In my last post, “The Danger of Consensus”, Jerry James left a comment that inspired me to post my response here rather than commenting. Here’s what he had to say:
“When Jesus rules and reigns as King of kings, and Lord of lords, there will be NO vote. Every decree will be made with perfect wisdom and love with not recount of the ballots. Democracy has served the United States well because we are a “Christian” nation, and so the majority have mostly from a Biblical viewpoint. It seems we are reaching a place where believers are no more in the majority and so a democracy becomes a very scary place.”
His comment is right on the money. In fact, I would be so bold as to say that Democracy as a political ideology is a more unmitigated disaster than Communism and Socialism. That sounds so anti-American, doesn’t it? This statement seems especially odd for students of the geopolitical climate of the sixties and seventies, during the height of what was known as the Cold War. Foreign policy during those decades focused in part on the democratization of third world nations in a race to establish stability and prevent what was then the aggressive threat of Communism. If that policy has echoes to our day, it should - the spirit of Communism has been, in essence, replaced by the spirit of Islam as we are now witnesses to what is essentially the same scenario. Thus, in Iraq, we find ourselves in the very “nation-building” scenario President Bush scoffed at while initially running for office against Al Gore. As such the President has committed to build the political infrastructure of that nation with a philosophy of “one-person, one vote.”
As such, he has sealed the fate of all of the “free-peoples” of that nation and handed them over to Shiite Muslim rule.
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March 21st, 2007
One of the difficulties, currently, with living at the end of the age is how that paradigm has shifted the nature of my ministry. It has taken a course that I never could have anticipated when I began to explore and study what the Bible says about the end-times years ago. I am now, at times, given to what I distrust about those who preach about the dangers of global warming. I am an alarmist. I find that I have (according to what I believe is the grace of God to do so) retrained my mind to hear and perceive that which is going on around me differently than when I was younger. I believe, with great conviction, that when one gives themselves to a focused and biblical study of where history is going, one has a better chance of identifying the factors today that will contribute to the end of the story. Thus I endeavor to be a biblically informed alarmist.
In that I took note during the recent discussion when the word “consensus” emerged. I understood the context - scientific consensus is a powerful weapon in an argument. Few want to be listed in the annals of history alongside those who refused to believe that the earth was round and not placed in the center of our solar system. Often Christians are easily viewed in that light because of how often we seemingly rage against the consensus; thus in our desire to avoid being labeled as “unenlightened” in areas of obvious scientific proof we take the opportunity when possible to show that we can love Jesus and be reasonable. I understand that dynamic.
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March 20th, 2007
“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name….Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. 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 I will write on him My new name.” (Rev. 3:7-12)
This little church with little influence, little wealth, and a little strength stayed steady under pressure - they would not forsake Jesus, even in the face of great trial, compromise, and apathy that was prevalent throughout the region. These faithful believers were like the “Sons of Zadok” in Ezekiel 44:15 - when everyone else was compromising their calling, they held the line - they kept charge of the sanctuary and did not lose heart.
Thus, Jesus identifies Himself to them by the designation “true” or “genuine”; two ways to interpret His identity in Rev. 3 is: “real” or “reality” – in the Greek context; “faithful and trustworthy” – in the Hebrew context. The One who is fully authentic, the very essence of reality itself, is the very definition of faithfulness and trust and has evaluated this little church with little influence and found it real, authentic, and faithful and true to their charge (His word and His command).
Thus, their incredible reward – while others will come and go in the assignments He will give, they will become an immovable pillar in the temple of His Father and “go out no more”; where the eternal assignments of others may change, theirs will never change – they will belong to God as a key part of the city, enjoying incredible honor, priestly dignity, and intimacy stewarding the very secrets of the heart of Jesus.
What an outrageous promise!
David
March 20th, 2007
I’m guessing that the last three posts appealed to a certain type of thinker, while others may have tuned out entirely because the time spent on the subject seems a little odd compared to the “missions statement” of this site. At the end of the day, almost everything I am writing in here is about the end of the age - specifically life in a prayer room at the end of the age. So why then, would I give so much attention to the issue (or non-issue, whatever the case may be) of global warming?
Now that the series is concluded, hopefully you discovered that these articles were not really about global warming at all. Again, that’s why I consciously avoided entering into a debate over the facts and statistics. This little series was really about the nature of man and the forces that motivate the heart as history approaches its dramatic climax. It is critical that we have an understanding of the manner in which sinful and wicked human beings are establishing a social context that rages against the Lord in our time (Ps. 2:1-3; Rom. 1:32).
This series was about being a people that watch and pray (Lk. 21:36). When it comes to these kinds of issues, I tend to watch for different cues and clues than what most observe. In poker, this is known as a “tell”. There are little “giveaways” that tip me off as I watch that something more is going on than what is being said. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks - and the heart is deceitful and wicked beyond measure. As sons of the light and sons of the day, we must not sleep as others do - but with sobriety we must lay hold of insight and clarity regarding the real issues that trouble the whole earth in this hour.
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March 16th, 2007
Imagine that the home you now live in is actually owned by your fabulously wealthy dad. The plan is simple - in the days to come, you’re going to inherit the home. Even better, you’re going to be given a fantastic mansion to live in - you are actually going to inherit a wonderful new home as well your old one, which you will manage when you move into your new space. Knowing that, how do you treat your current home - the one you’re going to inherit and manage from afar? Do you trash the home, with the understanding that it’s going to be someone else’s problem to clean up? Or do you actually care for and cultivate what you’re going to be given - labor to improve the home, landscape the yard, and make it nice for the people that will live in it next?
Remember - though there will be tenants in your home, it will still be your home. Secondly, how you treat your home now matters, even after you move out.
Of course, my analogy is speaking of the glorious promise Jesus made to His church in Matthew 5:5 - that the meek shall “inherit the earth”. This is the same promise given in Daniel 7:27 - that the “greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.” Even more critically, the scriptures establish a dynamic relationship between the people and the land - for example, Isaiah 62:4 speaks of the “marriage” between the people and the land. This is after Isaiah spoke of a millennial people rebuilding, restoring, and repairing the broken and shattered planet (Isa. 61:4). In Deuteronomy 28, obedience and righteousness had a direct connection with blessing released on the land itself; 1 Kings 8:36-37 speaks to the same idea. The well known 2 Chronicles 7:14 passage about humility and repentance ends with a promise to heal the land. That is not a colloquialism for revival amongst the people. God’s desire is to heal the actual land itself.
This is what Paul is talking about in Romans 8, in verses 19-22. The creation itself has been subjected to “futility”, or the curse, but not willingly. That which was precious and special to God - or what God created and called “good” in Genesis 1, is precious because it was made to be His dwelling place with man forever (Ezek. 43:7, Isa. 66:1-2). The One who subjected it did so in hope - that hope being knit to a people who would arise as “sons of God” who walk in agreement with God, authority, and power in glorified bodies. These children of God, who walk in “glorious liberty”, will partner with Jesus as a Bride to deliver the creation itself from the “bondage of corruption”. Presently, the sinful nature of man is defiling the earth - and the whole creation groans and labors in the meantime, waiting for the coming renewal of the earth under the leadership of Jesus.
Understanding this, we then understand that it is the believer who must now become the foremost environmentalists on the planet. Because of bad theology, many believers have an escapist mentality regarding their current home - they treat it poorly because it will seemingly be someone else’s problem when God takes them away. Others believe that God will simply return and burn up the home that they have been given, so any improvements that they would make would only be a huge waste of time. These mindsets are tragic - and it leads to a significant error in our dealings with “the creation” that God has given us authority over (and will give in greater measure).
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March 14th, 2007
If you haven’t already, I strongly suggest you take the time to read part one of this article here.
Global warming is a sensitive subject, one that stirs deep emotions in the hearts of those who follow the issue. Part of the reason is that global warming and the issue of environmental responsibility have become inextricably linked. Personally, I find this to be a brilliant tactic employed by any who wish to make their issue, cause, or argument unassailable. This is why the issue of abortion is knit to the issue of choice and women’s rights. If one were to simply debate the biological truths related to the issue of children, the pro-choice movement would be trounced and bereft of any moral ground to cling to; thus the inviolable freedoms and rights that all mankind deserves becomes the centerpiece of the war they are fighting. A pro-choice proponent can really immerse themselves in the belief that they are not fighting for themselves, but for the good of all mankind.
Many issues find their way to our heart-strings before too long. Health care reforms then become about the children (the ones that make it out of the womb, of course) - and who wants to oppose children? In politics, the line between truth, facts, rhetoric, and propaganda is often difficult to discern. Because these tactics are so often employed by Democrats in our nation in a manner that is knit to what is known as a “populist” message (government that provides services for the people), those on the Republican side have zeal and energy to expose the illogical but often heart-string pulling tactics of their opponents. Of course, this presumes that Republicans would never use social issues for personal gain.
The central issue, of course, is that ultimately few of these issues truly matter to most politicians of any shade of red and blue. The core issue is simply one of job security. Job security is one of the most powerful forces driving and motivating the hearts of men and women on the planet today. It has always been this way - for example, in the first century one of the primary issues that led to the crucifixion of Jesus was the zeal of the Pharisees for job security. It’s why they only highlighted the aspects and interpretations of the law that they could keep consistently, overlooking the parts of the law they could not. Even more insidiously, they really highlighted the aspects of the law that the rest of the Jews could not keep - and thus the Pharisees and scribes were sought after for their counsel and “expertise” in the matters of the law and righteousness. Job security.
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March 13th, 2007
Warning: long post. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I do think this will be worth your time, however.
Brent Steeno has been crying out in the wilderness of his web journal about global warming. I think some have missed the point of what he is doing. Global warming is the hot button issue of the hour, but I am convinced that the issue itself is a non-issue - and that the numbers and facts presented by its proponents are but mere tools unto a desired end. The closest example to illustrate what I feel is not just wrong, and not just dishonest, but actually dangerous - that I can think of - is the AIDS “epidemic” of the 90’s.
The word “epidemic” is in quotes because of the complete unreality of attributing such a word to the disease. The statistical grounds to make such a claim were completely unfounded. In fact, by 2005, according to the Center for Disease Control, the total number of AIDS/HIV cases in the United States totaled 988,376. With the U.S. population at that time at about 296.5 million, we would be talking about less than 1% of the population. In 2005, more people died of the flu. More people died from diabetes. 15 times more people in the U.S. died of heart disease than contracted AIDS/HIV that year. I don’t remember reading about a flu epidemic two years ago, do you?
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March 10th, 2007
Challies.com did a live blog of the Shepherd’s Conference, put on by Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA. It’s hosted by John MacArthur, who dropped some pretty intense bombs on the Calvinist community from the opening session. He also dropped the expectant bombs on the Emergent Church, like this one at the round table discussion:
“The Emerging Church is happy to acquiesce to all of this (not taking a stand on the sinfulness of homosexuality), it accommodates their ability to reach into a younger generation and attract them without these people having to make any radical changes to their lives or world views. This is the first time that the church is really happy to be worldly.”
I’ve long said that I can’t wait until I get to that magical age where I can say whatever I want without a care in the world. I know you know what I’m talking about, and I say it with all due respect to my elders in the faith who have held the line for Jesus through the ups and downs of life. I’m talking about the 70-80 year old zone, the happy place of saying, really, whatever in the world you want. Hey, everybody has aspirations. That happens to be mine. Of course, any who have heard me preach on a regular basis probably can’t imagine that I actually have more outrageous things than my current repertoire that I’m storing up for those days, so I guess you’ll just have to find out with the rest of us if you’re still around.
Back to Mr. MacArthur, then. His opening salvo was actually a surprising, seemingly left field sermon on the necessity of right eschatology for this hour of history. You can find the live blog here. He makes a fascinating point for any theology fanatics out there that would follow the logic of his argument. His main thesis statement is that every self-respecting Calvinist that believes in God’s unconditional election of the saints should consequently be a premillennialist.
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March 10th, 2007
If you link here, you’ve probably been kicked over to the new web address for this site: www.heisatthedoor.com/wordcast/.
So, if you want to skip a step, feel free to link to the new address and ditch the old! No really, switch me over on your links! Unless you have a hard-core loyalty to the word “blog”, which I understand. We have a tendency here to be “counter-cultural” until that which is counter becomes culture, to which we then counter the counter-cultural responses with either normalcy or our own abnormal spin on things. So, do what makes you happy on this one. I would still switch your link, though.
On a related note: one of the “regulars” around these parts did a count and sent me this pertinent info - there are now 72 “IHOP-KC” wordcasts, blogs, and web journals, according to her count. I would bet that there are about 10-15 more that she is missing. Which means that we most likely have about 85-90 of these in our little world.
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March 9th, 2007
We tend to imagine so many things relating to the kingdom of God as a coming “automatic reality” in which, in one moment, everything is different. We imagine that the Second Coming will involve a wave of the hand from Jesus, bringing paradise in a moment. Yet the prophetic scriptures describe a pretty detailed process of hard work related to the restoration of the earth and its reconciliation to God through the leadership of Jesus. Isaiah 61:4-11 is one example, as is Ezekiel 39:11-16. If Jesus is going to change the earth in a moment with a wave of His hand, why is creation groaning and waiting for the coming of the sons of God in Romans 8:19?
In that day, after the return of Jesus, the “peacemakers” will be blessed, and known as “sons of God”. Why? As the Bride of Christ, we will partner with Him to judge the world (1 Cor. 6:2). We will labor with Him to bring true “peace” - the Prince of Peace reconciling God to man, but also reconciling creation to creator. That is true peace, and it establishes a true resting place for the Lord (Isa. 66:1) that He might dwell with men in His fullness. I believe that this is the culmination of a 1000-year process, not an instantaneous reality at His coming.
As we become familiar with the God of “process”, it becomes clear that everything He does in His leadership involves process - not just the millennial kingdom to come. The kingdom grows over time and does not come instantaneously, as Jesus taught in Luke 17:20; or even more specifically in Luke 13:18-21:
Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches. And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”
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March 6th, 2007
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