Just File It Under News…

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Audio for this article here: SermonAudio.com/StudyGrowKnow

Before I get into the subject of today’s article, I’d like to bring a person before you. He goes to my church, though I’ve not yet meant him. He is on the prayer list and I know his mother. He used to be involved in church youth ministry and is a teacher now, although he’s had to take a leave of absence. He is severely overweight and possibly suffering from metabolic disorder. He is very depressed and on medication, which are likely connected to his overweight issues. He is also very overwhelmed in life. I wonder if I could prevail on readers to pray for this man? I’d rather not give his name so let’s call him “Joe K.” God knows who he is.

He is at a point that I was at about six years ago. I hated life and everything to me was very depressing. I was seriously overweight and doctors told me I was headed toward severe heart problems, high cholesterol issues and diabetes. Amazing how we can slowly kill ourselves with “food” today. I’ve related the journey God took me on to get me out of that situation. It was long and difficult but very fruitful. I am still learning new things about how to improve my health and I am very grateful that God chose to take me down this route, although in the beginning I was frustrated that God simply didn’t “heal” me, but that would have taught me absolutely nothing.

Pray for Joe K please. He needs to come to the point where he is willing to do whatever it takes to improve his health and that will require a complete about face, best done incrementally. I would appreciate it. Joe K. would appreciate it. His family would appreciate it. God would be glorified. Will you join me? I thank you.

The more I watch videos and read articles by most people who have made it a practice to highlight end times prophecy, the more I realize that most of what they are talking about is simply NEWS. What I mean by that is often, these pundits will discuss what is coming down the pike and then draw a line directly to some portion of Scripture to “prove” their assertions that we are getting “SO close!” to the Rapture or start of the Tribulation (without the Rapture if you believe the Bible teaches the Rapture occurs  midway or at the end of it). That’s not how it’s supposed to be done.

As I’ve pointed out before, everything in a sense is bringing us closer to the start of the Tribulation because each new day brings us one day closer. But living with baited breath, thinking that these next set of events are “the” events that will start the ball rolling is disingenuous and not at all good. It sends the wrong message to people. While I firmly believe we are inching closer to the start of the Tribulation, I have no clue when it will actually begin, though the Bible seems clear to me on the actual event that kicks it off as highlighted in Daniel 9:24-27, when Antichrist “confirms” a covenant with “the many” (most conservative scholars believe “the many” here represent the parties involved in agreeing to peace in the Middle East, including Israel).

However, while there appears to be a great deal of jockeying for position, talk and even action happening in the Middle East, we cannot yet point to an actual agreement or covenant that stands and is recognized by all involved parties over there. Even when that occurs, that in itself does not signal the start of the Tribulation. The Antichrist must come on the scene, rise to the top as ruler over all or at the very least have a great deal of authority and power by that point and then from his vaunted position of power, he will “confirm” the covenant that exists. In essence then, a covenant is implied to exist and be active by the time he comes to the fore and “confirms” it, meaning instead of eradicating it, he will agree that it is a good covenant and will give it his thumb’s up, allowing things to move forward.

When that action occurs, then the Tribulation will start. Everything else prior to that is simply the gears in motion to get the world to that point and unfortunately, we have no idea exactly how long it will be before we see the event just described occur. Paul thought it would happen during his lifetime. Others thought the same and in fact, in every generation, there have been believers who pinned their hopes on end times prophecy being fulfilled during their lifetimes. Clearly, it didn’t though. We are still here, still waiting and watching for the same events that all previous generations looked forward to seeing.

So what do we do with all the news that seems to commend itself to us as some sort of documentation and confirmation of what is just about to occur? We look at it as just news, nothing more, nothing less. It’s news. Half of what I’ve read or heard in the past 12 months has not come to pass even though those sharing the information presented it as if it was so close that you could taste it.

What we are seeing in the world is the naturally occurring set of events that is directing the world’s political structure toward a somewhat unified final one-world government, over which the Antichrist will rise and rule. We don’t know the timing. Satan doesn’t know the timing. Only God knows the timing so I’m trying to avoid people who seem to have some inner eye that tells them things are “close.” As far as Klaus Schwab and other globalists are concerned, their date to have everything in place is 2030, but even they have said they want things done sooner. It must have something to do with the fact that Schwab is 85 and in seven years he’ll be 92. If he had his druthers, everything would be in place today, but that’s not going to happen. Yet, things continue moving in that direction.

I just read that the illustrious Biden administration is considering a nationwide ban on gas stoves. Why? Well, apparently it’s hard on the environment. No sooner was this announced that Rep AOC chimed in and asked, “Did you know that ongoing exposure to NO2 from gas stoves is linked to cognitive performance?” which might explain her lack of cognitive performance, unless it’s all the liquor she may have consumed during her days as a bartender.

I suppose if you leave your gas stove on all the time and sit next to it taking huge breaths all the time, it might impair things, but most people are smarter than that. But can you imagine if Biden decides to do this? It will cause lawsuits because it will not only affect millions of people in the USA but it will affect the companies and their bottom lines who produce gas stoves. In other words, I cannot help but wonder if this attempt to make gas stoves illegal has more to do with sabotaging our economy than anything else? How would this even be enforced? Would paratroopers or other military personnel descend on each and every home to find out if a gas range is installed there?

Some might point to this and see it as a further indication that we are moving toward the one-world government. I see it as a federal government overstepping its bounds and I cannot imagine it will go through but stranger things have happened. When the FDA wanted to make NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) an illegal supplement and wanted it only used as a drug, supplement producers and the public pushed back hard. The FDA finally backed off and said, “Okay, but we’re still looking into this.” Not everything is a done deal just because someone says something or issues their particular druthers.

If the Biden admin wants to ban gas stoves, I’ll be one of the people pushing back, as will gas range producers, gas companies, politicians and others in the public sphere. Does the federal government actually have the right to arbitrarily remove something like this or should that also be left up to the states? Obviously, every blue state would go along with whatever Biden wants all in the name of “climate” or “environmental protection,” but others wouldn’t give in so easily.

But again, I could list for you many things that are said to be going to happen or may happen and none of that would prove the start of the Tribulation is linked to any of it. All it proves is that fascists are going to continue being fascists. How many years have Democrats and RINOs warned they are coming for our guns? Yet, we still have our guns and apparently they’ve not learned by now every time they threaten to take our guns, more guns and ammo are sold than had they threatened not to that our guns. Their threats create gun and ammo sales. Now, the threat to outlaw gas stoves may do the same.

But again, what does this have to do with the start of the Tribulation? Nothing. Not a thing. It simply shows the intent of those who want to reduce our freedoms and imprison us further. I have yet to see anything from any of the current end times consultants or pundits that absolutely proves beyond any doubt that all the things happening in society and said to be on their way point to a start date for the Tribulation period. In truth, it could be 10, 20, 50 or more years away from us now, yet so many are focused on it, that in many ways, they are missing out on life right now.

What we are seeing in society is what Paul illustrates in Romans 1 and I’ve talked about that before, so I won’t rehash it, except to say that every society throughout history that has come and gone has done so because it follows that same downward trajectory outlined by Paul. This cycle continues throughout many generations and that in and of itself does not prove that the Tribulation is going to start soon. It simply proves that the forces that cause a society to begin to slide into oblivion are at work in each generation. Unfortunately, people today are not students of history so they don’t know.

So what can we surmise from all of what is happening if it is not pointing to the start of the Tribulation? How would God like us to think about these troublesome events and what, if anything are we to do in response to them?

This will sound juvenile or even too simple to consider, but the Bible is filled with how believers reacted to the many events that came into their lives that were designed to overcome and even destroy them. How did they react? We’ll talk about Lot in an upcoming article, but generally speaking, people in the Bible either reacted out of human fear or they exercised faith in God. To be sure, sometimes their faith was shallow at best. Other times it was completely non-existent. Yet, victories were won (by God), enabled by the faith of those who had prayed and relied on His might, His power, His faithfulness and love to secure that victory for them.

It is the exact same thing today. We see and surmount the obstacles in our way through faith or we are overcome by those obstacles. Those are really the only two choices, aren’t there? I don’t see others. Seems like a mediocre faith in God is almost the same as no faith, biblically speaking, although it could be a starting place for those who are weak in faith and want to please Him by increasing their faith.

So really, here is the “formula” if you will. You can focus on all that is said to going to occur and that often simply causes fear or you can peruse the news and know that some of it might happen but because of your faith, you won’t be overcome by it. The choice is yours really.

But how do you do that? There is only one way that I am aware of and I’m sure you’re familiar with it as well. It’s the doing of it that is difficult because we actually have to want to do it, not just one time, but every day and throughout the day as new situations come to us.

• Read His Word daily
• Study it as you read
• Pray as you read
• Commit portions of Scripture to memory
• Repeat those verses to yourself often
• Take every concern to the Lord in prayer
• Offer Him much praise for how He will work and for what He will accomplish

Each and every day should include the above. It’s easy to get sidetracked. It’s easy to allow fear to push out faith. It’s easy to think that God won’t or can’t help. As we apply His Word to our lives, He is faithful to help us through situations.

The other day, the back end of the car started making a grinding sound. Not good. Aside from a friend who is a mechanic at the local school bus garage, I know of no reputable mechanic. That does not mean they don’t exist. It means I don’t know them. I was really concerned about the noise as anyone would be and didn’t know what to do. I tried calling my mechanic friend but couldn’t leave a voice message. I texted. Then I prayed. Having no idea what the situation involved, I was concerned that if I drove it, I’d damage it.

My mechanic friend texted me back and said if I brought the car to the garage the next day, he’d look at it. I did and the noise was certainly there as I drove. When I pulled up he was amazed at the noise as well. He pulled the back passenger wheel off and discovered the problem. A rock had gotten stuck between the dust shield and the brake rotor. He assured me no damage had been done. How do you spell relief?

God is good. He got me through that situation and it cost me nothing (although I’m getting a gift certificate to a local food place for my mechanic friend). God cares about every situation that comes into our lives. It doesn’t matter what it is; big or small. God cares. He loves us tremendously and wants us to receive His blessings. The only thing He requires is our faith in Him (however small it is when we first start to pray).

In spite of all the bad news today, take your cares to God and cast them on His phenomenal shoulders (1 Peter 5:6-7). In order to take our cares to God, it requires our submission and humility before Him. Without that, we won’t even think to go to Him in the first place!

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Source: https://studygrowknowblog.com/2023/01/11/just-file-it-under-news/