CHAPTER ONE – It’s Greek to Me

Have you ever noticed that most people who say they disagree with the Bible have never read the Bible?  Isn’t that funny?  Actually, it’s not funny…it’s sad.  You would think that people would want to read such an important book–whether or not they agree with it.  That way you could at least disagree from a position of knowledge rather than complete ignorance.

But what’s even more sad than that are all the people who claim to believe in the Bible who have never read it all the way through.  How could anybody be so irresponsible as to base their life on a book that they’ve never read.  That’s probably why there are so many little factions who each call themselves the “real” church.

If all those people (believers and unbelievers) would read the book, there would probably be a lot less arguments about religion.

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Does your life celebrate Palm Sunday?  Would you like to have a new life to celebrate?  Turn to Jesus, who came to save you and the King who will be your Judge.

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Have you ever tried reading the book of Revelation in the Bible and gave up because it was just too weird?  It’s a book full of symbolism and wild imagery that confuses a lot of people.  Some people probably find it more difficult to get through Revelation than the genealogies of the Old Testament.

Part of the reason for this cryptic language is that the book was written to be purposefully confusing to those in power in the Roman government.  Revelation was written in the midst of persecution against the church by Rome, and it talked bad about Rome and about the Caesars—especially Nero.  And since Nero already hated the Christians, John wrote this book of prophesy he encoded it so that the early church would understand it without incriminating anyone who might be carrying a copy.

That means the book was written for Christians to understand.  And if you can shift your perspective just a bit to the view of the Christians in Rome it might help make a little more sense of the book for you.  Like so much of the prophesy in the Bible, the prophesy in Revelation is meant to relate directly to the original ancient readers AND people in the future (like us).  So a lot of the prophesy in Revelation already came true in ancient Rome, but there is still a lot left to happen that we are waiting for.

Of course, with all the confusing pictures and prophesy aside, there is still a basic message that anybody can understand.  God very clearly tells the church where they need to improve if they want to be ready for judgment.  And that’s something that every Christian today should pay close attention too.  If any of the warnings God gave to the ancient churches of Asia Minor can be applied to your life, you might want to think about taking them personally.  God expects anybody who wants to survive his judgment to adhere to the same standards.  So Revelation is a very worthwhile book to read if you care about your own future.

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I think all the prophecy that pointed to Jesus coming is pretty cool.  I watch movies all the time where there’s some sort of prophecy to be fulfilled, and I remember back when Nostradamus was popular in the media, but the movies are just somebody’s imagination and the Nostradamus stuff is just so random that you really have to stretch to make it fit any real events.  But the prophesies about Jesus are real life!  And there are just so many things that match perfectly with his family line for generations and where he’d be born and how he would die and so much stuff.  So, of course, the natural conclusion is, if the prophecy about his first coming was proven, we can be pretty sure about the prophesy of his second coming.  And that means a lot of people are going to be in big trouble if they’re not ready.  And the Bible is pretty clear that you don’t survive the Judgment of Christ by the skin of your teeth.  It’s an all or nothing thing.

A lot of people do religion with a 51% attitude.  They figure as long as they do a little more good than bad, they’ll be ok.  Or they think that God grades on a curve.  So as long as their morality is slightly above average they’ll be fine.  But Jesus demands perfection.  And people who don’t accept that are in for some sad consequences when Jesus comes back.

Of course most people see religion as jumping through hoops and checking off lists, and they totally miss out on the purpose of living for God.  They miss out that God offers grace so that we can stop living in the past, so we can throw off all that old wicked baggage and start with a clean slate.  It’s like God changing your “F” to an “A” and giving us the Holy Spirit as a tutor to help us keep that “A.”  Plus when you realize how much more enjoyable it is to live a good life and to be motivated by love instead of all the bad junk, then you start living a pure life for the joy of it, and religion becomes a pleasurable opportunity.  You look forward to Christ’s return because you love obeying him, and you can’t wait to share the pleasure of his company.  If you miss that crucial point, religion does nothing but offer hoops to jump through and rules to keep track of, and you wind up being lost in your failures.

Religion without true love for God is a joke.  If you think you can please the Almighty God of Heaven with an impersonal 51% effort or a C+ attitude, I’ve got some really bad news for you.

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It’s amazing to think about just what Jesus came to Earth to do.  We like to sing the songs and share the presents and enjoy the decorations and festivities.  But Jesus didn’t come to have fun and to celebrate.  He came to die.  And if you stop to think about what he gave up in Heaven and all the sorrow and pain he suffered during his life on Earth, it can put an entirely different feeling to the Christmas season.  But the great thing is that Jesus was willing to go through all that.  His mission was a volunteer one, and he did it for the joy of the results of giving people a way out of evil and death and into goodness and life.  Christmas is definitely a time worth celebrating.  It’s worth celebrating all year long!.  But don’t miss exactly why it’s worth celebrating.

This continuation goes into some of the prophesy that foretold the coming of Jesus (his birth, life, death, and even resurrection).  As if it wasn’t enough proof to have eyewitness accounts of his life and the things he said and did and how he rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, God gave us prophesy about it all before it ever happened to make sure there was no mistake exactly who the Messiah was.  I just think that’s so cool!

What do you think?

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So lots of churches celebrate the Season of Advent.  It’s kind of a traditional thing.  And there are lots of traditions that go with it.  Sometimes they hang Christmas decorations and greenery.  They usually have different colored candles that are lit on different Sundays during the season.  And it’s all very churchy and Christmassy.  And then outside of church we have all sorts of traditions that go along with the Christmas season.  People hang lights on their houses and put up Christmas trees and stockings and eat lots of food.  And I often see a few decorations or cards that say “Jesus is the reason for the season.”  But you don’t see much Jesus amongst the decorations.  Where is Jesus in all those traditions—at church and at home?  Would anybody be willing to throw out all the traditions, the candles, the lights, the presents, the food, the music, and simply spend the season in prayerful thankfulness for the birth of our Savior?  What would really have to happen to take our focus off of the stuff we buy and decorate and eat for Christmas and instead put that attention on the miracle of God sacrificing the glory and honor and joy of Heaven’s throne to be born a human being and offer himself up as a sacrifice to save the world?  Because there will be a second advent of Jesus Christ.  And depending on how much you pay attention to Jesus now will affect how he feels about you when he comes again.

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