End times

It’s clear that the Lord is stirring His church in ways like He never has before. When the top leaders in the missions movement like Loren Cunningham (founder of Youth with a Mission) and Mark Anderson say things like “the Great Commission will probably be completed in 10 years”, when extravagance of devotion to Jesus is becoming increasingly common among young adults all across the world, and when prayer rooms are springing up across the earth without any coordinated effort by one group or organization, our hearts should be alerted that there is truly something bigger going on. I, along with many others across the world believe that the day of the LORD, the day of Jesus’ return, is drawing nearer. But what if we're wrong and it’s still hundreds of years away? How then should we live?

I believe that every generation, no matter how close they are in history to the Lord’s return, should live with urgency and expectation of that great day of the LORD. From the earliest days of history when the gospel in its “budding” form was preached to Eve (Gen. 3:15), men lived in expectancy of the Day of the promised Messiah or “Seed” to crush the head of Satan and restore the conditions of unhindered communion in God’s paradise, the garden in Eden. Through the days of Enoch (Jude 14-15, Heb. 11:5) to his grandson Lamech and then his son Noah, that great Day of judgment and restoration was the great anticipation of those calling upon the name of the LORD. Noah was in fact named after this expectation of a Deliverer to restore that which was lost at the fall of man:

Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed.”
(Genesis 5:28-29 NKJV)

On Sunday, the United States Congress passed a bill that allows federal funds to be used for abortions. President Obama will sign that bill into law today. Many look at this new reform as a severe blow to the long-time efforts of lobbyists, activists, and the pro-life movement in America. Some in the church of Jesus are also very discouraged, as many have been contending in prayer for righteous leaders, the ending of abortion, and the reversal of the “death decree” to babies in the womb for years.

While this is certainly disappointing news to me, it is not surprising nor does it come unexpectedly to me. In fact, it should never surprise us that the unredeemed behave wickedly and unrighteously. It’s so easy to look at the world’s unrighteousness, assume that it is the church’s mandate to “fix it” through prayer, intercession, and dominion, and then end up disillusioned, discouraged, and unhopeful when these things we contend so earnestly for do not come to pass as we pray.

But the Bible is so clear - Jesus the Messiah alone is the only one qualified, capable, and worthy to drive darkness off the face of the planet. No matter how many signs and wonders we see, how many laws change or don't change, how many cities experience revival or transformation, or how many new converts to Christianity we see in the coming years, I want to make it clear - things will never be okay here until He returns.

In times of discouragement (and even in times when things seem to be going “well”), it’s critical for us to set our minds on the “hope to which we have been called” (Eph. 1:18), and to once again “rest our hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to [us] at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13), lest we become “weary and discouraged in [our] souls” (Heb. 12:3). Our hope lies in the age to come, not in this age in any way.

I don’t often write here on the signs of the times (not because I don't want to, but that's a subject for another day) but it’s been very interesting to watch how the media has been covering every single aspect of the world’s troubled economy recently. I’ve read articles on how it compares to the times of the Great Depression in the US in the early 20th century. I’ve also read practical articles on how to live off of $10 per day, and some humorous ones including how to make a prom suit out of duct tape.

It does not take any prophetic anointing to discern that that these times are putting a “strain” on the western consumer lifestyle. But it does take a heart that is “watching” (Mark 13; 1 Thess. 5) to see that it’s the Lord’s doing to shake us from our lethargy and to prepare us for Christ’s return. John Piper recently articulated this very well in several points that I’ll just summarize here, and then just point you to the actual sermon for you to read:

God has several reasons for today’s economic troubles:

1. He intends for this recession to expose hidden sin and so bring us to repentance and cleansing.
2. He intends to wake us up to the constant and desperate condition of the developing world where there is always and only recession of the worst kind.
3. He intends to relocate the roots of our joy in his grace rather than in our goods, in his mercy rather than our money, in his worth rather than our wealth.
4. He intends to advance his saving mission in the world—the spread of the gospel and the growth of his church—precisely at a time when human resources are least able to support it. This is how he guards his glory.
5. He intends for the church to care for its hurting members and to grow in the gift of love.

But did you know that the Bible prophesies a drastic turnaround of today’s economic recession at some future time?

We just started our monthly 3-day fast together as a community, and more and more I am discovering God’s wisdom in the “seeming weakness” of prayer. Telling God what He told us to tell Him, skipping a few meals, and spending time reading and praying through the Bible seems like a foolish waste of time to the natural mind. Yet I’m finding that it is truly the pathway to a vibrant heart full of life, peace, and joy.

Today I was reading through Luke’s gospel when I flipped ahead a few pages to Luke 21 and something caught my eye. Jesus said that many would be going through life as normal when the events of the end of the age come and trap them. But the major “antidote” that Jesus gave to us to counteract a dull heart weighed down by life is prayer. He says:

“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.””
(Luke 21:34-36 NKJV)