The visions had troubled Daniel so much that if this were today he would probably be rebuked for his anxiety....and for not putting all his concerns in God's hands. After a short period he had another vision and was told this...."Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words." One thing that we can glean from this is that if we....pastors and the rest of us....have no desire to understand God's prophetic Word....if we are not interested in God's warnings.....then we shouldn't worry....for God will not trouble us. That unfortunately is where most Christians in America are today. We are far more interested in sports or the stock market....or concerned about politics or the cellulite buildup on our thighs....then in what God may be saying to us about the catastrophes that seem to plague us on a weekly if not daily basis. We have heard rumors that God is judging America but if we just ignore them then maybe there won't be anything to them. On the other hand....if we are more than concerned about the crumbling of our nation....and on an American populace that is hopelessly adrift on one absurdity after another....then God will show us enough of the whys and wherefores of what is going on that then we truly can put everything in His hands! The following was first posted this past July:
My prayer....as it is on this day of every week...Saturday....is that tomorrow might be that Lord's Day where He awakens His pulpits.....and where His Holy Spirit moves over this land as a strong wind over ripened wheatfields.....and that as a gentle summer breeze produces soft tones on the wind chimes of our patios that we might....in increasing numbers....look up from that which occupies us....and gaze off to the distance where a cloud so ominous is moving in so fast that even the birds of the air are scurrying for their last meal before the storm of biblical proportions begins.
Folks....it is rather startling....to me anyway....how in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians that he describes his oratorical skills in such a humble way.....more than humble....almost debased. Yet in Athens on the Areopagus....his words....as they were written anyway....were powerful. In spite of this we seek pastors who exude confidence.....not necessarily in the gospel.....but in those very same oratorical skills that Paul admitted that he lacked. We want the appearance of some kind of success....an impressive building with state-of-the-art technical gadgets. This is how we intend to entice people to come in.... and they do come in....but they then are given only a facsimile of the gospel that saves....little warnings of what is to come....and often not even a hint of the cost of discipleship that they are about to sign onto. Ultimately they are ushered into ministries to make them feel a part of the body....not realizing that as Christ suffered so will we.
How are we to read Paul's letters as they pertain to the Second Coming....and Peter's letters....and John's Revelation....not to mention the very words of Jesus on the end times....or the major prophets....or the minor prophets....or the Psalms....how are we to read these in a world around us that is coming apart at the seems and the fault lines? The answer that have come up with is that we speed read...and essentially gloss over all of this that is so very important to us.
Friends....do you realize this....that there has only been 60 centuries since Adam was placed in the garden of Eden...the last of which has been one complete century of wars and calamities and terror to go along with a world citizenry that has turned away from God....and technological advances that threaten the very existence of man.....this being anything from nuclear warheads to artificial intelligence? That is 1/60th of the history of mankind! Yet we somehow consider the Lord's return now....in our generation....as akin to the odds of winning a lottery! If we consider a generation to be 40 years than there would have only been 150 generations.....300 if is we use 20 years as a generation. I'd play that lottery!
It really doesn't seem that long ago since I would lay out my Davy Crockett rug to take a nap in kindergarten....funny how we begin life taking naps.....and then end life taking naps. Six thousand years.....that's a nice round number.....but ask us what we might estimate when the Lord might come back and we most likely will add another century or two. All these numbers aside and there is a more telling way to look at all this. I'm going to segue here just a little bit....in just one example of millions. My brother-in-law and his wife just took on the responsibility and care for a ten year foster child who is blind and cannot talk. My heart breaks for this child.....Lord Jesus come!
Note: I wanted to take the opportunity to recommend R. C. Sproul’s daily audio titled “Adopted Heir”. You can access it in seconds at ligonier.org
My prayer....as it is on this day of every week...Saturday....is that tomorrow might be that Lord's Day where He awakens His pulpits.....and where His Holy Spirit moves over this land as a strong wind over ripened wheatfields.....and that as a gentle summer breeze produces soft tones on the wind chimes of our patios that we might....in increasing numbers....look up from that which occupies us....and gaze off to the distance where a cloud so ominous is moving in so fast that even the birds of the air are scurrying for their last meal before the storm of biblical proportions begins.
Folks....it is rather startling....to me anyway....how in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians that he describes his oratorical skills in such a humble way.....more than humble....almost debased. Yet in Athens on the Areopagus....his words....as they were written anyway....were powerful. In spite of this we seek pastors who exude confidence.....not necessarily in the gospel.....but in those very same oratorical skills that Paul admitted that he lacked. We want the appearance of some kind of success....an impressive building with state-of-the-art technical gadgets. This is how we intend to entice people to come in.... and they do come in....but they then are given only a facsimile of the gospel that saves....little warnings of what is to come....and often not even a hint of the cost of discipleship that they are about to sign onto. Ultimately they are ushered into ministries to make them feel a part of the body....not realizing that as Christ suffered so will we.
How are we to read Paul's letters as they pertain to the Second Coming....and Peter's letters....and John's Revelation....not to mention the very words of Jesus on the end times....or the major prophets....or the minor prophets....or the Psalms....how are we to read these in a world around us that is coming apart at the seems and the fault lines? The answer that have come up with is that we speed read...and essentially gloss over all of this that is so very important to us.
Friends....do you realize this....that there has only been 60 centuries since Adam was placed in the garden of Eden...the last of which has been one complete century of wars and calamities and terror to go along with a world citizenry that has turned away from God....and technological advances that threaten the very existence of man.....this being anything from nuclear warheads to artificial intelligence? That is 1/60th of the history of mankind! Yet we somehow consider the Lord's return now....in our generation....as akin to the odds of winning a lottery! If we consider a generation to be 40 years than there would have only been 150 generations.....300 if is we use 20 years as a generation. I'd play that lottery!
It really doesn't seem that long ago since I would lay out my Davy Crockett rug to take a nap in kindergarten....funny how we begin life taking naps.....and then end life taking naps. Six thousand years.....that's a nice round number.....but ask us what we might estimate when the Lord might come back and we most likely will add another century or two. All these numbers aside and there is a more telling way to look at all this. I'm going to segue here just a little bit....in just one example of millions. My brother-in-law and his wife just took on the responsibility and care for a ten year foster child who is blind and cannot talk. My heart breaks for this child.....Lord Jesus come!
Note: I wanted to take the opportunity to recommend R. C. Sproul’s daily audio titled “Adopted Heir”. You can access it in seconds at ligonier.org
