Are the big guys bailing out on us?
Yesterday I encountered several opinion pieces whose message was “We give up, the bad guys win! Goodbye, America!” And then I read Victor Davis Hanson’s recent essay, “Anarchy, American Style” (https://amgreatness.com/2023/01/29/anarchy-american-style/).
Holy cow. Over the years I’ve respected Hanson as a commentator–but this is something else. Maybe he ought to be put on a suicide watch.
According to Hanson (and he’s not the only one who says so), Far Left Crazy now controls virtually everything… and has become The Establishment. Any meaningful opposition simply does not exist. (Ron DeSantis apparently doesn’t know this.)
Victor, Victor! Live up to your name! Is God not on His throne? Will He not judge our time? Is truth no longer truth? And do the odds really matter? Because the enemy is big and strong and wealthy, does that mean we do well to surrender? I should send you one of my T-shirts that reads, “If they have to kill us, they’ve lost.”
I am a nobody. Not too small to step on and crush, but still pretty much a nobody. Does this woeful era of history discourage me? You bet it does. Does it give me a license to give up?
No. Never.
My wife asked me, “So what’s his solution? What does he say we should do?”
“He has nothing to say by way of a solution. Not even a ‘Stay tuned for Part II, “What to Do About it.”‘
We belong to a God who uses the weak to overthrow the mighty, foolish things to confound the wise, and things that are despised to cast down things that are esteemed [See 1 Corinthians Chapter 1]. As bad as things are, we His people have faced worse. Much worse. Two world wars kind of spring to mind.
If our leaders are going to lose heart and give up–well, ask God to give us new ones. He can raise them up at will.
“Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” – Winston Churchill
Thanks for that–I was going to use that quote, but I got distracted and forgot.
Victor Hanson Davis needs to be born-again and renew his mind to the Word of God. We can use him on the side of being more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.
Not only is there “Too Much Despair Out There!” that same message of despair permeates most evangelistic churches. It’s a doctrine called Dispensational. Which teaches we are the generation that will see the “second coming” of Christ. And all those evil events which are occurring must take place, for “it is written,” that things will get worse and worse until Jesus splits the sky and raptures His Church off the earth.
I used to believe and teach that, but when I studied the scriptures, I found a victorious eschatology is taught, not the “last days” nonsense that many believe. A friend of mine recently wrote to admonish me concerning my belief in a victorious eschatology:
“You are wrong. There is nothing that you can or will ever be able to do to change my mind on this subject … You will NOT persuade me to change my mind … I can see the road to Revelation forming up in front of us (I do not know how many years it will take to come to fruition before evil’s conquering of the world, followed by Christ’s triumphant return, or even if I will live to see it) and way too many people I care about or who I know have the power to influence things who are in denial of the truth about the rise of evil.…
What do Dispensationalists really believe about the present? Do they think Christ’s Church will prevail and change the world? The following quotes represent the belief system of most Dispensational teachers:
Christians have no immediate solution to the problems of our day.24
To attempt to establish a long-term change of institutions before Christ returns will only result in the leaven of humanism permeating orthodox Christianity.25
I suppose it is also possible that Christ could delay His coming another 2,000 years or longer. Given the rapid decline of society I do not see how that is possible.26
The pre-trib rapture view puts forward that the world will grow worse and worse. The Church will be removed from earth, then God’s judgment will begin to fall on rebellious earth-dwellers.27
The late Harold Lindsell, who was editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, may not have been a Dispensationalist but he still echoed the same sentiments when he pointed out “This present world is doomed. The scent of death is upon it. It is committing suicide and nothing can save it … until the coming of Jesus Christ.”28
…Dispensational leaders write as though all hope and courage are gone. They see themselves as a little band of desperate survivors just hoping Jesus will return to save them before it is too late.
I do not believe in inevitable progress toward a much better world in this dispensation, and God’s church has no right to take an optimistic, triumphalistic attitude.29
Apostasy grows worse and worse as time goes on. We live in the last days and we know that our Lord prophesied that in our days there would be few in the world that believe.30
Tim LaHaye seems to sum up the feelings of many in the Christian community when he writes:
Most knowledgeable Christians are looking for the Second Coming of Christ and the tribulation period that He predicted would come before the end of the age. Because present world conditions are so similar to those the Bible prophesies for the last days … they conclude that a takeover of our culture by the forces of evil is inevitable; so they do nothing to resist it.31” From “Israel, Rapture, Tribulation”
Can you see the problem with this doctrine? If we believe things will get worse and there is nothing we can do, for it’s written in scripture, do you really believe we can prevail?
Victor Davis Hanson’s essay had no solution. And by and large, the Church has no solution, for they preach the same message, nothing can be done, for we are living in the “end times” the “last days” thus, things can only get worse, for its already been prophesied, and nothing we do can alter what must come to pass.
However, that doctrine is not the faith taught and believed by the early church, nor the historic church, which had a vision of victory. That vision of victory of men and women of the 18th century made that century the century of the greatest Christian advancement the world has ever seen!
The solution is simple (but will take great effort…follow the example of the early church). God’s people must “contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” This means the pessimistic Dispensational teaching that has blighted the mission of the church for 100 years or more must be done away with. Only when this misdirected belief system is gone will the Church rouse itself and again become the salt and light of this world, with a glorious vision of victory.
A fine presentation, Mike. Probably a minority view among this blog community, but I don’t like to press anyone on eschatology. I also consider ordinary worldly history. How many years can you think of that were worse for more people than 1939-1945? And what came afterward was no picnic, either. But we’re still here, aren’t we?
End Times theology is a deeply personal issue for many in this community. All I ask is that we do our best to keep it a community. We are so well endowed with enemies, it makes no sense to feud with each other over eschatology.
I am aware of the “flavor” of your blog, and try not to stir up the pot when I know there may be doctoral subjects or issues some make comments, about that I may disagree with or have strong feelings about, one way or another. I don’t always succeed, but I do try.
There are many subjects that Christians do not agree with, like baptism, some believe in infant baptism, and some think only believers should be baptized. There are other subjects where you can find Christians on both sides of the topic. But there are very few beliefs that can affect the future of the earth, as your, stand, view, or belief, as eschatology. Nevertheless, I can think of a few, such as Martin Luther’s stand on “Justification by faith alone” without works, which is one teaching that comes to mind. That belief changed the course of history. As I state in my book:
“There is always a link between belief and action. This is true in the sports world, the business world, and the realm of the Church. Belief in your goal is the primary ingredient that will allow you to attain it. Every athlete who has ever won a gold medal believed he could win or had someone who believed in him, and that belief eventually found its way through the mind and heart to the body. Everyone who has ever accomplished anything in this world believed they could succeed. The person who sets their mind on a goal will either achieve it or die trying.”
So, because so many believe the end is near, nothing can be done, and there is no way to change it, you get what you see all around, evil prevailing. Of course, I do not believe that this is the only reason, but I believe it’s a big part of the problem. Today, if most preachers started to preach victory, instead of the defeat of Christ’s Church, within a few years things would change, belief in victory is a mighty force, if only preachers would believe and preach it…my, my, my, Christians would turn the world upside down once again.
I try not to commit, personally, to anyone’s take on eschatology (God’s is the only one that matters). If Christ Our King should return while I’m still here, I hope he finds me at my post, doing what I can to serve Him.
For real.