“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light”–Isaiah 9:2.
Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
With the breaking news of what appears to be another terrorist attack here in our homeland, our hearts are once again filled with grief and sadness over such murderous acts of evil and moral depravity. I can only imagine how an earlier generation must have felt as they witnessed the rise of the Third Reich with all of its associated atrocities, ultimately resulting in the deaths of millions and the deep scarring of nations and souls.
Today we are experiencing the horrific effects of a worldwide jihad, perpetrated by deeply committed disciples of an apocalyptic religion that perfectly blends theological perversion, geo-political ruthlessness, and the determination to destroy all non-conformists. It is false-doctrine with guns and bombs. It is a barbaric, Satanically inspired theology fueled by the goal of world-domination through fear and the power of the sword. To make any sense of it at all we must see it as a gruesome manifestation of the greater spiritual war “against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). It is the kingdom of the ‘Prince of darkness’ waging war against the reign of God and His Christ. And we are afraid.
In the early 1960’s at the very beginning of the ‘Cold War’–when the world was gripped in fear and we all shared those awful nightmares of nuclear annihilation–one of my favorite theologians authored a book on Genesis 1-11. In it he explained that the human story occurs in “the space in which Cain lifts his ax and Abel falls to the ground.” The “history of the world,” he continued, “is the space in which Cain’s ax finally becomes dynamite and phosphorous, hydrogen explosions and space rockets.” Put more bluntly, since the Garden of Eden we have been killing each other with ever-increasing brutality, regularity, and sophistication. Or, as insightfully articulated in that 1980’s pop song, “Everybody wants to rule the world.”
There are Holocausts, Cold Wars, and jihad because we are a fallen race of spiritual vandals. Like the serpent that first seduced us, we specialize in the perversion of the Truth, leading to acts of self-worship, which invariably move us down murderous pathways as we defend our autonomy at all costs. And we are stuck here. This is what we do in our alienation from God. With every murder, act of war, or terrorist attack we learn anew that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). And we discover the irrefutable evidence that “the wrath of God is being revealed” against all sin and all sinners, even now before our very eyes (Romans 1:18).
So what shall we do? What shall we do with our fears? With our anger and outrage? With our sense of helplessness?
Celebrate Christmas!
In 740 BC, the world looked a lot like it does now, at least from the perspective of your average Israelite. Their time was also one of fear, of existing under the looming shadow of evil empires that would rule the entire world by the sword. The people of the Lord were surrounded and the Northern Kingdom of Israel would soon fall to the merciless Assyrians. Then in 586 BC the Southern Kingdom of Judah would also be destroyed and her people, like those in the North, carried away into exile and slavery. But in the midst of all of this gloom and death and the smoldering ruins of once lovely cities came a Promise, a Christmas Promise! We find it in the prophetic words of Isaiah 9:6–
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
The prophet announced that this chaotic world of ours, with all of its incalculable evil and death, would be invaded from heaven! A New King would come! And with His arrival, things would begin to change in an unfathomable way! This King, says the prophet, will be known by four names, each telling the world something about His character, His reign, His plan, and His ultimate goal. Isaiah proclaimed that His arrival, and the unrivaled and eternal Kingdom His coming would inaugurate, would ultimately change everything! Life will replace death. Love will conquer hate. Mourning will give way to joy. And His peace will rule the day as He subdues all of His enemies, even death itself, and chases away all fear! But more than all of this, His arrival would do something about our sins, about our mutiny that has made the world what it is now. And what He did seven centuries after Isaiah’s prophetic announcement is the greatest thing in the world! On Sunday we will find our comfort in His first name, “Wonderful Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6).
In the meantime let me encourage you to give your fears to the Great King and Lord who loves you. Rejoice that the One promised by Isaiah has come! Take comfort in the fact that He reigns, even when bullets fly and bombs detonate. Believe with all your heart that He is the Sovereign King of the universe and that nothing occurs anywhere on this globe apart from His will. Trust in His unfailing promise to bring “justice and righteousness” (Isaiah 9:7). And when you lie down to sleep tonight, remember that by grace through faith His Father is your Father too, your Father in Heaven!
I love you all, and always remember you in my prayers!
Mike