The Price Of Unbelief

Just before the madness briefly named Y2K, Christians, Muslims, Jews and even Budists, exceeded themselves to examine an idea: “The strategy for the third millenium”... I received an invitation for an Evanghelistic meeting with this specific topic! Human plans for a new world worder (did you already heard this New Age syntagm ?) plans for social equity and doing political lobby in order to create a better world. In the absence of other perspective, of another world - that one promised by Jesus Christ, our spiritual leaders’ stubborness in making plans for this this very world only is a clear sign of our times...

Not only politicians make plans – annuals, biennials, for 5 years period, decades... – not only the rich CEO’s looking ahead to find new strategies, to conquer new markets in a near predictable future, but also the spiritual representatives who pretend to belong to Christ: Christians; no matter Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants or Evangelists.

What do people say on religion? They repeat the same ideas spreaded by the time of Old Testament prophecies. Ezeckiel 12,22... But what does God say? V.23:...

One by one years are passing by. Each one with his troubles, joys, - very few - , weddings, funerals, departures, arrivals, flourishing or broken companies, new builded or fast-ruined churches...Everybody with his little piece, seeing no more the entire puzzle, with no perspective given by the vision of the whole, especially the divine one. Prophecies? Well, some of them are quite clear and became classic being almost automatically absorbed. Like Daniel chapter 2 or Revelation chapters 2 and 3. But what about those concerning the second coming of Christ, known by entire Christianity, engraved on creeds, illustrated in all kind of ways?

Here begins the slight differencies...Do we still believe in prophecies? Not only at the intelectual level but as an eschatologic direction in the most practically way. Apoc.22,12....How soon? On the third, fourth, fifth millenium?

On the eschatological parables spoken by Christ, the surprising element is strongly underlined. For example, on the 10 virgins parable, the shout: Here is the groom!, was heard at midnight – Mat.25,6. The urge for watching from the pericope Mat.24,36 – 51 is throughouly flashed by this idea. Even Christ`s first coming has been prophesized for hundreds and hundreds of years, the Mesia advent people, Israel, was completely unprepared for welcome Him and because of this attitude, it switched in a curse from a blessing for most of them. There is another example quite shaded for us to decode the spiritual connotations.

1 Sam.cap.27 – a lesser known episode from the life of David the fugitive. David has been carrying a tough oppression from Saul- his father – in – law, the Israel annointed man, for 10 years. He is longing for an hour of rest, for salvation from this fugitive life of a permanent hunt. He wants to live a happy family life, play with children without this mark of outlaw on which passed the death sentence...But in vain. Wandering on mountains and deserts with 600 people arround them, sleeping with one eye open with the sword at their heads, here it is David, phisically and psychically consumed, almost at the end of endurance. And Saul is hunting him with an assiduosness worthy of a better cause.

Faith up and down....David is only 29. The former sheperd is now a mature person. The victory against Goliath, the position of the emperor`s son-in-law privately annointed by Samuel as the future king...And now a fugitive. We can easily condemn him and hard to understand. Wasn`t he annointed having God`s assurance that he will be the one to lead the Israel? And then?...I`ll take the liberty to reverse the famous line given by Christ to Satan which told him off: The man does not feed only with...Bible in succession, spiritual books, Christian magazines, but with bread. Even the black one because there are many problems in”management” aria. To feed an army of 600 people also with their families, to anticipate the enemy`s intentions and to move from place to place...Then the weapons, clothing, footwear...who was finally responsible for all of these? David / obviously.

Thoughts crossing trough his mind...

In front of Saul and his troops he shows himself as a reliable man as fits for a commander which try to keep up his army. 1 Sam.26,24 last part:......A crystal clear statement of faith. Only his ownself knows the torments made by so many doubts...

Thoughts: “Look, there are 10 years of wandering, who knows how many will be till..Till what? Till when? Till the fulfillement of the prophesy: David the king. Hey..Wait a little, my boy! Saul is at the edge of his glory, another 10 years of reign at least. Then his son, Jonathan, my friend. He belongs to a line of kings, I am only a sheperd...He is the rightful heir, recognized by people and loved by God, me as a servant escaped from his master...And what about the prophesy? Could Samuel wrong? If he could be alive today, I would ask him once more: How long should I run like a partridge?...