Messages From Heaven: The Danger of an Exaggerated End-Time Mentality!!

Messages From Heaven: The Danger of an Exaggerated End-Time Mentality!!: On a regular basis, whenever there are reports of moral collapse in our country or of wars and crises worldwide, someone will say to me, ...

The Danger of an Exaggerated End-Time Mentality!!

On a regular basis, whenever there are reports of moral collapse in our country or of wars and crises worldwide, someone will say to me, "This is it! Jesus is about to return! Everything is coming down!"
Of course, according to one system of interpretation, that could be true and the Lord could return within the next few moments or years.
The problem I have is that I've heard Jesus is coming back any moment for more than 40 years.
Could it be that we have a wrong mentality about the end of the age? Could it be that we're missing something very important?
To be clear, I am not a preterist (meaning, that I don't believe most of the prophetic promises and events have already been fulfilled and that "the coming of Jesus" took place in the year 70 A.D. when the temple was destroyed), and I do look forward to the return of the Lord and our eternal union with Him (see 1 Cor. 15:50-55; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 John 2:28-3:3).
And I am a classic premillennialist as opposed to a postmillennialist or amillennialist, although I am not a dispensational premillennialist—meaning I do not believe in a pre-trib rapture.
But the last thing I want to do is argue over these points, and I have worked with leaders around the world for decades without dividing over these issues. If you want to agree with me passionately or disagree with me passionately over eschatological details, have at it.
What I want to address here is a potentially dangerous mentality that breeds despair and hopelessness, that leads to capitulation and escapism, and that almost encourages believers to throw in the towel.
For example, in response to one of my articles about sex-change regret, someone commented, "More proof that the end is near. Right is wrong and wrong is right."
Someone else responded to my YouTube video on the apostasy of the PCUSA by saying, "The end is over the horizon...so near brother...more and more churches committing apostasy, it's ridiculous," while someone else wrote on Facebook, "We are witnessing the great falling away."
My problem, to repeat, is that I've heard this since I came to faith in late 1971, a time when the most influential, best-selling Christian book was Hal Lindsey's Late Great Planet Earth.
And while I have not held to a pre-trib rapture theology for more than 35 years, I appreciate the fact that my dispensationalist, pre-trib friends take the Bible seriously, that many of them have been great evangelists, that they recognize the importance of Israel today and that they really are looking forward to the return of Jesus (whereas lots of other believers hardly give it any thought).
But to say it again, I've heard that Jesus was coming back any second for more than 40 years, and every time something bad happens people are saying, "Armageddon is next!" or, "This is the final deception!"
What we do know is that so far, the end has not yet come, the harvest is still very ripe (and vast), there have been far worse times in human history than today (in recent memory, just think of World War II and the massive losses of life), and around the world the Spirit is being poured out mightily.
It is true that America today is in great moral and spiritual decline, but revival historians will tell you that we have had some very dark times before, and it was divine visitation that turned things around.
Where is it written that there will not be another, even greater awakening? Can you demonstrate to me conclusively from the Scriptures that God is finished with our nation and that no hope for revival remains?
It's interesting to note that over the centuries, even as early as the second century, Christian leaders were proclaiming that they were living in the last generation (or close to it), and so it's understandable that believers through the ages would have this perspective.
After all, we see the great suffering and sin of the human race, and if we love the Lord, we will live with at least some sense of urgency: there are so many lost, hurting people to reach and we have only one lifetime to touch them with the good news.
And all of us should long for the Lord's appearing (see 2 Tim. 4:8). In fact, if we're so at home in this world that we don't long for His coming, we need to examine our hearts.
But to repeat once more, the problem is with our mentality, with the idea that, every time there's an example of apostasy we say, "This is the great falling away!", or every time we see further moral collapse in our society, we say, "We're out of here any minute!"
Many believers had that attitude in the '60s and '70s, and rather than recognize that a great potential harvest was here, they thought, "The whole world is going mad!" And rather than stand against the flood tide of immorality that swept through our culture, all too many believers were waiting to be taken out, leaving it to the ungodly to write their revolution into law. We have been paying the price ever since.
As I understand it, the Scriptures indicate that the last days began with the death and resurrection of Jesus and will continue until the end of this age (see, for example, Acts 2:17-20; 2 Tim. 3:1-6; 1 John 2:18).
This means that we have been living in a transition age for almost 2,000 years, a time of already but not yet, a time when the kingdom of God has broken in and is expanding but will not reach its complete manifestation until Jesus returns, a time of great outpouring and a time of great falling away, in short, a time of parallel extremes.
And I expect those extremes to get more and more extreme the closer we get to the end. (Again, I'm quite aware of the different interpretations that can be put on these passages, so I'll say it again: I'm not here to divide over theology or to debate interpretations. I'm here to make a practical point.)
So I encourage you to remember that we are in the age of the Spirit's outpouring, the age of the harvest, that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to the Lord Jesus, that we are overcomers and more than conquerors in Him, that He who lives within us is greater than he who lives in the world, that our God sits enthroned in the heavens, and that, in the end, His ways will triumph over the entire earth.
That's why, no matter how bleak things look, my eyes are fixed on the Lord, and in Him, I am full of hope, confidence and vision. And should the day come when our strategy needs to change, I trust that our heavenly Commander in Chief will make that plain.
So, forward until He comes!

Messages From Heaven: Should Homosexuality Be Accepted as a Healthy Life...

Messages From Heaven: Should Homosexuality Be Accepted as a Healthy Life...: Homosexual activists claim their lifestyle, which in some cases includes thousands of sexual partners, should be sanctioned, protected, ...

Should Homosexuality Be Accepted as a Healthy Lifestyle?

Homosexual activists claim their lifestyle, which in some cases includes thousands of sexual partners, should be sanctioned, protected, and granted special rights by society. Their rationale is that since their sexual nature is inherited, it is involuntary and therefore should be considered morally neutral. Would you critique this stance?

Let me answer that question by asking two of my own: "What if?" and "So what?"
What if it could be demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that homosexuality is, as activists claim, genetic, biochemical, and neurological in origin? We would still want to know, so what? The homosexual activist community would have us believe that because their behavior is genetically programmed and beyond their control, it is morally defensible. That is not supportable. Most men have inherited a lust for women. Their natural tendency is to have sex with as many beautiful girls as possible, both before marriage and after. Abstinence before marriage and monogamy afterward are accomplished by discipline and commitment. If men did what they are genetically programmed to do, most would be sexually promiscuous from about fourteen years of age onward. Would that make such behavior any less immoral? Of course not.
What if a pedophile (child abuser) could claim that he inherited his lust for kids? He could make a good case for it. Certainly his sexual apparatus and the testosterone that drives it are creations of genetics. Even if his perversion resulted from early experiences, he could accurately claim not to have chosen to be what he is. But so what? Does that make his abuse of children any less offensive? Should society accept, protect, and grant special civil rights to pedophiles? Is it blatant dis- crimination that they are tried, convicted, and imprisoned for doing what they are "programmed" to do? No! The source of their sexual preference is irrelevant to the behavior itself, which is deemed to be immoral and reprehensible by society.
What if it could be demonstrated conclusively that alcoholics inherit a chemical vulnerability to alcohol? Such is probably the case, since some races have a much higher incidence of alcoholism than others. But so what? Does that mean alcoholism is any less a problem for those families and for society in general? Hardly!
I hope the point is apparent. Being genetically inclined to do immoral things does not make immoral behavior right. There are many influences at work within us, but they are irrelevant. I know of no instance in Scripture where God winked at evildoers because of their flawed inheritance or early experiences. In fact, the opposite is implied. In the book of Genesis we are told that an angel informed Ishmael's mother that the child she was carrying would be "a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers" (Genesis 16:12). In other words, Ishmael was genetically inclined toward violence and rebellion. Yet there is no indication that he enjoyed a special dispensation from God that excused his sinful behavior. Each of us is accountable for what we do, without excuses and rationalizations. That's why we all need a Savior who died to eradicate our sins, regardless of their source.
There is one other "so what" with which we must deal. If homosexuals can claim to be genetically predisposed to lust after their own sex, why does that make their circumstances different from unmarried heterosexuals? Single individuals are certainly programmed by heredity to desire fulfillment with the opposite sex, but they are called to a world of purity. I know that is a tough requirement--especially for those who will never marry--yet this is my understanding of Scripture. Promiscuity for unmarried heterosexuals is the moral equivalent of promiscuity for homosexuals. Liberal ministers who are revising church standards to sanction sexual expression by homosexuals must, I would think, extend the same concession to heterosexual singles. But before they do, some scriptural justification should be found to support the "new morality." I think none exists.

Messages From Heaven: Is God Unfair?

Messages From Heaven: Is God Unfair?: The Great White Throne Judgment When Terrified Multitudes Stand Before God Unprepared There is no topic as terrifying as the Great Wh...

Is God Unfair?

The Great White Throne Judgment
When Terrified Multitudes Stand Before God Unprepared
There is no topic as terrifying as the Great White Throne Judgment…but what do we really know about it? Let’s look at Revelation 20:11-15 together.
Who is on this majestic throne?
We can be sure that Jesus is sitting on this throne, for God has “committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22). Jesus is now the Judge of all the unredeemed. His throne is great, majestic, and being white, signifies His holy justice and impartiality.
Who are the defendants standing in line?
John continues, “I saw the dead, small and great stand before God.” They were summoned from all parts of the world, raised from the dead to give an account to God. John explains, “and the sea gave up the dead who were in it…” The ancients believed that if you died at sea or were cremated and your ashes thrown into the sea, the gods could never find you so you need not fear an afterlife. But God knows every particle of matter in the universe and thus summons all bodies, regardless of circumstances, to appear before Him.
John writes, “Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them…” Hades is the abode of the souls of all unbelievers who have died and who will die in the future. The souls in Hades are joined with their resurrected bodies that are fitted for eternity—bodies, I might say, fitted for the lake of fire.
The small and the great are there: the king stands among slaves; rich with poor; religious zealots with atheists. No doubt all religions are represented: Protestants, Catholics, Hindus, Muslims, etc.
On what basis are they judged?
A book is opened that details all their works. The basic principle: they will be judged for what they did with what they knew. To the pagan who has never heard of Christ, God will never say, “you will be thrown into the lake of fire because you didn’t believe in Jesus.” As M.R. DeHann wrote, “Hell for the pagan headhunter who has never heard the word of God is going to be heaven compared to what it will be for those who have heard the pleading of the gospel and rejected it.” But all who are at this judgment will fall short, for all lack the one requirement needed to enter heaven. Since their names are not found in the Book of Life (that is, the Book of the Redeemed), they are cast into the lake of fire.
For more on the justice of God’s eternal judgment, turn to page 4.
Is God’s Judgment Really Fair?
God’s judgment of unbelievers—especially those who have never heard the Gospel—is one of the most controversial doctrines in Christianity today. In fact, even many Christians have rejected the idea, choosing to believe that “everyone finds their own way to God.” So can a loving God condemn people to hell? Pastor Lutzer explains.
Q: You said that all the people at the Great White Throne Judgment lack the one requirement needed for entry in to heaven. I assume you mean belief in the Gospel?
A: Yes, and more specifically, they lack not only the forgiveness of God, but the gift of righteousness whereby we are declared to be as perfect/holy as God. The only person qualified to give us this gift is Christ; therefore only those who trust Him come under the shelter of His protection and are welcomed into heaven.
Q: Could you clarify what standard is used in this judgment?
A: Paul taught that those who do not know the Gospel will be judged by their own conscience and the light gleaned from nature. This judgment will show that no one has lived up to what they intuitively and rationally knew to be right. Now, as for those who have heard the Gospel, that is a different story. Jesus said that it will be more tolerable in the day of judgment for Sodom and Gomorrah than for those cities that rejected Him when He was on Earth. Clearly, those who heard the Gospel and rejected it—or those who had access to the Gospel as we do in America—will be more strictly judged.
Also, those who did evil will be given a lesser punishment than those who not only did evil but also influenced others to do the same. For example, Jesus said of the person who causes a little child to stumble, it would be better for him if he had a stone tied around his neck and drowned. It is one things for a man to be immoral; it is quite another when he publishes a pornographic magazine read by millions that entices people to be immoral. Judgment for such people will be immeasurably severe.
Q: Is the lake of fine the same as hell?
A: Yes.
Q: Do you believe in a literal fire in hell?
A: We can’t be sure because hell is both spoken of as a lake of fire and also a place of “outer darkness.” Perhaps those two ideas seem incompatible to us. The point is that even if these are figures of speech, what they represent is frightful and terrifying.
Q: It seems that eternal punishment is profoundly unjust. Okay, so these people knowingly did wrong, but after all, they were born sinners along with the rest of us. Temporary punishment yes, but eternal punishment sounds like overkill. Doesn’t eternal punishment fly in the face of common human compassion and fairness?
A: You have stated the dilemma exactly! I’m not sure I have an entirely satisfying answer to this question, but let me give some perspective. What if, as Jonathan Edwards said, the greatness of a sin is determined by the greatness of the being against whom it is committed? To throw a snowball at a mailman is one thing; to throw one at a policeman is another. And if you throw a snowball at the President of the United States, you will be arrested. Using that analogy, think of the infinite crime of sinning against an infinite God. Sin is much more serious to God than it is to us.
Also, because we are eternal beings, those who are in the lake of fire bear the consequences of their personal guilt forever.
Q: What do you say to the person who has a spouse or a son or daughter who has died as an unbeliever?
A: It comes down to this: God is repeatedly described in the Scriptures as meticulously just. We honor Him by believing and trusting in His justice, knowing that someday we will agree with all of His decisions and forever sing, “Just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints!” I have no doubt that those who are in the lake of fire will agree that they are being justly punished. After all, the sin they committed on Earth will be present to their mind and consciences. This in itself would be a form of hell. Difficult doctrine to be sure, but God is more incomprehensible than we generally believe Him to be.

Messages From Heaven: 10 Principles to Keep Christ at the Center of Your...

Messages From Heaven: 10 Principles to Keep Christ at the Center of Your...: Not too long ago, my husband used a stone to scratch “Good Friday, April 2” into the freshly-poured foundation of our new home. As he ...