These past few weeks and months have been rather interesting, from a historical perspective, particularly as it comes to the discussion of faith, action and eschatology. It seems like the level of panic has ratcheted up significantly, and I have even caught myself obsessing on it unhealthily, as well.

In all of it, though, I continue to find more and more comfort in the promises made to us by the Lord. In some way, I am reminded of 8 years ago when my infant daughter had to have open-heart surgery – it was an incredibly worrisome and stressful time, but the closer the date of the surgery came, the more at peace I felt with God, with my own life and with His control of all things. In fact, on the day of the surgery, I felt at a level of peace I can’t remember experiencing since. During that time, it enabled me to be the man my wife needed and the father my kids needed and the son my parents needed me to be.

I knew that, in all of the events transpiring, I had no control to speak of – no ability to alter whatever outcome or trial we would face. After 8 hours of surgery, my daughter came through beautifully – the second time she had been given to me as a gift.

And so today, with so many world events transpiring, I find myself in a position where I’m being asked questions, giving what answers I can, and doing my best to give my anxieties to God. While I’d like to think it’s something strong within my framework, the truth is, I’m just realistic about what I have the power to change and realistic about what I just need to accept will happen regardless of me.

Financial Crisis

With all of the dire predictions about the world financial situation, I’ve been inundated this past week with questions, stories, questions about stories, and even stories about questions dealing with the financial crisis – both in the US and in the world. In some corners, the sentiment has truly bordered on the hysterical. Even from some Christians, who ought to know better.

With much of the financial crisis, it is a case – in the US primarily, and worldwide in some cases – of the chickens coming home to roost.

The blame falls squarely on four groups of people – 1) People (including many Christians) who desired to live beyond their means and incurred risky debt, finding themselves unable to pay the piper when the music stopped; 2) The government, for forcing some financial institutions to give risky loans (as social policy) all-the-while turning a blind eye to regulating risky loans and Freddy & Fanny (to line their own pockets); 3) The lenders who created all sorts of creative ways to make ninja loans and other subprime loans; and 4) the idiots on Wall Street who broke the loans up and used them as securities.

Basically, a majority of the US population was at fault.

And if it all melts down? The church gets a glaringly obvious chance (like during the Great Depression and during the Black Plague) to be the hands and feet of Christ to each other and to the community at large.

If it recovers? The church needs to take a role in providing sound financial advice, based on Christian principals, to its own members and to the community at large. Living within your own means is a hard lesson to learn, but one that we, within the church, should have already been living.

Obama the Antichrist?

In the past few weeks, I’ve been asked (or heard asked) at least a half-dozen times if it is possible that Barack Obama is the Anti-Christ. Geesh. Now, a few of the questioners were folks that I know are Creasters, so I had to be pretty basic in my answers to the questions. Others, though, ought to know better. Basically, though, I tried to at least do a bit of teaching on eschatology, and on the uselessness of playing pin-the-tail-on-the-antichrist.

Now, the first question is – are you premillennial – or, in layman’s terms, does Left Behind belong in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section of the library or the Religious Studies section?

If you’re pre-mill, then it’s likely that Obama’s cult-like following, his Creepy Children of the Corn Videos and the fact that there are more people passing out at his rallies than congregants in line for an Ernest Angley heal-a-thon, have your repture-sense a-tingling. Even so, how helpful is it really to go around trying to guess if he’s the antichrist or not?

Seriously.

After all, if he IS the AC, then there’s pretty much nothing you can do about it, apart from leaving messages for loved ones and doing the rest of mankind a service by abstaining from operating machinery that will morph into unmanned missiles of destruction should you suddenly disapperate from behind the wheel/stick. If he’s NOT the AC, then you’ve wasted a lot of ink and sweat giving him more credit than is due.

If you’re amillennial and/or partial-preterist (which I am), then you realize that there is no such thing as the antichrist (apart from, perhaps, Nero or Domitian), though there will be many instances of an antichrist, with which history is replete with examples: Hitler, Torquemada, Kim Jung Il, Fidel Castro, Stalin, etc.

In this case, yes, it is perfectly possible that Obama is an antichrist, though such a thing could be said about any leader who strays from the biblical role of leadership into anti-Christian action – a definition that could be broadened to fit almost every US president in history, since the only Biblical purpose of government is to provide defense and a fair system of justice.

Rather than place your fears in a possible series of events or such, my suggestion is (and has been) to examine the positions of any candidate you will vote for, in light of scripture, and weigh them accordingly. If you’re a visual learner, I’d suggest watching/listening to the Saddleback Forum from back in August, where Rick Warren asked both presidential candidates about their stances on issues of Biblical import.

And finally, speaking of antichrists…

A Finger on the Button, Just Waiting for the Bomb

And then we’ve got Iranian president Ahmanutjob.

Here’s a guy who considers himself to be the Twelfth Imam, which is cause for concern if you live within missile-distance of the ancient Persian Empire (i.e. Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq), or if you happen to live in a country that has borders which are vulnerable to terrorist infiltration and potential terror targets (i.e. the rest of the civilized world).

As recently as a couple of weeks ago, the leader of Iran has called for the extermination of Israel, and pledged to do so if he ever had the means with which to accomplish it.

Which might be in reach.

Not fooling anybody, except for the handful of folks who still believe anything written by the United Nations, Ahmanutjob is in the process of developing nuclear weapons, which will definitely lead to a mideast arms race [since anyone within missile's distance of him will want nukes - if they don't already secretly have them (*cough* Israel *cough*)] and will likely end up with at least one – if not more – of these weapons being used either by the state of by a terrorist operation.

In other words – Tel Aviv jumps up in likelihood of becoming a glass parking lot [take note, premills – Tel Aviv is about an hour out from Har Megiddo (Armageddon, in the Greek) at the head of the Jezreel valley.

But again, these are all if’s, then’s and but’s – all of which are out of our immediate control (except, possibly, Joe C, who could be stationed in the Middle East should the president so decide to deploy his division). And so, I think that the words of the Psalmist and the words of Jesus are most applicable:

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

And

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Indeed, if the news is troublesome to me, I need to turn it off – and don’t obsess. I need to work with what is given to me today and to trust the Lord to take care of tomorrow…