The Challenge of Christianity
It should be clear from the events described in earlier instalments that our world is moving remorselessly towards an apocalyptic climax that has long been predicted by the prophets of old, and that we are the generation that will experience these cataclysmic events.
According to societies like the Maya and the Hopi, our present world age is coming to its appointed end, and will replaced by a new age of peace and harmony in which all the wars, bloodshed and violence that have plagued humanity in the past will finally come to an end.
When Alvaro Colom was inaugurated as President of Guatemala on January 14, 2008, Don Alejandro Cirilo Oxlaj, also known as “Wandering Wolf”, the President of the National Mayan Council of Elders, was invited to address the gathered throng of dignitaries, where he had this to say:
“We are at the doorsteps of the ending of another period of the Sun, a period that lasts 5,200 years and ends with several hours of darkness. After this period of darkness there comes a new period of the Sun; it will be the sixth one.”
“The world is transformed and we enter a period of understanding and harmonious coexistence where there is social justice and equality for all. It is a new way of life.”
He went on to add: “The Mayan prophecies are announcing a time of change. The Pop Wuj (Popul-Vuh), the book of the Counsel, tells us, ‘It is time for dawn; let the dawn come, for the task to be finished.”
Similar references to an apocalyptic end to the current age can be found in sacred books throughout the ancient world. Almost every prophet in the Old Testament of the Bible calls attention to the dire events that will happen in what they refer to as the “Latter Days”.
Nowhere are these events more graphically portrayed than in the Book of Revelation, where St John describes the visions that appeared to him while he was in exile on the island of Patmos, in words of stark horror.
And as Jesus explained to his disciples, this would be the time when all the peoples of the world would be gathered together in one place where they would be divided into two groups. One of these groups he likened to sheep, and the other to goats.
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
“And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” (Matthew 25: 31-34)
But to those gathered on his left hand, the King would have this to say:
“Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels; (Verse 41) And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal“. (Verse 46)
This was not the first time that Jesus had spoken to his disciples about a harvest of souls at the end of the world. There was also the occasion when he used the parable of the “tares” and the wheat, while preaching to a multitude gathered on the shores of the sea of Galilee.
“Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
“The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
“As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
“And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 13: 36-43)
And on yet a third occasion, shortly before being delivered up to be crucified, Jesus told his disciples:
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other“. (Matthew 24: 29-31)
This time of judgement spoken of by Jesus will personally affect every individual now living on the earth. Whether we live or die in the catastrophes that are coming, each one of us will be judged on the basis of those thoughts, words and actions that have characterised our lives.
But even though the events predicted for the time of the end are almost upon us, there is still time to mend our ways and thus be spared the terrible judgements that will afflict the earth and the heavens, if that is what we truly wish.
In the words of the Hopi Elders speaking about their prophecy of the Blue and the Red Star Kachinas:
“Those who return to the ways given to us in the original teachings and live a natural way of life will not be touched by the coming of the Purifier. They will survive and build a new world.
“The way through this time is said to be found in our hearts and reuniting with our spiritual self. Getting simple and returning to living with and upon this Earth in harmony with her creatures. Remembering we are caretakers, the firekeepers of the spirit. It is time to reconnect with your spirit and your Earth Mother“.
Or, as Robert Ghost Wolf reminded us in the previous instalment:
“The most important thing that we can do is to turn inward because, if we turn inward and we open up the inward, then that which happens outside will be a result of what we have opened up inside. If we keep looking outward and forget the inside, then we’ll be lost in the illusion.”
“Wandering Wolf” puts it this way. He says we are all about to experience the long awaited evolutionary transition of the Maya which he calls “The Shift of the Ages”. This is how he describes this transition:
“The Shift is something we’re all feeling. It’s a shift in how we think and live. It’s a growing awareness of our planet and who we are as a people. It’s a great time of awakening, a remarkable period in the history of Earth. Our choices are more important now, than ever before…and more and more people are standing up strong in a good way. If you have the desire to do the same, it’s because you are feeling the Shift!”
We can perhaps think of this time of judgement as a kind of graduation ceremony in the great school of life, where those who have passed their spiritual lessons move on to a new environment where they can explore new possibilities of living.
By contrast, all those who fail to meet the requirements of this great evolutionary transition at this time, are obliged to go back and renew their studies, until they too are successful at some future time and in some future place.
But if we are all going to be judged, then what are the criteria by which we will be judged? In answer, St. Luke describes the occasion when a lawyer approached Jesus and asked him this same question.
“And behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? How readest thou?
“And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.”
Jesus responded by saying: “Thou hast answered right. This do, and thou shalt live“. (Luke 10: 25-28)
These two requirements to qualify for the new kingdom that is about to unfold upon the earth may seem at first to be disarmingly simple. However, the sad reality is that, based on the standards of just these two tests alone, most of humanity would fail.
We should never forget that Christianity is a very tough set of rules to live by.
Based on the violent and oppressive history of the Church over the last two thousand years, critics have tended to dismiss Christianity as a religion that has been tried in the storms of life and found wanting. This could not be farther from the truth.
What has actually happened is that the basic tenets of Christianity have been found to be too difficult to practise and have therefore been abandoned, even by those who call themselves staunch followers of Jesus. And the reason is clear.
When Jesus preached to the multitude in his famous Sermon on the Mount, he called for a standard of behaviour that is rejected today by almost everyone on the planet as being thoroughly impractical and quite unattainable.
For according to Jesus, we will not only be judged on the basis of our actions, but of our words and thoughts as well. Here are some examples:
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not commit adultery; But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matthew 5: 27-28)
Living as we do in a world dominated by sex, and subjected as we are to the Media and the Internet that is drenched with sexual imagery, it is worth asking whether there is anyone among us who has not, at one time or another, committed adultery in our hearts.
But it is not just our thoughts that we have to learn to control, but our words as well, as we can see from the next example.
“Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
“But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother; Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, thou fool, shall be in danger of hellfire.” (Matthew 5: 21-22)
Not only do we need to watch the language that we use in our exchanges with our fellow citizens, but we also need to guard against common expressions such as oaths and curses.
“Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
“But I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne: nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
“But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatever is more than these cometh of evil.” (Matthew 5: 33-37)
But these warnings of Jesus to watch what we think and say, are nothing compared to the challenges of how we are expected to act.
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matthew 5: 38-39)
The very idea that we should not resist when others insult and injure us seems outrageous, and to suggest that we invite even more violence by offering them the other cheek seems like advice that is rooted in madness.
But Jesus goes even further, by requiring that we love those people who do us harm, and pray for those who persecute us. One can just imagine what sort of public response there would be if a world leader today urged us not to resist evil, but to bless murderers, rapists, child molesters, and the like.
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” (Matthew 5: 43-44)
One of the interesting features of modern evangelical Christianity, particularly in the American Bible Belt, is the confidence expressed by Pastors and Preachers that they will be among those who will be saved when the faithful are “raptured” into heaven to be with Jesus at the time of Tribulation.
Yet if they took the trouble to analyse carefully the message of Jesus, they might more properly be quaking in their boots, for the messengers of God’s word are always held to a higher standard than those who follow. For as Jesus warned:
“For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5: 20)
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7: 13-14)
While their confidence is no doubt based on the success of their ministries and for the dramatic healing ceremonies conducted in the name of Christ, these Pastors and Evangelists would do well to consider the words of Jesus when he warned that the true determinant of our fate will be whether we have followed his commandments.
“Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7: 21-23)
