Some readers are surely tired of this story. I've been to college twice in my life. The first time was in the early to mid-70s on the G. I. Bill, and the second time was at fifty years of age. In that second matriculation I was part of a cohort that went through the curriculum together for eighteen months. Most had just finished their baccalaureate degrees....some were in their thirties....two or three of us were fifty years old or older.
The classes were very informal where class participation at times turned into conversation. It was on one of these evenings that I stood up for emphasis and proffered a very serious opinion. I cannot for the life of me remember the topic of the conversation. It would have had something to do with education for that was curriculum. Being older, I felt somewhat at ease with expressing opinions based on experience. I told these my cohort members and friends that a division was coming to America.....not just strong political differences.....but a genuine and dangerous separation of peoples. I could feel it in my bones. I don't think that my warning impressed anyone but that is exactly what has happened to us in America.
I have that feeling in my bones again.....only this time it is a winnowing that is ahead. I didn't come up with this on my own just like I didn't come up with my feeling of division eighteen years ago on my own.....and I'm sure that many if not multitudes of Christian feel the same thing....for Scripture points very clearly to this.
"The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry".....that's a modern adaptation from Scottish poet Robert Burns. We.....Christians....think that we are ready. After all, we read all of Jonathan Cahn's books....all the Left Behind books.....and we've been through at least one Bible study on Revelation every four or five years.....but 'there is a fly in the ointment' in this thinking. Things do not often go as planned. Sometimes....if not often....great surprises lie ahead....often bringing chaos.
We will not be in the majority if the Lord's Return is imminent....once again I'm writing to Christians....in fact we'll be in a very small minority. The arguments will be too great for many.....the compromises already too well-established.....the circumstances too difficult.....and the other road too easy. It's hard to see right now how this can happen but things change. Surely we all have experienced circumstances in life where totally unexpected additions and changes to a situation threw everything into chaos.
Compromise can be good...it can be a virtue in some circumstances....but with the gospel it's an ounce of cyanide in a glass of red port. We trust that Jesus will keep us in whatever is to come.....that no temptation will arise too great for us.....and this is a wonderful surety of the gospel. The problem is that literally anyone can blithely say this....and we have assigned to it as innocuous a meaning as the ubiquitous 'God bless America' that means nothing.
We have many non-essential doctrinal divisions within the body of Christ that will melt as chocolate covered strawberries on a long hot August weekend at Shakers Woods craft festival or any other late summer afternoon pilgrimage. We will then be together out of necessity....but others....many if not most.....will not be a part of us....and therein is the winnowing....and therein also is the extreme depredation ahead.
Prepare for that winnowing folks....of which there are clues all around as sure as warm ocean waters, a falling barometer, strong circular winds and high white cirrus clouds indicate that a hurricane may form. There are clues all around if we could only properly interpret them. Jesus said to the church at Sardis....in that book of Revelation....written to every age....."Strengthen what is left." He said...."Hold on to what you have" to Thyatira....."do the works you did at first" to Ephesus....and to the Laodiceans...."I advise you buy from Me gold refined in the fire,"
Jesus gave us this also...."When it is evening you say, 'The weather will be fair, for the sky is red;' And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times."
The classes were very informal where class participation at times turned into conversation. It was on one of these evenings that I stood up for emphasis and proffered a very serious opinion. I cannot for the life of me remember the topic of the conversation. It would have had something to do with education for that was curriculum. Being older, I felt somewhat at ease with expressing opinions based on experience. I told these my cohort members and friends that a division was coming to America.....not just strong political differences.....but a genuine and dangerous separation of peoples. I could feel it in my bones. I don't think that my warning impressed anyone but that is exactly what has happened to us in America.
I have that feeling in my bones again.....only this time it is a winnowing that is ahead. I didn't come up with this on my own just like I didn't come up with my feeling of division eighteen years ago on my own.....and I'm sure that many if not multitudes of Christian feel the same thing....for Scripture points very clearly to this.
"The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry".....that's a modern adaptation from Scottish poet Robert Burns. We.....Christians....think that we are ready. After all, we read all of Jonathan Cahn's books....all the Left Behind books.....and we've been through at least one Bible study on Revelation every four or five years.....but 'there is a fly in the ointment' in this thinking. Things do not often go as planned. Sometimes....if not often....great surprises lie ahead....often bringing chaos.
We will not be in the majority if the Lord's Return is imminent....once again I'm writing to Christians....in fact we'll be in a very small minority. The arguments will be too great for many.....the compromises already too well-established.....the circumstances too difficult.....and the other road too easy. It's hard to see right now how this can happen but things change. Surely we all have experienced circumstances in life where totally unexpected additions and changes to a situation threw everything into chaos.
Compromise can be good...it can be a virtue in some circumstances....but with the gospel it's an ounce of cyanide in a glass of red port. We trust that Jesus will keep us in whatever is to come.....that no temptation will arise too great for us.....and this is a wonderful surety of the gospel. The problem is that literally anyone can blithely say this....and we have assigned to it as innocuous a meaning as the ubiquitous 'God bless America' that means nothing.
We have many non-essential doctrinal divisions within the body of Christ that will melt as chocolate covered strawberries on a long hot August weekend at Shakers Woods craft festival or any other late summer afternoon pilgrimage. We will then be together out of necessity....but others....many if not most.....will not be a part of us....and therein is the winnowing....and therein also is the extreme depredation ahead.
Prepare for that winnowing folks....of which there are clues all around as sure as warm ocean waters, a falling barometer, strong circular winds and high white cirrus clouds indicate that a hurricane may form. There are clues all around if we could only properly interpret them. Jesus said to the church at Sardis....in that book of Revelation....written to every age....."Strengthen what is left." He said...."Hold on to what you have" to Thyatira....."do the works you did at first" to Ephesus....and to the Laodiceans...."I advise you buy from Me gold refined in the fire,"
Jesus gave us this also...."When it is evening you say, 'The weather will be fair, for the sky is red;' And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times."
