Leading to the Final Days

I have struggled with putting into words my thoughts about the spiraling morality in our world and the current course of our country. As a Christian I believe that God wants me to reach out to others and help them to understand their need for Him. I also believe that God wants me to stand up for morality, not only in the lives of individuals, but also in our government and the plans we put in place for our future as a nation. However, as a student of God’s Word, I also know that God is in control and that He has a plan that sometimes does not make sense within the realm of my limited understanding. Let me explain.

Since I was a young child I have heard people speculate on whether or not a certain leader of a religious cult or even a politician could be the anti-Christ. Christians have felt for a long time that the end is near and that feeling focuses their thoughts on the things John mentioned in his revelation from God. When I am asked if a certain leader could be the anti-Christ, I usually explain that the anti-Christ is someone that the entire world will accept as their leader to get them out of some serious problem. None of the current or even past leaders have had the charisma necessary to win over the world. And that is because the world has not yet reached a point of such intense desperation that we would all unite under one leader.

People who have studied eschatology (the theological study of the end times) often want to learn what others think about the rapture: are they pre-trib, post- trib, or mid-trib, referring to the timing of the rapture as related to the tribulation. Thoughts of the tribulation, Armageddon, the rapture, and the final judgment are deeply ingrained in the ethos of those dedicated to Christ-like living. Some may describe it as the driving force that propels Christians into action, but I see that more as works through fear rather than works by faith. That is why when I am asked about the tribulation, I usually respond that I am pan-trib, meaning that I believe it will all pan out in the end because God is in control.

So while I do not want to live out my Christian life based on the fear of what is to come, be it the anti-Christ, the tribulation, or my final judgment, I do think about what it will take to get our country specifically to such a desperate state that we would be willing to sell our independence and freedoms for the promise of help from some individual or ideal. While I do not believe that any of our current political leaders are the anti-Christ, I do believe that God uses them to position our country for a time when the anti-Christ will rise up.

I believe that there are only a few things that could happen to the United States that would lead the American people down the path of accepting a leader outside of our own governmental structure: financial ruin, such as we are beginning to see with uncontrolled spending and mounting debt that is impossible to sustain; nuclear attacks against our country, which has been a possibility since the 1950s arms race; governmental corruption of an extreme nature, such as an administration that ignores the law sets up a dictatorship; or an extreme nationwide disaster killing millions and leaving us unable to sustain or government and clean up afterwards. The same could probably be said of most every other nation.

So where does that leave us with the increased immorality that we see every day? How are we as Christians supposed to handle the continuing destruction of the moral fiber that used to lead our schools, our government, and our leaders? What should churches do about the constant theft of our religious freedoms by the very country that gave them to us?

We must first realize that God is still in control, regardless of how desperate the times become. He has a plan and He is working His plan to completion. We also need to stay focused on the tasks that He has given to each of us. Jesus spent more time chastising the religious leaders than he did the political leaders. As God, He had authority over both groups, yet He was more concerned with changing hearts than changing governments.

As citizens of the United States, we have every right to stand up against things we believe are wrong in our government. As Christians we need to spend far more time explaining to a lost world why they need Jesus than trying to explain why their political beliefs are wrong. Sometimes that is difficult to do when the here and now seem so much more real than the eternity that awaits us. Yet God does not always call us into the fight. Remember that we are instructed to put on the full armor of God, but then we are told, “having done everything, to stand.”

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:10-18, NIV)