An Irony of History

 

An Irony of History

 

I do not know when history as we know it will culminate. I do not know when Father Time will blow his trumpet and the Shadowlands will be no more. I do know that we see the ebb and flow of great rivers in the Bible, I do know that the headwaters of Genesis reach to Revelation, and I do know that Jesus Christ is the River that we ought to swim in – there is poisonous bacteria in all other rivers.

 

Should there be future generations, historians will look back at the irony that those professing Christians who made much of End Times teaching, who made much of the Rapture and the Beast and the Mark of the Beast, were deceived by the mystery of lawlessness into supporting and propagating the wickedness which they once warned against; they abrogated their citizenship of heaven for an earthly citizenship that enslaved their very own people. They brought the idols of the world into the hearts of their people.

 

Eschatology which is not centered in Jesus Christ has tragic consequences, just ask people here and abroad. Our religious playthings kill people.

 

Historians will note that whereas the early Christians stood separate from the Imperial Cult and suffered for their confession, that these professing Christians heartily embraced it, thereby denying the Lord who bought them with His blood. An ironic tragedy of history.

 

How is it that we think we can teach Matthew 24 without also teaching Matthew 25? How is it that we think we can teach about His coming to us and not teach His final Word on His coming? And what is His final Word?

 

“Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:45 – 46).

 

“I was hungry, and you gave Me  nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me, sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me” (Matthew 25:42 – 43).

 

Are those hospitality houses we’re building across our land?

 

When governments use the Bible in their propaganda, when they purport to represent Christ and the Gospel – and when they use the Bible to kill and destroy, and when they seduce and purchase the souls of religious leaders and their followers – O shame, shame, shame on us, on all of us for not speaking and living the truth and standing with Jesus Christ.

 

“Another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts” (Daniel 7:8).

 

“He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law, and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time” (Daniel 7:25).

 

“Out of one of them came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great…It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them down. It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down…and it will fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper” (Daniel 8:9 – 13).

 

“A king will arise, insolent and skilled in intrigue, his power will be mighty, but not by his own power, and he will destroy to an extraordinary degree and prosper and perform his will; He will destroy mighty men and the holy people, and through his shrewdness he will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; and he will magnify himself in his heart, and he will destroy many while they are at ease, he will even oppose the Prince of Princes, but he will be broken without human agency” (Daniel 8:23 – 25).

 

“Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods…” (Daniel 11:36).

 

“Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God (2 Thess. 2:3 – 4).

 

“There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies…and he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven” (Revelation 13:5 – 6).