Tag Archives: judgment

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At Hand

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Late last year I celebrated a half-century walking on this big blue marble. Admittedly some of those years were spent crawling or being carried, but you get the idea. Since turning 50 I’ve had a lot of new experiences: I had two major back surgeries (nearly died during the first one), I discovered why I’m so often tired (severe sleep apnea) and nearly every morning I’ve observed an increasingly gray beard. I point your attention to my beard as there is really nothing on top of the head to see (other than the glare of the sun). Every gaze into the mirror brings to mind memories of my father and my oldest brother–who both passed away younger than I would’ve thought they should. The gray beard, the persistent images, and a few moments in the Bible remind me of the fleeting nature of my time here. However, the Bible emphasizes something beyond brevity: urgency.

Urgency

Urgency is a recurring theme in the New Testament. I remember the first time that it really struck a chord with me was during a study of Romans 13:11-13. This passage greatly emphasizes the urgency of our faith. First, Paul writes, “Besides this, you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake up from your sleep.” He then emphasizes, “For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” Indeed, it is. Finally: “The night is far gone; the day is at hand.“ He builds tension here that leaves the believer asking, much as thousands did on the day of Pentecost, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Paul’s Thoughts

Paul continues: “So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” He defines his terms so as to not leave any ambiguity. “Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Mankind has been fallen since that fateful day in the Garden. Paul warns the first-century believers against the very same kinds of sin that plague humanity today. Western society, specifically, plunges further and further into this cesspool as it rejects the very faith that was so influential in establishing the best parts of Western society. We dare not sit idly by and watch the world burn. Why?

Peter’s Thoughts

“For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (I Peter 4:17, ESV) There will be a day of reckoning when we all must give account for what we have or have not done. Paul, Peter and even John agree that this time of judgment is at hand.

John’s Thoughts

John introduces Revelation this way: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” (Revelation 1:1-3, ESV)

Kinds of Time

One might read the passages above and wonder how, after 2,000 years, anyone can say that salvation is “at hand” or that “the time is near”. A little bit of Greek might help our understanding. There are two words in Greek that are frequently translated “time”. The first word is chronos, from which we derive our English words like chronicle or chronic. It means what we typically think of as time–minutes, hours, days, etc. The second word, kairos, has a different vibe. It indicates an opportune time, decisive moment or crisis. Writes Bible scholar and commentator Robert H. Mounce in his commentary on Revelation:

“The Greek kairos (“time”) was commonly used in an eschatological [last things] sense to indicate a time of crisis or a decisive moment. The statement seems to have come from the standard Jewish messianic expectations of the day. In Mark 13 Jesus warned his disciples that many would come in his name claiming to be the promised Messiah (v. 5). A bit later in the chapter he spoke of the time of his return, telling them to be on guard because they did not know when that time (kairos) would come. The critical moment for the fulfillment of all that John had seen in his visions had drawn near. Hence the urgency of hearing and obeying the words of the prophecy.”

*Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 43–44. (Emphasis mine)

In other words, the next big thing on God’s timeline is Christ’s return and we don’t have a clear idea of just when that will be. We have general information but no specifics as to the time. Henceforth, we are warned time and again by Jesus himself to live in anticipation, as if he could return any moment. As you read above, his apostles echoed his sentiments. How do we do that?

Warnings and Exhortation

Paul exhorts us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. We can’t do that by our own strength. When Jesus ascended to heaven he sent his Spirit to indwell us. It is by the Spirit that we are able to overcome the works of darkness, to cast off sin, and to walk in newness of life.

Peter warns us that our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8) He encourages us to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand, cast all our anxieties on him, to be sober-minded and watchful.

John promises that if we read aloud the words of his prophecy and who hear and keep what is written there.

Our Decisive Moment

I suggest to you that our generation has come to a decisive moment in our time. The nations are raging against the Lord Jesus Christ. The enemies of Christ are call good evil and evil good. As followers of Jesus, we face a time not unlike what Israel faced in the time of Joshua. Joshua reminded Israel of the deliverance and bountiful material blessings God had bestowed upon them. They knew how often they had turned away from God even in the midst of his deliverance. Aware of both the blessing and the chronic disobedience, Joshua says to them, “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served . . . But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14-15, ESV)

There is an urgency in our day, in our generation, that drives us to the point of decision. What might we think or do that will most prepare us for His coming? How might we pursue the kingdom of God faithfully with complete sincerity? What would prevent us from being ready? What must we ruthlessly remove?

Who will we choose?

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The Fog of War

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Carl von Clausewitz was a Prussian general considered to be one of the most prolific and influential Western thinkers on the subject of war. You’ve likely never heard of him, though you’ve probably encountered his ideas. In his 1832 piece, entitled Vom Kriege (On War), he writes, “War is the realm of uncertainty; three quarters of the factors on which action in war is based are wrapped in a fog of uncertainty. A sensitive and discriminating judgment is called for, a skilled intelligence to scent out the truth.”

190 years later, warfare continues to be “wrapped in a fog of uncertainty.” Communications get garbled, soldiers misunderstand orders, units can become paralyzed with confusion.

Eastern military philosophers were familiar with the concept of the fog of war and used it to their advantage. Well known Chinese general and philosopher Sun Tzu writes, “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.” (Sun Tzu, The Art of War). Sun Tzu’s ideas, 2,500 years after their introduction, continue to be standard military doctrine because they are effective.

Do you suppose that there is any application of these principles to spiritual war?

Satan and Sun Tzu were apparently reading from the same playbook. Consider the following:

  • “The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy . . .” John 10:10
  • “ . . . The devil . . . does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44
  • “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10
  • In the Garden of Eden the serpent deceives Eve by playing on her desires: “Did God actually say . . .?” He contradicts God’s word, lying to her, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:1-5

While Sun Tzu describes how to successfully attack an enemy, von Clausewitz gives us insight into how to overcome our adversary in spiritual war. “A sensitive and discriminating judgment is called for, a skilled intelligence to scent out the truth.”

Our posture toward truth can help us when all else fails. Paul commented to the church at Thessalonica: “They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” What is your posture toward truth? Do you discriminate good from bad, truth from error? How are your truth skills? Have you bought the lie that all judgement is bad?

To test your posture, consider some common daily habits and ask yourself a few questions.

  • What do you feel like when you’ve spent even a few moments on social media?
    • Do you find peace or encouragement there?
    • What is the state of your soul when you step away from the screen?
  • What do you read?
    • How does the content of your reading affect your heart?
    • Are you more equipped to walk with courage and boldness or less?
    • Are you strengthened or do you find it more difficult to focus on “things above where Christ is seated”?
  • If you were to write down what you do from hour to hour on any given day, what would you find?
    • What is the focus of your free time?
    • Is there adequate space given to God for growth in that relationship?
    • Are you giving time to cultivate truth in your mind rather than the incessant message the world inserts into your consciousness?

Jesus called our enemy the “god of this age”. He is a master of propaganda and makes the most of every opportunity to corrupt our thinking. He tugs at our hearts with images, stories or even fear-mongering diatribes that can drive us into a state of confusion, discouragement, jealousy, heartache, or despair. He uses deception to bring us to our knees, cowering and quivering before him, attempting to make us wonder if we’ll make it through this life intact. This is the fog of war.

We must make every effort to infuse our souls with Truth. We must remember whose we are and why he called us out of darkness. When we are tempted to allow ourselves to be crushed by the confusion, mayhem, and onslaught, we must cry out to heaven for intervention, leaning into the Truth. We must ignore the crushing weight of deception that would steal our confidence, joy, and effectiveness. We must remember to use the powerful and effective weapons with which we have been equipped (I will save a fuller treatment of these for future posts).

As von Clausewitz suggests, we must be sensitive and discriminating in our judgment. The best judgment is informed by objective Truth, not cultural relativism, overly emotional reaction, or some personal ax to grind. We must resist reacting by disciplining ourselves to look first to the Scriptures, their Author, and to the Holy Spirit for discernment of truth and error. We must sharpen our minds with the file of holy living and focused thinking. Only then will we be able to see through deception, not allowing ourselves to be outflanked by our enemy. We must have the mind of Christ.

Finally, we must embrace the truth that soldiers go into battle together, not alone. Those who attempt to go it alone get killed. Sometimes it takes a comrade to help us refocus our attention on the reality without rather than the fear/hesitation/misunderstanding within.

In the coming months I will be writing more deeply about the following questions:

  • What are the weapons of our warfare?
  • How can we have the mind of Christ? How do we “scent out the truth”?
  • What can we use to defend ourselves against the onslaught?
  • How can we engage our world in grace and truth?