Signs of the End of the Age: Matthew 24:1-35

Introduction - Signs – and watching for signs – road signs?

Sign of the times

• when things aren't what we would like them to be

  • teddy boy's, mods and rockers

  • Policemen being over vigilant, or aggressive

  • head teacher not allowed to do their jobs

Signs

Red sky at night

Pregnancy and birth – contractions (birth pains)

A new series coming soon – how long – a few weeks or they'd tell you the day

road signs – warning

restrictions

information

journey on a motorway – leave at junction 50, start paying attention at 45

then looking carefully for signs – like road names as you get closer to your destination

Types of signs -

for the immediate future

for the more distant future

Review of Bible passage

Difficult passage :

2 – questions

Tell us, they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

• when will this happen?

• what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?

The first one is easy ...

Jesus doesn't know – even Jesus

This is the fathers decision and his alone

36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

So Jesus Christ <> God. They may be One, they may be parts of the trinity, but there ARE differences – and this is one of the difference.

V2 “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

Jesus' prediction came true four decades after his death, in A.D. 70, when the Roman army crushed a Jewish rebellion in Jerusalem. Soldiers knocked down the massive stones of the temple in search of the melted gold that had run down between the stones as the temple burned. The largest stones weighed over 400 tons, but General Titus's soldiers levelled them all.

what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?

More difficult.

V4-5 “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ’, and will deceive many.

• Rev. Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church who actually claim to be Jesus Christ.

• One Christian leader claims that since 1900, over 1,100 people have claimed to be Christ. I’m not sure where he came up with the number 1,100. But there have been scores of people this century who claimed to be the Messiah including

• Jim Jones of the People’s Temple,

• Moses Guibbory,

• David Koresh of the Branch Dividians

• Christ Mytraya,
  Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the late leader of the Lubavitch movement based in New York City was believed by his followers to be the Messiah. There is a large banner in its main sanctuary proclaiming Rabbi Schneerson the Anointed One (viz. the Messiah)

• Marshall Applewhite of the Heaven’s Gate UFO Cult was apparently considered a reincarnation of Christ (or another being like Christ) by his followers.

• Father Divine,

• Charles Manson,

• Maharaja Ji,

• Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of Transcendental Meditation fame, and The Dalai Lama of Tibet

• Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s chief propagandist, said in a broadcast on 19 April 1936, that "Germany has been transformed into a great house of the Lord where the Fuhrer as our mediator stands before the throne of God." It was Hitler himself who ordered that he be presented as a deified messiah. Another powerful voice in the Nazi party, Dr. Robert Ley, proclaimed that "We believe on this earth in Adolf Hitler alone! We believe in National Socialism as the creed which is the sole source of grace!"

• Joseph Stalin, a former seminary student, used his theological training to develop a program to deify the leader of the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was Stalin’s belief that Russians were forever looking for a god-tsar, so he decided to present them a new god, in place of the one overthrown by the Bolsheviks. The new god-tsar was an atheist messiah, the god, Vladamir Lenin.
  
  
  

These are not THE Anti-Christ as mentioned in 1 John 2:18.

“Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many Antichrist have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.”

With global communications, this time more than any other time in history false Christs can disseminate their messages on a world-wide scale. The Anti-Christ is still to come.

v6 You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

Historians agree that the 20th century was unparalleled in the scale of its human misery. No period has witnessed the escalation of wars like the 20th Century. The Red Cross has estimated that over 100 million people have been killed in wars since the 20th Century began. This is not including genocide of Russians opposed to Stalin, the Jews exterminated during the Holocaust, Idi Amin’s or Pol Pot’s, or Mao Tse Tung’s Evil and bloodthirsty regimes.

Up until 1914, war had never been global, but in both World War 1 & 2, total war was waged.

Since World War II, there have been numerous major wars & hundreds of rebellions & revolutions. The death toll in conflicts since the end of World War II has topped 23 million.

These things are happening...

V7a Mt 24:7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

Nation – is the root word for both pagans and Gentiles – it means an ethnic grouping – perhaps a tribe, or western Europeans, or Scotsmen.

Kingdom is the political people grouping, more like today's nation state.

So the warning here is of conflict between peoples at all levels.

That is exactly what we are seeing – from the Cold War to Northern Ireland.

v7b There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

There is some research that indicate that the number of earthquakes is increasing, but since the planet has only recently been covered with seismological equipment it is difficult to be sure.

We are certainly much more aware of famines now because of global communications.

v8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

All this is just the beginning! The first sign of a contraction, some women don't even recognise them. It's been 2000 years now, how long is it supposed to take?

The rabbis spoke of “birth pains” - sufferings, that would precede the coming of the Messiah

“Isa 13:8 Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame.” This is from a passage that the NIV heads “A prophecy against Babylon” Babylon was used in Jesus time to represent the forces of evil against God.

v9“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.

There's the nations word again – all groupings of people will hate Christians – Do you see that happening?

Warner – persecution mainly Christians & Jews – why? – The One true God!

V10 &11 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.

As a result it will become harder and harder to become a Christian, or to stay a Christian. In the film “Kingdom of Heaven” (about the defence of Jerusalem from the Moslem's during the crusades), the Bishop says “convert now, repent later”. That, of course, was tried in real life during various oppressions and persecutions. In the film it wasn't necessary, but in many real life situations there was much debate about whether those who denied the faith should be allowed back into the church.

Here though we are talking about people genuinely turning away, or defecting, or actively choosing to follow false prophets. They will not find a home back in the church – because there will be no opportunity to repent and return.

v12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,

When I read this verse, I thought of the Christian organisations in the DR of Congo. Many of them have pulled out as the fighting intensifies. Their rational is obvious, get away, so that you are still alive to return later – when the fighting calms down. That's fine, but how must it appear to those who are residents and cannot just leave.

We see increasing wickedness in so many places. During the week it was Halloween. It occurred to me that we are teaching children that it is OK to go knocking on doors and demanding things. If I tried it tomorrow night:

Knock knock

“Hello, I'd like a bar of chocolate please, if I don't get it I will play a trick on you”

.. I'd probably get arrested!

v13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

There are many exhortations in scripture to remain faithful, to not give up, but to stay the course – here are a few:

• Mk 13:13 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

• 2Ti 2:10–13;Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

• Heb 10:36;You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

• Jas 1:12; Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

• 5:11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

v14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

world – used to mean either the inhabited or Roman world

nations – the same word again – meaning Gentiles, or ethnic groups

SO: before the end comes there must be preaching of the gospel to all ethnic groups across the entire planet.

How are we doing?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncontacted_people “Uncontacted Peoples”

“Recent usage favours the term "isolated" rather than "uncontacted" as few peoples have remained totally uncontacted by modern civilization”

• test – has this happened? - not quite – but we are nearly there …

v15 So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation', spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—

NO time to look at the imagery in Daniel

Da 9:27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.

Da 11:31 “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation.

In AD 70 the temple was destroyed by the Romans as we have already seen. The Roman Standard would have been set up in the middle of the destroyed building – to underline the victory the Romans had achieved. An unholy symbol in the middle of the temple.

v16-25

v16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

v17 Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house.

v18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.

v19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!

v20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.

v21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

v22-23 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect b those days will be shortened.

At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.

v24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.

v25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

This is not the time to stand and fight. This event has been permitted by God, so standing against it is not a sensible approach. The only reasonable thing to do is to leave. This gets the disciples of that time out of the centre of Jewish life, and helps to spread the message of Christianity, just as the later persecutions did around the Roman Empire.

Are these verses restricted to describing the destruction of the temple? - Yes, it appears as though they are, as they refer to Judea at the start.

The same test should be applied – “has it all happened yet?” this time yes & no

Mt 24:26-27 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ 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.

When Jesus returns it will be as obvious as lightning in the night sky! We don't need to go chasing after phantoms, if the question has to be asked, the answer is already known.

Mt 24:28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

At first sight a strange verse, but it probably relates to the Roman standards as they arrived in Jerusalem. Their black eagles looking like a flock of vultures circling a corpse. It was common not to distinguish between eagles and vultures. The implication of this is that the Jewish nation is dead.

Mt 24:29 “Immediately after the distress of those days “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

This is most likely OT symbolism for the end of creation, although some would say that it refers to kingdoms rising and falling, rather than astronomical events.

Mt 24:30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.

The sign, or banner, or standard, or the son of Man becomes visible to all. The nations of the earth mourn for the persecutions they have caused – the pain and death of so many of the believers over time. They mourn for themselves. There is no sense of repentance.

Mt 24:31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

The Christians are taken from the nations to be with God. Four Winds, is like four points of the compass

Mt 24:32-35 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Lastly in this passage Jesus warns the disciples that these things are about to happen, he gives them a time-scale for the start of the age – within a generation all the things mentions will happen. The temple will be destroyed, his followers will be persecuted and scattered.

Conclusion

This is a long and difficult passage for a single sermon. I hope that I have given you a better idea of what Jesus was predicting. It isn't over yet, and He will return at some point. The Jews had to wait for their Messiah for thousands of years. There is no telling how long we will have to wait.

The important thing for us is to watch out for the signs.

As we went through these verses which of the signs did you see?

Are you actively looking for signs, or just noticing them as they pass?

How far do you think we have progressed?

For me, I think we are pretty close to the end, the key test seems to be that all the nations have heard the gospel. I'm not clear how many of these isolated tribes have heard – maybe there are only one or two who haven't.

And then the end will come.

F1 Review 2008

During the year I maintain my own table, and my own (fairer, I think) points system. Here are the tables and a few comments on each of the drivers and teams. My points scheme is at the bottom, Max can use it if he wants to.


Drivers

Team	Driver	Points	Pete's Points	Comments
McLaren-Mercedes	Lewis Hamilton	98	1035	A well deserved win. Lewis has grown, but still must avoid the 'boy racer' within. Congratulations!
Ferrari	Felipe Massa	97	1014	Great year, and probably should be the champion. The team did not perform well enough.
Ferrari	Kimi Räikkönen	75	832	Dissapointing. I was expecting so much more. Where is the hunger, the drive. Too many races didn't start until half way through. With my points system Kimi is clearly third.
BMW-Sauber	Robert Kubica	75	812	A real talent, once again the team strategy was questionable. Looking forwar to next year
Renault	Fernando Alonso	61	707	Still a brilliant driver, and a great opportunist
BMW-Sauber	Nick Heidfeld	60	681	I'm really not sure, sometimes brilliant, sometime not good enough
McLaren-Mercedes	Heikki Kovalainen	53	611	A bit of a disappointment, only one win, but that may not be the problem, too many 5th or lower places is the problem. Seems to loose something on race day.
Torro Rosso	Sebastian Vettel	35	416	The surprise package of the year, and for me the driver with the most promise.
Toyota	Jarno Trulli	31	414	Still a good driver, and still doing what he does best
Toyota	Timo Glock	25	369	A much improved driver over the year.
Red Bull Racing	Mark Webber	21	344	Not quite weher he should be, but its difficult to tell - is it the team?
Renault	Nelsinho Piquet	19	326	Probably hasn't made the grade
Williams	Nico Rosberg	17	256	Another driver who can be brilliant, and the dissapointing, but there is still much to come.
Honda	Rubens Barrichello	11	222	He's in the Honda team. The longest serving driver now, and I hope he's back next year.
Williams	Kazuki Nakajima	9	217	Probably hasn't made the grade.
Red Bull Racing	David Coulthard	8	213	What a way to retire. Good luck for the future.
Torro Rosso	Sebastien Bourdais	4	168	Has not live up to the hype, but then who does? Shows once again how difficult it is for other types of racing driver to convert to F1.
Honda	Jenson Button	3	165	He's in the Honda team, but really should have beaten Rubens.
Super Aguri-Honda	Takuma Sato	0	90	Was doing much better until his team went under
Force India	Giancarlo Fisichella	0	44	As drivers get to the end of their career they move into the slower teams to help them develop, some like Giancarlo pull a few surprises too.
Force India	Adrian Sutil	0	23	Has had a few good runs, and lots of bad luck (Kimi was his worst luck).
Super Aguri-Honda	Anthony Davidson	0	15	Shame we no longer have Anthony Driving. Perhaps he can commentate sometime as his interview were always interesting.

Teams

Team	Points	Pete's Points	Comments
Ferrari	172	1846	Really should have been more dominant, with two championship capable drivers, why weren't they off into the distance by half way through.
McLaren-Mercedes	151	1646	Following last years problems, they bounced back well. A good year.
BMW-Sauber	135	1519	Met there goals and stopped (bit of a shame), but if they end up winning next year it will be worth it.
Renault	80	937	A bit of a surprise, but perhaps it shouldn't have been, with the old team back together.
Toyota	56	783	Slowly, slowly, but will this tortoise ever beat the F1 rabbits?
Torro Rosso	39	561	Brilliant end to the year, it may be something to do with getting better engines. That's what teams are supposed to do.
Red Bull Racing	29	548	Oh dear! Beaten by the younger brother!
Williams	26	581	Once a dominant force, and showing signs, but the driver selection need a review.
Honda	14	381	It was never going to be their year, but the team is investing in the future
Super Aguri	0	134	Gone, but not forgotten
Force India	0	38	The new Minardi (but no relation). Still not bad for the first season.

Click here for the Points system and tables.

Christ Church Weekend Away at High Leigh

Once again I was driving the minibus. It seats 15, but was used for some people, and some equipment. We picked it up on Thursday night as before. High Leigh is near Hoddeston, and is a Christian conference centre. It's about an hour from home.

Many things about the weekend evoked memories of last time:

• As you walk through the main part of the house, up to the kitchens there is a faint smell of the diesel engine, presumably the one used to heat the house.

• Sitting looking out to the formal garden (that once was) and the ha ha beyond to keep the cattle out (or the people in), is a lovely sight, and very relaxing.
  

This time Jo came too, so it was very different. Other differences were that all the building work from last time is now completed, there is no longer scaffolding, or any restricted access.
The accommodation is all very comfortable with proper en-suite hotel style rooms. They also have Internet access almost everywhere, though I did not have a laptop.

I did not remember to tell them that I have a restricted diet, so the 'traditional English' food was a bit of a problem. I am not allowed such delicacies as bacon, sausages, eggs, & spotted dick, so I had to choose carefully from the very limited selection.

Friday
The first session introduced the theme for the weekend - Rev 7:17 (Jesus the centre). Our speaker for the weekend was Roger Matthews. He is a very good straight forward speaker. I particularly liked the way he incorporated things that were going on around him into his talks.

Saturday
There were a further two sessions on Saturday Morning, then some free time after lunch. In the free time about 9 of us went to visit the mill which had been restored a few years ago. Saturday teas time brought workshops to prepare things for worship, or sleep for me. I was exhausted.
In the evening there is the entertainment, where various members of the church take part in entertaining the rest of us. This varies from poetry readings through dances, singing and even reaches to stand up comedy. It is always very enjoyable. Jo and I took part for the first time ever. We sung 'Young Ones' and were delayed by a technical glitch, which took the focus and pressure off us. I'm told they couldn't hear me - they don't know how lucky they are! Some of the church folk are genuinely talented, most are just enthusiastic amateurs, but every body gets good applause - its a real family atmosphere. High Leigh now have a bar, and there was just time for a drink before bed.

Sunday
After a late night on Saturday, there is another teaching session on Sunday morning, then after lunch a communion service.

Teaching
I can never be sure how important the teaching is on a weekend away. I think that the weekend must have the family occasion feel to it, and must provide the opportunity for people to focus on God, listen to His promptings, and to learn directly from Him. Nevertheless without a teaching program - why would you go, and how would you create the right feel. We get to hear another voice - someone who we are not used to, someone who's personal agenda doesn't involve our church and its direction. So from that point of view it is very helpful.

There were points in the teaching where I took particular note and learnt things.

"What will be the sign for you that Jesus is at the centre?" we were asked, and the supplementary questions to help us were:

• Where do you ache?
• What do you long for?

Unless you already have that ONE thing, those are quite difficult questions to answer. I'm really still not sure. I'm not even sure that it helps me to get to the answer - there is SO MUCH.

We talked about the things that control us:
Who are the people you HAVE to do things for when they ask?
Work
Money (or the fear of not having enough of it)
Possessions
What keeps you in one place?
Who has told you (possibly when you were very young) that you can't do something?
What are you ashamed of? (perhaps the strongest one)

There's plenty there to make me think and pray.

We were reminded that nothing we can do (or have done) can take us away from Gods love, and from John 10:10 that Jesus does not condemn us.

We were given the Jesus Prayer "Lord Jesus, son of the living God, have mercy on me a sinner", and the acclamation "Jesus is Lord" to reflect on and pray. I have to say that for me trying this walking through the grounds was not a success.

Session two started with a description of the plastic drums, and the statement that we don't have to understand how everything works - or how God does things.

[The band had an electronic drum set - it looks real, but the drums and cymbals are plastic. It make no physical sound, but generated an accurate drum sound when played.]

The session ended saying that Jesus leads the way, our job is to follow. We do not take Jesus somewhere, we go there in response to His leading.

We are then asked to take Jesus round our home town. I wonder how many lead him round - I certainly tried to. Maybe that experience is for another blog.

Sunday was about vocation and calling. After having written for spotlight this month about my first year as a reader I was left asking "What next?", and "What about the plans that haven't happened?" I don't have answers to these question yet either.

"We should be followers of the moving God who causes commotion by going to the periphery to make it a centre of light" - Kazuki Koyama (I hope). It seems to be the quote for the weekend.

Harvest - Matthew 21:33-46 - Parable of the Tenants

Scene Setting
After the Triumphal Entry
Before the crowd
Teaching in the temple courts
Message
Imagery.
Is this just too obvious?
vineyard=Israel
tenants=leaders
son=Jesus (reference to himself as gods son)

Jesus is making reference to the leaders, and very pointedly explaining to them what they are about to do.
Story
Once upon a time there was a beautiful young girl, who lived happily with her father and mother. Unfortunately her mother died. Her father was devastated, but eventually he decided to re-marry. The young girls new step-mother already had two daughters of her own, but they were not at all beautiful, in fact they were ugly. They also made life very difficult for our young heroine.
Now you should already be tuned in, and will immediately understand any references to fairy god-mothers, or glass slippers.

Source Scriptures
Jesus is using scripture, and the common things around them.
Scripture would have been learned, and all the stories would have been familiar – they would not need to turn to the scroll and read. As JC tells the story it will already be in their minds, like me telling a nursery rhyme.

vs33&34==Isaiah 5:1-7 Psalm 80:6-16
Isaiah 5:1-7

Isa 5:1 I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.
Isa 5:2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.

Isa 5:3 “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.
Isa 5:4 What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?
Isa 5:5 Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled.
Isa 5:6 I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.”

Isa 5:7 The vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

Ps 80:6-16
Ps 80:6 You have made us a source of contention to our neighbours, and our enemies mock us.

Ps 80:7 Restore us, O God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.

Ps 80:8 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.
Ps 80:9 You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land.
Ps 80:10 The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.
Ps 80:11 It sent out its boughs to the Sea, its shoots as far as the River.

Ps 80:12 Why have you broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
Ps 80:13 Boars from the forest ravage it and the creatures of the field feed on it.
Ps 80:14 Return to us, O God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine,
Ps 80:15 the root your right hand has planted, the son you have raised up for yourself.

Ps 80:16 Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire; at your rebuke your people perish.

Some commentators believe this story is not an original of Jesus because the imagery is too simple and the correlations too straight forward.
The way scripture is used is enough for me to believe that this is an original. After all what Jesus has done is to fill the minds of his hearer with rich and familiar images, and then go on to tell them just a little more of how the events will occur.

He is making yet another claim that He is the Messiah.

You may say that the Sadducees and Pharisees did not recognise Jesus as the Messiah, that all they saw was a trouble maker. They could not have missed his claims though. That is the source of the trouble throughout His ministry. Had he never claimed to be Messiah things would have been different.

Nevertheless Matthew is clear in the way he writes this story and others, that the Jewish leaders are responsible for not only the death of the prophets, but also of the Messiah.

Mt 23:34.
Mt 23:34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues w and pursue from town to town.
Mt 23:35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
Mt 23:36 I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.
Mt 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, d but you were not willing.
Mt 23:38 Look, your house is left to you desolate.
Mt 23:39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’

Even so in the story Jesus told today they are clearly identified as guilty, even before the crime is committed.

The prediction is quite clear. Jesus even gets his audience to deliver the punch line. Matthew tells us that the Chief Priests understood. It is a simple enough parable, especially given the two O.T. reading that it is linked to.

In any case Jesus has been preparing his disciples for his death at the hand of the Chief Priests for quite some time – probably about 6 months

Mt 16:21. From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem j and suffer many things k at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, l and that he must be killed m and on the third day n be raised to life.

Mt 17:22-23. When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man l is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, m and on the third day n he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.

Mt 20:18. “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death
Mt 20:19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged f and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

The story has been told to the disciples and re-told – they didn't get it. The Chief priests didn't get it, or wouldn't get it.

The Chief priests are those who have the Keys to the Kingdom and are the ones who will loose out.

They want to keep the Kingdom (and access to it ) to themselves. Jesus has condemned this already:
Matthew 23:15 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

We are all in danger of doing the same thing.

Too Far?
Here's an example of how this parable is used in completely the wrong way:

Landowner is God.
The tenants are the Jewish people chosen by God to preserve the true faith.
The hedges around the vineyard are the commandments of God given through Moses. The wine press where the juice of the grapes flows is the sacrifice in the Old Testament covenant prefiguring the death on the cross of Jesus Christ;
the tower is the Temple in Jerusalem.
The overseers are the chief priests, scribes, and elders of the Jewish people. The servants of the Householder are the holy prophets.
The Son of the Householder is the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. Standing at the head of the Jewish people, the chief priests, scribes, and elders had received the power to prepare the people to accept the Saviour, but they used this power only for their own benefit. God sent prophets to them, but they persecuted and killed them. Thus, they turned out to be murderers of prophets and then murderers of the apostles. Their Saviour they rejected; and leading Him out from their city, they crucified Him. Therefore, the Kingdom of God was taken away from them and given to another people; the Church of Christ was opened to all nations.

This is then used to justify the building of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the temple mount, and claiming that its rightful ownership is the Islamic faith who are the beneficiaries of the Jews loosing their right to the Keys to the Kingdom.

I would not make that claim if there were a Christian church on the site! Indeed the Mosque was once used as a church.

Parables are about people, not things.

The reality is that we have here the oldest story in the world – Adam and Eve. Man wants to be God. The Jewish Chief Priests suffered as much from this as anyone else from Adam, his Son Abel all the way through to Pete Fisher, and the billion babies that have been born since.

We set ourselves up to be God in almost every walk of life. As our knowledge expands, God's role in the things that happen is diminished. We decide whether people live or die – by abortion, or artificial fertilization treatment at one end of life, and by euthanasia (its legal in some countries, and we can travel!) or the administration of existence extending drugs that allow people to live longer in suffering more that they ever used to.
We use up the resources that the earth provides in our belief that we are doing the best thing for our lives. We are damaging the environment that we live in.

Today is our celebration of Harvest. This morning Liz asked us to think about local harvests and global harvests.

That leads to a modern interpretation of this parable. It is based on a more literal reading.
The vineyard is the earth
We are all the tenants
The owner of the vineyard is now on his way back – and we await our fate.

The lesson is the same, but we get there by a completely different route.

God has designed life to work in a particular way, but we have taken it upon ourselves to operate it in another way. A way that we think will benefit us. A way that will benefit us more that is does anyone else. Whether that is being selfish with the material goods of the world, or playing God with other peoples lives, it is not the way that God intended.

That's what the next part of the reading is all about.

Capstone
A capstone would have been placed on the top corner of a building. The literal translation is “head of the corner” and makes the verse a play on words, as the Hebrew for corner is used as a metaphor for leader. If it was badly fitted, it could fall off and crush someone, or if it was badly shaped could cause someone to fall off the roof. Either way they would be badly hurt – if not killed. The reference here originally refers to David, the youngest in his family, and overlooked by everyone except God – who appointed him King over Israel. In our reading today it refers to Jesus.

The reference made an impact with the early church, it appears in Ac 4:11; Eph 2:20; & 1Pe 2:7

The explanation for this is that one way or the other you will be broken when you encounter Jesus. Either you can choose to fall on Him, and allow Him to remove the spirit of this world from your being, or, if you choose not to do that you will be crushed by him. “Every Knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Gibraltar 25-28 September 2008

Travel Outward
At 8:45 on the morning of the 25th, the coach arrived in good time to create the maximum possible havoc with the school run. We sat in the rather too small seats of the Gatwick Flyer, on our way to Lakeside Shopping centre, a round about route across southern Essex, the countryside was beautiful on a sunny Autumn morning, it was not matched by the driver demeanour, but that was not directed at us. We picked up a few others, and changed to the airport shuttle at Lakeside. Without a care in the world, we arrived at Gatwick, eagerly anticipating our two-hour wait for the flight. The woman at the EasyJet check-in was friendly and cheerful, as we discussed the weather and the general lack of sunshine that we were belatedly escaping. The trip from the South Terminal to the North Terminal by automated train was uneventful, and not very crowded. The flight boarded and departed pretty much on-time. We managed to get seats in front of the wings - it's more comfortable there. It also landed pretty much on time, and we cleared customs and retrieved our bags. Now to find a taxi. One indeterminate sign and one question at the information desk, and quite a long wait. We let the guy in front take the cab, and waited for the next. Then to the 'Rock Hotel'. Gibraltar is like England with a bit of a 60 & 70s feel, except that they drive on the right. We checked in and were directed to our room. The bags were already there. Probably the smoothest journey we have ever had anywhere.

At 'The Rock'
The hotel is old, but has been updated well. There is the traditional fan in the room, but also air conditioning. We sat on our veranda listening to the traffic below for a good few minutes, and took a few pictures of the view. Then we went downstairs to the bar. The Rock ... "an oasis in a busy world". If you want to hurry, don't bother, might be another way of putting it, but we didn't want to hurry. The bar service was sluggish, even so, and the language difficult to understand. They speak English, or something spanishly close to it, and with heavy accents too. The food however was very good, even though the portions were a little small.
We watched the other guests - two wedding parties as it turned out, and relaxed.

Barbary Apes
More accurately, Barbary Macaques. They are tail-less monkeys, not apes. The legend has it that Gibraltar will remain English until the Apes leave. We decided to go have a look. You can book a taxi that will take you to the 8 greatest tourist attractions on Gibraltar in 2.75 hours. Much too fast - you may get the unique insight of the driver, but you will miss so mush more. We bought a ticket for the cable car and went to the top. There are some pictures of the 'apes' and the spectacular view from the top in the web album. The apes are not to be fed, and there are some excellent stories of people loosing ice creams, and getting bitten defending their property. The government feeds the apes, so the tourists don't have to. There are for or five family groups, depending on who you talk to. The one we saw were more interesting in getting their best side pictured than anything else. They were such posers! We wandered around the top station taking pictures and sitting in the restaurant, then decided to walk down to St Michael's cave.
After a slight diversion up to the ridge to an old battery (open by request, 24 hours notice required), and looked in at the decaying guns. Then back down. The cave is an amazing place, and too vast for my puny flash, so I have some black pictures. It's so large they hold concerts inside it. Entrance to the cave is £8 per person per day. This includes the other main attractions, which you can't possibly visit without being on the taxi tour. (Tourist rip off - just like England in the 60 & 70s and ...). We had lunch at the café next to the cave. Simple food and not badly priced.
After lunch, we wandered the 2.4km down the side of the rock to the Siege Tunnels. The tunnel was carved through the chalk hill at the time of the siege of Gibraltar, one or two cannon still in place. There is also an excellent view of the airport runway from here. It starts in the Mediterranean, and ends in the bay of Gibraltar, no wonder the pilots brake sharply on landing!
Next stop the siege exhibition (where the taxis don't stop), which is out in the open air, but quite helpful in setting the scene.
After that, on to the Moorish castle, and up to the top of its tower. Not very much information available on either of these things, no doubt relying on the tour guides. Then into the town, through the centre, and back to the hotel. Just time to wash the feet, and wander down to the bar, to sit on the veranda have a pint or two (only John Smiths) and a nice meal.

Thunder Storm
Awake for much of the night with an incredible thunderstorm, almost right overhead. Such a shame it was foggy and we couldn't see the lightening. In the morning, there was only emergency power in the hotel. Breakfast in the almost dark. Hot food was still provided, and the shower had still worked, so not all bad.

Dolphins
The other 'thing to do' is visit the dolphins (not swim with them). On Saturday, we set off into town and followed the map to a building site. We walked backward and forward, and backward and forward. Finally asked a waiter in a café who said they are now over the other side of town, and have been for 4 or 5 years!!! Not too much walking today, as we are quite stiff from all the down hill stuff yesterday, so it was on the bus. We booked our place on the boat. £20. Then you don't go to look at dolphins every day. Now for some lunch, and somewhere to hide from the rain. After lunch, we browsed the shops in the new marina, then boarded the boat. We went out along the Spanish coast, then turned and went back past Gibraltar. The Mediterranean evaporates and does not get enough water from the rivers to keep the water level up, so the Atlantic is constantly pouring in. The sea level in the med is 13 feet lower than in the Atlantic. So the boat owner says. We passed Gibraltar and travelled further east. Turning again, getting further south as we did so, and there were their fins. The dolphins come to see the boat. They swim alongside, just ahead, and around the boat. They swim up-side-down, to watch the people on the boat. They jump out of the water and try to splash you. If you remember 'flipper'- these are better, and apparently more intelligent. They are so clearly enjoying themselves, and are most definitely showing off. They get in the boat's wake and surf. Although we were only in their presence for a few minutes, I had a sense of something special, much more so than looking an ape in the eye.
After that, some tea, and a bus (No. 3) to the other end of the Rock to Europa Point. The only lighthouse that Trinity House have outside the British Isles. (Closed to the public) It's a desolate place, just the lighthouse, the mosque, and the bus stop. Then back to the hotel for another meal in the bar on the veranda.

Homeward bound
Something must be wrong! Another uneventful journey that ran pretty much to time.

A great few days, both relaxing and tiring at the same time.

Minor Annoyances
Having to ask for Tea and Coffee at breakfast two mornings, after having already ordered it, and being told by one of the staff "I don't do Tea"
The cobweb in the corner of the Hotel room
The tourist 'rip-off'
The 4-year-old map provided only on request
The general lack of sign posts and directions
... and that's as bad as it got!

Speculation
Gibraltar is going to become another Monaco! There is loads of development, and it's all aimed at the yatch owner, and those who can afford houses by the waterfront.

Matt 18:15-20: Dealing with Conflict in the Kingdom of Heaven

In preparing this sermon I took considerable inspiration (and perhaps a little more) from these sermons @ www.sermoncentral.com:
How To Resolve Conflict - Tom Fuller
Dealing with Conflict while Walking in Love - Chad Payne
Dealing With Conflict - Ben Emmons
This is the longer version for the evening service.

Introduction

Has anyone ever approached you and started by saying “In all Christian love ...”? It is usually bad news and means that someone has taken offence at what you've said or done. It is probably their way of trying to resolve the conflict. As we look at these verses today you will see that there are ways to do this and ways not to, but we should remember that pointing out to someone that they have sinned is never easy.

Setting in Matthew

Matthew “The teacher of Israel - “Richard Burridge – Four Gospels, One Jesus”

18:1-19:2 is called the Fourth discourse -”Life under Kingdom Authority”.

First Discourse: The Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:29)

Jesus' words in today's passage were triggered by Jesus talking of his suffering and death in 17:23. Perhaps the disciples found this too much to bear, or perhaps their minds were just on other things. Either way they started by asking the question “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”

“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”

The question was no doubt partly prompted by the teaching that Jesus has already provided.

Mt 5:19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Peter, James and John have been singled out for special treatment from the other disciples:

Mt 17:1. After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John ^v the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.

When Peter recognised Jesus as 'The Christ' in Matthew 16, Jesus response was:

Mt 16:17. “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, ^f and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

So the idea had been brewing in the disciples minds for a while. We cannot tell just what they thought being great in the kingdom of heaven would provide, but we must assume that it was the same sort of greatness that that they would have expected on earth – palaces, riches, and servants.

James and John have a mother who is not prepared to see her son's settle for second best, and will keep pushing the issue throughout Jesus ministry.

Jesus knows that questions like these can be very divisive, and lead to jealousy that results in arguments and fights, as one person tries to get ahead of another. The church is supposed to be based on purity – personal holiness, and unity – a sense that we are all here with the same aim, of reaching out to the surrounding community, and supporting each other as we do so. It was this that prompted the comment “See how these Christians love each other”.

So Jesus responds to the question, as he often does, by apparently talking about something different. He calls a child and tells them to be like a child. He talks to them about those who cause the child to sin being the least in the Kingdom of heaven. Well that's part of the answer. Then he goes on to underline how serious sin is. Cut off your hand, your foot, and pluck out your eye if it causes you to sin. It is better to enter the Kingdom of heaven maimed than to miss entering the Kingdom of heaven all together because of sin. This is in a style of speech that is using hyperbole to make a point, it is not meant to be taken literally.

In the same way the parable of the lost sheep that follows is there to illustrate a point. No one would expect a shepherd to leave his flock on the hill, open to the wolves, and the possibility that 20 or 30 may wander off and get lost, just to go and find one. The story is there to underline the seriousness of allowing one of the children already in the Kingdom to become lost. “God,” Jesus says “will go to extremes to prevent it happening”, and by extension so should we.

The focus then moves from causing sin to being on the receiving end of sin. The tone of the passage moves from hyperbole to practical instruction. This teaching is for those who have been sinned against.

Matt 18:15-20

Before we look at this in more detail it is worth pointing out the footnote in the Bible. Verse 15 starts “If your brother sins against you”, but our bible tells us that the earliest copies do not have the words 'against you'. We may therefore take the instruction to read “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault ...” There are some implications for this difference that we need to bear in mind later.

Remember that the background to this is all about getting into the Kingdom of Heaven and staying there.

Lets take a look at how these instructions might work through a fictional story.

Mr Smith and Mr Jones

Mr Smith and Mr Jones have been at St. Someone's for over 80 years between them. It is a growing church, since the new vicar arrived 4 years ago the church has grown from around 300 to almost 400. Many changes have happened and there is a lot of development going on. Mr Smith and Mr Jones have been close friends since childhood, and have worked on many successful church projects together.

Mr Smith is a member of the PCC, and is in charge of the project to build a new youth centre on the edge of Church grounds. He has arranged funding from all sorts of sources and is just about ready to sign the contracts. This has taken longer than he would have liked, and some of the deadlines for the funding are approaching. The project needs to start to guarantee that the funds will still be available. Mr Smith works full-time in Investment Banking.

Mr Jones is also a member of the PCC, he is in charge of the outreach team, which employs two full-time evangelists, to reach out to the people of the town. This project is seen as one of the primary reasons that the church has grown so dramatically. Mr Jones is a consultant, and works at the city hospital.

Mr Jones is often away from home, so was not at the last PCC meeting. It was there that Mr Smith persuaded the treasurer and the members of council that it would be OK to make payments to get the building started, even if these funds had to be temporarily borrowed from other funds that the church holds, one of these was the fund used to pay the evangelists. The result of this was that one of the pay cheques was bounced, and one of the evangelists not paid. Mr Jones was understandable very unhappy about this.

What can Mr Jones do?

3 step process

Jesus provides us with three steps that will help us resolve the issue.

He instructs the victim to take action, that may not seem radical now, but it was in Jesus' time ...???

Step 1 – The One-to-One

We earn the right to correct. This is where we came in! There must be a relationship of trust so that you can take someone aside and tell them “I don't think you should have done that”.

A quiet correction is better than a public rebuke. We mustn't discuss this problem with others yet, we don't want to create gossip.

We are not there as an accuser – that's the devil's role, but as counsellor. Verse 15 says "to show." This word is more than just providing evidence of something – it suggests showing to the point of conviction. We need to work with people, showing them the Word, walking them through the situation so that they understand. It is our responsibility to do this in a way that the person themselves can see what’s happened.

The rewards are great but so are the risks.
We need to be very careful before we take our concerns to another – even one on one. This whole system fits nicely with what Paul told the Galatian church – but listen to his words in chapter 6 closely:

Gal 6:1-2 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.

Sometimes the reason we see things in others is that these same things reside in us. Make sure you have dealt with your own life first (remember the log and the speck?) and are ready to help others without yourself being tempted.

Mr Smith and Mr Jones

Mr Jones arranged to see Mr Smith one evening. Went to his home and explained that the actions he had taken were wrong, and had caused problems for people who could not afford to be without their pay packet when it was due. Mr Smith did not mention how angry he was at the actions of his friend, nor did he show his temper at the meeting. His only purpose was to show Mr Smith his sinful act. He listened patiently to all Mr Smith had to say.

Mr Smith rejected Mr Jones statement, saying that his actions were not the cause of the problem, and that the treasurer, who knew the situation, could easily have arranged an overdraft to ensure that everyone was paid.

Mr Jones did not accept the excuses of his friend, and decided to proceed to step two.

Step 2 – "I’m not just making this up."

If you are rejected by the person you have approached, alone – it’s time to bring in a few others. It’s not clear whether the others are meant to bring additional evidence or just be there to witness the one on one encounter – so that later one the person who has sinned can’t do a "my word against yours" kind of thing. Jesus uses Deuteronomy 19:15 as his Scriptural basis.

Deuteronomy 19:15 One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offence he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

You know, it’s important. If we aren’t willing to make our assertions when other objective people are listening, then maybe we need to rethink our accusation. It’s one thing to accuse someone privately but when there are others around the accusations can be challenged.

Mr Smith and Mr Jones

Mr Jones found two fellow PCC members, both of whom had abstained from the vote, and set up a meeting with them and Mr Smith in the church. Mr Jones stated his issues clearly in front of all three of them.

Mr Smith also re-stated his belief that what he did was the best option in the circumstances

The witnesses were split one clearly believed that Mr Smith was wrong, the other was not so sure.

Mr Smith remained unrepentant.

Mr Jones decided to take it to the church, as the only way forward, he did not want to have to break his friendship with Mr Jones.

Step 3 – The Big Guns

At this stage more members of the church are required. The sin is serious enough for the whole church to be involved. In our terms this may be a special meeting of the PCC or a meeting of all of the congregation.

If this doesn't work the church may make the decision to sever the relationship with the individual concerned – this is called excommunication, and would mean that the person concerned was no longer a communicant of the church and therefore not welcome at services.

When Jesus says “treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector”, the you is singular, so Jesus is recognising that the personal relationship is broken, but is not extending that to the entire church.

There are times when it is right for the church to excommunicate someone. That story is in 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 – take a look at it later.

Here’s Paul’s take on it: 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people - not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

Mr Smith and Mr Jones

Mr Jones arranged for a special PCC meeting, and invited some of the members of each of the projects, including the two witnesses he had before. The meeting was long and difficult, but an independent conflict resolution specialist had been appointed to run the meeting. He was a Christian from another church, in another diocese, experienced in resolving conflict issues in the church.

The decision of the meeting that Mr Smith had, in his eagerness to server the church, overstepped the mark and fallen into sin, by effectively robbing some of the church members to further the work of the church.

Had Mr Smith not accepted this decision the meeting would have had to decide what it would do about him. Mr Jones would have to break his long friendship, and not associate himself with Mr Smith again.

As it is Mr Smith is still a part of the church, still running his building project and is still good friends with Mr Jones (because all my stories have happy endings!), because he accepted that what he had done was wrong and he compensated the evangelist for the the loss of his wages. So his repentance was complete.

Conflict resolution summary

Remember that the objective here is to bring the offending person to repentance, and retain them in the Kingdom. We are not looking for punishment, or for some sort of retribution.

We looked at the extreme lengths that Jesus suggested you should got to to retain your place in the Kingdom – by chopping off your leg, or plucking out your eye. While those seem extreme the measures that God took to get you there in the first place sound even more extreme. God sent his son to become a man and to die for us all, so that each of us may find our place in the Kingdom of heaven.

All this is in the context of the rules for living together as brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of heaven.

Eternal value

That make these next two verses extraordinarily powerful.

Peter has already been given the keys to the Kingdom in Mt 16:19. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”

The keys are symbolic of course, but the symbolism is pretty obvious. On Peter's say so you either get into heaven, or you are thrown out of heaven.

Here Jesus extends the right to loose and bind to those who meet in his name to resolve disputes. Once the issue, whatever it is, is agreed by those meeting to make the agreement, then that agreement is made in heaven.

The actual translation of “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you i by my Father in heaven.“

is closer to “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will have been done for you by my Father in heaven.”

Imagine for a moment a scene in a theatre, a comedy, where one person is trying to be a mirror image of the other. Everything that one person does is immediately and accurately, if they're doing it well, copied by the other. If they're really good you wouldn't know who was leading and who was following.

The is how it is with the loosing and binding. By our actions we are having a direct effect on what happens in the kingdom.

Mr Smith and Mr Jones

Mr Smith and Mr Jones have come to an agreement on the way their church will move forward. The purity of the people has been restored, and the unity of purpose has also been restored. Because this was done with others present Jesus was with them, and their decisions are supported in the Kingdom of heaven.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

For my birthday I was promised tickets to see the new Indy film, dubbed in our house Indiana Jones and the longest film title ever. Probably not true, but to the film. It starts well, Indy trapped by the Russians, who have invaded an American airbase in Area 51 (where else). The action starts early, and the chase scenes are good, but the detection of the object being sought with power from a bullet was a little strange. Magnetism is stated as the cause, but I don't recall there being iron in gunpowder. Still suspend your dis-belief and the story works well so far. There are plenty of wise cracks from Indy to remind you that he's now a much older man, and his physical abilities are more limited. I can't fault Harrison Ford for his acting, but then he IS Indiana Jones. Cate Blanchet as the 'baddie' Irina Spalko was impressive, and suitably menacing, but not too menacing. Then 'The Fonz' arrives, well Mutt Williams who turns out to be the real key to the adventure as a whole. Indy and Mutt are the two characters that make the film worth watching. The chase for the crystal skull begins and is soon over. John Hurt is wasted in the role of Ox, he just seems to hold the skull and look vacant, surprised or anxious.

There is a scene with a snake – mandatory now for Indy, but this one has some truly awful special effects, that make the 1930's films look good. However not all the special effects are bad, the ants were done very well, and were probably the scariest thing in the film.

How the adventure was to end was pretty obvious from the time they found their way into the pre-historic 'building'. It could probably have take less time overall and was a slight disappointment. How the film was to end was anything but expected, but even that took too long. “All's well that ends well” seems to be the message. Has Harrison Ford announced his retirement from the role?

Overall the film was worth watching, but I doubt it will be a classic, and for me probably isn't on the DVD list for Christmas.