Should Christians Be Afraid?
There is a growing sense that America is facing a watershed moment not seen since the famed Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1860. The Lincoln-Douglas debates presented a deeply-divided America with starkly contrasting choices concerning the future direction of the country.
Choices so stark that no matter how it was decided, at least half the country would viscerally disagree.
Of course, in the Lincoln-Douglas debate, the topic under discussion was slavery and whether or not it should be allowed to expand beyond its existing Southern boundaries.
The debates dragged the issue to the forefront of public attention. Once there, it lingered as more and more people were forced to decide between self-interest and the best interests of the nation.
As Lincoln observed during one of the debates:
"Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed. Consequently he who molds public sentiment, goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions. He makes statutes and decisions possible or impossible to be executed."
Presidential debates are designed to sway public sentiment by allowing each candidate to present his own vision for where he would take the nation over the next four years.
For most Americans, they are boring, stuffy affairs that most voters blow off, preferring the "highlight" reel as summarized by the cable news talking heads. But this year, something is different.
The choices are as stark as they were in 1860 and the issue at hand is once again slavery, only this time, the economic kind.
According to Mitt Romney, somewhere around 47% of the country is already partially enslaved by the entitlement trap set for them by Barack Hussein Obama and his Marxist-socialist agenda.
Romney noted in his now-infamous comment that 47% of the country won't vote for him anyway.
That's because Romney's vision has nothing to offer them. They aren't swayed by promises of tax cuts since they pay no federal taxes and they are repulsed by spending cuts, since they are the recipients of the spending.
They see Romney's proposed spending cuts as direct cuts to their personal income and Obama's re-election as a potential income boost.
As almost every person that ripped into Romney's comments as "heartless" pointed out, many of those people feel that they have no choice due to their economic circumstances -- they haveto vote for Obama.
They are enslaved by the system. If they attempt to move forward personally, they jeopardize their existing benefits. The welfare-to-work program was designed to eliminate this barrier, which is why Obama was willing to defy the law in order to water it down.
They can't vote for national austerity despite the warnings that the country is headed towards an economic abyss because they know that they will be the first ones to go over. They are trapped.
They can't go backward because their backs are against the wall. They can't go forward without risking what they already have, and so they remain where they are, doing what is necessary to keep themselves above water, always paddling but going nowhere.
Like slaves to the machine that enslaves them, they have no choice but to self-perpetuate the misery in order to keep it from getting worse.
They are as enslaved as the smoker who longs to quit but is unwilling or unable to endure the withdrawal. So he lights up another one, knowing what it is doing to him and trying not to think about it.
It is important to understand that this is by deliberate design!
The presidential debates this year will be about whether or not to expand economic slavery beyond its current boundaries.
And no matter how it is decided, at least half the country will viscerally disagree.
Assessment:
A member emailed me yesterday to tell me just how scared he was about this election. He writes;
"I find myself in great turmoil because I know that God places those in power and removes them according to his will. I am very much afraid that Obama will remain in power in order to further God's judgment on America. I know God is in control but the destruction of our country just tears at my heart seeing so many of our citizens actually supporting our destruction by supporting this administration. I guess I just don't know how to deal with the possibility that God will put Obama back in office to finish the destruction. It breaks my heart."
The email exactly captured the conundrum many of us find ourselves in. Knowing that God is in control doesn't really seem to make it any easier.
(I say "seem" because it really does. Make it easier, I mean. Just imagine how scary all this would look if you didn't know God was in control.)
For most of my adult life, I've been studying, reading, writing and teaching Bible prophecy as it pertains to the last days and so from my perspective, none of this is unexpected.
The Bible makes no mention of America during the Tribulation Period, and so it should come as no huge surprise that America seems to be standing on the precipice at this point in history.
Given how far we've fallen over the past few decades, it should come as no huge surprise that America would be facing Divine judgment, for as Scripture reveals:
"But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." (Luke 12:48)
Many prophecy teachers have noted a correlation between US policy and natural catastrophes befalling the country, beginning with the Oslo Agreement and Hurricane Andrew and on to the present. So, as I said, none of this is unexpected.
And there is a direct relationship between fear and faith. It could be argued that fear is the opposite of faith. If one has enough faith, what is there to fear?
And yet I find myself looking around at all that is taking place and it doesn't just cause me great turmoil, it scares the pants off me!
Great! On top of everything else I'm scared of being afraid! I'm not just scared of what is happening all around me, I'm scared I don't have enough faith to face what is to come.
Terrific! If only I had enough faith, then I could cheerfully face whatever this old world could throw at me!
But no, I'm scared. What a loser!
I'm worried about my finances. I am worried about my personal security. I worry about my kids. I'm worried about what will happen if Obama gets another four years to finish what he's started.
Still, I KNOW that if that is God's will, that is what will happen. And because it is God's will, all will be well.
And I have faith. I know that He is in control. I see it every day. Every time I read a newspaper, I see confirmation that God remains on His Throne.
I am an eyewitness to the fulfillment of the Promise -- I am part of that generation that shall not pass until ALL these things, up to and including the Second Coming of Christ, will be fulfilled.
But I'm still scared. What does that mean? How can I counsel others and tell them not to fear when I know in my heart that I share my correspondent's apprehensions. I don't really know how to deal with it all.
What if Obama gets re-elected? I cannot imagine how America could survive another term. Does that mean we're closer to the Rapture?
What if Romney gets elected? Does that mean that America's been given a temporary reprieve? Does it mean the Rapture is pushed back?
How should I pray? Do I pray my own self-interest?
"Dear God, please protect me and my family from the coming of the Evil One." Is that selfish?
Do I pray that God will hold back the time? Is that faithless?
Like I said, it isn't like I didn't know that all this was going to happen. I've been preaching about the unfolding of the last days for years and years.
And now that the time is now here, I find myself faltering -- in great turmoil, as my correspondent put it -- my own heart failing me for fear and for looking after the things that are coming upon the earth as the powers of heaven are shaken.
If I feel that way, then I can only imagine how terrifying it must look to those without Christ, or to those with no understanding of Bible prophecy.
How does one reconcile one's faith that all that is coming is according to God's will with the fear of all that is coming?
"Then saith He unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with Me. And He went a little farther, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt." (Matthew 26:38-39)
Jesus knew what was to come. He knew that all was according to the will of the Father. He had faith, but even so, He prayed so hard that Luke 22:44 says His sweat was mingled with blood.
Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Universe. He knew all things, including why He was there in the Garden, where He would be in a matter of hours and what He would have to endure.
Jesus Christ had no lack of faith. But He prayed that if it were possible, the cup would pass from His lips, knowing that His prayer was futile.
At the risk of being accused of blasphemy, I submit to you that Jesus was scared of what was to come.
So it is ok if I am. And it is ok if you get scared, sometimes, too. So don't be afraid that being afraid means you have no faith. That is what Scripture means when it says,
"Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh."
Don't fear being afraid. Your faith is still intact.
"For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken." (Proverbs 3:25-26)
You are going to need it in the days ahead.
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