11-22-09

11-22-09

Text: Daniel 7 and John 18

● With the arrival of Advent, we seem to be ‘getting-ahead-of-ourselves’ in seemingly fast-forwarding to discussion about God as King as if “we’re not there yet”.

            I think it’s a good reminder that our story does not begin with humanity, but with God, the Eternal One, lovingly presiding over creation. The story is not about God’s struggle to ‘re-gain control’, but about his intention to ‘restore order’.

“Google Earth”: amazing tool which allows you get a view of this tiny plot of space that you inhabit from the heavens. Such a tool reminds of how limited and often ‘myopic’ our vision of the world really is; that we are only really affected by what’s happening in our little grid.

● Daniel 7 gives us a vision of the world that is not only honest, but hopeful. Honest, in that it depicts the pain and brokenness so prevalent in our world and hopeful, in that it offers a vision of our world re-ordered and restored.

● The style of writing shifts, somewhat, in this chapter of Daniel to what is characterized as ‘apocalyptic’ writing; taken from the word ‘apocalypse’ which means ‘to reveal or unveil’ something previously undiscovered.

It was an ancient form of writing which seems rather bizarre to the contemporary reader and certainly challenging to un-package [admittedly, many of the attempts to interpret and assign meaning to the symbols have proven down-right bizarre].

● Apocalyptic was not only a style of writing, but a way of viewing life. Fundamental to its thinking was that although history seems to operate in often recurring patterns, God will finally burst onto the scene to bring things to a purposed conclusion [it’s why ‘resurrection’ is a much more hopeful approach than ‘re-incarnation’--- I don’t want to come back as a ‘cat’: worst nightmare].

An apocalyptic view of life says that in spite of every appearance to the contrary, God is sovereign and his good purposes for his creation will eventually be realized.

● Daniel was a man given to interpreting other’s dreams, but often found his own disturbing and confusing. In the scope of his vision, he seems to address (4) major questions plaguing humanity:

1.    “What’s wrong with the world?”

2.    “Is it always going to be like this?”

3.    “Will something be done about it?”

4.    “Will it ever get any better?”

● The empires (kingdoms) are pictured as coming out of the sea. In ancient times, the ‘sea’ was used as a means of describing nations and people as well as representing ‘chaos’ [It’s why as Moses is telling the creation story, he depicts our God hovering over the waters and bringing order out of chaos].

● Daniels’ vision portrays a succession of ‘beastly’ empires which have opposed God and oppressed his people.

They are identified with “beasts” as a way of describing human rulers who behave ‘inhumanely’, each presented as being more destructive and corrupt than the previous empire.

“What’s wrong?”

The kingdoms of the world are chaotic and are being governed by those who ignore the Creator and who function with an abusive (misuse) and self-promoting agenda. Un-restored humanity will not and can not rule over creation in ways that are completely healthy and selfless.

● Just when such beastly rule seems to be climaxing, when the situation seems most bleak and with no relief in sight, the dream ‘pans out’ to include a vision of the heavens with God, as the world’s rightful King, enthroned with ultimate authority [teaching leaving room].

● He is given the title, “Ancient of Days”, which speaks to the limitless nature of his being and his rule. It suggests that history may proceed in ways that are chaotic and disorderly and, rulers of nations may appear to be accountable to no one, but God will require an accounting [‘fire’: a symbol of judgment and purification; ‘the books’: containing the deeds of humanity].

“Will it always be like this?”

The hopeful vision appears to indicate the welcoming of a new rule; a new Kingdom, one in which God reigns and his desires are the order of the day.

“What will be done?”

In this scene, enters one “like a son of man” (or, ‘one like a human being’). Unlike the beasts that come out of the sea (chaos of humanity),this one is coming from the heavenly dimension.

There is a contrast here between rule that is truly ‘human/humane’ (as given by God to Adam; to rule from the desires and passions of God) and that which is cruel and abusive.

● Interestingly, ‘the son of man’ was Jesus’ favorite way to refer to himself (Matthew, alone, records over 30 instances). Those who knew the scriptures and whose lives were being so shaped and ordered by such apocalyptic thought, would have known that Jesus’ use of the phrase in reference to himself would have been making claim to the fulfillment Daniel’s vision.

“Will it ever get any better?”

The courtroom setting, so prevalent in Jewish writing, has the verdict on sin and evil already announced in heaven with the carrying-out of that sentence to be fulfilled when Jesus returns to establish justice (restore order) and finally eliminate all that stands in the way of peace.

● Such a vision always seemed to ensure that those presently living under the adverse consequences of evil could have hope that God had not forgotten about them and that he would one day act to establish his right and good reign on the earth.

“Are you a king?” 

In John18, Jesus stands before Pilate. It’s quite the contrast: the (2) kingdoms and their representatives confronting one another. One kingdom forged on the backs of forceful compliance, oppression and death; the other established through welcome, liberation and resurrection.

“My kingdom is not of this world”…

            Jesus was not suggesting that his kingdom was just some ethereal or spiritual experience which would have little or no tangible effect on the ‘real’ world. He was suggesting that his rule/reign does not derive its mission from what motivates earthly kingdoms.

            He was saying that his kingdom does not function according to the world’s criterion of power, self-indulgence and dominance.

● It means that with Jesus as King, every social system (ways of being with each other) would now be scrutinized and life with each other re-defined. Every way of being together and interacting with one another must reflect the desires of the King.

The kingdoms of the world seemed best at ‘identifying’ and ‘marginalizing’ people; Jesus was always ‘declassifying’ people and moving toward ‘re-assimilation’, ensuring that anyone who wants to can come.

            This King and kingdom do not operate through legislation and self-imposed policies, but under one simple law: that you selflessly pursue a relationship with your Creator-God which reflects the ways you are with each other. In a word, “love”.

An apocalyptic approach to life will always leave us feeling both helpless and hopeful.

            I feel helpless in the face of the social, political, military and economic issues which plague our world. I’m often not certain about which of those I should be most fearful. Crime? AIDS? Unemployment? Weapons of mass destruction? Lack of clean drinking water? Drugs? Corporate scandals? These are super-sized problems!

It’s not always easy to hear that although things will get better, it may not be anytime soon.

            God, for whatever reason, has allowed you to be here in this place. This place is always the product of “fallenness”, our own as well as others. To resist this place is to miss the shalom (order in the midst of chaos) that he desires to offer you right here, right now.

            Hope always requires some way of acting now as if the future has already arrived (reason to believe that what you hope for will become reality); a means of seeing and living beyond the current damage and dysfunction toward the peaceable Kingdom that God longs to establish as we incarnate while we wait.

But, it is apparent that our dilemma demands a Savior.

            The vision of Daniel portrays a rescuer whose authority both transcends evil and restores order and indicates the futility of pursuing solutions and remedies which arrogantly ignore the world’s true King.       

Dreams and visions seem to be methods God uses to communicate with us when we’re overwhelmed with reality.

They are typically both inspirational and confounding.

They introduce us to or invite us into a reality that is not limited by the temporal circumstances of our lives. It allows you to consider the entire realm of what’s possible without being limited by logic [“Trust me, this would make even less sense if you were awake.”]

“A person can dream, can’t they?”

            It’s what we say when our current reality is so disappointing and disturbing that dreaming, envisioning life differently, is all we have; it’s our only source of comfort.

            Dreaming with our eyes wide-open is always most challenging.

Sovereignty means that he is a God who brings order out of chaos.

Not order in terms of predictability, but order as it relates to “setting things right”—first, by restoring man to himself (2 Cor.5) and then setting people in proper relationship with each other.

● Sovereignty is never spoken of in the Bible as some fatalistic approach to life which suggests that we are all just pawns in some cosmic chess match and how we respond has little impact on the future we will realize.

Sovereignty means that despite some pretty glaring evidence toward the contrary, the world is not just a chaotic mass, spiraling out of control, but a thoughtful creation moving toward an purposed/desired end—‘shalom’--- wholeness, order, functionality, nothing missing and nothing broken: everything properly related.

Knowing God is sovereign allows me to rest; it’s what allows me to confront the turmoil and dysfunctionality of my world and still sleep at night.

But, the story- the vision, suggests that this King, this Sovereign, is also a rescuer.

            Although this story continuously establishes the primacy of God, you can’t help but notice the great deal of attention given to his creation, especially humanity as unique, image-bearing creatures.

● He is always being depicted as the “pursuer” and we are always being portrayed as the object of his affection—what motivates his pursuit.

● Believing that he is a rescuer means that he thinks we were worth salvaging and, our comfort is not just in that he ‘came to our rescue’, but that the ‘reclamation project’ has already begun; that with our participation, he is already in the process of restoring us (and his good creation) and reversing the damaging effects of sin.

A prayer…

“God who reigns, may the day of your victory come soon, when in Jesus Christ, death will be destroyed forever and sovereignty is restored to you that you may be all-in-all, now and always. Amen.”