The Church Must Be Warned

I know my warnings of Joel Osteen's teaching must trouble some of my dear friends. But his doctrinal omissions can confuse, even deceive, the sheep. We live in a time when the integrity of the Bible faces great challenges—from liberal theologians, from the new emerging church teachers, and from psychologically oriented purveyors of happiness and self-fulfillment.  But where are the warners?
 

Who will warn them?

Too few of today’s shepherds are warning the sheep. Given the aforementioned attack on sound doctrine, I do not understand why. It makes me wonder if “political correctness” (concern about offending people) has so penetrated the church, we have become fearful of appearing confrontational.  I wasn't shocked when Joel Osteen wouldn't say that Mormons are not Christians, but when Franklin Graham, appearing on CNN, avoided answering the question, I was a little surprised. 
 

While I understood that Graham wisely chose not to feed the Media's appetite for sensational soundbites, the question remains: who will speak the truth? It appears “truth has stumbled in the streets and is nowhere to be found” (Is. 59:14). Paul said, "For 3 years I never stopped warning you that men will distort the truth" (Acts 20:30).  John said, “Do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit, but test them to see if they are from God; there are many false prophets” (1 Jn 4:1). When did you last hear a sermon warning you of false doctrine or teachers?

Are We Fourth Quarter Christians?

On today’s front page of USA Today, evangelical Christian Tim Tebow is proclaimed a “one-man cultural blitz.” His miraculous overtime win against the Steelers has put him front and center of the whole world. Throwing 316 yards added to the mystique (John 3:16 in the top 3 Google ‘searches’ of the day). But the uniquely amazing thing about Tim Tebow’s ‘game’ is when he wins: in the 4th quarter and in overtime.

The spiritual analogies are exploding in my brain like popcorn. But this “fourth-quarter/overtime” winning phenomenon is shouting for attention. A survey of God’s men of faith reveals they were “4th quarter” winners. Moses’ faith was rewarded in the 4th quarter parting of the Red Sea ; Abraham received God’s overtime promise when there was no possibility of natural conception; Daniel astonished the king with an overtime deliverance from hungry lions.

On the other end of faith, however, was King Saul, an impatient man who lost in the 4th quarter. Unwilling to wait until Samuel arrived, he gave in to the fear of man, losing not only Samuel’s blessing but the kingdom itself. My friends, does it feel you like you are in the 4th quarter? Moreover, are we not all living in the 4th quarter of Time? Do we have 4th quarter faith? Could this need for 4th quarter faith be what Jesus spoke of when he asked, “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8)

Cut it out!

I read an article about Governor Brown's proposed tax cuts in California in which the writer described it using the idiom, “death by a thousand cuts.” It means “lots of small bad things are happening, none of which are fatal in themselves, but which add up to a slow and painful demise.”

"What a graphic metaphor," I thought, "for Paul’s I die daily" (1 Cor. 15:31).  We crucify the self-life a thousand times a day when we respond in love and grace to unexpected interruptions, unfair criticisms, demands from 'un-deserving'  people: things that bring out the worst in us! But as we say ‘yes’ to God's interests, the cross cuts to the bone of our self-life: pride, ambition, and a host of what Tozer called the hyphenated self sins: self-importance, self-defense, self-indulgence, self-pity, even self-sensitivity.

The cross proves that God loved the world too much to leave it in its fallen condition. Likewise, God loves you too much to save you and then leave you without a way to cut out your cancerous self-life. The “daily cross” is a very personal focal point in your private life with God.  Unfortunately, not many are willing to take up this cross (Matt. 16:24).  They may acknowledge their co-crucifixion with Christ; they may even say they want to "die daily."  But at the first sign of pain, they pull back, refusing to let God cut it out.

Should We Fear Living in a Nuclear World?

If Iran develops a nuclear warhead, it will only be a matter of time before other countries in the region follow suit, fueling a nuclear arms race in the fiery Middle East. And since unstable Pakistan is part of the nuclear community, no one wants to think what might happen if its unpopular U.S. backed government is toppled and replaced by one sympathetic to Al Qaeda; while across the world, a new young leader of North Korea has his untested hand on a nuclear trigger, and its neighbor to the north, China, already in possession of 400 nuclear warheads, is ready to rumble.

Some biblical scholars believe that a a nuclear holocaust could be the meaning of Jesus’ prophetic words “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened” (Matt. 24:22). The fact that the world's nations now have the arms capability to destroy the earth is too apocalyptic to be ignored.

The possibility strikes fear in the heart of mortal men.  But however you interpret Jesus’ words, one thing is clear: the protection of the elect.  Imagine a nuclear holocaust as you read these words: "Do not dread the destruction that lays waste at noon; a thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you… He is your refuge and fortress in Whom you can trust” (Ps. 6-7, 2 ed).

Beware of Hidden Faults

Residents of California have reason to fear "the big one" [earthquake] because the state is home to a variety of 'known' fault lines. Even more fearful, there are more faults hidden beneath the earth that we don't know about. 

Geologically speaking, a fault is a breach in the rock. Humanly speaking, a fault is a sin causing a breach with God. Faults known to us may be hidden to others. Conversely, faults hidden to us may be obvious to others. King David said, “How can I know the sins lurking in my heart, [and be] cleansed from these hidden faults” (Ps. 92:12). 

Ray Steadman answers, “God's way of dealing with hidden faults is either to send somebody to point them out to you or to bring them out through some circumstance in which you are suddenly confronted with what you have done or said and you find it is ugly and you do not like it. That is how God cleanses us from hidden faults. He opens up the secret places.”  
            
Reflecting on Ray's words, it occurred to me that God's word comes in and fills up those secret, hidden places to make us faultless: "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee" (Ps. 119:11). 

You Can’t Make Me Like You!

The upsurge in violence since the U.S. military left Iraq reminds me that our coerced peace was like a mother who says to her fighting children: “Tell each other you’re sorry and make up.” Of course forcing the Shiite and Sunni Muslims to reconcile after centuries of hatred was not realistic.  And as soon as the “adults” were gone, the Shiite Prime Minister accused his Sunni Vice President of treason and ordered him arrested.  The sectarian violence that followed resulted in 60 deaths throughout Baghdad.

If forcing someone to love you is a contradiction, how can God command us to “love one another?” Isn’t that coercion? Well it would be, if it were beyond our ability to do so. But when Christ takes up residence in our hearts, we become lovers by way of our new nature, "the Holy Spirit filling our hearts with His love" (Ro. 5:5). This is what sets us apart from the world. For born again believers, the command to love one another is not the "have to" of external compulsion but the "want to" of internal desire.

It occurs to me that perhaps we are not so different from our fellow citizens across the globe.  In light of worsening division between the secular culture and conservative Christians, we could be facing our own version of Sunni-Shiite hostility before long, in which case we need not only to love one another, we need to love our enemies.

Is the Death Penalty Wrong? Let’s take a vote!

In a democracy, society decides what is right or wrong by taking a vote!

Wouldn’t it be great if voters passed a law allowing you to shoot your noisy neighbor, or your mean boss? Why not? Is that any worse than passing a law that allows a woman to kill her baby? And what about a school board that votes to give sex education and condoms to school children?  Does their vote make it right?  In the last decade, Board members of many private companies have voted to give the same health benefits to their unmarried (gay or straight) employees' partners as to those who are legally married. Does their vote legitimize what we once called "living in sin?"

And every day, TV viewers vote for gratuitous violence, lying, cheating, steeling, pornography, fornication, adultery, gay marriage, and a host of topics and behaviors that were formerly banned by the FCC. How do they vote? With their eyes—as proven by the high ratings! Unfortunately, even Christians watch these shows, thereby, albeit unknowingly, voting their approval!

The question is: How do we Bible-believing citizens cast our vote? Answer: with our 'feet' and our 'mouth' - walking away from evil and speaking against it: "Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them...speaking the truth in love" (Eph. 5:11-12; 4:15).

Have a “New” Year!

With each passing year, I am more grateful for the “newness of life” in Christ (Rom. 6:4). Though natural men may call me a senior citizen, as a spiritual man, I am actually getting newer, “being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16).  The world says I am the sum total of everything I have ever done, including my failures (ugh!) But the Bible says "all things are new" (2 Cor. 5:17).  And it is the new that defines me, not the old.  My life is now being “summed up in Christ” (Eph. 1:10).

When God created the world He separated each day with the curtain of night. Yesterday is behind the curtain.  Regardless of yesterday's failure, today is a new start.  “His mercies are new every morning” (Lam. 3:23). That doesn’t mean I can’t learn from the past; it just means I am not going to live in the past and let it hold me back.  

Paul said, “One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (Phil. 3:13-14).  How can you make this a “new” year? Leave yesterday behind; after all, you can’t change it. All of God's today’s are brand new.  Don't waste another day in bondage to the past. When Christ was buried, so was your past!  Enjoy your freedom.  Walk in the newness of life!

2012: Are We Running Out of Time?

When I worked for the government, the assignments on my ‘to-do’ list and the documents in my ‘in-basket’ were categorized by due date. Everything was “time sensitive.” The consequence of missing a due date could shut down a government program.

Jesus knew His work on earth was time sensitive—“I must do the works of Him who sent me while it is day because night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4). A modern translation might read: “I must quickly carry out the tasks assigned me by the one who sent me.” Without 'organizer' or 'i-phone,' Jesus was able to do everything 'in time,' on-time.  Knowing that He spent each morning alone with His father, I have to wonder, was He receiving His “assignments” for the day?

We should not, however, imagine that Jesus feared running out of time, as you and I might.  Rather, His statement acknowledges that 1) each of us is only given so much time, John 11:9, and 2) our time will end.  And like Jesus, we too have only one brief lifetime to fulfill the ministry God has us called to. Our earthly lives are “time sensitive.” Will we be able to say as He did: “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” [and right on time!] (John 17:4).

Speaking more globally, someday TIME will run out (literally).  The world will cease to exist as we know it, and TIME will be no more.  Might 2012 be the year the world finally runs out of TIME?

The Antichrist and the New World Order

Earlier this month, I suggested that the stage is being set for the antichrist's one-world government.  Since then, I found this statement by David Rockefeller from 1994. "We are on the verge of a global transformation. All we need is the right major crisis and the nations will accept the New World Order." Every president since Regan has spoken of a new world order to describe the uniting of superpowers to secure global peace, safety, and stability.

David Rockefeller couldn’t have known how soon the predicted ‘major crisis’ would occur. But on 9/1/1, the world entered the war on terror that continues today with no end in sight. The need for a united front against terror is paving the way for a New World Order.

The New World Order will provide the antichrist a system of command and control to fulfill the Bible prophecy that just before Christ's return people will be saying, everything is peaceful and secure” (1 Thess. 5:3 NLT).  It behooves us to pay close attention to the candidates running for president in 2012 to see how they plan on addressing these global concerns. Listen for the phrase "New World Order."

Lesbian couple win the Navy’s traditional first homecoming kiss

With the ban on “Don’t ask; don’t tell” implemented this year, gay men and women in the military no longer have to hide their sexual orientation. And last week, Petty Officer Marissa Gaeta proved it by kissing her girlfriend (also a sailor) after her ship returned from 80 days at sea.

It is a time-honored tradition at Navy homecomings: one lucky sailor is chosen to be first off the ship for the long-awaited kiss with a loved one. It was the first time on record that a same-sex couple had even taken part in the tradition, let alone won the honor of the first homecoming kiss.

Of course civil rights advocates and cultural progressives will be celebrating this event, saying gays and lesbians have waited a long time to right this wrong. But wrong does not become right by the passing of time.  And while it is true that culture changes with time, along with the public’s sense of right/wrong, the Bible does not. When a society severs itself from its biblical roots, the slide toward moral relativity is inevitable. And then one day, you wake up and realize that what was once shocking has become commonplace. "... and all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes" (Judges 17:6).

You can't shop at Safeway without the Mark of the Beast

Standing in a long line on Christmas Eve at my local Safeway store, I remembered that I had not yet received a PIN for my new debit card, and to make it worse, I didn’t have a credit card on me. In a panic, I quickly checked my wallet to see if I had enough cash. I did. Disaster averted.

But as I drove home, I thought about the verse in Revelation: “He causes all...to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark of the beast” (Rev.13:16-17). It adds new meaning to that 1990's American Express credit card commercial, "Dont leave home without it."

Are you aware that the technology already exists today to create an implantable device that will be used as an identifier and credit card? The implant would basically be a portable PC. For most people it could be planted under the skin “on their right hand” but for others, “on their foreheads.”  It's hard not see this modern technology, for those who can discern the times (Matt. 16:3), as yet one more sign that the scene is set for 'last days' events.

Taking the mark of the beast is an act that carries eternal consequences.  But don’t burn your credit card just yet.  By the time the mark of the beast is required, the church will (likely) have been raptured.

What’s so Merry about Christmas?

This Christmas day, many millions of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world are lacking adequate shelter, food, and clean water. And an estimated 100 million of them suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith in Christ. For these deprived and persecuted members of our family, what’s so “merry” about their Christmas?

Please don't  think I'm a Grinch!  But considering the aforementioned, don't you think the festive word “merry” might be just a little too frivolous, or at least insensitive?  Is there a more appropriate word? As I tried to answer that question for myself, I discovered that the root of “merry” is “peace.”  Throughout civilization, “Peace” has been the universal greeting.  Still today Jews say, “shalom” and Muslims, “salam.”  Perhaps because the early Christians suffered persecution and deprivation (Heb 10:32), Paul began his letters with "Peace be with you" (1 Cor 1:3, 2 Cor, 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2, etc).

Sadly, not everyone will have a "merry" Christmas, but everyone who knows the “Prince of Peace” can enjoy the “peace of God” (Is. 9:6; 1 Thess. 5:23; Phil. 4:7). And so, to all of you, Altha and I pray “that God would fill you with all joy and peace so that you may overflow with hope” this Christmas (Rom. 15:13). 
Peace be with you.

If you look at Jesus long enough…

When we find ourselves in confusing circumstances, life seems like a hard puzzle where the pieces don’t fit together—and we convince ourselves the manufacturer must have made a mistake! When you are trying to make sense out of the puzzle called ‘your life,” wouldn’t it be great if you could just look at the picture on the box it came in? You can.

The “picture” we are to study is Christ; the “box” is the Bible. We must study Christ in the pages of the Bible in order to be “conformed to the image of Christ” (Rom. 8:29). In fact, if you don’t look long and hard at Jesus, you will never see how things fit together.

Paul promises that when you fix your eyes on Jesus (Heb 12:2), two things happen. First, God will cause all things [pieces] to work [fit] together for good” (Rom 8:28).  Second, Paul says the more we look at Jesus, the more we become like him and will be "changed into His glorious image” (2 Cor. 3:18). Do you want to solve the puzzle? Do you want to see what and who you are?  Do you want to see how it all fits together?  Keep studying the box.  Keep looking at the Picture. 

Is Joel Osteen a False Shepherd or Just Irresponsible?

On his talk show recently, Piers Morgan asked Joel Osteen whether Mormonism was a Christian faith. Significantly, Joel had been asked the same question during the 2008 campaign. At that time, he claimed ignorance, but conceded that if they said they were Christians, he wasn’t going to judge them. 

Look Closely

Now, three years later, he is again being asked about the strange teachings of the Mormons (Jesus was the brother of Lucifer from a planet named Kolob, and that all Mormon men will be gods on their own planets). And his reply has not changed: “I probably don’t get hung up in them because I haven’t really studied them or thought about them… I mean, I don’t know.” Why hasn’t Joel studied the issue—he’s had 3 years to do so? How can he still claim ignorance? Does this make Joel Osteen a false teacher, or just very irresponsible?

           
The question deserves serious consideration. Every year, the media identify Joel as one of the most influential people in America. For him to claim that Mormonism is a Christian religion shows a shocking ignorance of basic biblical doctrine—an irresponsibility of biblical proportions that is sure to confuse the sheep! 

Is Marriage on the Rocks?

I can’t tell you how many people have asked me if I think Glenn Beck (who converted from Catholicism to Mormonism) is a Christian. Most Americans refer to themselves as Christian. But what does that mean to them?  America has produced a plethora of Christianized groups professing a Christian worldview. But if you look close enough, you'll see they don’t have a “Biblical" worldview.

Researcher George Barna reports that while 80% of Americans consider themselves Christian, only 6% have a Biblical worldview. The distance between the two grows greater every day. Those who live by the Bible are seen as disconnected from the culture, and dangerously intolerant of its changes.

A recent poll shows that the institution of marriage is on the decline. A Pew Survey shows that in 1960, 68% of all twenty-something’s were married, but in 2008, just 26% were. Moreover, the survey finds that the millennial generation is inclined to view cohabitation without marriage and other new family forms, such as same-sex marriage, as a normal and acceptable part of the culture. Yet many of these would claim they espouse a Christian worldview, obviously not realizing how much they have been shaped by the culture. That’s why we must promote a Biblical worldview. If so-called Christians aren't firmly established on this Rock, their so-called faith will end up “on the rocks.”

Tim Tebow v. the Occupiers

Denver Bronco’s quarterback Tim Tebow and the Occupy movement are occupying my thoughts these days. Tim Tebow, a single-minded young man, inspires believers, and perplexes agnostics. Yesterday, although he lost the opportunity to play (or pray) his way to a 7th straight victory, against the champion Patriots, still, all eyes are on this extraordinary young man of faith.

On the other hand, the Occupy movement lacks the focus of a goal or unified message. Sadly, I find it an apt metaphor for the 21st century church in America, floundering to find its voice and message to this generation. The lack of unity and the absence of clear leadership is troubling.

More than any time in the history of Christianity, there is a need for single-minded devotion to Jesus (2 Cor 11:3). If the Occupiers are a metaphor for the chaos and division in the world today, then Tim Tebow is a metaphor for the opposite.  Maybe God has raised up Tim Tebow "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14).

God’s Plan for Peace in the Middle East

Last month, our Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta rebuked Israel and the Palestinians for not working hard enough on a plan for peace. Every administration for the last 60 years has tried to champion peace in the Mideast, every president hoping he would leave a legacy as the world's  greatest peacemaker.

Let's be honest.  The only peacemaker this world will ever know is Jesus Christ.  His peace plan is found in nearly every prophet book; it is called the Day of the Lord. When Jesus returns to earth, He is going to sett up a 1000-year reign, a time of perfect peace when men will no longer war with one another and "the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and a little boy will lead them" (Is. 11:6).

If Secretary Panetta would read the Bible, he would meet the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6), and understand God’s plan for peace in the Middle East.  That's not to say we should not be praying for peace in the world.  But more so, we should be "looking for and hastening the coming of the day of the Lord" (2 Pe 3:12) when there will be everlasting peace on earth.

Have you heard of “tebowing”?

The other day I was quite moved by this picture of Denver Bronco's quarterback Tim Tebow, kneeling on the football field. (For more information on Tim, see my 11/24/post.) While Tim is normally a passer, this time he is on the receiving end of mockery and ridicule.

I recently discovered that Tim Tebow’s practice of praying publicly before every game has been captured in a new word in the Urban dictionary: “tebowing.” It means “to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different.” In itself, the term “tebowing” sounds respectful. But that is not at all how it is being used. A mocking website, called Tebowing.com, has sprung up, featuring dozens of photos of people tebowing on NY City streets, tebowing in silly costumes, tebowing at a construction site, tebowing before the Taj  Mahal etc.

You and I know of course that Tim is actually praying when he is kneeling. But "tebowing" has become a mockery of this young man's faith in God. On a higher note, however, the Urban dictionary has also added the adjective “tebow” which is used to describe a person who is honorable, respected, and/or amazing. And wouldn’t you agree that our brother Tim is very ‘tebow!’

The “God Particle”

Yesterday, I read in the paper that scientists are on the brink of finding what holds the universe together: a never-before-seen subatomic particle thought to be a fundamental building block of the universe. Its nickname is "The God particle"—coined by the author of the 1993 book, “The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question?” Since 1960, scientists have hypothesized that the “God particle” explains how, after the Big Bang, matter obtained mass. As such, it was the agent that made the stars, planets, and life possible; hence the nickname "God particle."

Today I read in the Bible, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see...Everything was created through Him and for Him. He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together” (Col. 1:15-17 NLT).

Internet Evangelism adds a whole new meaning to “Searching” for God

Yesterday, I read about a ministry called Global Media Outreach (GMO) which presents the gospel online through websites such as WhoisJesus-Really.com and GrowinginChrist.com. Worldwide, over 5,000 cyber missionaries have been trained to respond to online questions by searchers and seekers. The ministry broke a record last year when 687,000 people made decisions for Christ in one day. More than 15 million people have indicated initial decisions for Christ since GMO's founding in 2004.

You may wonder, as I did, how effective this ministry is in securing lasting professions of faith in Jesus. Well, Global Media Outreach recently conducted a survey of those who had made decisions to follow Christ, and over half reported they had subsequently share their faith with others, and that they read their Bibles and pray daily.

Although we often focus on Jesus’ warning about the birth pains that will precede the days before His return, we should not forget that in the same sermon, He said, "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." (Matt 24:14). Perhaps I have underestimated the positive power of the Internet in God’s plan to evangelize the world!  Evidently, many people are “searching” for Jesus.

What does Jesus want for Christmas?

Since writing about the war on Christmas last week, I've been thinking that there is also a war that goes on in the hearts of believers at this time of year: the battle between flesh and spirit (Gal. 5:17) which is antagonized by consumemrism, in the battle  of “worshopping” vs. worshipping.

The birth day of Jesus began with worship, a host of angels singing to the shepherds in the fields, “Glory to God in the highest.”  And after the shepherds had seen Jesus, the Bible says they “went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). And then later, wise men arrived from their thousand-mile journey, saying, “We have come to worship Him" (Matt. 2:2).

How ironic it is that since Christmas day falls on a Sunday this year, many churches are deciding whether to shorten, if not cancel, their “worship” services. As important as that may be, I think there is a larger issue we ought not to lose sight of. Whether at church or home, will we have a spirit of worship? Whether or not you choose to attend church on Christmas morning, may I suggest that before opening your presents, you pause and thank God for sending the greatest gift of all, “a savior who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Of all the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus, the most precious one was the gift of worship. “Come, let us worship and bow down… and thank God for his indescribable gift!” (Ps. 95:6; 2 Cor. 9:15)

The Ruinous Rapture

As a follow-up to yesterday’s post, I think I must clarify that many credible biblical scholars believe the Rapture will occur before the tribulation (Matt. 24:29-31; 1 Thess. 4:16-17). Therefore, some think there’s a strong likelihood that the rapture of the Church could be the event that precipitates the final collapse of the world economy. Not only will the raptured ones leave behind houses, cars, jobs, etc., but their unpaid debts could be ruinous to banks and mortgage companies and the housing market.

If this happens, those who are left behind will have a monumental task on their hands to restore some sense of security. I don’t think anyone cay say the Rapture will definitely occur before the tribulation. But whenever it does occur, just imagine the damaging impact on the world—economically, psychologically, spiritually. “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matt. 24:21).

Are we laying the foundation for the AntiChrist?

In his apocalyptic vision in the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John introduces the “beast,” also called the Antichrist (Revelation 13:1). John describes him as the ruler of a vast empire, with power & authority given to him by Satan (Revelation 13:2), receiving worship from all the world (13:3-4), and ruling every tribe, people, language and nation (13:7). Combining his vision with Daniel’s (7:16-24), scholars of biblical eschatology conclude that some sort of world system will be inaugurated by the AntiChrist.

In 2011, the world’s national economies are more interdependent than any other time in history. And no place on earth will be untouched by the coming financial tsunami. Increasingly, economists are suggesting that the only solution to this crisis is the establishment of a one-world banking system and currency. And when that happens, isn’t it logical that a one-world government cannot be far behind?

Daniel and John didn’t say why people will accept the total authority of a single man in the last days. Indeed, it’s hard (especially for democratic citizens like us) to imagine how the world’s nations would subjugate themselves to a single authority.  A logical conclusion is that the disasters described in Revelation 6-11 will create such a monumental global crisis that people will embrace anything and anyone who promises to give them relief. The time has arrived for God's watchmen to speak out (Ezekiel 33:6).

When the Wrapping is Removed…

Some people go to great lengths to wrap their Christmas gifts, creating beautiful, ornate packages. Inside the wrapping, however, could be a very common gift. Conversely, God's precious gift to mankind was delivered in very common wrapping. The correlation is straightforward. Mankind dresses up his frail flesh in finery, while God cloaked Jesus’ finery in frail flesh (Romans 8:3).

The Jewish leaders could not accept that Jesus was the Messiah because they expected him to arrive in the wrappings of royalty. But even as His divinity was wrapped in human form, so too, His divine life lies within us, under the trappings of sinful flesh. But, when Christ, who is our life, is revealed, we also will be revealed with Him in glory. But until then, we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us (1 Cor. 15:49; Col. 1:27;2 Cor. 4:7). And that about wraps it up, doesn’t it.

Beware the Holidaze

Walking through the mall the other day, I saw a multitude of ‘holiday’ shoppers rushing from one store to another, in a daze, looking for the next ‘sale.’ A friend told me that she went to the Mall last weekend and was caught up in the moment, spending more than she had planned because the savings were so great. It’s true. Shrewd retailers lure you into their stores with low prices, bewitching you, holidazing you, by the sights and smells.

Of course you know I’m going to take a leap right now into a spiritual analogy. Paul scolded the Galatians for having been bewitched: “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth?" The Galatians were “buying” into false doctrines.

Curiously, the Greek word "bewitched” means to “charm” or “fascinate.” How apt for our comparison to holidaze. From the moment they enter the retailers' realm, shoppers are fascinated and charmed into satisfying their senses. Likewise, this should serve to remind us of the temptations we face. If we are not careful, we (like the Galatians) will be bewitched by the one who disguises himself as an “angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14) into doing things we never intended to do!

Politically correct trees

As in the last several years, the advent of Christmas brings on the anti-Christmas campaigners. Last year, one public school administrator tried to prevent students from wearing red and green. Last week, a Rhode Island Christmas tree farmer who had donated the annual Christmas tree for the State Capitol threatened to take it back after the governor said he would be referring to it as a “holiday tree” at the lighting ceremony tonight. In other words, he may turn the lights on “a” tree, but it won’t be a Christmas tree.

Turning off Christmas, as it were, is a fitting parallel to the increasing darkness that is covering the western world (U.S. and Europe) with anti-Christian sentiment. For those of us who has been alive for more than a half-century, this increasing moral darkness is very real. But sadly, the millennial generation have so accustomed themselves to this present darkness, they think it is normal.

Can you imagine how dark it is going to be even five or ten years from now? If you are you afraid the darkness is going to snuff out the light, don’t worry. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light because Jesus gave life to everything that was created, and His life has brought light to everyone, and His light shines in the darkness, and the darkness will never extinguish it.” (NLT, Isaiah 9:2; John 1:4-5) They may turn off the Christmas lights, but they’ll never extinguish the Light of Christ!

Tear gas and pepper spray won’t work

I feel like I need to apologize for appearing to milk this “occupy” movement, but the spiritual analogies are relentless! From beginning to end, the Bible abounds with occupiers. It appears our government is discovering a biblical principle you and I have known for years. Once you let those “occupiers” set up camp, they are not easily gotten rid of. Their site becomes a stronghold.

Even so, once we allow sinful thoughts to enter and occupy our minds, they set up camp. Interestingly, Paul calls this campsite a mindset: “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6). And then Paul describes this mindset as a “stronghold of human reasoning” (2 Cor. 10:3), and that it will take “God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons” to knock them down (tear gas and pepper spray won’t work).

It is therefore all the more critical that we be careful what occupies our minds. “Fix your thoughts on [occupy your minds with] what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise—on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” (Phil. 4:8; Col 3:2)

How did they find missing children before there were milk cartons?

Some years ago, there was a TV program called “Without a Trace,” about persons who disappeared suddenly. Do you remember the missing kids on milk cartons? Before there were Amber Alerts, the faces of America's missing children stared out from milk cartons during a short-lived initiative by the National Child Safety Council. The problem of missing persons is severe enough that there are national organizations devoted to finding them—children and adults.

It occurred to me recently that the first missing person was Enoch. We know little of him—only that “he walked with God; and was no more, because God took him.”  In Hebrews, we read, "he was pleasing to God." (Gen. 5:24; Heb. 11:5) Do you realize how humble Enoch, the recipient of such grace, must have been? How else could he please God? "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

I think that the more that you and I, like Enoch, walk in humility with God, the more likely we are to disappear. Paul said we are “hidden in Christ” (Col. 3:3). I think that means, in part, that people won’t see you and me anymore—they will see Jesus. Could this be the meaning of Paul's words, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”  Could  this be the secret John the Baptist learned, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:3). What do people see when they look at us? Have “we” disappeared yet?

“When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping”

The Holidays are upon us—today begins the December countdown of shopping days to Christmas. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have already surpassed even the most optimistic expectations; economists are predicting a banner year for retailers. (I wonder how much of these sales were on credit cards?)

Considering that 83% of Americans remain anxious about the world economy, and that the world is fraught with more political ‘hot spots’ than any time in recent memory (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, Syria), it appears that Americans may be trying to spend their way out of the doldrums and into a Christmas spirit— to quote the American maxim, “when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.”

Some things never change! Three millennia ago, Isaiah chided the people for spending their money on that which does not satisfy (Is. 55:2). And Solomon (the richest man alive at the time) concluded, “Give me neither poverty nor riches. Give me just enough to satisfy my needs” (Prov. 30:8). Though I doubt that such a philosophy would be heralded by retailers, it would certainly bring more peace on earth.