THE WEARING OUT OF THE SAINTS: HOW GOD DEFINES WINS AND LOSSES IN THE LAST DAYS

SCRIPTURE. “He will speak words against the Most High [God] and wear down the saints of the Most High, and he will intend to change the times and the law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, [two] times, and half a time [three and one-half years].” –  DANIEL 7:25, AMP

QUOTATION

TOLKIEN. [Bilbo] “I am old, Gandalf. I don’t look it, but I am beginning to feel it in my heart of hearts. Well-preserved indeed! Why, I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean: like butter that has been scraped over too much bread. That can’t be right. ‘I need a change, or something.’” ―  J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, 1954-1955; edited

1. FIRST THOUGHTS

I’ve been feeling a good deal like Bilbo Baggins lately. Now don’t get me wrong: My life is supremely blessed in so many ways that I shouldn’t offer even this modest complaint. But truth be told, there is Biblical Reason for us feeling weary these days, and I thought it’s time to explore that experience to find some ways to deal with it.

Some of us have been running this race for a very long time now, so I suppose this essay is directed more to them than to the newcomers. In my case, we’re talking nearly 44 years now, beginning in the fall of 1979. Those have been the very best years of my life – but not necessarily the easiest.

EARLY STORM WARNINGS. In deference to our younger charges in this community, however, I’d first like to point out a few realities up front that I wish I had known as I was just starting out.

• IT’S A WAR. As joyous and magnificent as my journey has been, I wish I had been told that there were to be some dark patches ahead for me that would test my mettle as a believer. Along with, of course, the wondrous exhilarations I would experience. That Satan was real, and that he hated me. That I had joined as ‘a soldier’ in a Great War that needed to be fought every single day, and not just on Sundays.

• DECEPTION ABOUNDS. I also wish I had known that among the brethren there would be many, many, ‘false brethren,’ and that I would need to pray and study hard on my own in order to discern the Real from the Unreal.

• THE BOOK. In that same regard, I would have loved to know that Pastors are sinners too, and that they too make mistakes, sometimes awful ones, and that I would have to be grounded in ‘The Book’ in order to catch them.

• SPIRITUAL PROSPERITY. It would also have benefited me to be warned early on that this “Prosperity Gospel” could be a horrendous pit into which to fall. This because I lived it to some degree for the first 30 years or so of my walk with Christ, and paid a great price for it.

• ONE KING. And given my lifelong engagement with politics, I would also have been grateful for an elder brother to show me ‘the healthy balance’ concerning political participation. Or more bluntly, that ultimately, “We have no king but King Jesus!” (Colonial Battle Cry prior to the War for Independence).

• PERSEVERANCE! In addition, it would have been good to know that this Sacred Race was bound to be a very long one, and that a chief ability to possess and develop is that of ‘Endurance.’ As a former cross-country athlete, I could have made quick work of the appropriate parallels from one to the other.

• TRUE FELLOWSHIP. One other consideration is that I needed to be taught that finding a ‘true Christian community’ was vital, and that going to church just to go to church could end up becoming a dangerous trap. I thank God that after over 40 years of searching, I have found such a genuine community in our Online Peloton Fellowship.

• JESUS IS A LION. Finally, more than anything else, I wish I had been taught ‘The Real Jesus,’ including the very fullness of Him in his immeasurable Power and Love, but also in His consistent emphasis upon staying in the hot pursuit of the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth, so help us God. That He is not only a Savior and Healer, but He is Warrior as well.

So with all that in mind, beloved, let’s turn now to a Brief Review of how one of the greatest Bible heroes of all time became utterly exhausted at a certain point in his ministry. Who would require exceptional encouragement and strengthening from God to get him back in the Lord’s Saddle.

1. THE CRISIS OF ELIJAH

According to an excellent introduction to the great ordeal of the Prophet Elijah’s mission, I first cull from a superb Christianity Today article by. SALLY AND JOEL CLARKSON, entitled: “Elijah: The Exhausted Prophet” (Mar. 8, 2017; edited).

“Elijah had given his whole life into the service of the Lord. He had stood for righteousness in a time of great darkness. Yet no matter his efforts, the tide of disbelief, wickedness, and unfaithfulness rose up like a wave within the people of Israel, crashing down upon him in fury.”

The old seer had just defeated the entire pantheon of Ahab and Jezebel’s Prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:10-20). But soon after that, an incensed Queen Jezebel wrote him a deadly note, threatening to make his life a hell on earth. Thus we read his prayer of utter resignation to his terrifying plight.

“And Elijah was afraid and arose and ran for his life, and he came to Beersheba which belongs to Judah, and he left his servant there. But he himself traveled a day’s journey into the wilderness, and he came and sat down under a juniper tree and asked [God] that he might die. He said, ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.’” – 1 KINGS 19:4, AMP

MY FIRST RODEO. Anybody here ever felt that way after perhaps a significant win for the Kingdom of God or a blessing from the Lord that was followed by a furious Darkness, sometimes almost immediately afterward? I have, more than once. The first time occurred when I gave my very first testimony in 1980 at our little Stockton California church with about 120 folks packed into the room, mostly as curiosity seekers to find out how this ribald, often drunken, pagan professor had come to find Christ.

I mean, my hands were moist, my tongue drier than the Mongolian Gobi Desert, knees shaking as I plowed through about 45 minutes of how I had come to the Lord on October 30, 1979, just before committing suicide. I remember a 30-something lady came forward to give her life to Christ that night, after which everything became a blur, and all I wanted to do is run!

So that’s what I did.

I literally ran, I mean ran out of there, jumped in my car and drove up to the foothills of the Mother Lode to a restaurant I think was named “Black Bart’s” (appropriately), where I promptly sat down, ordered a big steak and a quart of red wine. Thereby did I ply myself with rich red meat of a primal kind, and a libation that I thought would help to erase what I now would identify as a “Trauma of Transparency,” as I laid bare my darkest secrets to 120 strangers!

My First Lesson: ‘Truth telling is hard.’

GOD’S RESPONSE TO ELIJAH’S CRISIS. The Clarkson’s beautifully summarize the grace and wisdom of God when we are likewise caught in headwinds of fear, doubt and exhaustion.

“Just like Elijah, we can become so caught up in the difficulties of our lives that we lose perspective and begin to burn out. In those moments, we may feel like nothing can possibly get better. We are tempted to ask why God won’t help us fix things, why He won’t put everything in order for us. It is exactly in those moments that God wants us to ‘Be still,’ not to try to find His will in the storms all around, but instead to rest in His peace.”

FOOTNOTE. Lest we cast too much criticism at Elijah’s momentary collapse, melting down a bit after his incredible victory, I turn us very briefly to a wonderful clarifier by RANDY FOX in his blog entitled, “What Made Elijah Run: Fear or Frustration?” (Proclaim & Defend, Apr. 25, 2016; edited).

Listen to something I think we can all relate to ever so well, as Pastor Fox deep dives into the heart of the Prophet and the truer meaning of the Text. Love this!

“What Elijah saw was that despite his faithfulness to the Lord and his sacrificial service, the nation remained the same. Even the miracles of God appeared to have no real effect upon anyone. Ahab remained the weak man he always had been, and Jezebel was just as resolute as ever on establishing Baal worship. What Elijah ‘saw’ was that nothing had changed! He expressed this under the juniper tree: ‘I am not better than my fathers.’ The other prophets, from Moses on, were not able to stem the flow of evil in Israel. ‘It was not fear that made Elijah run, but disappointment.’ It wasn’t Jezebel’s threat (she swore by her gods, who were nothing anyway), but her persistence in her evil ways. Elijah’s hopes were crushed.”

While that was not my experience in that “First Rodeo” of mine, it most certainly is precisely the seat of my exhaustion at times, these days. I have expressed it out loud to the Lord more than once recently: “Father! Hardly anyone is even paying attention to these messages, so what’s the point?”

You already know: It’s called ‘Obedience,’ God’s Gold Standard for all believers. Proclaim the Truth! And God plus Prayer does the rest. All the real work, the heavy lifting, is carried forth by the Holy Spirit toward the would-be penitent. Some will say “Yes.” Most will not, but we shall have been faithful to our mission. Selah.

1. THE TEACHING

SCRIPTURE. “He will speak words against the Most High [God] and wear down the saints of the Most High, and he will intend to change the times and the law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, [two] times, and half a time [three and one-half years].” –  DANIEL 7:25, AMP

KEY TERM. “Wear down” – By the Hebrew term, ‘Bela’ [בְּלָא]: “From a root word meaning to become old, spend, wear out, consume; to waste or waste away (mentally, primarily); use up to the full; become aged or decrepit; to destroy by dissipating or by use; to expend; to squander.” 

CONTEXT. Before diving into some of the meat of this part of our conversation, let me first clarify and contextualize the passage from Daniel 7. Clearly and inarguably, this Prophetic Scripture deals with the Era of the Great Tribulation. It is during that Seven-Year Period, and most especially in the last 3 1/2 years, when Antichrist will be given nearly full reign to not only ‘wear down the saints,’ but slaughter them wholesale by guillotine.

“And then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom judgment [that is, the authority to act as judges] was given. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had refused to worship the beast or his image, and had not accepted his mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” – REVELATION 20:4, AMP

So why would I put this passage here in the period of what I am fully convinced is the ‘Era of Birth Pangs’ constituting the runup to the opening of The Sixth Seal (Rev. 6:12-17) and the bursting forth of God’s Wrath, catapulting the world into that Seven-Year Horror.

‘Because it’s already starting, beloved.’

Though “the contractions” are not yet severe enough for the full-term Birth of the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble” to yet take place, this is our sustained ‘Period of Preparation.’ The Remnant will be here until the opening of The Sixth Seal, and will experience a measure of Daniel 7:25, but not its full impact as with “The Tribulation Saints” who will undergo the full savagery of the Antichrist.

Here is JOHN GILL once again, bringing exquisite interpretation to this central Biblical teaching for the Last Days.

COMMENTARY. “‘And shall wear out the saints of the most High’ – By [Antichrist’s] wars with them, and murders and massacres of them; by taking away their lives and their substance; so lessening their numbers, and weakening their strength and power, wear them out, as a garment is wore out, as the Word signifies; ‘utterly consume and destroy them, at least in his own apprehensions; which will be the case when the witnesses will be slain, Revelation 11:8. And especially will wear out their patience, or however thoroughly exercise it.’ The Word in the Arabic language, signifies ‘to afflict and handle roughly; and such usage the saints have met with, more or less, in all ages, from the Man of Sin.’” –  JOHN GILL, An Exposition of the Old and New Testament, 9 vols., 1746-1763; edited

In addition to Mr. Gill’s excellent rendering of the traditional meaning of Daniel’s Prophecy, I discovered a gem of a more contemporary application from DR. ALAN STEWART, Pastor of Rechoboth Baptist Church in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee. (Yup – Soddy Daisy). His essay, sermon really, is entitled, bluntly: “Worn out!” (Pastor Life, ret. Apr. 17, 2023; edited).

Feast on this, beloved.

“One of the signs of the Last Days is the fact we will see ‘a Falling Away from the Faith.’  A Pew Research poll shows that 75% of the U.S. population considers themselves Christian, but only 25% of them actively practice their faith.  For some, it may be an inherent weakness of character that lures them back into the world.  For others, new philosophies may be preferred over old, solid doctrine.  Still others may simply have worked themselves into burnout.  But there may be another explanation we have overlooked.  When Daniel had his vision of the four beasts, he noted of the Antichrist in Daniel 7:25, ‘And he…shall wear out the saints of the Most High …’  The idea is that from continuous oppression, harassment, and persecution, he will wear down and wear out the people of God.  While this is speaking of the Tribulation Period, John wrote in 1 John 4:3 that ‘the spirit of Antichrist is already in the world.’”

WARNING SIGNS. Although I had not originally intended to include his superb list of warning signs of our being exhausted to the point of burnout, as with Elijah, it is too rich to pass up. I bullet point them here in Short Form Summary.

• OUR PRAYING BECOMES SILENCED. “No man will ever rise any higher than his prayer life … ‘Prayer is a mighty weapon’ because it invites and ignites the omnipotence of God into the mix. The moment we drop to our knees in prayer, God is as prepared to move the mountain as He is the molehill. For every dilemma or challenge we face, God already has the answer. Perhaps that is why the Prophet said in Isaiah 59:16 that the one thing that surprises God is why no one is praying!”

• OUR PERFORMANCE BECOMES SPIRIT-LESS. “We can expect nothing but frustration and failure when we undertake God’s work ‘without God’s power.’ By such effort, we will never impress God, nor will we turn the world. The world is waiting for a demonstration of Christianity that cannot be explained apart from God, but all our generation can deliver is worked-up manifestations of flesh. A skeptical world will never be convinced that our faith is real when it lacks Supernatural Power. ‘God searches for weak lives’ that He might provide His strength and do the impossible with them.”

• OUR PROFESSION BECOMES SECRETIVE. “With the rise of militant secularism and atheism [even inside the Church!], we are now said to be living in a Post Christian culture in America … ‘A Spirit-filled Christian can never be a secret Christian’ because what he possesses will ultimately betray itself. We have the cure for all that ails the world, but we do not live conscious enough of Eternity to share it. No doctor worth his salt would hide a cure for cancer and smile while watching a patient die. The self-promoting faith and social gospel may draw applause, but they stir no conviction nor win any converts …

• CONCLUSION. “The further I go down this road in my journey, I have come to realize it truly is ‘the little foxes that spoil the vines.’ The daily grind of irritations, great and small, take their toll over the long haul. But, I am reminded of the words in Judges 8:4 which describes Gideon’s 300 men as ‘faint, yet pursuing.’ Although the battle may grow hard and the burden heavy, I want to cross the finish line still climbing and still reaching. There will be plenty enough time to rest from this weary world in Eternity. GEORGE WHITFIELD said, ‘How sweet is rest after fatigue! How sweet will Heaven be when our journey is ended.’ To let a few little things shut me down before I get there will just be the making of my own Spiritual Waterloo.”

LITTLE FOXES. I nearly jumped out of my chair when I read his Conclusion, since I have been mumbling to the Lord for the past couple of weeks that it’s the accumulation of “small arms fire” that wears me out. I mean, I have plenty of encounters with howitzer strength assaults from the Enemy’s camp, but day-to-day, it is indeed those annoying “little foxes” (Song of Sol. 2:15) that shorten my temper, distract my focus, and thereby grind me down.

So, what to do? That is the subject of our Conclusion today.

1. LAST THOUGHTS

PASTOR FAIL. As crucial afterthought that came to my desk as I was typing the Conclusion to this study, DR. GEORGE BARNA just published the results of a survey entitled: “What Pastors Wish They’d Been Prepared For” (Apr. 19, 2023). The results are stunning, confirming Two Findings of very special note.

• In 2015, just 27 percent of pastors said they wished they’d been ‘better prepared to handle conflict.’ In 2020, that number shot up to 40 percent.

• In 2015, 16 percent of pastors said they wished they were ‘better prepared to navigate church politics.’ By 2020, 36 percent of pastors said the same.

DK’S TAKE. First, one must determine WHY pastors were caught so ‘catastrophically unawares,’ which demands scrutiny of their training and seminary preparation. Second, more importantly, WHY did the vast majority of American pastors choose to betray their trust and either succumb to Trump Nationalism, or Remain Silent about it?

Unless or until these terrible questions are addressed satisfactorily, the American Church shall remain neutered, to use the most extreme term possible. As with a eunuch, the American Church is rendered ‘utterly impotent’ to deal with the greatest crisis in American history. Selah.

UP TO US. Thus, we cannot turn to our Pastors to guide us through the coming storms, beloved. ROSALIND JUKIC’S article, “5 Steps For When You’re Weary from Spiritual Warfare” (July 18, 2022), clearly stood apart from the ocean of inch deep, largely feel good essays by the majority of American Christian writers today.

 A seasoned missionary living in Zagreb, Croatia, she is a no-nonsense author and teacher in her own right.

THE FIVE STEPS. I will both quote liberally from her own personal commentary and augment it with my insights as well.

1. GET UP ANYWAY! I personally love this step more than all the rest, and here’s why. There have been so many times when I have felt like fainting away or running away or just lying down and sleeping the day away. Invariably I hear the Lord speak this Command, or words very much like them: “Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid!” (Joshua 1:9). It’s not that He is unmerciful, but He has called us to War, and He knows we need conditioning for it. Jakic writes: “When you’re weary and tired from battle, you can listen to the lies of the Enemy and let them capture you in their hidden net of passivity, or you can get up anyway and go to war!” That is the Lord speaking, my friends.

• REMEMBER THE REASON FOR YOUR BATTLE. If you are anything like me, the lion’s share of spiritual warfare takes place inside of us, in our mind, and‘The Ideas’ that constantly compete for our attention that define our lives, and ourselves. TIM LAHAYE wrote a 1980 book called, ‘The Battle for the Mind: A Subtle Warfare,’ that captured the essence of this Principle. Published about the same time when the concept of ‘Worldview’ was gaining traction among Christian thinkers, I came quickly to realize how vital it is that we learn to ‘Think rightly’ about what we are doing and why. KING SOLOMON: “As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is” (Proverbs 23:7). Remember: ‘We are here to rescue souls, beloved!’ I love Jacik’s passion: “Despite my weariness – If I have to crawl to victory on bloodied knees, I will!”

• DON’T BATTLE IN YOUR OWN STRENGTH. We have all experienced what it feels like when you sense that you’re all alone. No friend or even family support. Little preparation on our part. Hostility everywhere! And so on. Therefore: Practical Tips for Doing Battle: (1) Be prayed up. (2) Be studied up. (3) Be supported by others. (4) Be filled with the Spirit. (5) Remember that God is for you, not against you (Romans 8:31). Jakic writes: “Let God teach you how to both Rest in Him and Fight in His strength at the same time. It is a beautiful balance of Rest and War.”

• ASK YOUR FRIENDS TO FIGHT WITH YOU. I love the example Jakic describes to make this point both sharp and memorable: “In Exodus 17 we read about how the Amalekites went to war against the Israelites while they were still wandering in the desert. As it turns out, when Moses raised his hand, the Israelites would gain the upper hand, but when he let his hand down, the Amalekites would gain the upper hand.” As the Battle ensued for the entire day, Moses’ arms grew weary, “so Aaron and Hur found a rock for him to sit on and then they stood on either side of him, propping his hands up until the Israelites won the battle. Do you have an Aaron and Hur? Do you have those trusted spiritual warriors you can turn to in times of war to help you wage this spiritual battle?” THE LESSON: ‘Choose your companions carefully, beloved.’

• TAKE TIME FOR SPIRITUAL REFRESHMENT. Now this is different for everybody. Believe it or not, I am completely relaxed and filled with peace when lying on my couch at home with Scout the Wonder Dog, watching old 1950s Westerns (Gunsmoke is my favorite; I think I want to be Matt Dillon!). They almost always contain morality tales and even Biblical references from a different American Era. Jakic adds a suggestion for ending our day the same we we begin our day: “Take some time in God’s Word, finding those books and passages that will refresh your spirit. Add to that some resources for deeper study, doing Greek and Hebrew word studies [SPIROS ZODHIATES, Editor, Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, 2008], or even find a great book by a trusted author on the topic of the battle you are fighting right now.”

CODA. Of all the things I could remind the American Church of in these critical Last Days before Messiahs Catastrophic Return to the earth for His Bride is, quite simply, this:

“Spiritual Warfare is very real. There is a furious, fierce, and ferocious Battle Raging in the realm of the Spirit between the forces of God and the forces of evil. Warfare happens every day, all the time. ‘Whether you believe it or not, you are in a Battlefield. You are in Warfare.’” – PEDRO OKORO, Crushing the Devil: Your Guide to Spiritual Warfare and Victory in Christ, 2012; edited

Writing for The Guardian on January 22 of this year (2023) in a piece entitled, “Losing Their Religion,” ADAM GABBATT noted, painfully accurately: “Churches are closing at rapid numbers in the US, researchers say, as congregations dwindle across the country and a younger generation of Americans abandon Christianity

altogether – even as faith continues to dominate American politics.’”

Dozens of reasons are offered for this historic catastrophe, but I prefer to boil it down to one: ‘We have forsaken Truth.’ Which is of course to say we have forgotten God, the Canon, the Commandments, and virtually all Judeo-Christian Standards for moral conduct in a society that is falling apart faster than I can type these words.

The White Evangelical Church has principally become a rather Schizophrenic Profile of TWO UNHEALTHY OPTIONS: (I) Soft Sell Sermons to placate the congregation and keep butts in the chairs and tithes rolling in. (II) Hard Sell Sermons calling for Militant Nationalism to retake the Republic for Christ by nearly all means necessary, including the use of force.

So where does the Orthodox Christian go when faced with these two bipolar opposites? To an institutional ‘No Man’s Land,’ or to some semblance of a’ House Church,’ either physical or digital. That’s where God’s Remnant must go, so long as the Establishment Church continues its suicidal path of Diluting God’s Truth.

FINAL SIFTING. To conclude, what I see now occurring more and more rapidly and starkly is a Sovereign God overseeing the spiritually violent ‘Separation of wheat from tares,’ of the genuine from the false and pretentious, of the deeply committed from Thomas Paine’s infamous “sunshine patriots” of the Kingdom of God.

I have said this so many times in these essays and columns, but I and compelled to state it one more time:

“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, ‘choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,’ whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. ‘But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’” – JOSHUA 24:15, NKJV

DK. Thus have we all arrived, my friends, at The Crossroads of 2023’s runup to the date that will forever decide our National Destiny: TUESDAY NOVEMBER 5, 2024. And it’s not just about Politics, but for America’s Soul.And no matter which way we shall choose:

‘Many storms lie dead ahead. Will we be ready?’

Ever your servant, DK

YOUTUBE VIDEO