So, what’s the deal with the title of this article? Are we in the tribulation now? Seems a bit crazy to consider, but among other ideas, I am considering it! If we are in the first part of the 7 year tribulation, then the pre-tribulation rapture theory would not be correct, obviously. If we aren't in the 7 year tribulation, there is still time for the pre-tribulation rapture to prove correct. However, as I mentioned before, I am leaning toward a pre-wrath rapture, and I am also considering that we may have already entered the tribulation period. I have shared a bit about why I lean toward the pre-wrath rapture theory (see above). Now, I will share some very interesting information that will perhaps shed some light on why I am even considering that the tribulation has already begun. There is nothing arbitrary about my thought process, and I hope to share some information with you that you can look up yourself and draw your own conclusions. However, if I were you, I would not take any hard-fast positions about anything, I would keep my mind open to a few possibilities, because I am not sure we will ever really know with certainty what God’s plans are as the end-days unfold.
Let me try to break this down to the best of my ability/knowledge. It is quite interesting! The Bible says that there will be a 7 year peace covenant which will establish the boundaries of the 7 year tribulation. “One week” in this context translates into 7 years.
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate. Daniel 9:27 NKJV
As I have studied God’s Word, I have discovered that every single word has a purpose and precise meaning. They are not chosen arbitrarily. So in looking at this verse which is largely believed by many Bible scholars to be the verse that introduces the tribulation period. In this verse, the word CONFIRM is interesting, because it does not say that the covenant will necessarily be created, established, signed, or enacted by anyone, it says “confirmed”.
Earlier in this chapter, the Bible speaks to a “little horn” rising up among 10 horns. As I have studied, I have come to learn that “horn” represents a national/government leader. So, the passage below addresses a leader surfacing among 10 leaders/nations, and in this process, subdued three. It goes on to address the characteristics of this leader, and states that he is pompous.
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words. Daniel 7:7-8
In reading a little more about who this man is, Revelation 13 describes a very similar scenario as mentioned in Daniel. Notice the 42 months reference in the Scripture. 42 months equates to 3.5 years (half of a 7 year period):
Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns,and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continuefor forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe,tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
And we all know that this person’s number as identified in Scripture is 666.
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. Revelation 13:18 NKJV
Part 4 coming
So, just in reviewing these few scriptures, there is strong evidence that Christians will be raptured before God’s wrath is unleashed in the end-days. Now it gets a bit more complex (at least in my estimation). When does God’s wrath begin? Does God’s wrath encompass the entire 7 year tribulation a.k.a. 70th week? Is God’s wrath considered to be a part of the first 5-6 seals mentioned in Revelation?
These are my questions, and to date, I have yet to be convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that God’s wrath includes all events in the 7 year tribulation (as defined by Scripture). I could very well be wrong, but I just don’t see it myself. I am currently considering that God’s wrath is Scripturally introduced in the 6th seal. Read these scriptures carefully.
First Seal: The Conqueror (Revelation 6:1-2) Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
Second Seal: Conflict on Earth (Revelation 6:3-4) When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.”Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.
Third Seal: Scarcity on Earth (Revelation 6:5-6) When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quartof wheat for a denarius,and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”
Fourth Seal: Widespread Death on Earth (Revelation 6:7-8) When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
Fifth Seal: The Cry of the Martyrs (Revelation 6:9-10 ) When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on
As I have studied this part of Revelation, I have seen striking similarities in the description and nature of events as prophesied by Jesus Himself in Matthew 24 when speaking of end-days events. I won’t include those Scriptures for the sake of brevity, but Matthew 24 primarily speaks to events in the end-days, just before and immediately after the “great tribulation” of those days. The “great tribulation” is the last part of the 70th week (or the last part of the 7 year tribulation). If you review the signs of His coming detailed in Matthew 24, they mirror the first 4 or 5 seals in description and in chronological order.
When I review the 5th seal language in the Bible, it begs the question, “when will God’s wrath/judgment be released upon the unrighteous”.
Revelation 6: 9-10 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
And in looking at the next passage, or the introduction of the 6th seal, it suggests to me that God’s wrath is just being unleashed.
Revelation 6:16-17 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
I could continue to go on, but I just wanted to point out these Scriptures to perhaps inspire a desire to study God’s Word and to seek your own understanding. It is incredibly fascinating!
Watch for Part Three soon!
Over the course of the past three years or so, I have written and distributed numerous articles related to Bible prophecy and personal salvation. It has been an unexpected calling for me because leading up to the Spring of 2006, I have had zero interest in politics, Middle East news, and/or issues related to end-times. Since then, I have diligently read and studied a lot of the Bible, trying to seek God’s answers to other areas of my life, and in doing so, I have stumbled upon one amazing phenomenon that has developed, strengthened, and reinforced my personal faith in God and the Scriptures of the Holy Bible.
That phenomenon is simply the power of prophecy. Although I am not a bible scholar, a political junkie, or a former ambassador to the Middle East, I am not completely ignorant either, and I have been able to easily determine that what was prophesied in the Bible to occur, has happened with amazing precision and accuracy. The prophecies I am reading and studying now, are frankly being shaped very quickly in a way that if you took the time to study them, you would be able to see for yourself that this is not some hype or sensational whim. Times are such that we all need to examine our lives and our standing with the Lord. I know that I have made some radical changes in my life (spiritual and otherwise), and I am grateful that I had an opportunity to do this. Because of that, I feel led or compelled to share what I can with as many people as I can so that you all can read and understand things for yourself. Please don’t take my word on anything related to prophecy...examine it and draw your own conclusions. Ultimately, the most important thing in your life will come down to your personal standing with God. The rest is meaningless compared to that.
Since the Fall of 2006, I have written articles related to prophecy, and although I can’t know with 100% accuracy if I am interpreting things correctly or not—no one can—but I feel pretty confident about most subjects I have shared including information related to the 7 year tribulation (a.k.a. 70th Week), events of the tribulation, Gog/Magog, Isaiah 17, and a peace covenant. I also shared quite a bit of objective material to support a lot of what I shared…not just from the Bible, but also from current media sources so that you could see just a glimpse of what was perhaps coming to pass. One subject that I addressed related to the rapture of the Church was one that I didn’t have complete peace with. In no way am I questioning whether the Bible says this will happen, because from what I can read, I can easily see that this will occur. The one part of that article that I don’t have complete peace with, relates mostly to the TIMING of the rapture.
So many people believe that the Bible says that the Church will be raptured BEFORE the beginning of the 7 year tribulation (70th week). I can see some merit for this argument, but in all honesty, I am not completely convinced that this is supported in Scripture. I just don’t know, so I am not really taking a hard-line position on the timing of the rapture, instead, I am keeping a very open mind to a few possibilities, and of course, one of those possibilities includes a pre-tribulation rapture as I wrote about in a previous article.
I am considering another perspective, however, and that is perhaps we will be raptured at some point DURING the 7 year tribulation, and I will provide my rationale for even suggesting this. Again, I could be very wrong, but after hours of studying and HOPING I am wrong, I cannot find sufficient, concrete biblical support to cling to a pre-tribulation rapture. As I have studied, I have become aware of a lot of information that I am trying to piece together so that I have reasonable data on a few scenarios to strongly consider.
Rapture
First, I wholeheartedly believe the Bible speaks of a rapture or a “catching away” of true believers. There are a number of Scriptures that address this, but I will provide just a few.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have not hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."
1 Corinthians 15:51-53
"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality."
Protection from God’s Wrath
So why would the Lord have a rapture event anyway? Good question, but the best answer I can share with you, is that He does not want anyone to perish or to endure His wrath. He wants all us to accept Jesus as our savior and to come to salvation.
John 3:17
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (NKJV)
However, since we have free-will, we can choose our eternal destiny. With free-will comes a lot of resistance, rebellion, and refusal to accept God’s truth. So as a result, God will follow through on His Word and subject those who reject Jesus as their savior to His wrath. Not the most pleasant of subjects, but it does not have to be a dark and controversial topic. It is simply a choice.
So the rapture is intended to spare God’s church (true Christians) from His wrath...plain and simple.
1Thessalonians 1:10 : and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, [even] Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (NKJV)
1Thessalonians 5:9: For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, (NKJV)
There are other examples in the Bible where the Lord spared the righteous from His anger and wrath. Please know that a righteous person is not a perfect person. That is impossible, so I want to be clear that a definition of righteous is one who has repented (turned away) from their sins and has asked God to forgive them—not necessarily someone who is viewed as a “good person” and appears to have a perfect life.
Part Two Coming Soon!
Revelation 13:16-17 (NKJV) He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
The Holy Bible tells us that in the end days, there will be a one world government and a one world currency. For many of us, especially those living in the dominant and sovereign United States of America cannot imagine how such a concept could be real. It is easy to see how people would dismiss the truth of God’s Word because America has been the world superpower for so long and our overall healthy economy has provided a strong foundation for the global economy. If there has ever been any question about that, one should be quick to reconsider because in the past 7-8 months, the US economy has nearly collapsed, and the ripple effect has been powerfully felt around the world.
There is absolutely no question that our global economy is in very serious trouble, and it might be prudent to consider that the United States economy may very well collapse at some point in the not-so-distant future. Is that an alarmist statement? Perhaps, but considering that the Bible says that there will be a one world government and a one world currency in the last few years of history as we know it, something dramatic will have to happen to force this scenario upon us. There is no question that we will see the one world currency and the one world government, because the Bible is very clear about that. Just what events occur to get us to that point is up for speculation. My guess is that the United States economy will literally collapse or President Obama will hand over or sovereignty to a global system before the collapse officially happens. Perhaps he knows collapse is inevitable, so he is acquiescing to the world pressures to globalize. Perhaps, he is truly a socialist at heart and is eager to relinquish our sovereignty to global powers. I’d say both.
In any event, there is no denying the reality of our world today an there is no denying the direction that we are all headed. Is it an isolated situation and things will stabilize back to normal in time? Or is it a prophetic reality that once again, confirms the authority, infallibility, and accuracy of God’s Word?
It is time to wake up and pay attention to the world in which we live. It is time to get out the Bible and see what God has to say about these events. Don’t take my word for it, read about it yourself and draw your own conclusions.
Below are just a few headlines in recent days (April 2009) that speak to the truth of what is happening in our world. Don’t dismiss its significance. Pay close attention to IMF. You will likely hear of it more and more. It stands for International Monetary Fund. It is likely going to develop into the one world currency.
The G20 moves the world a step closer to a global currency
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/c....html#comments
The world is a step closer to a global currency, backed by a global central bank, running monetary policy for all humanity.
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Last Updated: 2:06PM BST 03 Apr 2009
A single clause in Point 19 of the communiqué issued by the G20 leaders amounts to revolution in the global financial order.
"We have agreed to support a general SDR allocation which will inject $250bn (£170bn) into the world economy and increase global liquidity," it said. SDRs are Special Drawing Rights, a synthetic paper currency issued by the International Monetary Fund that has lain dormant for half a century.
Published: 03 Apr 2009
GORDON Brown yesterday forced the world’s richest countries to stump up $1TRILLION to kick-start global growth. He strong-armed America, China, Japan, the EU and nations from across the planet into historic action at a gruelling G20 summit.
And afterwards the Prime Minister declared: “This is the day the world came together to fight back against the global recession — not with words, but with a plan for global recovery and reform.”
He added: “I think a new world order is emerging with the foundations of a new progressive era of international co-operation.”
US President Barack Obama, who attended the summit in London’s Docklands, hailed it as “a turning point in our pursuit of global economic recovery”.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...cle2358332.ece
Barack Obama's New World Order
The United States is still the same country it was a year ago, give or take about 6 million jobs. But its international branding campaign, as led by the new President, Barack Obama, is so different that the rest of the world might be forgiven if it has to do a double take.
Most of the hallmarks of the foreign policy of George W. Bush are gone. The old conservative idea of "American exceptionalism," which placed the U.S. on a plane above the rest of the world as a unique beacon of democracy and financial might, has been rejected. At almost every stop, Obama has made clear that the U.S. is but one actor in a global community. Talk of American economic supremacy has been replaced by a call from Obama for more growth in developing countries. Claims of American military supremacy have been replaced with heavy emphasis on cooperation and diplomatic hard labor. (Read "Obama in Europe: Facing Four Big Challenges.")
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/08599188951200
World Bank President Admits Agenda For Global Government
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
World Bank President and Bilderberg elitist Robert Zoellick openly admitted the plan to eliminate national sovereignty and impose a global government during a speech on the eve of the G20 summit.
Speaking about the agenda to increase not just funding but power for international organizations on the back of the financial crisis, Zoellick stated, “If leaders are serious about creating new global responsibilities or governance, let them start by modernising multilateralism to empower the WTO, the IMF, and the World Bank Group to monitor national policies.”
In other words, give global institutions the power to regulate national policy as part of the creation of global government.
What Zoellick is outlining is essentially the end of national sovereignty and the reclassification of national governments as mere subordinates to a global authority that is completely unaccountable to the voting public of any country.
http://www.infowars.com/world-bank-president-admits-agenda-for-global-government/
Psalm 83:1-18
A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.
Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace,
And do not be still, O God! For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”
For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You:
The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot. Selah Deal with them as with Midian, As with Sisera, As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon, Who perished at En Dor, Who became as refuse on the earth. Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb, Yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, Who said, “Let us take for ourselves The pastures of God for a possession.” O my God, make them like the whirling dust, Like the chaff before the wind! As the fire burns the woods, and as the flame sets the mountains on fire, So pursue them with Your tempest, And frighten them with Your storm. Fill their faces with shame, That they may seek Your name, O LORD. Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; Yes, let them be put to shame and perish, That they may know that You, whose name alone is the LORD, Are the Most High over all the earth.
Perhaps some of the names in this passage are unfamiliar, but they are names of countries that surround Israel today. At least weekly, reports have been published that Israel's enemies (specifically Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syria) want to eliminate this God-given land and the Jewish people who inhabit Israel.
We are witnessing an Israeli air assualt against Hamas in the Gaza strip. One must be cautious when reading most national/international media reports about this conflict because Israel may likely be portrayed as the villain because they have been forced to strike Hamas leaders who hide out among civilian populations. The sad result is that civilians get killed or wounded and the propoganda in the national media generally blames Israel for these casualties.
The truth is that Hamas (like Hezbollah in the 2006 war) uses women, children, and civilians as shields as they hide out among the general population and lob rockets into Israel as they have been doing non-stop for quite some time. Hamas' unwillingess to stop killing Israeli's through their frequent rocket fire was the catalyst for Israel's Air strikes. There is no way that any other soveriegn nation would sit idly by and allow a terrorist group continue to behave in this way without consequences.
It will be very interesting to watch how this incursion unfolds. Just today (1/3/09) Israel has been forced to enter into Gaza on the ground. Since Hamas terrorists live among the general population, a ground invasion will be the most effective in eliminating the terrorists and minimizing collateral damages.
It is important to know that Hamas is ONLY a proxy for Iran. Iran is the head of the snake in this scenario, as Israel finds itself surrounded by the coils of this serpent who is hell-bent on annihliating Israel. This is not speculation, it is a well-known repeated statement by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Further, these statements are repeated by Hamas leaders in Gaza (west), Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon (north), and Syrian leaders (northeast). Iran and its proxy leaders have its headquarters in Damascus, Syria interestingly enough.
Is that significant to Bible prophecy? Certainly it is. There is no way to determine if Psalm 83 (above)/Isaiah 17 (below)is about to be fulfilled, but the violence in the Middle East is intensifying by the hour and it has the potential to draw other Iranian proxies into a larger regional war. If this happens, pay close attention to the words of the Lord as you read the prophecies of Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17. They will come to pass at some point in the future, we just don't know exactly when, but each time Israel finds itself in a deadly battle, it takes us that much closer to the fulfillment of God's prophetic Word.
Isaiah 17: 1-14
Proclamation Against Syria and Israel
The burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken;They will be for flocks Which lie down, and no one will make them afraid. The fortress also will cease from Ephraim,The kingdom from Damascus, And the remnant of Syria;They will be as the glory of the children of Israel,” Says the LORD of hosts.
“ In that day it shall come to pass That the glory of Jacob will wane, And the fatness of his flesh grow lean. It shall be as when the harvester gathers the grain, And reaps the heads with his arm; It shall be as he who gathers heads of grain In the Valley of Rephaim. Yet gleaning grapes will be left in it, Like the shaking of an olive tree, Two or three lives at the top of the uppermost bough, Four or five in its most fruitful branches,”Says the LORD God of Israel. In that day a man will look to his Maker, And his eyes will have respect for the Holy the of Israel. He will not look to the altars, The work of his hands; He will not respect what his fingers have made, Nor the wooden images nor the incense altars. In that day his strong cities will be as a forsaken bough. And an uppermost branch, Which they left because of the children of Israel; And there will be desolation. Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation, And have not been mindful of the Rock of your stronghold, Therefore you will plant pleasant plants And set out foreign seedlings; In the day you will make your plant to grow, And in the morning you will make your seed to flourish; But the harvest will be a heap of ruins In the day of grief and desperate sorrow. Woe to the multitude of many people Who make a noise like the roar of the seas, And to the rushing of nations That make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters; But God will rebuke them and they will flee far away, And be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the kind, Like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. Then behold, at eventide, trouble! And before the morning, he is no more. This is the portion of those who plunder us, And the lot of those who rob us.
For additional commentary on Isaiah 17, please read "Soveriegnty Isaiah 17" in prophecy section of this website.
The Bible commands us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They need the true peace of Jesus Christ as does the rest of this world.
Somewhere along the way, the performance-based ideology of our society intersected with our spirituality and it created a religion or a dutiful exercise in our efforts to know God. In life, when we perform, we know we must meet certain standards to meet a certain goal or expectation. If the stakes are high, we push ourselves to achieve what we want to achieve and our minds and behavior become focused on the goal. As a result, we often have to disconnect from everything else so that we can maintain our compliance to these rigid expectations and the drive to achieve propels us forward.
In the United States, we live in a capitalistic society, and although it provides wonderful opportunities for people, it creates an underlying mindset that our value and worth equates to high performance and production quotas. If we perform and achieve, our value will grow and we will earn our rewards. It makes good sense in the secular world and it often pays off in the business world.
But, as in every other comparison to man-made, worldly systems, this performance-based theory runs counter to God’s message and His view of Christianity. The Lord is seeking those who will submit to His ways, follow Him, and seek His guidance. He wants us to desire to walk with Him and to surrender our lives to His purpose and for His glory. When we get caught up in religion, we are generally focused on our own outcomes and image. Frequently, the desires of our heart reveal that our efforts to have relationship with God are based solely out of our human awareness of Him and our ideas of what we believe He wants from us. Sadly, these theories are a result of not knowing Him properly and are also a result of the performance-based ideals that we naturally project onto Him. This repetitive cycle of our minds and behaviors expose that we are perhaps more religious than we are Christian.
When we truly do not know the Lord, we make up ways to get to know Him from our own human experience. These efforts are futile and will eventually collapse because we do not have the strength, wisdom, capacity, or persistence to maintain such high-level pursuits. We become tired, weary, and accomplish nothing spiritually, and our “religion” crashes and burns from the weight of our own ignorance.
Many of us have learned this the hard way, but God wants to have relationship with us. He does not expect us to perform for His love, grace, and mercy. He wants us to know Him through His Word, and when we do, we will experience an internal transformation that shapes our hearts in ways that naturally desires to seek Him. When our hearts genuinely desire Him, we will find that obedience is no longer a task or a duty, but instead a heartfelt longing to please Him. This lifestyle draws upon His strength, wisdom, and persistence and has the capacity to sustain us through anything.
Being religious is a function of the mind and a behavioral display of our lack of understanding. Being a Christian who truly walks with the Lord, reveals an intimate relationship of the heart and a willing surrender of our lives to the One we so passionately desire to please. Religion collapses. Christianity endures.
http://www.helium.com/items/1189258-christianity-religion-knowing-god-being-a-christian-being-religious-pleasing-god
It is so easy to judge.
Just look at the loner down the street, or the woman who has jumped from relationship to relationship, or the man who is drowning in the depths of his alcoholism. Just look at the person who is rapidly spiraling down a destructive slope but can’t see it, and what about that person who all of a sudden turned into someone that you “don’t know anymore” because their behavior is radically different than it used to be?
These people are good targets for gossip and judgment. These people are easy to point fingers at and tell our gossip buddies how messed up they are and how selfish they are. So often they, in a weird sort of way, help the gossiper feel somewhat vindicated that they somehow have life far more figured out.
Most of us have been in either the shoes of the gossiper or the shoes of the one being gossiped about—or both! It is human nature, I believe, to examine the appearance of any given situation and immediately draw conclusions and pass judgment. Often, our judgment is so critical, that we avoid the one we perceive as messed up, and we perpetuate the negative comments, fuel the community gossip, and heighten the negativity that surrounds them.
But we were told in Scripture not to judge. We are also told in Scripture that God deeply loves all of us—even the sinner. And, we are also told that our ultimate goal is to become as Christ-like as possible in our journey.
But…let’s face it…the world is getting darker by the day, people are becoming less moral, and society has been desensitized by behavior that would have been shocking just twenty years ago. People are just flat out doing irrational, impulsive, and selfish things these days…and without having a sense of why, we just sit back and cover our mouths in anger and disbelief and point our finger in judgment of them.
We think to ourselves that God will love us more because our lives are not quite that messed up and because we are not making such “irrational” and “selfish” choices. We think that God will be more proud of us because our lives don’t necessarily reflect the crazy messed up life of the one we are so brazenly criticizing…as we avoid them, judge them, and continue to hurt them by our own behavior.
How can God love people who are so messed up and who have done hurtful things to others? How can God expect us not to judge them? Why does God expect us to love them unconditionally, when clearly, their actions warrant condemnation and not loving support?
I am of the opinion that God does not expect us to condone and approve of poor choices and decisions, but I happen to believe that God loves those people very much because He understands that the basis of their outward lifestyle and choices are not a reflection of their value and worth, but a reflection of the pain and anguish that they have suffered from previous experiences that the world has not been privy to. He understands that often poor choices, selfishness, and other behaviors that people are so critical of, are often a result of deep pain…pain that no one knows about…pain that must be balanced with something that counteracts it or numbs it. Often the counteractive behaviors are those very things that invite hurtful judgments from others.
Think about Jesus and the adulteress. She was caught in the act of adultery, and every one of her peers insisted that she be stoned to death. Yet, Jesus, in all His wisdom and love for her, recognized her deep emptiness and recognized her behavior as a means to try to fill her deep emptiness. He did not sentence her to death, He reached out to her and forgave her. How and why? I just believe that Jesus knows where we came from and understands that circumstances often drive people to do things they would not have otherwise done had they not been subject to hurtful influences that often propel them on destructive paths. He sees our potential and value and does not assign it to our lifestyle. He recognizes that we are all sinners and that we all make poor choices—some perhaps worse than others—but we are all in need of forgiveness….no matter what we have done or not done.
Jesus reached out to this woman.
Jesus forgave this woman.
Jesus loved this woman.
Jesus talked to this woman.
Jesus helped this woman.
Not once did He gossip about her, smite her, judge her, or condemn her. He offered His love and forgiveness, and told her to “go and sin no more”.
We can’t see the depths of pain that people carry…directly. But often if we detect behaviors that scream selfishness, destruction, immorality (anything that invites judgment), we might be able to determine that there is pain somewhere within. We can choose to do the opposite of Jesus and point our fingers, gossip about them, and avoid them…or we can reach out to them, love them, and offer Christ-like support to them as Jesus did to the woman caught in adultery.
We simply don’t know what people are going through…we don’t know the pain and trauma they might harbor. Let’s challenge ourselves to stop adding to their trauma by being so judgmental and critical, and strive to reach out and talk to them and guide them into the path of forgiveness that WE ALL need. Jesus Christ is the only way to forgiveness. Share Jesus.
John 8: 1-11
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours, Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
|
RSS Feed