My
disagreement with Glenn Beck and Hal Lindsey regarding their statements
that they believe America is about to suffer economic, thus societal,
collapse is only one of degree. There is absolutely no doubt that
collapse is coming. It is how that implosion will eventuate and who will
be caught in the carnage that are at the heart of my disagreement.
My divergence from Dr. Lindsey’s fears about the
immediate future for America and Christians is of the very mildest sort.
I look to God using him in a mighty way during the past decades as
validation of his mission being God-ordained. Thus confutation is
entered with all due respect. That stated, I must give the reasons I
believe Beck and Lindsey’s fears for the immediate future are somewhat
off the mark, as far as Bible prophecy is concerned.
Every signal across the geopolitical, socioeconomic,
and religious spectrum–even signals involving the geophysical and
astrophysical— scream through the sirens of forewarning. We are at the
very end of the Church Age–on the brink of the Tribulation. Yet most in
America–including most believers in Jesus Christ—are going about
business as usual. Except for the relatively few voices forewarning of
the impending cataclysm, there is no recognition of or interest in the
end-times storm warnings.
Jesus, as we have seen, said human activity will be
like it is at present when He next breaks into earth’s history like a
thief in the night. Again, we look at the Lord’s words in the book of
Matthew:
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the
angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so
shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were
before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not
until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming
of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be
taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the
one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not
what hour your Lord doth come. (Matt 24:36-42)
As we have examined, this break-in upon mankind’s
history cannot be describing the Second Advent. It will not be business
as usual at that time, when the planet is decimated by wars and God’s
judgment and wrath. Jesus is here speaking of the Rapture--His imminent,
catastrophic break-in upon earth’s history.
So, we come to our present hour. America is the apex
nation of the world. That is, it is the most materially blessed nation
and one of the most spiritually blessed nations ever to exist. This,
despite the fact that it has degenerated in many ways to become perhaps
the most wicked in human history. The United States is so blessed with
material wealth that every nation on earth is inextricably linked to its
economy in one way or another.
It is true that its dominance is under threat and is
eroding quickly. The economic meltdown and unavoidable implosion of
America’s monetary hegemony is imminent. But everything of global
financial significance still hinges on the health and fate of the
American dollar. This is to the great consternation of the people Glenn
Beck rails against as wanting to bring the dollar down so that a new
monetary regime can be brought to bear on the hapless citizens of what
they envision as a Babel-like, one-world order.
Despite incessant assaults, the American economy
hasn’t collapsed. It should have by now, but it hasn’t. It is, despite
ominous signs ahead, business as usual--just as Jesus said it would be
at the end of the age. If America’s economy crashes–as Beck says it will
very shortly— the entire world will collapse to rubble. The
business-as-usual element of Christ’s prophecy about it being like the
days of Noah and Lot would be out the proverbial window.
If the U.S. economy collapsed, taking the world’s
buying and selling capability into the darkest times in history, it
would take years--if ever--for everything to recover so that things
would again come into business-as-usual configuration. Yet the
devastating, world-rending collapse is coming. It cannot be stopped. I
completely agree with Glenn Beck and Hal Lindsey in seeing that coming
economic catastrophe in the immediate future. However, I disagree that
the folly of man or the deliberate manipulations of human diabolists
will bring the fearful disaster. And the disaster will not happen until
God’s prophetic timing allows. It will continue to be business as usual
despite increasing harbingers of economic calamity. Perhaps conditions
will even look like they are improving. But if so, it will be smoke and
mirrors–a sham “recovery.” The damage is done. Recovery is impossible.
This all means that Jesus Christ is poised to do
exactly what He foretold. The prophetic signals and conditions prevalent
in America and the world should have the attention of every believer.
Jesus is about to fulfill His glorious promise as recorded in John
14:1-3.
The Rapture, I believe Jesus is telling us, will be
the sword of judgment that pierces the building, festering boil of
humanistic rebellion. When the Church is taken to heaven, the minds of
those left behind who want to control will no longer have restraint on
their thoughts and ambitions. There will cease to be a governor on man’s
conscience, according to 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8, because the Holy Spirit
will allow the evil within mankind to do its dastardly work.
This will be the time–during the chaos of the days
immediately after the Rapture—that all of Mr. Beck’s fears will come to
fruition. Neither patriots nor anyone else will be able to save America
and the world.
Now to try to answer my emailer concerning whether
Christians in America will suffer severe, even deadly, persecution, as I
infer Hal Lindsey believes. Christians of America in this pre-Rapture
time certainly are not immune from persecution–even from the persecution
like that suffered by the Christian martyrs of history. However, it
would take a horrendous catastrophe--such as the one Beck predicts—for
American society to totally turn its back on Christianity, thus to begin
physically attacking Christians in the way Lindsey fears might happen.
The Church, with the Restrainer resident within each
believer, will continue to be salt and light--to exert influence over
America’s societal and cultural conditions. That influence, although
observably becoming less and less effective, will be sufficient to
prevent all-out, Nazi-like persecution against Christians in this
nation.
When the Church-Age saints go to Christ upon His call
to them (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 4:1-2), America and the
world will be devoid of the Church’s buffering influence. Those who
accept Christ during the Tribulation will undergo the most horrific
persecution of human history.
Again, if a calamity like the one Beck forecasts were
to befall this nation before Christ’s foretold intervention into earth’s
history, such a collapse would take the U.S. and the world out of the
time of business as usual Jesus said will be in place when He pays the
earth that surprise visit.
Jesus was telling us in Luke 17:26-30 and Matthew
24:36-42 specifically about His coming for the Church, and the general
time-frame of that event. With all that is in alignment precisely as
Jesus and the prophets described, I am convicted in my spirit that now
is that time.
Those who haven’t become part of God’s
family–believing in Jesus Christ for their personal salvation—face a
fearful future indeed. They will be left behind in an instantly changed
world gone mad with chaos infinitely worse than even Glenn Beck
predicts.
There is still opportunity in this Church Age for the
person who hasn’t accepted the Lord Jesus as personal Savior to do so.
But time is fleeting. The Rapture could take place at any moment.
Here is what God’s Holy Word, the Bible, has to say to
you, if you want to escape from this world that is soon to suffer God’s
righteous judgment. Truly follow these instructions from the heart of
the God who loves you and wants you to be safe with Him forever. You
will then be assured not of a fearful future, but of a future that is
fabulous beyond description.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”
(Romans 10: 9-10).
