'post-Christian society' (part 2)

(a representation of) Jesus Christ with John 'the baptist', at Christ's water baptism

Part 1 of this series closed with these words: "I do not foresee any wide-ranging Revival for America.  Instead, I believe that America has already come under severe judgment, and that more severe judgment is coming.  If that truly is the case, then what is the true Body of Christ to do?  What is the individual Christian to do?"  In part 1 I also said that American 'society' is not 'post-Christian', but it is anti-Christian; the difference - in perspective and in reality - is profound.

The above image suggests to me how the scene of Christ's baptism might really have appeared (the graininess of the image helps the imagination).  Jesus and John were both about 30 years old at the time when that important event occurred.  In several ways, the characters in this photo appear very similar to what I surmise Jesus and John must have looked like.  But I chose this picture for another reason, namely: the moment of Jesus Christ's baptism, was in fact a great turning point in history.

 It was the transitional moment which marked the time when the ministry of John the baptist reached its climax, and the public ministry of Jesus Christ was launched (John announced that Christ was the Savior of the world, after that John had baptized Jesus - at what time John did see a supernatural sign of Christ's true identity).

Jesus went down into the Jordan river fully knowing what was happening; his time had come at last.  Henceforth from that moment, Jesus would have relatively little time to accomplish his mission on earth.  And he "set his face like a flint", Scripture says (Isaiah ch. 50), to fulfill that mission.  From that time, John the baptist recognized that "[Christ] must increase, but I [John] must decrease" (John 3:30).  John's commission had been to "prepare the way of the LORD", that is to say, John's ministry served to prepare the hearts and minds of the Jewish people to receive the ministry of Jesus Christ.  All of which was in perfect accord with God's own will and plan.

There is very soon coming another critical moment in time, when the ministry of the Church shall reach its climax (in this present dispensation), and the Lord Jesus Christ, once again, shall personally and directly intervene in the affairs of mortal men.  Only, this time he is not coming to bring salvation, but to bring judgment and wrath upon the world's inhabitants.  And we know, by the Word and Spirit of God, that that time is at hand.

It is most certainly true that the Church (which, of course, is comprised of individual Christians), has been given what is often called 'the great Commission': to preach the gospel to every creature; to call sinners to repentance; to make disciples of all who will receive Jesus Christ as Lord; in short, to prepare the way of the Lord.  Nevertheless, it is also true that the great Apostasy - explicitly described in the Bible - is already very far advanced; in fact, I am convinced that the time of the Apostasy is very near its terminus.  Importantly, the Apostasy firstly, and mostly, appertains to and affects the Church itself.

When taken all together, those several, notable factors: the prevalence of the spirit of antichrist in the world; apostasy within the Church; and, not least, the frighteningly (from the perspective of the 'lost') short time until the taking away of the Church from out of the world - and the subsequent appearing of the personal Antichrist and his beastly political system: they all suggest what the answer is to the question reiterated at the head of this article, viz: "What is the individual Christian to do?"

1.  The individual Christian must seek to walk very closely with the Lord (an injunction which has ever been an imperative, but which seems more urgent now than ever before); only those who are living holy lives shall be received by Christ at the Rapture;

2.  The individual Christian must seek to be joined - not to some or another church group, necessarily (a subject to which I intend to return in a subsequent blog post), but, more precisely, to be joined together with a (local) body of like-minded (genuine) disciples of Christ.  Scripture commands that Christians must not forsake the assembling of ourselves together but - as we see 'that day' (the time of the Rapture) approaching (this is one more proof that faithful Christians may know the approaching time of the Rapture), we must encourage and exhort one another more and more (Hebrews 10:25).  True Christian fellowship is an invaluable - yea, an indispensable source of spiritual strength, in this the end of the Church Age.  And if you are blessed to be in fellowship with so much as one small handful of faithful Brothers and/or Sisters in the Lord, you are greatly blessed indeed!

3.  The individual Christian must seek to be used of God in every way (according to the leading of God's Spirit) which may yield spiritual fruit: which, in practical terms, means leading the unsaved to Christ, and building up the saved, in Christ.  Importantly, far too many Christians are misusing their time because they have the wrong focus.  Consequently, they are allowing themselves to become ensnared with the things of this world, rather than focusing upon preparing themselves and all others who will hear them - for the coming of the Lord.

4.  The individual Christian greatly needs to have a right perspective of this present world, as well as have a solid understanding of his or her role - as a Christian - in the world.  There is no longer time or opportunity to strategize and labor toward building a private, earthly kingdom for oneself.  Not if one intends to please God and so to escape those things which are very soon coming in the world.

The foregoing discussion should leave one with the distinct impression that this writer believes we have arrived at a critical juncture, that is to say, another "turning point in history".  For, right now is a time which requires that one must decide whether he or she believes it is at all possible to know -- substantially and with real certainty -- the time of the Rapture of the Church (which is also the end of the Church Age).  Emphatically, I believe it is not only possible to have such knowledge, but I further believe that only those who actually possess that knowledge may have any real hope of receiving mercy from God to escape the soon coming Day of the Lord (the Tribulation) - by means of the Rapture**.  Those who are yet living their lives as if the world may go on for another thousand - or even a hundred more -years, cannot but think in terms of pursuing a career, for example; or, of planning and working for retirement; or, any similarly longterm enterprise . . . which inexorably tends to distract one's focus away from the preeminence of God's Kingdom and of Christ's return and, instead, directs one's attention to worldly affairs with both its pleasures and hardships.

It is high time for individual Christians to act as if they really believe that the Rapture is truly at the door.  For, those who truly do believe it, have a very different approach to daily life, contrasted with the vast multitude of professing Christians who only say they believe in the Rapture - but whose lives say otherwise.  I will not even mention what I believe is the spiritual condition of those professing Christians who seem to care nothing at all about whether the Rapture is fifty years from now - or tomorrow.  If in fact the Rapture were on God's calendar for tomorrow afternoon, let us say, would the knowledge of that in any way affect the way you are going about serving Christ today?

There, in a nutshell, is the answer to what individual Christians should be doing - at such a time as this.

** footnote: the knowledge of the approaching time of the Rapture can be known only as one abides in Christ and is therefore attentive to the inner witness of the indwelling spirit of Christ -- who, importantly, is also willing to give more explicit light pertaining to these matters, by means of revealing the true meaning of Scripture together with the true meaning of (recent) historical events.  A helpful guide to rightly understanding Bible prophecy, is the recently published book titled, The Seven Seals in Prophecy and in History -- details of which appear in an earlier post on this blog . . .