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February 16, 2021<\/p>\n
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Eschatology: a Forgotten Theology for Our Perilous Time<\/p>\n
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Eschatology (the study of the end) still matters.<\/p>\n
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Matthew 16: 1-3<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe religious leaders wanted a sign.\u00a0 Jesus answered them, \u201cWhen it is evening, you say, \u2018It will be fair weather, for the sky is blue.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0And in the morning, \u2018It will be stormy today, for the sky is black and threatening.\u2019\u00a0You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you fail to interpret\u00a0the signs of the times.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cRight through here.\u00a0 You know what to do.\u00a0Sit down and keep quiet.\u201d\u00a0Middle School\u2026\u00a0 When we got there early, we had to sit in the cafeteria and wait for the bell to ring.\u00a0 In those moments of waiting, some serious theological conversations took place.\u00a0 Most of my friends and I attended the same youth group.\u00a0 In those days, everybody was talking about the end of the world.\u00a0 There was a sense that Jesus was going to return at any moment.\u00a0 Our young formative minds latched on to the drama of it all.\u00a0 Basically\u2026\u00a0 The world is so evil that Jesus was going to come back, pick up his followers and then slowly destroy everything left.\u00a0 Ours was a culture of trying to interpret the times.\u00a0 Everybody seemed to think that every significant event was going to be the indicative moment that the skies would split and Jesus would come pick us up.\u00a0 Early one morning, one of my friends came running up to the rest of us.\u00a0\u201cJust put everything down.\u00a0You don\u2019t need it.\u00a0 Jesus is coming back right now.\u201d\u00a0 I freaked out. \u00a0I didn\u2019t know if I was ready.\u00a0 I started praying as hard as I could to make sure that I was going to get picked up.\u00a0 In the midst of it all, somebody had the sense enough to ask, \u201cHow do you know for sure?\u201d\u00a0 My friend replied with deep conviction, \u201cTammy Wynette just died.\u201d\u00a0There was no hesitation in my response, \u201cWho in the hell is Tammy Wynette?\u201d\u00a0 As my friend explained the eschatological value of country music, my worries of impending doom quickly subsided.\u00a0 Then as now, apocalyptic ideas have often been silly, uninformed and fed by personal fears\/hysterias.\u00a0 However, we can\u2019t allow such foolishness to keep us from honestly interpreting\/responding to what is going on in the world around us.\u00a0The signs still matter.<\/p>\n
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We are in the midst of the worst global pandemic ever.<\/p>\n
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We face some of the most serious weather challenges ever.<\/p>\n
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We are witnessing some of the greatest humanitarian disasters ever.<\/p>\n
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We constantly hear of wars and rumors of wars.<\/p>\n
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The list goes on and on.<\/p>\n
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The various consequences of our existence\/sins\/neglect\/dispassion are plain to see.<\/p>\n
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While we are able to name all of these things, we struggle to understand what they mean.\u00a0 As a result, we continue living as if they are not happening.\u00a0 I don\u2019t believe these are signs that Jesus is coming back.\u00a0 I gave up on the palm reading foolishness many years ago\u2026but I do believe that we are experiencing a judgment that is being handed down by creation itself.\u00a0 We cannot ignore the signs of the times.\u00a0 Informed eschatology is important\u2026because it is the study of the end that can keep us from getting there.\u00a0 We have failed to care for our earth.\u00a0 We have failed to care for each other.\u00a0 We have failed to care for ourselves.\u00a0 We have failed.\u00a0 The end is near\u2026but it doesn\u2019t have to be.\u00a0 Judgment can be turned into repentance.\u00a0 We can walk back our mistakes.\u00a0 We can choose to love again.\u00a0 We can plainly see the signs of the times\u2026we can turn our hearts toward restoration\u2026and we can be saved.\u00a0 The end is not a question of interpretation\u2026it is one of motivation.<\/p>\n
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Amen.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
February 16, 2021 \u00a0 Eschatology: a Forgotten Theology for Our Perilous Time \u00a0 Eschatology (the study of the end) still matters. \u00a0 Matthew 16: 1-3 \u00a0 \u201cThe religious leaders wanted a sign.\u00a0 Jesus answered them, \u201cWhen it is evening, you say, \u2018It will be fair weather, for the sky is blue.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0And in the morning, \u2018It […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2509,"featured_media":8165,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[1096],"class_list":["post-8164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-freshwritings","category-thoughts","tag-eschatology"],"yoast_head":"\n