The Pivot

The world’s a mess isn’t it? Catastrophes seem to be happening everywhere. We’ve got landslides and floods due to heavy rain, fires due to lack of rain, earthquakes due to shifts in the earth’s crust. There’s warfare on a variety of scales along with disputes and contentions that range from civil disobedience to sabotage. And, of course, there are always ongoing arguments about whom or what is right. It’s a mess! Kind of reminds me of something I read recently:

See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. (Matthew 24:4-8)

No one can deny that the world is experiencing a tremendous amount of adversity in recent years. The natural disasters are usually attributed to global warming, and warfare due to contentions regarding political views or a failure to share in common the assets that a given region possesses. Whatever the cause, it can’t be denied that the present condition of the world at large is being challenged. And being the “good Christian” that I am I can’t help but recognize a correlation between the facts concerning current events and our Messiah’s warning regarding the end of days. The validity of that assessment is an open question. But it’s not necessary to argue for that correlation. Both elements: natural disasters and cultural contentions are true if we believe the news being reported. And the claims that Jesus made are verified if we recognize the Bible to be the Word of God. How these two categories of knowledge correlate isn’t clear, but what I want to offer here is a suggestion for evaluating the world’s current condition while being informed by what the Bible tells us.

The first thing to point out is that our Messiah really is the “pivot” around which all of human existence has revolved since Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden. I’m not going to try and verify that notion as it pertains to human history prior to our modern era. That would take a lot of time and effort to do real justice to it. But if we’re willing to affirm that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event pertaining to modern human existence, then the idea that everything pivots around that reality is reasonable. Along with the Lord there are, in fact, many other messiahs being offered that promise a version of salvation: Mohammad, Marx, Buddha and the Dalai Lama, and any number of individuals who’ve purported to know “the way” to go. Add to this the pervasive aura of human endeavor and its ever present mantra: “We’ll figure it out!” Whether we’re talking about politics, adverse weather, civil war, or finding enough to eat, the thought is: “We’ll figure it out!” However, the real thing to focus on is the true “pivot” of human affairs: Jesus Himself. Why? because Jesus rose from the dead! Nobody else has done that…not really. Some may have affirmed other events of this nature, but no other resurrection has ever been documented and acknowledged to the extent of our Savior’s. He was taken up into heaven from Jerusalem and many who witnessed it chose to go to their death affirming that event. And many others who were not eyewitnesses were so convinced that they chose to be executed rather than deny that truth. If, in fact, the Resurrection actually occurred, then I would argue that it constitutes the center of human existence today, both geographically, and ideologically. If we’re willing to accept that then what is taking place in Israel today makes better sense. Whether people know it or not, whether they’re willing to believe it or not, their existence is tethered to the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. He died for everyone, and the benefits to be had from His Resurrection are available to everyone—whether they know it or not. They’re available to the Jews, to the Muslims on the Gaza strip, to all who reside in the surrounding territory of Israel, to the Islamic countries of Lebanon, Damascus, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Arabia. They’re available to everyone who resides in the countries of Africa, India, China, and South America. All the peoples of South East Asia are included along with Korea—North and South. No one is excluded; even a belligerent Russia can benefit from the gift of life provided by our Savior. It doesn’t matter who they are or what they believe now, all have the opportunity to embrace the TRUTH of Jesus of Nazareth!

However, I’m not going to focus here on the efforts of missionaries and Bible translators who labor to present this ultimate truth to people around the world. My effort here is an attempt to make sense of all the contentions of life that are being exhibited throughout the world today! I’m suggesting that they all have something in common, and that something is the one great truth that pertains to human existence: Jesus Christ and Him crucified, risen from the dead! I think most people have heard of the Savior, even if they haven’t been able to read about Him in their own language. It’s an amazing story that’s hard to believe, and yet most people have heard of it in some form.  Many believe that Jesus was a real person but they deny the Christian stories associated with Him. Muslims believe that He was a significant figure of the Ancient Near East but they deny His divinity. Communist regimes such as China affirm a materialist and political ideology, but tolerate Christian faith somewhat, with the government monitoring and regulating its practice. The majority of people in India embrace Hinduism, along with Islam; but there is also a small minority who practice Christianity. Southeast Asia is influenced by the “religions” of Buddhism, Islam, as well as Christianity. And much of South America has been influenced by versions of Christianity along with other indigenous religions. What I think can be said of this diverse religious influence is that all regions of the earth have been impacted to some degree by the person of Jesus Christ. It’s also evident that all regions of the world are being affected by various types of turmoil. There have been and continue to be “wars and rumors of wars” along with “famines and earthquakes” that resonate with the proclamations found in the Bible. There are continuous altercations between the peoples of Africa, and the same can be said of those in South America. The Koreas, North and South, regularly rattle their “sabers” at each other; only the sabers they possess can be equipped with nuclear tips. Then there are the big dog countries like India, China, Russia, and, of course, our United States.  Every one of these big countries engage in actions that attempt to gain greater “elbow room” on the world stage.  They focus on the development of better technologies—including weaponry, greater access to natural resources like oil or “rare earth” elements, etc., or they are engaged in efforts to extend the influence of their version of government. Along with all this political turmoil, there are the pervasive references being made to “global warming” and its impact on the world, prompting a plethora of ideas on how to counteract its effect. How do we as believers in the Messiah navigate this rocking boat that is today’s world? As Christians we’re called to proclaim the “Good News” to all who inhabit our world of conflict; and that is being done, either directly or indirectly, by many Christians and their organizations throughout the world. But what I’m trying to present here is a view of our current predicament in terms of a bigger picture; a view that would incorporate both the immediate need to present and exhibit the Gospel to those who haven’t embraced this truth, with an appreciation for the current state of affairs in the world at large.

It seems to me that world affairs can be seen to pivot around one crucial thing whether it knows it or not. And if you’re a Christian then you’ll probably guess what that the pivot is: Jesus the Messiah. But it’s not simply the person: Jesus of Nazareth. The pivot is who, and what Jesus is. As I’ve already suggested Muslims believe that Jesus was a significant figure but not divine; Jews and Jehovah’s Witnesses also believe that He existed but deny or diminish His divinity as well. What they don’t believe is that Jesus was and is God in every sense of the Word. That’s the pivot that believers revolve around: the unique person who rose from the dead, and who provided a means for obtaining eternal life! That’s what makes the current conflict in Israel so significant. Two peoples of the Middle East engaged in war are not unprecedented or unusual. But what they’re tethered to is something unique and profound. They’re as close to the pivot that you can get without actually embracing it. Israel is the place where Jesus rose from the dead! It’s the place that’s thought to be significant by both Jews and Muslims alike. However, it is also possible to stand there, in Jerusalem, without actually embracing the pivot. The question is: Are you orbiting with Him, or are you just revolving around Him while spinning on your own axis, only catching occasional glimpses of our Savior? Either way there’s a connection. The whole world exists in a posture relative to God, but only those who are tethered to Him in the person of the Christ keep Him in their sights as they rotate around Him. It also seems to me that the closer you get to the pivot, the more influence it can have upon you, for better or worse—a loving embrace or a repugnant denial. However, closeness isn’t necessarily the product of distance. Spatial distance can be irrelevant when His presence is embraced.  It doesn’t matter where you’re standing. Even if you were a billion miles away from Jerusalem, you could be orbiting around the Messiah, enjoying His presence as you pivot with Him. You can also be engaged in a war of self-destruction as you stand only a few feet from Golgotha while failing to embrace the truth of the Messiah’s appearance. In either case our God and Savior is the pivot around which all the world rotates. And in spite of all the worldly turbulence that surrounds the “pivot” it can be said:

This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

Thank You Jesus!

Halleluiah!

Go with God!