There was a lot of spying and lying in the news this
week: Private Bradley Manning was convicted of giving classified material
to the website WikiLeaks; and Edward Snowden, the U.S. intelligent contractor
who revealed the NSA’s secret program to collect American phone records, was granted temporary asylum in Russia. Add to that, star
baseball player A-Rod has been lying about his use of performance-enhancing drugs (who can forget Lance Armstrong?). And Congressman Anthony
Weiner, NY mayoral candidate, who resigned in disgrace last year for ‘sexting,’ was caught doing it again.
Will this make Americans more cynical, adding to a growing distrust of government (Benghazi, IRS, Fast and Furious). Where will Americans turn? Who will they trust? Is this a set-up for the end times? The Bible says the anti-Christ will offer new hope.
You and I know “It is
better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people or princes” (Ps.
118:8-9). But our fellow Americans don't know that. If you'll allow me a little 'tongue in cheek' here, perhaps as we near the latter days, believers should have “In God We Trust” stamped on our foreheads. And wouldn't that be a great preemptive strike to counter the mark of the Beast!
Jesus warned there would be false teachers and false prophets in the latter days. Now, incredulously, a school for training prophets in Tel Aviv has just been announced. “The Cain and Able School of Prophets” claims it will prepare the next generation of Jewish foretellers—the first since the time of Jesus. Can this be for real?
First of all, with a name like “Cain and Able” (Cain’s brother, whom he killed, was Abel, not Able) the school’s credibility seems a bit suspect. Of course it’s a pun on Abel’s name, but for what purpose? Are they going to make people as bad as Cain into ‘able’ prophets?
And second, if the name doesn’t reveal it as a con, the curriculum will. For a tuition fee of $52, the program of study will include face reading, dream interpretation, the study of angels, and ways to achieve divine spirit—all in just 10 one-hour lectures. Each graduate will receive a prophet's diploma.
The Bible indicates that a wave of false prophets will rise up at the end of this age! And Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits” (Matt 7:16). And now it seems you may also know them by their diplomas.
Remember when 7-Up was promoted as the “UN-cola?” Well, according to a Pew Research survey, the Milliennials (the first generation of the 21st century) are the UN-branded generation— they are rejecting religious denominations—UN-willing to conform to or be labeled by tired traditions.
Frankly, I fail to see how this makes the Millennials so different from my generation—the Baby Boomers. We also were dissatisfied with the status quo, looking for ‘new’ ways of expressing. We too were disturbed by the feeble state of the church. So the “Jesus Movement” was born: new ministries and “Bible churches” were launched. The question is “how will the Millennials—the ‘net’ generation—deal with their disillusionment?” Having grown up watching reality TV, no doubt they are expecting genuineness from their church experience. I believe this desire for authenticity underlies the emerging church movement.
Pray that this “hungry-for-change” generation will not be so eager for change they will believe in almost anyone who promises it. Peter warns in the ‘latter days’ there will be false teachers who will secretly introduce destructive heresies…” (1 Pet. 2:1). We are already seeing heretical doctrine coming out of some of the emerging churches. Pray that our UN-branded Millennial children will not fall for the wrong brand!
The front page story in USA Today caught my attention: “In Chilean quake, a warning for U.S.” The title begs the question: Is Chilean quake a warning for us? I believe God is speaking through the catastrophic earth quakes in Haiti and Chile. And we should be paying attention (Matt. 11:15).
“Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also." (Heb. 12:26) …“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places; all these are the beginning of birth pains” (Matt. 24:7)…“for we know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (Rom. 8:22).
Jesus said natural disasters would be "but the beginnings of the birth pains" of the last days of the earth as we know it—are we now experiencing those ‘birth pains’? There are two things that occur during labor: 1) the pain becomes more intense and 2) the pains are closer together as birth nears. Is it not apparent that the entire creation, earth and inhabitants, are groaning in anticipation of the end of this age? Who of you does not know someone whose life has been severely shaken this last year?
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they did not discern the times (Lk. 12:56). The raging seas (tsunamis) and the increase of earthquakes seem like the birth pains Jesus spoke of. And the shaking up of our personal lives is a severe reminder we are God's workmanship (there’s nothing like an 8.8 to heighten our awareness of God's activity!). If there was ever a time to remain alert and listen to the Spirit, this is it.
