myBlessedHope

As I read Todd’s article several additional thoughts came to mind.  He brings up some excellent “root” causes for why we find our nation in the state it is today and especially why we are not able to reach the younger generations.  I believe they have become so “distracted” (deceived) with life and the things of this world that they are not even aware of what is happening in it, let alone prophecies of what is to come.  It is probably one of the most discouraging points for some one dedicated to waking others up to God’s word, but we must remember that with God all things are possible!

I am also reminded of the Days of Noah & the Days of Lot prophecy by Jesus in His Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24).  The turning point on Gay marriage and drug use sure do point to this prophecy.

Even with us living through these events I am amazed at how people, even fellow Christians, still do not make the connection between the Bible and the events.  Most just write it off to coincidence or something that has always occurred.  The rise of evil, wars and rumors of wars, the sheer number of earthquakes (almost a 6.0 or greater every day) and major weather events do not seem to faze them.  It reminds me of the scripture from second Peter:

The Coming Day of the Lord

³ Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, ⁴ and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”

Does that not ring true today with your own experiences?  It does of me.  And the Bible told us it would!

Lastly, Todd talks about how weak the fundamental church is becoming here in the US.  how all those that resist have gray hair it seems.  I do believe him, we are growing weaker, but Jesus said it would be so in the last days.  Jesus in His letters to the churches in Revelations said to the Church of Philadelphia, a symbol of one of the last days church.

⁸ ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

It is the “…because you have a little power…” statement that is so often overlooked.  The picture of the true church (those who have kept His word and not denied His name) will not be one of great power and control, but one who has little power.  We are there folks, but this is not reason for concern for read the rest of Jesus’ letter to our church.

⁹ Behold, I ^[a]will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down ^[b]at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. ¹⁰ Because you have kept the word of My ^[c]perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of ^[d]testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole ^[e]world, to ^[f]test those who dwell on the earth. ¹¹ I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. ¹² He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.

Maranatha Lord, come quickly!

-myblessedhope

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Dec 17, 2012

Christian Opposition Is Literally Dying Out

For a long time, I have been mindful of how the age factor plays a role in the ongoing culture war. Conservative Christians have been losing battles simply because our numbers are rapidly dwindling away.

This past weekend, conservative pundit George Will was very blunt about why he believes the gay marriage forces are on a winning streak. He said there is no need for the Supreme Court to stick its nose into the issue because, “Quite literally, the opposition to gay marriage is dying. It’s old people.”

Opinion polls paint a very dark picture for our nation’s future. People over age 65 oppose gay marriage by 70 percent. People who are under 45 support gay marriage by the same percentage.

These figures show that time is on the side of the gay lobby. If they wait long enough, same-sex unions will become the normal in all 50 states. Since they only need a simple majority to pass a measure, we are already at the tipping point.

The responsibility for this slow-motion train wreck rests at the feet of the church leadership. We have had the opportunity to instill biblical moral values into the minds of two generations, and we squandered our chance. Now that we have millions of adults with no parent or grandparent to act as role models, it will very hard to get people back into the church.

Every time I go to a prophecy conference, I can’t help but notice the sea of gray hair in the main meeting room. A few years back, at a conference in South Carolina, there wasn’t a single person under age 50–and we had over 500 people in attendance.

I’ve very concerned about the state of leadership in the field of prophecy. I’m 47, and I am a spring chicken when compared to the ages of my peers. The top three names in Bible prophecy are all members of the 80s club: Hal Lindsey is 83, Tim LaHaye is 86, and Jack Van Impe is 81. Noah Hutchings, the head of Southwest Radio Church, turned 90 a few days ago. The youngest major author I can think of in Bible prophecy is Mark Hitchcock, who, at 52, is just out of diapers.

I only come up with blank spaces when I look for prophecy leaders in their 40s, 30s, and 20s. In the past few years, we’ve lost several big names in the field – Grant Jeffrey, J. R. Church, and Hilton Sutton. Unless the Rapture happens in short order, we are going to see a rapid thinning out of the ranks.

One of the saddest examples of how out of touch Christianity has become to the main society occurred last week when I saw that Pope Benedict XVI had joined Twitter. The 85-year-old pontiff reached across a table with a shaky index finger to press a button that sent his first tweet. If the event was staged to show that the Catholic church is still relevant to the youth of today, I’m sure it had the opposite impact.

The age problem even extends to the people who watch news. The average age of a Fox News watcher is 65. The network has the oldest audience of any cable network. The liberal CNN isn’t far behind–its average viewer is 63. Democratic mouthpiece MSNBC is a perky 59. So, not only do we have a host of people in a godless state, they are clueless about the dire world events that are about to engulf them.

The current state of the church in America and Europe might make it hard to understand Jesus’ promise in Matthew 16:18 that “the gates of hell won’t prevail” against the church. In many regions of the world, Christianity is doing extremely well. When God looks down from heaven at His faithful flock, I’m sure many times he looks at Southern Africa, South America, and China before he glances our way.

The Bible is very frank about how the days leading up to the Rapture will be marked by a church that is “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked”(Revelation 3:17). We who still stand ready should consider ourselves lucky to be found faithful when our Lord returns.

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing” (Matthew 24:42-46 KJV).

–Todd

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Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.

In Romans 10 Paul lays out how salvation is open to all, Jew and Gentile.  He writes:

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” – Romans 10:4-5

What he is saying is now it is not about works or how closely to a “T” you follow the law.  But that it is through God’s gift of grace through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.  It is really that simple, and yet a hard step for some of us.

“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9

Christ is the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13-14), through faith in Him you will be saved.  It is the only “works” that God requires for eternal salvation.