SEVEN REVELATIONS OF FERGUSON

by Dan Phillips

I was just as happy to have my plans to write on this yesterday curtailed by Frank's post, as I usually am. It gave me a day more to ponder. That done — the ponderation having been ponderously pondered — I'll offer some thoughts, which in intent will be very like those I offered about "the Florida revival." That is, they will be Biblical principles whose application is I think fairly obvious.

Frank's focus was on the undeniable human tragedy. I won't reinvent that wheel, but will focus on other aspects. I hope the posts will be complementary. Don't blame his post for not being mine, nor mine for not being his. Fair enough?

To the seven revelations of Ferguson:

First: men outside of Christ are still hateful and still hate each other (Titus 3:3). Anger simmers not far below the surface. Evolution, real or imagined, biological or social, has changed none of that. No Federal program will fix it, no state or local legislation will fix it. It is a problem of the human heart, which lurks beneath every epidermal hue. Someone needs to propose a solution that transforms hearts. Anyone know of one?

Second: it still is better to gather the facts and hear an array of perspectives before coming to a conclusion (Proverbs 18:17). Some spoke awfully quickly when this situation first made the news. There seemed to be some feeling that immediate conclusions and statements should be made and issued.

One of the problems with this is that, once a public statement has been made, one is reluctant to walk it back publicly. Human nature and human pride make it very hard to retract a dogmatic stance, once publicly adopted. Better to wait longer and say less, than to jump the gun (pun unintended) and say too much.

Third: people ought to stick to what they know (cf. Proverbs 25:14). Being an expert in one area has nothing to do with expertise in others. For instance, one Christian brother who is a bookish conference speaker/author offered this:

To that, an equally-Christian brother with twenty years of actual experience in law enforcement responded:

Neither brother, probably, could do what the other does. It might have been well for the former to punt on this question, and stick with Scripture. "A man's got to know his limitations" may not be in Scripture verbatim, but it's sage advice.

As I'm trying to do. I'm a Christian, and I'm a minister of the word of God. If I have expertise, it's there. So I'll endeavor to speak as such.

Fourth: the very best thing parents of all ethnicities can do for their children is (1) repent and believe savingly in Christ (1 John 3:16), (2) advance in His Word as genuine disciples (John 8:31-32), (3) involve themselves in a faithful Gospel-proclaiming, Bible-teaching church (Hebrews 10:24-25), (4) marry before having children and honor the marital bond (Matthew 19:3-9) — and, in that overall context, (5) raise children in the fear and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4, among many others). In that context, they will teach their children many indispensable life-lessons. For instance, they will teach their children that

• The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10)
• Therefore they should seek and cultivate and embrace the fear of God from their earliest days (Proverbs 2:1ff.)
• Gangs will appeal to their most vulnerable points, but they must consider their violent end and heed the inscripturated voice of God's wisdom instead (Proverbs 1:10-32)
• Immoral people will sweet-talk them, but by Dad's instruction and God's word they should see right through it (Proverbs 2:16ff; 7:1ff.)
• They should pick godly friends who walk in the fear of God, or else they will come to harm (Proverbs 13:20; 22:24-25)
• They should avoid drunkards (and, therefore, druggies; Proverbs 23:20-21)
• They should study hard in school and learn a profitable skill while children (Proverbs 22:29)
• They should know that what will matter and will reveal their character is not how they see or feel about themselves, but what they actually produce (Proverbs 20:11)
• They should take full responsibility for their own choices and actions, and never blame others for what they choose and do (Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Romans 14:10, 12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Galatians 6:5, 7-8, etc.).
• They should never steal, but instead should be productive and generous (cf. Ephesians 4:28)
• They should respect officers of the law as God's servants, knowing that disrespect for the office is disrespect for God which invites His judgment (Romans 13, especially vv. 1-5)
• If they defy the lawful authority, they should expect God's judgment to fall on them (Romans 13:4-5a).
• If in any of these things they choose to defy God and rebel against Him and His word, they must expect both of their parents to stand with God, and not to make excuses for, coddle, enable, or otherwise try to deodorize their sin (cf. Deuteronomy 21:18ff.)

Fifth: faithful pastors must prescribe and teach these things without prejudice (2 Timothy 2:14; Titus 3:1-2).  What I'm saying won't make the beautiful people love you. They won't. They won't praise you (as a Tweep did John Piper) for being "nuanced." You'll be told you're insensitive, you're ignoring the real problems, you're impractical. But as a minister of the Gospel, you know better. Sin is the problem. Sin is always the problem at some level; and there's only one solution for sin. The Son's blood buys your freedom (Ephesians 1:7), and the Son's word shows you how to live in it (John 8:31-32). 

That's what you have to give. You're not a social engineering genius. You're a servant of God who has His word. Don't set it aside. It applies here.

Sixth: if the issue of racism is ever to be resolved, people will have to stop thinking of bitterness and suspicion and resentment and prejudice as ills that other people really have to get over (cf. Romans 2:21-23; 1 Corinthians 10:12). Now, hear me: If you can read that sentence and think, "Well, he mainly means whites" or "blacks," you know something I don't. I mean people. I mean you, I mean me. I mean every color on the palette.

I've seen this in marriage. Every pastor has. The sure prescription for deadlock, for stalemate, is two people who are willing to change just as soon as the other person changes. You think that doesn't apply here? Mercy.

Seventh: the only real solution for racism is the one God instituted: the cross of Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:28-29; Ephesians 2:14-22; Colossians 3:11). Astute readers will say, "Some of those verses are about Jews and Gentiles, so they don't apply." To that, first: maybe some of those verses are, but not all; and second, they don't? You think the Cross addresses Jew-Gentile hatred and suspicion and contempt, but not black-white hatred and suspicion and contempt?

There isn't a Federal program that will fix this, or a local one. If one person says, "Let's make it harder for cops to kill people," another will say "Let's make it harder for people to menace cops." And each person will sound like he's enabling some form of sin — either a hypothetical thug's sin against a decent cop, or a hypothetical trigger-happy cop's sin against an innocent teen. You see where this goes? It's all beside the point.

The point is that only God has the answer, and it's the one we find only in His word.

WHAT IF MODERN MISSIONAL CELEBRITY PASTORS HAD EXISTED IN THE EARLY CHURCH?

A satire

Written by Andy Webb | Monday, September 9, 2013

I‘ve often wondered what it would have sounded like if they’d had the modern “missional” celebrity pastors in the early church, and how they would have handled issues like Roman pressure to compromise on the Lordship of Christ or the exclusivity of Christianity. I sense it might have gone something like this:

Archaeologists working in Turkey have recently uncovered what they believe to be a 2nd Century fragment from an ancient interview with popular Lycus Valley Presbyter, Elder Lew Dicean, which occurred shortly after the Martyrdom of Polycarp. The fragment is part of a larger scroll, with the Latin Title “TEMPUS” and dated February, 157. Here is what they have translated so far:

“T: So what do are your thoughts?
L: What, the Polycarp thing?
T: Yes
L: Well it’s hard to criticize such a well known guy who’d been in ministry for so long, but I can’t get away from thinking, ‘Come on guys, its just a pinch of incense!’ I mean, think about it, we Christians already support the Roman state in so many ways every day. We pay the taxes that go to build those temples, buy the incense, and make the busts of Caesar! And we even use money that has his image on it already. And hey, who doesn’t worship that just a little, right?
I’m looking forward to a juicy steak tonight that my wife cooks so well – mind you I’m not ‘THAT’ guy, I cook too, it’s just not my night – and I know that steak came from a bull sacrificed in the name of Caesar. So aren’t I kind of a hypocrite if I declare Caesar is Lord in the secular realm in all those ways, but refuse to burn a little incense and say three words?
T: But don’t Christians view that as a compromise?
L: Look, all of us, Christian, Pagan, Jew, Zorastrian, whatever, have to compromise our religious faith a little to be good citizens of the empire. It’s the price of citizenship. And let’s face it, NOT burning incense doesn’t get you into heaven. I think in the future, you’re going to see more Christians seeing this as a political and not a religious issue, and attitudes about whether mixing politics and religion has been healthy are definitely changing.
T: So where do you draw the line?
L: Well, not where Polycarp did. I know he had his reasons, but I think there’s this unhealthy fascination with martyrdom amongst some Christians who see Christianity in this very aggressive, confrontational light that just turns modern people off. We need to engage not enrage the culture. One of our guys, Paul, once wrote in one of his letters – and I have this beautiful framed copy at home – “become all things to all men.” To me, that says I must first become a good Roman before I earn the privilege of being able to tell them about Jesus. So for me, the incense is just part of “becoming a Roman” so that I can win Romans. I think in the future you’re to see less of that martyr in your face Christianity that makes enemies and more of the “Compromissional approach” that I favor…

Andy Webb is a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church America and serves as Pastor of Providence Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville, NC. This article first appeared on his blog and is used with permission.

GLORY TO GOD ALONE

“I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.”
- Isaiah 42:8

Today we will look at the final sola of the Reformation, the one that sums up the point of all the others. The truth that the Reformers were most concerned to promote and what can be seen as the central theme of Scripture is soli Deo gloria — to God alone be the glory.

The first question and answer of the Westminster Shorter Catechism tells us that “man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.” God’s glory is the highest good and therefore is the purpose for which we were created. We were made to glorify Him, to reflect His glory and proclaim it to all creation (Isa. 43:6–7). In saving His people and defeating their enemies, His glory is displayed (Ex. 14). Salvation must be sola fide, sola gratia, and solus Christus — through faith alone, by grace alone, and on account of Christ alone — because to attribute redemption to our efforts in any way is to rob God of His full glory. If God and God alone is not the one who saves, then He shares His glory with creatures. But as the prophet Isaiah tells us, God will share His glory with no one (42:8). Sola Scriptura — Scripture alone is the final, infallible authority — must be the church’s confession. If any other source is placed on par with or above the Bible, then the Word of God is no better than the fallible words of creatures, and therefore the one who superintended the writing of the Bible is mocked.

We often think of the Reformation as involving only a doctrinal dispute, but for John Calvin and others, the purity of worship was a major concern as well. Calvin and others took seriously the teaching in Romans 1:18–32 that the basic sin of humanity is its refusal to honor God as God and thank Him for all that He has given us. Instead of bowing the knee to the Almighty, we suppress knowledge of Him and make all sorts of lesser gods.

Some idolatry is crass, such as the worship of trees or nature. Other forms of idolatry are more refined, such as the exaltation of human reason above divine revelation. But any time we substitute something else for the God of the Bible, we attempt to have Him share His glory with another. Any time we deny one of His attributes, we conceive of Him as less than the sovereign Lord of all.  

Coram Deo

It is not all that uncommon to hear someone say, “I refuse to worship a God that would send people to hell.” But those who would define God’s love in a way that denies His holy wrath do not worship the Creator. Others say, “To me God is….” But it does not matter how we define God, it only matters how He defines Himself. Let us be careful not to adopt the views of God common in our culture but rather allow Scripture to reveal to us the God who is.

Passages for Further Study

Isaiah 66:15–24
John 12:36b–43

We Recommend

• Soli Deo Gloria: Glorifying God in Everything Message

• The Soul of the Solas Article by R.C. Sproul Jr.

• Glory to God Alone (Part 2) Message by R.C. Sproul

THE RAPTURE IS A FAMILY MATTER

- Lambert Dolphin -http://www.ldolphin.org/newsletter-103.html

Lately I am meeting some new friends by emails who are interested in discussing the rapture of the church in more detail. The vast majority of the people in the world are disinterested in all this (to say the least), reflecting the fact that Jesus Christ is the most hated man who ever lived.

Brenda Peterson has written a light-hearted book, "I Want to be Left Behind: Finding Rapture Here on Earth." As a girl she attended a Southern Baptist evangelical church where she "accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior," and where she learned a lot of fine old hymns, whose titles make convenient chapter headings in her book. She has an obvious love of nature and for greener living, but further thoughts about the real, living God soon fade from consideration as one gets into her book.

At times, I, too, would like to escape from the insane stressed-out life of the city, but then I am instantly reminded that nature is broken too, not just us people who live here on God's green earth.

"...if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body," Romans 8:10-23

Just a few years ago, it seemed to me that many churches oversimplified the gospel message. Jesus Christ, alive from the dead, does indeed offer himself to us as Savior, Lord, Friend and Lover. His ability to offer Himself to us so generously, so freely, is based on his own voluntary death by crucifixion, for each one of us. "...He Himself is the propitiation (Greek: hilasterion, http://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/romans/but-now ), for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." (1 John 2:2) Ray Stedman explains that the issue of all human sin, for all time, has been paid for in full by Jesus Christ the Son of God,

Now, why does John say, "he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world?" Why does he put that in? Obviously he is drawing a contrast between Christians and non-Christians. He is reminding us that when the Lord Jesus died upon the cross 1900 years ago, he not only paid the debt of our sins, he not only took our guilt, as Christians, but he took the guilt of the whole world. He paid the price for every man. There is no man who will be kept away from God because of his sins, if he accepts the work of Christ on his behalf. Sin can never separate an individual from God, because of the cross of Christ. No matter how bad the sins, no matter how extreme it may be, or how long continued, sin can never separate anybody, anywhere, in any time, or any age, from the heart of God, if the work of the cross be received. That is the extent of the expiation mentioned here. But why does he remind us of that in this context?

The answer is: It is to help us see ourselves.

Why is it that all the world is not reconciled to God? Why is it that these others, whose sins have been already settled for on the cross, are living in estrangement and hostility to the God who loves them and who seeks after them? Why is it that men are still defying God, and blaspheming God, and turning and running from him, and experiencing the death, darkness, and degradation that comes from not knowing? You know the answer: Because they will not believe him. They will not accept his forgiveness. He has forgiven them, but they have never forgiven him. As Paul puts it in Second Corinthians 5, "We are ambassadors for Christ, for God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. Therefore, we beseech men, be ye reconciled to God," (2 Corinthians 5:20). We do not have to say to God, "be reconciled to men"; we are saying to men, "be ye reconciled to God," (2 Corinthians 5:20b KJV).

Now, that is the very same reason why we Christians are not enjoying the full flow of the Spirit of power, life, love, and wisdom, in our experience. It is all available to us, but we will not receive it. That is what John means. Like the world, we are turning our back on it. We are saying to God, "I'm not interested in cleansing because, you see, I really don't need it. After all, this is not a sin, it's simply a weakness, just an inherited tendency, something I got from my family. I can't help it." That kind of thing is cutting the ground out from under the whole redemptive work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. Though his power is all-available, it is not experienced because of that. Now let us bow before him. In a moment of quietness before God, let us confess this terrible tendency that each of us has unquestionably experienced, to rationalize sin, to excuse it, justify it, call it something else, doll it up, sprinkle perfume on it and make it look better, instead of calling it exactly what it is. Christ has found a way below, around, and above our circumstances. He can reach us despite the pressures; it is just that we do not want it. (http://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/1-john/the-man-who-rationalizes-sin ).

The kind and quality of the boundless love Jesus offers us demands a wholehearted response from us. True, we have nothing to offer Him but ourselves, but that is exactly what He is asking from us. Our Lord is also offering each of us a place in his kingdom, and a place of intimacy with Him as well--as indicated by the symbols of heavenly Bridegroom courting and becoming one with his gentile, virgin Bride. (Never mind that the bride-to-be may have previously been a spiritual adulteress, or worse--the forgiveness package offered covers any and all kinds of sin. Only sinners need apply).

In spite of much pleading by God, and much love poured out on our generation, history has shown that only a small number of people are accepting the courtship offer God still offers mankind. The time period Jesus has been calling a Bride to Himself has now been about 2000 years. Many believed in Jesus after the Creation of the world but before the Flood of Noah. Most of the people of Israel have not as yet responded to the calling of their Messiah.

The offer of Jesus -- in the role of a Bridegroom seeking a Bride -- is not the whole story of God's love for the world. It is but one, one facet. Evangelism of the whole world will pick up again after the rapture of the church--with great power and conviction, but many of these last-minute converts will pay by experiencing their own immediate martyrdom. Trying to stay alive on earth for even a short time after the Rapture will involve a series of horrific, cascading nightmares whose primary purpose is to deal with layers of human evil and corruption which must be purged away before the rebuilding of earth can begin.

As noted by Paul in Romans 8, nature ("the creation") is fatally broken and running down and must be completely remade. Evil men who insist on running their lives by their own selfish rules must be dealt with by force; justice must be dispensed, the "unrighteous" of earth will find themselves soon evicted. They have been living on borrowed time and borrowed land. The Landlord wants His property back. Whole (holy) men and women need to will be housed in a holy place, in an all new-creation. Sin is terribly contagious and must be eradicated one step at a time, until we come to a time of a "new heavens and new earth." What will survive the coming great purges are the deeds God have done though His people.

In chapter after chapter, whole books of the Bible tell us what the future of life on earth will be like when Jesus Christ returns in power as Ruling King of all the nations (Psalm 2). We might wish for more detail, but there is actually plenty already written down for us by the ancients.

The big event called the "second coming" of Jesus is described in the New Testament by the use of the Greek words "parousia," and "epiphaneia." The first aspect of the return of Jesus, is popularly known as the rapture of the church. (See "Aspects of the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ," http://ldolphin.org/Return.html). After that event, history will move rapidly ahead to the visible appearing of Jesus Christ on the Mt. of Olives in Jerusalem. The Rapture may be largely unseen and unnoticed in the daily news but radical, major shifts in world, power will follow the rapture in short order. Bible buffs are quite busy tracking down the major shifts in the world one can see were foretold long ago in the Bible. We are already seeing a small foretaste of bad things to come down here on earth in recent months.

God surely grieves when men reject the gift He offers, yet for God the consent of a few to follow Him is apparently reward enough. Most of us know that the news media of our day do not usually report on those issues that are of major importance to God and His kingdom. Not many Christians may be leaving with us at the rapture, because many who say they are in the family of God, aren't. It is a wonderful topic to study and think about. The devil will soon cover up the exit from earth of that small band of "fundamentalists." Were they "merely" abducted by alien space ships? Probably it won't be all that big a deal to most of those who out to tidy by the gardens. As Ray Stedman noted above, unbelief is the biggest obstacle to our faith most all the time.

Back to the Rapture: All three Persons of the godhead are involved in the approaching and scheduled consummation of the 2000 year courtship story concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and his Bride, the true church. Like any good Jewish father, God the Father has carefully chosen each of us, and called us. He is taking the responsibility of preparing us to be THE Bride for His beloved son. We who are gentiles are being invited to marry into the Jewish family of Jesus. (But there are multitudes of Jews who are in the church as well). As a very rough guess I estimated that the true church (all believers in Christ since that Pentecost day which immediately followed the resurrection of Jesus), could easily be billion of people in numbers! Ten billion is a possibility.

Local churches, as described in the New Testament, are supposed to be families who take in the refugees of our fallen world. Imagine the diversity of persons in the finished church of Jesus Christ we are being invited into. The heavenly family of Jesus surely contains many children: orphans, throw-away kids, victims of abortion, war, disease. There will be old and wise folks in heaven and every age in between, all in different states of spiritual and emotional maturation (I would think). Part of growing up as humans is experiencing nurturing and receiving training and instruction in a family. Local churches are supposed to be doing as much of this as possible here and now, but I wonder how much healing-of-families goes hand in hand with the rapture?

The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit (already mightily at work in all of us who know the Lord) is in making once derelict sinners into all-new godly men, woman and children. Jesus evidently looks forward to sharing a home with Him in the heavenly places (probably the orbiting City of New Jerusalem). At most weddings, the Bride is featured as the center of attraction. Although the Lord Jesus is the Most Honored One at this coming union with His Church, it should be obvious that every good wedding should involve a good match between Lover and Beloved, between Bride and Bridegroom. In this case the Holy Spirit (He is fully God in every respect) will surely know what wedding dowry is best suited for the virgin spouse of Jesus. Getting the Bride sanctified is a very tall order for which the Spirit of God has always been the Healer and the Giver of Life.

The Song of Solomon is a wonderful love study about a very plain peasant girl who receives a complete wedding endowment from the Spirit of God so that she arrives at her wedding day fully equipped to provide a wonderful match for a great King. Psalms 45 further hints at the union of the Lord and his church.

See http://www.raystedman.org/daily-devotions/psalms/the-king-in-his-beauty, and "Love and Relationships, The Song of Solomon," http://ldolphin.org/relationships.html ).

Ecosystems and infrastructure matter to man--one sees that in the way we were created in Genesis 1-2. I suppose heaven will have sanctuaries for shy persons, garden spaces, libraries, and plenty of comfort for each of us. Man was created last, after the rest of the created universe. God delights in variety, in gardens, in places for rest and meditation. Like C.S. Lewis, I hope heaven has room for our close animal companions from this life.

I think our immediate home after the Rapture is indeed the heavenly city of New Jerusalem, Revelation 21-22. The heavenly city seems to me to be a district in heaven, not the sum total of what the Third Heaven is). While we are waiting to go there, I hope some gifted artists and architects of our day might allow their sanctified imaginations to tell us what the City of God might be like? My earliest childhood thoughts of heaven hardly went further than thinking of fluffy clouds in an otherwise boring "place" free from sin, pain and sorrow. A few years ago while visiting Israel I found that was attractive to a simple, low-profile assignment in New Jerusalem, "For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness." (Psalm 84:10)

Knowing the one true God is about being in a very diverse family of men, women, boys and girls--all ages all backgrounds, all cultures, all callings. The Rapture is very much a family reunion where we are all on common ground. For some, God helps us find the right place in his cosmic family by sending us pain and grief. Hebrews 12 tells that all legitimate children of God are disciplined--even scourged. The list of those whom the father "scourges" includes Jesus. Getting us adjusted, and our brothers and sisters as well, may mean He must send us trials, tests and suffering. (I don't see heaven as a deserved reward for the righteous at all. I think it is the next big step God has for us to continue to enjoy being the objects of His love and grace. We each have a unique place in God's affections, but being a follower of Jesus is still a family matter.) The world around us could care less about everlasting happiness with Jesus, and this is very sad indeed. For now, there is still time to say "yes" to the healing love of Jesus. All who will may come.

"God is going to invade this earth in force. But what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream, and something else -- something it never entered your head to conceive -- comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us, and so terrible to others, that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature.

"It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing; it will be the time when we discover which side we have really chosen, whether we realized it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back, to give us that chance. It will not last forever. We must take it or leave it." (C.S. Lewis)

Lambert Dolphin

email me: lambert@ldolphin.org

ARE THERE TWO SUDDEN DESTRUCTIONS COMING ?

- By Gene Lawley - http://www.raptureready.com/soap/lawley12.html

When Jesus prophesied coming events "as it was in the days of Noah", and, likewise, "as it was in the days of Lot" in Luke 17:26-30, He reminded the readers of His words that "immediately after Noah entered the ark, and immediately after Lot was out of the city", great judgment came upon the remaining people.

In like fashion, the Apostle Paul writes in I Thessalonians 5:3, "For when they shall say "Peace and safety", then shall sudden destruction come upon them...and they shall not escape."

The former passage goes on to describe how "one will be taken and the other left" where people are found, working or sleeping. This appears to coincide with the description of the Rapture that Paul earlier described in Chapter 4:16-17 of his first letter to the Thessalonians. The meaning of "taken" is clarified in I Corinthians 15:52-54, where in the "twinkling of an eye" those belonging to the Lord are changed from mortal to immortal, and corruptible to incorruptible individuals. John writes of this event, in the words of Jesus, in this manner: "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2-3).

It does appear that the breadth of Scripture is on the side of a deliverance of believers from the path of the destructive judgments of God upon the unrepentant on earth, even from the first of the series of judgments that appear on the scene suddenly, then increasingly more pronounced as time passes, just as Paul described it in the second passage above, as of a woman in the travail of childbirth. Revelation 3:10, then, is established in its certainty as to its applicants, and to its time-frame: "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth."

As we look into the kaleidoscope of intertwining end-time events, we can see clearly the certainty of the rapture-the sudden disappear-ance of millions of people of true faith-and we can see in Scripture that some kind of a "confirmation of a covenant" is to take place. This latter event is identified in Daniel 9:27 as having to do with Israel and its temple, a structure that is not now present in Israel. Some kind of peace agreement would have to be developed between Israel and its Islamic neighbors in order for that temple to be allowed on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Is the current process of "on-again, off-again" peace talks to ultimately result in that covenant Daniel wrote about? The so-called "Quartet" of non-Jewish and non-Muslim nations have given them one year extensions, from September, 2009, and repeatedly to September, 2012, to bring a peace agreement together. Just shortly after September, 2011, there was a public declaration that peace discussions were stalled because of Israel's unwillingness to turn over any more of its territory. Then, September, 2012, came with repeated resistance by Israel and threats of statehood declarations by the Palestinians at the United Nations.

Those Western and European nations are impatient with the squabbling between Jew and Muslim, and want to move on to their greater goal of one world government. It does appear that this peace agreement is the one pointed to by Daniel. The content is right, and the timing is right, on balance with all other end-time events on stage and on the horizon.

Peace, apparently, is not easy to come by, for both sides are quite fixed in their demands, and are unwilling to concede. Will another anticipated end-time event then have to come on the scene to convince the factions that a covenant must be executed? The Luke 17 passage identifies conditions of livelihood among people to be normal, reasonably peaceful, and stable, economically, when sudden disaster comes upon them. However, the Islamic nations surrounding Israel are bristling with the urge to make war with Israel. Nothing seems to appease their agitation, for they say, today, they want to wipe Israel off the map...just as they have said in Psalm 83 centuries ago.

Will it take, then, the judgment of God in the results of the Gog-Magog invasion from the North, to break the resistance of the Muslim faction to come to an agreement for peace? Looking at all of these events together, it could fall into this kind of lineup:

1. An encounter of Israel with its nearest neighbors, as described in Psalm 83, and Israel has, surprisingly, more defense strength than her enemies expected, and prevails.

2. The peace agreement comes together, and the Rapture occurs.

3. The sudden loss of millions of the population in America reduces it to a non-threatening entity in support of Israel, and the Gog-Magog invasion takes place while Israel's attention is on rebuilding the temple and feeling "secure" in the new peace agreement. Yet, God again fights for them and Israel prevails over its aggressors.

4. The destruction of much of the Islamic world, or the impact of its loss in the encounter to "wipe Israel off the earth" will reduce or subdue the Muslim resistance to the control of a Judeo-Christian-sourced Anti-Christ, who will take charge.

5. After three and one-half years, this one who has come, "conquering and to conquer" will have become indwelt with the raging dragon (Revelation 12), and will take over the seven-headed beast. He will become its eighth head of solitary control (Revelation 17:11), move into the Temple and declare himself God, demanding worship of all people (II Thessalonians 2:3-4).

6. Judgments of God continue in increasing intensity, as of a woman in the travail of childbirth, until Jesus comes in person to end the charade of Satan, and effect the delivery, the birth of the millennium.

This article began with a question, "Are there two times of sudden destruction in the end-time?". And given that the descriptions of events preceding the sudden destructions are, in fact, ahead of the tribulation period, it is a good likelihood that both "destructions" are the same event. In any case, it will not bode well for anyone left behind.

A like consideration could be given to the two mentions of peace in the end-time scenario, if one accepts the view that Daniel 9:27's statement of the "confirming of a covenant with many" is a peace agreement for the benefit of Israel. It could hardly be anything else, given the details of its context. Which leads to the exclamation of "Peace and safety" that Paul writes of in I Thessalonians 5:3. Are these the same event? Daniel's account introduces the seven-year period when the temple will be rebuilt and when the man of sin shuts down sacrifices, desecrates the temple and declares himself God. II Thessalonians 2:7-8 indicates godly resistance will be removed (the Rapture) and the lawless one will be revealed.

The coming of the Son of Man to remove His own from the path of judgment (as indicated in Luke 17:26-30), the "sudden destruction" that is announced in both accounts, is a fallout of the Rapture, the signal event for the end of the age of the Church. In Luke's account, the ongoing activities of people indicate that the utter chaos and devastation of a collapsed economy occurs after, not before, the believers are taken out to be with the Lord. Thus, His coming will be sudden and unannounced...and unexpected by the world. Then, is the expected economic collapse, now so much in the news, coming before or after the Rapture?

As Paul writes in Titus 2:13, we are "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ...".

LET THE BIBLICAL BUYER BEWARE!

 

• McMahon, T.A.

Today’s church is experiencing two new and deadly influences: “biblical” marketing and “biblical” movies. Nothing in recent history has impacted evangelical Christian churches as pervasively and powerfully as these phenomena.

“Biblical” marketing is an attempt to use the latest sales concepts and marketing principles to attract the lost in the hope that they will be won to Christ. The approach begins with a survey and an analysis of the community in order to discover what would motivate the lost to attend a local church. Once the survey is evaluated, the structure of the organization is conformed to accommodate the stated desires of the unsaved. Such changes usually include key elements that will make the lost feel more comfortable: a contemporary and entertaining style of music, a positive, non-convicting, feel-good message with dramatic illustrations and stimulating programs oriented more to the flesh than to the spirit. One of the theories is that the more the church reflects the culture familiar to the lost, the more likely it is that they will continue to attend.

The potential problems with such an approach have been addressed in more detail in the February and March 2004 issues, but it’s important to reiterate that the gospel cannot be marketed to the lost. Why not? Because the biblical gospel doesn’t fit into what marketing is all about. All basic definitions of marketing emphasize that the customers themselves are the priority; their particular wants and perceived needs must be identified. The customer’s satisfaction is critical and he must be accommodated—even to the point of making “positive” changes in the product, i.e., self-indulging modifications.

It should be obvious to anyone with a basic understanding of God’s Word that the biblical gospel is clearly at odds with a marketing approach. The gospel is the gift of eternal life for all those who come to the end of themselves, who recognize that they are sinners separated from a holy God and that there is absolutely nothing they can do to merit salvation. Self-oriented desires, i.e., “felt needs,” “making the customer feel good about himself,” and all other such marketing devices are the enemies of the gospel of grace.

The Apostle Paul, whom God inspired to present the gospel with absolute clarity throughout his epistles, wrote, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Tim:1:15). That understanding must be in the heart of anyone who would receive Christ.

Try a massive marketing campaign with such a message today. Any ad agency would laugh it to scorn! Is it possible that Paul could have missed a more effective “felt needs” approach? Or perhaps the time was just not right to introduce marketing the gospel? Hardly. Paul not only knew his day, but the Holy Spirit gave him a view of our day: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves…” (2 Tim:3:1-2
). Our self-serving bias began at mankind’s fall into sin in the Garden of Eden, and the focus on self has risen to “perilous” levels as the Lord’s return draws near. Again, marketing to self is not the way to introduce biblical salvation. Self itself is the problem.

Astonishingly, pointing out this very simple yet fundamental error of attempting to market the gospel is all too often met with responses such as: “Yes, but our church is using it with great success”; “If just one person gets saved, it makes no difference what your arguments are!”; “The church needs to adopt twenty-first century methods to speak to our twenty-first century culture!” Somehow, for many Christians, when the subject is of a spiritual nature, unreasonableness is acceptable if not preferred. But what if the subject turned secular, and involved, say, an investment opportunity, and it was recommended that the following new formula (backed up by a host of personal testimonies) would substantially increase one’s bank account: “two plus two equals five”?

The blinding influence of greed aside, Christians would reject the proposal outright because it simply didn’t add up. Furthermore, even if it initially began to produce big returns, nearly everyone could see that those foolish enough to invest in such a program would soon reap the disastrous consequences of a foundationally unsound endeavor. On the other hand, when it comes to fundamental errors regarding the “faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3), there is a growing tendency for believers to take a leap beyond reason, common sense, and, ironically, biblical sense.

Part of the problem is that aggressive marketing nearly always produces impressive results. At the very least, it generates activities and excitement that are interpreted as a proof of success. As a friend of mine puts it, “Most church-growth schemes do produce nickels and noses!” In going about God’s business, however, the Lord is very clear that He wants us to do things His way. The prophet Jeremiah warned, “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jer:2:13).

What makes today’s so-called biblical marketing approach far more ominous than other secular trends and fads that the church has implemented in the last century is the core philosophy from which the marketing approach is drawn. It is basically a management theories system that is humanistic and transformational, which means that the purveyors of this philosophy are working toward solving community problems (and ultimately the world’s) without God by getting people to think in a new way (i.e., their way). Their objective is to produce a humanity that has exchanged a mind set for a “mind flex ;” that is, those willing to give up fixed beliefs (such as biblical doctrines and absolutes) in order to pursue the middle ground in the hope of reconciling differences that hamper “building relationships.” The goals are peace, harmony, inclusiveness, and tolerance, for the greater good and productivity of the community.

Although the goals and methodology certainly sound good in general (and even better when mixed with biblical terminology and ideals), they are “a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the way of death” (Pro:14:12). Proponents of “systems theory” thinking have targeted the church as an agent for transforming society—but certainly not according to the “narrow way” Jesus declares in Matthew:7:13-14
. The church itself must undergo a transformation: from being Christ-centered, submitted to His Word and only His solution for mankind’s salvation, to a man-centered endeavor in support of humanity’s social welfare. Contenders for “the faith” (Jude 3) must become simply “people of faith,” working for the “good of society.” Since pastors and pastoral staff members are the teachers and trusted leaders of their congregations, they are potentially the ideal agents for this transformation. The process is gradual and seductive, beginning at a very pragmatic level, with church growth being the magnet. Marketing and management systems principles are promoted, and the pastors are exhorted to function as “corporate managers” and “change agents” of their churches.

Evidence of this trend is manifest through-out Christendom, most particularly in the “seeker-friendly way of doing church.” The two men most influential in spreading the marketing/management systems (with their globalist and communitarian goals) to evangelical churches are Peter Drucker, whom the business world recognizes as the elder statesman of modern management theories, and Bob Buford, head of Leadership Network, an organization that trains pastors and staffs of large churches in marketing/management principles. Buford also heads up the Peter Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management.

In an extensive interview with Drucker, Christianity Today notes their wide influence: “Over the last 20 years Drucker has had a good deal of interaction with what he calls ‘pastoral’ churches. These include megachurches like Bill Hybels’s Willow Creek or Rick Warren’s Saddleback Community. Bob Buford’s Leadership Network has invited Drucker to speak to conferences of large-church leaders and has linked them to many pastors seeking [church-growth] advice.” ¹ Rick Warren is especially taken with Drucker’s concepts: “I read everything Peter Drucker writes. His book, The Effective Executive , is a favorite I re-read every year.” ² Drucker, in turn, is gratified to see his humanistic concepts take hold in increasing numbers of churches and parachurch organizations, which he regards as playing a new and central role in a new form of society. ³ Willow Creek, according to Drucker, stands out as an example of “what business can learn from non-profits,” and Saddleback’s mega-church model, he states, is “the most significant phenomenon of the second half of [the twentieth] century.” Would the undiluted teachings of Christ ever win such acclaim from the secular world?

No doubt few of the biblically oriented churches and pastors that are participating in this systems-theory laden approach to church growth understand what they are buying into. Nevertheless, they have (wittingly or unwittingly) taken on worldly baggage and are headed down a road littered with anti-biblical means and methods. How far-reaching is the damage? Simply go to the Willow Creek and Saddleback websites to get a sense of their influence.

Warren’s book, The Purpose-Driven Life (which is peppered with General Systems Theories concepts couched in pseudo-biblical language—check our website or contact us for a detailed critique of TP-DL ), has sold upwards of 15 million copies (used by organizations from the White House staff to the Oakland Raiders). Over 20,000 churches have participated in “40 Days of Purpose.” More than 320,000 pastors and church leaders (including Catholics and Mormons) from around the world have attended “Purpose-Driven” seminars, while 115,000 pastors subscribe to “Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox,” which gives access to his sermons and guidance in how to “group-develop” sermons with other pastors. Willow Creek, with its Association of churches numbering around 10,000, is another major herald of integrating this management/marketing approach into church life, which one discerning critic perceptively labeled “Outcome-based religion.”

Surely Warren and Hybels are aware of the roots of what they are promoting. Why are they and hundreds of thousands of shepherds (many, I’m sure, from Bible-oriented churches) leading their flocks down this path paved by man’s methods and means? Where is biblical discernment? Where is awareness of what they are feeding their sheep? By trusting in men, are they leading them to “conform to the world” (Rom:12:2) and unintentionally directing them away from the Word ?

Then there is the second pervasive influence—the “biblical” movie.

Is the world in the church and the church in the world to such an extent these days that most believers can no longer discern biblical truth from religious counterfeits? It was disturbing enough that the evangelical church became the primary audience for Mel Gibson’s intentionally Roman Catholic movie, The Passion of the Christ . But it was utterly shocking that reviews of the movie by evangelical Christian leaders, scholars, and (incredibly) apologetic organizations called it “biblically accurate”!

Not even fifteen minutes into the film the audience was subjected to a host of Gibson’s screen interpretations of the writings of a soon-to-be-canonized “Saint”—an eighteenth-century nun, whose mystical visions were received from spirit apparitions. It opens in the Garden of Gethsemane, where the Jesus character appears terribly anxious over the physical sufferings he knows he’s about to endure, followed by Satan tempting him (wrong angel in the wrong garden!) and directing a large serpent toward the praying “Christ” that he crushes with his foot, followed a little later by the Jesus character being dragged along by soldiers who then pitch him off a bridge from which he dangles by his chains while being given the opportunity to confront the traitor Judas, who was hiding beneath the bridge. Criticism directed at the unbiblical content of the above scenes and the multitude of others, equally unbiblical, throughout the movie was answered by evangelicals claiming “artistic license” on director Gibson’s behalf—while at the same time declaring the film to be faithful to Scripture. How does one reconcile “artistic license” with “biblical accuracy”? (See Showtime for the Sheep? for a detailed critique.)

As with “biblical” marketing, here again we have problems that go deeper and will have long-term effects upon the church. For all the adverse influence of The Passion , biblical critics took some comfort in the hope that its impact on the church would be limited to the time of its theatrical run, which lasted only a month or so. In other words, out of sight, out of mind, resulting in limited spiritual damage. Alas, wishful thinking. The recently released DVD/video sold 4.5 million copies the first day, thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign directed at the church. First-year sales are predicted to exceed 20 million. (Amazon.com, the largest “bookstore” in the world, offers The Passion of the Christ /The Purpose-Driven Life discount package—their two bestselling religious items!) This means that evangelical churches throughout the U.S. and abroad will be using what Gibson calls his “very Marian film” as an ongoing resource for their Sunday school programs, Bible studies, Wednesday evening group meetings, outreach programs, and so forth.

Even more troublesome, however, is the enthusiasm The Passion has created for allegedly presenting the Bible visually. Why is that a problem? Interpreting the Scriptures in a visual medium is the most subjective and least accurate of any method of presenting God’s Word. No matter how dramatic and emotionally moving a biblical production may be, it nevertheless is not God’s Word but a series of interpretations : how a film director personally “sees” what is declared in the Bible, how an actor thinks a biblical character would act (including the God-Man Jesus!), how the art director and set decorator imagine the scenes of thousands of years ago to have appeared—the details of which (for God’s own reasons) the Bible does not supply. That’s only a partial list of man’s additions to God’s Word, to which nothing must ever be added.

Concerning “biblical” marketing or “biblical” movies, the bottom line for the believer is this: Do we want to do things God’s way or man’s way? Will the Bible be our absolute authority in how we go about living our lives, growing in the faith, and sharing that faith with others—or not? The Lord tells us that in His Word He has given us “all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him” (2 Pt 1:3). Why, then, are we turning to the world’s means and methodologies? Could it be that in opting for the unbiblical process of pragmatism (because it seems to work), we don’t see that we are essentially turning away from the Scriptures?

Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Mat:4:4). It’s imperative that in these days marked by the church’s obvious appetite for the world, that we hunger for His objective Word, not the subjective opinions of men. If paraphrase Bible versions are a plague upon biblical literacy (which they are indeed), then visual Bible “versions” sound its death knell. Weep for our next generation, which is now being progressively weaned off the written Word of God.

Let us all take to heart and mind the sobering words of God to Israel: “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” (Jer:6:16). Let the biblical buyer beware. TBC

Endnotes

1. "The Business of the Kingdom," Tim Stafford, Christianity Today, 11/15/99.
2. www.jobsnorthwest.com/stories/story_970901.htm.
3. "The Business of the Kingdom," Tim Stafford, Christianity Today, 11/15/99.

• Quotable
• Question: Doctors tell me that I have cancer and only 2 months to live. I am only 45 years old and know nothing about God. Is Muhammad alive and can I trust him and pray to him? Is Jesus alive and can I appeal to Him? How can I go to heaven?
• Question: Is it biblically wrong to watch or to own The Lord of the Rings or any of that series?
• Question: Where does the apostate ecumenical church fit into the events of the last days?
• Question (from an anonymous “concerned” Catholic): I have noticed with a great deal of growing alarm your singular obsession with the Spanish branch of the Inquisition…and this most especially in your debates.
• News Alert
• Letters
• TBC Notes
• The Ways of God and the Ways of Man
• October 2004 Printable Newsletter
• Let The Biblical Buyer Beware - Audio Newsletter

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