Days we Remember
July 4, 1776. December 7, 1941. November 22, 1963. September 11, 2001. All of these are dates that will live in infamy, and the mere mention of the date conjures an up an indelible image or a specific memory unique to one’s experience. Many of the older among you will surely remember where you were on that day in November 1963 when JFK was assassinated. I will certainly never forget 9/11; being woken up, as usual, by the clock radio and hearing the DJ’s describe the action while still being half asleep. Then, realizing that something very serious was going on, I turned on the TV to witness the full extent of the attacks. We are still living in the aftermath of the events of that day.
However, the events of those days didn’t just “happen.’ In retrospect, those events weren’t all that surprising. The path to the Declaration of Independence was years in the making. Relations between the colonies and Britain had been deteriorating since the early 1760’s. The Revolutionary War had been going on for 13 months by the time independence was officially declared. The Continental Congress had empowered a committee of five in June of 1776 to write a formal declaration that underwent several drafts before it was formally approved.
The Japanese had been planning the attack on Pearl Harbor for almost a full year before it was carried out on December 7th. Some have even suggested that the US pushed Japan into it through a series of provocative economic and military decisions, such as the US seizure of all Japanese assets in the states and embargoing all oil exports to Japan. There is a conspiracy theory that goes something like this: the US wouldn’t get in the war of its own accord, the country needed to be pushed so steps were taken that ensured a Japanese attack. The Japanese also took the move of the US Pacific Fleet from San Diego to Pearl Harbor as a direct threat.
Similarly, post 9/11 it came to light that the FBI knew about the hijackers movements in the US and their attendance at flight schools. Other warnings should have alerted officials, such as the intelligence briefing the President received only a few months earlier that was entitled “Bin Laden determined to strike inside US.’
What’s the point of this history lesson? Through it, I hope I have illustrated that things just don’t “happen.’ Invariably, there are always signs, hints, foreshadowing.
Genesis 7:6 tells us that Noah was 600 years old when the flood began. Gen 5:32 tells us that he was 500 years old when he became a father. Sometime in that intervening century he was commanded by God to build the ark (Gen 6:14). Surely someone noticed Noah building this really big boat. I highly doubt Noah did this in secret. People must have seen what he was doing, and he should have received some sort of notoriety for what he was doing. In addition, I really believe he must have done some sort of preaching to warn people, as is indicated by the reference in 1Pet 3:20.
Look at how God acted with Abraham with regards to His judgment on Sodom. He promised to spare the city if he found 50 righteous people there, then 45, then 40, 30, 20, finally 10. God was willing to be exceedingly merciful in that situation. I think it is reasonable to assume that if Noah had found other righteous people beside his family that they too would have been saved. Alas, it was not to be; the signs were ignored and only Noah, his wife, sons and their wives entered the ark.
Foretelling Jesus
There is one thing of note about the Old Testament: it is rife with references to the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus himself spoke of it; “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:27 NIV), and also Luke 24:44-45. Also look at John 5:46, which says “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.” And what does Moses say? We read “The Lord your God raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers…I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers” (Deut 18:15,18).
Consider what God says to David “When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I establish the throne of his kingdom forever”( 2Sam 7:12-13). And consider “But you Bethlehem Ephrathah…out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel”(Micah 5:2). From this we can establish that he was to be of the line of David and born in Bethlehem. Confirmation of this comes in Matt 1:6, 16 and 2:1.
Consider also the prophecy “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son…” (Isa 7:14). And also God to David through Nathan “I will be his father, and he will be my son” (1Chron 17:13). These establish that he is the Son of God and Rom 1:2-3 confirms this; “The gospel he promised beforehand…regarding his Son…a descendant of David.”
Moreover, the Old Testament also mentions his message, what he would preach — Isa 61:1-2 and 50:4. We are there told the message was the “good news”, i.e., the Gospel (Isa 61:1).
The miracles Jesus would perform were also foretold, for example “Then will the ears of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped” (Isa 35:5). Matt 12:22-24 verifies this and also confirms that Jesus was to be rejected, which was said in Isa 50:6 and 53:3 (“He was despised and rejected by men”) as well as Psa 69:19-20. Indeed in his darkest hour, just before his death, his closest friends abandoned him — Matt 26:31-43. While his death was imminent the disciples couldn’t stay awake while he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. And we know how his prediction of Peter’s denial came true.
Jesus was asked by the disciples for the signs of the end when he would bring the kingdom. Jesus goes on to predict the destruction of Jerusalem that took place in A.D. 70. “…they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name” (Luke 21:12). Many of the apostles and other followers were persecuted and put to death by the Jews and Romans. He even tells them when it will happen; “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened” (Luke 21:32). Let’s do a little dating here for a second. It is generally accepted that Jesus was born around 3 B.C. So, given that he was crucified at 33 he was saying this in A.D. 30. If a generation is 40 years then this gets us to A.D. 70.
Where does all this leave us? Quick story; some time in the mid 1990’s in the basement of the Livonia, MI, ecclesial hall I was asked if I was going to go the Manitoulin Bible Camp that coming summer. I indicated that I would not, and was asked why. I responded that I don’t sleep in tents. I was then asked what would I do in the kingdom? I said that; firstly, we didn’t know where we would be sleeping in the kingdom; and secondly, if I’m there I don’t think I’ll be complaining about the sleeping arrangements.
My point is that I don’t know what things in the Kingdom are going to look like, but I feel pretty confident that I’ll like the way things are set up. My focus is getting there, doing the things in this life that I need to do, training my mind, keeping on that straight and narrow path as best as I possibly can, looking to the example that Jesus set for us on how to live and act and behave.
May 14th, 19481, June 5th, 19672, October 6th, 19733, and December 9th, 19874— the signs of his coming are all around us. Just read a newspaper or watch the news.
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken” (Luke 21:25-26).
We need to set our focus NOW, get on that straight and narrow path NOW, because when he does return shame on anyone who says, “wow, I didn’t see that coming.”
- The British mandate over Palestine officially terminated at midnight, May 14, 1948. Earlier in the day, at 4:00 p.m., David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the creation of the State of Israel and became its first prime minister.
- Start of the Six day Israel-Arab war where the Jews capture Jerusalem from Jordan and for the first time in almost two thousand years they control the City of David.
- The Yom Kippur war when Israel captures Sinai Peninsula from Egypt.
- Date generally regarded as the beginning of the First Intifada — the Palestinian uprising against Israel that is still ongoing today.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One