As we approach the Fourth of July in the US, it is a good
time for believers to look at where the world is now and where we believers
are. The following is meant to be a
concise summary of the current situation and an encouragement to believers to
stay focused and to get out there as they are led. It is a call to action for all believers in
Jesus.
We are living in the days leading up to the return of
Jesus. Things are falling apart all
around. Wars and rumors of war abound in
the Middle East – Iraq, Syria, Iran, Israel, Afghanistan – and in other areas
there are looming threats or horrible terrorist activities (e.g., North Korea,
Nigeria). Terrorism is expanding
exponentially. Leaders of the world
governments do not know what to do. Look
at the people in the administration and the Congress in Washington. No idea.
The same can be said about leaders in Europe and elsewhere.
The economy is heading south rapidly. The US suffered and even surprisingly
officially reported a dramatic fall of almost 3 percent in its economy in the
first quarter of this year. That is a
huge fall for a country like the US and underscores there is no great rebound
of the economy underway. Average income
of Americans has fallen precipitously the last several years. Worse, the dollar is propped up by printing
enormous amounts of paper money, which of course devalues the currency
internationally and even is leading some international giants to consider
moving away from the dollar as the world money standard. Some have already taken initial steps in that
direction. When that happens, expect the
dollar value to go into free fall and inflation to rocket in the US. Americans will be shocked by the prices of
basic goods.
Morality as those more than a few years old have known it in
their lifetimes has largely disappeared.
Oh surely some individuals and families still seek to live according to
God’s values and laws. But society? Hardly.
While the state governments supported by the federal judiciary and the
leadership in the White House have led a rapid move toward formally approving a
lifestyle not accepted by millions and condemned as abomination by the Bible,
individual traditional denominations too have joined the rush. Some even now hold homosexual marriages and
have homosexual ministers. One recently
announced an effort to withdraw all investments from Israel in hope of putting
pressure on Israel, despite the clear warning from God regarding Israel that
those who bless you I will bless and those who curse you I will curse. No doubt there are still some individual
believers in churches in these wayward denominations, why I don’t know. But overall such churches are clearly not
churches of God, of Jesus.
And everywhere in the daily news reports and television we
see massive lying, massive deception which Jesus warned about. Over and over people call good evil and evil
good. Clear and obvious bad actions on
the part of people and government leaders and agencies are not dealt with or
are just ignored. Members of Congress
who should investigate and bring correction themselves divide along party
lines, not ever putting the country first in their duties.
Efforts of society to bring any meaningful correction to
this dire situation have not succeeded.
In politics the now several years old tea party movement is
floundering. While one or two have
gained office, its candidates have run into the establishment which will do
anything to keep its jobs, regardless of the issues or morality of their
positions. And in truth, the tea party
primarily focuses on the economy, which is hardly the only key issue out
there.
On the spiritual and values side, the public at large seems
to ignore efforts of serious ministers of God in their calling the people to
change, to move, and in their warning them the return is near. People just focus on their jobs and their
families and homes. Well, why not? They don’t know what else to do. They have clearly seen how the large national
government is not impacted by their views and wants.
Aside from all the Biblical prophecies of individual things
to happen before Jesus’ return, which I have reported on many times and which
have been and are being fulfilled, there are two key fundamental prophecies
that have come to the fore – Jesus’ warning to watch so as not to be deceived
and Paul’s warning that the day of the Lord will not come until there is a
falling away from God, really a rebellion against God. Both of these giant prophetic warnings have
now clearly occurred. We are in the
midst of them.
So what are we to do?
We can bemoan all the horrible actions and behaviors in the world
society today and just sit on our hands, or we can seek to influence and fight
against horrible positions and actions in society – all the time keeping our
eyes on Jesus and living in an internal peace that realizes he will soon be
here. Whenever we see governments and
other groups taking actions and positions opposed to God and the Bible, we can
speak out. We can write our government
leaders and our newspapers. We can go to
meetings and stand up for God as possible.
We can make sure those we are in contact with know our views. And in all this we of course must act as we
are led by God. I think Jesus expects
believers to be out there doing our best in standing up for him.
Remember Jesus’ words:
“I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges
me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of
God. But whoever
disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels
of God.” (Luke 12:8-9 NIV)
And God the Father’s
words:
(1 Samuel 2:30)
And Jesus’ words on this very time in which we live: “…when
the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8 NIV)
Well, will he? In
you?
(July
2014)
Copyright © 2014 by John Newlin
Keep
Your Eyes on Jesus!
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