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“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

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  • Anakypto Afterthoughts

    “Not Appointed” Does Not Mean “Automatically Exempt”

    We are not appointed to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. This does NOT mean we’re automatically exempt from wrath; it means we can opt out.

    This is illustrated in 2 Chron. 36:16. The ancient Israelites had turned to serious wickedness. God tried to protect them, “but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.”

    Wrath. They were appointed to blessing and safety and prosperity in a land “flowing with milk and honey.” But they, like many today, chose disobedience.

    Jesus said wrath was going to fall on Jerusalem, that “the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation.” He prophesied the utter destruction of the city. “Not one stone,” He said, “would be left upon another.” And He said that when they saw the city being surrounded, they should immediately flee. Those who obeyed lived; the rest died in what was even more severe than the judgment that fell in the days of Ezekiel.

    We’re surrounded. The only way out is up. “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets has in these last days spoken to us by His Son.” In days past, men despised the words of God and misused His prophets. Today, it is Jesus Himself who is being ignored, despised and misused. How shall they escape if they neglect so great a salvation?

    They won’t.

    Scripture gives us two explicit promises regarding our escape, and they are based on watchfulness, prayer, and perseverance. In Luke 21:36 Jesus says, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Note: NU text says “may have strength to escape.” This suggests dual fulfillment – strength to escape in the days of Titus, but worthiness in the day of ultimate fulfillment.) There’s no suggestion that those who escaped the judgment on Jerusalem subsequently stood before the Son of Man, while that is our hope and expectation.

    The second promise is in Rev. 3:10 where Jesus makes another promise: “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.” Keeping His command to persevere sounds like obedience.

  • Anakypto Afterthoughts

    The “No Rapture” Position

    YouTube is as much of a theological/ eschatological swamp as is the composite output of pulpits, or the assertions of the sages in corner taverns. Lots of opinions, all “supported” in some sense, all quick to find the problems in alternative positions. We need a touchstone.

    I’m a little troubled that Zionism and the pre-”trib” position are as wedded as they seem to be. My only conclusion is that most of the stuff in rat poison is good for the rat. Dispensationalism and Zionism are toxic, along with altar calls and “invite-Jesus-in-your-heart” sinner’s prayers. OSAS is slippery, probably because there are no precise definitions. But too many of these expositors seem to be lawyers, “proving” a position with sophistry. And for Darby and his ilk, they present some truth with their toxins to make it palatable.

    All this last-days squabbling is at the expense of the basics: repent, make restitution, extend grace, forgive and ask forgiveness, grow up in Christ, avoid sin, pursue holiness. And know God. If we all knew Him, we would understand the “rapture question” in the light of His character.

    My own belief is that if the Lord says something will happen, it will happen. And Dr. David Cooper’s advice is hard to argue against: “When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense” – UNLESS the person arguing has an agenda. I’d probably qualify Cooper’s maxim, since scriptures with a very plain sense can still have a double meaning. Hosea 11:1 comes to mind. So does my study on the sending-out of the twelve, and subsequently the seventy. The plain sense of “we shall be caught up” is that we shall be caught up. Similarly, the plain sense of “we shall all be changed” can be construed out of existence, but if words mean things, then God is saying we shall all be changed. Belief in an allasso and a harpazo is not at all unreasonable.

    Chuck Baldwin and many others seem to think that America – as far-gone as she is – can still be returned to some form of God-fearing righteousness if only the Christians quit hoping in the rapture and get to work with restoration. And they “prove” there will be no rapture, because Darby declared it, along with dispensationalism and Zionism. Darby is wrong on both, so get out the “broad brush” and include the rapture as one of Darby’s errors.

    This actually could be another reason why we, as the last-days “seventy” will be sent out to fulfill Matthew 24:14. We will preach the gospel and we will get almost universal rejection. Where Baldwin and his crowd will be when this happens is still a bit of an open question, but they will see that America is irretrievably lost, delighting in sin and reveling in iniquity. There will be the explicit preaching of the gospel of the kingdom for three weeks, and even many of the “Christians” among us will have nothing to do with it. “Lordship of Christ? We’re saved by grace through faith … plus nothing. You’re preaching heresy!”

    Baldwin is right on point in observing that the “bless Israel” campaign has earned no blessings from God on America. We’re laboring under a burden of curses that can only increase. But God does not slay the righteous with the wicked. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

    I believe God would be inconsistent with His nature and would break His word to us if there were no deliverance before wrath. And on this we need to be clear: what begins shortly with the arrival of the four horsemen is not tribulation. It will be an escalating display of God’s hatred of sin and those who embrace it while rejecting the rule of His Son. It will be wrath: divinely administered scorched earth. Those who think they would prefer a world without the Lordship of Christ will get what they are asking for.

  • Anakypto Afterthoughts

    Wait and See

    I was looking at my notes from a year ago, when the Big Hype was September 23rd.  Remember?  I was NOT on that bandwagon, and my stated reason was that Matthew 24:14 was not fulfilled.  I did not, at that time, see that the gospel of the kingdom was being preached in any meaningful way, but I also did not see or expect that we’d have a role in that fulfillment.

    Now I see things differently, as you know.  I’m just about the only person to see things this way: that we’d be changed (allasso) first, and THEN we’d preach the gospel of the kingdom, and THEN we’d depart (harpazo).  None of the YouTube prophetic community seems to have picked up on this.  It’s still basically two camps:  1) we’re changed and raptured on Sep. 11th, or 2) we’re changed and raptured on Shemini Atzeret.

    Again: wait and see.  Maybe there’s another option that hasn’t yet occurred to any of us.  Regardless, the “hard stops” we’ve discussed still seem to be unavoidable.  When they are generally felt, then the discussion will change.

    One thing I’ve shifted on lately:  I thought the Zech. 13:8 events had to be before the “dry bones” resurrection, and that resurrection would happen when the dead in Christ rise and we who are alive are changed.  I expected the 2/3 reduction in population in the land of Israel had to be somewhat catastrophic.  Now I’m not sure of the timing, or that it MUST be before the dry bones.  I’m thinking that maybe the 2/3 being killed could begin when the resurrections occur.  That would help my understanding.  I guess – like just about everything else – we can only wait and see.

    In early August, I mused:

    Today, most folks that I know in the real world are oblivious and unconcerned. They don’t think much about global disasters that will impact them personally. In fact, they probably think the boy is crying ‘wolf’ and no really bad stuff will happen at all; i.e. we will still celebrate Christmas, and Jerry the sophomore will still graduate in 2029 and “I can retire in five years, and then we’re moving to Italy.”

    Between now and I would guess November, most people will realize that those dreams of that stable future will never come true. And when a LOT of folks all wake up in a very short period of time, it will be a social crisis. If you panic, go negative, think things are hopeless, there are still optimistic friends who can “talk you down off the ledge” and get you re-established so that you can – somehow – at least cope. Manage somehow. Find hope somewhere.

    But when we hit that crisis point, the ledge will be full and a line will be forming. There will be no “social safety net” so that some healthy people can help some desperate ones. Rather, it will be a tidal wave of despair.

    Also, it won’t be the “strong delusion” that’s promised (I think that comes later). Rather, it will be a big splash of cold reality, as people realize they’ve been distracted and betrayed by people they thought they could trust; pastors and politicians who they thought had all of our best interests at heart.

    I still think this is probably close to the truth.  

    For now, maintain course and speed.  

  • Anakypto Afterthoughts

    Two Minute Warning

    It’s nearly the end of the game. With just two minutes left, there is an official time out. The coach speaks to his players, “There’s just two minutes. The game is on the line. The other team isn’t going to slack off. They will try to run faster, hit harder, block aggressively and tackle ferociously. They will try trick plays, will cheat if they think the referees won’t notice. They will do whatever it takes to win.”

    With this clarifying statement of expectations, what do the players do? Well, if the coach is an American church leader, they may plead to be kept out of the game. “Leave me on the bench, coach. Or let me go to the locker room. I don’t want to get hurt.”

    Of course, no true athlete would say – or even think this. Rather, he would say, “Put me in, coach. I want to be on the field and in the game when the final whistle blows. We’re gonna win this thing, and I want to be part of the victory.”

    Our churches don’t train men to be men. Many of the real men have left “church services.” They have their reasons – but regardless of “why” they left, they have checked out.

    I think there’s a valid promise to be found worthy to escape all these things, and to stand before the Son of Man. So yes, there’s a place for escapism. But not for cowardice. I think the “all these things” points toward the wrath of God and many of the miseries of the last days.

    But maybe Psalm 91 does also. Here, we see the warrior engaged in battle, but protected. Are these divine promises we might claim in these last days?

    You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.  Only with your eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked…. No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.

    Are these metaphorical promises that we somehow enjoy when in the comfort and safety of our peaceful communities? Or perhaps might there be a time of terror that is approaching, when we will actually need and claim divine protection?

    “That woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess” may be militant Zionism. She has seduced MANY in the evangelical world. The woman rides the beast. The beast has seven heads and ten horns – political power over political entities. The horns are the various political powers that control and exploit the people of the several nations on earth.

    Current concluding speculation (August 24, 2026)

    Resurrection and “we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump” on the Feast of Trumpets in the fall of this year, on or about September 11th.

    This will be the beginning of the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14. “The gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world, as a witness to all the nations.”

    Our conflict with the world will be raw, fierce, and probably unpleasant. The world will get the message, they will understand it, and they will refuse to submit.

    On or about Shemini Atzeret, “we shall be caught up, to meet the Lord in the air.” Then follows Revelation 7:9-10 – we stand before Him rejoicing, and we receive crowns and palms.

    On earth, the Beast recovers from his head wound on about October 31st and leads in the confirmation of worldwide Noahide Law. Thus begins 42 months of escalating misery.

  • Anakypto Afterthoughts

    Why do some shopping carts have square wheels?

    This is not a riddle.  Rather, it’s an overstatement of something we’ve probably all experienced.  (If you haven’t experienced it, you rely too much on Amazon and you need to get out more.)

    You go to the grocery store and take a cart, and pushing it down the aisle is like pushing it on a railroad track.  The reason?  Someone took that cart too far into the parking lot, the wheels locked up, and it was then dragged on non-rotating wheels back to the store.  Then the locking devices were released – after the normal curvature of the wheels had been compromised.

    This is a symptom of a bigger problem.  The problem addressed with the shopping cart is theft – people would steal shopping carts … OR they would just take them off the store premises and abandon them.  This costs the store money.  What to do?

    They opted for a modification to the carts; wheel locks that engage if the cart is taken too far from the store.

    The bigger problem, I believe, is trying to solve what is essentially a moral problem with a technological solution.  Instead of training up our kids and using social pressure to suppress sin, we turn to technology.  People still try to steal, so we make it harder instead of striving to make it unthinkable.  There is little social pressure to eschew theft.  “Thou shalt not steal” is not taught in schools because the ACLU asserted (and the courts agreed) that this is “religion” and can’t be taught in public schools.

    This approach has not turned out well, and technological innovations cannot replace moral bankruptcy.

  • Anakypto Afterthoughts

    So Where’s The Blessing?

    I’ll be brief. Here’s the scripture verse for context:

    And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. – Genesis 12:3

    This is the “John 3:16” of Zionism. You’ve certainly heard it quoted often by people like Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, John Hagee, maybe even President Trump. It’s quid pro quo and a lot more. God COMMANDS us (they believe) to bless the modern State of Israel. And God PROMISES us (they assert) that He will bless us if we do. And if we don’t, we’re cursed.

    Well, haven’t we blessed Israel? In the private sector, Christian Zionists support Israel with money, tourism, votes and popular support, Israel’s interests and actions are unflinchingly defended. In politics, anything Israel wants is provided and often paid for by the U.S. Money, weapons … and more money. Now we’re in a war against Iran because Israel thought it was a good idea. Bibi has been telling the world for over 20 years that Iran is just weeks from having a nuclear weapon. “We must preserve, protect and defend Israel” has been the policy position of every American administration since LBJ was sworn in. Many members of Congress, as well as administration officials, are dual citizens. What more could we do?

    OK. We’ve blessed Israel. No other nation has stepped up like the United States. Every country represented in the UN can vote to take adverse action against Israel, but the U.S. is always there with its veto in the Security Council. Israel’s position and policy is always safeguarded.

    So where’s the blessing?

    The U.S. is CLEARLY staggering under judgment. What’s happened to us, our families, our communities and our culture is not evidence of any sort of blessing. The worst is yet to come. If “blessing Israel” is God’s ordained way of being blessed, what’s wrong? Why does a spirit of repentance not sweep through the land? Why is there not a shared sense of shame and grief for the SIXTY-THREE MILLION innocent babies that have been SLAUGHTERED since 1973?

    We have blessed the State of Israel as best we can, and better by far than any other country. Why is God not blessing the United States? Please leave a comment.

  • Anakypto Afterthoughts

    Will You Also Leave?

    This was a painful question Jesus asked His disciples after preaching what was arguably His most divisive (and misunderstood) sermon.

     Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. – John 6:53-55

    The crowd was large and Jesus sounded like He was preaching some form of cannibalism. “Eat My flesh”?? Truly, this was a hard saying. There was no Old Testament text that supported or gave context to His command. Moses never said anything like this.

    I’d discussed this with a brother once, and he thought Jesus KNEW His disciples would never leave, and that Jesus had a sort of “twinkle in His eye” and perhaps the hint of a smile on His face when He asked them, “Do you also want to go away?” (John 6:67)

    But I don’t think so. Jesus spent a lot of time in prayer, and He knew exactly the message His Father wanted Him to preach. Jesus no doubt knew MANY would depart, and He had no guarantee that any would remain. He may have fully expected to be abandoned by everyone.

    This was, indeed, a “hard saying.” In light of this, it’s not surprising that some people thought He was “beside himself.” What was the point?

    I suspect the point is in Peter’s response: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” It was summer and the living was easy. The disciples had just returned from being sent out, and they were exuberant. Even demons were subject to them. Jesus’ popularity was soaring, and He’d just miraculously fed 5,000 people.

    The Kingdom had arrived! (So they thought.) Supernatural power was present to drive out the hated Romans and begin the long-awaited reign of the Messiah on earth. (So they thought.) Isaiah told us 600 years ago to expect this, and now the time has finally arrived! (So they thought.) And now this: Jesus went from an apex to a pariah. “We were promised a seat at the table of a glorious kingdom.”

    It’s now the end of September, and we just endured a season of intense expectation. The numbers, the scriptures, the dreams and visions – Bible codes, license plates, Strong’s numbers, signs in the heavens, day-counts, all pointing to the Jewish feast of Trumpets. September 23, 2025 and “we’re finally going home.” Do you get it? Do we follow Jesus because we love Him and trust Him … or was it all about a rapture deliverance? Will we continue to follow Him and believe in Him if the future gets tough? Like REALLY tough??

    There are some messed-up eschatologies out there. We have a large number of prophetic pieces that we’ve tried to assemble into a coherent picture, to tell us what to expect. We strongly tend toward pictures that tell us to expect joy, delight, deliverance and good things. But if there are still a few speed bumps on this highway to the Millennium … then what? What if there’s a world war and we’re still here? What if the levels of misery currently being experienced by our brothers and sisters in the middle east, Ukraine, North Korea and many other places also comes to us? What if Christianity becomes hard? Then what??

    And I leave you with that. Maybe this is part of the expected “great falling-away” of the last days. Maybe a LOT of the folks we know who claim to follow Jesus are just in it for themselves. Maybe when our comfort and safety is taken away, we’ll be forced to take a hard and sober look at Jesus Christ and make a few hard decisions. Do I really LOVE Him? Do I really TRUST Him? Do I really BELIEVE Him?

    It’s okay to walk away. It really is. Jesus wasn’t surprised and He offered no Plan B – no attempt to soften the message or woo the people back. Go ahead – you wouldn’t be happy in Heaven anyway. But come to clarity. Don’t be a “christianette” with a puerile “oh goody goody gumdrops – we’re going to heaven!” We’re called to grow up in all things in Christ. This means being a follower even when it’s hard, mysterious, frightening or painful. We in the west have little idea what that means, how it feels, or what it looks like. But I have a very strong feeling that we’re about to find out.

    We’re about to find out.

  • Anakypto Afterthoughts

    The Outer Darkness

    I broached this topic in February of 2024 when I wrote The Wedding Garment, which I invite you to review.

    It’s generally agreed that there are three tenses of salvation – commonly called “tenses” though we’re not conjugating a verb, but rather parsing a process. The first is justification, the second is sanctification, and the third is glorification. A Christian can properly say, “I was saved, I am being saved, and I will be saved” to express this concept. When one is justified, he is saved from the eternal consequences of sin; that is, eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire. This is completely by grace, obtained through faith. Our works have no part in this at all – we don’t earn this and we don’t do anything to obtain it or preserve it. This can be seen as “geographical” in that our eternal destination is established. WHERE we will spend eternity is forever decided. You might call this the moment of salvation.

    But the gospel is about more than establishing judicial innocence, and more than just keeping people out of hell. It is primarily about reconciliation – that is, bringing two adverse parties together and establishing a relationship. Accordingly, the second part of salvation is not geographical, but rather relational. It deals with the reconciliation between the sinner and his Creator. This is sanctification, the process of salvation.

    “I am being saved” means I am going through a growth process, becoming sanctified, becoming more like Christ. It is absolutely essential that Jesus Christ be honored and obeyed as the Lord of your life in order to be saved in this sense, and this is what “Lordship Salvation” is all about. Those who say that “receiving Christ as Lord and obeying Him is not necessary for salvation” are applying sanctification salvation criterion to the justification sense of salvation. This is an equivocation of sorts. Works of righteousness are not involved in justification, but are essential to growth.

    Those who assert that works are not necessary are analogous to a marriage counselor who tells the bride that she is not required to obey or submit to her husband. This is popular and well-received advice in America, where a LOT of marriages are a mess. But in Christian marriage, one is well-advised to consider Ephesians 5:22-24

    Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord, for the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

    – Eph. 5:22-24 NKJV (emphasis added)

    The church, and we who are members of it, are told to be subject to Christ in everything. This is the Lordship of Christ. Luke 6:46 and Matthew 7:21-23 address those who call Jesus ‘Lord’ but do not do as He commands. Those who rail against (and yes, in my experience “rail” is not too strong a term) Lordship Salvation are attacking the church by trying to inhibit the maturity of the bride of Christ. Will these folks who do not submit to the lordship of Christ lose their salvation? No, they remain justified, but they are unsanctified and, in that sense, unsaved. Because they are self-righteous and unreconciled, Jesus calls them “workers of iniquity” and “lawless,” and they are relegated to outer darkness.

    And what about someone who teaches men that obedience is optional? He will be least (elachistos – Strongs G1646) in the kingdom. He will be saved in the geographic sense, but the judgment describe in 1 Cor. 3:15 will most certainly be very hard on him.

    Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.  If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. – 1 Corinthians 3:12-15

    Genesis 3:5 and the temptation in the garden may come to mind. Satan’s temptation was that “you can decide for yourself what is good and what is evil.” Their sin broke their fellowship with God. Reconciliation requires two things: an atonement for the offense and a return to the prior state, which was a relationship based on submission to authority. If Eve (or we) accept forgiveness but continue in rebellion, we remain unreconciled even though we have been forgiven.

    According to Paul, Israel was demonstrating the futility of atonement without appropriate submission. With their zeal for God, they had presented acceptable sacrifices for their justification, but substituted their own righteousness for the righteousness of God:

     For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. – Romans 10:2-3

    These, I would suggest, are like the “wedding guests” in Jesus’ parable who showed up with their own righteousness and were banished to the outer darkness.

    This is where the idea that submitting your life to the Lordship of Christ is optional will take you. It will result in an eternity in the “outer darkness” of the kingdom of Heaven.

    The people in heaven’s outer darkness are weeping and wailing and gnashing their teeth. In the Kingdom of Heaven, the Light is in Jerusalem. The “outer darkness” is outside the gate. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Those who have seen holiness and obedience and growing up in all things in Christ as “optional” and have lived by their own ideas of what they think “righteousness” should look like …. they will NOT see God. They showed up at the wedding feast with their own garments, instead of putting on the garments provided. Instead of having put on Christ and being fully identified with Him, they maintain their identity as a sinner.

    God is just. He cannot justly send a forgiven sinner to hell. However, He is holy, and He cannot allow an unsanctified sinner in His presence, either. So what’s the alternative? We see it in Rev. 22:14-15 – a scripture describing the New Jerusalem after the Great White Throne judgment is completed:

    Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolators, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

    These people who are outside sound like the folks in Revelation 21:8. What’s the difference? Just this: the ones in the Lake of Fire never trusted Christ at all, while the ones outside the city gates accepted and received His forgiveness, but did not “do His commandments.”

    The misunderstanding may be the question of cause and effect. Does one demonstrate good works, fidelity, and submission to the Lordship of Christ in order to BE saved, or because one is already saved? After all, He is the potter and we are the clay. We are His workmanship – the implication being that He is doing the work on us, and the results of His work are shown by results in our lives.

    This is fair and honest, but somewhat incomplete. We must coöperate with what He is doing. He leads us or directs us into the performance of some good work which He has prepared beforehand. We can trust and follow Him, or we can rebel. We can submit to His lordship, or we can assume lordship ourselves and do what we please. We can follow our flesh or His Spirit. We can, by the power and guidance of His indwelling Spirit, DO good works. OR we can resist the leading of His Spirit and do as we choose.

    It was at this point that our relationship with God was severed, and for those who say, “If I had been in the garden instead of Adam and Eve, I would not have listened to the serpent,” I can only say we “listen to the serpent” every time we deny the lordship of Christ in our daily lives. And if we say the lordship of Christ is not essential to salvation – and by “salvation” I mean in the second sense: sanctification – then we’re basically saying Satan was right: we can decide for ourselves what is good and what is evil without expecting unpleasant consequences.

    The “lordship is optional” position necessarily says there are no serious consequences – we’re still somehow reconciled with God, we are automatically sanctified regardless of our recalcitrance. In terms of the 1 Cor. 3:15 verse referenced above, it would mean one does NOT “suffer loss.”

    I expect push-back, and that’s fine. If you disagree, please post your reasons in the comments below. Also, if the folks in Rev. 22:15 are NOT the ones I identified, please explain who you think they are.

    You are most probably trusting Christ and Him alone for justification. Is He the LORD of your life?

  • Anakypto Afterthoughts

    The Last Sign

    I’ve been reluctant to wade into the current hysteria concerning September 23rd. I’ve seen the videos and I understand many of the things offered as reasons why the rapture MUST occur in about two weeks. But for me, there’s one major show-stopper, and it’s in Matthew 24 –

    And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. – Matthew 24:14, NKJV

    Jesus warns against deception and warns, “all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” The end arrives when the “gospel of the kingdom” has been preached in all the world. Has this happened yet?

    I used to think that it has. What have we been doing for the past 2,000 years? Well, not so fast.

    There are arguably three “gospels” in the New Testament. First is the gospel of the kingdom, which was preached by John the Baptist and also by Jesus and the disciples before the crucifixion. The key elements were, “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The appropriate response was repentance, change of life, and water baptism. This was before Calvary and the resurrection. While the coming kingdom was proclaimed, the identity of the King was not.

    Second was the gospel of grace, preached by Peter to the Jews beginning in Acts 2, and also preached to the Gentiles by Paul. Its key elements were repentance and remission of sins, based on the resurrection and Lordship of Jesus Christ. Review Luke 24:47, Acts 2:22-38 and 1 Cor. 15 – or read What Is the Gospel? for a complete discussion. Its baptism was that of the Holy Spirit, though water baptism was included. It is THIS gospel, and not the gospel of the kingdom, that we have preached for the past 2,000 years.

    The third New Testament gospel is the “everlasting gospel” presented in Revelation 14:6-7 and it is “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” Its content does not appear to map to, or be a restatement of, those two gospel messages that precede it. Arguably, the implicit baptism was one of judgment.

    It appears to me that Jesus told His disciples – and us – that the worldwide preaching of the gospel of the kingdom was the final event before the end. The King is returning to establish His kingdom. Has this specific message been preached to all the world as a testimony to all the nations?

    A very small remnant of the professing church has indeed proclaimed this, and has been proclaiming it for many years. But the world has been distracted, deceived, and lulled into complacency. The message has not been heard.

    So while I hope the Lord returns for us this year, I’m not optimistic. Rather, I expect that WW3 will see the disruption of the grids and the destruction of many distractions, causing people to become more aware of the real world. Into this world will step the many silent Christians who have been disenfranchised by organized Christian religion, and have been waiting patiently “in the wilderness” for such a time as this.

    There is a second reason why I think, “not yet.” We see the following in Mark’s gospel:

    And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;  they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. Mark 16:17-18

    I can understand push-back on this, because the obvious context is the Great Commission and the gospel of grace, based on the resurrection. But these are still unfulfilled promises. The vast majority of believers, at least in my real-world experience, have never spoken with new tongues, taken up serpents, survived toxic beverages, or laid hands on the sick and seen recovery. Why not?

    I’d suggest that God gives gifts or enablements when they are needed. We don’t have much demon possession; it seems to be much less than it was in Jesus’ day. I have no need to speak in other languages, am in no danger of serpents or other wild animals (the “serpents” mentioned may be worst case scenarios), and our water is still safe to drink. So we might ask: can we expect a change in the future?

    Maybe. A world controlled by miscreants is quickly coming upon the rest of us. They own the water supplies and much of the land. They currently own the media and control the narrative. Ask the experts whether demon possession is increasing. And then feel free to speculate what sort of resistance you might expect from the public in your neighborhood if you announce in the marketplace that Jesus Christ is coming to destroy the current pagan and political power structures and establish His global kingdom of righteousness.

    What is the likelihood today, compared to just 20 years ago, that you would be speaking to people whose language is not English? In today’s world, speaking other languages may be a necessity, especially if our Lord wants us to deliver His kingdom gospel message. What’s the likelihood today that potable water may be in very short supply, or perhaps unavailable? Or let’s suppose our marketplace preacher gets accusations that his message is not true. What’s the likelihood that you will be believed if your message is authenticated by healing the sick in your audience?

    I sent a preliminary version of this idea to a few friends, and two suggested that the events in Rev. 14:6-7 are the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14. In other words, the end comes when the angels preach to the world. I find this problematic: first, because it seems like “the end” is well underway when the angels preach; and second, because the content of the two gospels substantially differ from each other.

    Every word is established by two or three witnesses. I’m a lone voice on this, as far as I can tell. Maybe I’m completely wrong – we will have more light in about two weeks. But a LOT of the current narrative seems to be designed to make Christians cower. Hide quietly until Jesus comes to rescue us. If we faced the prospect of being called to boldness, anticipating that we – like John the Baptist – are about to be called out of the wilderness and into the fight, maybe we would see our world and our future a little differently.

  • Anakypto Afterthoughts

    Life As Worship

    (Note: This post is based on the preface to Life As Worship by John Kitchen.)

    We each have a primary metaphor through which we interpret life. The metaphor in your head is the standard by which you evaluate your experiences, emote, make choices, choose words, put one foot in front of the other and make it through each day.

    So says author and pastor John Kitchen in the preface to his transformational book, Life As Worship. Your metaphor is your reason “why” – the thing that makes everything else make sense. It’s a reference point for what you say, what you do, and how you see the world. It is the glue that holds the pieces of your life together. You identify your primary metaphor when you complete the statement: Life is ______.

    Kitchen suggests that most people would complete the statement with an answer that centers on self: “life is a struggle” (for me) or “life is a party” (for me) or “life is survival” (for me). Such a person would say, “the thing(s) that give my life meaning and purpose, and will bring my life to an ultimate fulfillment, are my struggles and how I deal with them, my successes, my comfort, my acquisitions, etc. My life is centered on me.”

    Such a person may believe in God and may even trust Him, but God is peripheral. He is considered a resource, called upon when needed and thanked when His impact on life is noticed and appreciated.

    Having been in pastoral ministry for thirty years, Kitchen’s insights are most probably correct. For most people, God and worship are peripheral, not central. Jesus becomes a means to an end, the end being forgiveness of MY sins and eternity in heaven; again, “for me.” Those whose “god” will accept being on the periphery have created an idol.

    For a properly oriented Christian, however – and by that I mean someone who is truly saved and reconciled – the center or reference point is NOT “self” – nor is it heaven. Rather, it is Jesus Christ. This is as it should be. Two simple facts establish this. First, everything about everything is about the glory of God:

    For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. – Romans 11:36

    Second, everything about everything is by the grace of God:

    … nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. – Acts 17:25

    For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? – 1 Cor. 4:7

    Kitchen asserts, “If everything about everything is about the glory of God, everything must become an expression of worship. If everything about everything is by the grace of God, then everything is a divine initiative designed to evoke a response of worship.”

    These two scriptures tell us not only something about God, but also something about His creation. Everything must conform to the purpose of God’s glory. That includes you, me, our choices, our thoughts, our words, the way we do our work, the way we relate to the people in our lives, and everything else.

    These verses point to the proper center of life, and the center of life is necessarily the object of worship. There is no clearer way to say it. What we center our lives on is what we worship. And if that center is NOT God, then we’re living in idolatry, regardless of our profession of faith, church attendance, good deeds, clean life, or anything else.

    Perhaps we struggle with the idea of a life consumed and defined by worship because we have a flawed idea of what worship really is. In this, church traditions do not help. Our common ideas of worship include a church building, the presence of other believers, and specific prescribed activities such as singing hymns, contributing financially to the support of the church and its ministries, listening to religious music (e.g. worship bands or church choirs), listening to sermons, praying, making vows to “be a better Christian” and so forth.

    Churches also constrain or misrepresent worship by an implicit and sometimes explicit message such as “Enter to worship; exit to serve” which proposes that worship is a scripted activity done in a sacred space and directed by a minister or religious authority. In this view, worship is distinct from the time spent outside in the secular world, where your time is not devoted to worship, but rather to some form of service, however that may be defined. This effectively separates worship from daily life.

    Scripture knows no such separation, because the essence of worship is the rational response of a creature to the character and grace of the Creator. This is not defined by or constrained by time or location. It is a spiritual engagement with and response to God which is grounded in revealed and manifested truth. It is NOT a ritual or a liturgy. Rituals and liturgies were abandoned when Jesus said, “ … those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)

    For your local church, the correct admonition would be more like: “Enter to edify and be edified; exit to worship.” This was apparently understood by the nascent church but has been obscured as the church became more paganized. Accordingly, the early church did not have “worship services.”

    Pastor Kitchen continues:

    Everything about everything must become an expression of worship to God! We are not called merely to weekly worship, periodic worship, rhythmic or seasonal worship. We are called to worship at the speed of life!

    “That is what our lives are called to be: living, unfolding expressions of worship. Not just on Sunday. Not just in the moments we may take each day to read God’s Word and pray. Not just in a brief prayer before a meal. Not only when life is going well. Worship is the talking, thinking, driving, working, playing, relaxing. It is the serving, helping, mowing, bathing, buying, selling, eating. Everything!”

    In his letter to the Romans, Paul discussed “reasonable service” (Greek “λατρεία” which is literally “service” and is rendered “spiritual worship” or “service of worship” in some translations) with Paul’s amplifying comments largely ignored or misconstrued by modern Christians. Paul emphasized a LIFE that demonstrates God’s will. One does not present oneself “symbolically” for maybe an hour on Sunday, then revert to worldliness for the rest of the week. Neither does one demonstrate God’s perfect will by sitting in a pew.

    I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

    Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may demonstrate in your life the will of God; that which is good, and acceptable, and perfect. – Romans 12:1-2

    Some of us may have chosen to define and limit worship by experience; that is, we let our view of reality define our reverence for God. Happiness or pleasant experiences motivate us to be thankful, while we allow the unpleasant vicissitudes of life to justify dissatisfaction or ungratefulness.

    This is precisely the opposite of life as God intended it. First, God deserves worship regardless of our circumstances. Second, life’s unpleasantries are also gifts from God – they may hurt but they are also included in the “all things” of Romans 8:28 –

    And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.“

    This was clearly understood by the early church, which included this specific admonition in the Didache:

    Accept whatever happens to you as good, knowing that apart from God nothing comes to pass.

    – Didache, chapter 3

    God has revealed truth about Himself in scripture. He has also manifested truth about Himself in the things He has created. There are at least two appropriate responses. First is prayer – constant acknowledgement of our dependence on Him, and His loving eagerness to meet our needs.

    Our second response is gratitude. He has given us everything we need for life and godliness, and being grateful is both appropriate and reasonable. But what does it look like? Paul tells us:

    Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

    Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good and abstain from every form of evil. – 1 Thess. 5:16-22

    There is, of course, the application side of this transformation. And first is the un-learning of what we’ve been told is “worship” – those events or activities commonly done in church services. Life as worship does NOT mean a life devoted to singing hymns, listening to sermons, or giving money for church activities. Rather, it’s anchored to a verse we’ve probably all seen but never really thought through:

    And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

    And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
    – Col. 3:17, 23-24 (emphasis added)

    What does this look like? Here are some illustrations: a mechanic is repairing a car. If he does his work as if the car belongs to and will be driven by Jesus Christ, would that make a difference in how he did his work? An investment counselor gives financial advice. Does he do so to extend grace and God’s blessing to his clients, or is it just for the money?

    This is one approach, and though it’s perfectly valid, it comes with a caveat, because it can easily turn into what I call “Christianity-by-guilt-trip,” and by that I mean the idea that Jesus is always looking over your shoulder and that by less than optimal performance, you can cause His displeasure. Avoiding negative consequences is NOT worship.

    The high road to a life of worship is in training yourself to see God’s hand in ALL of His works. The mechanic sees his mechanical skill as a gift from God. He rejoices in being able to use it, and thanks God that he can spend his productive days engaged in something he enjoys. He excels in his work because he loves the God who gave him his gifts. That’s worship.

    Similarly, the investment counselor delights in asking for and receiving wisdom from God to help his clients to become responsible financial stewards. He excels in his work, knowing it’s a gift from God. He strives to extend God’s grace into every part of the world he can affect.

    All of us should realize how good life is compared to what it could be if creation were haphazard, or if God were indifferent to our condition. Compare the lowest common denominator you would need to just survive to the standard you enjoy. The difference between the two is a manifestation of God’s grace toward you.

    The one whose life is worship looks at all of life with a heart of gratitude. He recognizes the beauty God has put into all of creation, and sees God’s lavish grace in everything. This engenders continual thanksgiving. After all, God did not have to give us sweet, fresh air. He is not required to give us a variety of delicious foods, or clean drinking water. And truth be told: there are a LOT of people on this planet who do not enjoy many of these blessing we take more-or-less for granted.

    We have all seen homeless people on the street. Probably few people who see them think, “that could be me. It is because of God’s grace toward me that I’m not on the street.” Most either ignore them, or may think, “that could never be me. I’m not homeless because I work hard and I make better decisions.” The first is God-centered, and responds with gratitude and worship. The second is self-centered and responds with self-commendation. Both may give money to the homeless, one to express thanks to God and extend His grace, and the second to demonstrate that he’s a “good person.” Same circumstance, same stimulus, same external response. But one is worship and one is an insult to God.

    This is one example. Daily life contains hundreds of what we might call “decision points.” At each, we can choose to worship. We can choose to be grateful and gracious.

    The chief end of man is to glorify God, enjoy Him forever, and see His hand in all His works. This is not something that happens in the future, in heaven, or after the Millennium. It is something that begins now and increases forever. Life as worship looks like that: glorifying and enjoying God, seeing what He has done and continues to do, thanking Him for it, and allowing Him to extend His grace to others through us.

    Please don’t shrug this off. Consider what I’ve presented and leave a comment.

    (Disclaimer-of-sorts: This began as a transcript of the preface to Life As Worship but quickly expanded as I considered and amplified the themes of Mr. Kitchen’s work. For the sake of flow and readability, I did not put his words into quotes in all cases. While I have a high degree of confidence that he would agree with my ideas, I must state that I don’t speak for him. I believe my use of his work qualifies as “fair use” under the copyright laws.)