NOTES ON PREPARING FOR THE WORLD’S LAST WAR: BIBLICAL WISDOM FOR THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO REMAIN WITH CHRIST – (WITH VIDEO)

I.  THE THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “‘Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will prepare and clear the way before Me. And the Lord [the Messiah], whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,’ says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderer’s soap [which removes impurities and uncleanness]. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi [the priests], and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord [grain] offerings in righteousness.” – MALACHI 3:1-3, AMP

KEY TERM: “PREPARE: ‘Panah’ [פָנָה].  “‘To turn, to face or look [in a particular direction;’ to have regard or respect for; to turn toward; imp. the approach of evening [or night]; to show signs of turning; in a general sense, to fit, adapt or qualify for a particular purpose, end, use, service or state, by any means whatever; to make ready; ‘to set or establish [oneself for what is coming].’”

QUOTATION. “If you believe you can accomplish everything by Cramming at the Eleventh Hour, by all means, don’t lift a finger now. ‘But you may think twice about beginning to build your Ark once it has already started raining’” ― MAX BROOKS, The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead, 2003; edited

COMMENTARY. “The first words of this chapter seem an answer to the scoffers of those days. Here is a Prophecy of the appearing of JOHN THE BAPTIST. He is Christ’s Harbinger. He shall ‘Prepare the way before Him, by calling men to Repentance.’ The Messiah had been long called, He that should come, and now shortly he will come. He is the Messenger of the Covenant. Those who seek Jesus, shall find pleasure in Him, often when not looked for.

‘The Lord Jesus prepares the sinner’s heart to be His Temple,’ by the ministry of His Word and the convictions of His Spirit, and He enters it as the Messenger of peace and consolation. ‘No Hypocrite or formalist can endure His Doctrine, or stand before His Tribunal.’ Christ came to distinguish men, to separate between the Precious and the Vile. He shall sit as a Refiner. ‘Christ, by His Gospel, shall purify and reform His Church, and by His Spirit working with it, shall regenerate and cleanse souls.’ He will take away the dross found in them. He will separate their corruptions, which render their faculties worthless and useless.

‘The [true] believer needs not fear the fiery trial of afflictions and temptations, by which the Saviour refines His gold.’ He will take care it is not more intense or longer than is needful for his good; and this Trial will end far otherwise than that of the wicked. Christ will, by interceding for them, make them accepted. ‘Where no fear of God is, no good is to be expected.’ Evil pursues sinners. ‘God is unchangeable!’ And though the sentence against evil works be not executed speedily, yet it will be executed; ‘the Lord is as much an Enemy to sin as ever.’ We may all apply this to ourselves. Because we have to do with a God that changes not, therefore it is that we are not consumed; because His compassions fail not.” – MATTHEW HENRY, Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, 6 vols., 1708-1710; edited

II.  THE TEACHING

AS IT WAS IN NOAH’S DAY. We are living in the midst of the World and Church’s ‘Second Great Slumber’ just prior to a ‘Second Great Flood.’

“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” – LUKE 17:26-30, NKJV

Everywhere I look, beloved, whether inside the House of God or all around it, there is the same nonchalance, joyful, almost giddy activity and more buying and selling than ever before in America. Several studies bear this out. ‘Spending and Partying as if there is No Tomorrow!’ (Selah).

It’s almost as if the people, including the great majority of Christians and their Pastors, are reassuring themselves that despite the Darkening Clouds on the horizon, all will yet be well. Why? Because this is the United States of America, that’s why.

‘And we always win!’ Sound familiar?

FOOTNOTE: THE FOOL’S ERRAND. “The description ‘Fool’ is now often used as a contemptuous insult, but in the Middle Ages it didn’t have such negative connotations. A fool then was a ‘Naive Simpleton’ but regarded with respect and even admiration – somewhat the way that ‘The Fool on the Hill’ (1967)is portrayed in The Beatles’ song. ‘The…word “Fool” generally refers to how easy it is to dupe (or to fool if you like) a fool.’” – EDITORS, Phase Finder, ret. July 30, 2024; edited

Last night I listened to a Sermon on the Book of Revelation by the Executive Pastor of the largest church in my city tell his people something like this:

“Look, I know Jesus is coming back! We can be absolutely assured of this because that is what the Bible teaches us. But as to when He’s Returning, I have no idea. Not a clue. ‘But yeah, He is Coming Back…someday.’”

Thus are his 40,000 members of the congregation at the very least encouraged to just trust in that, ‘Eventual Whatever’ – but not to worry about making a single preparation for the Arrival of the Day of the Lord. None, beloved, none!

They are thereby taught to become precisely what Jesus described in the passage from Luke 17 – The Ultimate Christian Fool! Completely impotent, severed from our sacred charge in His Great Commission to “Make disciples of all the nations … teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” – MATTHEW 28:19-20, NKJV

AMERICA’S APOSTATE CHURCH. The following Evidence that Demands a Verdict (J. McDowell, 1972) is taken from an article by DEREK THOMPSON, writing for The Atlantic in a piece titled, “The True Cost of the Church Going Bust” (April 3, 2024; edited).

Significantly, from the pen of “An Outsider,” who demonstrates near genius of an understanding of The Times when compared to The Church.

• INTRODUCTION. “As an Agnostic, I have spent most of my life thinking about the Decline of Faith in America in mostly positive terms. Organized Religion seemed, to me, beset by scandal and entangled in noxious politics. So, I thought, what is there really to mourn? Only in the past few years have I come around to a different view. Maybe Religion, for all of its faults, works a bit like ‘a Retaining Wall’ to hold back the destabilizing pressure of American Hyper-Individualism, which threatens to swell and spill over in its absence.” [cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:7.]

• CRISIS. “More than one-quarter of Americans now identify as Atheists, Agnostics, or Religiously “Unaffiliated,” according to a new survey of 5,600 U.S. adults by the Public Religion Research Institute. This is the highest level of Non-Religiosity in the poll’s history. Two-thirds of nonbelievers were brought up in at least nominally Religious households, like me. (I grew up in a Reform Jewish home that I would describe as haphazardly Religious. In kindergarten, my parents encouraged my sister and me to enthusiastically celebrate Hanukkah—and, just as fervently, to believe in Santa Claus.) But more Americans today have ‘converted out of Religion’ than have converted to all forms of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam combined. No Faith’s Evangelism has been as successful in this century as ‘Religious Skepticism.’”

• SUBSTITUTION. “And America didn’t simply lose its Religion without finding a ‘Communal Replacement.’ Just as America’s churches were depopulated, Americans developed a new relationship with a technology that, in many ways, is the diabolical opposite of a Religious Ritual: ‘The Smartphone.’ As the social psychologist JONATHAN HAIDT writes in his new book, The Anxious Generation, to stare into a piece of glass in our hands is to be removed from our bodies, to float placelessly in a ‘Content Cosmos,’ to skim our attention from one piece of ephemera to the next. The Internet is timeless in the best and worst of ways—an everything store with no opening or closing times. ‘In the Virtual World, there is no daily, weekly, or annual calendar that structures when people can and cannot do things. In other words, Digital Life is disembodied, asynchronous, shallow, and solitary.’”

• CONCLUSION. “I’m not advocating that every Atheist and Agnostic in America immediately choose a World Religion and commit themselves to weekly church (or synagogue, or mosque) attendance. But I wonder if, in forgoing Organized Religion, an isolated country has discarded an old and proven source of Ritual at a time when we most need it. Making friends as an adult can be hard; it’s especially hard without a scheduled weekly reunion of congregants. Finding meaning in the world is hard too; it’s especially difficult if the oldest systems of meaning-making hold less and less appeal. ‘It took decades for Americans to lose Religion. It might take decades to understand the entirety of what we lost.’”

FATAL CONTRADICTION. While I both lament but rejoice in the Difficult Truth that Mr. Thompson brings to our attention, he nonetheless overlooks the Structural Checkmate in his argument. While he rightly decries the Loss of Religion in America and our need to Return to it, he ignores the Reality that Christian Religion is effectively Dead, thus begging us to go back to a Burning House!

So what is a true follower of Christ supposed to do in the midst of America’s Dire Spiritual Decimation, beloved? I close with a few practical suggestions that give us Hope in a Darkening Age. What I am about to suggest is severe, but then, our religious circumstances are more severe then they have ever been before. Selah.

III.  THE HARD SOLUTION: SEPARATION!

This next section is adapted from a sobering statement from HAROLD S. MARTIN, writing on behalf of the Church of the Brethren (Radical Pietist) in an article titled, “An Apostate Church: Stay or Leave” (BF Witness, March/April, 2012, Vol. 7, No. 42; edited).

• PRINCIPLE. “One cannot rub against a smutty stove without getting some of it on him. If we mingle closely with those who are doctrinally unfaithful, some of their thinking may rub off on us. Staying in among people who are drifting spiritually may tend to cause others to compromise.”

• 2 CORINTHIANS 6:14, AMP. “Do not be unequally bound with unbelievers [do not make mismatched alliances with them, inconsistent with your faith].”

• HERESY. “Believers are told to deal with Heresy­ not by withdrawing from the Church, but by exposing the error of false teaching. Those who promote heresy are persons who have abandoned the essence of the Faith. They should be corrected and even purged from the body if necessary (Galatians 1:8-9; Titus 3:10).

• REVELATION 18:4, AMPC. “I then heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out from her, my people, so that you may not share in her sins, neither participate in her plagues.”

What this means, beloved, is that we must Break Fellowship when faced with a Pastor or Church that is clearly TEACHING FALSE DOCTRINE BY: (1) Preaching a Partial Gospel by eliminating the doctrinal requirements for holiness, obedience and perseverance to the end; or (2) Advocating for a Political Candidate whose life and conduct is severely at odds with the Biblical Canon.

This is what the Bible Demands, beloved. ‘But we will not!’

IV.  AS IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING: HOUSE CHURCH

These are the Inviolable Doctrinal Principles that underlay all True Reformation from our past Great Awakenings, and they apply all the more to today’s Corrupted Church.

In the wake of that admittedly catastrophic absence, I strongly recommend House Church – either Face-to-Face or Online. History tells us that this is the healthiest alternative to the Disintegration of Orthodoxy in our churches over the centuries.

I conclude with a summary of an excellent article by DIANA GONZÁLEZ, writing for an online journal published by members of the Church of the Nazarene in an an essay titled, “Three Advantages of House Church” (Transform the Globe, September 29, 2020; edited).

1. PRACTICAL THEOLOGY. “In a House Church the preaching is not the same as it usually is in the Church.  Although there is a Preacher who shares the Word, the audience has total freedom to express its opinions and ask or add according to their own perspectives. This openness to participate in the building blocks of teaching helps theology to develop organically by contextualizing or cultivating the Word according to their own experiences. This undoubtedly leads to a greater understanding of the Bible, because people can identify with a truth that is relevant to their condition and situation.”

• TRUE FELLOWSHIP. “We know that Interpersonal Relationships are the foundation of Church planting. It is necessary to dedicate weeks or months to listen, to know the needs of the people, and to have the guidance of the Holy Spirit to know how to lead the conversations towards Jesus. In a House Church, this relationship is facilitated by the environment, the place, and the number of people. With fewer than 20 people, more attention is personally paid to all, and this strengthens the Church.”

• MAXIMUM INVOLVEMENT. “House churches provide the opportunity to dissolve the separation between the clergy and laity (RAMON MENDÓZA, Director of DCPI for Latin America). Even though we are a Church with a very organized system and an established leadership structure for different ministries, House Churches provide the opportunity for all attendees to participate. In a House Church, it is pretty hard for someone to be forgotten: Everyone is involved, whether it be in praise, reading, or sharing their points of view, etc.”

CODA. The simple suggestion here is that if you cannot find authentic preaching and rich fellowship in your church, consider one of TWO ALTERNATIVES that logically flow from our discussion.

• START A HOUSE CHURCH. If it is practically possible in your area with no more than a few members – that could be your own family! – consider building your own House Church by researching its basic requirements and follow those simple Biblical Guidelines.

• JOIN THE PELOTON CONFESSING FELLOWSHIP (PCF). In the wake of the rapid and destructive RISE OF DONALD TRUMP that effectively destroyed both the Unity and the Traditional Confessions of the American Church, we here have formed what the Founders of the German Evangelical Church gathered in the wake of their own Führer, ADOLF HITLER. Their Barmen Theological Declaration (1934) pledged in the last of Six Articles of Confession: “We [also] reject the False Doctrine [of Nationalism], as though the Church in human arrogance could place the Word and work of the Lord in the service of any arbitrarily chosen desires, purposes, and plans.”

While we have not formally organized The Fellowship, it continues to exist since the Year 2016 as a Christian Network of true believers in Christ who: (1) Remain faithful unto death to the Traditional, Orthodox Confessions of the Church; and (2) Remain resistant unto death to the False Doctrines of the Christian Nationalist Movement that prevails in most American churches today.

So whether you form your own House Church, or join our Online Peloton Confessing Fellowship (Facebook, YouTube, LinkdIn, Website; see links below), we shall all very much need TRUE CHURCH for the days ahead.

Having written that, our real strength shall be drawn from OUR KING:

“The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]” – JOHN 14:21, AMPC

The very Word of the Lord to His Last Days Remnant. Thanks be to the Most High God! Selah.

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/ZUACHvwQu4U