"He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:7-8
For better or worse, current events have always been the source for those people who are looking to gauge the climate of the country. Christians are no different. We often lament at the sad state of affairs of the morality in this country and it has galvanized many Christians to have a desire to "reclaim America for Christ." One organization puts it like this: "I believe God is shaking our country and this world. Man has become self-confident. In our prosperity, we have all developed a certain amount of arrogance. In the back of our minds, we all have a certain amount of independence trusting our own intelligence and wealth. God is still on His throne. Jesus still offers eternal life to “whosoever will.” Our God is still very capable of healing our land and forgiving our sin IF WE who are called by His name will humble ourselves, pray, SEEK HIS FACE (meaning to obey Him and walk in His steps), and TURN FROM OUR EVIL WAYS!" I share the sentiment regarding the self-confidence of man, our growing arrogance in our prosperity, and our dependence on our intelligence and wealth. However, I don't agree with the latter half of the commentary where they seem to be pulling from 2 Chronicles 7:14. God is not in covenant with the United States of America. Due to the fact that our country was founded by many Bible-believing Christian men and women, there is this belief that this historical fact means that God is looking at our country the same way He looks at the nation of Israel. Therefore, He must be judging us on the basis of sin and death as well. This is why people who think this way are so reliant on using scriptures meant for the Jews of the Old Covenant and superimposing them onto our present country and world. So when you have things like legalized abortion and same-sex marriage it leads directly to people thinking "God is shaking our country" through natural disasters, health crises, economic strain, wars, and so on. Because, if you read through the history of Israel, that is all you see in their relationship with God. Their disobedience led God to cast them into slavery, out of the land He promised them, striking them with plagues, and much more. To believe all of this is not only taking the Bible out of context, but it is also missing the message of the Gospel and the New Covenant altogether.
In Acts 1:6, the disciples asked Jesus Christ, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" Jesus had just lived a perfect life, died for the sins of the world, rose from the grave, and is about to ascend back into heaven and His disciples are basically asking Him, "Are we going reclaim the Holy Land for God?" After all that they had experienced and all Jesus had accomplished they still missed what His purpose was while here on earth. In answer to their question, Jesus takes the high road by explaining that it wasn't the moment to get into the dates and times God has set. Then He transitions into the fact that He needs them to be witnesses for the Gospel throughout the world. Later, after giving the Holy Spirit to them, they would begin to see more clearly what God's plan was for them. His plan is no different for us today. While reclaiming America for Christ could be a side-effect, the reason we are here is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost. One of the main things to understand about the Gospel is the forgiveness of sins. God is not counting the sins of the world against them any longer. Therefore, to pray for Him to forgive our sins in order to get Him to stop "shaking our country" is totally misguided. We are asking God to forgive sins He is no longer counting against us in order to bring healing to the land rather than to the hearts of men. Not to mention that we are subscribing blame to Him for things He may not be responsible for doing in the first place. God can use the "shaking" to get the attention of people, but this is so He can get people to come to faith in Jesus Christ, not so Christian morality can once again reign supreme. Never forget this one truth. "We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us (2 Corinthians 5:20)." We are citizens of heaven when it comes to our identity in Christ. Therefore, we are here in this world to represent the Lord Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. We are not here to make sure the laws of the land and the behaviors of its people line up with the tenents of scripture. A change in behavior and a reverence for the Bible does not automatically mean a person has become born again of the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ. If we want people to turn from anything and seek God, let us make sure it is turning from their unbelief in Jesus Christ and seeking to accept His offer of life through faith in Him.
Showing posts with label End Times. Show all posts
Showing posts with label End Times. Show all posts
Saturday, May 9, 2020
Sunday, September 10, 2017
Better Late than Never
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9
Recently, Hurricane Harvey ravaged Houston, Texas, and the Gulf Coast. According to one news organization, "Harvey was a Category 4 hurricane with a top wind speed of 132 mph ... It dumped 51.88 inches of rain over a seven day period ... An estimated 1 trillion gallons of water fell during the four days.. The highest storm surge — about 12.5 feet ..." Add to that Hurricane Irma which is currently making land fall in Florida, the recent total solar eclipse, wildfires devastating the Northwestern part of the United States, an 8.1 Magnitude earthquake in Mexico, the nuclear aspirations of North Korea, the global threat of ISIS, the never-ending turmoil in the Middle East and numerous other events around the world and many people are asking, "Is God trying to tell us something?" The short answer is, "Yes." Many Christians will engage in what I have heard called, "Newspaper Eschatology." Basically, that means that anytime there is a newsworthy event somewhere in the world, whether it is a natural disaster, man-made disaster, like terrorism, or some sign in the heavens, people will assign a Bible verse to it as if it is the fulfillment of prophecy. In fact, Jesus said, "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28)." I would love nothing more than for Jesus to step out of the clouds right now and today. And He may do just that. However, there is something that people are missing in all of this. These "signs" have been going on since Jesus uttered those words nearly two thousand years ago. There hasn't been a day go by since then where there hasn't been something that could be considered a sign. Today, you can't turn on the news or open up your web browser without some headline reminding us of a calamity or strange event that has taken place or will soon take place. The problem I have is that rather than look at all these as signs proclaiming the return of Jesus, many people are proclaiming them to be THE signs of His return; as if because the present signs happened, Jesus is coming out of the clouds at that moment. While I understand the joy that moment would hold for me and every other Christian, there is some benefit in Jesus delaying His return to earth. In 2 Peter 3:9, the apostle Peter speaks of the will of God as wanting everyone to come to repentance. In other words, God desires that all mankind turn from their unbelief in Jesus Christ and turn to Him for salvation.
In order for as many people to come to faith in Jesus Christ as possible, what does God need for this to happen? He needs time! There must be time for the message of the Gospel to reach around the world so as to give everyone the opportunity to respond to it. Therefore, the longer the Lord delays His return, the better it is for those who haven't accepted Him as their savior. The verse from 2 Peter speaks of God being "patient." You can't be patient without some long period of time elapsing. We also know that God is a loving God. The Bible tells us that "Love is patient...(1 Corinthians 13:4)." God loves the world so much that He is patiently waiting for people to come to faith in Jesus. We must also remember that we are in a war; a spiritual war. Jesus told us, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10)." In this war, the plunder are the souls of man. The devil wins by stealing, killing and destroying. He steals the hopes of people, kills their bodies and their dreams and destroys lives and even eternities for some. God, on the other hand, wins through creating. He does this by resurrecting people from the dead; first spiritually through faith in Jesus Christ and, in the future, He will do it physically. While it is heartbreaking to witness so much pain and suffering going on in the world through all these terrible events, we must take heart that, in the midst of it all, people are coming to faith in Jesus Christ and being saved. Often times, it is only through pain and suffering that people come to the end of themselves and, at the lowest point of their lives, find the loving arms of Jesus waiting for them. This is where Christians can be used of the Lord. We can be there for people who have lost everything, both physically and spiritually, and take advantage of the opportunity to introduce them to Jesus. Will everyone accept Him? Unfortunately, no they will not. But, some will! It is difficult to watch all the events going on in the world. It is a daily reminder of the consequences of sin and what the rejection of God has brought on this world and the people living in it. Yet, with all of that going on, there is a sense of excitement as you see the truths of Jesus Christ, the Bible and our faith confirmed. While we lift up our heads awaiting our redemption, let us also not forget to fix our eyes on our fellow man and be available to share the hope we have so as to save some. Perhaps, they will come to faith in Jesus and join us in our anticipation of the Lord's return as well as doing what they can to bring others to faith in Him.
Recently, Hurricane Harvey ravaged Houston, Texas, and the Gulf Coast. According to one news organization, "Harvey was a Category 4 hurricane with a top wind speed of 132 mph ... It dumped 51.88 inches of rain over a seven day period ... An estimated 1 trillion gallons of water fell during the four days.. The highest storm surge — about 12.5 feet ..." Add to that Hurricane Irma which is currently making land fall in Florida, the recent total solar eclipse, wildfires devastating the Northwestern part of the United States, an 8.1 Magnitude earthquake in Mexico, the nuclear aspirations of North Korea, the global threat of ISIS, the never-ending turmoil in the Middle East and numerous other events around the world and many people are asking, "Is God trying to tell us something?" The short answer is, "Yes." Many Christians will engage in what I have heard called, "Newspaper Eschatology." Basically, that means that anytime there is a newsworthy event somewhere in the world, whether it is a natural disaster, man-made disaster, like terrorism, or some sign in the heavens, people will assign a Bible verse to it as if it is the fulfillment of prophecy. In fact, Jesus said, "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28)." I would love nothing more than for Jesus to step out of the clouds right now and today. And He may do just that. However, there is something that people are missing in all of this. These "signs" have been going on since Jesus uttered those words nearly two thousand years ago. There hasn't been a day go by since then where there hasn't been something that could be considered a sign. Today, you can't turn on the news or open up your web browser without some headline reminding us of a calamity or strange event that has taken place or will soon take place. The problem I have is that rather than look at all these as signs proclaiming the return of Jesus, many people are proclaiming them to be THE signs of His return; as if because the present signs happened, Jesus is coming out of the clouds at that moment. While I understand the joy that moment would hold for me and every other Christian, there is some benefit in Jesus delaying His return to earth. In 2 Peter 3:9, the apostle Peter speaks of the will of God as wanting everyone to come to repentance. In other words, God desires that all mankind turn from their unbelief in Jesus Christ and turn to Him for salvation.
In order for as many people to come to faith in Jesus Christ as possible, what does God need for this to happen? He needs time! There must be time for the message of the Gospel to reach around the world so as to give everyone the opportunity to respond to it. Therefore, the longer the Lord delays His return, the better it is for those who haven't accepted Him as their savior. The verse from 2 Peter speaks of God being "patient." You can't be patient without some long period of time elapsing. We also know that God is a loving God. The Bible tells us that "Love is patient...(1 Corinthians 13:4)." God loves the world so much that He is patiently waiting for people to come to faith in Jesus. We must also remember that we are in a war; a spiritual war. Jesus told us, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10)." In this war, the plunder are the souls of man. The devil wins by stealing, killing and destroying. He steals the hopes of people, kills their bodies and their dreams and destroys lives and even eternities for some. God, on the other hand, wins through creating. He does this by resurrecting people from the dead; first spiritually through faith in Jesus Christ and, in the future, He will do it physically. While it is heartbreaking to witness so much pain and suffering going on in the world through all these terrible events, we must take heart that, in the midst of it all, people are coming to faith in Jesus Christ and being saved. Often times, it is only through pain and suffering that people come to the end of themselves and, at the lowest point of their lives, find the loving arms of Jesus waiting for them. This is where Christians can be used of the Lord. We can be there for people who have lost everything, both physically and spiritually, and take advantage of the opportunity to introduce them to Jesus. Will everyone accept Him? Unfortunately, no they will not. But, some will! It is difficult to watch all the events going on in the world. It is a daily reminder of the consequences of sin and what the rejection of God has brought on this world and the people living in it. Yet, with all of that going on, there is a sense of excitement as you see the truths of Jesus Christ, the Bible and our faith confirmed. While we lift up our heads awaiting our redemption, let us also not forget to fix our eyes on our fellow man and be available to share the hope we have so as to save some. Perhaps, they will come to faith in Jesus and join us in our anticipation of the Lord's return as well as doing what they can to bring others to faith in Him.
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