So, God told us thousands of years ago where the world will end up... in the hands of the antichrist. With 1/3 of it burnt up and dead. It's the word of God, it's inevitable. No way it's not going to happen.
But - we do all we can to fight it. We cling the the idea that we have to choose the lesser evil of the many paths that lead to that end. That if we don't participate in getting there, we have no one to blame but ourselves when it does.(?) That we are obligated to play along until that final moment when we (hopefully) finally step back and proclaim "he's not my antichrist'.
Global warming. Sure seems like the right thing to fight it. Yet God says this place is going to burn anyway. Can we really stop it?
OK, I can hear you now, oh this guy's just all gloom and doom and pessimism. Next.
But wait a second... do we believe what God says or not? Do we work towards His goals or not? Can we change what He has declared or not?
Now, no matter what I say right now, a lot of you are going to read into these words "so why even try"? But that's not my point.
My point is, what might we be better off investing that time and energy into?
I think of Luke 19:11-15: "11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading."
We need to occupy until He comes by demonstrating the righteous ways, principles, priorities, etc of His coming kingdom (impossible to do if we're not submitted to His reign through the authority of His Word and having a ready mind to partake of His sufferings and be transformed into His image). This cannot be done with the effectiveness God intended without being part of a Biblical church body which is governed by Scripture and each member is faithfully fulfilling their God-given roles and offices. This makes Christ's people the salt and light of the world which God intended them to be by testifying to the world appropriately who God is and reproving the corruption of the world by word and deed. There is no need for the world to go to hell and descend deeper into perversion on our watch, though people who reject the greater light tend to go into deeper darkness- and it has always been the case that relatively few obey the gospel and stay faithful disciples to the end, but certainly no one has to perish. The world as a whole being on a downward spiral to fall under anti-Christ and be judged is no secret and apart from God's longsuffering may have already happened. Beyond anything else a faithful demonstration of Christ in the midst of this crooked and perverse generation through His people, however many or few they are, is what God is after. You can see His zeal for this in the New Testament epistles and in the letters to the 7 churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.
I believe practically the shift in thinking this knowledge would give to those who rightly understood it and embraced it would be a greater intent on Biblical accuracy in both doctrine and practice, a view of individual salvation as inseparable from faithfulness to practice and uphold the commandments and judgments of Scripture, and the need to labor towards obtaining and faithfully building up a Biblical church (since so many neglect this or knowingly settle for a church which has no heart, at least in the leadership, to really understand and walk in the whole counsel of God's Word).
That might be rather vague, but it's not hard to see that the Apostles of Christ labored to make disciples of the Lord who lived holy lives in obeying the Bible's commandments; and they gathered these to produce a faithful corporate testimony which practically demonstrated what true Biblical holiness is, and thus the moral and practical excellence of Christ the King's Governmental principles. This is necessary to faithfully preach the gospel and call people to repentance adequately, since true repentance is turning to and changing in accordance with the principles of Christ's coming kingdom. That was the commission of the Apostles and early church; and the goal for God's people has always been to follow their example and exemplify the godly principles and priorities which they taught according to the whole counsel of God's Word. Their mission was never to save the world as a whole from perishing, but to demonstrate Christ to the world through the faithful remnant of Jewish believers who received Jesus as the Messiah the Scriptures promised; and through the gentiles who were grafted into that faithful remnant by coming under the reign of Israel's Messiah- in hopes of reigning with Him in His coming kingdom and being spared from His righteous wrath against those who obey not His gospel when He returns.
1 Thessalonians 1:6-10: "6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.
7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. 9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come."
2 Thessalonians 1:8-12: "8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. 11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: 12 That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
