6 Nov 2005

No Avoiding Justice

Amos 5:18-24

Martin Dale wrote: Dr. Ian Paisley, the fiery Irish cleric and politician was reputed to have been preaching one Sunday on the End Times - and in particular on the Day of Judgment.

As he reached the climax of his address he said that on the Day of Judgment "there would be wailing and gnashing of teeth".

At which point an old woman put up her hand and said "Dr. Paisley, I have no teeth."

Paisley replied "Madam, teeth will be provided."

Interesting theology, wouldn't you say? Dr. Ian Paisley is so convinced that there will be gnashing of teeth that he believes God will give teeth to the toothless, in order that they can gnash their teeth. Somehow I do not see God doing that.

However, there are enough biblical passages that speak about the end-times to acknowledge the Bible does speak clearly on this matter. There is, for example, no argument that the end-times visions of the Old Testament speak of complete destruction. In Ezekiel 30:3 we read, "For a day is near, the day of the LORD is near; it will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations" (NRS). Isaiah 13:6 read, "Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty!" (See also Isaiah 13:9, Jeremiah 46:10). The passage we have read in Amos say, "Alas for you who desire the day of the LORD! Why do you want the day of the LORD? It is darkness, not light; as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear; or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall, and was bitten by a snake."

No, we can not argue against these prophetic passages. The Day of the LORD, or hw"+hy;( ~Ay (Yom Yahweh) as it is known in the academic circles, is a horrific day. Connected with Yom Yahweh is the belief that God will make everything that is wrong right. A time will come when everything that is evil will cease to exist and the peaceful, perfect world God intended to have will be established. For example, in Isaiah 2:4 we read that war will disappear from our memories. "He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." After the terrible Day of the LORD, God's peaceful and perfect world will come.

When Jesus the Christ appeared, however, many could not understand the connection between the Day of the LORD, the end-times, and the arrival of the Messiah. In the Gospels we read Jesus telling the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees in particular, that they were unable to read the times and recognize their own Messiah. Many assumed that the Day of the LORD was a day in which the wicked pagans were going to be judged and punished, and Israel as a nation will rule over the earth. Even Jesus' own disciples could not understand Jesus. After walking with him for three years and after witnessing Jesus' own death and resurrection, they still asked about the future of the nation of Israel. In Acts we read, "So when they had come together, they asked him, 'Lord is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?'" (Acts 1:6). And, as you know, Jesus told them not to worry about the future of Israel. Instead they were to worry about becoming witnesses for Him in the world.

A few days ago I heard in the radio a preaching talking about the end-times. I normally do not listen to preachers on the radio, but on this particular day I was searching for the baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros. [However, for the benefit of those who are still hurting... lets not think more about the baseball games, and let's go back to our story.] The preacher said that the end-times are very near as in the end of the ages will come any minute now. He, of course, spoke about the natural disasters that have been occurring in the past three years; volcanoes erupting, rivers overflowing, earthquakes, tsunamis, wild fires and hurricanes. To my surprise, the preacher did not say anything about the wars that are going on, or about the many people who are dying of hunger or disease like AIDS. He did not say anything about the threat of the Asia or Chicken Flue which experts say could kill millions in a few months.

To his credit, it does not take much to realize we are having more devastating hurricanes than in the past 50 years. It is also interesting that in the same year when we have had destructive hurricanes we also have had devastating earthquakes in different continents. It is almost as if God, at minimum, was testing our human capacity to endure massive destruction. It is not difficult to see why some Christians who read about the Day of the LORD and the apocalyptic images of the New Testament, would think perhaps God is coming soon... very soon.

Having said that, however, some Christians say that the end is not as near as people think. They based their conclusions on Matthew 24:14 which reads, "And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come." For them, the end will only come after the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed throughout the world, until every person on the face of the earth has the opportunity to hear the Gospel.

Yet we know, that while we should not ignore biblical images of the end-times and should be open to interpret our own times (e.g. world events), we followers of Jesus Christ are not called to predict the future, but to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God to our world today. We are not called to predict when will the final Day of the LORD will come, or when would Jesus Christ return to judge the living and the dead or when is the true kingdom of Israel be established. We are called to be participants of the kingdom of God today. We are called to proclaim the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to whoever listens. We are called to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, bring healing to the sick, set the captives free and proclaim jubilee (the year of the LORD's favor) to the world. We are called to be light of the world, be salt of the earth. We are called to do what is right before our God, not what might be fair according to our human laws. We are called to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God. We are called to be peacemakers, be merciful, thirst for righteousness, and be pure in heart.

I believe that most Christians who focus solely on the future do so because they do not want to talk about what God is asking them to do in the present. They are trying to avoid God. They rather talk about the future than to face the present and be the type of Christian God is calling them (and us) to be.

The prophet Amos was not talking about the Yom Yahweh, the Day of the LORD, just to give his hearers a clue about the future. The people were asking God to come and judge the wicket nations. They thought God would come and saved them from the threats of foreign armies. However, Amos told them that they did not know what they were asking. If God comes, He would remove all the evil from the earth including the evil doers among them. If God comes, He would judge the living and the death, and Israel will not be spared.

This is why we find Amos telling them that God does not delight in their festivals and offerings. "Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps," says the LORD (22, 23). No, it is not festivals and offerings that are the problem. The problem is to have festivals and offerings apart from doing what is right and just. Amos 5:14 reads, "Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you..."

The images of the future in the book of Amos are meant to wake people up, to make people think, to reflect on what we do or fail to do. Today we must obey God. Today we must do what is right. Today we must seek justice. Today we must be merciful. Today we must peacemakers. Today we must walk humble with our God. Today we must share the good news of our LORD to whoever listens. Today we must help those in need; feed the hungry, clothe the naked, bring healing to the sick, set the captives free and proclaim jubilee (the year of the LORD's favor) to the world. This is what we are called to do. The future does not belong to us. Tomorrow may not come. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day of repentance. Today is the day of new beginnings. Today is the day of transformation. Today we have another opportunity to do what is right and what is just before our God.

Let us therefore, not worry about the future, but seek to do the will of God today; not worry about the end of times, but how we live our days in the present.

Let us therefore, do justice, love kindness and walk humble with our God so that one-day we may see true justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Amen.