The 1930s and 1940s are here, and we know what’s next! I have warned Christians that history will eventually repeat itself and here we are. The question is: “What side of history do we want to be on as it pertains to Israel and the Jews?” In fact, the more important question really is:”Do we want to be on God’s side or not?” I see six signs that we have reached that dangerous point of a repeat of the 1930s and 1940s.
I am currently teaching through the book of Acts. In Chapter 2 we read a prophecy of Joel. This prophecy provides a much-needed correction to much modern theology, especially Covenant Postmillennialism.
One advantage that we have as believers in Jesus Christ that the Hebrew people did not have is an understanding that the last days would be marked by two appearances of Messiah. Jesus came first as a suffering servant depicted in Isaiah 53. Jesus Himself quoted Isaiah 53:12 when He said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
I received another email recently from someone claiming that current Israel is not biblical Israel. The writer further stated that the people we call the Jews today are not Jews at all. The typical rant ensued about the wickedness of modern Israel, Zionism, the Mossad, and the Ashkenazi Jews who control the world. Normally embedded in the rant is some expletive about Israel controlling America.
I receive these types of emails berating me for being so naïve, blind, deceived, and several other things I can’t print, all because I support the modern state of Israel and its right to exist in her land without constant threat of terrorism.
Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.
Matthew 24:12 NASB
The context of Matthew 24:12 is Jesus speaking to His disciples after leaving Jerusalem during His Passion Week. He had sparred with the religious leaders several times in the preceding days. As He and his disciples left Jerusalem that day, Jesus responded to some of the disciples’ comments about the beauty of the Temple complex. He said that what they thought beautiful would be destroyed one day. This led to some of His disciples asking when that time would come. Jesus then described the things that would be prominent during the time right before His Second Coming.
The timing of this verse in Matthew’s Gospel is generally accepted as being during the time of the Tribulation.[1] This is thought to be the case because Matthew 24:9 mentions “Then they will deliver you to tribulation…” Following that, verses 9-11 describe a falling away from the faith, betrayal, and hatred arising among the brethren to the extent that many will be misled by false prophets apparently suggesting that their betrayal, hatred, and callousness toward the brethren is warranted. Verse 12 describes the fading love of many. Some scholars see this entire passage as part of the period Jesus called “birth pangs” prior to the Tribulation (Matthew 24:8). Regardless of the timing of this worldwide event, I see this very behavior spreading across the world today and especially in American Christianity.
I was scrolling through my Instagram feed a few days ago and found a post about Christmas. Specifically, it was a post about a recent survey of American views concerning Christmas. The most recent survey results said that 57% of respondents affirmed that America needs more of Jesus in Christmas and less commercialism.
I, of course, agree with that wholeheartedly. That same survey said that as recently as 2019, among those surveyed, 63% of respondents said we need more of Jesus in Christmas and less commercialism. That shows a 6% drop in 3 years. What is going on here?