By Heath Rainwater
The Vine Christian Ministries
I’m not old…but old enough to marvel at how much our nation and even our world has changed in just the four decades I’ve been alive. It is still mind numbing to grasp all of the advancements, for lack of a better word, that we have seen in only my lifetime. From rotary dial to push button phones, cordless phones, cell phones and now the iPhone 4G. Wow! From 13-inch black and white televisions to 65-inch LCD flat screens in high definition. From the Commodore VIC 20 to the personal super computers of today…not to mention the Internet! From Pong to the X-Box 360. We’ve seen these types of advancements in so many parts of our world. The mapping of the human genome, cloning, military weaponry, Boeing 787, space exploration and other scientific and biological fields. Mankind is truly an amazing species.
But what I find to be most shocking is how far our nation has deviated from traditional values and beliefs. Even the very simple fact that we are and always have been a Christian nation has been brought into question. The name of Jesus Christ is no longer tolerated, not even on the celebration of his own birth. We celebrate Christmas, but are asked to not mention the name of Christ. How do you change the heart of a nation away from the God whom they once trusted and believed? How do you outlaw the beliefs and practices that form the very foundation of a nation?
We tolerate such gross sin and evil in our society today that only 20 years ago we would’ve found repulsive. In fact, we more than tolerate it, we celebrate it. The Bible tells us that the spirit of the Antichrist has been at work in our world for centuries and in the last days a world leader will rise up and begin opposing everything that is godly. This person known as the Antichrist will have the whole world putting their trust and belief in him. When the Antichrist first comes onto the scene he will mask his evil intents by promising to bring peace and order to the world. His opposition to God will grow and he will persecute and even begin killing Christians around the world. Eventually the evil in him will begin to manifest itself uncloaked and Satan himself will take over this person. After this happens the whole world, having their tolerance built up towards sin and evil will worship him as Satan. Once, Satan had to come as an angel of light to deceive people because evil was shunned. But soon he will be the reigning Antichrist and the world will actually band together with him to make war against the God of all creation, the very essence of love! How is this possible? How can a world be brought to such depravity and abandonment of good and of righteousness? The heart of the world will be turned from good to evil. How will this happen? I’d argue it’s been happening for a very long time. The opposition towards God and his son Jesus Christ has escalated to the point where it is now possible to understand how certain end-time events will be allowed to take place.
Kids aren’t born with a taste for Jack Daniels; well; at least most aren’t. If they took a big ‘ol swig they’d literally throw up. The taste and potency is so repulsive their bodies would simply reject it. But if they start off drinking California Coolers (like I did) or well-crafted mixed drinks with lots of juice to cover up the taste of the alcohol you’ll be surprised how fast they can build up a tolerance to the very thing that they once found repulsive.
The same can be said about evil and sin. People and even a whole nation can build up a tolerance to it. Once we begin pushing out the consciousness of God and yielding ourselves to sin, we become servants to sin. How many times have we seen our sons and daughters deceived and brought down by evils that once had no place in their hearts? Did that happen to you? It all starts with your heart. Who has yours?
The good news about the fate of Christians is that we win. Jesus has already guaranteed the victory when he went to the cross and rose from the dead. He swallowed up death and gave us a hope that does not hinge on the temporal things of this world. He will reign forever. If you give him your heart you will reign with him.
The Rev. Heath Rainwater of The Vine Christian Ministries can be reached at www.thevineministries.org.