I’m in a doom and gloom mood I think! The tough question for me to answer is when to talk about the worst and when to realize that everyone will simply think you are Chicken Little! I certainly might be Mr. Little right now, but a guy mentioned on the radio this week that the government and the military make contigency plans all the time and so should we. I thought that was a good point.
REASONS WHY I’M STARTING TO MAKE CONTINGENCY PLANS
First… Europe is in trouble according to this article. Including Russia. In fact, while we’re in a recession so far, Europe, Eastern Europe especially, is in collapse. By the way they are rioting Iceland. This week. All month and last month. And by extension, we’re in a bit of trouble.
Second… Did you watch the business shows today? I try to catch some of them every Saturday, and my goodness, those guys have fewer answers than they did a month ago. Seems like everyone disagrees on what to do or who to blame.
Third… Iran has enough uranium to build at least one nuke.
Fourth… Netanyahu will likely be the Israeli Prime Minister and he’s the least likely of the major contenders to put up with Iran.
Fifth… This guy says the law enforcement officials he talks to tell him off the record that they are training and preparing for civil unrest.
Sixth… There is a run on guns and ammo all across America. Really.
Seventh… the last time the world went through economic times like this, it led to facism, communism and a completely unhinged world. So those are always dangers when economies are collapsing and governments are destabilized. Some experts are actually warning against the rise of totalitarianism right now.
Warning signs all of them, but of course, there’s no guarantee the world is ending. I mean, who knows? But this is leading us toward (get the difference there) leading us toward a world that looks exactly like the one in Revelation and other various places.
But-We-Aren’t-There-Yet
So what to do now? Well, if we are headed that way for real, here’s a couple of details to keep in mind:
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.-I John 2:18
As John writes, anti-christs are not a new thing. We’ve had our Hitlers and Stalins before. Nevertheless, the Bible prophecies a final world leader and there are some important things to notice.
He is followed. He is not merely a dictator who seizes power and keeps it by force. He-is-followed. “The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?” -Revelation 13:3b-4
Three characteristics of his rule stand out:
1. He will oppose and fight against Christianity. Revelation 13:7
2. His popularity and authority will extend worldwide. Revelation 13:8
3. He will institute economic policies. Revelation 13:16-18
And thus chapter 6 of Revelation is very consistent with his rise, by describing a world with six forces unleashed:
1. The Anti-Christ
2. War over the whole earth (a danger today)
3. Economic Collapse Worldwide (almost inevitable today)
4. Death as a result of the above (plus a result plague and “wild beasts of the earth” as well)
5. Persecution of believers. (part of what the Anti-Christ does)
6. God’s judgments upon the earth. (well, duh, it’s Revelation)
Now what to do? Well if we are approaching THAT scenario, then keep in mind some of these details:
When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” -Revelation 6:5-6
That’s the economic collapsed predicted in Revelation, and Revelation describes inflated prices. Hyper-Inflation, a condition that is feared to arrive all over the world because of the collapse of world curriencies and the efforts by governments to pump more and more money into the system, would fulfill this. So if we are approaching the end, then the fears of hyper-inflation will likely be realized.
MY FIRST IDEAS AT CONTINGENCY PLANS
Let’s get the politically incorrect stuff out of the way. The first thing we need to do is recognize God and return to Him. As impossible as this seems to do as a nation, I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about getting your life right with Him. It’s more than simple church attendance, it’s whether or not He is Lord of your Life on Monday through Saturday. It not only makes an eternal difference, but a serious study of the character of God in the Old and New Testaments reveals that God sends smaller judgments for a reason, and that reason is to bring people back to repentance. Even in the book of Revelation, the Bible mentions several times the unwillingness of people to repent. The state of our economy, in my opinion, is a warning to America to repent. I believe we should heed the warning.
Besides, when facing economic issues, Jesus promised that the Lord would help those who put Him first: “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”-Matthew 6:31-33
Ok, now for all that other stuff…
If currencies all over the world become more and more worthless, it would make sense that a world monetary system would rise out of the ashes. For us, we would face a time of upheaval and according to those verses, a time when even basic supplies cost a great deal. Saving dried and canned food, paying off debts by managing your money now, and reducing your spending, would be helpful.
It would be helpful because debt is slavery, and the sooner you are out of debt, the sooner you will have money freed up to purchase important items and assets you might not be able to get later. The world economy, and the American economy, are BIG ships. They don’t sink instantly, and even if the world economy collapses, it might take a few years. Those years are time that should be not be wasted. If the worst doesn’t happen (and let’s hope it doesn’t) then you’ll be in a better financial situation tomorrow anyway.
And remember, during the Great Depression, there were lots of predictions that it we would soon pull out of it, and you should buy stock, etc… Right now, with all the uncertainty, do what you know you need to do. Get out of debt. Make sure you have supplies and things you need.
Saving over the counter medication, first aid products, etc… would be helpful to prevent infection and keep a family safer if going to the doctor was suddenly difficult.
Families and friends could pull together, even live together, to pool resources, and provide more safety for each other. Truth be told, such circumstances wouldn’t be all bad. People in our nation have often pulled together in times of crisis, and even if the worst happens, we will again. Churches, communities, families, and people with character will rise to the occasion as they have in the past. We’ll be ok. We’ll probably be even stronger.
So don’t panic, but do be smart. There are real contingency plans you can make and if you don’t need them, great! And if we do need these contingency plans, well stay hopeful. Even if the worst happens, people will pull together. And of course remember, it’s been predicted for a long time. It wouldn’t be a surprise.
10 comments
Comments feed for this article
February 21, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Marianne
We do our best, and God will provide the rest.
The end that is coming is not the end of the world, but the end of the rule of the wicked.
February 21, 2009 at 9:24 pm
thefreshwind
I really would suggest that you take a look at “Surprised By Hope” by N. T. Wright, “The Apocalypse Code” by Hank Hanagraaff, and “The Rapture Exposed” by Barbara Rossing. And I agree with Marianne’s comment.
February 21, 2009 at 10:12 pm
thecrazypastor
While I respect Hank Hanagraaff and Barbara Rossing, I don’t always agree with them. Hank especially. I love Hank, don’t get me wrong. I’ve interviewed him on the radio before, and I agree with him on most things. But he and I do not agree on Bible Prophecy. As a student of Bible prophecy for many years now (and a teacher of it) my main mentor in that field is David Reagan of Lamb and Lion Ministries.
February 22, 2009 at 1:12 am
caliliee
After some study on the matter, I have taken a historical pre-millenial view on the matter. I think it all comes down to when you believe the book of Revelation was written (pre or post AD 70).
Whatever side a believer stands on when it comes to prophecy, the one thing that is bothering me, right now, about dispensational pre-tribbers is that they seem to be wanting so badly for Jesus to return right now – as if believers shouldn’t have to go through any tough times. If Jesus doesn’t return soon and things get really bad in our country, I wonder what affect that will have on their faith?
February 22, 2009 at 3:49 am
thecrazypastor
I worry about that too Caliliee. Especially because the Bible does NOT clearly or unequivocally state the “rapture” of saints will occur before a Tribulation as pictured in the movie and book series called “Left Behind.”
(For those of you who don’t know, the “Rapture” refers to the event described in I Thessalonians 4:15-17 and I Corinthians 15:51-52. In those places the Bible explains that when Christ returns, the people who are still alive at the time will be caught up to meet Him in the air, and changed into immortality in the twinkling of an eye. The word comes from the Latin Vulgate Bible and means “caught up”)
The question is, does the event occur at the very end of the world when Christ comes back? Hank Hanagraaff and Amillenial viewpoints would say yes! Does it happen 7 years before the end? Tim LaHaye and most of your Premillenial viewpoints say yes! Does it happen just a few years or months before the end??? A lot of folks believe that is more accurate. In the Bible, God gave us every kind of example. He pulled Lot and his family out of Sodom and Gomorrah, and then clobbered the place. He left the Israelites in Egypt while he clobbered the place. The Bible does not come out and just give an answer. People infer it according to how they interpret several key passages.
So yeah, Caliliee, you bring up a good question. What if they are CONVINCED a “rapture” MUST happen before we have to “go through any tough times” and then… it doesn’t happen that way?
I fear sometimes that people will fall away. Not because the Bible was “wrong” but because what they thought the Bible said was wrong.
I hope we aren’t too tied to our traditions that we can’t see how God is doing it right in front of us. Chances are that none of us will have it all figured out ahead of time. Just my opinion of course.
February 22, 2009 at 4:06 am
thecrazypastor
Oh, I’m with you on being more of a traditional pre-millenialist. Personally, I think that Rapture thingie is not going to occur 7 years out, but more like 2-4 years out. I really, really, really would like to be wrong and have those 7-year ahead of time people be right! Soon is good! lol
And I’m convinced the preponderance of the historical record gives the date for writing Revelation after 70 AD in the traditional view of having it written in the 90’s.
In my opinion though, it doesn’t matter. Much has to be symbolized and treated very generally in order to apply it to John’s time period. Very little has to be done to apply it to our future, -even near future. These days, Revelation can be looked at quite literally, and it slides onto our day like a well worn glove tailor fit for a hand.
February 27, 2009 at 1:18 am
caliliee
If Revelation were written after AD 70, then whe question is: why is there not one mention of the destruction of Jerusalem? This was pretty BIG history in Israel. Just as 9-11 was huge here. I tend to agree with Hanagraaf that John would have at least made some type of reference to it in Revelation if it was written post AD 70. If Revelation was written strictly about Israel, then many other prophetic passages take on an entirely different meaning.
I am almost finished reading George Eldon Ladd’s The Presence of The Future. It is a highly academic book, but incredibly educational. One of the things I am learning is that there is a difference between prophetic and apocalyptic. I think that much of what is prophetic, we tend to interpret as apocalyptic and this leads to a different interpretation than what the original author intended.
I used to totally believe in pre-trib, like the Left Behind series. But, having studied the preterist, post-mil (which I don’t agree with) and historical pre-mil view, I have come to the conclusion that historical pre-mil squares up with Scripture the most. It has been very challenging and has stirred up much discussion with family members who are “sold” on the Left Behind view of the end times. I worry that they will end up disappointed and depressed if the truth is that this viewpoint is wrong.
February 27, 2009 at 2:52 am
thecrazypastor
Sure, but even so, I’m hesitant to very easily dismiss the idea that Revelation was written in the 90’s. The majority of scholars still believe Revelation was written in the 90’s and there are several early church fathers who referred to the book as being written in the 90’s. While it is easier to say Revelation is prophecying about the Romans sacking Jerusalem if Revelation was written earlier, much of the historical evidence still says 90’s.
You referenced a good point that there was no mention of 70 AD. That’s a valid consideration. I think it can go the other way, too… for instance, perhaps it is actually significant that Revelation wasn’t even sent to the Jews at first, but to 7 Gentile churches? Perhaps there were no churches left in Jerusalem to send it to? Revelation (in my opinion) seems broader in scope than just the Jews, and perhaps that is precisely because Israel was no more?
I’m not saying I’m right and you’re wrong, just saying a person could look at it a couple of ways.
It does mention Jews in chapter 7 (144,000 Jews -but it also mentions a multitude no one could count from every other nation) and it mentions the temple in chapter 11, and Israel is symbolized in chapter 12. But the rest, in my view, is more world-wide in scope.
I absolutely agree with you that historic pre-millennialism squares up with Scripture the most (of all the literal viewpoints). I’m very close to a historic pre-mil guy so of course I agree! lol
But I also guarantee that none of us, including me, have it all figured out. To tell the truth, I would love for the Left Behind Pre-Tribbers to be correct. I’m all in favor of getting out of here early… but I also agree with you in being a little worried that pre-tribbers will be disappointed and possibly even fall away if it doesn’t work out they way they expect.
February 27, 2009 at 8:25 pm
caliliee
I certainly don’t have it all figured out either. As my children and I are learning, there are always two sides to a story.
But here is what I am hearing a lot of…”We are ripe for the Antichrist to appear anytime”, “I can see how easily end time prophecy is falling into place now”…”that means it could be anyday, now, that Jesus returns”.
Now, I’ve also heard it asked in many congregations, Bible studies, etc. “What would you do if you knew Jesus was going to return tomorrow?” Most people say they’d get out there and evangelize like crazy.
This isn’t squaring up with what I’m seeing, though. So many people, right now, who believe in Pre-Trib aren’t getting out there and evangelizing, or doing much of anything to fulfill the great commission or minister at all. They are sitting by, complaining about how bad things are and then saying “Oh, I can’t wait until Jesus, gets us out of here!”. Jesus himself prays that God would not take us out of the world. He wants us to be about the Father’s business until He returns. So, I agree with Hanagraaf, again, when he says that a pre-trib mindset can lead to danger in not fulfilling our purpose here on earth. I think Matthew 25 speaks exactly to what can happen when you have this mindset.
And where is a historical pre-mil. viewpoint being taught in our churches? It is almost heresy to speak against the “rapture”. I think it would do the body good to hear all sides of this issue. I think another question we might ask is: “What would you do if you knew Jesus weren’t coming back for another 2000 years?” I wonder what kind of responses we would get? Maybe we should conduct an unofficial study??? It would be interesting to contrast it with “What would you do if you knew Jesus were coming back tomorrow?”
February 27, 2009 at 11:15 pm
thecrazypastor
Lots of churches preach different timings for the rapture. We do. I’ve been a part of those discussions in our church, (as recently as last Wednesday) and with other ministers. So, it’s happening under the radar I guess.
And although we’re probably not doing enough if we’re honest with ourselves, I disagree with Hanagraaf mightily on this point. Generally speaking, a large percentage of the most active and evangelistic church groups in our nation are pre-mil: Baptists, Charismatic (Charismatic groups at one time made up 1/4 of the entire mission force and Baptists are right there with them) Assemblies, Non-denominationals, etc… The Amill churches aren’t getting out there and “evangelizing like crazy” either. A complacent mind-set is a danger to anyone holding any view in my opinion.
Probably most Christians believe we should be good stewards of what God has given us, providing for our families, doing our jobs, being a good parent, etc… And we should do as much as God allows us in regards to witnessing, but without neglecting that other stuff.