This morning, Matthew 24 was on my mind. No commentaries, no interpretations, no reading in a myriad of translations (I'm partial to the NIV, only because that is the version I was introduced to back in the day, after leaving the LDS church...I use BibleGateway, but now have to put up with the ads, LOL).
Boy, did Jesus have it spot on! Several applicable verses stood out to me today:
“Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains..." (Matthew 4:4-8)
There is a bit of comfort in reading Matthew 24. Now, I know that not everyone is an end-of-times or doomsday believer, but I can definitely see that things are being put in motion (again) for yet another singularity in Time. The fall of Rome, the Crusades, the Dark Ages, the Trail of Tears/genocide of Native Americans, the Great Depression, WWI & WWII, the Holocaust, the Cold War, 911...the list goes on as our world's history has been wrought with conflicts, chaos, wars and battles which have determined the course(s) of humanity. And here we are.
Then you have several microcausims in relationships and marriages, families and children, neighborhoods, schools, communities infected by crime, abuse, violence, alcoholism, drugs, debt, child/sex trafficking...all cancers on society that continue to affect our own Circles.
This is the world we live in, and these are the Beasts that have been created.
The Seven Deadly Sins
According to AI (which I think is a fascinating viewpoint in this informational age), these are a set of sins originating in Christian theology:
Lust: An exceesive desire for sexual gratification
Glutton: Eating or drinking to excess
Greed: An excessive desire for material possessions
Sloth: Laziness or failure to act
Wrath: Intense anger or hatred
Envy: Resentment or jealousy towards others' success
Pride: An excessive belief in one's own abilities
(I wanted to add deception, hypocrisy, and theft to the list, but I then realized that they were just byproducts of these main Seven.)
You know those funny videos and reels out there that say "I was today years old when I learned this..."? There are so many choices and mistakes (sins) I've made that riddle my own Timeline with regret. For me, one of the biggest in the making of those mistakes was alcohol. I've been sober for over two years now, but looking back...alcohol made me do some really stupid-ass shit. It inhibited my growth and intelligence, numbed and dumbed my mind, affected my health and performance in many arenas. Never did it take away the problems I had to deal with; it only exacerbated them. And don't even get me started on the ridiculous hangovers that wasted away the time in having to recover from the previous night's stupidity. Addiction is a demon that plagues many of us, and many of us are in denial of gluttony.
It took years (decades, in fact) for me to learn that we are not punished for our sins; we are punished by them, by the choices we make. It also opened my eyes to the fact that anything can make us slaves to addiction. Politics, religion, social media, etc. On a much larger scale, the powers-that-be have been making choices that have changed the course of history.
"At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved..." (Matthew 24:10-12)
(Hey, I didn't say it.)
"To remember who you are, you need to forget who they told you to be."
When I left the LDS church in 1996, it was devastating. I would say that, besides my recent accident where I shattered my wrist and nearly went blind, it was a crux on my own Timeline that changed the course of my entire life. I was truly and utterly lost. People who I thought were my friends shunned me, abandoned me. Gossip and judgment abounded. I didn't know what I believed anymore; I didn't know what people believed about me anymore. If there were ever one set of footprints in the sands of my Journey, those two events would definitely define them!
Because (I couldn't see it then, but) along the way, God had placed people in my life who loved me, cared for me, and were there to help me through my grief, pain and anguish. As I look back, that has been true throughout my entire life. Everything happens for a reason.
Like alcohol, my addiction to the LDS religion was so severe that it blinded me towards a belief in a "corporate Jesus" and a doctrine and theology that affected my childlike Faith (Luke 18:17). I then understood why my so-called "friends" abandoned me, "defriended" me. But I also understood why I had to be lost for a while, had to experience the winding pathways that so often threw me off of the path of my life's Journey.
I have also flip-flopped in the political arena to where making wise and educated choices at the voting booths have become near impossible. Partisanship can blind people so severely that so many have become the subjects of Wrath, Greed, Envy and Pride. I'm not pointing fingers or judging anyone, I'm just stating that there are many Truths that are covered up by social media and slick narratives that it's become like trying to peel back the layers of an enormous onion, adding to the chaos and confusion during the beginning of these birth pains. And it's scary! People are living in fear and desperation. People are turning to alcohol and drugs to numb the pain. Churches and religions have created a conditional love, like it's some sort of membership or social club to join, and then and only then can you reap the "benefits". Corporate Christianity has exploited and made Jesus Christ into an idol, a marketing campaign, a cult, a social club, an authoritative hierarchy, making a hypocrisy, minimalization, and mockery of God's Sacrifice...the most incredible Singularity that was supposed to change the world for Light, Life, Love and Truth. Mankind has rendered it useless.
"Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold."
Sure, I've had to learn my own history lessons...but are we as a society learning ours? No. Prophecy is inspired, but it is also mathematical, based upon probability. So as we have continued to ignore the real prophecies spoken a long time ago, warning that this was all coming, we've obviously and blantantly ignored the words of Jesus and have chosen to worship the gods of money and war.
I am now only beginning to understand and embrace my Native American culture. It has taken a lifetime to come full Circle and have an Earth and Sky relationship with my Creator. It has taken me literally decades to even attempt to deprogram from and be wary of the Seven Deadly Sins that plague our world today. I had to experience organized religion, domestic violence and abuse, alcoholism, divorce, failed marriages and relationships, deception, grieving loved ones who have passed on...
“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time..."
“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather..." (Matthew 24:22-25)
So what have I learned?
Love is still the answer.
There are so very, very many distractions that barely keep us from being swallowed up by the Beasts that glutton on the Seven Deadly Sins. I have been at the edge of those Mouths many times. Many have (and are).
But God is faithful and always has been. There are people in this world who are driven by love and have boots-on-the-ground compassion. I am absolutely thrilled to see that the Riverton Mercy House is getting off the ground. I see that PAWS for Life is stepping up their game. White Buffalo and Eagles Hope exist to help folks with addiction problems. I was so very, very grateful to the Riverton Help Center for their help last year. The Fremont County DUI Task Force and our county law enforcement agencies have received funding and support from the Fremont County Law Enforcement Foundation. There are so many people, groups and organizations that are driven by love that it gets me excited just talking about it! For heaven's sake, Wyoming is a hunting state...we need to start killing these Beasts from the ground up, because the top down sure ain't cutting it!
For many of the issues, it may be too late for change. The past is the past; you cannot change it. When the rich man asked Jesus what it took to attain eternal life (Matthew 19:16-30) his answer was to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him. What did the rich man do? He walked away, sorrowing. Why? Because he couldn't do it! He was a slave to a Beast.
"Jesus looked at them and said,
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
And God is Love! The solution...and response...is Love. It always has been. Love for yourself, love for your friends and family, your children, your community, your tribe, your country, your planet. Compassion! Helping each other up, not tearing each other apart.
Maybe that's why I'm a believer in Karma...maybe that's why I have moments of peace throughout the transitions and chaos where the truth seems non-existent and blind faith is rampant. There's a reason I've gone through the mountains, hills and valleys, the bitter cold winters and blazing hot summers of my Life. Everything had, has, and will have a purpose. Maybe I've gone through what I have in my life just to be standing here at my stand-up desk, writing what I am writing today.
So be sure to remember that as we continue to "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's..." (Matthew 22:21) the reality is that we, in fact, have absolutely nothing.
For everything belongs to God.
