Prayer Changes Things...

“Of what infinite importance is the place the intercessor holds in the Kingdom of God! Is it not indeed a matter of wonder that God should give men such power? Yet there are so few who know what it is to take hold of His strength and pray down His blessing on the world.”  E. M. Bounds

The power of prayer is in the One to whom we pray. God holds the power. Praying to Him is one conduit to His power. It's like a lamp. The lamp doesn't have power, though it shows light. The cord doesn't have power—it's just the conduit. Prayer is a conduit to the greatest source of Power in the universe. 

God is all powerful: "For nothing will be impossible with God" (Luke 1:37). 

We are invited to pray. In fact, in Luke 18:1 we read, "And he [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart." Hebrews 4:14–16 talks about Jesus as our High Priest and says He can sympathize with us. Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." We have been given access to the very throne of God through prayer. 

We are commanded to pray. First Thessalonians 5:16–18 says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Philippians 4:6–7 and Ephesians 6:18 have similar exhortations. 

We are also taught to pray, for example, in the Lord's Prayer. "Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil'" (Matthew 6:9–13). 

When we pray, our fears can be settled. When we pray, our faith can grow. When we pray, we can rest. When we pray, we can be at peace. When we pray, we can hand over our concerns to God. When we pray, we can gain confidence from the One who created us. When we pray, we can be healed. When we pray, we can receive guidance and direction. Again, the power is not in the prayer, but in the God to whom we pray. 

We can be confident that God hears our prayers (Psalm 18:6; 1 John 5:14–15) and He answers our prayers according to His will (Psalm 17:6; 34:17; John 14:12–14; Luke 11:13; 1 John 5:15; James 1:5; 4:2–10; 5:13–18) regardless of how deep or how small our faith appears to be (Matthew 17:20; Acts 12). 

Our access to God is made through Jesus, who came and died to save us (John 3:16–18; Hebrews 4:14–16; 10:19–23). When we claim Him as our Savior, our access to God is ensured. We can go with confidence to God. 

"Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" (2 Corinthians 3:4–5). Prayer is a privilege God grants His children. The power of prayer is God Himself—our loving and completely capable Father. 

Thinking about our ability to access this awesome power should help us see the urgency before us.  Proclaiming Christ to a lost and wicked world. 

God listens and remembers every prayer we pray, and every one of them prayed through the power of the Holy Spirit can have a beneficial effect on earth. Not one prayer is forgotten.  When we realize the authority we have in prayer, mighty things will happen all over the earth that brings honor and glory to the powerful name of Jesus. 

We want to change the world for Christ.  In fact as Christians, it’s our primary purpose. It’s a huge task for all of us, but we do it one life at a time. Some are reaching people in their workplace or in another country. Some are reaching people in the hospitals or in the schools. We are all in this together. 

Our most essential tool in accomplishing God’s Will is prayer. Only through prayer can we get the job done. There is strength and power in prayer that can change the world. 

Prayer… Moves the Hand of God!

Be Humble... And Find Your True Purpose

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

—Romans 12:3

Some people love to talk about how well-educated they are or how successful they are or how wealthy they are. If you are having a discussion, whatever your story is, they will top your story. They know more than you do, and on and on it goes. They think they’re God’s gift to humanity.

But, as someone has pointed out, cemeteries are full of indispensable people. We’re not as great as we think we are.

The apostle Paul cautions us about this in Romans 12. He says, “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us” (verse 3 NLT).

In other words, think clearly. Start with an honest self-evaluation. Have a balanced, realistic view of yourself.

The problem is that we sometimes envy the spiritual gifts that God gives to someone else. Maybe God has called you to preach, but you really want to be a musician and a worship leader. Or maybe you’re a worship leader and really want to be a preacher.

Perhaps you’re working behind the scenes, but you really want to lead the class. Or you’re leading the class but really want to be working behind the scenes.

If God gave you a gift, then develop and use your gift. It’s disobedient not to use it. Don’t think you’re better than you are. On the other hand, don’t think you’re worse than you are either. Instead, see yourself honestly.  A balanced view of one’s self is the key to spiritual growth and the path to maturity.

God has given you a spiritual gift. So, receive and accept the gift, thank God for the gift, and start developing the gift in practical ways to honor Him and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

And most of all… be content and thankful with the spiritual gift that God has given to you.

Majority of Pastors See Signs of End Times in Current Events

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Almost 9 in 10 pastors see at least some current events matching those Jesus said would occur shortly before he returns to Earth, according to a new survey focused on Christian eschatology, or the study of end times.

A study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research of pastors at evangelical and historically black churches found 97% say they believe Jesus Christ will literally and personally return to Earth again.

“While Christians prepare to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, many pastors believe they see signs his return may be close,” said Scott McConnell, executive director LifeWay Research. “These sentiments were expressed in January before the prospect of a global pandemic became known.”

In Matthew 24, Jesus’ disciples asked him about signs of his coming, and he responded by speaking of “birth pains” that would precede his return.  Darrell Bock, New Testament studies professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, noted that the Bible has several lists of potential signs of Jesus’ return, like the Olivet Discourse passages of Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, Luke 21, and some include concepts of global sicknesses.

“Numerous biblical texts speak of disturbances in the creation that disorient and trouble people,” said Bock. “These disturbances have quite a range with earthquakes and wars being the most common. However, Jesus mentions plagues or pestilence explicitly in Luke 21.”

According to Mitch Glaser, president of Chosen People Ministries, the idea of birth pains is not unique to the New Testament or evangelicals, as he said Ultra-Orthodox Jews also believe that these types of signs are indicators of the Messiah’s coming.

“The term used in rabbinic literature, ‘birth pangs of Mashiach,’ is similar to the Olivet Discourse,” Glaser said. “The pandemic is viewed in this way by many religious Jewish people who share a heightened Messianic expectation with evangelicals.”

In the study sponsored by a group of ministries led by Chosen People and conducted in early 2020, LifeWay Research asked pastors if they considered certain current events to be included in Jesus’ warnings.

At least 3 in 4 pastors agree Jesus was referring to current events including the rise of false prophets and false teachings (83%), the love of many believers growing cold (81%), traditional morals becoming less accepted (79%), wars and national conflicts (78%), earthquakes and other natural disasters (76%), and people abandoning their Christian faith (75%).  Clear majorities also see famines (70%) and anti-Semitism toward Jewish people worldwide (63%) as signs of Jesus’ return.

Around 1 in 10 pastors (11%) say they don’t consider any of these part of the birth pains to which Jesus was referring.

“For too long many pastors have shied away from teaching on birth pains and events leading up to the second coming,” said best-selling author Joel Rosenberg, “but the current pandemic demonstrates the need for solid, non-sensational preaching done in a biblical manner.”

More than half of pastors (56%) expect Jesus to return in their lifetime. Perhaps due in part to those beliefs, 89% of evangelical and historically black church pastors say that communicating the urgency of Christ’s return is important.

While most say they expect Jesus to return while they’re still alive, as many pastors say they’re not sure (24%) as say they strongly agree (25%). Three in 10 somewhat agree (31%), while 20% disagree, including 6% who strongly disagree.

Among those more likely to disagree Jesus will return during their lifetime are pastors ages 18 to 44 (27%) and pastors of churches with 250 or more in attendance (28%).

“Whether Jesus’ return is near or far, Christians believe these disturbances represent the groaning of creation, reminders of our mortality, our need for God and the accountability we have to him for life, both now and forever,” said Bock.

Other signs

Pastors are also likely to see several events related to Israel and the Jewish people as fulfillment of biblical prophecy and signs of the end times. Seven in 10 evangelical or black Protestant pastors (70%) say the modern rebirth of the state of Israel and the regathering of millions of Jewish people were fulfillments of prophecies in the Bible.

Similar numbers (69%) say those events show Christ’s return is closer. Around 2 in 5 pastors (39%) agree that the establishment of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem is a sign of the end times. Most (62%) believe another temple will be built in Jerusalem in accordance with a prophecy in Ezekiel 40-48.

Many make end times connections to Israel and specifically Jerusalem, in part, because 73% believe that Christ will return and reign in Jerusalem in fulfillment of God’s promises to David.

More than half of pastors (57%) believe the Bible teaches that one day most or all Jewish people alive will believe in Jesus.

Close to 3 in 5 (59%) say Jesus will return when the Jewish people accept Jesus.

Nearly all pastors (98%) believe sharing the gospel with Jewish people is important.

Among those who believe Jewish evangelism is vital, they give a variety of reasons why.

More than 99% say it is important to share the gospel with all people groups. Nine in 10 pastors (89%) say because Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. More than 4 in 5 (82%) believe Jewish people are special in God’s sight. The same percentage point to God’s promise to preserve a faithful remnant of Jewish people.

Around two-thirds of pastors (67%) say sharing the gospel with Jewish people is important because Apostle Paul’s pattern was to evangelize Jewish people first. More than a quarter (28%) say Jewish evangelism will speed up the return of Christ.

“There are details of Christ’s return and his reign that scholars disagree on,” said McConnell. “However, the vast majority of pastors believe certain current events correspond with prophesies Jesus himself gave about things that would occur right before he returns.”

End times teaching

Regardless of how close they believe the return of Christ is, most pastors feel confident in teaching on the subject.

Virtually all evangelical and black Protestant pastors (94%) say they feel equipped to teach on the prophecies found in the Bible, though more than a third did not give the highest level of agreement.

Most pastors also believe it is important to study and teach on biblical prophecies and eschatology.

Around 3 in 5 say it is important to preach on end times prophecies in the book of Revelation (60%) and the Old Testament (60%), as well as spend time personally studying eschatology (57%).

A quarter of pastors (24%) speak to their congregations about end times prophecies at least once a month. Close to half (48%) say they do so several times a year.

Around 1 in 10 pastors say they talk about it with their church about once a year (11%). The same number (11%) say they do so rarely. Few say they never speak to their congregation about those prophecies (3%).

“The current global pandemic will create interest among churchgoers and nonreligious people about what the Bible says about plagues, disasters, and the end times,” said McConnell. “The urgency pastors feel is less about stockpiling toilet paper and more about helping people be ready for Christ’s return.”

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Authored by Aaron Earls is Online Editor of Facts & Trends 

and a writer for LifeWay Christian Resources.

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The Not-So-Good, the Bad, and the Ugly…

If you are concerned about the state of the Church in America, you are in for a real shock!  READ the survey summaries below.   One thing seems very clear… there is a lack of in-depth teaching, very little, if any, teaching on apologetics (how to defend the faith), and a great deal of compromise in many churches—and some of these are the churches who claim to be influential evangelical leaders. 

So many people from churches in America don’t really know what they believe or why, and many don’t really understand the basic principles and concepts of Christianity.

The following survey results show how confusion and compromise have infiltrated the church. NOT a picture we want for the claimed followers of Christ as He prepares for His triumphant return.

64% of Americans agree that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam.”

Only 52% agree that “the Bible alone is the written word of God.”

Only 58% agree that “God is the author of Scripture.”

65% agree that “everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.”

44% agree that “the Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.”

51% agree that “the Bible was written for each person to interpret as he or she chooses.”

Only 47% agree that “the Bible is 100% accurate in all that it teaches.”

59% of Americans agree that “worshiping alone or with one’s family is a valid replacement for regularly attending church.”

Only 45% agree that “churches that do not preach from the Bible should not be considered a Christian church.”

Only 49% in churches agree that “sex outside of traditional marriage is a sin.”

Only 49% agree that “abortion is a sin.”

42% agree that “the Bible’s condemnation of homosexual behavior doesn’t apply today.”

38% agree that “gender identity is a matter of choice.”

45% agree that “modern science discredits the claims of Christianity.”

52% agree that “by the good deeds that I do, I partly contribute to earning my place in heaven”

Only 60% agree that “Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.”

Only 52% agree that “it is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.”

Only 54% in churches agree that “only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.”

These numbers are very troubling. They tell a story, and its not pretty. When 40 to 50 percent of Christians don’t believe the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches, that Christ is the only sacrifice for sin and the only means for salvation, or that they should witness to non-Christians, there is something fundamentally wrong with the present Church.

FEW PEOPLE ARE TAUGHT SOLID, BIBLICAL THEOLOGY AND, AS A RESULT, BIBLICAL ILLITERACY IS RAMPANT THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTRY.

Sadly, our once-Christian nation has drifted far from its roots. Few people are taught solid, biblical theology and, as a result, biblical illiteracy is rampant throughout our country. The results of our survey, done by America’s Research Group and published in my coauthored book Already Gone, show that for many Christians growing up in the church this lack of teaching can have disastrous results. Additional surveys—such as the follow-up by America’s Research Group and published in my coauthored book Already Compromised—have consistently shown that many Christian colleges are compromising on biblical principles about the authority of the Bible. 

These colleges allegorize or explain away the historicity of Genesis, attacking the very foundation of the faith—the gospel! The pastors and church leaders coming out of these Bible colleges and seminaries are then teaching what they have learned—that the history of the Bible is not to be trusted and that man’s ideas can “reinterpret” God’s Word.

Confused About Who God Is… how is that even possible?

Also disconcerting are the confused and even contradictory answers in the survey responses. While 65% of Americans agree that “God is a perfect being and cannot make a mistake” and 58% agree that “God is the Author of Scripture,” only 47% agree that “the Bible is 100% accurate in all that it teaches.” How can that be? Many just don’t understand what it means that God is the infinite Creator God—infinite in wisdom and knowledge and that “God is not a man, that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19).

Here’s another example. 69% in churches agree that “there is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit,” but 53% agree that “Jesus is the first and greatest creature created by God” and 56% agree that “the Holy Spirit is a force but is not a personal being.” So here’s the translation of those contradictions… people can believe that Jesus is God yet was created, and that the Holy Spirit is God yet is not a personal being?

God’s clear teachings on His Person and His Word are not understood because they are not clearly taught in many churches. We also see that moral and social issues like marriage, gender, sexuality, and sanctity of life have all been reinterpreted based on man’s fallible opinions and desire to accommodate sin. (See article posted - April 27, 2020 — The Great Confusion…)

The exclusivity of the gospel is considered antiquated and obviously in many churches viewed as “intolerant”, and the Great Commission has been sacrificed to the “all-paths-lead-to-God” mentality. If all paths lead to God, then why did Christ have to come to earth and go to the Cross to die for our sins? This type of theology — all paths are acceptable — makes Christ’s sufferings and sacrifice pointless.

GOD’S WORD IS NO LONGER ACCEPTED AS THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY ON EARTH’S HISTORY—MAN’S WORD overrides and replaces god, when necessary!

The false evolutionary interpretations of historical science are usurping God’s Word as the foundation of truth—and this is now an epidemic in the church. God’s Word is no longer accepted as the ultimate authority on earth’s history—man’s word is! It should come as no surprise that this compromise hasn’t stayed in Genesis but has spread to how people view the rest of the Bible. After all, if you can’t trust what God says in Genesis, then why trust what He says throughout the rest of Scripture—or for that matter, why trust God at all?

But time and time again it has been shown that science has confirmed the Bible’s history. True science testifies to all that the Creator accomplished! We can trust the Bible, from the very first verse, and that’s why we can trust the theology, morality, and ultimately, the gospel message found in the Bible.

Jesus will return… do you believe that?  I hope you do, with all your heart and mind! I encourage you to equip yourself, your families, and challenge your church to teach the complete Word of God.  Only then will you be able to preach and teach Christ as Savior and Redeemer, providing answers to all who seek Him.  Be part of a revolution… call the church and this culture back to the foundation of the Word of God.

The Great Confusion...

So many contradictory world-views are swirling around humanity these days, its no wonder there is mounting stress and confusion in our culture as to what truth really is.  Most societies and cultures are abandoning Judeo-Christian values for secular concepts void of personal responsibility and accountability.

It’s easy to become confused. Mankind has replaced the order that God put in all creation with a great confusion that leads to no good end.

The scrambling of life’s order and priorities is not the only confusion that is perpetuated by our contemporary and secular way of life. There is profound and growing gender confusion. There is a check-box on the recent U.S. 2020 Census that allows a person to “not identify as male or female” or to decline entirely to declare one’s orientation, leaving only that the person being counted is an “it”, something not associated with God’s created identities for humankind. 

Gender bias is a preference or prejudice toward one gender over the other. Bias can be conscious or unconscious, and may manifest in many ways, both subtle and obvious.  One of the most obvious ways in recent years is the “third” public restroom for those who claim not “male” or female” but another for of identity. We didn’t even think of these issues when I was growing up, a teen and even a young married adult.

You May ask yourself by now if I really am that old fashioned, that I can’t understand that we don’t live in the 20th century anymore? Of course not‚ I do live in the contemporary world‚ but these growing and frightening patterns of disorder‚ brought by apparently simple things like fashion‚ do greatly influence our lives. If our “freedom to choose” now extends to deciding what orientation we will live with from childhood through adulthood, then I would suggest that the confusion of humanity is far more serious than a simple shrug off to one’s personal choice.

The number one victim of this confusion is the family. We see how the God given definition of family is changed today by the political agenda‚ how younger and younger girls drop off school because of a teenage pregnancy‚ how divorce becomes the norm and celibacy with a libertarian lifestyle is looked upon as a viable way of living. These are all consequences of this confusion.

God did not created the world to be this way‚ he did not sow seeds of disorder. He made a child different than an adult and a woman different than a man. Strip away the modern trappings of this world… fashion‚ culture‚ prejudice‚ political correctness, etc. and you will see the true face of the world, that it is still here‚ buried‚ just as it was created by God.

Now, I am going to be very old fashioned here and declare the present state of confusion of humanity to be caused by sin.  Humanity’s desire to choose to go against the natural order of how God created humanity to live. Yes, that is exactly what sin is… making a choice contrary to the goodness God desires for his creation.  The originator of sin, is God’s adversary Satan the Devil.

You see, its through sin that humanity has sacrificed the original purity God endowed mankind with in favor of doing their own thing, their own way.  You might say, mankind has created a false identity‚ an identity that is hiding, masking the goodness of God that is in all of his creation. Do it long enough, and our world becomes a place of confusion and deception.  The secular tendencies, and gender confusion of our contemporary choices are just the latest masking over the truth of God’s given nature, his purpose for humanity and the world, replacing it with the man-made, unholy hodgepodge of ungodly behaviors.

God’s intent for order is very clear in the book of Ecclesiastes “to every thing there is a season‚ and a time to every purpose under the heaven: “A time to be born‚ and a time to die; […] a time to kill and a time to heal‚ a time to tear down and a time to build‚ a time to weep and a time to laugh‚ a time to mourn and a time to dance.” (Ecc 5:1-5). He has created all things with a purpose in mind and when we ignore or change this purpose we miss the very goal of our existence which is to be a glory to God. We can rebel against this fact‚ we can try to mask it‚ but this will only bring pain in our lives because we act against ourselves‚ against who we really are.

All our problems arise when we fight against the faultless order of God and try to replace it with a man-made flawed proposition. We think that we can outsmart God‚ but in doing that we only trade perfection for limitation‚ eternity for a brief lifetime‚ communion for isolation‚ and love for indifference.

We don’t have to reinvent anything: God has already created everything perfect. We only have to shake off these worldly views and ideas, and accept his grace in the person of Jesus Christ, our savior and redeemer.  We can then align our will with His will and rediscover our personal identity by paradoxically uniting ourselves with Him… “He that has my commandments‚ and keeps them‚ he it is that loves me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father‚ and I will love him‚ and will manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21)

Master and Commander...

The coronavirus pandemic is confusing and frightening for hundreds of millions of people. Many around the world are sick and many others have died. Unless the situation changes dramatically, many more will fall ill and die around the globe. This crisis raises serious medical, ethical and logistical questions. But it raises additional questions for people of faith.

In situations like this, it’s very easy to lose faith, a blame God for allowing this virus to harm humanity and to live in fear of the headlines and the unknowns.  This week particularly… the headlines say this week will be a grim and dark week with mounting deaths in the U.S..

While this pandemic is frightening and disruptive as never before, the history of humanity is blighted by disasters of one form or another. accompanied by great loss of life.  That is historical fact. Those events affected followers of God as long as there have been people who followed God, pre-Christian times and Christians after Christ.

We wonder, is God in control?  Is He watching over his followers and protecting them?  Does He care what is happening to so many people?

One thing that has been evident as this crisis began to sweep across the U.S., people began to panic.  Hoarding fo food and cleaning, disinfectant supplies became an everyday ordeal.

I know it’s easier to say than exhibit during times of crisis and high stress, but we all need to resist panic. 

This is not to say there is no reason to be concerned, or that we should ignore the sound advice of medical professionals and public health experts. But panic and fear are not from God. Calm and hope are. And it is possible to respond to a crisis seriously and deliberately while maintaining an inner sense of calm and hope.

Panic, causes confusion and fear, causing us to pull away from the help God wants to give us. This time in our lives, living with the threat of exposure to coronavirus is in the hands of God.

Jesus has all knowledge and all authority over the natural and supernatural forces of this world. He knows exactly where the virus started, and where it’s going next. He has complete power to restrain it or not. And that’s what’s happening. Neither sin, nor Satan, nor sickness, nor sabotage is stronger than Jesus. He’s never backed into a corner; he is never forced to tolerate what he does not will. “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations” (Psalm 33:11).

“I know that you can do all things,” Job says in his own repentance, “and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). So the question is not whether Jesus is overseeing, limiting, guiding, governing all the disasters and all the diseases of the world, including all their sinful and satanic dimensions. He is. The question is, with our Bibles as our guidepost, how are we to understand this? Can we make sense out of it?

All natural disasters — whether floods, famines, locusts, tsunamis, or diseases — are a “loud noise, a call to hear” of divine mercy in the midst of judgment, calling all people everywhere to repent and realign their lives, by grace, with the infinite worth of the glory of God. And the basis for that building block is Luke 13:1-5. Pilate had slaughtered worshipers in the temple. And the tower in Siloam had collapsed and killed eighteen bystanders. And the crowds want to know from Jesus, just like we are asking right now… “Okay, make sense of this, Jesus. Tell us what you think about these natural disasters and this cruelty. These people were just standing there, and now they’re dead.”

Here’s Jesus’s answer in Luke 13:4–5: “Those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent [he shifts from them to you], you will all likewise perish.”

Now, that’s the message of Jesus to the world at this moment in history, under the coronavirus — a message to every single human being. Everybody who’s reading this and praying everyday for understanding of this crisis, every person who hears about this, is receiving a wake-up message of God, saying, “Repent.” Repent and seek God’s mercy to bring your lives — our lives — into alignment with His Will, His Purpose and live harmoniously with Him.

Now, the biblical fact is simple as expressed in Mark 4:41: “Even the wind and the sea obey [Jesus].” That is as true today as it was then. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

So, put those two facts together — the historical facts of past disasters and great loss of life and the biblical fact — and you get this truth: Jesus could have stopped any of histories natural disasters, but he did not. Since he always does what is wise and right and just and good, therefore, he had wise and good purposes in everything that affects humanity.

Food for Thought

In the midst of life's difficulties, right now the coronavirus crisis, some folks panic while others are calm.   A calm and peaceful demeanor is a virtue that only true, faithful believers possess. They know that there is nothing to fear, not even death, because God is in control, even when it may seem like He's ignoring our plight. 

God knows that in our desperation we will cry out to Him. Yet far too often we wait until we simply run out of human solutions to our crises, then we call upon God. By then, however, it's often too late. Instead of it being the last thing we do, seeking HIM should be the first thing we do!

The End of the World… by Fire?

Proclaiming that the end of the world is near has now become an all consuming labor of the very opposites of theologians and religious devotees.  Agnostics, Scientists, Politicians, Survivalists, Educators, Atheists, most everyone thinks humanity is going to be consumed along with the planet in a grand barbecue!

It would seem the question framed by Robert Frost in his famous poem… of whether the world will end in fire or ice is no longer in dispute. LINK to the Frost poem… https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44263/fire-and-ice

How?  The world will soon end in fire, possibly the fire of the Pentagon’s and Kremlin’s “usable” nuclear weapons, creating a global firestorm that consumes everyone including planet earth. With that to look forward to, its no wonder people are so tense and difficult to get along with today. 

Like I said in my last article, being human is a messy business.  That’s so true when we think of the mess humans have made of planet earth.  However, the earth does not belong to us, it belongs to it’s creator, Almighty God.  He is well aware of our mistreatment of that which he entrusted to man to care, living on it’s surface in harmony with all its resources and bounty.  Genesis 1:26-28 says that “man” was given dominion to rule over creation, all living things, or caring for the earth God created and entrusted to mankind’s use.    Ecclesiastes 1:4 says the earth will abide forever.  In both passages we see that the creator controls the destiny of His creations, not mankind.

Those two passages have been security for me as I watch what has unfolded since my youth. Development of thermal nuclear weapons, polluting and misuse of earth’s natural resources, and the fear of what man could do in anger and rage with his destructive weapons.  I trust that God knows His creation and how much abuse it can endure.  His Word tells us how He will clean up the mess human’s have made and set humanity once again on a path to a better life.

The question stills haunts anyone who thinks about the end times… will the earth be burned up?  Will God use fire to perform His cleansing, does it mean total obliteration and consumption by fire?

Let’s start our discovery of what the Bible says about this fear…“[God] has founded the earth upon its established places; it will not be made to totter to time indefinite, or forever.” (Psalm 104:5).

The earth will not be destroyed, either by fire or by any other means. Instead, the Bible teaches that this planet is mankind’s eternal home. Psalm 37:29 says: “The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.”—Psalm 115:16 says… The heavens belong to the Lord. But He has given the earth to the children of men. Isaiah 45:18 says…  This is what the Lord Who made the heavens, the God Who planned and made the earth, and everything in it and did not make it a waste place, but made it a place for people to live in, says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other.

After God created the earth, he said that it “was very good,” and he still feels that way. (Genesis 1:31) Far from planning to destroy it, he promises to “bring to ruin those ruining the earth”—and to protect it from permanent damage. Revelation 11:18 (NET version) speaks about the future of earth and those who have abused it and chosen not to live by Gods’s standards… the last part of vs 18 says… and the time has come[f] to destroy those who destroy[g] the earth.”

You may be wondering about 2 Peter 3:7. It verse says… the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.  Think about this passage but don’t over think it.  Accept that God is not deceptive or devious towards His loved creation… humanity.  However, He wants those who love Him to have the home and environment of peace He planned for humans from the beginning.  

Back to the verse… 2 Peter 3:7… does this not show that the earth will be burned up? This after all is the passage of scripture used by those who believe in a literal fire consuming the planet.  Actually, the Bible frequently uses certain terms like “heavens,” “earth,” and “fire” figuratively, in a symbolic way.

The context of 2 Peter 3:5-7 shows that what happens to the heavens, earth, and fire are symbolic for a cleansing process. Verses 5 and 6 draw a parallel with the Flood of Noah’s day. On that occasion, an ancient world was destroyed, yet the planet did not disappear. The earth was certainly reshaped by the global impact of flooding and erosion, but not in a negative way.   There was total removal of everything God decreed would by destroyed.  The Flood wiped out a violent society, or “earth” used symbolically, figuratively to refer to those facing God’s judgement. It also destroyed a kind of  “heavens” or the evil angels along with Satan the Devil who mixed with

humans and ruled over that earthly society. (Genesis 6:11) In the same way, 2 Peter 3:7 foretells the permanent destruction of wicked society and its corrupt governments in a way that eradicates the infectious polluting elements that harm God’s creation.  Fire cleanses anything it touches.  When used figuratively… it gives us a mental picture of something harsh, severe, total and complete.  

What’s next for those people who are not victims of the global cleansing or removal from the face of the earth?

The Bible says in 1 John 2:17…  The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

“The world” that is to pass away is not the physical earth, but the world of mankind whose lives are not in harmony with God’s will. Just as a surgeon might remove a cancerous tumor to save a patient’s life, God will “cut off” the wicked so that good people can truly enjoy life on earth. (Psalm 37:9) In that sense, “the end of the world” is a pretty good thing.

Such a positive view of  “the end of the world” is explicitly rendered as “the end of the age” in Matthew 24:3 NIV.  Since a portion of humankind and the entire earth survive the end, does it not seem reasonable that a new age begins? The Bible answer is clear, for it speaks of  changes to planet earth.  Luke 18:28-30 records Jesus’ promise to those who place their hope in a coming age… verses 28-30 says.. Peter said to him (Jesus), ‘We have left all we had to follow you!’

‘Truly I tell you,’ Jesus said to them, ‘no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come, eternal life.’

Jesus called that future period “the renewal of all things.” When he returns, he will restore humanity to the conditions that God originally intended. (Matthew 19:28, NIV) We will then enjoy

• A paradise earth with security and prosperity for all.—Isaiah 35:1; Micah 4:4.
• Work that is meaningful and satisfying.—Isaiah 65:21-23.
• The curing of all disease.—Isaiah 33:24.
• The reversal of aging.—Job 33:25.
• The resurrection of the dead.—John 5:28, 29.

If we live in harmony with the  “the will of God,” living in a manner that brings honor to Him, doing what he asks of us as outlined in the Bible, we need not fear the end of the world. 

Instead, we can look forward to it… Cry out daily in your prayers and supplications… Maranatha… Come Lord Jesus.  Make your plea to the risen Lord… a request that looks to the “end of all things” with the plea “Please come!”

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