The United States of America in Bible Prophecy

Happy Fourth of July to everyone in America today!  We wish we were there to celebrate with you!  In the absence of fireworks here, Thomas has resorted to taping matches together, wrapping them in tin foil and trying to make his own firecrackers. Don’t worry– we’ve redirected his energies more constructively.

A couple days ago we taped a brief video greeting to show tomorrow morning at Church at the Gate to introduce the message that will be given there in my absence. 

Not finding a nice red/white/blue backdrop anywhere here for the video, I decided to hike up to one of the old seats of power that are in ruins today – these old fortresses and castles that dot the landscape here in Europe. Many are in ruins with only scattered foundation stones remaining. 

I thought this a parabolic setting to illustrate how America is shifting off of, indeed abandoning, her historically righteous/Judeo-Christian foundations. Psalm 11:3 says “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” The Bible answers that question… the righteous are to call a Joel 2 sacred assembly and fast and pray.  So that’s we are doing — Church at the Gate is joining over 28,000 churches tomorrow in setting aside time during the worship service to pray for America. 

Most people look at the end-time prophecies in the Bible and, not seeing the word “America” erroneously conclude that since the word “America” is not mentioned in Bible prophecy, it must not be in existence at that point in history.  Even many of my colleagues in the prayer movement (all of whom are, correctly, very much dialed in on us now living in the generation of the return of the Lord), since they aren’t seeing it mentioned in Scripture, they are concluding America in the last days must be nothing more than scattered foundation stones in the pile of extinct empires.

I couldn’t disagree more.  And so, tomorrow morning at CATG, in my absence, I’ve asked our very own teacher and scholar Steven M. Collins to speak on the topic: The United States of America in Bible Prophecy. Those unable to attend can read a lengthy article by him on this topic. Steve has written five full lengths books on the topic of ancient and present day Israel and the migrations of God’s people throughout history into the present age. His conclusions lay the testimony of Scripture alongside the secular historical record, including a geo-political saga spanning four millenia on every inhabitable continent and archaeological evidences. He is an expert on the subject of the so-called Lost Ten Tribes and a frequent guest on Israeli National Radio on this topic. His exposition of Genesis 49, identifying present day nations and people groups according to the prophetic identifications about what will become of each of the sons of Jacob, is riveting.

America is absolutely identifiable and recognizable in Bible Prophecy. I have coined a new term dubbing this topic: ”Recognition Theology.”  To clarify, he and I both vigorously reject “replacement theology” but I use the word “recognition” because, to date, billions of blood descendants of Abraham don’t recognize that is who they are.  (Though scientific haplotype studies, archeology, genographic migration studies, etc. etc. are now confirming this reality.) Another reason I call this “recognition theology” is because, in the Providence of God, he has kept this veiled until it’s forecast recognition at the end of the age.

But it’s been there all along. Really, we all need to read our Bible’s more carefully. Consider these points…

• God promised he’d make Abraham into a nation and a company of nations. There are over 100 Judeo-Christian nations today. The covenant promises to Abraham weren’t just to the tribe of Judah (Jews and the nation Israel as we know them today)
• Abraham’s descendants would be as vast numerically as the sand on the seashore. The “tribe of Judah” (Jews) today is somewhere between 12-14 million (only .002% of the present population of the world).  Considering a world population now exceeding six billion people, either we are still a millennium or more away from the end of the age or, God’s covenant promise didn’t come true, or most likely… God considers “Israelites” to be a far broader group than merely the tribe of Judah.
• During the reigns of Jeroboam/Rehoboam, the twelve tribes (thirteen counting Joseph as Ephraim and Manasseh) divided into two kingdoms; two/three tribes made up the southern kingdom of Judah, ten tribes made up the northern kingdom of Israel. We soon start reading passages that speak of the “Jews” going to war against “Israel.” These were separate peoples from this point forward and this is a critical point in correctly understanding Bible prophecy.
• Millions of Israelites migrated/fled out of the Promised Land in the 8th century BC and the people of Judah all were exiled by the 6th century BC. This constitutes a defection which some estimate exceeds ten million people. And only a remnant of Judah returned during the days of Ezra and Nehemiah (43,000 families may number approx. 250,000). That means millions of the blood descendants of Abraham, those we now consider the “lost ten tribes” assimilated into pagan nations and migrated far from “home.”  They didn’t vanish or disappear from the face of the earth; nor did the unconditional and irrevocable (Abrahamic Covenant) promises of God for their future get forfeited or canceled. God knows their identity in Him even though they have no recognition of it. These tribes/people groups have since increased into many large nations, innumerable- exactly as prophesied  – increasing even more by adopting many “foreigners” into their national (covenant) family –  and descendants of David – as the Bible predicts – still sit on the thrones of nations.
• Jesus spoke of the lost sheep of Israel and sent his disciples to them (Matthew 10:6). At that time it was known where they were located, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to go to them. At that time they were only “lost” in the sense that they were spiritually lost.
• The Bible forecasts at the end of the age that “the people of Judah and the people of Israel will be reunited…”  (Hosea 1:11).  Ezekiel spoke of these two “sticks” being joined as one at the end of the age. (Ezekiel 37:19-23… read it).

Prophecies central to the end times directly deal with Israelite nations today, not just Judahites.  The Bible comes alive when we recognize the role the United States of America and other major nations today play in Bible prophecy.

Only a fraction of what can be said about America in Bible Prophecy has been alluded to here in this introductory post to the topic. I highly recommend you read Steve Collins books – you can order them from him on his website or you can do so on-line at his publisher’s website. Your comments are welcome here and I have asked Steve Collins to monitor the comment string here and help me respond personally to them as he is able. We do plan to produce both a CD and a DVD of his message tomorrow at CATG and share these through his website and on youtube. I’ll post updates on those links soon.

Happy 4th America!  May you fulfil your destiny in God.

World’s Largest Rolling Ball Clock

Felt like we had a video production company here this morning. Had to prepare another short video of me greeting the folks back home at CATG for this Fourth of July weekend. And, Thomas has some great video stuff on his blog from yesterday. Here is his toboggan video. And he has new video installment for his blog series – What Should We Get Pastor Dennis? We frequently find stuff that makes us think of Pastor Dennis when we are in gift shops.  Also, Thomas is now offering vitally important Tourism Do’s and Don’ts tips on his blog. 

Kaitlyn has some great pics on her latest post, especially the last pic of the Swiss flag outlining the mountain. I think it’s a great shot and we, being puzzle people, just may turn that one into a puzzle. Kristen hit a home run on a meal the other night and has a post about this delicious German meatball thing she whipped up.

Thanks to Caleb for putting together the following video clip from our visit yesterday to the Guinness Book of World Records Largest Rolling Ball Clock.

This clock is found in the Bucherer Store in Lucerne, Switzerland. The clock is four stories high. It runs on rolling glass marbles and kinetic energy. It took twelve people an entire year to make it. Here are some more details:

One marble ends up in the ring every minute, until 60 of them finally make up an hour. A polar opposite to this ongoing motion is provided by a giant crystal ball on the ground floor, which oscillates once every quarter of an hour. The mechanical components, all perfectly geared to one another, are fascinatingly combined to create a clock system that is precise, completely self-contained and infinite. The installation extends to all four floors in the Bucherer store, is 11.6 m (38 ft) high and 6 m (almost 20 ft) wide. In the entire system, 150 crystal balls measuring 30, 40 and 150 mm (1.2, 1.6 and 5.9 in) run along 297.8 m (977 ft) of track.

More pictures can be found here. Check them out as they have pictures of how all the parts are handmade.

Those following the blog know I’ve posted a few times so far on Swiss watches and clocks – banks, army knives and watches are huge things here. I’ve learned these are “time measurement systems.” I’ll get right to the point… as big and mind boggling as this huge clock is, it only measures God’s time. Try to wrap your mind around the Providence of God and you’ll truly be blown away. But even in the natural order, every time measurement system invented is a mere human attempt to capture what no amount of random unguided chance could have possibly arranged and set in such complex yet precise and perpetual motion. Jeremiah 31:35 tells us that it is God above who “appointed the sun, who decrees the moon and stars to shine at night, who stirs the seas so that its waves roar.” Job 37:12 tells us how God is the One who set the elements of the earth in motion and they do “whatever he commands.” The planets, the seasons, the tides of the seas – he’s behind it.

Let this thought speak to you… he’s never late. But, it is possible to not “keep in step” with Him. Make sure you do. Synchronize your life in Him. Seek to know and discern his shifts in times and seasons. Check out pages 86-90 in my Momentum book for how to discern the sacred rhythms and pace of the Spirit. You’ll find what is written there no where else – I’ve looked – and, not finding anything, I decided to write this critical stuff down myself. You’re welcome.  There is a “moment” in momentum’s development that we must discern. Many are at a spiritual standstill today because they are oblivious to discerning these key moments. 

I think I’m going to preach on this topic this weekend.  Read this. And, then read how the adversary tries to change God’s times and seasons (or at least get us out of sych with them).  Here’s a great clip for those of you who want to reflect on this more.

A pastor on a prophetic prayer journey put Mt. Pilatus at peace

Today we got up early and drove an hour to the city of Luzerne, Switzerland – beautiful times three here - water, Swiss Alps, old town! It’s been a really full day 1) walking, in a 2) car, in a 3) gondola, on an 4) alpine toboggan, down a 5) cogwheel train, on a 6) boat, and a 7) bus back to the car.

And it’s been a record breaking day times three… we first saw 1) the Guinness Book of World Record’s largest rolling ball clock in the world (that’ll be featured in the next post). We had a blast flying down the beautifully flowered mountainside of the Alps on 2) the longest summer toboggan run. And, we rode back down on 3) the world steepest cogwheel railway – 48% gradient!! I know Kaitlyn will be putting pictures up soon and Thomas has some video. It was a great day. I had a few God-moments in the toboggan.

Now on to the point of this post. All this transpired at Mt. Pilatus. This mountain is named for Pontius Pilate, you know, the one who gave the green light to crucify Jesus, the one who tried unsuccessfully to wash his hands of the shedding of innocent blood. Here’s a pic…

Most people know what happened to Jesus but few know what happened to Pilate. According to the ancient historian Philo, Pilate was “inflexible, he was stubborn, of cruel disposition. He executed troublemakers without a trial.”  Philo refers to Pilate’s “venality, his violence, thefts, assaults, abusive behavior, endless executions, endless savage ferocity.” Three years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, Pontius Pilate was exiled from his post as the Governor of Judea for cruelty to the Jews. The second century historian Eusebius tells us he was exiled to Gaul and eventually committed suicide in Vienne.

Here’s where it gets interesting.  His body was thrown first into the Tiber, but the waters were so “disturbed by evil spirits” that the body was taken to Vienne and sunk in the Rhône. Apparently he kept washing up ashore. The Rhône also rejected his corpse and it was then taken and sunk in the lake at Lucerne on, what we call today, Mt. Pilatus (its ancient name is fractus mons or “broken mountain.”).  This is my new favorite example of the reality of all creations allegiance to our Lord, the ground kept spitting this guy out, the earth would receive him or give him rest.

For centuries Mt. Pilatus was haunted, feared and reputable people gave numerous detailed and collaborating eyewitness account of seeing dragons on Mt. Pilatus. In 1387, six clergymen were arrested for planning a journey to the lake and an ascent to the peak. Fierce thunderstorms and heavy flooding were common and confirmations that spiritual darkness loomed there. The government of Lucerne forbid locals and visitors to climb the mountain. Here’s a bit from my guide book;

Even shepherds were placed under oath to not approach the dark waters of the lake, where it was believed that the Roman governor Pontius Pilate had been laid to rest. Banished to this desolate wilderness, the man’s tormented spirit was said to surface every year on Good Friday, in a vain attempt to wash his bloodied hands.

Fireballs and flame-throwing dragons were frequently observed and described in minute detail by Europe’s most celebrated physicians and scientists. One such account is as follows: “While observing the night sky, I suddenly saw a fiery dragon emerging from a cave in a massive crag on Pilatus. It flew with rapid wing-beats to another cave called “Flue” on the opposite lake shore. It had a gigantic statue, with a long tail, a great neck, and a head with jagged, snake-like jaws. In flight, it threw off showers of sparks, not unlike a blacksmith’s hammer striking white-hot iron on an anvil. I first believed the phenomenon to be a meteor but, observing it’s limbs and bodily motion in detail, I could only conclude that it was a dragon.”

I have a little booklet with a dozen more of these wild stories and the spiritual mapper and prophetic prayer warrior in me about fell out of the gondola chair on the way up reading about the brave 16th century pastor who led a prayer mission to break the power of this demonic stronghold in the region. Note the prophetic acts!

In 1585, a parish priest of Lucerne led a courageous band of his church members on an exorcism mission.  They prayerfully ascended Pilatus to challenge any spirits lurking there. They threw boulders into the lake, churned it’s surface, waded through the shallows. A supernatural counter-offensive failed to materialize and the spell was broken. To still the spirit’s thunderous habits for good, a sluice was dug in 1594 to drain the lake. Four centuries were to pass before the watercourse was dammed in 1980 and placid waters once more filled the lake bed. The spirits of Pilatus are at peace.

Here are a couple more pics – we have many others with more blue sky on Kaitlyn’s facebook, but I picked a couple here that better illustrated this foreboding, jagged-edged mountain with it’s bleak crevaces.

What did you say about my mama?

A few of you may be following the dialog that has been on going at one of my recent posts here.  I’ve said some things that have evoked a notable Catholic response. Oops, not my intention, but hey. If you need to get up to speed go here.  

Kristen has followed our discussion about idols in the church and Mary worship and shakes her head at my ability to come here and in a matter of days re-ignite and get myself in the middle of a centuries old Reformation controvery with Catholics. Saying things that bother people is a spiritual gift I seem to have.

This morning, “coincidentally” I’m sure, Kristen was working through Allen Hood’s Excellencies of Christ CD’s/workbook and she came across something that brought me to some level of conviction with regard to Protestant smack talk about Mary. Hopefully I’ve honored Mary in what I’ve written even while seeking to keep our worship solely on her Son.

Allen is Caleb’s favorite prof down at IHOP in Kansas City. I love it that Caleb is there drinking up every drop of what Allen Hood is teaching. What an apostolic anointing to sit under!

Here’s a download link to the 2min 30sec sound bite that Kristen shared with me this morning about Mary.

Jesus’ Humanity_Mary   Allen is talking about the humanity of Christ.

Stories with Intent – A Comprehensive Commentary on the Parables of Jesus

847 pages of commentary on the parables of Jesus. I encourage every teacher and preacher to get a copy before they preach again from the parables. You can buy it here. Here you can read a brief interview with author/scholar Dr. Klyne Snodgrass about his parables book.

This post has been sitting in my “drafts” folder for a nearly a year here on the blog. I thought I posted it way back when but apparently I wanted to add more and so I just saved it as a draft and got sidetracked. I’ve been in conversation this week with Klyne and thought afterwards to do a search of my blog here to see what I wrote about his parables book. Nothing came up which I thought odd and after searching I found just this simple post announcing it’s publication saved as a draft.

Dr. Klyne Snodgrass is one of the world’s leading New Testament scholars whom I had the privilege of studying under in seminary. I took his course on the parables in 1992 and at that time this book had already been in the works for years. This is really a life work and will be THE standard in parable studies for the next generation. I told him this week that his parables book is one of my most cherished books on the shelf and that it is an enormous and lasting gift to the Body of Christ! I love to preach from the parables and his imprint is evident each time.

You can read a short bio on him here.  Or, check out his blog – a good place to start is here with this stir-the-pot post titled Asking Jesus Into Your Heart.  He has written many things but his commentary on Ephesians is another book that ought to be on every pastors shelf.  His book Between Two Truths: Living with Biblical Tensions is his easiest read and is perfect for small group use. If Klyne writes it, I read it and I’m better for it.

The reason I refer to him as Klyne instead of Dr. Snodgrass as the rest of the world does is because he encouraged the first name basis thing with his students. Kristen worked with his wife Phyllis during our time there and time in their home is as memorable to me as time in his classroom – they were an important model of humility and transparency for us – real people, genuine followers of Christ. In the classroom, Klyne was the toughest prof in the seminary and those who wanted the easy road didn’t take his electives. Their loss. When he’d preach in chapel he read straight out of his worn out Greek New Testament like it was his first language. If anyone is wondering, there are still some guys like him out there in academia keeping seminaries from becoming cemetaries.

Why can’t you just enjoy the movie?

Thomas and Caleb have enough movies on their laptops and ipods such that we could probably watch two a day. And, there is an extensive movie collection here at the house we are staying in. So far we’ve watched Luther, the Longest Yard, the Sound of Music, Transformers I and Transformers II (in a theatre), Santa Claus I w/Tim the toolman Taylor (Thomas does Christmas and Christmas Music ALL YEAR long) and Shindler’s List last night.

A few interesting things about seeing Transformers II in a theatre here – 1) your seat in the theatre is specific to the ticket you buy 2) the subtitles were in German and French and 3) halfway through the movie the lights come on and everyone gets up to go to the bathroom and get another bottle of beer.

The Transformers movies provided me an opportunity to explain and illustrate to Thomas and Kaitlyn the Catholic Doctrine of Transubstantiation which the Reformers combated here in the 16th century. Surely they would have fallen asleep during that ad hoc teaching moment had I not been able to relate the bread/wine physically transforming into the literal body/blood of Jesus to be kind of like the regular old Camero in the movie transformed into an alien. Thomas thinks that since arriving here I’VE transformed into an alien from the planet Zwingli. Kristen gives me the look that says – why can’t you just enjoy the movie?

Last night Shindler’s List was our choice. If you can believe it, I hadn’t seen it yet. Didn’t expect all the naked prisoner scenes during which all our kids are trained to look at the ceiling. It’s actually kind of funny when a nude scene appears on the screen to see three heads instantly pop up to look at the ceiling. Our job is to tell them when it’s over.

On a more serious note, the total disregard for human life here during the holocaust IS truly hard to watch, let alone comprehend. It’s so beautiful here its hard to imagine spiritual darkness so thick gripping entire nations. The movie is helpful to put faces and families where we have tended to only see large numbers and piles of nameless bodies.

I think we all need a list of those we are willing to give all we have/are to reach. I think Schindler saved something like 1100 Jews, many are no longer alive today but 6000 descendants of Schindler Jews are alive today.  I know that there are childen alive today because of my labors contending on behalf of the unborn warring against ideologies that deny them humanity. They have names and I’ve held some of them. I know teenagers who didn’t commit suicide and now have families of their own because I got involved in their life and combatted the spirit of death seeking to destroy them. Who knows if one day there will be 6000 descendants of those who are alive because of me, but it’s a work I’m honored to spend myself on behalf of.

Couldn’t help but notice – NEW BLOG

I remember well the first time I preached aware that a homiletics professor was sitting in the church that weekend. And with as much as I write those feelings surface at times knowing editors (with red pen in hand) are out there reading what I write! And so it’s a huge blessing to have around me a few folks who happily proofread my stuff. (Is proof read one or two words?) (My Creation House editors told me I can’t use the word “stuff” and if I do they won’t print it. Sad, because I love the word stuff, it’s so all inclusive.)

Actually, much that I write gets by unedited. Every week now for years my good friend Carter Nesbitt has aided me in communicating (and developing our websites).  Most of the time he’s cleaning up and preparing the notes we put up during my teaching each weekend. However, he’s edited the early drafts of my 350-page-maybe-some-day-it’ll-get-published Sermon on the Mount book and every draft of the Momentum book and many other things.

Just moments ago he notified me of his new blog called… Couldn’t help but notice. Ha – the title is perfect for his gracious-style of perfectionism. The subtitle – typos, grammar errors and incorrect word usages – conjures up occasion after occasion where he’s pointed out how I’m in violation of the rules. (Really I make up my own rules and even make up my own words.) I’m totally apostrophe-challenged and want to state here that am happy to provide Carter with unending bloggable material. It took him seven years to get me to not type two spaces in between each sentence and I’m still not consistent there.

Check out his new blog – I’m adding it to my links.

Two notches down, one to go

Earlier I reported on the physical fitness component I’m working into this sabbatical. We are walking our shoes off and many pounds as well. Thomas reports being down 13 pounds. Caleb isn’t reporting but he’s dropping some pounds for sure. I better not blog much here on Kristen’s weight for reasons you all surely understand. As for me, it’s enough that I’m eating better and exercising but I refuse to do math every morning too (converting kilograms to pounds).  So, Thomas and I figured a picture would convey my progress just as well.

 

Two notches down, one to go.  Then I guess I’ll need a new belt. But those of you who know me know that more likely I’ll take one of these dandy Swiss Army knives over here and simply make a couple new holes in this fine old belt!

Reformation history is important because…

This week we have intentionally crafted to be a slow week – we’ll see how I do with that – I like to be busy. Sunday I preached in Zurich and others can be the judge of how that went but I felt good about it. My topic was spiritual growth. And, surprise, surprise – Momentum came up.

A few years ago in Ghana I learned the hard way, in the middle of the message, that the word “momentum” is hard to translate. There aren’t many good one word synonyms, if any. My Momentum book is currently being translated into Russian, in fact the translating work is probably done by now, and I’m told the book will be retitled because there is no Russian word for momentum. I think they are using a word close to our word “impulse.”

SO, back to yesterday, in my message I was talking about the concept of spiritual growth and momemtum and my translator just used the word momentum. She later told me the German word for momentum is momentum.

Kristen hates it when I read out loud to her so I’m not sure you will be all that interested to read what I’m reading either. But, for those interested, at a pace of about 100 pages a day I’m plowing through my reading list. I’m nearing the end of my second Zwingli book and will sneak in the first NT Wright book, this one on Rethinking Heaven, before a short read on Calvin (prior to our time in Geneva). But I just ordered a weighty volume on Reformation History and inserted that into my reading plan and here’s my justification…

I believe God spoke a true word to Mike Bickle that… “I [God] will change the understanding and expression of Christianity in one generation.” And so, if that is about to transpire, I’d think it good that we have a pretty good grasp on how God did that the last time. Make sense?

Surely what’s coming will be a NEW thing, but alongside the blood of Jesus, these reformation leaders are part of the grand testimony by which we will overcome. (Rev. 12:11) And, in my beloved Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said “in the same way” they persecuted the prophets before you. That tells me some of all this is repeatable and will be repeated in the days ahead on a HNL (whole nuther level). And this morning I’m struck by how difficult and controversial, and lonely it is to go a new way with God. What I’m reading makes a few of the things I’ve gone through (for example, apostle-gate) seem like small potatoes.

Silent Night, Sound of Music, Mozart and Salt mines

The town of Salzburg is, according to some tourism stuff we have here, the third most beautiful place in the world. It probably is, our two days there were rain days so we figure the beauty was diminished by fifty percent. Today the rain is gone and this is the view I have right now here in Innsbruck Austria while sitting on the third floor patio in our hotel room.

Our week of tourism is nearing it’s end and I’m starting to gear up to preach this weekend back in Zurich. We have loved Salzburg. We toured the salt mines here and that was a blast wearing white suits – wait for the pics on the kids blogs coming soon. We did the Sound of Music tour and saw all the places the movie was filmed.

Salzburg is also Mozart’s hometown and all his music was composed here. Also, Silent Night was written and played for the first time in a little church (no longer there) just outside of town. Tom has a picture of himself on his blog next to the guitar that Franz Gruber and Joseph Mohr used to play the song the first time. Here’s a little pic of the first measure of the original handwritten autograph of Gruber and Mohr’s famous Christmas carol. The story of how it has spread world wide into over 300 languages, has been song by both sides in the trenches on the front lines of world wars on Christmas Eve, etc – amazing.

In terms of cities possessing “redemptive gifts” – music must be Salzburg’s redemptive gift, Mozart, Silent Night, Sound of Music… the hills are alive with the sound of music. (This was an easy city to find a gift for Kathy (CATG worship leader)). Even the beauty here seems like creation’s song of praise. I spent some time reflecting on sound in the created order and the glory of the Lord – longing for ears to hear and eyes to see what is really there in terms of visible sound waves emitting from this place. Some of you know what I’m talking about. The whole earth is filled with his glory – his glory (if we had eyes to see it) is visible and its audible (if we had ears to hear it).

Old churches everywhere, yet no signs of life

Those who have been to Europe know there isn’t a village, town or city that isn’t visible from a distance because of the spire ascending from the glorious cathedrals in the center of town. Majestic churches mark the landscape of Europe. My kids are wearying of waltzing through yet another old church. I’ve done my best to recall for them stuff I learned years ago in courses on the history of Christian architecture and symbolism. Many of the old churches have laser-sensored security alarms in front of paintings and relics because many of these things are made of gold and probably worth bookoo bucks as antique works of art. Each one is a museum to the past. With the exception of an advertisement to attend the Alpha Course in one church, I’ve yet to find much life.

Years ago a pastor colleague and I went to some meetings in downtown Cincinnati and, just because, we went to a Mass at the downtown Cathedral there. Speaking honestly I’ll confess service drained the life right out of me. However I looked over at him and he remarked… “this stuff is jazzes me all over, all your “God-is-my-buddy” songs on the guitar, you can have them… THIS is about the transcendence of God. O the awe of it.” Obviously there are some people hard-wired to find God in the high church setting just as there are others who better connect with him outdoors in the beauty of his creation. I took the rebuke to heart; back then we did lack a proper sense of the fear of the Lord. Interest side note though… a dozen years later, I’m still in ministry, my friend sells medical equipment. I have found Jesus to be a deep well and tradition to be more like a canteen that doesn’t take us very far.

This amazing altar décor is from the St. Michael’s Cathedral outside Salzburg Austria. You’ll need to look close at this picture to see where the subsequent blow up images in this post are taken from.

Those of you who’ve seen the Sound of Music may recognize that, in the movie, Maria married Georg von Trapp right here in this church. Everything in this picture is clearly visible in the movie. Every nook of this sanctuary is covered with brilliant gold and oil painted depictions of the saints, Mary and Jesus. There is a side chapel to worship Mary next to the altar, no Jesus in that room at all. Only intercessory candles to light before a 15 foot high blessed Virgin Mary. No place to sit either, only a kneeling altar before her.

The Reformation Churches here don’t get the visitor flow the Catholic churches do – probably because they are plain inside. Here’s a few reason why as spelled out in this second Zwingli book I’m trying to wade through (it’s a really tough read and I’m only halfway through.)

The “images” were said to be the Bible of the poor” encouraging devotion and instruction of the ignorant, but what these ignorant illiterate people made of them we cannot know… There was indeed a general conviction that the whole great company of the saints, depicted so strikingly as individuals, could, and did, plead before the Almighty on behalf of those on earth. In the hour of danger or anxiety, to call upon a saint might be to secure instant help or relief. A man looking into his church, as he ought to do, on his way to work in the fields, would probably gave upon a picture of a great giant St. Christopher staggering under the weight of the little Christ whole he carried over the river. This was thought to act as a kind of insurance ticket, and for that day the man was safe from harm or accident. Popular thought was permeated with expectation of the direct intervention in human affairs of the saints of heaven. To pray to the saint, in some sense to worship the saint, and so likewise his or her image, was an easy and natural transition. (pg. 92, Zwingli, G.R. Potter)

Zwingli preached there was only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. It would be wrong to call this teaching Zwinglian. He was just repeating what it says in the Bible. He preached that bowing before and praying to the saints was idolatrous. He preached Exodus 20:3-4, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth below or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God am a jealous God…”

I will share a few pictures here that I find a major distraction (at best) and defilement (at worst.)

Note the skulls and the dead “souls” trapped in purgatory with Mary presiding just above. I’ve spent a good deal of time in the past couple days reflecting on things like the common practice of burying the bishop inside the church. My kids really got weirded out when I suggested maybe we should bury me someday in what is today the Church at the Gate baptistry. God had rules about keeping a distance from the defilement of dead bodies. Much to think about with regard to all this and those of you who are taking the time to read this I welcome to chime in with your thoughts.

Here’s what my Zwingli book has to say about purgatory:

The Christian revelation was simple: there was heaven and hell, nothing more. For an intermediate state there was neither evidence nor need; salvation through Christ was by God’s grace and mercy; could man come to God through purgatory there was no need for the life and death of Jesus. (p. 123, Zwingli, G.R. Potter)

Zwingli’s more zealous followers, not him personally (he did things orderly), had the churches “cleansed” of the idolatry. The outcome of this cleansing was the elimination of altars – in many places pictures and statues were spontaneously removed by “zealous individuals” – glass windows broken, superstitious objects burnt. (Zwingli himself tried to prevent the destruction of stained glass windows. I was glad to read this as I’m a big fan of stained glass – and can’t wait til we get the stained glass window in the CATG prayer room. Funny memory… we went to a church service once when Kaitlyn was about five, she stood speechless before the stained glass windows. We realized that though she’d never missed a Sunday in church, she’d only been in new churches that meet in high school gyms.) And, so, even though he didn’t tolerate the vandalism, Zwingli’s teaching was clear… the images hindered the direct access of the individual soul to God; they were at best vain distractions, at worst they encouraged idolatry. Money offered to the image of a shrine would be much better given to the poor.

Zwingli’s teaching had far reaching implications – “no purgatory, no indulgences. Masses offered, even prayers said, for the souls of the departed, paid for by relatives and others, were worthless, and the money could be put to better use.”

Instead of standing in judgment over these striking Cathedrals, I have tried to just stay focused on the theme of idolatry and examine my own heart to see where it was present. I’m thankful we can go directly to Jesus.

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God… let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14, 16

Hitler’s Birthday Present

Not sure what we were thinking in going directly from the Dachau Concentration Camp up to Berchtesgaden, Austria, the location of Hitler’s vacation home (Berghof) high up in the Austrian Alps. For Hitler’s 50th birthday this mountain top getaway was presented to him. We went up a tunnel the last 150 feet riding in his brass-mirror lined elevator. Thomas needed to leave a gift in Hitler’s toilet so we waited for him. We had lemonade at a table near the fireplace where Hitler dined with Mussolini in 1942. My tour book here says “it is here that decisions were made that sealed the fate of millions of human beings and that still carry their repercussions throughout the world.”

Remember, we just came from Dachau. Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister, said of Hitler’s Berghof… “here one doesn’t notice the war very much.” How nice that Hitler was able to get away from it all. My favorite part of the tour was to hear again how the 101st Airborne ascended this peak. It’s really something seeing pictures of Eisenhower standing in the stand rooms we visited.

From the gas chamber to Eagle’s Nest in less than three hours. Really, the gas chamber to the beast’s den. The reason the Bible calls the anti-Christ the Beast isn’t because he looks like an animal it’s because of his absolutely inhumane and cruel nature – beast-like and beyond reason.

Atop this high place I thought of when the Devil took Jesus to a high place and offered him all the kingdoms of the world if he’d bow to him. Jesus said no. No stretch of the imagination needed to think of the Devil having that same conversation with Hitler in that high place. The Devil is not privy to God’s timetable and so he grooms an anti-Christ in each generation and Hitler was willing to sell his soul for the promise of earthly domination.

One thousand years of German Empire History were eternally tarnished by Hitler’s twelve years of Nazi Dictatorship – 50 million war death, 6 million victims in concentration camps, 18 million homeless, 3 million murdered, starved or frozen while trying to escape.

I’ll have to link you here to stock photo as this whole mountain today was fully encased in a cloud. I think Kaitlyn will have the photos she took up on Facebook soon. We’ve had trouble getting internet so we are a bit behind in reporting. Caleb did a video documentary of Dachau that’s 5 minutes long but we can’t get it uploaded from these internet cafes. Thomas has some interesting stuff now up his blog. Particularly interesting is his first submission in what will likely be a series called “What Should We Get Pastor Dennis?” In each gift shop we find stuff that makes us think of him. Tonight we are in Salzburg, Austria and as soon as I’m done here we are going to put the Sound of Music in the DVD player. The Sound of Music was filmed here and we are signed up for the Sound of Music tour tomorrow.

Oh, the other interesting timing thing today was to get a call from a journalist named Pekka Mykkanen who wanted to interview me about the South Dakota abortion battle (he is the US correspondent of the largest newspaper in Finland, the Helsingin Sanomat.) I felt good about the interview – about 30 minutes. I don’t think he expected me to draw parallels between Dachau and abortion but it was fresh in my head… how it’s wrong to take a human like at any point and in any place, whether it’s in a concentration camp, in a church (Tiller), in a mother’s arms or in her womb. Location/environment has no bearing on personhood; neither does level of development, size or degree of dependency. This story will be published in the newspaper next week and I’ll upload an english version of it when it gets sent to me.