Posted on 12/24/2003 4:52:44 PM PST by webber
Tomorrow we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Among the many names given to him by the prophets who foretold his birth and the angels who announced it was "Prince of Peace." Yet, 2,000 years later, there is anything but peace.
The division between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors is sharper than ever.
Protecting itself from terrorist suicide bombers, Israel is constructing a "security fence" to prevent their entrance into Israeli territory from the West Bank—the area of "Judea/Samaria" in which Jesus conducted most of his ministry.
Many Palestinians have been allowed to work in Israel, but now cannot do so. Unemployment among Palestinians is near 50%. In the ways of the Middle East, each side blames the other. Where is the Prince of Peace?
In Iraq, the arrogant Saddam Hussein, who fashioned himself a modern Nebuchadnezzar, did not go down like a hero, but meekly emerged from his hiding place in a hole in the ground. The rise and fall of Saddam has amazing parallels to Nebuchadnezzar (see Mark Hitchcock's article "The New Nebuchadnezzar.")
Meanwhile, the rebuilding of Iraq into a modern democracy moves ahead, but is anything but smooth. Insurgency continues. Conflict between factions, many based on religion, threatens the process. Where is the Prince of Peace?
The "arc of instability" that covers the largely Muslim region from North Africa to the Philippines remains the training ground for many of those who seek to keep the world on edge through terrorism. Many of these countries are closed to the gospel, which can only be smuggled in or sent by satellite and short wave radio, means that respect no borders.Where is the Prince of Peace?
Were it not for the story of Jesus' time on earth and the promises of his return, the "Prince of Peace" would be just another extraordinarily charismatic religious leader whose legacy divides people into camps who conduct war on each other in the name of their religion.
In discussions about the Left Behind series and the forthcoming book The Glorious Appearing, it has struck us how God seems to have brought into convergence a number of significant events and laid them on the calendar in ways that none of the promoters and marketers could have conspired to do.
It has been noted by a number of critics and newspaper editorial boards that the success of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy is due in part to timing of events beyond the control of its producers. The first film, Fellowship of the Ring, came out during the Christmas holiday following September 11. The last, Return of the King, appeared in the week following Saddam's capture. The story of Middle Earth has remarkable parallels to the world today. People recognize the reality of evil, though many, in the name of peace, still try to appease it and "get along."
As we celebrate the birth of Christ, the simple yet complex moral tale of Lord of the Rings provides a starting point for conversation. It will plant seeds in the minds of thoughtful people that can sprout when exposed to the gospel of Christ. But that is just the beginning. The title of the last film, "Return of the King", is itself significant as we see two other media events on the horizon.
Moving toward Easter 2004, the Mel Gibson film, The Passion of the Christ, will release February 25, at the beginning of Lent. As people turn their attention, fleeting as it is, to the story of Christ during this season, this film will offer one of the most powerful portrayals of Jesus' last week on earth ever made. It pulls no punches. This is no G-rated family friendly view of a Jesus who dies with sanitized suffering. It was a brutal time. It was a brutal death. At the moment of his death that Friday, an earthquake shook the ground and the veil of temple was dramatically torn in two. In the film, Satan celebrates. The story of Jesus seems to come to a tragic and bitterly disappointing end in a cold tomb on a Friday afternoon. But then came Sunday.
Even for those who do not observe Lent, or those who only see Jesus as a gentle teacher, the film will confront them with Christ. Just as happened during his time on earth, people will have to decide whether Jesus is who he said he is —the Son of God, the Lamb of God whose agonizing sacrifice would pay for our sin.
Along with the release of the movie, Tyndale will publish a companion book with photos from the movie and its production, interviews and testimonials of several people involved in the project, scripture and devotional thoughts. Such books are typically done as part of the hype surrounding what may be a blockbuster film, and it would be dishonest to say that such motivations are not part of the planning. Yet, for those involved, there is something sacred about this project, something that, like Campus Crusade's Jesus Film project, could have a powerful impact for the kingdom of Christ that transcends the business activity behind it.
While The Passion of the Christ will transform the way many people approach Easter, the release of Glorious Appearing, the climatic book in the Left Behind series, on March 30 will be a powerful footnote that the Prince of Peace is not a relic of history. Not only did Sunday come, as Jesus promised, but he will return again, as he promised.
The next four months will offer extraordinary opportunities for the gospel to penetrate into secular and skeptical cultures around the world.
These months will add new urgency to the opportunity—your opportunity—to "share Eternity with someone today."
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