The End Of The World As We Know It

Is anyone else sick of the campaign ads yet? Once again we are in an electoral season that has turned ugly, with personal attacks, half-truths, and even outright lies featured in those intrusive and annoying ads. Both sides insist that if the other party takes power, it will mean the end of democracy, the ruin of the nation. I am quite aware that the election will have consequences for the country.

BUT I have lived long enough to know that swings from right to left and back again are normal in our system of government. Will the election of one party or the other really effect American history? Most certainly! Public policies for the next decade will be changed by the legislation enacted. My intent today is not to minimize the importance of this election, but I want to set it in context of Heaven's truth.

God makes it known in the Scripture - "I am in charge of history!"

Consider Daniel. He was taken by invaders from his home in Jerusalem to Babylon where he was put in the service of a pagan emperor. It must have been hard for Daniel to reconcile the truth that God was revealing to him concerning His control of human events and the fact that his homeland was in ruins and that young Jews like himself were in captives in a foreign land. Yet, he stayed faithful to the revelation.

Daniel, despite tragedy, remained God's man. As a result, he was amazingly effective as God's spokesman through three successive empires!

One time, Nebuchadnezzar demanded that his counselors tell him what he had dreamed and the meaning of his dream. Impossible? Yes! Daniel went to prayer, received the revelation, and went to tell the king what God was saying to him. God showed Daniel that He was still in charge.

The king had dreamt of a large statue with golden head, silver chest, bronze belly, iron legs, and feet of clay. God revealed the coming empires that would follow the Assyrian one. The key part of the dream was the Stone that was cut out of a mountain, not with human hands, which rolled down to destroy the statue.

What is the meaning?
All earthly kingdoms will come to an end when the King of Kings sets up His reign.
As hard as it may for us to discern, we know, by faith, that GOD HOLDS HISTORY IN HIS HANDS and HIS PLANS WILL SUCCEED.

When Daniel was about 80 years old, once again a king saw a terrifying vision. Belshazzar, the regent of Babylon, whose arrogance far outstripped that of Nebuchadnezzar, was throwing a banquet when a hand appeared to write on the wall of the hall. No one could understand the cryptic phrase - MENE MENE TEKEL PARSIN.

In the terror filled moment, the queen mother reminded Belshazzar of an old Jewish man who had counseled the prior king. Daniel came and read the inscription: "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin" -- "Numbered, numbered, Weighed, and Divided!"

Boldly, Daniel pronounced the message of Heaven.
"Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, majesty, glory, and honor to your predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. He made him so great that people of all races and nations and languages trembled before him in fear. ... But when his heart and mind were hardened with pride, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. ...until he learned that the Most High God rules the kingdoms of the world and appoints anyone he desires to rule over them. You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself. For you have defied the Lord of heaven ...you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny! So, God has sent this hand to write a message." (Daniel 5:18-24, NLT)

God rules!  Though the world is filled with chaos, though the parties declare that the end of all things is imminent, Christians are assured that Heaven has not abandoned us. The Scripture consistently calls us to be responsible, proactive, and engaged all the while reminding us that we are not in charge and that we need not be afraid. Though we are aliens in this world, passing through on our way to our home, the Spirit is with us and God is guiding us.

Jesus follower, I want to urge you to trust that revelation today.
Steady yourself in faith in God.
Don’t be duped by the politicians who claim the Name of Jesus and espouse hatred in the same breath!
Pray for eyes that see what God sees and a mind that thinks as He thinks as the Spirit gives revelation. In this election year when there is so much anxiety about the future of this country... remember the Truth!
"saying, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he alone has all wisdom and power. He determines the course of world events; he removes kings and sets others on the throne. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars." (Daniel 2:20-21, NLT)  

I am NOT a fatalist! I accept that the Lord has charged me with responsibility to pray for His will to be done and to seek the establishment of what is good and just. So, I commit myself to discern His will and then to live with heart-deep faith and rock-solid assurance.

Pray with me the simple and wonderful prayer that Jesus taught us to pray:
"‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’" (Matthew 6:8-13, NIV)

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen

MAID in America

In the guise of ‘compassion’ and/or ‘justice,’ Americans continue to degrade the value of human life. 14 states now have MAID (Medical Aid In Dying) laws. Have you heard of them? In short, these laws permit, with some limits, physicians to prescribe pills that will prematurely end the life of people who are terminally ill. The state of New York outlines the law’s intent this way – “when a terminally ill, mentally competent adult patient, who is likely to die within six months, takes prescribed medicines, which must be self-administered, to end suffering and achieve a peaceful death.” 

If you are like about two-thirds of American adults you read that and thought – “So what’s wrong with that? It’s a good idea.”  In purely practical terms, I could agree. I have watched both my parents and my wife struggle through months of sickness and suffering and eventually die from cancer that ravaged their bodies. Some part of me wondered about allowing them to choose an earlier exit from it all.

BUT, they and I share a high view of human life and the sovereignty of our Creator God, Who alone holds the keys to life and death!

Theologian Brad East wrote - “The church’s moral teaching has always held that murder—defined as the intentional taking of innocent life—is intrinsically evil. It follows that actively intending the death of an elderly or sick human being and then deliberately bringing about that death through some positive action, such as the administration of drugs, is always and everywhere morally wrong.”  (https://www.christianitytoday.com/2024/12/why-christians-oppose-euthanasia)

A great tragedy has come over the evangelical Christian church in which most pastors are silent on the issue of the sacredness of human life. The line has steadily eroded over the last 40 years from a firm insistence that all life must be protected and cherished to a more utilitarian view that couples the value to life to some supposed ‘quality of life.’  Tolerance for abortion has crept into our minds. Widespread acceptance of capital punishment, despite the revelations of so many mistaken convictions, is now common among us. I heard not a peep of protest about the proposed travesty of a firing squad execution that our government proposes to stream live from our pulpits!

One advocate for life and speaker on Christian ethics, Heidi Janz, who has multiple disabilities and speaks with a voice synthesizer, says “The silence has been deafening, We’re just collectively shrugging our shoulders. I think we’re going to have a lot to answer for.”

We seem to have forgotten a key truth of our faith – that God will redeem our suffering for His purposes. Our very salvation came at the cost of suffering by Jesus at the Cross. Few seem to be willing to accept that God can use and does use pain. I am not trying to sugarcoat the awful pain and loss of dignity that came with the long process of death that my parents and wife endured when I say that in each of those experiences a new and amazing depth of love and grace were uncovered. There were long nights when I sat with my Dad’s head lying in my lap as we listened to songs that reminded us of God’s grace. My Mom and I shared faith and hope in the darkest moments and my faith grew. Bev and I fell more intensely in love even as her strength ebbed away and I became less her husband more her caregiver. Yes, it was hard for me and even harder for them – BUT truly God’s love was present in a way we never knew before the ‘awful.’  I cannot imagine what would have been lost in their lives or mine IF they had chosen to end life prematurely.

Christians are called to the highest love, a love that goes beyond bliss, romance, or mutual affection. Our love is modeled on that of Jesus ‘who came to serve, not to be served.’   Consider the consistent theme of the New Testament.

"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other." (John 13:34, NLT)

"Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other." (Romans 12:10, NLT)

"Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2, NLT)

That kind of love provides purpose and value to each person for we are, together, the Body of Christ. "Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love." (Ephesians 4:16, NLT)

Another common argument offered in support of MAID, is framed as ‘death with dignity.’ To be sure, dying is an ugly business! Frequently there is a decline in self-care, a growing reliance on others for even the basic physical needs. Yesterday I went to visit a man in hospice care, a man who once gave voice to faith, who shared my hope in Christ Jesus. When I entered his room, I saw a man now totally dependent on care, who did not even recognize me, and who talked in confused jumbles of words. It was my privilege to offer my hand, to extend care to him, to pray with him knowing that even in this greatly diminished state he remains a child of God!

We must regain our understanding that we belong to God – from birth to death. That we do not own our bodies, not can we claim radical autonomy. The inspired Word says clearly – “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.”  (1 Corinthians 6:19) That statement is not qualified in terms of good health, convenience, or practical value!  God owns me and I surrender what others claim to be my ‘right’ to self-determination to His will.

Is that a hard truth? It is! But, it is a foundation of life’s sacredness.  

Let’s live well, investing ourselves in the highest and best for the glory of God, even as we remember what the Word tells us about our mortality: “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27) IF we reject the modern fascination with youth and accept the fact of dying, we will live better lives.  And the fear of death will be tempered by the hope found in Christ Jesus who promises that “There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”  (John 14:2)

Amen

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Video at https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55

A Beggar and A Rich Man

How much do you care for the poor? It’s not an easy answer in part because it can be hard to actually define what being ‘poor’ means.  Are you poor if you drive a car more than 10 years old or use a smartphone that is more than 3 years old? Are you poor if you cannot afford to eat in restaurants regularly? Must you be homeless to be poor?  Most Americans, even those who are poor by our standard of living are relatively well off compared to many in developing nations in the world.

Rather than assign an economic measure I would say that an almost universal indicator of poverty is being ‘invisible person.’  For whatever reason, when a person is no longer seen, no longer given human worth, they have become poor. Now let ask the question again – how much do you care for the poor?

No one knowing even a little about what Jesus taught can miss the fact that He cared deeply for those who were invisible, impoverished to the point of becoming ‘worthless’ in the eyes of others.
Consider a teaching story He told … 

 “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed and who lived each day in luxury. At his door lay a diseased beggar named Lazarus. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. Finally, the beggar died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Lazarus in the far distance with Abraham.

“The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in these flames.’ “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. Anyone who wanted to cross over to you from here is stopped at its edge, and no one there can cross over to us.’ “

Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them about this place of torment so they won’t have to come here when they die.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read their writings anytime they want to.’ “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will turn from their sins.’ “

But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’”" (Luke 16:19-31, NLT)

Let’s get one erroneous conclusion out of the way quickly. The rich man was not condemned because of HIS WEALTH! Jesus pointed out his willful ignorance of the plight of a poor man who lay right at his doorstep. One of the main points of the story is that value in God’s eyes is vastly different from value in human eyes and in His grace, God makes possible a great reversal.

A man who had everything – the right clothing, the right food, the right home – but who lacked a right heart loses it all.

In Jesus’ telling the poor man is named unlike the rich man. In this he is made a person not just an object. His plight is terrible – a beggar, diseased, and set upon by scavenging dogs. It is a horrific existence made worse by the fact that relief was steps away, but denied by the blindness of the rich man. We know nothing about the spiritual practice of Lazarus but we are told he entered into paradise.

Note, too, just how entitled that rich man is even after death! He asks Father Abraham to send Lazarus to comfort him in his torment! He still thinks of himself as better than the poor beggar to whom he now ‘looks up’ to see.

Dear Christian, will you ask the Spirit to help you to see the poor, to give dignity to those denied it by the blindness and assumptions of others?

Jesus spoke often about caring for widows, orphans, and children – people who were often invisible, powerless, and living on the edge of survival in His time, mostly dependent on the charity of others. His message is consistent that pleasing God includes being aware of human need and caring enough to become involved.

He summarized His mission succinctly - "And I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those like him who are lost.”" (Luke 19:10, NLT) Yes, we rightly understand He seeks those who are spiritually lost, reconciling them to His Father. But, a wider view of that statement, drawn from His earthly ministry, cannot ignore His care for the poor.

Indeed, in His announcement at the synagogue in Capernaum, He quoted the prophecy of Isaiah that says - " The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn." (Isaiah 61:1-2, NIV)

The first generations of Christians in the Roman Empire were noted for their care for the lowest, the least, the poor and powerless. Slaves were welcomed to their worship. Social distinctions were erased when one became a Christian. This was the inspired revelation that they experienced. "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:26-29, NIV) 

Can we practice the usual social discrimination of our culture and claim to ‘in Christ?’
It is possible to allow ourselves to not see the poor – whatever the reason for their poverty- and claim to like our Lord?

The questions beg our answer. Hopefully, we will take up the Call to care before we challenged by our Lord Jesus at the Day of Reckoning before His throne.

The word from the Word as I close comes from Proverbs 31. "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those who are perishing. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice." (Proverbs 31:8-9, NLT)

Amen.

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Video at https://www.youtube.com/@JerScott55