Sunday Sermon - Apocalypse

The Apocalypse, prophesied by our Savior. False Christs, wars and rumors of war, earthquakes, famine, "troubles." The Gospel preached to all nations as the faithful are beaten in the synagogues and handed over to councils and kings, to the secular authority. 

And then the abomination of desolation, the visible triumph of blasphemous pagan power in the holy place, followed by the great tribulation, the reign of Antichrist mercifully cut short by God and the return of Christ in glory.

You can read it all in Mark 13 and the other synoptics, but what are we to make of this, like children on a road trip we want to know, are we there yet? Stand back and reflect. Have Christ's words been fulfilled, are they being so and will they be, at some point in the future. The answer, surely, is yes to all three.

Christ's prophecy was partially and accurately fulfilled in the sack of Jerusalem, and the persecution of the Church. St. Paul, notoriously, was brought before a "ruler,"  Caesar himself, and blasphemous pagan power ruled supreme over the world and the rubble of the Temple. 

But Christ didn't return, so this is a type or prefigurement of greater things to come, the final battle between good and evil, of Christ and Antichrist. Are we there yet, we ask and the answer is no, the Abomination has not yet been set up, whether from a rebuilt Temple, the Vatican, Canterbury Cathedral(!) or anywhere else. Pagan, blasphemous power is not yet triumphant. Yet.

This means, in terms of the prophecy, that we're at the "beginning of sorrows," the rest is to come and note, as we draw inevitably closer to the date so too does evil increase and wax large. This will continue until it's evidently triumphant, the abomination will be set up with all signs and wonders so as to deceive the very elect. The mystery of iniquity at work. Woe, flee to the hills.

Then Christ returns. Great will be the fall of the anti-kingdom before the might and irresistible power of God, and the elect, God's chosen people, his faithful, will be gathered to him in glory as evil is thrown down, utterly, for evermore into the lake of fire.

Apocalypse, and a message of hope. God wins, the Devil and his apostate angels don't, so be strong in your faith, "hang tough" said one church person, rightly. But consider this (I didn't preach it and maybe should've):

The Synoptic "Little Apocalypse" can be paraphrased as a lesser or desultory persecution, the blasphemous abomination, the great persecution and the triumphant return of Christ. Leaving aside Danielic math (think half weeks and three days) does this present us with the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ? Yes, it does.

Brought before councils, beaten in the synagogues, the scourging, a lesser tribulation. Golgotha, the sacrilegious desolation, and the Tomb, witness the effect of the greater persecution only to be followed by the return of Christ.

We, as Christians, share in this, we live in Christ and he in us. The apocalypse must, then, play out in our lives and as it does, by the grace of God may we be raised to glory, even as evil is cast into the lake of fire.

Your Old Pal,

LSP