On November 6, 2012, I posted "Election Day Thoughts." Hard to believe that it's been eight years since President Obama was running for re-election against Mitt Romney. Here is part of what I wrote:
Les and I had a great discussion about today's outcome while driving to church on Sunday. We had already cast our votes, we vote my mail. Les pointed out that as Bible believing Christians who are waiting for the return of Christ, there will come a time when our country will not embrace Christianity. In order for Biblical prophecy to be fulfilled, our rights as Christians will weaken. In order for a one world government to be in place, America will need to be weaker.
If the candidate who wins today takes us in that direction, we can rest assured that God allowed it. His timeline is known only to Him. As we see the day approaching, we can only pray "Come, Lord Jesus."
Les and I had a great discussion about today's outcome while driving to church on Sunday. We had already cast our votes, we vote my mail. Les pointed out that as Bible believing Christians who are waiting for the return of Christ, there will come a time when our country will not embrace Christianity. In order for Biblical prophecy to be fulfilled, our rights as Christians will weaken. In order for a one world government to be in place, America will need to be weaker.
If the candidate who wins today takes us in that direction, we can rest assured that God allowed it. His timeline is known only to Him. As we see the day approaching, we can only pray "Come, Lord Jesus."
Now that does not mean as a Christian we should change how we vote. We
should still pray and vote with a clear conscience. If the candidate
who will take us down the road of moral decline is elected, that will be
"because iniquity shall
abound." (Matthew 24:12) The last days aren't going to be about
religious freedom, but "perilous times shall come." (2 Timothy 3:1)
I returned to 2 Timothy chapter 3 last night and again this morning. The first five verses sound like 2020:
I returned to 2 Timothy chapter 3 last night and again this morning. The first five verses sound like 2020:
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (written over 200 years ago) is one of my favorite commentaries because it breaks verses down, phrase by phrase. Here is a description of those who are living in perilous times:
Lovers of their own selves - Selfish, studious of their own interest, and regardless of the welfare of all mankind. *I could just stop right here. Turn to any news site and count the number of people looking out for their own interests, regardless of the welfare of anyone else.
Covetous - Lovers of money, because of the influence which riches can procure.
Boasters - Vain glorious: self-assuming; valuing themselves beyond all others.
Proud - Airy, light, trifling persons; those who love to make a show - who are all outside.
Blasphemers - Those who speak impiously of God and sacred things, and injuriously of men.
Disobedient to parents - Headstrong children, whom their parents cannot persuade.
Unthankful - Persons without grace, or gracefulness; who think they have a right to the services of all men, yet feel no obligation, and consequently no gratitude.
Unholy - Without piety; having no heart reverence for God.
Without natural affection - Without that affection which parents bear to their young, and which the young bear to their parents. An affection which is common to every class of animals; consequently, men without it are worse than brutes.
Truce-breakers - Those who are bound by no promise, held by no engagement, obliged by no oath; persons who readily promise any thing, because they never intend to perform.
False accusers - Devils; but properly enough rendered false accusers, for this is a principal work of the devil. Slanderers; striving ever to ruin the characters of others.
Incontinent - Those who, having sinned away their power of self-government, want strength to govern their appetites; especially those who are slaves to uncleanness.
Fierce - Wild, impetuous, whatever is contrary to pliability and gentleness.
Despisers of those that are good - Not lovers of good men. Here is a remarkable advantage of the Greek over the English tongue, one word of the former expressing five or six of the latter. Those who do not love the good must be radically bad themselves.
Traitors - Those who deliver up to an enemy the person who has put his life in their hands; such as the Scots of 1648, who delivered up into the hands of his enemies their unfortunate countryman and king, Charles the First; a stain which no lapse of ages can wipe out.
Heady - Headstrong, precipitate, rash, inconsiderate.
High-minded - The frivolously aspiring; those who are full of themselves, and empty of all good.
Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God - pleasure, sensual gratification, is their god; and this they love and serve; God they do not.
Having a form of godliness - The original word μορφωσις signifies a draught, sketch, or summary, and will apply well to those who have all their religion in their creed, confession of faith, catechism, bodies of divinity, etc., while destitute of the life of God in their souls; and are not only destitute of this life, but deny that such life or power is here to be experienced or known. They have religion in their creed, but none in their hearts. And perhaps to their summary they add a decent round of religious observances.
From such turn away - not only do not imitate them, but have no kind of fellowship with them; they are a dangerous people, and but seldom suspected, because their outside is fair.
There have been so many things that have happened in 2020 that seem almost unbelievable. A worldwide pandemic that has shut down businesses, schools, and churches. Social unrest. Political upheaval. We don't know what we will face tomorrow. The thought of further persecution is not something I want, but there are promises for those who endure to the end:
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
Revelation 21:1-4, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
It's gonna be worth it all!
