Pastors don't link world events to speeding up return of Christ
The Doctrine of Eschatology is falling on hard times in this age of the church. Mention the Study of Last Things or Bible Prophecy today and most evangelical pastors will look at you with either a blank stare (because they haven't a clue what you are talking about) or they will think to themselves, "this guy is a kook."Some of this, unfortunately, is well-earned. Rather than look to the Bible and read what the Bible says about prophecy many Christians let the world define what prophecy is and is not, and, too often, the world highlights genuine false prophets like Harold Camping or Edgar Whisenant. Add to this the reality that there are pastors and churches who have made the study of prophecy their entire focus, disregarding nearly everything else the Bible has to say, and you can see how quickly the church can become unbalanced.Where do you fall when it comes to teaching eschatology? Do you avoid the topic altogether or do you spend weeks and months preaching on the meaning of the first seal from Revelation?I like how Millard Erickson presents a balanced view of eschatology:
Somewhere between the two extremes of preoccupation with and avoidance of eschatology, we must take our stance. For eschatology is neither an unimportant and optional topic nor the sole subject of significance and interest to the Christian. We will find an appropriate mediating position if we keep in mind the true purpose of eschatology. At times eschatology has become a topic of debate, resulting in accusations and acrimony among Christians. This is not the purpose for which God revealed eschatological truths. Paul indicates in 1 Thessalonians 4 his reason for writing about the second coming. Some believers whose loved ones had died were experiencing a grief that was, at least to a degree, unhealthy and unnecessary. Paul did not want them to sorrow like unbelievers, who have no hope for their departed loved ones (v. 13). After describing the second coming and assuring his readers of its certainty, he counsels, “Therefore encourage each other with these words” (v. 18). It is sometimes easy to forget that the eschatological truths in God’s Word, like the rest of his revelation, are intended to comfort and assure us. [Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology., 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1998), 1159–1160.]
For a current view on how pastors view the return of Christ, LifeWay recently conducted a survey on the topic. Here are some of the findings:
- Pastors are three times more likely to believe Christians can speed up the return of Christ by the spread of their faith than by backing certain geopolitical changes, according to a new study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research.
- Around 1 in 8 Protestant pastors (12 percent) believe Christians can speed up the second coming of Jesus by supporting geo-political changes mentioned in the Bible, with 5 percent strongly agreeing.
- Four in 5 pastors (80 percent) don't believe their support will have an impact on the timetable of Christ's return, including 61 percent who strongly disagree.
- During heighted conflicts with Syria, a 2013 LifeWay Research study found many Americans were likely to link global conflict with end times.
- Almost 1 in 3 saw the conflict as part of the Bible's plan for the end times. One in 4 thought a U.S. military strike in Syria could lead to Armageddon. And 1 in 5 believed the world would end in their lifetime, including 32 percent of evangelicals.
- White pastors (11 percent) are less likely to believe backing geo-political events will hasten Jesus' second coming than African American pastors (20 percent) or pastors of other ethnicities (22 percent).
- Pastors 65 and older (16 percent) are more likely to agree than those 18 to 44 (9 percent).
- Close to 2 in 5 (41 percent) believe Christians can hasten Jesus' second coming through world evangelism, while around half (54 percent) disagree.
- Denominationally, Pentecostal pastors (66 percent) are the most likely to agree Christians can speed up Jesus' return by sharing the Gospel with all people groups.
- Those with no college degree (56 percent) are more likely to agree than those with a degree.
- Whenever the second coming of Christ may be, most Protestant pastors believe immorality will be more common until Jesus returns.
- Almost 7 in 10 (68 percent) agree "culture will increasingly get less moral until Jesus Christ returns." Around a quarter (26 percent) disagree.
Iran Vows Revenge Against The United States, And The Phrase “World War 3” Is Now Trending…
CE Comment: Even my daughter recognized this as an ugly start to 2020. Ironically, as this news was breaking, she was filling out a form for Federal Student Aid. Many on Twitter started warning that submitting such an application would make my daughter eligible for the draft! Those concerns were misplaced, but it is sad when 18-year olds have to start worrying about war.
The world is most definitely a better place without Iranian military chief Qassem Soleimani. He was a butcher, a murderer and a despised international terrorist. All over the globe, people are celebrating his death, but without a doubt this also brings us much closer to a cataclysmic war with Iran. In fact, as you will see below, the phrase “World War 3” is now trending on Google and Twitter. Soleimani was the second most important person in Iran, and he was a greatly cherished national hero. His death has absolutely enraged the Iranians, and they are already vowing revenge....Here is what Iran’s supreme leader, the Ayatollah Khamenei, had to say in the wake of Soleimani’s death…Dear Iranian Nation!
Years of sincere, brave efforts fighting against the devils& villainous in the world & yrs of wishing for martyrdom on the path of God finally took the dear Commander of Islam, Soleimani, to this lofty status. His blood was shed by the most barbaric of men.
We congratulate Imam Mahdi (‘a.j.) & Soleimani’s pure soul& condole the Iranian nation on this great martyrdom. He was an eminent example of a person trained in Islam. He spent all his life in struggling for God. Martyrdom was the reward for his tireless efforts over the years.
His efforts & path won’t be stopped by his martyrdom, by God’s Power, rather a #SevereRevenge awaits the criminals who have stained their hands with his & the other martyrs’ blood last night. Martyr Soleimani is an Intl figure of Resistance & all such people will seek revenge.
All friends – & enemies – know that Jihad of Resistance will continue with more motivation & definite victory awaits the fighters on this blessed path. The loss of our dear General is bitter. The continuing fight & ultimate victory will be more bitter for the murderers & criminals.
The Iranian nation will honor the memory of the noble Major-General Soleimani & the martyrs with him – particularly the great Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis – & I declare 3 days of mourning across the nation. I condole & congratulate his family.
New Zeitgeist Term of the Week: "TERF"
If we have learned anything in 2019, it is the reality that the far left is a religious cult. They enforce a strict rule of code that if one violates it, there is quick and sudden condemnation. The latest is author J.K. Rowling. Rowling is a self-identified feminist, but she made the awful, terrible decision to challenge a portion of the intersectional order. In a recent tweet, she commented on transgender identity:
Dress however you please.Call yourself whatever you like.Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you.Live your best life in peace and security.But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real? #IStandWithMaya #ThisIsNotADrill— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 19, 2019
That tweet sparked outrage among the transgender community, hence the new Zeitgeist Term of the Week: TERF. What is a TERF you ask? A TERF is an intersectional slur that stands for "trans-exclusionary radical feminist." That's right: a radical feminist like Rowling is a TERF if she has the audacity to challenge the effort by trans-men to replace women.This is where the radical left goes from crazy to absurd. Here's the logic: feminists have fought for women's rights for decades. Now men who identify as women can enter into the roles women have fought for thus defeating the decades of struggle for rights that feminists have fought for.The most visible area where you see this intersectional craziness is in sports. Gender confused men are entering into women's sports as women and quickly dominate that sport. And if a woman happens to raise her hand and question the fairness of this new reality, she is quickly shamed and silenced. If she happens to be a feminist who questions the saneness of men taking a woman's place because they identify as a woman, then she is publicly labeled a TERF.Remember, things are not falling apart, they are falling into place.
The Democratic Cold War on Christianity Heating Up
The Culture Wars of the last 30 years are slowly evolving into a Silent Cold War with leftist Democrats openly engaging on every front Christians and Christian-leaning companies and organizations. Do not be misled: this is a clash between two worldviews: a Western, Judeo-Christian worldview and a Marxist, secular-humanist worldview. If you read the end of the book (the Bible), you will find out which side wins, but there will be a world of hurt and turmoil before we reach that point where the King establishes His earthly Kingdom.
One of the great unknowns in terms of the future electorate is the effect the Democrats’ increasingly radical anti-faith stance will have on its voting coalition.Black and Hispanic Democrats tend to be far more religious than the white Democrats who are driving the party’s agenda. Will this alliance hold as the party increasingly kowtows to vocal anti-Christian Marxists? Will these voters start to defect as Democrats intensify their open war on people of faith?These questions arose this week when the sad story emerged that Chick-fil-A would no longer support three mainstream Christian-based charities; the Salvation Army, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Paul Anderson Youth Home, all under the auspices that they are anti-LGBTQ.Like the Salvation Army, Chick-fil-A never expected to find itself on the frontline in Democrats open war against Christianity. But, they were there nonetheless, and surrendering ground against these enemies was a mistake. The only way liberals will back off the attacks against Chick-fil-A is if the company heartily endorses and celebrates the full LGBTQ agenda. In other words, they expect either the destruction or total surrender of their religious foes.They elevated their attacks far beyond the usual slanderous name calling, which is really what put Chick-fil-A on the defensive. The fast food chain was under assault in every Democratic-controlled area and institution in the country. Democratic mayors in many key cities, to include Boston, Chicago, San Antonio, Buffalo, and San Jose worked to either prevent the restaurant from opening in the city or at its airport, or planned to drive it out. No doubt, Democrat governors would be the next to take up the fight. That they were all trigged by a chicken restaurant shows the powerful counter-cultural force its very existence conveyed.Democrats can no longer hide their contempt and hatred towards those who “cling to religion” and believe that the Bible is God’s word and means what it says. That’s really the rub. Liberals hate the Bible and they know if they can force people to compromise on Biblical teaching, Christianity will lose its effectiveness as a countercultural force.
This Pilgrim Republic
Thanksgiving is a time when we pause to give thanks to God for his blessings on us and upon our ancestors. We remember the first Thanksgiving at Plymouth celebrated by our Pilgrim forefathers. While some are critical of Thanksgiving (and everything else that is America), for many it is a blessed day of family celebrating the passing of another year and the blessings this year held. It's a time of intentional gratitude, which is sorely missing in our culture today. This article captures well the history of Thanksgiving while at the same time offering a prophetic warning to Americans of this generation.
The Pilgrims brought with them to the New World a definite religious system and a less fully articulated set of related political ideas. Their model of political life was the covenant, which is to say it was contractual and a little bit ad hoc. Their politics were utilitarian in a sense: They did not come to Massachusetts for the purpose of living life under a new kind of political settlement, but for the purpose of living a Christian life in community, a purpose to which all questions of political administration ultimately were subordinated. Government was for them a means, not an end. It was legitimate to the extent that it was in harmony with their religious doctrine and desirable to the extent that it enabled them to live the holy life they had in mind for themselves. There was an element of procedural democracy in the Mayflower compact, but the Pilgrim political mind recoiled from democracy as such in all but its most limited form....We feast on this day of Thanksgiving, to acknowledge the inexplicable blessings of peace and prosperity that have been poured out on this pilgrim republic and its people without any thought or possibility of our deserving it. And peace and prosperity are worthy of being celebrated. But what about purpose? Are we so remote from that wretched winter at Plymouth that we have forgotten that this nation was founded for a particular purpose, and that the government was constituted not to raise up men over us to keep us in awe but only as a convenience suited to that purpose? If we cannot see the bone under the skin in ourselves as obviously as we do in the turkey, it is only because we choose not to see. We do not want to see, because we have returned, in spite of our regenerate national greatness and our considerable skill in map-making, to the Land of Goshen, to the land of comfortable idolatry under the watchful and benevolent gaze of the god-king. We are happy in harness, pleased to be liberated from that terrible liberty and all its unreasoning demands. We do not dare raise our eyes, because we are terrified of the prayer we would then be compelled to say. But we do not need prayers! We have silver and gold, and plenty of it, and a king to perform the needful rituals to satisfy the gods, that the crops and the GDP may grow. Or else we will, come next election.