MARCH 5, 2020 BY KEITH GILES
So many Christians have bought into the “Left Behind” version of End Times prophecy that they don’t realize this doctrine is only as old as 1830, which is when John Nelson Darby invented “Dispensationalism” [the same year Joseph Smith invented Mormonism, by the way], and popularized this notion that all of those prophecies and promises made to Israel in the Old Testament are actually still unfulfilled – pushing everything out into the future somewhere “out there” so Christians are always looking for signs of fulfillment in current events.
This, as it turns out, is a great way to sell books and DVD box sets and End Times Prophecy Conference tickets. But, it’s all hype and hoopla.
Fact: All of the promises God made to the Nation of Israel were fulfilled long ago. The New Testament affirms this multiple times and in several ways.
The Olivet Discourse, spoken by Jesus in Matthew, Mark and Luke, was fulfilled in AD 70. So, that’s not about anything in our future. And the entire book of Revelation is also about how Jesus subverts the Empires of the World [specifically the Roman Empire in this case], and isn’t about anything specific that still needs to happen before Jesus can return to Earth.
However, if you’re someone who does take all of that Dispensational End Times teaching seriously, and if you’re living in anticipation of a coming Anti-Christ who will defy the teachings of Christ and establish themselves as a rival to Jesus and His Kingdom, you’re already experiencing this right now. Today. As we speak.
Seriously. Just look at what Jesus taught: Love for enemies, nonviolence, care for the outcast, compassion for the immigrant, mercy for the sick, radical inclusion into God’s Kingdom and the Church family, the message and ministry of reconciliation, the dissolution of tribalism and nationalism and racism, the declaration of value and worth for every human being made in the image of God, and the assurance that God’s love, mercy and forgiveness is for you, and me, and everyone…what you’ll notice is that you’re currently living in a nation where all of these things are absolutely denied.
The teachings of Jesus are daily defied by every politician and sitting president we’ve ever had. There are no laws based on the teachings of Jesus. No policies derived from the Sermon on the Mount. No appeals to abandon war, or nationalism. No concerns for the oppression of the weak, the poor, or the immigrant.
Talk? Maybe. But action? Hardly.
Not only that, please note that every nation on earth stands entirely opposed to the enemy-love command of Jesus. Please also note that America is not only NOT a “Christian Nation”, it has actively opposed the teachings of Jesus from the very beginning. At no time in history has America ever – not once – put the teachings of Jesus into practice. Instead, our history is sprinkled with bloodshed, oppression, exploitation, war, violence, slavery, patriarchy, genocide, greed, and cruelty.
But beyond all of this, the fact remains that America is already as evil and as “Anti-Christ” as the imagined End Times ruler of Dispensationalism could possibly be.
For example, here’s just a few of the ways you can tell if you’re currently living under the rule and reign of an Anti-Christian Empire:
If your Government is spying on your phone calls, email, and text communications.
If your nation currently imprisons more of its citizens than any other nation on the face of the planet.
If your local police are carrying automatic weapons, driving armored military vehicles and indiscriminately killing innocent, unarmed people on a daily basis.
If your Government is one of the largest military forces on the planet.
If your Government spends more on the military than the other 8 largest nations on earth – combined.
If more people in your nation are currently on anti-depressant medications than any other nation on earth.
If more than 50 percent of the children in your nation are living below the poverty line.
If your Government executes its own citizens without a trial or even formal criminal charges.
If your Government imprisons journalists who attempt to expose their war crimes.
If your Government has been at war for 214 years out of the last 235.
If your Government hires, or threatens journalists in order to have them write false news stories, and even film fake execution videos that advance their propaganda.
If your daily news shows are filled with a combination of trivial entertainment and stories about why you should remain fearful of a variety of dangers all around you.
Chances are, if you start to think about it, you’ll realize that the nation you’re currently living in right now is already oppressing you, lying to you, exploiting you, manipulating you, and not representing your interests at all.
So, in what ways would the future rule of the Anti-Christ be any different than this?
Answer: It wouldn’t.
This is exactly why it’s so imperative for Christians in America to untangle themselves from politics. This system is anti-Christ. It has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus. It already reeks of compromise. There is no life in this Empire built on death, and fear, and bloodshed and violence and greed.
Rest assured, it will fall, just like every other Empire before it, and every Empire that comes after.
Christ’s Kingdom is advancing. His people will prevail. Those who live by the sword of the Empire will die by it, too. But those who follow the Prince of Peace will enjoy life forever in His presence, starting now.
Wake up. There is only one King, and his name is Jesus. He has another plan to change the world from the inside-out. It starts by transforming us into people who love and live and serve and forgive like Jesus does. Then it spreads, one person at a time, until every heart is made new, and every mind is restored.
“Come out of Her, my people!” the Lord cries out. Leave the allure of Empire. Abandon the pursuit of political power. We cannot vote our way to paradise. We cannot legislate our way to life.
Jesus has another path for us to walk. Let’s take that first step, out of the shadow of the rule of Anti-Christ, and into the truth and light we can only find in Jesus.
We already have all the power we need in Christ and in his Gospel to transform this world from the inside out. His love is the most powerful weapon ever conceived. It never fails. It never ends. It never stops.
We just need to start using it.
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Keith Giles was formerly a licensed and ordained minister who walked away from organized church 11 years ago, to start a home fellowship that gave away 100% of the offering to the poor in the community. Today, He and his wife have returned to El Paso, TX after 25 years, as part of their next adventure. They hope to start a new house church very soon.DID YOU KNOW? The Christian Church has always held 3 views of Hell from the very beginning? Learn more about the 3 Views of Hell in my new online class at BeADisciple.com starting March 9, 2020. REGISTER TODAY>Keith’s new book, “Jesus Undefeated: Condemning the False Doctrine of Eternal Torment” is available now on Amazon.
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