It was a phrase that seemed straight out of the movie “Dr. Strangelove”.

The Soviet Union had nuclear weapons and the missile technology to deliver them to targets in the United States.

The United States had just as many nuclear weapons and the same ICBM capacity to send them to Russia.

The reason that either side failed to use them?

If one side launched, the other would order a counter strike and neither nation would be left alive.

Both sides believed in the doctrine of “mutually assured destruction” – or MAD.

This sort of “MAD”-ness kept the peace for nearly four decades of the Cold War.

Now it appears that Israel is taking a page from this very same play book.

JERUSALEM, July 9 (Reuters) – Israel must have “tremendously powerful” weapons to deter a nuclear attack or destroy an enemy that dares to launch an atomic strike, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted on Thursday as saying. National security adviser Uzi Arad, in comments to Haaretz newspaper, appeared to allude to what is widely believed to be Israel’s own nuclear arsenal and a standing policy of “mutually assured destruction” (MAD). He warned other countries they could bring about their own devastation if they launched an attack. Israel has never confirmed it has atomic arms. In excerpts on Haaretz’s English-language website of an interview to be published on Friday, Arad said he feared that if Iran became a nuclear power, five or six other states in the Middle East would follow suit. He called such a prospect a “nightmare” for Israel. “The defensive might we have must be improved and become tremendously powerful, and create a situation in which no one will dare to realise the ability to harm us,” Arad said. “And if they do dare, we will exact a full price, so that they too will not survive.”

Now when it comes to Suni Moslem nations like Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, “Mutually Assured Destruction” would be a viable strategy.

After all, no rational leader would sacrifice their entire nation just to wipe Israel off the map, right?

But what about the not so rational?

What of the Shiite Muslims like Mahmoud Ahmadinejhad who believe that dying for their religion is the guaranteed way to Paradise and the martyr’s reward of 70 virgins?

What of those whose end of the world scenario includes creating a global war to hasten the coming of their promised messiah, the Mahdi?

What of those who believe the holiest act one can commit in this life is to die in such a way that you take out as many infidels as possible?

“Mutually Assured Destruction” only works if you assume the other side really doesn’t want to die.

This is what makes the fanatical followers of a death loving cult in Iran so dangerous.

Israel could have enough nuclear weaponry to destroy Iran 100 times over, but that prospect would not slow down for one moment those who have embraced violent death as the pathway to life.

This is why first of all, Iran must not be permitted to develop a nuclear weapon.

But second of all, it is also why the same old solutions to conflicts like diplomacy, economic sanctions, and even mutually assured destruction are hopelessly ineffective in dealing with this threat.

Until Israel, the United States and the rest of the world recognize the spiritual component driving the policy of the mullahs in Iran we are courting disaster.

And if the root of the problem is spiritual, so is the remedy.

Don’t get me wrong.

The political upheaval that has transpired following the less than subtle rigged elections in Iran doesn’t appear to be going away any time soon.

The powers that be in the West need to do all they can politically to support this yearning for freedom.

But even if this protest movement is successful, all it will do is place into power a man like Mir-Hossein Mousavi who had no qualms about sending children to their deaths as human mine sweepers during the Iran/Iraq war of the 80’s.

And lest we forget, it was Mousavi who started Iran on its mad course for nuclear weaponry.

If the rulers of Iran, whoever they may be, continue their mad dash for the ultimate WMD, military intervention will inevitably be necessary as well.

But the ultimate way to change a nation is to change the hearts of her people. And the only hope for real and lasting change is for the Iranian people to have the opportunity to hear about the true Messiah, Jesus.

Let’s continue to pray for the radio and internet outreaches that share the message of Christ in Iran.

Even more, let’s continue to pray for the courageous Iranian believers in Jesus who are risking their lives daily to reach their own people with God’s liberating love.

Old Cold War style approaches to conflict management will simply not work in this religiously superheated region.

What is really needed is not the doctrine of “Mutually Assured Destruction” but the doctrine of “Mutually Assured Salvation”- the truth that can lead this region out of the valley of the shadow of death.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (John 5:24)

A few years back the jazz vocal group “Manhattan Transfer” hit the charts with a Gospel infused tribute to spiritual hunger.

The catchy chorus went:

“Operator? Information? Get me Jesus on the line!”

Wouldn’t that be something?

I mean, how much would you pay for a five minute phone conversation with the Savior Himself?

Well, believe it or not, an L.A. radio station is offering its listeners the privilege and with a toll free number, they even pick up the charges for the call.

Every Sunday morning KFI radio presents what it calls “The Jesus Christ Radio Program”.

The gimmick behind this spiritual question and answer program is that they claim to eliminate the middle man.

Callers don’t interact with someone who relates what Jesus might have to say about their life and circumstances – they claim to offer God’s truth straight from the horse’s mouth.

“Two thousand years ago, he walked this Earth,” a recent airing began just after 6a.m. “Teaching, guiding, loving and preparing to make the ultimate sacrifice. `For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ What if today you could talk to him, laugh with him, cry with him – not just through prayer but through the radio?

“You’re listening to `The Jesus Christ Show.’ To be part of the show, call (800) 520-1KFI. And now, here’s our host, Jesus Christ.”

KFI’s  “Jesus” plays it straight, never snickering when he refers to himself as “your holy host”.

And unfortunately, this program is no joke to listeners either.

“Jesus” is in reality KFI’s marketing director Neil Saavedra.

Saavedra, a professing born again Christian, began playing the role of Jesus as a bit of shtick on “The Bill Handel Show”.

Handel, who is Jewish, had Saavedra play the role of Jesus as an interview on an Easter Sunday broadcast. The segment was so well received by listeners, “The Jesus Christ Radio Show” now has it’s regular Sunday spot on the broadcast schedule and is syndicated nation wide.

“There was no question he could not answer. Out of that evolved what I consider to be the most unique show in radio,” said Handel, who is Jewish. “It’s sort of like Dr. Dean Edell meets Dr. Laura meets Jesus on the cross.”

So “The Jesus Christ Radio Show” is successful.

It is syndicated.

But is it spiritually safe?

Saavedra openly admits that even while playing Jesus on the radio  he doesn’t have all the answers.

Or maybe even no answers at all.

“Do I feel qualified to answer any of this stuff? No way,” he said during a commercial break. “But sometimes the people are so desperate for help, my God, I’ve got to do something.”

But that “something” has lead both Saavedra and his listenership to a pretty precarious spot.

Consider this interaction noted by Brad Greenberg on ReligionNewsBlog.com

“Well, people that know me, and I’ve known you for 30 some-odd years and I know that you are going to perfect whatever work I start, but I would think that after 30 years, I would get rid of some of these character defects, things that I do that I know I have to apologize for,” Moyes said. “Why is my brain still thinking that way?”

“Well,” KFI Jesus responded, “Scripture says it via (the Apostle) Paul very well: `The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.’ … The benefit is that it’s paid for: It’s taken care of by the blood of the cross. … You hit it on the head when you called, and that is that I will finish the work and the perfection I started in you. That comes from me and not you.”

Weighty words from a man who didn’t die on a cross and rise from the dead three days later.

The natural, if knee-jerk, reaction is to question the audacity of a self-trained, unordained minister of the Gospel who would answer people’s most haunting questions and try to heal their deepest wounds by pretending to be their best friend and life guide.

Saavedra seems to have struck a nerve with his  speaking for Jesus in the first person performance.

So what are we to make of this from a biblical point of view?

There are those who tend to see this in a whatever gets the word out kind of pragmatism.

Hey, if people are helped and encouraged, who cares if it’s just a 37 year old radio dude playing a part?

Supporters would point to what Paul said in his letter to the Philippians:

Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. (Philippians 1:15-18)

But here’s the rub.

Neil Saavedra isn’t preaching about Christ. He is preaching as Christ.

And that opens up another whole can of worms.

It reminds me of another wind of doctrine that blew through Christian circles a few years ago – it was called “The Healing of the Memories”.

According to this fusion of the New Testament and New Age thinking, people with pain from their past were lead by counselors to vividly imagine the most traumatic moments of their lives.

Then they were to imagine Jesus stepping in to defend, affirm or encourage them in their past.

Only one problem with this – How does the therapist know what Jesus would have said or done if He had been physically present at that moment?

The danger in “The Healing of the Memories” is to reduce Jesus to little more than a marionette, able to be commanded to act or speak in any way the hurting person desires.

People soon began to wonder if they weren’t just experiencing an emotional release caused by literally putting words in Jesus’ mouth.

Putting words in Jesus’ mouth.

It is one thing to faithfully and compassionately relate to people what Jesus did say about the issues of life.

It is quite another to say, “I am Jesus and here’s what I say to you…”

If you make claim like that, you’d better be right.

You’d better have all the answers.

100% of the time.

Or you end up not only misrepresenting God’s message, but God Himself.

The danger inherent in this approach is aptly illustrated by this  supposedly helpful interaction.

“I was talking to Jesus through Neil,” Helen Harris, 69, of Woodland Hills said after calling KFI Jesus.

The founder of RP International, a nonprofit that fights retinitis pigmentosa, a rare disease that causes blindness, Harris’ life has been scarred by trauma. RP stole her vision 33 years ago and now is taking her two sons’ sight. One also is battling prostate cancer and depression.

For the first time, Harris said, she was asking, “Where is God?”

“Why after we fix one problem after another and don’t fall because you help us, why is there another one after another one?” she asked KFI Jesus.

He listened and encouraged, and when the show went to commercial for a half-hour news update, KFI Jesus put Harris on hold. Saavedra picked up the line off air.

“I hate hearing what has happened to you, and I hate hearing what has happened to your family,” Saavedra said before slipping back into character and reminding his disciple that God doesn’t guarantee life will be easy. “You’ve trusted me for many years. I need you to keep doing that.”

Who was Harris trusting? Jesus?

Neil Saavedra?

Both?

Neither?

When people are genuinely hurting they need the touch of the real Savior, not some guy in a studio admittedly playing a role.

The real Jesus,

not KFI Jesus,

said this:

“Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them.” (Luke 21:8)

Sadly, “The Jesus Christ Radio Show” demonstrates not only the level of spiritual confusion, but the amazing tolerance of what could generously be called “religious role playing” in our day.

It has been said that there are two great tragedies in life – not getting what you want, and getting it.

When it is all said and done, the life of Michael Jackson may very well be a cautionary illustration of that principle.

When Joseph Jackson began (literally) whipping his sons into show biz shape, there was one great driving vision -

Let people know who you are.

Make it big.

Become a star.

And so began the full on pursuit of that ultimate brass ring – fame.

But as many others have sadly discovered, one of the strangest results of achieving that goal is to discover that the pursuit of fame can easily turn on you.

Instead of pursuing fame, those who make it to the top find themselves being pursued by fame.

You know the stories.

A quiet night on the town turns into a high speed chase by the paparazzi.

“Friends” leaking intimate secrets to the media for a price.

The constant companionship of a staff of security to screen out the stalkers.

The disconcerting feeling that one doesn’t have a single relationship that isn’t tied to an agenda.

Many devote their lives to have fame, only to discover that fame has them.

And instead of fame bringing liberation and celebration, there is ultimately a crushing sense of isolation.

And frustration.

Following the over the top success of “Thriller”, Michael Jackson released a song and a video with the sad but telling title - “Leave Me Alone”.

And although the lyrics were about a relationship gone sour, the video showed Jackson riding on a roller coaster, surrounded by images of prying media and representations of all the rumors of his strange life.

But this ride was anything but fun – it was oppressive, even nightmarish.

But do you catch the irony here?

On the one side, Jackson was lashing out at all the intrusions that people had made into his personal space.

But on the other, he didn’t seem to mind using this sense of outrage to sell more records.

Like an addictive drug, he couldn’t live with fame – or without it.

“Well thank goodness  none of that applies to me. I will never have to worry about living the stressful life of a super star!”

For the vast majority of us that is true.

But there is a life lesson here for all of us.

The desire to “be somebody” that fuels the pursuit of fame isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

All of us are created with a need for a sense of purpose and meaning to our lives.

In fact, it is a large part of what it means to be made in God’s image and likeness.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28)

The Bible tells us that God didn’t just create humanity to wander aimlessly. Even in the perfect conditions of Eden, Adam and Eve were created on purpose and for a purpose.

And ever since we have had a critical need to know that there is more to our lives than eating, breathing, reproducing and dying.

But the crucial issue is, how will we meet that need?

When we decide to find our purpose in the approval or applause of others, something inevitably goes wrong.

No matter how much we have, or how many people know us there is a troubling sense of “Is that all there is?” emptiness that dogs our steps.

No wonder the prophet Jeremiah wrote this sober warning to his right hand man, Baruch.

And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them.(Jeremiah 45:5)

Notice the key words here - “for yourself”

The secret of true fulfillment isn’t so much what we do, as it is who we do it for.

Jesus put it this way:

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. (Matthew 16:25-27)

Jesus said the only way we will find the meaning and fulfillment we seek is in a relationship with Him.

In fact, His final review of how we lived our lives is the only one that really matters.

And the pain ridden, confused and eventually drug addled life of Michael Jackson bears witness as to what can happen when we go looking for purpose and meaning in all the wrong places.

CS Lewis, a man who experienced his share of fame, offers this telling insight:

“Your real, new self (which is Christ’s and also yours, and yours just because it is His) will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for Him.

Does that sound strange?

The same principle holds, you know, for more everyday matters. Even in social life, you will never make a good impression on other people until you stop thinking about what sort of impression you are making. Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.

The principle runs through all life from top to bottom, Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead.

Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”

Where are you looking for your sense of meaning and purpose today?

Last week provided a nice freeze frame of the difference between the eye catching and the important.

The eye catching?

The usual suspects showing up for photo ops, not so cleverly disguised as expressions of mourning over the death of Michael Jackson.

Friday also brought us Sarah Palin’s jaw dropping decision to resign as Governor of Alaska.

More on this as the week unfolds, but suffice it to say if my children were being subjected to this level of vicious, almost psychotic attack I would probably consider resigning as well.

But the real news (buried under the sound and fury of full volume, talk over the other side until they run out of air side show that passes for debate in our culture) is far more significant than either of these stories.

To whit:

Saudis give nod to Israeli raid on Iran

The head of Mossad, Israel’s overseas intelligence service, has assured Benjamin Netanyahu, its prime minister, that Saudi Arabia would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets flying over the kingdom during any future raid on Iran’s nuclear sites.

Earlier this year Meir Dagan, Mossad’s director since 2002, held secret talks with Saudi officials to discuss the possibility.

The Israeli press has already carried unconfirmed reports that high-ranking officials, including Ehud Olmert, the former prime minister, held meetings with Saudi colleagues. The reports were denied by Saudi officials.

“The Saudis have tacitly agreed to the Israeli air force flying through their airspace on a mission which is supposed to be in the common interests of both Israel and Saudi Arabia,” a diplomatic source said last week.

Although the countries have no formal diplomatic relations, an Israeli defence source confirmed that Mossad maintained “working relations” with the Saudis.

And speaking of “blind eyes”, apparently this case of “plausible deniability” isn’t something only to be found in Saudi Arabia:

Biden: Israel free to set own course on Iran

WASHINGTON—Vice President Joe Biden signaled that the Obama administration would not stand in the way if Israel chose to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, even as the top U.S. military officer said any attack on Iran would be destabilizing.

The bottom line? Israel apparently has the green light to make sure the mad mullahs fail to join the nuclear club.

Why this change of heart?

Perhaps the world has finally caught on to the true nature of Ahmadinejhad and Khameni as reflected in their ham fisted attempt at election rigging and subsequent brutalization of those who had the nerve to peacefully protest.

Perhaps this is a not so subtle signal that the world is running out of patience with Iran’s full out sprint toward the ultimate WMD.

No doubt Israel is ready to de-fang Iran.

So what holds them back?

Ed Morrissey offers this at his Hot Air blog:

The model for this attack is Syria, where the Israelis destroyed a nascent nuclear facility built by North Koreans.  Unfortunately, that model may not be a good predictor of success in Iran.  The terrain in Iran is much different than in Syria, where the facility stood out like a sore thumb on satellite recon images.  The Iranians have reportedly dispersed their nuclear work so that an attack on one or two sites won’t cripple their work.  The Israelis would have to have excellent intel in order to succeed — but then again, the Israelis usually have excellent intel, and if they’re working with the Saudis, that makes the odds better.

However, the Iranian regime looks on shaky ground at the moment.  An Israeli attack now would almost certainly stop the momentum of the opposition, boosted today by the mullahs in Qum declaring the rigged presidential election illegitimate, and by extension also the regime that rigged it.  A military strike would unite Iranians against the world and could set back the effort at real reform by 30 years, unless the Israelis attempted to decapitate the Guardian Council and Ali Khamenei.

If the Times has this right, the Israelis may want to bide their time to see what transpires next in Iran.  They can’t wait forever, but the overthrow of the mullahs would be more likely to accomplish what Israel wants than an air strike.

As we have detailed before, Ezekiel chapters 38-39 indicates that Iran will be a part of a Last Days invasion of Israel, but not its leader.

There is no doubt scripturally that the leadership of Iran will continue their spiritually inspired hatred of Israel.

But there is also no doubt that they will be denied the capability to fulfill Mahmoud Ahmadinejhad’s  expressed desire to “wipe Israel off the map” independently.

Whether it results from a revolution, an Israeli air strike or a combination of these events, look for Iran’s nuclear ambitions to be blocked.

But look as well for Iran to be forced to draw closer to Russia as a means to fulfill her fanatical leaders’ ultimate dream.

And that, ladies and gentlemen is far more significant news than a pop star’s passing, or a shift in strategy of an up and coming politician.

One of the real privileges of doing a daily phone in Bible Q and A talk show is the opportunity to interact with people who are making a difference .

On a number of occasions we have had the opportunity to have Answers In Genesis founder Ken Ham as a special guest.

If you had the chance to hear the broadcast, you know that Ken and Answers in Genesis are committed to believeing, defending and proclaiming the Bible asthe Word of God “from the very first verse.”

Ken recently hosted a live web cast with a message we have found so compelling that we wanted to make it available to those of you who are regular readers of Scott’s Blog.

Just click this icon and be prepared to be challenged with Ken’s message “State of the Nation 09 – The Collapse of Christian America”.

I am convinced this is a message that every Bible believing Christian needs to hear and take to heart!

Does God need your money?

You might think so if you spend much time being exposed to what passes for Christian television these days.

At one time or another we have all been exposed to sob filled, mascara streaked appeals telling us, “If you don’t send in a ‘love gift’ today, this annointed, Holy Spirit empowered ministry is going to go off the air!”

Maybe it’s the after effects of being raised by an attorney, but when I encounter these “whine-a-thons”, I often find myself asking some simple questions of our overwrought hosts  -

“If you are so annointed by God, why doesn’t He pay your bills?”

“If I can have everything I want if I just have faith, why isn’t your faith working right now?”

I get the distinct impression that there are going to be some awkward silences when the Lord asks some of these spiritual celebrities why they financed their private jets, $10,000 suits and $5,000 per night hotel stays on the donations of little old ladies tithing out of their social security checks.

Does God need our money?

Believe it or not, this is one of the most frequently asked questions we recieve on our Scott Richards Live broadcast.

And here’s a simple answer-

No.  He doesn’t.

Contrary to what you may have heard at fund raising dinners and  “share-a-thons”, you won’t find Jesus standing in line at the local Pay Day Loan Emporium.

God certainly isn’t broke.

He isn’t a tight wad, either.

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

So how should this effect us when we are asked to give to a spiritual cause?

First of all, we need to remember that giving according to the New Testament is never a “got to”.

Sometime we will give because we feel pressured to do so.

Or because someone has laid a guilt trip on us.

Or even expressed a veiled spiritual threat -

“You know, God won’t bless your life unless you give to this effort!”

Can I share something with you as a pastor?

If a so called “invitation to partner with God” starts sounding like one of those curses leveled at you if you don’t forward an obnoxious spam e-mail on to 82 of your closest friends, it’s not from the Lord.

One of the most clarifying and liberating passages on the nuts and bolts of giving as Christians is found in II Corinthians 9.

There the apostle Paul was sharing with the believers at Corinth about a relief effort put together to help the people of Jerusalem through a time of famine.

A worthy cause?

No doubt.

An urgent need?

Absolutely.

Yet consider how Paul took pains to make sure that if the Corinthians were to take part in the effort it would be for all the right reasons.

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written:

“ He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.” (II Corinthians 9:7-9)

The message?

God loves a “cheerful”  giver. The word in Greek is the same one we get our term “hilarious”  from.

In other words, if we find ourselves rolling our eyes, sighing under our breath, or thinking, “Oh, all right..Whatever..” when an appeal is made -

DON’T GIVE!

So why should we give at all?

There’s really only one good reason to be involved with giving as Christians.

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.  And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

We give because we want to be like our Father.

We give because we want to be like Jesus.

And when God expresses His love, have you noticed that it always involves giving?

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

So next time you are in a situation that involves giving – stop a moment and check yourself.

“Am I giving because I’m under pressure?”

“Am I giving, but my heart isn’t really in it?”

Or “Am I giving because I want to be more like Jesus?”

When you give, give to the Lord, not to some personality, program or project.

When you give, do it in love.

Then giving will be a “get to”, not a “got to” in your life!

In the SRL files under “Mything the Point” comes this headline grabbing announcement from the Vatican:

Pope: Scientific analysis done on St. Paul’s bones

ROME – The first-ever scientific test on what are believed to be the remains of the Apostle Paul “seems to confirm” that they do indeed belong to the Roman Catholic saint, Pope Benedict XVI said Sunday.

Archaeologists recently unearthed and opened the white marble sarcophagus located under the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls in Rome, which for some 2,000 years has been believed by the faithful to be the tomb of St. Paul.

Benedict said scientists had conducted carbon dating tests on bone fragments found inside the sarcophagus and confirmed that they date from the first or second century.

“This seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested tradition that they are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul,” Benedict said, announcing the findings at a service in the basilica to mark the end of the Vatican’s Paoline year, in honor of the apostle.

Not to be the skunk at the picnic, but this discovery seems to be well, a bit underwhelming.

Let’s face it, there were a lot of people who lived in the first and second centuries.

The fact that this tomb had remains that date to that era is interesting but certainly not conclusive.

Even more interesting was the motivation for this meeting of the church and carbon dating:

Vatican archaeologists in 2002 began excavating the 8-foot-long coffin, which dates from at least A.D. 390 and was buried under the basilica’s main altar. The decision to unearth it was made after pilgrims who came to Rome during the Roman Catholic Church’s 2000 Jubilee year expressed disappointment at finding that the saint’s tomb — buried under layers of plaster and further hidden by an iron grate — could not be visited or touched.

The top of the coffin has small openings — subsequently covered with mortar — because in ancient times Christians would insert offerings or try to touch the remains.

The fervent attention being paid to this traditionally identified resting place of Paul’s earthly remains raises a provocative question – What would the apostle himself think of all this?

The shocking answer for some -

Probably not much.

In his ministry career, Paul had to deal with his share of misplaced hero worship.

In fact, the all too human tendency to be more excited about God’s servants than the Savior was an issue he dealt with directly in his first letter to the church at Corinth:

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. ² I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; ³ for you are still carnal.

For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? ⁴ For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? ⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

⁷ So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. ⁸ Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

⁹ For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. ¹⁰ According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.

¹¹ For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 2:1-11)

Paul was absolutely committed to making Jesus the center of attention in everything he did.

The notion that people would provide him an ornate grave and think that somehow they were going to be blessed by touching his remains, stuffing a prayer request in his coffin, or praying to him at the site would undoubtedly have left him spinning in it.

If he was there.

And here is the second scriptural truth that gets strangely left out of these discussions of the remains of saints – the real apostle Paul is nowhere near this basilica right now.

Where is he?

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

² For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, ³ if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked.

⁴ For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

⁶ So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. ⁷ For we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸ We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. (II Corinthians 5:1-8)

The real apostle Paul is absent from the body that may or may not have been carbon tested last week.

The real apostle Paul is present with his Lord.

Don’t get me wrong. The upside of research like this is that it emphasizes the historical fact of the Christian faith.

Paul was not a figment of some overheated religious imagination. He lived and breathed like we do.

He had a life changing encounter with the resurrected Jesus that so transformed him we are still discussing his impact on the world today.

But if Paul could have made an appearance at that press conference,  I’m certain he would say, “If you want to honor my life and ministry, don’t pray to me – follow the One Who was the reason I lived and the reason I died a martyr’s death.”

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

³ I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. ⁴ And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

⁵ that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (I Corinthians 2:2-5)

Where were you when you heard the news?

For one generation that question brings back memories of the JFK assasination.

For another the tragic death of Martin Luther King Junior.

For others John Lennon.

But for those who grew up in my era, we could add another to the list -

Where were you when you heard Michael Jackson had died?

Being the same age as Michael Jackson, I can vividly recall when he burst on the scene – easily eclipsing the rest of the brother act known as the Jackson Five.

Yeah.. yeah.

Nice harmonies, Jermaine.

Nifty conga solo, Tito.

But please get out of the way and let that charismatic kid with the incredible voice and dance moves to match take center stage, please.

The Jackson Five faded after a few years.

But in the early 80’s, Michael came back on the scene with a vengeance.

The Quincy Jones produced album “Thriller” established Jackson as an artist found in the same rarefied atmosphere as Frank Sinatra, Elvis and the Beatles.

When Michael began to refer to himself as the “King of Pop”, no one scoffed.

But outside the spotlight, another story was unfolding – the story of a man under overwhelming pressure not just to perform on stage, but in every area of life.

Including the spiritual.

When “Thriller” hit the air waves I was working as a youth pastor in Agoura Hills, California – about 20 miles north of the Jackson family home in Encino.

One day, one of my interns came into the office and said, “Guess who tried to give me an ‘Awake’ magazine today? Michael Jackson!”

Talk about an unexpected brush with greatness.

“Michael Jackson was going door to door as a Jehovah’s Witness in your neighborhood? Did you get a chance to tell him about Jesus?”, I asked.

“Nope”, my intern replied. “He told me his name was Joe and started to tell me about being a J.W. , but then some kids from down the block recognized him and started yelling, ‘Michael!!’ He turned around and ran off.”

Now what could have  possibly motivated a man who,  by all accounts, was painfully shy off stage to go door to door selling the Watchtower to total strangers?

Michael Jackson’s mother was a committed Jehovah’s Witness.

No doubt Jackson would never have chosen to do something as uncomfortable as a door to door mission if he wasn’t trying his best to please his mother.

Or perhaps he was trying to make up for a bad conscience with a heroic religious act.

We will never know for sure what lead Michael to spend a day on the “mean streets” of Agoura Hills.

But the pressure must have been immense.

There is no doubt this man was given a pretty tough row to hoe in life.

How do you keep your head on straight when you are raised under a system of rigid religiosity, and yet are known for demonstrating  increasingly explicit dance moves in front of the entire country?

How do you maintain humility not just in the face of sold out crowds who seemed to worship you, but also in light of those who made you the object of their religion – a sect of J.W’s who actually believed you were the biblical arch angel Michael?

How do you keep an increasingly eccentric personality in check when you have complete freedom to do whatever you like financially?

In short, Michael Jackson didn’t maintain his balance.

And the price to be paid was steep.

There is an old saying that goes, “When you are twenty you have the face that God gave you. By the time you are forty you have the face you have made for yourself.”

No one embodied this more than Michael Jackson.

You know the rest of it.

The child molestation charges.

The career collapse.

The rumors of financial ruin.

Michael Jackson never seemed to be able to escape his personal pain.

But it does seem that he regularly attempted to medicate it by turning back to systems of religious rigidity.

In fact, one of the last headline grabbing stories  prior to his death involved his move to the Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain and a conversion to Islam.

Michael Jackson ‘converts to Islam and changes name

to Mikaeel’

The American singer Michael Jackson has converted to Islam, the Sun newspaper reported over the weekend.

The 50-year-old pop star, who changed his name to Mikaeel, pledged allegiance to the Koran at a friend’s house in Los Angeles. An Imam was summoned from a nearby mosque to hold the shahada, the declaration of belief in Allah and Mohammed’s prophecy.

An associate said that Jackson chose his new name, which is the name of one of Allah’s angels, after rejecting another Muslim name, Mustafa, which means “the chosen one.”

Last week, he sold his multimillion California estate, Neverland Ranch, to cover his debts. He is also facing a lawsuit by a Bahrain prince, Sheikh Abdulla Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, who alleges he gave Jackson $2.2 million after he was acquitted of child molestation in 2007.

What to make of the death of the “King of Pop”?

I’m certain there will be all kinds of retrospectives concerning the highlights of his career and the depth of his personal problems.

But my mind goes back to that day on the streets of Agoura Hills.

I wonder what would Michael Jackson’s life have been like if he hadn’t run away from that door step?

What if he had heard about the real Jesus – not the one preached by a cult that would crush him with a laundry list of impossible demands – but the One Who loved him unconditionally?

The same Jesus Who could supply the power to either bear up under the weight of fame, or even give him the courage to simply walk away?

The same Jesus Who could have given him a new heart?

The same Jesus Who said,

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Michael began his journey in life with the heavy load of legalism.

Tragically, it looks like his strange, sad spiritual journey ended the same way.

More bad news breaking in Iran today.

The protests against the dubious landslide victory of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are continuing unabated.

But the forces under the control of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameni are turning up the heat as well.

Walpole once remarked that “The wisest prophets make sure of the events first.”

And in this day and age there is no shortage of so called seers who seem to have taken Walpole’s advice.

Modern prognosticators are famous for coming up with predictions that, well, quite frankly are a bit underwhelming.

You’ve probably caught the breathless headlines before:

“Hard times are ahead!”

“Two nations will go to war, but only one will win.”

“Yosemite Sam will never defeat Bugs Bunny in a war of wits!”

Yawn.

Most modern prophecy is little more than a statement of the obvious, delivered with glazed eyes and a spiritual sounding vibrato in the voice.

I guess that’s why I find the study of Biblical prophecy so fascinating.

When an Old Testament prophet began a statement with the words, “Thus says the Lord..” they weren’t offering their own speculations, but a revelation from the One Who is above and beyond time.

And sometimes these predictions seemed almost impossible to fulfill.

Consider Ezekiel 36:8-11

But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.

Israel would return to her land after a long and desolate absence.

The land, once a waste place would be reclaimed, renewed and blossom.

Now this seems like a no-brainer to us.

But for centuries even Bible believing Christians looked at the waste place the Promised Land had become and said, “How could such things be? This must be symbolic, because there is no way this could ever happen literally.”

And yet in our day we have seen the Jews regathered to the land.

The land has been amazingly restored, even to the point of becoming an exporter of agricultural products to the world.

This prophecy has literally been fulfilled before our eyes.

When God declares something, no matter how improbable, it is not only possible, but inevitably becomes a reality.

The reason I share this is because there is another prophecy concerning the Last Days that tends to generate similar  skepticism in our day.

It is a prediction clearly made in both the Old and New Testaments, yet seems so unlikely, so impossible that some have tried to consign it to the waste bin of symbolism.

Ezekiel devotes five entire chapters to this future event.

The book of Revelation describes it this way:

Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there.  But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. (Revelation 11:1-2)

The Bible declares that there will be a rebuilding of the Jewish Temple on its historic site.

Of course one minor problem stands in the way of this prediction coming to pass.

The Dome of the Rock, the third most venerated shrine in Islam, stands smack dab on top the Temple’s previous site.

If the Jews demolished the Dome of the Rock, they would have to face the united wrath of nearly a billion Muslims.

So how could this prophecy ever come to pass?

It would require supernatural intervention, right?

Well, hang onto your hat.

An article in today’s Jerusalem Post may be giving us an insight into how that intervention may soon come to pass.

Can Third Temple be built without destroying Dome of

the Rock?

A new Jewish interfaith initiative launched last week argues building the Third Jewish Temple in Jerusalem would not necessitate the destruction of the Dome of the Rock.

An aerial view of Jerusalem’s Old City.
Photo: AP

“God’s Holy Mountain Vision” project hopes to defuse religious strife by showing that Jews’ end-of-days vision could harmoniously accommodate Islam’s present architectural hegemony on the Temple Mount.

“This vision of religious shrines in peaceful proximity can transform the Temple Mount from a place of contention to its original sacred role as a place of worship shared by Jews, Muslims and Christians,” said Yoav Frankel, director of the initiative.

Until now Jewish tradition has assumed that destruction of the Dome of the Rock was a precondition for the building of the third and last Temple.

However, in an article that appeared in 2007 in Tehumin, an influential journal of Jewish law, Frankel, a young scholar, presented a different option.

His main argument is that Jewish doctrine regarding the rebuilding of the Temple emphasizes the role of a prophet.

This prophet would have extraordinary authority, including the discretion to specify the Temple’s precise location, regardless of any diverging Jewish traditions.

So a “prophet” would have the authority to determine whether and where a new Temple would be rebuilt.

Great for the Jews, but how would this “prophet” get the Muslims to sign off on the deal?

Sheikh Abdulla Nimar Darwish, founder of the Islamic Movement in Israel, tells us there is a similar authority figure in Islam who alone would have the authority to have the Muslim world accept such a situation.

“The mahdi (the Muslim messiah) will decide whether or not to rebuild the Temple. If he decides that it should be rebuilt, I will go out to the Temple Mount and help carry the rocks.“

Darwish warned against any attempt to rebuild the Temple before the coming of the mahdi.

“As long as there is a Muslim alive, no Jewish Temple will be built on Al-Haram Al-Sharif [the Temple Mount]. The status quo must be maintained, otherwise there will be bloodshed.”

So both sides see only one way this intractable problem can be resolved – the coming of a supernaturally empowered individual who gives he order.

How interesting that the Bible predicts just such a supernaturally charged individual coming on the scene to bring a peace agreement to pass that will include a rebuilt Temple.

Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.

And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,

Even until the consummation, which is determined,

Is poured out on the desolate.” (Daniel 9:27)

How interesting that Sheikh Darwish and Yoav Frankel would agree on one thing.

If a man shows up who performs the signs and wonders of an ultimate prophet, even the Temple being rebuilt is possible.

According to Daniel, both of these men may live to see the day when a hoped for but false “messiah” does just that.

Some have theorized that the Temple will be rebuilt following a natural disaster like an earthquake.

Some have suggested the Muslims built their shrine on the wrong spot and that there is room for both the Dome of the Rock and the Temple on the same piece of real estate.

But this article indicates a third possibility – that it will be the supernaturally empowered deception of the Antichrist that will resolve the issue.

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,  who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (II Thessalonians 2:3-4, 9-12)