In my earlier life, I was a Critical Care RN. I became skilled at ‘rapid assessments.’
There were times I had less than a minute to determine a patient’s condition and what I needed to do. If my assessment was wrong, things could get bad – quick!
Life is full of important assessments. When you approach a yellow light, a quick decision is needed. Do you stop or go through? It depends. When you get an official-looking email that just doesn’t ‘feel right in your gut,’ do you open it or delete it? Think carefully.
We make the same kind of reads when we pull into a grocery parking lot late at night, when we approach or leave an ATM, and when panhandlers wave their cardboard signs. Life gets complicated if we make the wrong assessments.
It’s not much different in the church. Sometimes similar assessments are needed to sift the potpourri of people who seem to be legit on the surface but are something else underneath.
Jude 1:12 describes such frauds as ‘hidden reefs.’ They lurk mostly unseen; it’s hard to pick them out. He calls them ‘clouds without rain’ because they look genuine, but they don’t produce. Matthew 7:15 is more direct – these are dangerous ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing.’
The bottom line is the church has people who are not at all what they appear to be. They fool others around them – and there are probably many more of these charlatans than we realize.
Matthew 7:14 says ‘few’ find the small gate and narrow road. A bit later, verse 22 says ‘many’ will learn too late they were not what they’d imagined they were. They had evaluated themselves by the standards of a church that Jesus rejects as ‘lukewarm’ in Revelation 3:16.
This underscores a very disconcerting problem in the church today: it allows for a good act. But I think the problem is much worse than that – I believe it ENCOURAGES a good act!
It’s tempting to hide in the tall grass of ‘Christian culture.’ It’s easy to blend in with the masses who lift their hands when they’re told to – who dutifully pawn off their kids to ‘children’s church,’ then to ‘youth group,’ and then to ‘college and career’ like they’re expected to. It’s easy to ‘feel right’ when you vote with the majority to fund that funky coffee shop with the rainbow mural and the ‘all-are-welcome-here’ theme.
It sounds so proper to say, ‘It’s all about Jesus,’ even when it really isn’t by God’s standards. And when shallow sermons align with the talking points of mainstream media, or when offering plates are full, it persuades many to think everything is on track as it needs to be.
It’s partly that whole safety in numbers thing. It’s so dangerously seductive. It’s much easier to comfortably run with the crowd than to painfully endure with the remnant.
I was 12 years old when I first learned about litmus tests in chemistry class. A special strip of paper would turn blue or red depending on if it was dipped into an alkaline or acidic solution. It was a quick way to tell what you were dealing with.
There’s a good analogy here, but let me be clear. Only God knows the true condition of our hearts. Only He knows if one is truly saved. God sees and knows things we do not, and it’s not our role or responsibility to play God.
Be that so, the Bible does give us a few ‘litmus tests,’ the results of which raise valid concerns about the integrity of one’s faith. It’s that “You-will-know-them-by-their-fruits” dynamic (Matt. 7:16). How we act, what we think, and what we say reveal a great deal about us.
At the least, these are evaluative elements that should prompt a discerning spirit to pause. These are important questions which expose one’s views, and they are infused with prophetic overtones. We are wise to consider the implications of what their answers reveal.
WHAT IS ONE’S VIEW OF ISRAEL?
Do they support BDS? Have they branded Christians that stand with Israel as ‘Zionists?’ Do they believe the church has replaced Israel? Do they march for the Palestinians? Do they see no prophetic significance for the modern-day Jewish state? Do they look down on ‘dispensationalists?’ Are they followers on social media of those who evidence clear anti-Jewish sentiments? Do they believe the Jews in Israel today are ‘not real Jews.’ And here’s a big one: do they support a two-state solution, or some plan to divide up the Jewish nation?
That’s a lot of questions, but it’s not well for anyone if they answer ‘Yes’ to any of them. The more “yesses” – the worse it becomes.
That’s because Scripture is crystal clear that God has not abandoned Israel and the Jews. The Bible is plain that Israel is unique and separate from the church in God’s divinely ordained program. These teachings are among the clearest in Scripture. The only way to not see these passages for what they are saying is to CHOOSE to ignore or misinterpret them. Many folks do that, and it says much about how they are really dismissing God and His Word.
In the prophetic passage of Joel 3:2, God will gather the survivors in the aftermath of The Tribulation. He will levy judgment against those who tried to ‘divide up My land.’ This is an event synonymous with Matthew 25:32 where Jesus will gather all the nations before Him, and He’ll ‘separate the sheep from the goats.’ It’ll be good for the sheep but bad for the goats.
The context of these passages shows Jesus will evaluate one’s true spiritual condition at that future time – in part – by their posture towards national Israel and their attitude towards the Jews. It boils down to the fact that our words and actions show our heart’s true spiritual condition.
This should be a big red warning light for those who nurture anti-Jewish sentiments, who believe in a two-state solution, and who willfully ignore the plain truth of Scripture. One’s treatment of the Jews and one’s perspective of Israel are indicators of one’s eternal destiny.
WHAT IS ONE’S VIEW OF THE MODERN CHURCH?
I know so many people who are marinated in the fallacy that the modern church has its act together. They are from all walks of life, but they’ve got one thing in common: they are wrong.
Much of this crowd deliriously sings about new generations that are rising up, and about selfless faith and near revivals, and so on. They’ve not only abandoned the deep doctrines of the old hymns, but they’ve largely forgotten what the church’s commitments need to be.
Within this bunch is a nucleus of those who obsess about ‘prophetic utterances,’ ‘Holy Spirit fire,’ and ‘amazing deliverances.’ They’re prone to gush about ‘great revivals’ here and there, even when these things are not happening by Biblical benchmarks. They orbit around burgeoning false ‘apostles’ and ‘prophets’ like moths circling a lamp – willfully declining to consider the Scriptural criteria of either office.
Some of these folks go so far as to believe the modern church is taking over the world right now and making everything better for everyone. They think the church is creating a Godly dominion – setting up Christ’s kingdom on earth. They are rehearsing how to roll out the red carpet for Jesus Christ to return. Obviously, none of these folks read the news – OR the Bible.
These folks have a big problem because none of their delusions are supported in Scripture. In fact, the reverse is stated quite clearly. The trajectory of the church, and of faith in general, is painted as a downward drift as the last days take shape. This is quite plain in God’s Word.
Jesus Himself mused in Luke 18:8, “….when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” In Matthew 24:12, Jesus, looking even further into the last years of human history, said “the love of many will grow cold.” According to the Bible, faith in the last days will be marked by apostasy, deception, and false teachings. True faith will trend down.
I personally believe many in the church today are not really saved, and one reality check for that statement is found in Revelation 3:14-22. This is a passage that is not only about a real historical church, but it’s one that prophetically represents the modern church just before the Rapture. Pick up your Bible. Read this passage carefully. Consider what it’s really saying.
We see a well-to-do, beautiful – and by all outward assessments – prosperous church. By the worldly standards of its time, it’s doing fine. But outward appearances are deceiving. Jesus calls it ‘wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, naked, and lukewarm.’ While the modern church says, “It’s all about Jesus” – it’s not. It’s about ‘nickels and noses.’ Jesus says in vs. 20 that He’s trying to get INTO this church. He’s not a part of it, and He urgently wants that to change.
Far too many Christians think the modern church, with all its programs, buildings, budgets, committees, youth centers, coffeeshops, art galleries, social gospel, bands, gluten-free communion wafers, and other cultural and administrative routines, is the Biblical model. But nothing could be further from the truth. Anyone who has spent time with the persecuted, impoverished, and sorely tested underground believers in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East has seen firsthand something that is much closer to the New Testament church.
The fact that many churches in America complied with the patently deceptive COVID mandates and applied for PPP funds tells you much of what you need to know. That was a defining moment. These churches did not have the wisdom to see the lie, the will to resist the agenda, or the faith to stand firm and instruct others despite the persecution (Daniel 11:32-33). They were too focused on the dollars.
As I suggested already, most religious institutions today have fundamentally failed a basic spiritual eye exam. It is therefore mortally dangerous to gauge the integrity of one’s faith by the template of a church that Jesus says He will ‘spit out of His mouth.’
WHAT IS ONE’S VIEW OF BIBLE PROPHECY?
After years of teaching and writing on Bible prophecy, I’ve come to regard this question as a big deal. Scripture places prophecy – which is more than one quarter of God’s Word – much higher on the scale of importance than where the average Christian or church places it today.
To illustrate, Peter taught a rock-solid sermon on Bible prophecy from Joel 2:28-32 on the original Day of Pentecost. Keep in mind, this was the birth of the church. It was brand new, and it still had everything yet to learn.
So why did Peter preach a sermon based on ‘Bible prophecy’? Isn’t that the ‘fringe stuff’ by most people’s estimations today? Here are three reasons Peter did what he did.
First, Peter was ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’ (Acts 2:4) when he preached about things that were future from that point. Let’s get something straight: Peter shot his mouth off a lot as one of Jesus’ disciples, but this was not one of those times. Peter preached what the Holy Spirit directed him to say. We should note the subject material the Holy Spirit chose.
Second, the chief goal of Peter was to call people to repentance. Peter said in Acts 2:38, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.’ This was stated not so much as an invitation – but more as a command.
Peter preached on the coming judgments of Jesus Christ. He impacted his listeners with the apocalyptic details of the Tribulation, and he revealed God’s forthcoming wrath on an unrepentant world. His sermon was centered on ‘big picture stuff’ – the top priorities.
You could say this was Peter’s version of “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” by Jonathan Edwards. It had similar force and energy. Peter’s sermon was prophecy-based as he reminded them of their own urgent need for salvation. It was also very effective! Acts 2:41 records that ‘three thousand souls were saved.’
And third, Peter employed Bible prophecy to reassure his audience of God’s covenant relationship with Israel. The reason was that Gentiles would also be coming to faith. They would also be part of the church. There was nothing casual about this development since this went against all the social mores of that time. Jews and Gentiles didn’t mix.
The Holy Spirit guided Peter to employ Bible prophecy to remind the Jews God hadn’t abandoned them. Joel is a distinctly Jewish book, and Peter used it to affirm God’s unilateral, irrevocable, and unconditional covenant commitments to His chosen people. Peter preached Bible prophecy to reinforce the immutable character of God.
Paul placed a huge emphasis on Bible prophecy, too. This is evident in 1 Corinthians, Romans, 1 & 2 Timothy, and 1 & 2 Thessalonians, to name some.
The last two books on that list underscore some particularly intriguing points. The church in Thessalonica was a brand-new church. It was a small group of baby believers, and Paul only had about three weeks with them according to Acts 17:2.
Despite the little time he had, Paul taught Bible prophecy. What’s the deal with that?
By typical church standards today, Paul missed the mark. He dropped the ball. He should have emphasized themes to this new church like ‘Christian Community,’ ‘How to Tithe,’ ‘Being a Good Neighbor,’ ‘Jesus Accepts Us As We Are,’ or ‘Finding Our Happy Place.’
The fact is that Paul, like Peter, recognized that Bible prophecy – responsibly taught – is foundational to the well-being of a church and to all believers that are part of it. He wrote the eschatologically rich letters of 1 & 2 Thessalonians to combat apostasies that had crept in. These are the same sort of apostasies that infect the greater church today.
It’s clear from studying 1 & 2 Thessalonians that Paul ‘edified and equipped’ these young Christians with a stout diet of Bible prophecy ‘out of the gates.’ He pointed their noses in the right direction from the start. He reinforced the themes of Bible prophecy to correct wrong notions and to encourage these believers in their faith.
Because Paul understood that Bible prophecy is sound doctrine, he warned in 2 Timothy 4:3 that it would face attacks. It would rank high among those doctrines that would not be tolerated in later times. Bible prophecy receives the full prejudices of the weak and uninformed. Those that teach it properly are often sidelined and belittled.
The Bible indicates that Peter and Paul had a few talks. Maybe this issue came up. Who knows? But Peter certainly agrees with Paul when he says in 2 Peter 3:3-4 that ‘scoffers’ and ‘mockers’ will mount in ‘the last days.’ A key focus of their derision will be the topic of Bible prophecy, and in particular, the events surrounding Jesus Christ’s return.
If church leaders today REALLY wanted to emulate Paul’s example, if church leaders today really wanted to LEARN from Peter’s priorities, then they would change their habits. They would humbly subordinate themselves to God’s Word and make Bible prophecy a priority.
But they don’t, and the Bible makes the case that’s a bad sign. This leads to the last question, which exposes one’s views and provides another ‘litmus test’ for the sincerity of one’s faith.
WHAT IS ONE’S VIEW OF THE BIBLE?
The Bible uniquely contains and reveals eternal truth. It possesses those attributes because it is God’s inspired Word to mankind. As such, it is a direct reflection of its divine Author, and it is inerrant, complete, and eternal.
All parts of God’s Word are equally necessary and profitable according to 2 Tim. 3:16, and that means no part of it should be ranked in terms of value. We cannot – and we must not – dilute or dismiss any portion or theme of Scripture.
And unlike all other books or works of literature, the Bible supernaturally changes lives. It does this because it is intended to be understood. It’s meant to be read normally and interpreted literally. It’s God’s message to each of us, and He has made His intentions clear.
It’s unfortunate that my prior statements upset many pastors, teachers, and ‘Christians’ today. The reason is simple. If the Bible is meant to be understood, then that means we are accountable to it. If every part of the Bible is equally valuable, then that means we need to responsibly teach all parts of it. If the Bible is complete and inerrant, then that means we shouldn’t be following pink-haired ‘prophetesses’ who claim to get downloads from God.
I need to be candid here. This last question of ‘What is one’s view of the Bible?’ captures all the other issues within this article. If one fails to regard God’s Word properly – then one also fails to regard God properly. You cannot disassociate these two things.
The more I study God’s Word, the more I learn from it, and the more I grow in my faith, the more I doubt the credibility of ‘Christians’ and churches that miss the clear intentions of Scripture by such a wide margin. Bluntly, I don’t think they’re the ‘real deal.’
I am particularly troubled by those who dismiss the significance of God’s covenant promises to the Jewish people, those who celebrate their own spiritual blindness and mediocrity, those who deride Bible prophecy – and those who construct ideas that are NOT supported by Scripture so they can avoid those which ARE. I think these people run the risk of hearing Jesus say, “I never knew you; depart from me….” (Matt. 7:23).
I read many online discussion forums on various topics of the Bible. When the intensity of these discussions escalates, someone always writes, “There are different interpretations, and we need to respect all of them,” or “We cannot be sure what the Bible is saying, so let’s focus on getting along.” A chorus of spineless agreement usually ensues.
These “conciliatory” expressions are a common reaction to Biblical debates, but they are nothing more than lukewarm reactions. The last time I checked, that’s a temperature setting outside of God’s affections (Revelation 3:15-16).
It’s a necessary assumption that the Bible always extols truth. The Scriptures advance the need for proper understanding and compliance by their nature. Since the Bible does not contradict itself, we will not contradict each other – nor will we fall prey to apostate views – when we responsibly incorporate the full counsel of God’s Word into our regular fellowship.
In closing, there’s a hard red line here. Alternative views which steer us away from the intended message of God’s Word are not correct, nor are such intentions worthy of our respect. Instead, they are strong indicators that true faith is absent.
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