Right now may be the most unsettling time in my life since the 1960’s.
If you didn’t live through the 60’s, they were a time of unrest and sorrow in America. Today seems worse.
Look at what’s happening over the world.
In Iraq, ISIS or Islamic State is gobbling up territory using elite American equipment captured from fleeing Iraqi forces. IS is a brutal and barbaric group. Executions and beheadings are common. It seems we now stand on the precipice of a genocide rarely seen in history.
In Mosul and other cities in Iraq, Christians have been given the ultimatum to leave, pay up, convert to Islam, or die. Christians have faced crucifixion–yes, crucifixion–and Christian children have been beheaded. Many military leaders in America fear that those American and European members of IS will one day bring the Jihad to America.
In Gaza, Hamas has dug terror tunnels and fired rockets to accomplish what its charter has declared–the complete destruction of the Jews. Sam Harris, an avowed and well known atheist, has sized up the situation between Hamas and Israel with this question: if either side had the power to do what it wanted what would happen? From the evidence, he concluded Hamas would commit genocide against the Jews while Israel would seek to minimize casualties.
Anti-Semitism in France and much of Europe is stronger than anytime since the Holocaust (which by the way, only 30% of the world believes really happened). Could we be hurtling toward another such event? Newsweek Magazine’s cover story recently explained why Europe’s Jews are fleeing once again. Jews who are leaving France have increased by 70%.
Meanwhile an Ebola epidemic is threatening to become a pandemic.
All of this sounds like the Book of Revelation.
Here’s the good news. When John received his vision which he recorded in the Revelation, He saw God at work in the worst of times. He saw heaven opened and he saw the end of the story–a drama of redemption and the hope that is in Christ. John saw from where real hope comes.
Jesus is the Lord of the church who calls the churches to obedience and faith in evil and rebellious times.
In these bitter times, we need to stand strong in the face of evil. It is not time for good people, western democracies, and certainly not for the church to be silent. We must live for Christ in the worst of times and tell of the incomparable hope in Christ Jesus the Lord–the One who came to set us free from sin and evil and to make us new in Him.
Would you share this with your friends and encourage them to join with us as we pray for peace from the Prince of Peace?
15 Responses
Thanks Waylon for bringing current world conditions into focus. It’s amazing how, in my life time, Jerusalem and the surrounding area have been transformed from an obscure, insignificant [from the worldly standpoint] place; to what Joel Rosenburg calls the “Epicenter” of world attention and historical events. We see events depicted by Jesus, recorded in Luke 21, unfolding before our eyes. In that chapter He also warns and comforts us: “Don’t be deceived. Many will come in my name. Don’t follow them.” [8] “do not be frightened” [9]. “Make up your minds not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves against those who call you before political or military rulers. You will be a witness to them. I will give you words of wisdom that they will not be able to contradict.” [12-15]. “Not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life.” [18-19] “When these things begin to take place, stand up, lift up your heads because your recemption is drawing near.” [28] “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” [36]. Jesus was preparing them for the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. But He is also preparing us for whatever lies ahead for us.
Some practical things we can do: 1. Pray and abide in Christ. Abide in Him! Jesus is like the ark in the days of Noah. Get on board and stay on board. Don’t be like those whose “hearts [were] weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life” [v.34]. 2. Support missionaries and those who have been called to win converts in the darkest places on earth. Every Muslim convert becomes your brother, and heaven rejoices with all converts. 3. Live and propagate the Christian faith. Christ is the only hope. We see clearly that this battle will not be won militarily or politically; only spiritually. Ask politicians to make sure America continues to support Israel [see Gn:12:3]. Those who bless Israel will be blessed; those who curse her will be cursed. 4. Do not fear, and do not hate. Don’t be intimidated by political correctness and therefore fail to shine the Light of Christ into this darkening world. Let His Light of love and soul-freedom shine!
Mark, thanks for your comments and the reminders at the end, especially “do not fear and do not hate.” God bless.
Thank you Waylon and Mark. In these evil days we need to be reminded of the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
Yes, to whom else can we go?
Keep Praying Church!!!
Thanks, Marvin. We must seek God and follow His steps.
Wow! It is incredibly gratifying to serve alongside brothers who can articulate so clearly the current situation AND the hope we have in Jesus! Thanks to BOTH of you, Waylon and Mark. I am reminded of the title of Wiersbe’s pastoral commentary on the Thessalonian letters: BE READY! That’s a major part of the task of all believers and especially we who have been called “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12-13) God help us to do that in order that al of “grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, . . .” (Ephesians 4:15)
Lonnie, thanks for your leadership and reminding us to be ready.
And all God’s people said, “Amen!”.
I just keep looking up!
exactly what Jesus told us to do. Our redemption is drawing near.
None of this is easy or simple. We are facing a time, when workers are no longer needed for jobs. Around Jan.’91 or a little earlier< I wrote an evaluation of some papers supplied to me as a counselor in a senior high school by the vocational director of the county educational system. The papers were on the issue of "Jobs in the Future." As I read the information, I realized with real apprehension that there were no more jobs in the future.. Specifically, the jobs at that time were the textile, furniture, and farm labor with reference to tobacco. The first two are crucial, and, for Baptists in this area of the South, tobacco was then crucial for employment. My summary of the papers was that there were no jobs in the future for our children. The reason was simple: they were not going to be needed due to computerization, automation, and robotics. From about that time until now, the jobs have gone away in those fields as well as in others. Just note the flying robotic arms to be seen in the news report on the auto assembly lines. Recently, my wife was in the hospital being transported to another section for e-rays or something to that effect, when the attendant suddenly pulled over to make way for small robot coming down the center of the hall, bound for some nursing station with required drugs. I wondered, if the attendant realized that who ever had carried the drugs before was now with out a job, and that his job could also be taken soon by a robot. In the materials I received some 23-25 years ago, I saw reason for workers in fast food places to be concerned. One Burger King in New York, a 24-7 operation employing 400 people, had automated. The business hired a lazar cooker operator at $90/hr from Germany and his assistant, a Japanese at @60/hr. The rest of the crew consisted of 18 cleanup people. Effectively 380 people were unemployed. There is more, but every job imaginable becomes "Ify" in view of the computers, automation, and robots. Now we have 3-d printers and seem on the verge of really going into space big time. Just think: In '94 a physicist at the University of Mexico, a Dr. Alcubierre, set forth a theory for faster than light travel. The only problem had was that in '93 the late Ben Rich, head of the Skunk Works of Lockheed (the builders of the Stealth fighters) told the graduating class of UCLA: "We already have the means of going to the stars….' The flying suacers reported by millions of people around the world cannot be imaginary. After all, a magazine reported recently that one company was contemplating the building of such vehicles to replace the planes of today. And there is more. But the changes in eschatology and theology and soteriology that will require involve going back to the very beginnings of Baptists in this country, back to the Great Awakenings and the launching of the modern missionary movement. Three things are required with reference to such: research, research, research in the Bible and all other fields as well.
Thank you for your courage to speak up , Revelation in the making. John
Waylon thank you very much. It is a world in turmoil with one conflict after another conflict in so many places in our world. I will take a simple prayer request from a group of inmates. Pray for harmony an calm. I appreciate that thought because if there is no harmony an calm it is very difficult to discuss an teach Gods word. The saving grace of our nation an our world is Jesus Christ who always brought a calming an harmony to every circumstance. It may seem overwhelming yet anything is possible through Jesus Christ. He as us to pray for just that, peace an salvation.
Our world is in the same condition as it was before the flood of Noah. The only people who see this are the faithful few who still believe in our Creator. Unfortunate, our society and our churches have turned away from God, and seek men’s knowledge and understanding, and not God’s. Whenever our churches leave behind the infallibility of His Word, we are leaning towards our own understanding. The Bible warns of of this. Jesus talked of the creation of the world, the flood, and many other things that were written of in Genesis and the Old Testament, but sadly, a growing number of pastors and churches are preaching that Genesis is not to be taken literally, as well as other parts of the Word. That is like saying that Jesus did not know what He was talking about. Folks, God created the world and all that is in it, in six days and rested on the seventh. If you don’t believe this, you may as we’ll throw the entire Bible away because you have just said that we cannot believe all of God’s Word. Who gives us the authority to pick and choose which parts are true and which parts are myth? if we believe it took millions of years to create the world the animals and then mankind, then we have to admit that there was death in the world before man was created. If you believe or preach that, then you are saying that God never looked at His creation and said it was good, because death is not good. If sin did not come about just as Genesis says it did, by satan, then why did Jesus need to come and die for every person ever born into this world? If humans evolved from primates, who evolved over billions of years from some chemical activity in a pond, at what point did man receive his soul….and when did a God decide that Jesus needed to come and rescue mankind because at some point man’s souls had become evil? When did satan cause sin to enter the world….or is satan even real? It simply does not add up. The belief in evolution has taken over our world, thus ridding our world of the need for God and the necessity of salvation for our souls. Christianity is being pushed out and we are being persecuted and murdered, just as the Bible said would happen when we start to believe fables instead of His Word. What is happening in our world, the unholiness, the turning towards sin, where things that are sins are now considered good and people who stand up for what us right, are called bigots and narrow minded. Our children are being brainwashed in our schools to accept that man was not made in God’s image, and that Science is the only true god and that we are nothing more than an evolved being made from chemicals with no purpose and no eternal future. No wonder suicides are increasing, hope is gone, wars are raging, sexual perversions are rampant and accepted, murders are commonplace, morals are barely alive, and the world is ” as in the days of Noah.” No wonder that 80% of our children leave our churches as young adults! never to return because they have been taught to compromise the true Word of God by our churches who preach that you cannot take God’s Word literally, and by our schools that teach them that we are soulless mammals! I would like to see an awakening in our homes, churches and society …to see that since we have left God and His infallible Word, that we have sent ourselves on this path of destruction and evil. It should not come as a surprise to any real Christian who reads his Bible. It was all predicted. It is time for all of us to repent and pray. And, to stand up for our Savior and His Gospel. Thanks for letting me have a chance to share my burden.