OF THUNDERS, TRUMPETS AND SHOFARS: THE DAY OF THE LORD APPROACHES, AND WHO CAN STAND?

SCRIPTURE. “‘Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God:’ for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.” – ZEPHANIAH 1:7-9, KJV

QUOTATIONS

TOLKIEN. “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. ‘All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, 1954; edited

I. FIRST THOUGHTS

If we are being completely honest, most of us, no matter how spiritual we may be,  pretty much live in the ‘Here and Now’ in this material world, all the time. I mean, all the time! And, if I may, that is completely ‘natural’ since we can see, hear, smell, taste and touch it any time we wish.

As a consequence of this pattern, such ‘Supernatural Ideas’ as God, Satan, Heaven, Hell, Angels, Demons, the Second Coming, Miracles, and so on just don’t take up very much space in our day-to-day thinking. And again, that’s natural given the fact that we are material beings living in, God help us, Madonna’s “Material World” (1984).

Except we are also ‘spiritual beings,’ living simultaneously in a ‘Spiritual Over-World.’

APHORISMS. There are a number of Folk Sayings that speak to this, well, DUALISM between the Material and the Spiritual. Here are just a few.

• “A person’s value does not rest on outward appearances, but on his true merits, what he really is.” ― JORGE AMADO, Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, 2006

• “Money is a good weapon against the scum and is of no consequence to the noble mind. – On Money.” ― LAMINE PEARLHEART,To Life from the Shadows: Conversations with the Light, 2015

• “We’ve given our power over to the material world because it seems more quantifiable and manageable. Our conversations start there, and our conclusions about the world end there. The infinite, miraculous, mysterious nature of who and what we are has become a bit tedious.” ― MADELEINE RYAN, A Room Called Earth: A Novel, 2020

Having saved the best for last, the very first one I learned straight from my mother’s desk that no matter how hard I try, cannot expunge from my memory banks:

“Don’t be so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good.”

SO, WHAT TO DO? First and foremost, we need to once and for all study, and then dispose of this seeming Contradiction between these Two Realms of Spiritual and Material. Ultimately, they are resolved in the Scriptures. But first things first.

II. PHILOSOPHICAL DUALISM

To help us get started, I turn to DR. P. ANDREW SANDLIN, Christian minister, culural theologian, and author; founder and president of the Center for Cultural Leadership in Coulterville, California; and De Yong Distinguished Visiting Professor of Culture and Theology at Edinburg Theological Seminar.

Yeah, I think he’ll do nicely.

His essay: “Dualism: ‘Christian’ Enemy of Christian Culture’ (Docsandlin.com, Oct. 11, 2015; edited). One can see straight up that the entire Dualism Model is not Biblical. So here we go.

“‘One of the greatest enemies of Christian culture within the Church is Dualism.’ Broadly speaking, Dualism is the division of life into two overarching spheres or principles, generally antithetical to one another. Likely the earliest Dualism was ‘Gnosticism,’ which posited Two Gods, ‘the good god of the Mind and Spirit and the evil god of Nature and Materiality.’ The Gnostics perceived salvation as deliverance from the material world by means of secret knowledge (‘gnosis’) to a few, select initiates. Gnosticism was a Pagan invention, but it did not leave the Church unaffected. Prime early heresies in the Church were Gnostically tinged (an example was ‘Docetism,’ which denied that Jesus had an actual body).

Dualism comes in many forms, but it almost always privileges one aspect of created reality and devalues its polar opposite. Dualism is an example of Apostate thinking, which always begins when sinful man turns away from worshipping the true God and absolutizes one aspect of the created order. In the Church, this Dualism comes in at least five forms …

[One of which is] IMMATERIAL-MATERIAL DUALITY. I noted that PLATO saw the body as a form of prison from which man’s main goal was escape at death. This is one exhibition of the Immaterial-Material Duality. Many ancients, following the Gnostics, posited ‘materiality as evil’ or at least sub-par. The truly good and virtuous things were beyond our sensory world. It’s not hard to see why Christians would purchase stock in this view. After all, God Himself is immaterial; so are faith and hope and love and prayer. Most of the things we hold most dearly are immaterial. ‘But not all.’

Recent Christianity cares about Redemption, but it has a deeply impoverished view of ‘Creation (Nature).’ To many Christians, Nature just isn’t that important — the only thing important is getting souls saved. They actually don’t want escape from sin; they want escape from their bodies; they want to escape from their humanity; they want to escape from this world. They think that prayer and Bible reading and quiet contemplation are ‘spiritual,’ but trees and the ocean and good food and making lots of money and enjoying Nature and basketball are not spiritual.

But in the Bible, the Conflict is never between physical and non-physical; it’s between ‘Righteousness and Sin.’ Sin is the problem; Materiality is not the problem! The most evil being in the world is pure spirit, and the godliest man who ever lived (Jesus Christ) lived and died and rose again in a body. If you don’t care about the material world, you can’t care much about culture, even Christian culture.

THE RESOLUTION. “But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and ‘all these [material] things’ will be given to you also.” – JESUS OF NAZARETH, Matthew 6:33, Amplified

So first and foremost, note that it is not so much a choice between the two- both realms need to be addressed – but which one must by our FIRST PRIORITY: ‘The Spiritual Kingdom of Christ!’ To say it in a more fundamental, practical way: If our Soul is kept heathy, then our Minds and Bodies shall follow in suit.

Of this crucial Christian Life Principle, theologian ALBERT BARNES WRITES: “For after all these things do the Gentiles seek – That is, those destitute of the true Doctrines of Religion, and unacquainted with proper dependence on Divine Providence, make it their chief anxiety thus to seek food and clothing. But you, who have a knowledge of your Father in Heaven, who know that He will provide for your needs, should not be anxious. ‘Seek first His kingdom; seek first to be righteous, and to become interested in His favor,’ and all necessary things will be added to you. He has control over all things, and He can give you what you need. He will give you what he deems best for you.” – Notes on the Old and New Testament, 1884; edited

DK. To both simplify and sum up: The most dangerous thing a follower of Christ can do in this Last, perilous Days, is: ‘Take their salvation for granted.’ That widespread Cheap Discipleship Fallacy, presumptuously a trivial little matter, can and will ultimately lead to Final Destruction, as what follows shall work hard to demonstrate.

III. THE TEACHING

SCRIPTURE. “‘Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God:’ for the Day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, He hath bid His guests. And it shall come to pass in the Day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. In the same Day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.” – ZEPHANIAH 1:7-9, KJV

KEY TERMS.As always, we go now to the ‘deep dive’ into the Major Ideas the Lord used to define this important Prophecy.

• HOLD THY PEACE! ‘Has’ [הָסָה]: “‘Hush! Keep silence! Hold your tongue! Be still!’ (onomatopoetic); still; quiet; as, they are hush as death; to calm; to make quiet; to repress noise; the winds were hushed; make no noise; to hush up, to suppress; to keep concealed.”

• GOD HAS PREPARED. ‘Kun’ [כּוּן]: “A primitive root meaning to stand perpendicular, erect, ‘as in faithfulness;’ to sanctify; to be or make firm; be fixed aright, steadfast; a thing established, made certain by God; to set up, as with a house [built solid]; secure, stable, enduring; to make ready or make (moral) provision [for what is to come].”

• A SACRIFICE. ‘Zebach’ [זֶבַח]: “To kill, offer or slaughter flesh [as propitiation, recompense]; can refer to the slaughter of hostile nations [or individuals for violation of the covenant]; in its most primitive, general sense, if involves the shedding of blood; to immolate, either as an atonement for sin, or to procure favor, or to express thankfulness; to destroy, surrender or suffer to be lost for the sake of obtaining something.”

• BID HIS GUESTS. ‘Qara’ [קָרָא]: “A primitive root with the idea of ‘calling out’ or accosting a person (by name); to proclaim or read [out loud]; to cry, utter a loud sound; to summon; to bring someone near [for Divine purpose]; to ‘invite as guests;’ to announce or read from a scroll; ‘to be reckoned’ [or otherwise ‘dealt with’ in some fashion]; an utterance with the authority of a command.”

• PUNISH RULERS & CHILDREN. ‘Paqad’ [פְקַד]: “A primitive root meaning ‘to visit;’ to oversee, muster, charge, care for, deposit; to attend to, appoint; to avenge, hurt, do judgment; to count, account or be numbered; to pain; to afflict with pain, loss or calamity for a crime or fault; primarily, to afflict with bodily pain; the word is applied also to affliction by loss of property, by transportation, banishment, seclusion from society.”

• STRANGE APPAREL. ‘Nokri’ [נָכְרִי]: “Foreign, alien, different [as with being] adulterous; outlandish, as with being intimate with a strange woman; unknown, unfamiliar; not domestic; belonging to others; new; not before known, heard or seen; odd; unusual; irregular; not according to the common way; wonder; to be astonished by or be estranged or alienated.”

• FILLED WITH VIOLENCE. ‘Chamas’ [חָמָס]: “Refers to cruelty, damage, false, injustice, oppressor, unrighteous, violence done against; unjust gain, wrong, false, injustice x oppressor; unrighteous; associated with instruments as weapons; a violent man (or oppressor); [unjust] outrage, force; crimes of all kinds; injury, infringement, ravishment [as in rape].”

• AND DECEIT. ‘Mirmah’ [מִרְמָה]: “Treachery, fraud, intentional distorting or withholding of the truth in order to mislead; fills the heart with the desire to plan or do evil; to use a false balance [cheat or steal] which is ‘an abomination’ to God; guile, wicked craftiness; literally, a catching or ensnaring. Hence, the misleading of a person; the leading of another person to believe what is false, or not to believe what is true, and thus to ensnare him; fraud; fallacy; cheat; any declaration, artifice or practice, which misleads another, or causes him to believe what is false.”

WORD TO THE OSAS CROWD. “‘These six things the Lord hates, indeed, seven are an abomination to Him:’ A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others], a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that manufactures wicked thoughts and plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies [even under oath], and he who sows discord among his brethren.” – PROVERBS 6:16-19, AMPC

So yes, without a loud and passionate, sustained (and very likely public) outcry of Repentance, there is only Final Destruction for these, whom God regards as “An Abomination.” From the Hebrew, ‘Toebah’ [תּוֹעֵבַה] “A most disgusting, immoral thing; an idol; spiritual intermarriage [or adultery]; a detestable act; object of God’s deep loathing; extreme hatred or detestation due to defilement, pollution.”

Now let’s drill down deeper into this crucial matter from a searing analysis of this passage of Zephaniah by PASTOR ERIC MATHIS of First Baptist Church of Washington, DC (Working Preacher, Nov. 16, 2014; edited).

COMMENTARY. “Helen Keller was once quoted as saying, ‘Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all — the Apathy of human beings.’

And, the great Jewish political activist ELIE WIESEL said something similar, ‘The opposite of love is not hate, it’s Indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s Indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s Indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s Indifference.’ Though perhaps not as well remembered, the PROPHET ZEPHANIAH suggested God just might say the same thing …

In a near crass metaphor, ‘The writer compares the Complacent to spoiled wine dregs.’ Dregs, the sediments of the grapes, were used in wine making to provide body and color. But, when wine sits too long in dregs, it becomes spoiled, thick, and syrupy — as do those who are unwilling to work for Justice (verse 12b). ‘The punishment? Denial [i.e., Rejection].’ The Complacent are denied the fruits of their labor. Though they may work to accumulate wealth and physical possessions, they will not be permitted to enjoy them (verse 13).

After the initial warning against Complacency and Indifference, Zephaniah repeats once again that ‘the Day of the Lord is at hand!’ This Day is coming quickly, and it is not to be a pretty sight, so to speak. Bennett points out that the language identifies God with ‘the Avenging Warrior,’ specifically causing thunderous noise and blood-curdling shrieks of warfare (verse 14). Subsequent verses align the Voice of God with the Psalmist’s portrayal of power and majesty, and they heighten the nature of the Day as one of ruin, devastation, darkness, and gloom … Blood will turn to dust and flesh will turn to nothing other than dung. ‘No material possession will be able to save the people,’ for the Lord will rule and the Lord will see to it that God’s ways are asserted on earth (verses 17-18).

The most immediate application of this passage for preaching might be found in this oft-quoted and nearly clichéd phrase: the opposite of love is not hate, but Indifference. Throughout this oracle, Zephaniah the Prophet emphasizes emphatically that ‘the Day of the Lord is a day for taking a stand’ …

The Day of the Lord is the Day when Indifference will no longer be tolerated! The Day of the Lord is the Day when, out of blood and ashes and flesh and dung, will, in fact, come something good: The Promise of a Future where God reigns over all people and all things. At the end of the liturgical year, it is important to sound this CLARION CALL: To know God as God is, one must experience the Future Revolution. The Day of the Lord [ultimately] brings not Wrath and Judgment, but ‘a Future’ in which all things are Made New by the God who cares about the good of all things and all people.”

PRIDE & PREJUDICE. From this rich Commentary, we can propose the most dangerous spiritual error of all, viz. the Hyper-grace American Gospel is ‘presuming all my sins are covered,’ no matter what I choose to do about them. In such spiritual deprivation, at least three indictments surely follow.

• First, the Religious and Political Elites who walk in pride and vanity and power, often regard the lesser magistrates among us to be of little account.

• Second, the Wealthy Merchant Class likewise tend to consider themselves above the peasantry or common folk among us.

• Third, the Careless and Indifferent who are falsely secure, having placed their trust in kings and princes, shall also be brought to account and shall be “Denied” by Christ [i.e., Rejected].

So shall every Pastor, Priest and Prophet who taught “Pillow Talk” be brought to the Royal Dais for the severest Justice of all (cf. Ezekiel 13;18; James 3:1).

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day [when I judge them], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many miracles in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].’” – JESUS OF NAZARETH, Matthew 7:21-23, Amplified

From which Court there shall be no provision made for appeal. None, beloved, none.

IV. MAKING READY

To drive straight to this vital point, I cull from my new book, The Sixth Seal II (Summer 2023), that updates from the 2017 publication THREE LEVELS OF PREPARATION for the great and terrible Day of the Lord that I believe is not far off.

1. SPIRITUAL PREPARATION. “The first thing to do to prepare for the rough times ahead is to quite simply ‘Get right with God.’ This doesn’t boil down to a set formula or particular prayer as much as to a heartfelt plea for God to, indeed, ‘take control of one’s life’ and all its mayhem and mistakes which is for all intents and purposes and in varying degrees, reeling out of control. I did this on October 30, 1979, just one day before I had planned to take my own life on Halloween the very next day.”

2. FINANCIAL PREPARATION. “In light of the growing probability of economic chaos coming soon, we ought to take just a few practical steps that most experts tell us would be wise to consider, so here are just a few. One, supposing that the banks may well fail or at least increasingly restrict our access to our own accounts, as took place in both Greece and China recently, I’d strongly suggest you follow my attorney’s counsels a few years back to avoid placing most of our money in our local bank. Rather, it may well be much safer to purchase ‘a strong box’ to keep a sizable sum of cash in that (at least $1,000)… In that same regard, we are investing a modest amount in precious metals, especially silver, and avoiding like the plague the stock market highs and lows which we witness taking place on a daily basis. Second, ‘downsizing’ is almost always a good idea, though in these times it may soon become absolutely necessary. Reassess your lifestyle and start to put away (sell or donate or both) various excessive material things, toys that we no longer use or need, and yes, that massive house you barely qualified for that is half empty since the kids left for college.”

3. PHYSICAL PREPARATION. “Here I don’t wish to appear as some rank survivalist, preparing for doomsday and living fifty feet underground. Rather, I propose what I believe the Lord instructed me to follow as a ‘Thirty-Day Plan.’ Thus, there are just a few rudimentary things we can easily and inexpensively do to prepare for a time when we may be required to live off the grid for about a month or so … One, there are a number of non-perishable foods you should purchase and store, enough for at least thirty days. Two, barring religious reasons for not doing so, purchase at least one firearm and a sufficient supply of ammunition to last for that month … Third, you should also consider buying a small gas-powered generator suitable to the size of your dwelling, with enough gasoline to last for about a month. And for those who already have a gas grill, purchase extra canisters of butane for that same period of time … Finally, some sort of water purifier will become a must if the city or country loses power since our water supplies are driven by electricity.”

THE TEN VIRGINS. Here we get down to bottom line Commands from Christ Himself about the most important thing we can do to prepare for His soon Return. All the practical matters detailed before are important, but they pale in light of what Jesus teaches us here. So if you didn’t care for what was written earlier, please pay close attention to the Instructions of The Master.

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” – MATTHEW 25:1-13, NKJV

THE MESSAGE. “‘The Five [Wise] Virgins’ who have the extra oil represent the truly born again who are looking with eagerness to the Coming of Christ. They have saving faith and have determined that, whatever occurs, be it lengthy time or adverse circumstances, when Jesus returns, they will be looking with eagerness. ‘The Five [Foolish] Virgins’ without the oil represent false believers who enjoy the benefits of the Christian community without true love for Christ. They are more concerned about the party than about longing to see the Bridegroom. Their hope is that their association with true believers (‘give us some of your oil’ of verse 8) will bring them into the Kingdom at the End. This, of course, is never the case. One person’s faith in Jesus cannot save another …

May we not be found ‘going away to make the purchase’ (v. 10) when Christ Returns. Take the time now to fill your lamp with oil and take extra along. Keep waiting and watching with joy and anticipation.” – EDITORS, “What is the Meaning of the Parable of the Ten Virgins? Got Questions, ret. May 17, 2023; edited

V. LAST THOUGHTS

AN ANECDOTE. I had only been a Christian for about two years on a rainy day in Stockton CA about 1981, when I had my first encounter with but some theologians are calling, “Rapture Anxiety.”

As I best recall, I was driving south on Pacific Avenue about to make a left turn into a favorite restaurant for a light lunch. As I waited for the light to turn green, I noticed THREE CARS – one to my left, one straight ahead, and one to my right- all stationary, all windshield wipers moving, car lights on, and:

 ‘All empty!’

I felt my body go completely flush as when one is terrified, my lungs didn’t seem to be able to draw air, and my mind went into and early trauma confusion that I have never experienced since that day. And to this day I cannot explain to you why those cars were all empty well their motors were running and all devices were on.

THE LESSON. So here’s the thing. I wasn’t fully living for Christ two years into this Christian walk even though I had said the prayer, felt the presence of the Holy Ghost on several occasions and was attending church regularly and even teaching Sunday School! But I was still drinking pretty heavily, living with one foot in the Kingdom of Christ and the other foot in the Kingdom of the World.

On reflection then, I believe the Lord allowed me to get a little Hell scared out of me in order to advance my Commitment to His Kingdom, and no other.

For a number of miraculous reasons, that following March 1982, God completely delivered me from all desire for alcohol and drugs. In a few more months, I received an invitation to join the faculty at Regent University in Virginia in 1983, then nine months later I was appointed to the position of Founding Director of the University’s new Master’s Degree program in Public Affairs Journalism.

Anybody getting the idea here?

CODA. I no longer fear the Lord’s sudden, explosive and terrifying Appearance in the clouds at the Rapture followed by His blistering Judgment of all those who were ‘Left Behind.’ While hardly living a perfect Christian life, I am anchored bone deep in my Commitment to Him first and foremost, come life or come death.

It took God a good while to get me here, and though I face many trials as do all of you, this is the richest and most joyous time of my entire life. And I am beyond exuberant about Jesus’ soon Appearance.

Thus, by His immeasurable Grace and Spirit and Word, I now trim my lamp every single morning. Not because I have to, but because that has become the most important few hours in my day of all the rest. And I love that time with Him, especially as a Teacher of His Message.

OUR SECURITY. “Pay close attention to yourself [concentrate on your personal development] and to your teaching; persevere in these things [hold to them], for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.” – 1 TIMOTHY 4:16, NKJV

In this way, we happily, fearfully, prayerfully: (1) Learn of Him, because we love Him. (2) Learn of ourselves, for our improvement. (3) Labor in His Vineyards each day, to encourage and rescue all those in need and who are willing, but we also resist the proud and violent and deceitful. (4) And yes, we Glance Upward every now and then to ‘Watch for His Signatures’ – just in case.

It is the only way to truly live, beloved. Therefore, we cry: “MARANATHA! Come quickly, Lord! For we long to see You!”

Ever your servant, DK

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