America is the New Rome (Sort Of)

This weekend one of my friends asked me “True of false? America is the new Rome.” I didn’t get a chance to fully answer his question, and he should really know better than to ask me questions like that, because it ends up in posts like this.

There are a couple of ways to answer this question, depending on what the original meaning was. I think there are two likely interpretations, which are not mutually exclusive, but which I’ll take one at a time.

1. America is the new Rome = The cultural context of 21st century America is similar to the cultural context of the 1st century Roman Empire.

The answer: “sort of.”

There are interesting similarities like:
- The Roman Empire had an extremely globalized culture (common language, moral values, forms of entertainment [all Greek – thanks Alexander the Great!]) with people from all walks of life open to a wide range of political, cultural, and especially religious ideas – that sounds like America
- The Roman Empire undoubtedly had the top-notch military in the world, and “peace and safety” was part of its mantra – it proclaimed itself the peacekeeper of the world – that sounds like America
- The Empire thrived or fell on economic trade and how well the money flowed – that sure sounds like America
- The run of the mill citizen cared a lot more about their own well-being and popular entertainment than any of pressing social or political issues of the day, summed up in the phrase “bread and circuses” – that sounds like – Whoa! Did you hear the stars of “Twilight” broke up? Will Angelina and Brad have more kids?

But there are important differences:
- The Roman Empire depended on slavery to function – although you could make a pretty good case that the third world workers who we depend on for our stuff aren’t in a much better situation
- We (usually) don’t worship our leaders, present or departed, like the Romans did Caesar, although a 1st century Roman citizen, seeing some of the fine products you can purchase which feature Presidents current, recent, and past, and things like this:

Might be forgiven for thinking that we do.
- We don’t watch people kill each other as form of entertainment – we have refined that into football, which most people recover from

The important thing about these similarities between current America and ancient Rome is that ancient Rome was the culture into which Christianity was born, and thrived, even when it was violently persecuted. It thrived by standing in opposition to the idolatrous gods and empty promises of the age – where Rome worshipped Caesar, money, power, meaningless entertainment, and the handy ability to kill anyone who stood in their way, Christians worshiped Jesus, shared with those in need, served the forgotten and downtrodden, made strangers into family, and proclaimed the power of the gospel of the resurrection from the dead. The modern church should take a lesson.

2. America is the new Rome = America can be substituted into the place of Rome in interpreting Biblical prophecy (especially Revelation).

The answer: a very, very carefully worded “sort of.”

Revelation is one of my favorite books of the Bible. You should ask me about it sometime when you’ve got an hour or so and a Bible handy. The reason it’s my favorite, though, is because of the very clear picture it paints of the sovereignty of Christ and the fulfillment of God’s purposes for the world through Him. But carrying Revelation over into the present day is risky business. I remembering clearly hearing that this guy was the Anti-Christ:

The mark of the beast, right there on his head!!!

I think we can now say with confidence that Gorbachev was not the prophesied Beast of Revelation (there’s no Anti-Christ in Revelation, by the way).

So equating America, or any other modern nation, concretely with Biblical prophecy is tricky. Let me see if I can illustrate. I read the other day a line in a book by a semi-famous conservative Christian author who writes a lot about prophecy. He said, “One of the most frustrating things for American students of prophecy is that there is no clear mention of the United States in prophecies of the end times.”

Yes, yes that is frustrating. You know what would have been more frustrating though? To be any of the people who read the Bible prior to 1776 and would have wondered, “Where the heck is America?”

Revelation is so powerful because it pulls double duty as 1) a word of prophecy and encouragement to the people who first read it in the 1st century, and 2) a word of prophecy and encouragement in the 21st century. It was also, lest we forget, a word of prophecy and encouragement to people in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc., centuries.

And the message throughout all the centuries, 1st to 21st, has been the same. The point of the book is in the title – the revelation is that no matter how much it looks like the forces of evil, and sin, and death are winning, God and His Son are ultimately in charge of history.

Interpreted this way, any believer who finds themselves surrounded by powers opposed to God can say that they are in Rome. American Christians, faced with the idolatry of money and power, can be in Rome. Chinese Christians, faced with persecution, arrest, and accused of being traitors, can be in Rome. Even Christians in Rome can be in Rome! Wherever the powers of this world are opposed to the power of the gospel, that’s Rome.

And Rome, by the way, wasn’t always Rome, so to speak. In Revelation, although it’s pretty clear they are talking about Rome, it’s referred to as Babylon! And when the Israelites were in exile in Babylon, the prophets referred to it as a new form of slavery and exodus from Egypt! The last pivotal time of persecution, exile, and oppression for God's people serves as a model for the current generation.

And the good news? "The gospel," if you will? In each case, God delivers.
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever.” – Revelation 11:15
“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” – Revelation 22:20

The Gospel According to Bill Maher

I saw this interview with Bill Maher this morning, and I have been thinking about it all day. It concerns his new movie “Religulous.” The title is a combination of the words “religion” and “ridiculous.” You can probably guess from there the content of the movie.

I like Bill Maher. I vehemently disagree with him, but I like his honestly irreverent approach to things that make him mad. And in this case the thing that makes him mad is faith.

During the course of the interview Maher compares the doctrine of the Trinity to the tenets of Scientology in basic ridiculousness, and raises issues like why God doesn’t just defeat the devil once and for all, and why God has to speak to prophets in the desert when it is convenient that no one else is around, instead of making His own announcements. He decries religious people who seem not to know much about religion – his example is that very few people could give him a straight answer about the relationship between the devil and the Antichrist.

And, because it’s Bill Maher, the discussion turns political, and he says a lot of things that may make you mad. Ultimately, this interview, and the message of the movie, seems to be a call for uncertainty. Maher contends that it is being absolutely sure of religion that causes all the problems inherent in religion. That it is the belief that one has all the answers which is – to use a phrase from a previous post - the root of all evil. This is the mantra of our times.

And then Maher said something that I have been thinking about all day – at about 2 minutes and 50 seconds into part 2 of the interview, he says (confesses?) “I understand that not having faith is a luxury of having a good life. If you’re in prison, and a guy says, ‘All I got in here is Jesus’ – I kinda get that.”

And this reminded me of something Someone Else once said:
“It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick…for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13) The Gospel is not the gospel until you are desperate for good news. It is the condemned, the guilty, the unclean, who can appreciate the grace of God and Jesus’ offer of a seat at the table.

And this is what blows my mind about Jesus. He’s already been there. Anger and frustration at people who used religion for political gain? Decrying those who were sure they had all the right answers about God? Jesus already went there. He Himself later became condemned, a prisoner, a death row inmate. He said “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Now, none of that necessarily answers Maher's questions. I think there are answers to those things, but I also think it isn't logical conundrums and existential questions that keep people from Christ. I think, ultimately, it comes down to whether you know that you need a Savior, and are asking the question, "How then can I be saved?" And that I think, is what the people of faith are to be about - to see that Jesus and the Gospel continues to go there. To the sick, the blind, the lame, the prisoner, the sinner – that He continues to be the light in every dark place.

Bible Verses That Freak Me Out #13 - The Antichrist(s) -

For the 13th edition of "Bible Verses that Freak Me Out", let's take a look at the Anti-Christ!

First, take a minute and think about all the things we've heard about the Anti-Christ. If the movies are to be believed, he's the son of the devil. He'll establish some sort of world government. He might be Jewish, or the Pope, or Oprah. Perhaps you have received an email claiming the book of Revelations describes a person like Barack Obama as the Anti-Christ (I have received such).

And here's the part that freaks me out. None of the above has anything to do with what the Bible says about the term "antichrist." The word "antichrist"doesn't even appear in Revelation, which, by the way, does not have an "s" on the end.

There are a total of 4 verses in the Bible which talk about "antichrist," and they are all in 1 and 2 John. Here they are:

"Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that this is the last hour." 1 John 2:18

"Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son." - 1 John 2:22

"Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that is coming, and now is already in the world." - 1 John 4:3

"For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist." - 2 John 7

In case you missed it, John describes plural antichrists as already present in the world in his day. He also helpfully defines the term - one who denies that Jesus is the Christ, and that Jesus has come in the flesh. And. That's. It.

So, now you can rest at ease. Neither Barack Obama, Oprah, or any of the Popes of the past two centuries claimed that Jesus was not the Christ, or that He did not come in the flesh. They all fail the Biblical definition of antichrist. There. Isn't that a relief?

All the other stuff generally associated with antichrist comes from mish-mashing together all the various apocalyptic material of the Bible, John Hagee or Jerry Falwell-style. It combines elements of the Beast from Revelation, the beast from Daniel, Paul's reference in 2 Thessalonians to a "man of lawlessness," and Jesus' warning in Matthew 24 that many would claim to be Christ (which literally happened both before Jesus' time and just after Him in ancient Israel). There's also a healthy dose of later tradition from folks like Hippolytus of Rome (A.D. 107-236), who said the Anti-Christ would be a Jew. Apparently he just made that up off the top of his head, which should serve as a warning for all of us who teach the Bible to at least have healthy skepticism for stuff we make up off the top of our heads.

Interestingly, several the earliest church fathers (except for Hippolytus) seemed to have a much better grasp of this whole concept. Polycarp (69-155 A.D.) said the term essentially meant anyone who deceives people about Jesus. John Chrysostum (347-407A.D.) said it wasn't something to worry about - that we should focus instead on doing what we know to do, and believing the truth.

And that's a theme that runs through the letters of John, the letters of Paul, the book of Revelation, and the gospels. Jesus Christ is the one who tells us the Truth, and to deceive about who He really is = anti-Christ.

So, since he brought the topic up, we'll let John have the last word:
"As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father." - 1 John 2:24