*At the end of this blog is a list of end times signs for your contemplation, plus a prayer.
Coffee First
Ask anyone who knows me well and you’ll hear how I can spend hours at a kitchen or bistro table with a good friend or two plus a cup of joe talking about my favorite subjects—biblical stuff. Writing blogs, Bible studies, and Christian fiction are my passion. Talking with a group of on-fire-for-the-Lord ezer women is the absolute best high ever. And when we talk about the Lord in mass, He makes a record of it (Malachi 3:16).
Isn’t that a wonderful thought to take in with a shot of espresso?
I can’t explain why I’m so compelled to write or speak as I certainly don’t see myself as someone who has amazing thoughts to share or as an expert in anything spiritual. But there is a need that rises up in me to speak out or write out the things of the Lord.
I suppose it’s a call on my life talk about God stuff as I truly, truly desire to help people (women in particular) find their sweet and brave spot in the Lord’s kingdom.
It’s interesting though, living in the foothills of the Sandia/Manzano mountain ranges on three acres and working remote, I’m alone a lot of the time. When I do get out, it’s for long-distance travels. I’m not interacting face-to-face as much as I’d like.
So here we are, you and me, communicating through an electronic screen. One day, and I hope it’s one day soon, we’ll be raptured into an eternal state of being, where time is calculated differently. I hope then, you and I can have our face-to-face coffee meet up and get all of our thrill-the-heart conversation topics covered. Maybe we’ll book a cozy little bistro in Switzerland and beam on over there. Wouldn’t that be great?
But before we get started with the political and end times part of our chat, I’d like to tell you that after I wrote this entire blog, dumped the last of the coffee grounds, I went to take a bath to let the blog subject settle. This is when I usually ask the Lord to let me know if there’s anything I need to change about what I’ve written. Well, as soon as I put my first toe in the lavender-laced bubble bath, I heard him say, “pray.”
“Yes, Lord,” I replied, slipping on in chin deep. “I will.”
“For her,” He said.
I gasped. I winced.
He and I both knew the her He referred to. I knew because the whole time I wrote this blog, I was working hard to not let my personal contempt for her seep into my writing. I didn’t want any of you to be able to determine just which side of the political aisle in which I’d taken a firm seat.
But the Lord reminded me of a very important Scripture. The one that urges us to take a godly response to those we believe come against us. And He reminded me that if I’m going to write about politics and politicians, then I certainly need to pray for them. You know the Scripture I’m talking about. It’s in Luke and we’re told to pray for those who abuse us and persecute us. And n Matthew, we’re told to love our enemies.
Sigh. I sunk into the bath water to my eyeballs, dreading the prayer.
Praying for our enemies is a hard thing to do and I admit, I’m no good at it.
So, at the end of the blog after the list of end times signs, You’ll find a little prayer for Kamala Harris but also Donald Trump.
Politics
As a somewhat loose rule, I don’t like to talk about politics unless I am in a face-to-face, read-my-body-language and hear-my-tone situation. Too many assumptions can be made when reading ink-on-the-page political opinions. I want anyone I share my political views with to know I come at politics with a sense of curiosity (it’s hard to grasp the insanity of it all, right?) and open-mindedness, but most of all, I approach politics in light of what the Bible teaches us about our world. Or, truthfully, I try.
I work at not co-mingling my American patriotism with my loyalty to Christ. This is because my citizenship changed from American to citizen of God’s Kingdom when I accepted Christ. Actually, until I accepted Christ, the reality of to where and to whom I belonged was the spiritual darkness, the anti-God, anti-Christ dimensions of this world.
… for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. – Ephesians 5:8 (esv)
It’s important to me and for me to not let everything I’m passionate about reside in one big hot pot of passion stew where things can blend that shouldn’t. Syncretism is real and a real threat as people seek to harmonize religion in preparation for the one-world coming religion. It’s funny, we’re in a culture that doesn’t want to offend but offending is about all politicians do today. It’s plain crazy as the general public is condemned and canceled (even arrested) for hate speech, but did you catch the presidential debate last week?
With the hostile talk on social media and the newswires, politics has become a religion of its own. That’s why I’m working hard to not let my patriotism get the best of my desire to image bear for Christ.
I need to push every decision I make through the truth that I am a new creature in Christ. This includes my personal politics. As well, I need to remember that Christ has given us prophecy, so that we will know what the future holds regardless of who we vote for or what political party we support. I want to approach politics through the light of prophecy as I believe that God is in control, and that all things now are leading us to the all things new kingdom with Christ on a throne.
Whoever wins the presidency of the US, their rule will not be for eternity. US presidents just last four years. I know, I know, having the wrong person in office for four years can ruin an economy or take our national freedoms places that could be devastating. But nothing, nothing will change the course of history that God put in motion as early as the garden of Eden.
He is working out His plan and I have to trust this all the more as our society prefers decay.
As a matter of fact, He told His children to watch for signs that He is working out His plan. He wants you and me to know where we’re headed. One simple man or woman in a big white house in corrupt Washington DC isn’t going to be our biggest problem. Our biggest problem is a coming anti-Christ and the era of grace coming to an end. We’ve been warned, things will get worse before things get better. Maybe our rough political season is a rough sign of the times. These Scriptures point to this truth:
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. – 2 Timothy 3:1-7 (esv)
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high … – Hebrews 1:1-3a (esv)
It is true that our Lord speaks to us about the times a head but He’s also very in tune with what’s happening right now. Check out this Scripture:
And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us. – Acts 17:26
He’s in with us—in all of it—building a people for the future reign of Christ, taking us through sanctification (which always involves hard stuff), and showing us that man or woman-run governments will always, always fail. Every form of government with humans at the helm is flawed. Things will only get worse until the rapture.
But until He returns, we do have the duty of serving each other (sometimes through political office) and when we have been given the beautiful freedom to vote for a leader, we certainly should exercise that right. What I’m trying to pull together and say here is that I believe I am a Christians first. I have been placed at this time and geographic location by God for a godly purpose. And as a temporary mortal, I am to exercise my temporary rights to vote even though the system is flawed. The point is I vote as my duty to where God placed me (Acts 17:26) and I trust that God’s purposes will not be thwarted (Job 42:2). Both.
But my hope must be in Christ alone. My hope should radiate, even when the candidate I dislike is on the screen (and or/if she’s in the office). Or if the candidate I prefer wins the election, my hope must not transfer to him, but stay firmly in Christ.
For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. – Romans 8:24-25
End Times
But also as a Christian, I am to discern the will of God and through His Word, I have come to understand that all man-run governments will fail and in a future day, at last, the perfect governance will come as Christian believers are given authority over the nations with Christ at the throne. Check out the verses below:
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelation 19:14-16 (NASB)
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth. – Revelation 5:9-10 (NASB)
Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him. – Daniel 7:27 (NASB)
Through God’s amazing grace, He has given us insight into the future and His plan. And through this unmerited favor, He’s given us signs into the timing of this coming and beautiful future. And as some may be aware, the signs of the timing have become very hard to ignore. While we will never know the exact day or hour of Christ’s return, He, through the Word, has mercifully allowed us to know that our generation exists in the latter days. We live in the latter days. The Apostle John wrote:
Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. – 1 John 2:18
Because the world is six thousand years old and the above words were written approximately 2,000 years ago, how much more latter are we?
To remind myself of how much latter days today’s world is, I read through prophecy to consistently to remind myself of three things:
- That I cannot vote away God’s judgement
- That things will get bad before they get better according to end-times Scripture
- Every day, I’m closer to the amazing fulfillment of a 1,000-year reign of Christ
Whatever happens in this election will not change God’s plans.
Goodness, we’ve been about kingdom building since Christ ascended two-thousand years ago. We don’t need more time, we need more praying, giving people to take the Word into the nations—Christ’s last and urgent command to us.
I don’t buy it when some well-meaning Christians proclaim that we can stall what’s coming if we have a godly leader at the helm. I do believe we can have revival, but still, it won’t slow the prophecy clock down. Revival is a great thing, but we need revival to help us endure, stand tough, and bring in more people for Christ—not for our own comforts or for persuading God to give us more time.
Do I need to vote? You betcha.
Do I need to know the issues? Oh, yes.
Am I distressed by the lies pouring into my life from those who wish to control the world? Yes, and more than I’m revealing here.
Do I look up with eyes on Jesus? It’s a discipline I work on every day.
Do I speak out for truth? Heck yes!
But I do it all in the “love your enemies” reminder the Lord gave me this morning.
Do not lie to each other since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. – Colossians 3:10
Per Scripture, when I see the signs listed at the end of this blog (for my reminder that the end of mortal corruption is at hand), then I must do as Scripture mandates:
And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. – Luke 21:27-28.
Straighten up, my fellow warrior/kingdom citizens, let’s raise our heads!
Thanks for the connection today, I feel better getting some of this sorted out and hope you’ll be able to do the same.
If I perish, I perish,
Laurie
Following is THE LIST we are to be watchful for taken from Daniel, Ezekiel, Luke, Mark, 2 Timothy, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and Matthew. This is not an exhaustive list of signs, but as you read remember these words of Jesus:
“Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.” Luke 21:28–31
A List of Signs – Redemption Comes
Wars and rumors of wars
Israel will come out of the nations (fulfilled in 1948)
Nation will rise against nation
Nations will come against restored Israel
Israel will be surrounded by armies
Israel will have unwalled villages (living in security)
Signs from heaven
Earthquakes (beginning of birth pains) in various places
False messiahs
False teachers
Famines (in various places)
Pestilences
Brother will deliver brother over to death
People will be burdened by sin
People will not endure sound doctrine
People will be led astray by passions
Children will rise against parents
*Christian persecution will increase
Lawlessness will increase
The love of many will grow cold
There will be times of difficulty
The latter days will be a time of distress
People will be arrogant, lovers of self, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lover of God,
Many will fall away
People will be always learning but unable to come to the knowledge of truth
People will betray one another
People will hate one another
People with have the appearance of godliness, but deny its power
The church will be raptured
Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked.
**The gospel will be preached to all nations
None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand
Notes:
*In the three decades since the religious liberty organization Open Doors has been compiling its World Watch List of the 50 countries where Christians face the most persecution for their faith, that persecution has never been worse. Some 312 million Christians now face persecution for their faith.
**There is a worldwide alliance of Bible translation agencies working to complete the Great Commission. Get involved.
Prayer:
Lord, it is hard for me to pray for men and women that I discern as belonging to the camp that seeks to steal and destroy. But I know that you want me to pray for my enemies—love them into a relationship with you. So I pray for both US candidates—that each will seek you and the kingdom of God first, finding your loving salvation at last if either has not yet done so. I pray godly peace and wisdom over each for no one is to far away to come home to you. Amen
Download or Read the Free Bible Brief: unHeard