There are a lot of posts on social media claiming that the problems we are having in 2020 are God's warning that the book of Revelation is about to be fulfilled. I won't debate those making that claim because I can't say they are right or that they are wrong. Certainly, the world-wide pandemic, the chaos in the streets, the rejection of Christianity and God by so many, the wars and threats of wars are all spoken of in the Bible as events that will occur prior to God's judgement coming upon the world. However, we can also point to many other times in world history when such events were occurring, so I'm not prepared to say Armageddon is just around the corner or that the Rapture is about to occur. Too many have made such predictions in the past only to find that they, and their followers, were mistaken. I'm content to accept the words of Jesus when He said that this will occur at a time when we least expect it.
What I am prepared to say is that we are seeing the results of a world that has rejected God, His teachings and His Son, Jesus Christ. Our culture has denied the existence of God, the existence of absolute truth and morals, and the need for forgiveness and salvation. It has deemed the church to be irrelevant, made mockery of the moral teachings of Scripture and denied the sanctity of life. We have sown into the wind and reaped the whirlwind. As a result, our news media brings us nightly reports of violence, hatred, crimes and chaos masquerading as demands for freedom.
Freedom without morality is not freedom. It is not freedom if I can do as I please without considering the freedom of others. It is not freedom that permits one person to burn down the home or business of another. It is not freedom that allows those in authority to harm or even take the life of another without just cause nor is it freedom if one race or religion is permitted to mistreat those of another race or religion. Those who have created CHOP in Seattle built a fence and patrol it with guns, the very things these same people criticized the president for wanting to do with the border, but at the same time they denied those who have lived and worked in that area of the city their freedoms.
When we abandon the morality found in the Bible we sacrifice our freedom and our humanity. No African-American should fear the police, but neither should the police fear the public. Once again, there was violence in the larger cities in the nation this past weekend with numerous shootings and killings. No respect for life. No respect for our fellow human beings. Exactly the kind of conditions the Scripture tells us will exist in the latter days.
What can the church do in such times? We must be faithful to proclaim the Word of God inviting people to repent of their sins and to invite Christ into their lives. Furthermore, we must be faithful to hold fast to the teachings of Scripture. We cannot deny those teachings in order to appease the PC crowd or those who would stand against biblical truth and morality. We must be able to defend our faith to those who do not understand it or openly question it. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit and cover ourselves in prayer if we want to see the church come through this times of crisis. We must be willing to stand with those who are truly oppressed, and, at the same time, refuse to join with those who would seek to use this unsettled time for their own personal advantage.
In the midst of all the chaos that exists at this time it's important to remember that God is still on the throne. While the media breathlessly tells us of one crisis after another we must not forget that ultimately God's will shall be done.
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