We look forward to the celebration of the third Passover when all God’s people are united again.

 

                And we pray for the peace of Jerusalem