1st or 21st CENTURY?

Many Bible teachers look at what is happening in the world and see similarities to predicted conditions during the Last Days. I think it is safer and more useful to look at parallels between our times and the past to learn lessons from them. For example, consider the following examples from the time of Jesus and fill in your own correspondences with the current climate in America. I promise that this will be my last political posting on this site.

King Herod Agrippa: Roman ruler who courted the favor of his Jewish subjects who considered him one of their own despite his mixed ancestry. He was a violent enemy of the apostles and was struck down because of his egotistical love of glory (Acts 12:21-23)

Pontius Pilate: Political leader who was so afraid of both the king and the people that he refused to do the right thing.

Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus: Two closet believers who refused to openly endorse Jesus for fear of losing their positions of power until Jesus' trial when they at last did the right thing and later helped bury Jesus' body.

The Sanhedrin: A ruling body composed of two incompatible factions – the Pharisees whose power base was among the common masses and the Sadducees who aligned themselves strongly with the wealthy and powerful. The only thing that brought them together was hatred of a common enemy.

The individual scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees who personally witnessed Jesus' miracles and knew him to be the valid Messiah, but continued to deny the reality of the truth because it might jeopardize their positions.

Qumran: A fringe cult group which held to bizarre beliefs and was waiting for a coming leader, the Teacher of Righteousness, to lead an armed revolt ousting the invalid and immoral temple leadership.

Zealots: A group who resolved to use any means possible, including armed force, to kick out the entrenched political power in the country and restore Israel to its former greatness.

Of course, Jesus was the real power at that time and still is today. We know from the Gospel accounts how he witnessed to the truth when bodily present. The question is: Does the body of Christ do the same today?