Disciples Digital Library

“Though He slays me yet will I trust in him, and I will maintain my ways before him”  –  Job 13:15 .  Each of us has asked the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Why, despite their faithfulness and supplications, do many Christians become ill and die from horrible diseases? Why do so many not experience the emotionally satisfying presence of God, see visions, or have angelic visitations?

In Revelation, humanity is divided into two and only two groups – followers of the Lamb and subjects of the Beast .  Every man and woman either “ tabernacles in heaven ” or is included among the “ inhabitants of the earth .” These descriptions are  NOT  geographical or spatial. Instead, they reflect the  ALLEGIANCE OF EITHER GROUP .

Our “destiny” is to take up the Cross of Christ, deny ourselves, and follow HIM wherever he goes.  As a young man, I found life disturbing. Having developed an early interest in history, the more I read, the more inexplicable reality became. Human society, past and present, was characterized by inequality, injustice, corruption, and warfare. If existence meant a life of struggle followed by death, what was the point of it all?

"In the last days, mockers will come with mockery, saying, ‘Where is the promise of his coming?’.” Over the last year, we have witnessed significant failures by the “leaders” of the “Prophetic Movement,” and the last failure was so spectacular that many “prophets and apostles” found it necessary to issue public “apologies.” Unfortunately, this has not stopped them from repackaging themselves as they continue to “prophesy” in the name of the Lord.

“ The Spirit expressly says that in later seasons some will revolt from the faith, giving heed unto seducing spirits and teachings of demons ” (1 Timothy 4:1).  I cannot presume to know why God allows certain things to occur in His church other than perhaps to test us, although recent events suggest possible explanations. He cares for His people, and even when He judges them, it is to correct and save them. Unfortunately, all too often the worst elements seem to rise to the top in Popular Christianity.

The “ Son ” in the twelfth chapter of  Revelation  represents the Messianic figure from the Second Psalm whom God declared would “ shepherd the nations .” Following the enthronement of the “ slain Lamb ,” heaven declared, “ Now is come the Kingdom of God and the authority of His Christ .” His “ faithful testimony ” in death and his victory through resurrection marked the start of his reign over the “ nations .” However, he rules by “ shepherding ” them, and not through conquest and tyranny - (Revelation 5:6-14, 12:5).

Why are so many church leaders seeking to divine God’s will and the future by using astrology and calendrical calculations?  Where in the New Testament do I find Jesus or Paul teaching us how to divine “spiritual” insights or even the future from Hebrew year numbers or month names? And increasingly, Christians are seeking omens in perfectly natural events, including lunar and solar eclipses, the appearance of a comet, and even unusual cloud formations.

Did Jesus triumph and begin his messianic reign at his death and resurrection, or is he waiting for some future event to do so?  Did Jesus triumph over his enemies on Calvary? Did he conquer his enemies and begin his reign following his resurrection from the dead? Most of us would answer, “Well, of course, he did!” Yet certain common interpretations, if taken at face value, intentionally or not, deny that he did, that his reign will not commence until his return in glory.

A key theme in Revelation is the contrast and conflict between the two cities - New Jerusalem and Babylon, the Great Whore .  The  Book of Revelation  often uses several terms to portray the same reality. For example, the people of God are called the “ servants of God ,” the “ saints ,” and the “ brethren .” Churches are represented by “ lampstands ” and the “ Two Witnesses .” The overarching cosmic conflict between the “ Dragon ” and the “ Lamb ” is presented by comparing two very different “ cities .”

The cross of Christ will conquer the world, not superpowers, political might, or “signs and wonders . ”  Since 1989, I have been hearing how God is “about” to pour out an unprecedented “revival,” one characterized by great “signs and wonders,” the likes of which even Jesus and the apostles never witnessed, miraculous displays that will awe billions of men and women into accepting the gospel. Well, one can only hope!

The history of failed predictions and projections by the End-Time Prophecy Industry has left many of its proponents and adherents holding empty bags. Not only has it predicted the return of Jesus within a “biblical generation” of Israel’s founding in 1948, but also a long list of related events that supposedly must precede it, none of which have yet to oc cur.  It is well past time to discover what the Bible says and restore the Apostolic faith.

The legacy of the “Prosperity Gospel” is the corruption of the gospel of Jesus Christ and increasingly, apostasy.  When I became a Christian, the so-called “Prosperity Gospel” was new and restricted to the fringes of the Charismatic Movement. When I heard about it, I concluded: “ This will never last. Who would believe such an obvious scam? ” So much for my prophetic abilities! This deception now dominates and even defines today’s “Charismatic Movement.”

Why do church leaders excuse lying, adultery, and other serious sins when committed by their political friends and allies?   Early in my Christian walk, I was taught to strive for holiness in every area of life. Sin must not be tolerated in thought, word, or deed. “ Do not evil that good may come !”  As a disciple of Jesus, I was to live “separate” from the fallen world, not physically, but spiritually and morally. His follower must not be “ unequally yoked ” with sinners.

Satan tempted Jesus by offering him political power over “ all the kingdoms of the world ,” an offer he emphatically refused. Instead of power and grandeur, he submitted to the way of the ‘ Suffering Servant ’ that led inevitably to death on the Roman cross. The most startling detail of this encounter is that Jesus did not dispute the Devil’s claim to have jurisdiction over the political systems of the world.

Fifty years ago, I was influenced greatly by the bestseller, ‘The Late Great Planet Earth.’ In it, I read how last-day prophecies were being fulfilled before our eyes in the daily news headlines. All the “signs” indicated that I was a member of the “last generation” that would live before the return of Jesus. The Antichrist, Armageddon, and the Millennium were just around the corner.

The Apostle Paul was adamant. “ In Christ Jesus ,” no longer is there “ Jew or Gentile .” By his shed blood, the Nazarene “ dismantled the middle wall of partition ” that separated Jews and Gentiles, “ that he might reconcile them both in one body for God through the cross .” Having voided the “ law of the commands in ordinances ” that divided them, ever since he has been “ creating in himself One New Man .”

An eagle flying in mid-heaven announces the last three trumpets, the three woes unleashed against the inhabitants of the earth  – Revelation 8:13.  The first four trumpets have sounded. Now, an “ eagle flying in mid-heaven ” announces the final three and calls them “ woes .” Unlike the first four, the plagues unleashed by the last three trumpets afflict the “ inhabitants of the earth ” themselves, whereas the first four damaged the infrastructure on which human society depends – agriculture, commerce, freshwater supplies, and light.

Under the guidance of the Spirit, Stephen gives eloquent and effective testimony to the leaders of Israel .  Early on, the church experienced conflicts between its Greek and Aramaic-speaking members. The apostles instructed the community to select seven men “ full of the Spirit and wisdom ” to take charge of the matter. One of the seven chosen men was Stephen, and  Acts  notes especially that he was “ FULL OF FAITH AND THE SPIRIT .”

Our natural tendency is to avoid conflict. Understandably, we prefer our daily lives to be characterized by peace, acceptance, and prosperity, a life devoid of difficulties and afflictions. Moreover, the New Testament does promise believers peace now and everlasting life later. Nevertheless, it also exhorts the Assembly of God to expect afflictions and even persecution in this life on account of its light and testimony in a sin-darkened world.