Are You Ready for The Return?

I was attending a Sunday service recently and the sermon the pastor shared inspired me. The pastor described the spiritual climate of Israel right before the Birth of Christ. He mentioned the different religious groups that had decided to respond to God's silence and their circumstances of having beein opressed by conquerors for almost an mellenium. The first group was The Sadduces, they were Jews who decided that resisting the Romans was futile and they instead fostered tolerance and intermingling of ideas. The Sadduces essentially decided that there were more commanligties than differences between Jews and Romans, and so they rose as a religious class favored by Rome. The Sadduces however had to subvert their faith in order to keep this interfaith relationship with the Romans and as a result left many of the principles of Bible and even abandoned beleif in the ressurection.

The second group was the Pharisees who responded to God being silent and thier circumstances by establishing the beleif that if they obeyed The Law of Moses and the Rabbinical teachings, that God would finally respond. The Pharisees felt the Lord was angry with them for not obeying the law perfectly and thus they felt through legalism they could earn the Lord's approval. The Pharisees are famous for their interaction with Jesus in the Gospels. They believed in the ressurection, but reacted to the idea that despite their strict and austere adherence to The Law, that they "would lead the way into hell," and "were sons of the their father the devil." (John 8:44, Matthew 23). Jesus despised the Pharisees because they were hypocrites (Matt 23), they placed heavy yokes or loads of religious laws on their followers, but would bend the laws for themselves.

The third group the pastor spoke of was The Zealots, which was a militant group of Jews who believed the answer to Roman opression and to restore the Kingdom of the Messiah was to do it by force of arms. The Zealots were radicals who acted like insurgents and fought with guriella warfare tactics. In the minds of the Zealots was the concept that if they could conquer Israel, the Lord would finally speak again and rule through the Son of David, the promised Messiah. The problem is that the Zealots were trying to enforce a poltical system that could not stand against Roman might.

The fourth group, that the pastor did not mention was the Essenes. The Essenes were an ascetic group who went into the wilderness. There they practiced their Jewish faith free of Roman tyranny or the religious yokes of the Pharisees and the lukewarmness of the Sadducces. But even the Essenes fell into error and began to propagate heresies and perhaps even the magick called Kaballa. They did however provide us with some of the oldest manuscripts and scrolls of the Old Testament called "The Dead Sea Scrolls."

There is firth group called The Sons of Light, who like the Essenes went into the wilderness. The Sons of Light preached repentance and baptism. The foremost among them was John the Baptist, who was to prepare the way of Christ. Some theologians call Jesus and his followers the sixth group called The Nazarenes or Jesus Followers. But I frankly think to add Jesus' following to the others is to demenish that He was "The way, the Truth, and the Life," and not just some leader of another movement in Judea. He  was and is the Christ! The Savior! Very God of Very God! Not a political religious  leader like Caiaphas or Barabbas. Jesus is God and His Kingdom is eternal! 

The point of all these religious groups, the pastor said, is that they were all making "assumptions" and creating the paths they  believed who make them right with God and liberate their people. While crafting their way to salvation, The Savior came into the world. When God was most silent, He came in the flesh and walked among men. This is why many were shocked when Jesus claimed he was the Son of God. They had been doing their big ideas and thought the Lord was angry with them, when in actuality the Lord was busy coming, for the first time in history, in the flesh and to mingle among man. They missed the Messiah, because they were too preoccupied with making their own way to God.

This has relevance to us now, because the same is happening. This time we are waiting for the Reutn of Christ and many Christians are convinced that they are doing something wrong, that they need to start a new movement or respond to the circumstances in this world like the religious groups mention. What if while we are so busy trying to explain and make system to comfort ourselves religiously, that Jesus is coming and will even return while we are busy doing what the Sadducces, Pharisees, Zealots, Essenes, and etc were doing?! Just when it seemed God was far from man and silent in the lives of His people, in that moment God came into the world in God Man Jesus Christ. Will we miss the Messiah again? Are not many churches like the Jewish religious groups? There are denominations like Sadducces who are compromising their faith to fit in with other religons, these are the Universalists. Then there are churches like the Pharisees, who live according to strict laws and codes of behavior, these being Catholic and Orthodox. Then there are Zealots, who are minority in the Church, who like the Crusaders of old feel they must fight for the faith. Then there are Essenes, who are monks and nuns, and ascetics believers who hide from the world and other churches in the wilderness. Then there are chuches like the Sons of Light preaching baptism and repentance.

But we are called to be followers of Christ and to expect His return! The time is coming and so many are busy following systems of religion rather than relating to The Father, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit. We do not need big ideas that seem good, we need the Truth of God found in His Scriptures (The Holy Bible) and revelation from the Holy Spirit! If it is quiet and the Lord seem far, despite your devotion, be mindful that this was how those Jews felt before Jesus was born! So it is regarding the Return of Jesus Christ. People will be busy marrying, and doing the normal things that have been normal for thousands of years. Then suddenly, the Lord shall appear and Judgement Day will dawn! Do not lose heart or become decieved by the lies of the devil. Jesus is returning and He might find the world in the same place He found it two thousand years ago; people chasing religious systems, but insteado syannagoges, there will be churches.

Remember to expect Christ's return. Saturate your soul in the Holy Scriptures and The Holy Spirit. The Lord will lead you, if you listen! Make Christ your rock and nothing will rattle you. Beware of religion and the trap of law. Follow Jesus and not the judgements of men. For the great religious leaders of Jesus' day were wrong and even crucified Him! Beware and as Jesus says, "to those who have ears to hear, listen!"