The Actions of the Lamb-Horned Beast

Preachers are called to tell the truth. In this respect they are in the line of the Biblical prophets who had to tell truth to power. They had to say, like Nathan, thou art the man.

Bailout of the Super-Rich

This past week, the Senate and the House of the United States rushed together to push through a 700 billion dollar bill to support wall street and avert a collapse of the United States economy. The bill would help to bailout Wall Street executives who had engaged in unregulated speculations and had lost. To keep them from going down, the democratic congress and the republican executive branches rushed to essentially place a tab on the middle class to pay for a bailout of the super rich.

This past week the United States has demonstrated once again the wisdom of the early Adventists in calling it a lamb-horned beast. The democratic congress and the republican executive branches of the United States government rushed to place a tab of 700 billion dollars on the backs of the middle classes of America to bailout the super-rich who engaged in speculative practices that has placed the economy in peril.

Leaders Passed the Bill

As noted, the Republican president, the democratic house, the vast majority of the senate, as well as both major political party nominees for president all supported this bill. A bill that made no mandates for helping those who could lose their homes. Some say that those who lose their homes should lose their homes, but the super rich who created “investments” out of worthless mortgages, we assume, should be shielded from the results of their actions.

Speaking like a Dragon

The lamb horned beast has horns like a lamb, but speaks like a dragon. (Revelation 13:11) Certainly it is a dragon that would support the rich on the backs of the middle classes fend for themselves. But the Bible is true. In the book of James we have a prophecy of the end where the gold and the silver is rusted out. Those who take advantage of the poor and the middle class workers will not escape the punishment of God. The democratic congress or republican executive branches may not do anything, but the “cries of the poor are entered into the ears of the Lord of Hosts.” (James 5:4).

Socialism for the Super-Rich

It is interesting that the government will pass this socialist plan for the super rich while extolling the virtues of the “capitalist market” for the poor and middle class. It is Babylon. But we can be certain that God won’t be silent forever. Revelation 18 reminds us that the merchants of the world will morn at the downfall of Babylon. They will morn because there is no one to buy their goods. They also morn because they were made rich by the Babylon. (Revelation 18:15).

We have some challenging days ahead including a time of trouble such as there has never been (Daniel 12:1), but let us always remember that word that God has given to us as a people “Babylon is fallen” and let us look forward to that house not made with hands. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

The Signs of the End

The economic problems of the United States as well as the “Bible Prophecy Teachers” who have predicted the demise of the United States economy in September 2008, all have given SabbathPulpit a boost in traffic. As I noted in a previous post, people are wanting to see what the Bible says about the perilous times we live in.

Forgetting the Clear Signs

This is a good thing to go to our spiritual resources to seek to understand the time in which we live. What is interesting however, is that some of the plainest “signs of the times” are seldom referred to by these “Bible Prophecy Teachers.”

Matthew 24:7 says that there will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in diverse places. While there are some who question whether the increase we see has to do with more sensitive instruments, there does seem to be an increase in the number of all three. The number of earthquakes seem to be on the rise. Luke 21:25 speaks of sea and waves roaring. Here we seem to have an increase in hurricanes and who can forget the Tsunamis. And let us not forget Matthew 24:6 which points to wars and rumors of wars. All of these things point to the blessed return of our Lord.

Yes Economic Distress

There is data in the scriptures that point to economic distress. James 5:1-4 tells us that the rich who hoard the wealth and take advantage of the laborer will be punished. Revelation 18:11, 17 tells us that the merchants will not be able to sell their goods.

While that is true, trying to pinpoint when this will happen is just as problematic as trying to date when the next war will be. God has given us certain benchmarks, let us read and understand those, and let us stop trying to invest our speculations with Biblical authority.

God will Destroy those who have destroyed the Earth

The Second Advent of Jesus Christ shows us the futility of environmental concerns. I am not saying that we should litter, but I am saying that environmentalism is a waste of time. God will clean up all of this pollution at the second Advent.

So said one of the pastors preaching a sermon that pointed to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The preacher perfectly articulated a common theme from the theology of many Christians who accept the Second Advent. However, it is my opinion that such a mindset is not only problematic and promotes poor stewardship of the earth, but it is also anti-Adventist.

The Health Agenda

One wonders if the same logic would be used with our bodies. Would they say that we should not worry about our bodies because at the second advent this mortal will put on immortality? The health agenda of Adventism is important in its personal implications, but also in its social as well. Certainly the health agenda (message) of Adventism has a social dimension. The health agenda includes drinking water. But what if our companies are polluting the environment? Does our Adventist idea of health push us to do all that is in our sphere to counteract this? Does it change our voting patterns to promote health in an ecological sense as certainly as we promote it in its individual sense?

I am happy that there are some who are recognizing that the Second Advent does not negate our responsibility to be good stewards of this land. In fact there is another website that seeks to promote environmentalism from an Adventist perspective. They seek to remind us that our Adventism must affect how we live especially during the ecological crisis.

Sabbath, Revelation, and Creation

Adventists have found their identity in the Sabbath and have found their message in the book of Revelation. The Sabbath is a day that we celebrate God’s creative power through contemplation of God’s creation. Certainly one must question our ability to celebrate creation if we are involved in actively destroying it.

And secondly, God has given us a message that is centered in reminding the world of the importance of the Book of Revelation. Our Revelation seminars are an example of this commitment. But perhaps we must read anew and look at such texts as Revelation 11:18 which states: “God will destroy those who destroy the earth.” A part of Babylon is the destruction of the planet. If this is true, then we cannot cavalierly throw away our ecological senses by saying that God will take care of it.

While I am no environmental expert. Certainly there are scientists and even theologians who have put more thought and effort into this, I am just a preacher who recognizes that my Adventism pushes me to do better. I pray that when the Master comes, Jesus will not find that we have ignored a part of his message because we thought he didn’t really care about it.