Secular Hostility? Well not Exactly

There is a hostility growing which is aimed at Bible believing Christians. I’m speaking of those of us born again believers who actually take the word of God seriously and literally. We are being singled out and maligned by some of the most surprising sources. We would expect this hostility to come from our adversary, Satan, and all those who gleefully follow him. Satanic hostility is certainly occurring at an alarming rate of speed. But what Bible believing Christians should not be enduring in any form is the astonishingly clear hostility coming from folks who also profess to be Christian.

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.” John 15:18-21.

Jesus Himself tells us to expect hostility (persecution) from the world and indeed we shall. But from those who actually profess to be our brothers and sisters in Christ? Doesn’t this fact alone prove that every person who professes to follow Jesus isn’t necessarily born again but may actually be following His nemesis? It seems there are some who say they are Christian yet do everything they can to persecute those of us who study and believe Bible prophecy. Why? “because they know not him that sent me”. John 15:21b.

Rick Warren wrote a book a few years back that I’m sure most readers of my commentaries have either read or are at least familiar with. It’s entitled “The Purpose Driven Life”. In it Warren proceeds to tell us that those who study Bible prophecy are not fit for the kingdom of God. The Bible contains so much prophecy that one could say it’s basically a book of prophecy; and that fact is what distinguishes it from other religious books and from other religions for that matter. God, through His word, is giving us a history lesson in advance which is percisely how He authenticates His word. When we read and study our Bibles there is no possible way to avoid studying Bible prophecy, unless of course one were to completely allegorize the Bible, which would also be completely erronious.

The following is an excerpt from a Lighthouse Trails memo I recently received.

By quoting Jesus out of context, Warren says, "Anyone who lets himself be distracted [by studying Bible prophecy] from the work I plan for him is not fit for the kingdom of God" (Living Bible). But Jesus was not referring to His return when He made that statement, which in the King James Version says: "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). The Purpose Driven kingdom of God leaves no room for Bible prophecy, and in fact, condemns those who study it. The apostle Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, had a different view. He writes: "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts." (II Peter 1:19)

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62. Anyone who studies their Bible regularly knows what Jesus meant by the above statement. We aren’t to take our eyes off Jesus once we are saved because we will invariably waver and slide off the path He’s set for us. He isn’t saying that studying His prophetic word would disqualify us from our usefulness as witnesses for His Kingdom, or that we would be unfit for entering His Kingdom.

Those who agree with Warren and his statements above are just as flawed as those who follow Warren’s friend Brian McLaren. “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” 1John 4:6. There most certainly abounds a spirit of error in the Church today and those who’ve been given a spirit of discernment recognize it as such.

Another excerpt from Lighthouse Trails Publishing:
In an April 2009 article in Sojourner's magazine by emerging church leader, Brian McLaren, McLaren clearly has targeted Christians. But not just any Christians. McLaren is talking about Christians who believe Jesus Christ is coming back again, suggesting that these types of Christians are the reason there is no peace in the Middle East. He says what these end-time believing Christians are doing is "terrible," "deadly," and "distorted."

McLaren says that he grew up with a dispensational view (the belief that Jesus Christ will return and establish his kingdom on earth) but has come to realize this view is "morally and ethically harmful." He likens this belief system to racism in the 50s and 60s and says:

These doctrinal formulations often use a bogus end-of-the-world scenario to create a kind of death-wish for World War III, which--unless it is confronted more robustly by the rest of us--could too easily create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“Beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming?” II Peter 3:1-4. Can there be any doubt of the above prophetic scriptures being fulfilled by the very statements made by these leading Christian men, Warren and McLaren?

McLaren makes it clear that those of us who believe Jesus is to return to establish His Kingdom on earth, like Jesus says He will, need to be confronted robustly by, in his words “the rest of us”. Just who are those who need to confront true Bible believing Christians? And what does he mean by robustly? McLaren’s statement “The rest of us” is speaking of those who profess a Christian faith but who don’t actually believe in the deity of Jesus Christ. Without a doubt they’re going to have a problem with those of us who believe Jesus Christ is God Almighty. According to McLaren, those who believe in Bible prophecy will be confronted, and he emphasizes this with the adverb “robustly”.

If we look up the synonyms for robustly we get the words strongly, vigorously, forcefully. So McLaren perceives Bible believing Christians as needing an adjustment to their thinking, at the minimum that adjustment must come forcefully to confront our bogus, terrible, distorted, and deadly beliefs. Somewhere in all of his ranting I’ve missed the part about loving God with all our heart, soul and mind, and of course loving our neighbor as our self is missing as well.

Imagine, if you will, our current government’s leaders with their behavior towards us (Bible believing Christians) already at a position of diminished favorability, and now believing that a growing number of those who profess to be Christian (but aren’t) feel we need to be forcefully confronted. What will be the outcome of a fully socialistic government’s attitude towards a large segment of its citizenry who refuse to toe that socialist government’s secular line? Christians who actually follow the Bible and live their lives according to God’s word are already referred to by our current administrations leaders as rightwing extremists/terrorists. Now, by and through the statements made by McLaren and Warren, these same officials have been given a green light as to how to deal with all this rightwing dissention.

My brethren, as we traverse this most destructive course established by the policies of our current leaders in government, the prophecy of the Church of Philadelphia in the third chapter of the book of Revelation is seen on the horizon. “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.” Revelation 3:8. Little strength, that’s the clue to the future position of the true believing Church, just before Jesus takes us home.

As truly born again believers who follow the word of God unabashedly, it’s my opinion that if you’re reading this commentary and you’re one of those under the government’s new designation as rightwing extremist/terrorists, you better have your prayer life well in hand. Jesus is our comfort and our refuge, we know that. No one can take that fact away from us. Prayer is our direct line to God and we must be in constant prayer. Our relationship to God is of utmost importance in these very trying times.

Remember this, those who are perishing cannot say or do anything that will destroy a Christian who believes God’s word. We belong to Jesus Christ, God Almighty, there’s nothing for us to fear from His creation.

Yet I see fear has set in on many of my brethren. Be careful my brothers and sisters, doubt comes after fear. Circumstances surround us which at times seem impossible to overcome. Our power to “overcome” comes from God and there is no circumstance and no entity that will overcome God. “There are many Christians today who seem to think the boat is going down! I am tired of the wailing of some of my friends who take that view. The boat cannot go down. Jesus is on board.” G. Campbell Morgan

“See that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Matthew 24:6. When Jesus says “..all these things must come to pass…”, He is referring to events which we see happen right before our eyes. Many Christians are spiritually blind and refuse to acknowledge what obviously points to the signs of the last days before Christ’s return. A blind person could recognize the signs, but for many of those who have perfect vision the signs seem to be invisible. As Jesus states in Matthew 24:6 “The end is not yet”, but with what we currently see happening all around us the end could be very close.

Something very interesting and completely relatable to our current times is what Jesus told His disciples in John chapter 9, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” John 9:4. The Greek word Oudeis translated into English can be rendered as no man, nothing, any man. In other words Jesus is telling us there is coming a time when we won’t be able to do the work God has given us to do. I believe we are getting extremely close to the time Jesus is speaking about, especially living in a country run by a secular socialistic government bent on eliminating Christianity from its midst.

The night is coming, darkness is falling all around us. Many of our own professing brethren seem bent on our demise. Will we stand firm on our belief in Bible prophecy? Will we stand up for the true Jesus of the Bible in the face of all adversity? Will we declare His message with boldness ‘til the end? Standing up for Jesus, in my estimation, might well become a painful experience. In totalitarian countries around the world, standing up for Jesus is already a life threatening occurrence. I know there are many who will say that standing up for Jesus will never become life threatening here in the land of the free and the home of the brave. We shall see.

“Therefore, brethren, stand fast...Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work” II Thessalonians 2:15, 17.