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Surgical Strike

Friday, June 26th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

“And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it shall be also in the days of the Son of Man;”  Luke 17:26

Just As It Happened – My friend said to me, “I have cancer.  My doctor told me that since my body has been tainted, there’s no use in fighting it.  I might as well let it run its course.  Maybe when it is finished, I can get a new body, one without the Big C curse.”

Do you think this person might need a second opinion?  I should say so!  Unfortunately, a lot of times our view of this world is like this cancer diagnosis.  We act as though it’s too late to fight.  Just let the evil age run its course and, when the Lord returns, we’ll start over.  We hear a lot of this in political circles today.  ”There’s nothing we can really do.  What’s the point of protesting.  The government is too big, too corrupt.  It’s useless.  We’ll just pray for Jesus to come back.”  This is Greek dualism disguised as Christian theology.

The final result of Greek philosophy is a hatred for the world.  The Greek worldview puts emphasis on the perfect rational mind, connecting our desire for rationality to the ultimate quest of reason, namely, a world devoid of passionate interference brought about by bodily weaknesses.  All you have to do is think of Spock in Star Trek.  He is the rational one, in contrast to Captian Kirk who often allows his emotion to get in the way.  Kirk claims that emotion is what makes us human, but the Greeks (and Vulcans) would disagree.  Emotions tie us to a corrupt world, a world that opposes the True, the Good and the Beautiful.  What we need to do is leave this world behind and rise to the world of perfection.  Of course, we don’t worship Plato these days, but we might as well be singing praises in Plato’s temple.  Most Christians really believe that the goal is to get out – to leave this corrupt and sinful place (and body) behind and be transported to the perfect heaven where all our problems go away.  The reason that escapist views of the rapture are so appealing is because the culture is Greek, not Biblical.

But God doesn’t start over.  He scrubs the earth clean of its sinful pollution.  He restores the original.  That’s why Yeshua said, “as in the days of Noah.”  The one taken was the wicked one, not the righteous one.  The righteous are left behind (sorry, Tim and Jerry) in order to complete the restoration project.  The new heaven and the new earth come about because God initiates something new, not because He has given up on the old.  It has always been God’s plan to restore what has been lost.  After all, it was created perfect.  Why would it need improvement?  God’s intention is a re-newed earth just as it is a renewed covenant.  Since God doesn’t make mistakes, it is just slightly arrogant to suggest that this world is a cosmic error and needs to be replaced with the correct one.

The Greek phrase kathos egeneto (as it was) tells us that Yeshua’s view of the process is firmly anchored in the patterns of Genesis.  If you want to know where God is headed, go back to the beginning.  There is absolutely no suggestion about giving up the fight and starting over.  God performs surgery, removing the cancer of sin from His perfect world.  He does not obliterate the patient and create a new embodied spirit.  Whenever your thinking suggests escaping to a better place, you might want to take another look at Noah.

Topical Index:  Noah, Luke 17:26, kathos egeneto, renewed, rapture, dualism

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Reversed Rapture

Friday, July 25th, 2008 | Author: Skip Moen

“Then two will be in the field.  The one is taken away and the one is left.” Matthew 24:40

Is Taken Away – Ignoring the context makes for great Hollywood movies and bestselling books.  Maybe that’s why it is so appealing to forget what Jesus says just before this auspicious verse.  But if we don’t pay attention, our theology will be confused and we might have expectations that are entirely off the mark.

Matthew 24 is a discourse on the end times. Jesus describes some of the signs, but He uses a crucial Old Testament story to set the stage.  It is the story of Noah.  “Just like the days of Noah,” says the Lord.  That should give us all the clues we need to understand the context.  What was it like in the days of Noah?  People believed things were pretty much normal.  They didn’t give a second thought to the idea of judgment.  In fact, even though it took Noah one hundred years to build the ark, no one worried about the implications of that vessel.  They didn’t see it coming until the rains started, and then it was too late.

Here’s the crucial question about the days of Noah:  Who was taken away?  Guess what?  It wasn’t Noah.  He remained, safe and secure inside the ark.  Those who were taken away were the ones who were lost in the Flood.  They were no more.  Noah floated above the storm.  All the rest vanished, swallowed up in judgment.  In Greek, it is paralambano, to take from.

Now apply this context to the lessons Jesus teaches in Matthew 24.  Two are in the field.  One is taken.  Two are at the mill.  One is taken.  If we believe the mythology of bestsellers, comic books and movies, we will think that the righteous will be whisked away, instantaneously translated to heaven while the dumbfounded world stares at empty chairs.  But that’s not what happened in Noah’s day.  The righteous stayed put, right here on the earth, riding out the storm.  It was the unrighteous who were taken away.

By paying attention to the Hebrew idea of salvation, we won’t follow the masses proclaiming spiritual evaporation.  The Hebrew idea is rescue in the midst of trouble.  It is not escape.  Salvation is God showing up with reinforcements so that I am able to fulfill His mission.  Salvation is not evacuation to the beach of the heavenly sea so that I can lounge in a comfortable chair while angelic creatures bring me refreshing nectar.  If you want that kind of salvation, go talk to Mohammed.  Hebrew salvation is Spirit-provided power, courage and endurance right here in the place where “thy will be done.”  Our preoccupation with getting to heaven lets us ignore the “days of Noah” lesson.  We need to stop looking for a way out and start doing the will of the Father where we are.  When judgment comes, the obstacles will be removed and the earth will be restored – just as it was when the ark came to rest after the storm.

It’s hard to give up the fantasy that if we just wait a little longer, God will snatch us out of this mess.  It’s hard, but it’s not impossible.  If we are going to be consistent with the divine mission, we will realize that escape is not a godly option.  “If this cup cannot pass from me,” is the option of the follower of the Way.  But be comforted.  He is with you.  And if Jesus is here, why would I want to run to the beach?

Topical Index: Rapture

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