WHY JESUS IS NOT PROPHESYING THE END OF THE WORLD IN MATTHEW 24

“Immediately after the distress of those days, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’” – Matt. 24:29


The apocalyptic language that Jesus uses to describe the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem [and God’s judgment against those who rejected and killed the Messiah] is often misunderstood as being about the end of the world and the second coming of Christ. 

But if we read the actual context of the conversation we’ll see that it’s not about that at all.

At the beginning of what’s called the “Olivet Discourse”, Jesus and his disciples are at the Temple. The disciples point to the stones and marvel at how amazing it is. They say “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

And Jesus responds by saying: “Do you see all these great buildings? Not one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.”

This obviously disturbs them and so they ask Jesus: “When will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

And everything after that is an answer to those two questions.

The “end of the age” is not the “end of the world”. The age that is coming to an end is the Jewish age because their priesthood, their daily sacrifice, their temple and their status as a nation is about to be wiped off the face of the earth.

In this context, the “coming of the Lord” is similar to what is said about the Lord riding on the clouds as He brought judgment against Egypt:

“Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.” – Isaiah 19:1

Did God saddle up a cloud and come riding through the sky when He judged the nation of Egypt? No, that’s not what happened. 

What did happen was that armies from another nation attacked Egypt and they experienced the “coming of the Lord” who was “riding on a swift cloud” against them.

This is what Jesus intends to communicate when, in the context of pronouncing a similar judgment against Jerusalem and their Temple, he says:

“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.” – Mark 13:26

Jesus even goes so far as to let them know the time frame of when these events will take place:

“Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” – Mark 13:30

And Jesus was correct. The temple was destroyed in AD 70, just as He predicted it would be, with no stone left upon another and in the lifetime of those who were hearing Him pronounce this prophetic judgment.

What about where Jesus refers to the things like the sun and the moon not giving their light? What about His prophecy about the stars falling from the sky? Doesn’t that mean the world and the universe are being destroyed?

Yes, and no.

Much like the previous use of the “fire is not quenched and their worm does not die” language mentioned above, this is apocalyptic hyperbole.

Here’s a few examples:

Isaiah prophesies against Babylon:

“For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” - Isaiah 13:9-11 

Ezekiel prophesies against Egypt:

"And when I shall put thee [Pharaoh] out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord God." - Ezekiel 30:18; 32:7-8

Amos prophesies against Israel about how the Assyrians will destroy them:

"in that day, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight" - Amos 8:9


Isaiah prophesies against Edom: 

"...Hearken, ye people: let the earth hear....All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll....For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment....For it is the day of the Lords vengeance." - Isaiah 34:1-8
Notice anything? 

Did you see how these prophets pronounced a very real-world judgment against them and yet used cosmic destruction-language? 

Notice how they each promise that the stars will go dark, or the heavens will be dissolved and rolled up like a scroll? Notice how they foretell that this destruction will be marked by the sun and moon not giving their light?

All of that? It’s apocalyptic hyperbole. Prophetic and poetic overstatements about the cosmic-level judgment that is about to come upon them all.

Poetic, not literal.

No stars were harmed in the destruction of Edom. No moons or suns were actually extinguished when Babylon and Egypt got sacked. No heavens were actually rolled into a taco .

Hyperbole.

Now, go back and read what Jesus says about the destruction of the Temple and the “end of the age” that is coming to Jerusalem within a single generation. If you do, you’ll notice he uses the exact same phrases, and when he does the disciples understand that the moon, and the sun, and the stars and the sky will not literally turn to blood, or be extinguished, or fall, or be rolled up in a rubber band.

They knew – where we do not seem to know – that this was very common Old Testament-style apocalyptic language used to communicate a very real day of destruction and judgment that was about to come to pass.

The language is figurative, but the destruction is very, very real.

Notice a few more examples of this type of apocalyptic hyperbole:

"I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth, declares the Lord...The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth" - Zephaniah 1:2-3 

Note: Zephaniah prophesied against Judah prior to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. God did not destroy the entire planet or wipe away everything from the face of the earth, in this event.

When the prophet Joel prophesies against Judah he says this about the armies that will be used to bring the Lord’s judgment:

“The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining…” - Joel 2:4-11

Once again, this is not a promise to snuff out the sun and the moon, or to extinguish the stars in the sky. It’s a promise to bring a cataclysmic level of doom upon Judah because of their sins.

Got it?

[I hope so]

Here’s a bonus example for you.

When Jesus says: 

“For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again” [in Matt. 24:21]...

...you already know what he’s trying to say here, right?

Of course you do. Because in the Old Testament this sort of language was used over and over again to overstate the severity and horror of the judgment to come:

“And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations.” – Ezekiel 5:9 

This was about the impending destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Jesus applied the same language to the impending destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 (Matt.24:21). Both events, in the common hyperbole of the day, are spoken of as if they were each uniquely horrendous, but this is simply for emphasis.

The same language is used of the locust plague mentioned in Exodus 10:14, yet the language in Joel 2:2 seems to be describing another locust plague, also uniquely horrendous and “unequaled since the beginning of the world”, etc.

But can these three events all be the worst of all time and never to be equaled again? Of course not, but that’s not the point here. The hyperbole is not literal, but the destruction is.

Similarly, Solomon was said to have been uniquely wise and magnificent, using the exact same hyperbole (1 Kings 3:12-13). Yet we know of one [Jesus] who is "greater than Solomon" (Matt.12:42).

The language of "never before, and never after" is common hyperbole, and should not be pressed to a literalness beyond that which was intended in any of its uses.

In Daniel 9:12, he says of the destruction of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzer: 

“You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.”

Really? Well, maybe up to that point, but certainly not for all time. 

The point – and I do think I have made it – is that hyperbole is never literal, but the destruction always is.

If any of this helps you, please let me know in the comments below and please share it with your friends on social media.

Thanks!

-kg

DID JESUS AND PAUL PREACH DIFFERENT GOSPELS?

Honestly, I can't believe I need to write and entire blog post to explain this one, but apparently there are Christians who really do believe that Jesus taught one Gospel and that Paul taught another.

[Hint: they did no such thing]

So, in the interest of debunking this nonsense, let me explain a few things:

First, both Jesus and Paul preached the same Gospel. This is the Gospel of the Kingdom.

What's the Gospel of the Kingdom, you ask? Well, very simply, it's the "Good News" that the Kingdom of God where He rules and reigns can be experienced today by anyone who surrenders their life to Christ as their King and begins to learn to follow Jesus in their daily life. 

Jesus talks about the Gospel of the Kingdom all throughout his ministry, for example:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.” - Mark 1:15 

“The kingdom of God has come upon you.”- Matthew 12:28

“For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” - Luke 17:21

“After his suffering, he [Jesus] presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” – Acts 1:3

Paul also taught the Gospel of the Kingdom, as we see here:

“I have gone [among you] preaching the kingdom of God” - Acts 20:25

“We must go through many tribulations to enter the kingdom of God.” - Acts 14:22

"For the kingdom of God is…righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." - Romans 14:17

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” – 1 Cor. 4:20

“Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.” – Acts 19:8

“He [Paul] witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus.” – Acts 28:23

“He [Paul] proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” – Acts 28:31

“Now I [Paul] know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.” – Acts 29:25

For that matter, Philip and the other Apostles also taught the Good News of the Kingdom [because there was no other Gospel to teach], as we see demonstrated here:

“But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” – Acts 8:12

See also: 

Heb. 1:8; 11:33; 12:28

James 2:5

2 Peter 1:11

Rev. 1:6; 1:9; 5:10; 11:15; 12:10

What's the big deal?

Well, the problem with believing that Jesus and Paul each had a different Gospel is that we run the risk of missing the actual Gospel that Jesus [and the Apostles] preached.

Some Christians want to say that Jesus may have taught the Kingdom Gospel, but Paul taught the "Gospel of Grace". 

This "Gospel of Grace" was for the rest of us [the Gentiles], while Jesus' Gospel of the Kingdom was meant only for the Jews.

One of the biggest problems with that assumption is that we see that the Gospel of the Kingdom is preached to the Gentiles all the time. [See those references above, for example]

Some want us to believe that the Hebraic Epistles [like the book of James, for example] contain the "Gospel of the Kingdom" while the epistles written to the Gentiles contain the "Gospel of Grace".

Again, this isn't what we see at all. Paul speaks about the Kingdom to both Jews and Gentiles alike. 

The phrase, "Jesus is Lord", is a statement about the Kingdom of God, because, in a kingdom you need a king, or a "lord". 

Paul affirms to both Jews and Gentiles alike that everyone who confesses that "Jesus is Lord" will be saved. [See Romans 10:9]

This means that Paul understood the "Gospel of the Kingdom" and he taught it all throughout his ministry.

The confusion comes because some Christians have lost the "Jesus-Centric" approach to scripture. They major on the teachings of Paul and wrongly assume that he can't be talking about the same things that Jesus talked about.

They also get easily confused when Paul says: 

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel." [Gal. 1:6]

They think that Paul must be saying that he taught people to "live in the grace of Christ" and that there must be more than one Gospel.

But that's not what Paul is saying. Not at all. In fact, let's look again at the full passage and please notice something at the end:

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ." [Gal. 1:6-7]

Did you catch it? Notice that right after Paul says that people are turning away from the Gospel of Grace he refers to this Gospel as "the gospel of Christ".

Wait, what?

That's right. Paul's Gospel of Grace is the Gospel of Christ. 

And the Gospel of Christ is what Christ preached: The Gospel of the Kingdom of God. 

Keep in mind, Paul didn't think he was writing the Bible. He was writing letters to friends and fellow Christians in various places who were struggling to follow Jesus in their respective lands. 

Because of this, Paul doesn't spend a lot of time repeating the Gospel of the Kingdom to these people. He knows they already know it. In fact, many of them knew this Gospel long before Paul knew it. Remember, when the movement stared, Paul [Saul] was persecuting the Church.

But we do know that Paul was aware of this Gospel of the Kingdom because A) he preached this Gospel all through his ministry [see references above] and B) it was the only Gospel anyone in the Christian church had ever heard up to that point.

Elsewhere, Paul says we should prepare ourselves to preach the "Gospel of Peace" [Eph. 6:15], does that mean we have a third Gospel? Is the Gospel of Peace yet another Gospel competing for space with the Gospels of the Kingdom and Grace?

Of course not. There is only one Gospel. Paul knows that. The people he is writing to know that. There is no Gospel other than the one that Jesus preached. 

Is the Gospel also about Grace? Yes.

Is the Gospel also about Peace? Yes, again.

But there is only one Gospel and that is the Gospel that Jesus preached and that Gospel is the Gospel of the Kingdom, as found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and also in John.

Jesus and Paul were on the same page. 

We should be too.

-kg

A CONVERSATION ABOUT HELL

“I believe Hell is an eternal place of suffering,” my friend said. “If it wasn’t, I think it would make everything Jesus did for us on the cross pointless. I mean, if everyone makes it in the end, why would we need to share the Gospel?”

I’ve heard this sort of thing before. But for some reason this analogy sprang to my mind.

“What if you saw a house burning and there was a little girl crying for help inside?” I asked my friend.

“Well, I would go and save her if I could,” she said.

“But, what I could promise you that the little girl would be ok in a few months; after a few surgeries all her burns will be healed, and all of her medical bills would be paid in full?”

My friend looked at me with a puzzled look on her face. “What difference would that make?” She said.

“Well, you’re saying that there’s no point in sharing the Gospel with people if everyone ends up redeemed in the end. My analogy is the same: The little girl who is burning in the house fire will end up ok in the end. Her burns will be healed and she might even be more beautiful than she was before, and her family won’t have any huge medical bills to pay for all those expensive plastic surgeries to heal her scars. So, why would you bother saving that little girl from the fire?”

My friend paused a few moments and then nodded silently, unsure of what to say next.

I broke the silence: “I think we should share the Gospel because we want people to know Jesus the way we do, and because we don’t want them to have to suffer – even a little – for rejecting His offer of reconciliation.”

My friend stayed quiet, so I continued; “What if the little girl in that fire was your own daughter? Wouldn’t you want someone to save her life? Can you imagine anyone standing there, watching the fire burn and listening to her screams for help and saying, ‘What’s the point? She’ll be ok after a few years.’ Would that be ok with you?”

“Why would anyone allow their child to be burned alive?” she asked.

What a great question.

-kg

**

Food for thought: What if punishment in the afterlife isn’t just pointless, eternal suffering? What if there’s a point or a purpose?

“God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” [Hebrews 12:10-11]

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

REGISTER TODAY: Jesus Untangled: North Carolina

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION IS JUST $25

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND REGISTER>

ABOUT THE EVENT

Join authors Keith Giles (founder of Pacifist Fight Club) and Herb Montgomery (founder of Renewed Heart Ministries) as they lead an important discussion about faith, politics and American Christianity.

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

While Herb and Keith both know and love one another - and have served together in various capacities over the years - this event will be the first time they have ever presented differing viewpoints on the main theme.

Keith's latest book, "Jesus Untangled:Crucifying Our Politics To Pledge Allegiance To The Lamb", takes the position that mixing faith and politics compromises the Gospel of the Kingdom and distracts Christians from their one true calling and purpose - to change the world by living and preaching the Gospel that transforms people from the inside out.

Herb's perspective is that Christians are called to stand in solidarity with the oppressed and to share in their sufferings - even as far as advocating alongside those marginalized voices - and working to provide solutions that are both spiritual and political.

THIS IS NOT A DEBATE

While Keith and Herb both take a slightly different perspective on this issue, they are not engaging in a formal debate. This is a conversation, and it is one that they both invite you to have with them at this special event.

In these unique and highly interactive series of presentations, Keith and Herb will communicate their views in detail and invite attendees to ask questions and engage with them on the issues discussed.

Our hope is that everyone will leave feeling encouraged, inspired and challenged to live out their faith in a more radical and intentional way.

How do we impact our culture? What is the best way to serve our community and love our neighbors as ourselves? What would Jesus call us to do as ambassadors of His Kingdom?

Can we really change the world through politics? Does the Kingdom of God advance through political means? Are justice and politics the same, or are they two different things?

These questions are important to address. Our mission as a Church is vital to the culture and to the Body of Christ.

Join us as we wrestle with these questions - and many more - on August 19th.

About our facilitators:

Herb Montgomery is an internationally recognized speaker, and director of Renewed Heart Ministries. He is the author of the book, “Finding the Father” and is passionate about following the radical, non-violent, enemy-loving example of Jesus, and that includes speaking up about the injustices faced by racial minorities, the poor and the LGBTQ community.

Keith Giles is an author, blogger, teacher and servant of Jesus living in Orange County, California. He and his wife, Wendy, and their two sons started a house church in 2006 where 100% of the offering goes to help the poor in their community and no one takes a salary and no one leads the meeting except Jesus.

He is also the founder of Pacifist Fight Club and has contributed chapters to other books, including "Simple Church:Unity In Diversity" and "Renewing The Christian Mind: Interviews, Essays and Talks by Dallas Willard".

VISIT THE REGISTRATION PAGE TO LEARN MORE AND REGISTER TODAY>

A New Chapter: Saying Goodbye To Motel Church

In April of 2004, the Lord spoke to me as I was standing on the balcony of a Motel in Santa Ana. He said, “If you want this place, I’ll give it to you.”

I said, “Yes,” a heartbeat later, not fully realizing what I was getting myself into.

What followed over the next 13 years was astounding, confounding and beautiful.

In the beginning the manager didn’t want us there, so we prayed that the Lord would move his heart or move him out of the way.

Two weeks later, the man’s heart changed and we were welcomed in.

At first we simply blessed the children and their parents. We brought a bounce house, and played games and put on puppet shows, never once advertising our church or even preaching a sermon. We simply loved them as much as we could.

Eventually, as we hoped, some of them began to ask us, “Why do you come out here every month and do this for us?”

Our answer was always, “Because Jesus loves you so much and He wants you to know that He sees you and He cares about you and your family.”

Eventually another church came and joined us, about 3 years later. Saddleback Church, [yes, THAT one], wanted to serve breakfast and share the Gospel on Sunday mornings. We helped them get in good with the manager and I volunteered to preach once a month in their rotation.

That relationship eventually gave birth to an actual Motel Church that started meeting in the back parking lot and followed a “read through the scriptures and talk about it together” style service where the people were encouraged to read the Bible for themselves, ask questions, offer suggestions and even challenge the teacher if they wanted to. [And sometimes they wanted to.]

Later, other local churches came along and helped shoulder the load of the weekly Motel Church.

Eventually, Saddleback bowed out and others came to take their place.

We saw people’s lives transformed, hearts changed and wounds healed. We also saw heartbreak and defeat and disappointment. But mixed in with all of this was the steadfast love of Christ and the ever-present power of His Kingdom held wide open for any and all who wanted to live in it and walk with Jesus.

People were baptized in the swimming pool. Some found a way out of the motel. Others found contentment to bloom where they were planted. Still others discovered a God who loved them more than they ever dared to hope or imagine and their lives were forever changed.

Above all, we were the most changed from the inside-out. I mean, I was the most changed. The Lord taught me things I would never have been able to learn from a book or a sermon.

I learned what true courage looks like. I learned what real love and family can be. I saw transformation take place in a moment, and I saw it take place over months and years.

My ideas about ministry were blown wide open. My ideas about church were radically altered. My understanding of God’s love and mercy were expanded and stretched forever out of shape and I was left with a new paradigm to grow into.

Of course, I could never have known any of this would happen as I said, “Yes” to the Lord’s invitation that afternoon on the balcony of the motel.

Today, I have made another leap of faith and responded to another invitation the Lord has given me to step aside and allow others to take this Motel Church ministry forward.

This is harder than you can imagine. I keep seeing all those faces and reliving all those stories. I wonder what the Lord will do next, both in my life and in the lives of our dear friends at the Motel.

This is the great unknown. Life, and faith, is marked by uncertainty. All we can do is cling to Jesus and follow Him every step of the way.

I’m leaving these people, and this ministry, in the best of hands. They understand that it isn’t my ministry, and it isn’t theirs either. They know that the Lord is doing a great work among them and they are thrilled and humbled to take part in it.

So, the Motel Church will continue. It will grow and change and thrive. The Lord will continue to reveal Himself in - and through - everyone who surrenders to His will in that place. Of this, I am certain and it gives me great comfort.

I am so grateful for this amazing experience. I will never forget any of it. 

Most of all, I will never forget these beautiful and amazing people. They taught me how to follow Jesus better. They taught me how to live and breathe outside my comfort zone. They helped me to see and to hear Jesus in ways I would have never imagined possible.

This chapter of my life is closing, but another one is being written at the very same time.

Change is hard, but it is part life.

Here we go…

-kg

WANT TO RE-VISIT SOME OF WHAT THE LORD DID THROUGH THE MOTEL CHURCH OVER THE LAST 13 YEARS? 

READ MORE:

My Friend Robert Higgins

Out Of Strength [Robert Higgins Testimony]

WHAT LOVE IS [The Amazing Life and Love of Robert Higgins]

Adventures in Motel Church

Miracle in the Carport

This Is The Motel Where We Serve

The Apotheosis of Washington

Remember when our nation's leaders commissioned a giant fresco painting in the dome of the U.S. Capitol building which depicts George Washington becoming a god and sitting next to other pagan Roman gods like Minerva, Neptune, Vulcan and Mercury?

Wait...what?

Yes. It's true. 

America - supposedly a "Christian Nation" - hired an Italian Greek artist in 1865 to paint the inside of the rotunda at the United States Capitol Building. It's still there today. 

Most Americans - and certainly most American Christians - have no idea what it is or what it shows. 

The Apotheosis of Washington - literally the "Deification of Washington" which shows the nation's first president sitting among pagan gods - was painted over an 11 month time span at the end of the Civil War. 

Yes, the painting boldly depicts George Washington sitting in the heavens in an exalted manner; or in literal terms, ascending and becoming a god (apotheosis). 

George Washington is allegorically represented as being surrounded by figures from classical mythology. Washington is draped in purple, a royal color, with a rainbow arch at his feet, flanked by the goddess Victoria (draped in green, using a horn) to his left and the Goddess of Liberty to his right. 

Surrounding Washington, the two goddesses and the 13 maidens are six scenes lining the perimeter, each representing a national concept allegorically: from directly below Washington in the center and moving clockwise: 

• "War"
• "Science"
• "Marine" 
• "Commerce" 
• "Mechanics"
• "Agriculture"

The six scenes depict the following:

WAR
Freedom, also known as Columbia, is directly below Washington in the personification of War. The scene depicts a woman fighting for liberty with a raised sword, a cape, and a helmet and shield (in the colors of the American flag) trampling figures representing Tyranny and Kingly Power. To Freedom's left assisting her is a fierce bald eagle (the national bird of the United States) carrying arrows and a thunderbolt (reminiscent of the arrows carried by the eagle in the Great Seal of the United States).

SCIENCE
Minerva, the Roman goddess of crafts and wisdom, is portrayed with helmet and spear pointing to an electrical generator creating power stored in batteries next to a printing press, representing great American inventions. American scientists and inventors Benjamin Franklin, Samuel F. B. Morse, and Robert Fulton watch. In the left part of the scene a teacher demonstrates the use of dividers.

MARINE
This scene shows Neptune, the Roman sea-god, with trident and crown of seaweed riding in a shell chariot drawn by sea horses. Venus, goddess of love born from the sea, is depicted helping to lay the transatlantic telegraph cable which ran from America to the Telegraph Field in Ireland.[2] In the background is an ironclad warship with smokestacks.

COMMERCE
Mercury, the Roman god of commerce, with his winged petasos and sandals and a caduceus, is depicted giving a bag of gold to American Revolutionary War financier Robert Morris. To the left, men move a box on a dolly; on the right, the anchor and sailors lead into "Marine."

MECHANICS
Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and the forge, is depicted standing at an anvil with his foot on a cannon next to a pile of cannonballs. A steam engine is in the background. The man at the forge is thought to represent Charles Thomas, the supervisor of ironwork during the construction of the Capitol dome.

AGRICULTURE
Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, is shown with a wreath of wheat and a cornucopia, symbol of plenty, while sitting on a McCormick mechanical reaper. The personification of Young America in a liberty cap holds the reins of the horses, while the goddess Flora gathers flowers in the foreground.

Is this the sort of thing any Christian nation would approve of? Can you imagine posting this in your church? Can you imagine Jesus approving of this?

Speaking of which: Where is Jesus in this painting? Where is the One True God? Why are Roman gods and goddesses depicted alongside George Washington as if he were equal to them?

Does this disturb you? 

I'd love to know your thoughts about it.

Please leave comments below.

Thanks,
kg

RAPTURE: POSTPONED

What if Jesus isn’t coming back soon?

For many Christians, the hope and promise of the imminent return of Christ is just about the only thing that sustains them on a daily basis.

They see the world becoming more secular and they experience great discomfort as the culture starts to become less “Christian” and more hostile to their worldview.

As a result, many of these Christians cling to the idea that Jesus will return any moment now to vindicate them, rescue them from this pagan culture and whisk them away to heaven where they will be much more comfortable and will never have to suffer the ungodly world they were born into any longer.

But, what if this isn’t going to happen? What then?

I’m not suggesting that Jesus will NEVER return. But I am suggesting that He might not be coming back in our lifetime.

And if Jesus isn’t coming back soon, then what should we be doing now?

Keep in mind that for more than 2,000 years, every Christian who believed that Jesus was coming back soon was dead wrong.

Jesus did not return when Christians were being put to death by the Romans. He did not return during the Spanish Inquisition when Christians were tortured for disagreeing with the Catholic Church on their doctrines. Jesus did not return during the Dark Ages, or during the Black Plague. He did not return to stop World War 1. He also did not return when Hitler took power and began to advance an empire that very closely mirrored the Beast and the Anti-Christ we see in Revelation.

Imagine how many Christians must have been convinced that Hitler was the fulfillment of the End Times prophecies they had read about in their Bibles? Or Stalin? Or Idi Amin?

But every single one of them was wrong.

I’m not trying to get you to doubt the return of Jesus. But I am asking you to consider what you should be doing now – right now – with your life and your witness.

If Jesus isn’t coming back today, or tomorrow, or anytime in the next 100 years, then you and I need to reconsider our calling.

This means we’re not supposed to sit around waiting for Jesus to come back and make it all better.

Instead, we have been given a mission. It’s this:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Jesus [Matt. 28:18-20]

Jesus also gave us a warning about what would happen to those servants who are found asleep at the wheel when their master returns, and it isn’t pretty. [See Luke 12:47]

Here’s the hard truth: If the culture we live in is not becoming more like the Kingdom of God, that’s our fault. Those who do not know the Lord, as we do, are not responsible for living up to His standards. But we – the people of God, who know full well who the Lord Jesus is and what His plans for changing the world look like – are absolutely responsible for teaching people around us how to follow Jesus.

Our mission is to be an example of Jesus to those around us, and to put on display the manifold wisdom of God.

We are the ones who are called to love one another, and to love our enemies, and to bless those who curse us, and to put the teachings of Jesus into daily practice.

The whole point of all of this is to demonstrate that Jesus really is a better King than any other ruler on this planet. Our mission is to point people to another way of living and another code of ethics that rivals anything this world has to offer.

The good news is that if we are living this way and putting the teachings of Jesus into practice when He does eventually return, we won’t be ashamed at His appearing. We won’t have to make any excuses about why we were just waiting around for Him to come back and fix everything.

If Jesus returns tomorrow, may He find us busy and obedient to His commands to love and serve.

If Jesus doesn’t return, may we fully commit ourselves to making the most of the time we have been given to influence our world with the Gospel, and to reflect the glory of our risen King.

Jesus might not return in your lifetime. But at the end of your lifetime, you will see Him face-to-face.

What do you want Him to say to you on that day? I know I want to hear:

“Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into the rest that is prepared for you, my son.”

Peace,

Keith

Freedom To Abandon Expectations [Unconference Testimony]

One beautiful thing about the Unconference was seeing so many people get set free.

Some were set free from expectations of success. Others were set free from their fears. Still others were set free from the pain caused by being rejected by their Christian brothers and sisters.

Time and again I saw people rejoicing because they had just realized that the thing they thought was holding them back was an illusion.

One conversation I had with a brother at the event was about how he had realized that he wasn't a failure after all.

He thought he must not have been called or gifted to start a house church because once, a few years ago, he had tried to get one going with a few friends. It lasted for a while, but then it fell apart. He had always assumed that it ended because he wasn't gifted enough, or smart enough, to keep it alive.

But at the conference we had talked about how the life cycle of a house church doesn't have to be infinity to be successful.

In fact, if we're honest, every house church will eventually end. How long it lasts isn't an indication of how spiritual everyone involved might be. Sometimes the Lord may call a group together for a short season and a specific purpose before He reconnects them all somewhere else.

The scriptures tell us that the Lord puts the parts of the Body together, just as He wants them to be. [see 1 Cor. 12:18]

We're also told that it's Jesus who builds His church - not us. So, if He wants to assemble a Body together for a short time, that's up to Him to decide - and it's not a reflection on the ability of those involved.

This little detail set my friend free that night. He suddenly realized that he could easily start another group without any fear of failure or any expectation of longevity.

Every living thing has a life span. Some things live a long time. Some organisms have shorter life spans than others. This doesn't mean the organism isn't alive, or that it's not valuable or without purpose.

It's up to Jesus to decide how long a group is together. Our job is to be obedient to Him and to learn how to allow Him to lead us whenever we gather in His name.

It doesn't have to be so complicated.

Just gather with others in His Name and invite His presence to lead you.

It can be in your home, or in a coffee shop, or under a tree.

It doesn't have to be every week at the same time. It doesn't have to be the same people every time. It can be a time of worship, or prayer, or encouragement.

Just find one other person who loves Jesus and ask them if they want to meet with you to experience more of Him.

Let's lower the bar on ekklesia and raise the bar on loving Jesus.

-kg

SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE [Unconference Testimony]

One beautiful story that needs to be told about the Unconference actually happened after the event itself was all over.

On Sunday evening a handful of us met for dinner at a local Shoney’s restaurant for one last opportunity to squeeze another drop of fellowship with one another.

But that wasn’t the only reason we met there. We actually had another agenda that night: We were there to bless someone’s socks off.

Richard Jacobson had suggested that we all do our best to be an example of Christ to our server by putting our money where our mouth is.

His point – and it’s a good one – is that Christians often take over a table (or several of them) at a restaurant, and they stay for three hours and they are often rude and they talk about Jesus, but then they leave a really bad tip. If you know anyone who works in a restaurant they’ll confirm this. It’s widely known that Christians are typically the worst customers to serve.  

What a horrible witness, right?

So, our goal was to reverse all of that on Sunday night.

Before we arrived, Richard had taken the liberty to call the manager of the Shoney’s and clue him into our plan. The manager assigned Melanie to serve us. [That’s her in the red shirt in the picture above and her manager is next to her].

Earlier this same day, a church group had come in and ordered about $70 worth of food. After only about 15 minutes of waiting - and just as their food was ready to serve - they decided to leave; meaning the restaurant had to throw out the food and Melanie lost a nice tip.

Our group didn’t hide the fact that we were Christians, which at first made Melanie nervous. But, as we learned later, she was surprised at how well-behaved we were.

After we had eaten and talked as much as we could with one another, it was time to go. Several of the women in our group cleaned off the tables, stacked the plates and saved Melanie the trouble.

As Henry Hon and Richard Jacobson were paying their bill, Melanie met them at the register. They asked her about Jesus. She said she wasn’t sure if Jesus was real or not. So, Henry told her she could just ask Him to show her.

By the time it everyone paid their checks, Melanie ended up with more than $200 in tips. A few people had even given us cash to boost the tip, even though they couldn’t come to the dinner.

As you might expect, Melanie was blown away and started to cry. Richard gave her a hug and told her that Jesus really did love her.

So, tonight, please say a prayer for Melanie. Ask the Lord Jesus to reveal Himself to her in a powerful and unmistakable way. She’s a young mom who’s trying her best to provide a good life for her family.

And the next time you are out to eat with a group of Christian friends, do your best to bless those who serve you and ask them if they know the Lord, or at the very minimum please do your best to make sure they don’t doubt that those who love Jesus also love them, too.

Let’s change the world. Let’s be the love of Christ to people around us.

That’s what we’re here for.

Peace,

kg

3 THINGS HOLDING BACK THE FLOOD

I was sleeping soundly after our first Friday evening session at the Unconference in Nashville when I awakened from a dream.

In the dream I saw myself speaking at the conference - something I was scheduled to do first thing on Saturday morning - but instead of speaking about how we should untangle our faith from politics I heard myself speaking about another topic.

I laid there in the bed, located in the basement of Steve and Ernie Simms' house in Nashville and looked up at the sea of glow-in-the-dark stars which were glued to the ceiling above me.

A glance at my phone said it was 3:10 a.m.

There was no doubt in my mind that the Lord wanted me to speak about this new topic. I quickly rolled out of bed and got on my knees to pray about what I'd seen.

After a few moments I felt a very strong urge to write down the message so I wouldn't forget it.

What I had heard was simply this: There are 3 things holding back the flood.

I knew this was a specific message for the people who were with us for the Unconference. The night before had been filled with expectation and I had sensed a strong sense of hunger for experiencing the kind of ekklesia where Jesus is the Head and the people operate as fully-functional members of the Body of Christ.

But, now, the Lord was highlighting three specific barriers that were holding back this flood of the Lord's anointing and presence.

After writing it all down I was too wired to sleep so I picked up my iPod and checked my messages.

As I was responding to a post on Facebook my cell phone buzzed to let me know I was receiving a text. "Who was texting me at 3 a.m.?" I wondered.

It was Richard Jacobson. His text read: "What are you doing up at 3 a.m.?"

I texted back to let him know that the Lord had given me a new message for our morning session. He said that he had also received a new direction for the Lord for his sessions too.

By the time the morning session started I was anxious to share what the Lord had given me.

I started things off by inviting the young girl up who had the vision from the night before about the giant fire hose being lowered down to us and gushing spouts of living water over all of us.

After she finished, I let everyone know that my session was not going to be about faith and politics but about 3 things that were holding back the flood.

Here's what I shared:

Many of you here have been hurt by your brothers and sisters in the Church. The Lord sees your pain. He knows how much it hurts when they slander you, and when they shun you for seeking to experience the ekklesia and practice the Headship of Christ. He understands and validates your suffering.

But, you need to forgive them. You need to let it go. The Lord cannot put something new into your hands if you haven't let go of your pain. He can't move you forward until you allow Him to heal your wounds.

Give this hurt to Jesus. Let Him heal you. Let Him show you how to love your brothers and sisters.

Pray for them. Pray a blessing over them. Pray for their marriage. Pray a blessing over their ministry. Pray for their finances to increase. Pray for their children. Pray the Lord's favor over them. Not because you feel it, but because the Lord has commanded you to bless those who curse you and do good to those who mistreat you.

At first it will only be words, but as you continue to pray for them, the Lord will soften and change your heart and eventually you will mean every word of what you are asking, and that's when you'll know you have surrendered your pain to Him.

Some of you are waiting for permission. You're not sure you're qualified to start a church in your home. You're afraid you don't have the authority to do this.

But the Lord says, you are already licensed and ordained into the ministry of the Gospel of Christ by the Holy Spirit of the Living God.

If you are sensing His calling to go and do this - go and do this! He will be with you all the way.

You are called. You are chosen. You are qualified.

Do not wait to be equipped before you step out. As you step out, you will be equipped.

You've been waiting for the guru to arrive and show you what to do. But the Lord says, the expert you are waiting for is within you! You have the Lord Jesus Christ living inside of you.

Go. Just go, knowing that He will never leave you, nor forsake you.

Finally, there are some of you who are waiting for a road map. You're ready and willing to go, but you're waiting for someone to navigate every step that may come your way.

The Lord says that you are pioneers. Where you are going there is no map.

The map you are looking for will be drawn as you go and others who come behind you will follow the trail that you have cut for them along the way.

Cut the path. Blaze the trail.

Remember: The Lord loves to do extraordinary things through ordinary people. Every "hero" of the faith in the Bible was a weak, flawed, broken person. This is why the Lord touched them and did magnificent things through them; because He knew they could never take credit for the great things He would do in their weakness.

As Paul told us, "We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." [2 Cor. 4:7]

Many of you came here today because you thought this was a conference. But this is not a conference, it's a launching pad. The Lord wants to fill you up and send you out.

The countdown has already started.

**

So, this is how we started things off on Saturday morning. It only got more awesome from there.

More testimonies to follow.

-kg

THE UNCONFERENCE: UPDATE

The Unconference event in Nashville was just awesome. 

Unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to explain exactly how awesome, because there are so many little stories that I can't just tell you one of them to explain it.

So, instead, over the next few days I will try to share a few of those stories here.

In general, there were about 80 people there from all over - Ohio, Missouri, Minnesota, Virginia, California - and of course from Tennessee. 

My co-hosts were Richard Jacobson and Steve Simms. Both are amazing guys. 

I knew Richard really well and he continued to bless me as I got to meet him in person after knowing him online for like 5 years. [But I feel like I've known him my whole life]. 

Steve was a practical stranger to me, but I stayed with him and his wife and they were both solid gold. Just amazing hearts and humble, kind, loving people.

Overall, I had a half dozen conversations with people who pulled me aside to thank me for my books, and who quoted specific blog articles I had written [some of them 9 years ago!] and thanked me for helping them to learn, or grow in their faith. That was really so encouraging to me.

Our goal with this event was to allow the Holy Spirit to lead and take us off the map if He wanted to - and He really did!

On Friday evening, Steve Simms shared an unbelievable story: A few years ago he had run across a book - quite by accident - of "Street Names in Nashville and Their Origins". Curious, he picked it up and searched for the origin of "Berry Street" [where his church meets, and also where our Unconference was being hosted].

To his surprise, he learned that the street had been named for Berry McFerrin, a Methodist minister from the 1800's. 

But that's not all. He then looked and found a biography of this man and there found this testimony about a time in his life when Mr. Berry McFerrin had attended youth meetings and was inspired by their similarities to those in Acts:

“The meetings were greatly blessed.  We read the Scriptures, we sang, we prayed, we spoke often one to another, and the Lord listened and heard.  Here I heard much of Christian experience, and learned to understand the wants of others.  Here I learned to give words of exhortation and comfort, and here I learned to appreciate the trials and temptations connected with the life of a Christian.  Fifty years have passed and the precious seasons that I enjoyed then are still fresh in my memory.  I regard class meetings as among the greatest providential means of grace ever instituted in the church.  They did much to keep me in the path, and gave me many encouragements through hearing the experience of older and wiser Christians than myself.  Class meeting is about the best theological school ever organized.  It was a sad day when it declined in the church; and I hope and pray the time may come when it will be revived in the church.”

But, the book reveals, Mr. McFerrin never lived to rediscover that experience again. However, his prayer was answered nearly 200 years later when the Berry Street Worship Center was built...across the street from where he once lived and prayed that prayer!

So, after hearing this story, Steve led us all outside and across the street to the park where his house had once stood. There, we all held hands and stood in a circle to thank the Lord for answering this prayer.

As we stood there praying, a young girl of about 16 saw a vision of a massive fire hose coming out of the sky and flooding the ground with water which gushed in all directions. She shared about how it was so strong it felt as if it would have knocked her down if she hadn't been holding hands with others in our prayer circle.

That next morning I was supposed to be sharing in the first session about my book "Jesus Untangled" and the need to untangle faith and politics. 

But the night before, around 3am, the Lord woke me up and told me there were 3 things holding back the flood for many people at the Unconference. [More on this later]

I had the whole thing laid out for me. So, I got out of bed, got on my knees and thanked the Lord for this new direction. Then I wrote it all down. After that, I couldn't sleep, so I checked my messages and posted a few things on Facebook.

Almost immediately, I received a text from Richard Jacobson asking me why I was awake at 3am. I told him what had happened with the dream and he said the Lord had awakened him and given him a new message to share in his session, too!

That next morning I took us off the map and shared what the Lord had given me to say. 

I spoke for about 20 minutes and then I invited people to come up and confirm if this was for them. 

Soon, many of the people started to come up and confess that at least one of those 3 things were holding them back and keeping them from experiencing more of the Lord in their personal life and in their church life. 

That's only what the Lord did before lunch on Saturday.

It was an amazing weekend. 

We're already planning to do it again next year.

More to come...

Peace,

kg