Yesterday I encountered another version of something that I must have experienced – and I suspect that you’ve also witnessed – a million (or more) times before.
In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s suicidal (re-)declaration of war on God, I heard the story of a professing Christian who, when asked what the court decision meant to him and how he was going to deal with it, then responded with, “I’m prayed up and my bags are packed”. (See: “Supreme Court” Votes for Wrath of God Upon America.)
Meaning, of course, that he was waiting for the rapture.
He wasn’t planning to do anything meaningful to change his approach to life or engage the culture in accordance with the Great Commission. He wasn’t repenting of his past lack of Great Commission engagement with the culture and the role that his disengagement played in helping to bring the culture to ruin. (See: Limp Wristed Gospels Make Limp Wristed Cultures.)
Nope.
None o’ that.
He was just praying and waiting.
That was his response.
Really.
And in that moment – the moment in which I heard this American Christian’s self- and rapture-centered approach to dealing (or not dealing) with the situation biblically, it became even clearer that this attitude – this pre-emptive surrender, apathy, and laziness wrapped in false piety that has come to define American Christianity for generations now – is far more responsible for the cultural devastation we are witnessing than, say, Barack Obama or even the openly Pagan homosexuality advocates that lead Pride marches. (See: The Curse of Magic Christianity: Praying that God will do miraculously what we refuse to do through obedience.)
The culture is convulsing in anti-Christian revolution and all most American Christians care to do is more of the same, that being pretty much nothing. They’ve taken the bait of the enemy and come to believe that they are here to just passively observe and wait for Jesus to swoop down and do what He has commanded and equipped them to do through His Gospel-fueled Great Commission. (See: Encouragement from Satan.)
What we are witnessing today in America is the culmination of many wicked paths, one of which is a literature- and film-fueled path of dispensational surrender and pre-emptive defeat promoted and secured through the works of, among others, Hal Lindsey in the ’70s through to Tim LaHaye today. Left Behind theology and escapist “end times” perspectives have transformed American Christianity into one of the greatest forces of laziness and cultural disengagement in all of human history.
I know this all too well since I used to hold these views, and passionately so.
These ongoing, influential, best-selling literary contributors to the modern American church’s pre-emptive surrender of the culture reminded me of another novel of note written about two cities in a revolutionary time:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. . . “
So begins the famous opening to the best selling novel in history, Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.
The two cities that popped into my mind upon revisiting this legendary intro were two American cities. More specificly, two gay American cities, with each defined by very different aspects commonly conveyed through use of the term “gay”.
The one city is weak, lame, incapable of fruitful reproduction and unwilling to put forth meaningful effort to push life and culture in a truly positive direction. This is the American Christian city, immersed in passivity and false piety as it watches the world burn and waits for Jesus to come and do what He has commanded His people to do. (Actually, residents of this American Christian city have been conditioned to view the collapse of culture as a very good thing in that it can only mean that Jesus is even closer to rapturing them away, and who would want to delay that, right?)
The other city centers on legitimizing things like sexual perversion as a right and even a virtue. It is strong and committed to its cause. It works hard. It uses every means available to advance toward its goal. It is patient, persistent, and dedicated. It plans and works multi-generationally in accordance with long-term objectives. This is the American Progressive Pagan city, marching from victory to victory on the cultural battlefield, pillaging the pathetic American Christian city en route to complete cultural domination (a complete cultural domination that the American Christian city considers to be inevitable anyway, so why put up too much of a fight, right?).
So “the best of times” are clearly now being had by the American Progressive Pagan city and “the worst of times” are here for the rest of us.
The “age of wisdom” is actually more embodied by the American Progressive Pagan city as well, since it sees and applies wisdom in its careful, committed, methodical, multigenerational fidelity to its worldview and long-term objectives. The “age of foolishness” is on full display in the American Christian city, where most even now still ship their children off to the anti-Christ State for an explicitly anti-Christian “education” while going about their normal weekly routines, just riding things out and trying to enjoy life as much as possible before the rapture.
The “epoch of belief” seems to be on display with the Pagan Progressives, who actually believe in their worldview enough to do what it requires of them.
The “epoch of incredulity” is embodied by a professing Christian church that just doesn’t care about anything beyond itself. (See: Beware the “Gospel in a Bottle”.)
As a result, the “spring of hope” has come to the Progressive Pagan City and a “winter of despair” has settled in on the rest of us.
Now consider this: Our present cultural upheaval has been spearheaded and accomplished through a committed 3% or so of the population.
3%!
What if 3% of the population was, by God’s grace, actually on fire for the life- and culture-resurrecting Gospel-fueled Great Commission?
Just 3%!
What if only 3% purposed by God’s grace to advance His Kingdom here and now with everything that He has given them? What if they spent all of their talent and treasure in that pursuit? What if just 3% took on a committed, multigenerational approach to the Great Commission?
What then?
How much might the culture improve over the next 150 years through the grace-fueled obedience of those people?
What if we stopped insincerely praying for solutions from God while ignoring those very solutions as He has already so clearly and lovingly provided them to us in His perfect, sufficient Word?
What if we actually repented and obeyed Him in matters of children’s education? (See: Redeeming Children’s Education: Confronting Our Satanic Approach to the Pursuit of Knowledge.)
What if we actually repented and obeyed Him in matters of economics and business? (See: Corporate America’s Big Gay Push (Or: “Mark of the Beast” economics, here we come!)
What if we actually repented and obeyed Him in matters of law and justice? (See: Note to ‘Merica: There is no “God-given right” to worship false gods. Repent accordingly.)
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What if only 3% did this with the same vigor and multi-generational determination as the 3% who have already succeeded in dragging our culture to the gates of hell over the snoozing body of an apathetic, lazy, disengaged American “church”? (See: How to NOT stop the Big Gay Bullies that are raping the culture.)
What if…
What if we are here to find out, not by passively watching and waiting for Jesus to do what He has commanded and equipped us to do, but by lovingly obeying Him and doing what He has commanded and equipped us to do?
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” ~ Jesus, in Matthew 5:13-16
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” ~ Jesus, in Matthew 28:18-20 (emphasis added)
~
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I believe, if we don't Take Back our Beloved Republic we are heading for major chastisement from God! We have made a mockery of our role as One Nation, UNDER GOD… with liberty and justice for all! What justice permits SQUATTERS to illegally overrun our nation and destroy it! To ignore our laws and pay them for it! What Justice permits that our Precious, Defenseless gifts of life from God, our unborn citizens are allowed to be slaughtered and then parts of their bodies sold? What justice permits us to ABANDON our commitment to Israel, our greatest ally and God's Chosen People to cozy up with a muslim nation that repeatedly calls for our destruction and the destruction of Israel! God Forgive us and help us Please! 11Chronicles 7:14 "Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land." Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God, Jehovah! I come before Your Awesome Throne of Grace under the Blood of Jesus, with His Holiness and His Righteousness, knowing that my own is as a filthy rag! Oh, Lord, Forgive our Nation for these horrible, blasphemous sins! Lord, you see the evil all through our government! Help us REMEMBER that it is You that have made us and NOT we ourselves! Lord, all we, like sheep, have gone astray… Each to their own way! We repent, Lord and are returning to the GOD that is our FIRST LOVE! Help us, Please, Oh Lord, as we Repent! We are sorry we got wrapped up in our day to day lives while this EVIL crept in and took over our government! We will be faithful to STAY AWAKE to our Love of You! We will teach our children Your ways! Please hear from Heaven! We are humbled, We have repented and We are praying… We seek Your face only and are turning from our wicked way! Please, Lord, Speak to our Military Leaders, Inspire them to honor their Oath to Protect and Defend us! Help us please, please, to remove the evil from our Nation and restore our Nation to our Constitution, our Republic and Christian Foundation! Show us your arm of mercy! Your mighty arm of Justice! Your mighty hand of healing! Please bring revival to America! Pour out your Spirit, Lord, God and Bless America Again! In Jesus Name I pray! AMEN
This is blasphemous. It was evil when the church asked the gov.’t to take over the institution of marriage. God gave us that command. It is worse now to legislate morality. Christ called us, not the gov.”t, to call others to repentance.
There has neve been a more vile or debauched society than that of The Romans at the time Paul preached on Mars Hill. He never once asked the gov.’t to do anything about it. He never once judged those outside the faith. He did call and judge the faithful to the work of spreading the gospel.
If we do our job, we won’t have to worry about the gov.t doing it for us. 100% of the time we have asked the gov.t to do the job to which Christ has called us it has ended in disaster! This was true for marriage, fornication and adultery laws (who’s ready to bring those back?). It was true of slavery, and alcohol, and is true of welfate, abortion, gay rights and every other moral issue baby christians ask the gov.’t to handle for them (apparently someone is teaching them that God isn’t big enough).
What if we stopped moly coddling speeders (we are to obey the laws of the land), fornicators, adulterers, gossips, gluttons and liars right in the church!?! God hates ALL of this disobedience just as much.
Let’s stop asking the gov.’t to do the jobs to which Christ has called us.
So ScottSo Scott, I feel sorry for any depressed or despairing person you have to counsel. This is incredibly shaming and hurtful to the untold millions of Christians struggling under the weight of family issues and division, who are doing the best they can, who realize God said it would be worse toward the end and not better, where you seem to be saying that we can somehow work to undo what God has told us *is* *going* *to* *happen.* It sounds like you're basically looking down your nose at all the Christians who aren't as spiritual as you are. Not very pastoral.
I pray your wife never gets depressed or your children struggle with anything whatsoever. What a horrible bedside manner you will have. Remember that just like your loved ones, we are your sisters and brothers in Christ and a few of us actually do have more life experience than you do. You don't even have teenagers yet but you seem like you want to tell us all who are older than you are how to live that best life now and fix the world.
Come on, Scott. Does this guy REALLY mean he just wants to sit on the mountaintop and do NOTHING till Jesus comes back? Really? Or is that just your skewed version of what he meant?
If you could pull quotes from the article to support any of your assertions or interpretations here, that would be helpful. Until I see those things I have to simply say that I have no idea what you're talking about and must wonder if you've even read the article. Thanks.
"He wasn’t repenting of his past lack of Great Commission engagement with the culture and the role that his disengagement played in helping to bring the culture to ruin. "
Wow. that's one powerful guy! As powerful as God himself.
"Meaning, of course, that he was waiting for the rapture." And doing nothing, nothing at all else. Because God can't use our smallest gifts, he only uses our perfect gifts that are totally sold out to him, cuz any of us are… right?
if we were totally sold out to him, why would we sin? Are you totally sold out yet Scott? Have you repented of your lack yet? If you have, then how come culture isn't fixed?
"this pre-emptive surrender, apathy, and laziness wrapped in false piety"
Isn't that what they told Jeremiah when he told them NOT to fight and to go into Babylon? Yes we are not Israel, I know. I'm not a dispensationalist, nor do I believe in a rapture. But I am also not a postmill as you seem to be suggesting here (we have to fix the culture or we are being disobedient). Tell me in a majority rules culture, how does the minority of Christians bring about godly rule?
"What if we are here to find out, not by passively watching and waiting for Jesus to do what He has commanded and equipped us to do, but by lovingly obeying Him and doing what He has commanded and equipped us to do?"
Sure, but that isn't reclaiming the culture. It's making disciples…. and we are nowhere guaranteed results. You sound like a church growth adherent in this article. But of course, you want specifics. I could just quote you the whole article. If you aren't seeing it I can't help you any further, because you're stuck in what we call "full victory mode" thinking you have all the answers and the rest of us schmucks who have been Christians for 40 years don't know a thing. You have brethren in Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, and everyone else who has come along and thinks they have all the answers for the church that has been 'missing' it for 2000 years.
If the pre-Tribulation rapture is a biblical doctrine, and it is, then it is sinful to ignore it. That being said, I have found that a lot of biblical doctrines are ignored and/or distorted by Christians, to the point that I am no longer sure who is a Christian.
Emphasizing one doctrine and ignoring others is not preaching the whole counsel of God! It is worse when we start adding things, like tithing for instance, which are not taught in the New Testament at all!
I too was raised in a Dispensational church, and eventually I did my own study. Many of the things they taught were actually wrong, like an imminent rapture, or a rapture without signs. Even some of the things that Baptists, and other Christians, teach as biblical morality actually have their origin in the city of Rome and not in the bible. In the traditions of men and not the word of God!
So, should we go back to Amillennialism, Post-millennialism, or Preterism? That would be like a dog going back to its own vomit! Augustine is the arch-heretic of Christianity, or should I say "false Christianity"? All of Augustine's philosophy was coloured by his Manichaeism, and renders 100% of his ideas suspect.
You criticize Dispensationalists for their belief that the world will end up in apostasy before the Lord's return, but this is actually taught throughout the New Testament, and is based on the words of Jesus Christ himself.
Apostasy is a terrible thing, but is the inevitable result of human sin. As Paul said
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 2 Tim. 4:3-4
This is prophecy, and it is not optional, except for the individual. Several of your posts have touched on the cause.
And, Jesus did say "…when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" The obvious implication is "no"!
Do your own study, cling to the truth, and move forward. Don't go back to the failed philosophies of the past, especially the ungodly ones mentioned above, but move forward into more truth, not less!
One last thing; Jesus had this to say about the rapture;
Luke 21:36
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Hint; Those who escape these things will be standing before the Son of Man! That is the rapture! On the other hand, he also told us to pray that we are found "worthy". I am afraid that the majority of people who prayed a prayer and asked Jesus into their heart, will find that He didn't enter! He won't enter into a heart that does not want Him!
Zephaniah says this, in the context of the Day of the Lord's Anger; Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger. Zeph. 2:3
But Isaiah has this to say about the rapture, and it is indeed Pre-Trib;
20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. Isaiah 26:20-21
The key here is "my people". Are you His people? Most Christians say that prayer and then focus on this life. If you are not thinking about Jesus, and the teachings of the bible, All The Time, then you need to ask yourself, "am I really saved?"
Why would Jesus say "the children of this world, in their day, are wiser than the children of light"? It is because if you are really His, you will concentrate on the things of God, and the things of this earth will seem strange and uninteresting to you! This is why I am concerned with Christians who want us to make society better. That is not our calling! We are called to preach the gospel, and to model its teachings, but that is all. We are not called to compel the unbelievers to come in, or to Christianize them. That is the job of the Holy Spirit.
Don't worry about it, it is more than you can handle!
We need to realize that any decision or ruling by the Supreme Court only applies to a particular case before it. The same sex marriage case that was before the court was only about four couples. The only ruling I saw skimming over the text of the "Opinion of the Court," was the statement: " Opinion of the Court: 'The judgment of the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is reversed. It is so ordered. '" http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/14-556…
The Obama administration claims that the decision is an order across the whole country, and their complicit mainline media is saying the same! People are being misled. The
Supreme Court cannot legislate.
The only way a Court decision can apply to other people and situations, etc., which are not listed on a particular case, the Court has ruled on, is through precedent, and that is only relative when another case arguing before a court uses a previous ruling from the Supreme Court in its arguments. And, whether the Supreme Court decision applies, how it applies–to what degree and with what effects–must be ruled upon in another proceeding.
We should also not that the Supreme Court decision about same sex marriage had lots of
Comments, but the decision itself was weak and not even based on law. Therefore, that Supreme Court ruling is easily challenged. People are easily misled today it seems!
Any Supreme Court decision only applies to a case it rules upon. The same sex marriage case included four couples and the opinion of the Supreme Court—its' ruling was: " 'The judgment of the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is reversed." So, the ruling applies only to those listed in the case before the Supreme Court, and also as to just what the previous "Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit" court ruling contained!
It was the same with Roe vs Wade. The States were engaged in dialogue about abortion, and some had different laws before Roe vs Wade. Then after Roe vs Wade the States all changed their laws, but they did so of their own choosing! The Supreme Court cannot legislate. In addition, any decision by the court is always subject to challenge.
With Roe vs Wade. That decision only applied to Roe and Wade, but States changed their laws–and that was the decision of each State who did so–but there was widespread misunderstanding about the application of Supreme Court decisions. Decisions only apply when used as precedent in a future case, and only when another court accepts a Supreme Court ruling as relevant and applicable! True!
Please note that the Obama administration is NOT quoting the Court! The Court did not order the States, just those in the case before the Court are allowed to abide by the decision of the Court. In addition, Supreme Court decisions are not automatically adopted in subsequent cases before courts–but must be reconsidered along with arguments about future cases, and such rulings are always subject to challenge. Any decision by the Supreme Court about gay marriage must be kept in context of it being a court decision that is only about the one particular case before the court.
In addition, that while it is scary how the court really has no basis in law for any decision anyway, but that members of the court have made statements about their own personal opinions. That is NOT what judges should be saying, or thinking, or any basis upon which rulings should be made!
Thanks for getting the word out. It's lonely out here! Nice to know there's someone else who cares and understands! This is the time for all Christians to band together and replace apathy with zeal. I plan to read more of your writing.
2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
2Ti 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
The funny thing about your posts is one group is fighting to be able to love each other without discrimination, and the other is fighting to take rights away from everyone but Christians.
That’s why we’re winning.
So get your 3%. Hell, get 15%. Try and take our rights, our Gods, our beliefs and passions.
Try.
You will be fought tooth and nail. And you will lose. I promise.