Rewriting the End Times...

Chapter Sixty-four:

At the very end of the last book of the Bible, Scripture gives us a very stern warning.  Revelation 22: 18-19 says, "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:  If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book."  While this warning refers to the Book of Revelation, I believe the principle can be applied to whomever intentionally seeks to distort and change God's Word. And today there are many voices who are intentionally reinterpreting Scripture when it comes to the end times.

The end times are being rewritten and no longer match up with what Jesus Christ warned when He was asked about them by His disciples. Christ spoke often about His return and what the signs of the end times would be (Matthew 24: 3-14, Luke 21:7-28, and Mark 13: 24-29). Even the very angels foretold of Jesus' return to earth (Acts 1: 9-11).  Those who are reinterpreting Scripture are purposely ignoring  Proverbs 30:5-6 which warns, “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar."

Many of today's preachers and Christian authors are purposely overlooking and downplaying the fact that much of the Bible is dedicated to passages that foretell what the end times will be like prior to Jesus Christ's return (Hebrews 9:28, First Thessalonians 5:2, Matthew 16:27, and Second Peter 3:10).  They have decided that what Jesus said about the end times, and how they are going to come about, need to be modified and changed and that we do not need to take the Bible literally. We are being told that somehow we have gotten it all wrong. Simply put, as humans we now have the potential, the ability and a new commission to change how the world proceeds from here. 

The Great Commission given to us by Jesus (to go into the world and preach the gospel to all nations) has been changed into man's new commission of how he can change the world. We are being called to participate in this new Reformation, which will bring about a great spiritual awakening. We are being told we have the potential to stop the problems of this world.

And these changes will simply come about as a result of our coming together in order to bring change to our environment, in being more tolerant and working towards harmony and unity among all religions/peoples.  No longer is it popular to believe that change comes from within as a result of following Christ. No longer is it popular to point to the Cross and Jesus Christ as the only agents of change in one's life. Change will now come because mankind will work together to make good things happen.  The end times can be changed and it is to this end many are working.

What is being taught is that rather than the great falling away of which Scripture warns (First Timothy 4:1, Matthew 24:10, and Second Thessalonians 2:3) , there will instead be a great revival.  This will result in the utopia that many believe can happen.  And an added bonus of all this, we are told, will be Jesus' presence becoming more manifest in our lives.  However, this is totally contrary to Scripture as it tells us that when Jesus returns physically for the second time He will be returning to a world that is chaotic, reprobate and totally out of control, morally and spiritually.  The Word tells us that there will never be a time of lasting peace or harmony prior to the physical return of Christ.

No longer are we to think about the mansions in the sky that Jesus promised, but instead we are to focus on doing away with hunger, war, intolerance and disease as a way to bring about Heaven here on earth. Even though the Apostle Paul warned us not to entangle ourselves in "another" gospel (Romans 16:17, Titus 3:10), many are doing just that. I believe that this coming together under the pretense of creating  heaven here on earth is setting the stage for the one-world religion of which Scripture warns. This one-world religion will offer us peace and to many it will sound like a wonderful thing. We are paving the way for the one-world government in the guise of establishing  the Kingdom of God here on earth. We have been informed that we do not need to wait for Jesus to bring peace...we can do that just fine without Him. 

The world is trying to bring about its version of peace, and as it continues its move towards this goal, biblical Christians who stand their ground will be seen as roadblocks that need to be dealt with. Those of us who continue to stand up and say that Jesus Christ is the only way to receive salvation will need to be silenced or made an example of as it goes against the very grain of a one-world, all-inclusive religious system.  A false Christ is prophesied in Scripture and He is coming. Nothing man can do will stop that. He will hate all Bible-believing Christians.  Sadly many of our Christian leaders are already falling into step with this world system.  And, unfortunately, many believers are falling for this lie, hook, line and sinker. 

If only more Christians could understand that the premise behind these new ideas ultimately leads to the denial of the Cross and Jesus' atonement as being the only way to save mankind.  A. W. Tozer reminds us, "That evangelism which draws friendly parallels between the ways of God and the ways of men is false to the Bible and cruel to the souls of its hearers. In coming to Christ we do not bring our old life up onto a higher plane; we leave it at the cross."