The Things to Come

Someone emailed me this verse today:

Jude 20-23  But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.  And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

If this isn’t last days encouragement, tell me what is? Don’t we all need that, at least if we are looking and watching and waiting and daily vexed by the world and what passes for the Church.  Of course if you are not looking upward, then most of what I will say here and will make no sense, so you can skip this and continue on with your head in the sand. How’s that workin’ for you?

I am not a boat rocker by nature. I am a peacemaker; I hate controversy and like everyone else, want to have friends and put the best spin on most everything. At least that’s  been my path. But the time has come to just  not worry about all that.  I believe that God of course puts such personality traits in us, and once filled with the Holy Spirit at conversion,  we begin to grow in grace and become meeker with time, not more abrasive. (Note I didn’t say, ‘bold’, I said, ‘abrasive’ as in off-putting or annoying.) But the challenge here in these verses is not to some, but to all, regardless of our nature. There is a job to do, Christian. There is a time to be bold and live with our convictions and a time to be meek and gracious and kind. These verses suggest that to me and making a distinction is very important.

Today there is an overused phrase, “the road less traveled”. I’m not sure exactly what that means in light of contending for the faith in the midst of rampant apostasy and falsehood and reinventing postmodern Christianity (which technically does not exist, it is a made up buzz word for those with an agenda). But I am going to suggest that narcissistic believers today are all about their own personal journey and self-discovery and neglect the idea of real community as described in the Bible. Not the wimpy left-handed social networking coffeehouse “relationship” and “conversant” sandbox Christianity so popular today, but real Spirit-led regenerate community where the gifts of the Spirit are in play, including the ones that serve to keep an eye on where the church is going and are willing to stick their necks out and protect the flock. I think the road less traveled recently and without warning, became “the boat less rocked”.  Those who do rock the emergent and all things reinvented pleasure yacht today are called unkind things, lumped into a category and accused of throwing sand and spoiling all the relevant fun. When will the church realize there are other gifts in the body, placed there for a reason, and  despite the “lack of love” accusation that is designed to provoke a deep-wound response, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Political correctness has infiltrated the church just like the world. It is nothing more  than censorship and of the worst kind. To speak out about false teaching and error today engenders responses that I couldn’t imagine only a few years ago. Everyone has sacred cows it seems, and the farther we sink into apostasy, the less teachable the body seems to become. What is to become of the church where everyone does what is right in their own eyes, gouging out the eyes and stopping up the ears of the church? Censorship has no place in the body but rather those who have been trained by the Word who see the writing on the wall need to be heeded, because there ARE absolutes, doctrine is not a dirty word, and above all, Jesus is coming soon, and so much is at stake.  There are beloved older saints who are doing all they can – I think of Dave Hunt, Pastor Chuck, Jacob Prasch, David Hocking, and others with great apologetic gifts; wonderful pastors who do not walk before men, who are doing all they can and paying an incredible personal price. The way will get narrower, darker, and perhaps God is giving  us some hard choices today. But in light of ecumenism, emergent heresies, far-left political agendas (in the church!), the meditative/mystical movement, the Islam/Christianity common ground movement, Dominionism and other such mischief, the boat less rocked, while on calm seas, is not taking anyone anywhere.

Don’t be afraid to rock that boat, you might snatch someone from the fire.

Last week I watched a PBS special on the Dust Bowl years, chronicling a season of several years in the Midwest/Southern Plains States when dust and dirt were the about the only things produced in the breadbasket area of the US.

Even though it seems that the farmer of the day did not understand how best to till his land to maintain the integrity of the topsoil and duly respect the local geography and weather, and even though they struck me as the most stubborn of the species in ’sticking it out’ (must have been Germans – yes, I am one too, so no letters please), the amount of hardship they endured is still quite amazing.  Many of  those who settled the Plains states between 1860-1940, seemingly wired in such a way as to be convinced they could subdue and master the elements, found out quickly that man is not always the master of all he surveys, particularly when driven largely by greed or the promises of heretofore unimagined monetary gain, bypassing the inbred reasoning capacity in favor of a perceived want or need.  In this case, not only did years of prevailing westerly dust prevent life from going on as usual, it also did not rain for a stretch of some 8 years and the locusts were particularly demonically inspired,  destroying anything that remained, even pitchfork handles. All in  all, there seemed to be a particular kind of hardship in play in those days that I don’t recall our nation enduring either in one geographical area or the nation as a whole in my lifetime since.

Factor in, in the same season, the Great Depression; the imminent invasion of Poland by Hitler and subsequent drawing of the US into WW2; the rise of Germany as the “superior race”, the holocaust, the rationing of the most basic needs on the homefront, and the loss of life of many Americans.  Just prior to this historic time frame, another World War was waged on the fields of Europe, and as a side note, 6 million died of the flu in the same season, including my paternal Grandfather. Now by comparison, again, my lifetime has been pretty peaceful, and if I vicariously place myself into the first half of the 20th century, I wonder 2 things: ) how would I, born into the most prosperous and leisurely placemarker in US history, have held up under such circumstances, and 2) if I were a believer with my current interest in prophecy, what would I have thought was going on in the world? These are things I ponder as soon as the lights go out on another day.

As we see the signs of the times, we at this juncture anticipate similar times and far worse. But still,  it strikes me  that I have never read any account of the  mid-20th century era, just before my time,  in which a godly man or woman actually pondered whether or not they were in the last days, let alone the tribulation.  I’m sure some did – but I cannot recall personally reading any overriding concerns of the day about the lateness of the hour and for the life of me cannot  understand why, as I interpose my own deep longings into this past scenario. Is this a sign of the times in itself? I believe so. I believe it validates the importance of modern Israel,  the preponderance of other biblical signs, and also validates the sense that so many have worldwide that we are on the verge of incredible global events – including the rapture of the church.

Think this through with me: in the same way that it seems like so many people today do sense that we are on the verge of the coming of Jesus, it would appear the exact opposite mindset was true at a time when you might think they SHOULD have expected it.  The difference? two things: Israel is a nation as a result of the previous events and is the ultimate sign of the times, and secondly, I believe it is none other than the Lord Himself Who is telling us what time it is. Whether we live in quiet times, anxious times, violent times, or peaceful times, it is HIS timetable that matters, not ours.  Why else would the bible say that the church would be snatched away during a time of life as usual, in a season we expect not, as a thief who comes under the cover of night when no one is watching? Sure, the times looked grim 60 years ago but if the people of God weren’t  reading the Word and watching the skies – if they weren’t thinking “perhaps today” on a  daily basis, how could they discern the times? Sure, our parents were part of the greatest generation, God bless them- but where did the voice of the Lord fit into their lives, the love of the Word, a single-minded longing to see His face?

And so we acknowledge His great grace toward us: I can clearly see why He raised up a subsequent generation to know and understand the times, beginning with a great move of the Spirit in the late 60s and early 70s, among a generation that seemed to have it all but what they needed most: a personal relationship with the God of the universe, coupled with a revival of the study of eschatology. Isn’t He good, to move in such a way in our lifetime, to do for us what we could not do for ourselves? And here I am, fruit of that generation, ever mindful of it, and so grateful beyond words for His sovereignty and for those who spoke truth to me when I least wanted to hear it.

Coincidence? Oh dear no. It is the Lord Himself Who has put it into our hearts to watch and wait, and we would do well to heed His warnings.  We are without excuse, if we should be found asleep, lethargic, neglecting so great a salvation. “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”  (Romans 13:11).

So bring on hard times that lead to redemption.

Pray to be counted worthy.

Heed the watchman on the wall.

Keep yourselves in the love of Christ.

Riddle: What is it that everyone wants more of, yet more and forgets where it comes from and what it is meant to accomplish? What is it that we want plenty of for ourselves and yet often neglect to pass on to others just as liberally?

Answer: one of the sweetest ’sounds’ in life: GRACE. It can be a girl’s name, it can describe how we walk or move, and it can even be used as a excuse to avoid holiness by living however we want and then presuming on God to look the other way to our fleshly agendas. I have often heard it defined with an acronym: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. And this is accurate. Grace and mercy are two different things. “Grace” is getting what we don’t deserve, “Mercy” is NOT getting what we DO deserve. Grace inspite of who we are, Mercy because of who HE is. This is part of our great gospel. And yet I think there are multiple ways grace works in us, we just don’t really understand them all at this point in our lives. I know I don’t.

I just want to examine briefly one small way I think it does work. While it is not Scripture, I believe that the song “Amazing Grace” was written through the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, many claim that “God gave me this song” for much lesser types of musical compositions, and I’m not going to go there, it’s not my table – but I think given the durability and sweetness of that old hymn we can likely find common ground on that one. So let me point out the part that really speaks to me in light of the times:

“Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.” This hymnwriter understood something perhaps we don’t: that the manifold grace of God accomplishes something other than making us feel good and in right standing with God when in fact we may not be. Let me explain: at some point in our lives, if we are believers, the grace of God set to working in our hearts. I am willing to bet it did not feel ‘good’ at first. I remember my own conversion began with powerful, overwhelming conviction. And this was a miracle as my Catholic phariseeism was just as powerful and had a great stronghold in my young life. And so I was miserable, and thought perhaps God had abandoned me or more accurately, actually hated me at that point. To my carnal mind, I thought that being in God’s presence was to be happy and on some type of emotional high – which I had experienced as a devoted Catholic girl, and at a pretty young age, actually. Likewise today, Emergent adherents believe that doing good deeds and finding some gnostic happy place through mysticism is to find God. This is simply not so. They leave off the fear of God in their understanding of how He works and in how they should show him to the world. I personally believe there is a very serious lack of fear of the Lord in nearly every new book that flies off Christian shelves today. No one who truly fears the God of the Bible could ever write that mess called The Shack, and the seeker sensitive/church growth style of ministry that leaves people in their sins through a power-less gospel is another strong example of a lack of proper fear of God.

But as a youngster I had no right understanding of the other attributes of God – justice, holiness, righteousness – so I mistook what turned out to be His great grace toward me as cosmic cruelty. Kind of like when our earthly parents do something we just don’t want and then we try and cut them by saying, ‘you hate me!!’ as we storm off in a little immature huff. The truth is, when we are heathens and He begins to work in our lives, it is His GRACE and LOVE that draw us. That grace teaches our hearts to fear, first of all. Fear God, His commandments, His justice, His holiness – remember it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Once we have a right fear of God in all aspects, and we surrender our will to His in light of our sinful condition, THEN our fears are relieved. No one, and this includes our loved ones who are burdening under His conviction, should have their fears relieved until they are taught to fear first, by His great grace.

And so, if you have loved ones who are struggling with commitment to Christ, do not relieve their fears of judgment; do not let them off the hook in any way – let God do that in His timing, when He relieves their fears after full repentance, reconciling them to Himself for all eternity. Stand firm, do not be ashamed of the Gospel.

mary

This came across my email from Moriel Ministries (Jacob Prasch). I’ve never known them not to shoot straight, and so I appreciate their honesty in a time of great deception. It is always refreshing and I have never shied away from that mode of operation, and more and more as I see the DAY approaching. If God’s people aren’t going to be square with others on the state of things, then who will? The father of lies has had the podium long enough, I say. And so, the following by Scott Brisk at Moriel was my refreshment for the morning.

“Never, since I began collecting media reports and sifting them through the world-view of the Scriptures, have I seen such a group of reports as dismal as these concerning the state of the faith. The “church” as it once was, barely ceases to exist, and in my understanding, there is not much time remaining before “no stone remains unturned” of this current temple.

There is no such idea as “positive” in scripture. We need to deal with the truth, and the truth is: the church as we know it is done! However, this is really a good thing.

While some will continue to send out their “positive and encouraging” blabber based on the wisdom of men, I hope and pray this alert hammers home the point of actual the state of “the church” so that the remnant can get on with doing the real work of The Lord taught in the Scriptures.

Please understand that God always has and will always have a remnant and the gates of hell will not prevail against His church. However, we are rapidly approaching that time when all things that can be shaken, will be shaken, and the Lord wants a purified and spotless Bride. Much of what has been called the church in recent times has been nothing but an imposter harlot wearing a wedding gown. Yeshua our Messiah knows who belongs to Him and who does not, but He wants us to know and He wants the world to know as well…”

Amen! So, occupy ’til He comes! The church needs to get off their narcissistic worldly trip and get down to work while there is still daylight. —-Mary

This morning I had a funny spiritual illustration cross my path as I was walking to work. This happens almost daily and they make me chuckle.

I was listening to a podcast of one of my favorite Bible teachers this morning as I sojourned to work on the ped express. I love to walk. Let me say it again. I love to walk, it is addicting to me and I love the sense of moving on my own power. Sometimes I dread the time it takes to get from point A to point B, because, after all, I am as impatient as any earth dweller these days to have everything hot n’ now.

But once I get going, look out. Can’t stop. Unless it’s 20 below zero and it’s more pain than it’s worth.

This morning I found myself trying to listen to a great bible study while I walked. It was also garbage day in my neighborhood. And when that truck is doing it’s stop-and-start thing it’s loud. Really loud. It might turn the corner, but it’s just a matter of time before it comes your way again. And I can’t hear my study when the garbage truck comes calling. Isn’t that just like life? All the garbage of this world that comes into our visual and audio fields every day is just so much loud distraction. I can’t hear from the Lord when all the garbage is trying to fill my ears and distract me. And I don’t want to miss hearing His voice as it is the single most precious thing to me in life.

So, next time the garbage truck comes by, if you can’t tune it out, turn the corner, flee from it, and re-tune your ears to that still small voice. Nothing else matters.

Some necessary ramblings today on something called, “fear of prophecy”. I won’t give it a clever name because it’s a real condition, and I don’t want to make light of it because I don’t take it lightly. But I do want to offer some gentle suggestions to those who struggle with a very real sense of fear and foreboding at the thought that ‘the end is near’, with it’s accompanying birth pangs and trials as outlined in the Scriptures.

Having been involved in a ministry for many years that stays on the cutting edge of Bible prophecy, I have learned that there are only 2 responses that stir in the heart of a believer when they hear that time is short, and that the human race is headed for certain “unpleasant” global events on our way to redemption and the consummation of all things. Some respond with excitement, joy, and a rush of adrenaline that usually leads to a voracious appetite for “more of that”. If a believer grew up in a denominational tradition that never acknowledged the Bible’s tendency to predict the future with 100% accuracy, these Christians tend to react with the most incredulity that they were kept out of the Revelation loop for so long. I was one of those who was religious but spoon-fed only those things my denomination deemed palatable or necessary for my possible redemption at my last breath. Note, I said, ‘possible’ redemption. They never really knew the way to San Jose after all.

The other reaction I have encountered fairly regularly is one of great discomfort at the mention of certain events on the prophetic horizon. Things like global government and the accompanying dictatorship, famine, pestilences, wars, and financial insecurities or all-out ruin. The natural response to threats such as these would be fear, as we are all hard-wired to survive and give all we have for our lives. The Bible says that those who are on the earth at that season will literally experience their hearts failing out of fear of what is coming on the planet. But the key word here is: natural response. As in, the “natural man”, or unregenerate, or fleshly. To all those Christians who struggle with a fear response to any solid case presented for prophetic fulfillment, you need to know that while your response is natural and understandable, it is not biblical. There are many things in life that scare us out of our wits, and we will feel fear, sometimes daily. But feeling it, and acting on that fear or living by it is not the proper choice for the believer in Jesus Christ, those to whom have been given the keys to the Kingdom – to come. Not this one. This one is passing away, rapidly, and we look forward to the one in which righteousness dwells. But in order for that to happen, God has deemed it necessary that planet earth endure some serious birth pangs as the sin of mankind reaches its fullness, making His judgments righteous and pure, to His praise and glory. Wow, I can get real wound up at the thought. I am so looking forward to the day Christ returns in His glory. But I digress – sort of.

So….say you hear a well thought-out prophecy presentation, one that brings forth ample evidence, based on Scripture, that we are edging closer and closer to that time of which the Bible speaks. Let’s say that there are people that God has actually given the task of sounding the trumpet and letting folks know the hour. But perhaps you are one of those who tends to keep your distance from prophetic topics because it is distressing. But maybe on that day there is someone – perhaps a friend or relative of yours – listening in who sees their lost state and receives Christ before it’s too late. Would you say then that the presentation was meant to terrify, or that God was truly convicting and working? I have no doubt that many over time have gotten saved thanks to a well-timed and well done prophetic Bible study. I know many, as a matter of fact. I am one of them. I literally had the “hell” scared out of me. Thank you faithful pastor.

But if you think prophecy is merely frightening and has no other value that you can see, think about this: what if no one was watching these things, what if no one was warning? What would the church be like? Even as fewer and fewer give heed to the times, we can see a great lukewarmness, and social – gospel ‘purpose’ infiltrating and taking over the body of Christ, to her great peril. But what if no one bothered to address the times in any way? Would you feel more comfortable, or would you at some point be indignant that no one told you which end was up? If you sent a loved one to hear a church service and all they got was a feel-good seeker doughnut instead of a full breakfast of the gospel, wouldn’t you be angry that your loved one was not challenged spiritually and allowed to simmer in their own sin?

As we do get closer, more and more signs will be in place and more and more evidence will present itself that the Bible is the pure word of truth. This is a guarantee. It is not made to make us feel good, however. So what should our response be as children of the One who has all things in His grasp?

The Bible warns us of these things so we can know what to expect. We are told that when we see these things BEGIN to take place, (implying we will be watching all along if we are believers) we are to look up, lift up our heads (not bow them down in fear) and rejoice because our redemption is nigh. We are told to comfort one another with the blessed hope of the rapture. Fear indicates we do not trust our Lord with the events coming upon the earth, that He should come up with a different method or plan as this one does not suit us or keep our comfort zone in tact. It could also indicate a closer connection to this life than we ought to have, a love for our lives that could indicate that the things of heaven are farther from our thinking than they should be. Lukewarmness? Maybe. Only the fearful know that in their hearts, I am not their Holy Spirit. But if you are one of those who reacts with fear instead of excitement or joy, I would encourage you to set your affections above, and count all things loss for the sake of Christ. This life is but a vapor, eternity is, well, forever. And only keeping our eyes on Jesus hour by hour can we avoid the carnality of reacting with fear at the thought of His soon return.

Rev 19:10b – “Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

2Timothy 1:7 – “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”