THINGS ARE NOT GETTING BETTER—YET

Despite the claims of some, as far back as the first-century Church and the Ante-Nicene Fathers there has been a belief in the Rapture, the catching away of faithful Christians before the seven-year Tribulation begins. I will not discuss that in this blog. Details can be found in the Remnant Bible Study here on our website. Nor am I here to debate the pre-trib, mid-trib, and post-trib positions taken by various groups of believers. Instead I want to briefly address a heretical belief that has been spreading through churches for several decades now.

Usually addressed as Dominionism or as Kingdom Now theology, this belief postulates that there are 7 “mountains” or 7 “spheres of influence” that Christians must be in control of in order to set up a worldwide Christian theocracy and prepare the world for the return of Jesus Christ. These “mountains/spheres of influence” are government, education, media, arts and entertainment, religion, family, and business.

The Rapture is explained away as people being enraptured in joy at the return of Jesus Christ. As in many other belief systems, there are nuances and variations in the degrees to which people hold to and teach this sort of theology, so the explanation of this heresy given here is a generic one. It is also not the only heresy making its rounds in churches, but one of many. Like so many other wrong beliefs, this one puts believers to sleep as to what is going on in the world. Theoretically, if Christians were to take over these seven areas, things in the world would start getting better. In reality, that is not going to happen, at least not yet. One has but to read these Scriptures to see that: Matthew 24:3-44; Luke 17:20-37, 21:7-36. The fact is, things are going to get worse—much worse—before they get better!

So what do we have as of this writing in the early 2020’s? The United States has been dangerously weakened by corruption, immorality, and division. Various countries have used the COVID pandemic as an opportunity to make unlawful power grabs over their citizens. Militantly Islamic Iran is headed towards becoming a nuclear-enabled nation. China, a Communist digital totalitarian state, is waiting in the wings to become the world’s next superpower. Russia is getting stronger. These are only a few of the dark things going on in our world, and lurking behind all these are the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and, most of all, the Great Reset being slipped in on the world by globalist elitists at the World Economic Forum. Just go to WEF’s website and see it for yourself.

Does this sound like things are getting better? No rational person could conclude that! Yet, this nonsense is being tossed around as a real possibility. What’s going on in the Church is another sign of the times—many are falling away from the foundational truths of the faith and embracing heresies or outright apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). Biblically speaking, things have to get worse before they get better. One may then wonder how it can do any good to know what is going on if we cannot keep this from happening. There is Biblical precedent for the usefulness of having wisdom and knowledge of the times:

1 Chronicles 12:32:  …of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command;…

This sort of understanding is good to have regardless of what is happening and regardless of what is coming.   It behooves us as Christians to know that even before the Rapture and subsequent 7-year Tribulation, things are going to get worse. Why? Not only can we do things to, if possible, protect ourselves and stay alive, but we can also safeguard our salvation and our departure at the Rapture.

Many Christians have a mistaken belief that salvation can never be lost and that going up in the Rapture is an automatic for every Christian. We have discussed in the past that believers can forfeit their salvation and that disobedient Christians will be left behind when Jesus returns. We must live in close relationship with Jesus, doing those things which please Him:

Hebrews 12:14:  Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:…

Revelation 2:10:  “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

Acts 17:11:  These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

John 14:15, 16:33:  “If you love Me, keep My commandments…These things I have spoken to you, that  in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

We must embrace all of the truths of the Bible, not force them to fit our theology (Acts 20:27; Revelation 22:18-19). Prayerfully read your Bible and meditate on what you read daily. Subject any doctrine you have been taught to the test of Scripture. If it lines up, keep it. If it does not, discard it and do not listen to who taught it.

Do not listen to the news nonstop, and beware of mainstream media outlets. When you do check the news, listen to conservative and preferably Christian news outlets in order to more accurately keep up with what is happening in the world. And remember, this world is not our home (Philippians 3:17-21).

So when will things finally get better? First, during the millennial reign of Christ, which begins right after the finish of the Tribulation. Once Satan has made his final attempt to deceive mankind and the Great White Throne Judgment falls, then things will be better for all eternity as we will dwell with the Lord upon the renovated earth in New Jerusalem. Now that is the truth because it’s in God’s Word!

Revelation 20:1-4:  Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Isaiah 11:6-9:  “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”

Revelation 20:11, 15-21:5:  Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them…And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”