We all knew it was coming.
They destroyed this statue of such-and-such a military hero. They defaced that one of so-and-so the political leader. They pulled these over - of whoever else.
And then today's headline: "Statues of Jesus Christ are 'form of white supremacy,' should be torn down."
I had to chuckle.
Do they even know about the 2nd Commandment (Deuteronomy 5:8)?
Nobody should have ever been making statues of Jesus in the first place.
But of course, that's not the point is it? The woke culture will never be woke enough. And until God is dethroned, the devil will not stop. Even if the problems are legitimate, the solutions are worse.
We know God will never be dethroned. Not from His place in heaven. But as Nietzsche said, "God is dead and we have killed Him."
We know that God is very much alive. He is life. But in our culture, God is all but dead. Men do not like to retain God in their knowledge (Romans 1:28). So every reminder of Him must be removed. Or so the story goes.
Unless they need Him. Conveniently, from time to time, popular culture and the godless heathen of our modern world need a version of Jesus. They need to blame Him for something awful. Or, they need Him so they can cause a stir and make some money. Or worst of all, they need some misdefined caricature of Him to justify some vice that they are defending.
But, if Jesus were here in the flesh today, what exactly would it look like?
We don't have to wonder.
He very well may return in the 21st century. When He left us 2,000 years ago, He promised us that He would be back. We don't know when. But we do know He is returning.
And when He does come again, He won't be working as a carpenter in a small town in northern Palestine. He won't stand quietly through mock trials again. He won't lay down His life for His enemies again.
That is the Jesus we preach today. In that sense, the 21st century Jesus is the 1st century Jesus. The historical Jesus we find on the pages of Scripture is the one we have a responsibility to preach.
But.
What of the prophetical Jesus?
No doubt, we find Him on the pages of Holy Writ as well. He is coming in the clouds, and every eye will see Him. He is coming with His saints (and with the holy angels) to execute justice. Not social justice as imagined in today's liberal minds. He is coming with actual and absolute justice. He is coming to rule and reign with a rod of iron and with a sword of judgment. He is coming to kill and to make war. He is coming to trample the grapes of wrath. He is coming to end all rebellion.
So, let's admit it. God is not surprised or even affected by the piddly rants of His earthly enemies. He offers peace to them, if they will come on His terms. But if not, their fate is settled. And, it doesn't really even matter if you are the heathen who makes the sculpture of Christ or the heathen who tears it down. Or, if perhaps you are ignorant, uninvolved, and unaffected by the whole scene. If your faith is in Christ, you are safe from God's holy anger. If your faith is not in Christ, then you are damned.
So, God is dead and we have killed Him?
How true. Of course. That's the story of the gospels. We killed Him.
But He didn't stay dead.
Jesus is alive. And He just might walk this earth again in the 21st century.
The most important question is, are you ready for it?
