He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.  He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (Mark 8:31-33)

In Matthew’s version of this exchange we can read what Peter said to cause such a strong response.  His reaction to the Lord’s prophecy had been, “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” (Matt. 16:22.  It was an emotional statement, made on the spur of the moment out of a desire to protect the Lord from harm, and spoken with pure motives.  You or I might have said something like, “Over my dead body!”

Although the Lord’s response was strong in the extreme it wasn’t off the top of His head like Peter’s had been.  Remember, Jesus could not say anything on His own. Instead, He explained, “Whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say” (John 12:50).

Was Jesus saying that no matter how well intended or pure of motive, if what we say doesn’t conform to the will of God, but instead reflects the desires of men, then it’s really from Satan? Let’s find out.

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14).

During their time with the Lord, the disciples often seemed like they just didn’t get it.  More than once, He appeared to have exhausted His patience with them. Matt. 15:1-20 is a good example. Some Pharisees had criticized Jesus because the disciples didn’t perform the traditional ceremonial hand washing before eating.  Jesus responded by pointing out instances where their traditions contradicted God’s Law.  He called them hypocrites and said it’s not what goes into a man’s mouth that makes him unclean, but what comes out of it. When the disciples told Him the Pharisees were offended by His comments, Jesus told them a parable about the blind leading the blind.

Peter didn’t understand and asked Jesus to explain the parable. “Are you still so dull?” Jesus exclaimed, and then told them how things that go into our mouth go to our stomach and then out of our body, but things that come out of our mouth come from our heart, and include evil thoughts of all kinds.  These are what make us unclean, He said, not eating food with unwashed hands.

And in the very next chapter of Matthew, they completely misunderstood His reference to the “yeast” of the Pharisees.  Although He had recently created enough bread out of thin air to feed multitudes of people, they thought He was saying they didn’t bring any bread.

Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”  Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matt. 16:8-12)

Even after the resurrection, some did not understand.  On the road to Emmaus after listening to two disciples sorrowfully recounting the events that culminated in His crucifixion, Jesus said, “How foolish you are and slow to comprehend all the prophets have spoken.” While they walked along together He explained all the Old Testament  prophecies concerning His death and resurrection (Luke 24:13-27).

Then we learn that the disciples didn’t receive the Holy Spirit until the evening that followed the Lord’s resurrection (John 20:22).  Even three years of daily teaching by the Lord Himself couldn’t substitute for this gift. Peter’s sermons in Acts 2:14-41 and Acts 3:11-26 show the remarkable difference the Holy Spirit can make in a person.

From this we can see that it shouldn’t surprise us when unbelievers can’t understand God’s word.  After all we couldn’t understand it before we became believers either.  But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the person with the Holy Spirit will immediately understand all the things of God, and automatically yield his or her will to the will of God like the disciples did.  It means that unlike non-believers we have been given the potential to understand the things of God and follow his will for us.  But to realize this potential we have to allow the Spirit of God to retrain our minds.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephes. 4:22-24)

Paul made it clear that this is something we have to decide to do. We have to put off our old self, that’s been steeped in the ways of the world, and put on our new self, the new creation we became when we accepted the Lord’s death as payment for our sins (2 Cor. 5:17).  We have to be made new in the attitude of our mind.

An attitude is simply a habit of thought.  As non-believers we all developed habits in the way we think.  We acquired them from exposure to the world around us, and since the whole world is under the control of the evil one (1 John 5:19), many of the attitudes we formed are in opposition to the things of God, and they didn’t go away just because we became believers.

We have to make a choice to exchange our old worldly attitudes for new Godly ones.  And even with the  indwelling Holy Spirit, this takes time and it takes practice.  Remember, He’s only here to guide us into all truth (John 16:13), not to control  us. That’s why He’s called the counselor instead of the commander. We still have to make the choice to allow Him to change the way we think. The reason so many believers today still live the same way and want the same things as they did before they were saved is they haven’t made this choice, and therefore the Holy Spirit can’t change them (Matt. 13:22).

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2-4)

Offering our body as a living sacrifice means choosing to live in a manner pleasing to God in gratitude for the priceless gift of salvation. Renewing our mind means rejecting any worldly attitudes that aren’t consistent with God’s word and replacing them with those that are.

In 1 Cor. 6:19-20 Paul reminded us that we are no longer our own, but have been bought at a price.  According to 1 Peter 1:18-19, that price was not silver or gold but the precious blood of Christ, and when we agreed with God to let it constitute payment in full for our sins, He put His seal of ownership on us and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Cor. 1:22).  We belong to Him now, and nothing can change that.

The world tells us we’re free to choose what ever lifestyle, vocation, and world view we want.  But Paul said to experience the full benefit of God’s will for us, we should not blindly conform to the world’s patterns, but instead should yield our lives to Him, and allow Him to give us the abundant life He desires for us (John 10:10). There’s no real sacrifice involved here, because when we delight ourself in the Lord, He will give us the desire of our heart (Psalm 37:4).  Most people never realize their heart’s true desire, but sooner or later settle for much less. It’s only those who delight in Him who can look forward with assurance to getting it all.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;  for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)

So ultimately everything that’s not from God really is from Satan.  Even the things of this world that we think we’ve freely chosen are really only an illusion, because if they’re not drawing us toward God they’re drawing us toward His enemy. There is no independent position. For example, do we really believe that by excluding God from our society we’ve gained more freedom for ourselves? Or does the evidence around us point to the conclusion that we’ve only acquired a different master, one who does not have our best interests at heart.  Having abandoned God are we not conforming to the evil desires men had when they lived in ignorance of Him?

Look around you.  Are we healthier?  Are we happier? Are we more secure? Are our children better off? Can they look forward to a life of opportunity and promise? Can we trust our elected officials not to betray us? Have the prospects for the future improved? Is there any evidence at all that life is better  in a society that’s breaking free of God?  People ask me if I think it’s too late for the US, but I think a better question would be, “Is it too late for the world?”

King David had our day in view when he  prophesied,

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.

“Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.” (Psalm 2:1-6)

While this prophecy will see its ultimate fulfillment in the Battle of Armageddon, it’s reasonable to conclude that the world is already in open rebellion against God. Can His wrath be far behind?

1 Peter 1:13-16 contains good advice for us upon whom the end of the age has come. We’re to prepare our minds for action, be self-controlled, and set our hope fully on the grace to be given us when Jesus Christ is revealed.  To me this means get ready to leave, don’t panic, and trust in the Lord’s promise to rescue us before His wrath comes crashing down (1 Thes. 1:10).

We’re to turn away from the evil desires of this world and be holy, as the One who called us is holy, not  depending on the world to somehow right itself without God, but staying focused on His plan for our future instead.

Remember, holiness is not a function of behavior, it’s a function of purpose.  To be holy is to be set apart for God, and the clear message of the Bible is that God’s people are to be set apart from the world. We’re not to conform to its ways (Romans 12:2) or be deceived by its promises (Matt. 13:22) or store up its treasures (Matt. 6:19). We’ve been redeemed from the world and set apart for Him.  Although for a little while we’re still in the world, we’re not of the world (John 18:36).  Our citizenship is in Heaven (Phil. 3:20) and our destiny is to dwell there.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Cor. 4:18).  Anything less is not having in mind the things of God but the things of men.

There are lots of news reports, articles, and even books devoted to the deteriorating state of America and speculating on the likely outcome. Reading them has brought several things to my mind.

As an example, I remembered something Hal Lindsey said 20 years ago about the then current world situation. He said he had been wondering how God was going to fulfill end times prophecy while the Soviet Union was standing in the way of the revived Roman Empire taking its prophesied place in the end times.

The term “revived Roman Empire” comes from Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream as a prophecy of “Gentile Dominion”, the time during which Gentile Empires would rule the world. (Daniel 2:31-43).

In the dream Nebuchadnezzar saw a large poly-metallic statue, and Daniel interpreted it to represent four Kingdoms. Many scholars believe the head of gold stood for Babylon, the chest and arms of silver symbolized Media Persia, who conquered Babylon. The belly and thighs of bronze pointed to Greece who defeated the Persians. The legs of iron represented Rome who replaced the Greeks.

Finally came the feet and toes, part of the legs and made partly of iron like the legs, but different in that they were also composed partly of baked clay. Daniel called them a divided kingdom, partly strong and partly weak (Daniel 2:41-42).

The Roman Empire was never completely conquered. Instead it split into eastern and western legs, versions of which have always been visible on the world scene. Since the feet and toes are the last phase of Gentile Dominion before the God of Heaven will set up a Kingdom of His own (Daniel 2:44) and since the statue only represents four kingdoms, scholars call them the revived Roman Empire.

How Will This Happen?
OK. Let’s go back to Hal’s question. Remember, before its fall in the early 1990s all of Eastern Europe including half of Germany was under Soviet control. This was a significant portion of the old Roman Empire. He wondered how the USSR would be defeated so the end times version of the Roman Empire could emerge.

Then we all received the answer loud and clear when for all intents and purposes the Soviet Union suddenly ceased to exist. It wasn’t defeated by an external enemy, but crumbled from within under a crippling burden of debt. The debt was the result of a combination of problems, including a disastrous war in Afghanistan, an unsustainable arms race with the US, and the inability to support the resulting increase in government spending in a declining Soviet economy.

Remembering Hal’s comment made me think how similar the world situation is today, only now it’s the US standing in the way of end times prophecy. Israel can’t experience the utter abandonment that will leave God as its only hope against powerful, hate filled enemies until the US has been neutralized. Like the Soviet Union, we could crumble from within for the same reasons they did. A catastrophic natural disaster, a coordinated series of terrorist attacks, or the rapture of the Church would also get the US out of God’s way. But something will have to happen to clear the way for the next phase of the end times, because just as the USSR was not part of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue, neither is the USA.

We’re All In This Together
Another thing that struck me was the “inter-dependency” of the world today. For example, news reports abound on the extent to which Europe’s economic difficulties are hindering America’s recovery. And now we’re being told that China’s exports are dropping at an alarming rate due to the world wide lack of demand. China is the world’s number one exporter and currently new orders are not sufficient to sustain its massive manufacturing capacity. Some experts are warning that China’s economy could be in the early stages of implosion. If so this could also carry world wide implications. And China is one of America’s major creditors. How would the decline of their economy affect the US? Oil prices also fluctuate in response to changing world wide demand. It seems like all the world’s economies depend to a growing extent on each other. These and other trends make me wonder how God would go about healing America without also healing the rest of the world.

In the days of Ruth and Boaz, escape from the famine in Bethlehem was as simple as walking across the Jordan River valley into Moab. And Nineveh was powerful during a time when nations could exist independently, and where God treated them individually.  Remember, He only had Jonah warn Nineveh of the coming judgment. No other city was warned because the judgment was against Nineveh alone. Even within the last century isolationism was considered to be a viable strategy for the US. But we now live in an age where nations are interdependent and where God is in the process of bringing judgment upon the whole world. It’s a whole different set of conditions.

Who Are You Looking For?
Then I realized how our view of the end times affects our view of current events. If you’re one of those scoffers who laugh when people talk about the end times and think that everything will go on as it has since the beginning of creation (2 Peter 3:3-4) then I can understand why you want to pray for God to protect your way of life. It’s the natural thing to do. In Matt. 24:37-41 Jesus spoke about the time just before His coming. In effect, He said even then people would be trying their best to live a normal life, thinking the terrible times would have to end sooner or later and things would go back to being the way they’ve always been. They will have no idea that the world as they know it is about to end.

But if you believe we’re the generation that will see the Lord’s return for His Church then you see the decline of the US as a major sign that God is bringing things to a close, just as the fall of the Soviet Union was a major sign 20 years ago, and the re-birth of Israel was a major sign before that. And although that means things could get even more uncomfortable soon, you long for the Lord’s appearing, since you know the Lord has promised to rescue us from the coming wrath (1 Thes. 1:10) and will award a crown to all who’ve been longing for Him to do so (2 Tim. 4:8).

Personally, I believe the signs that show we’re well into the End times are becoming almost impossible to ignore. Israel is back in the land. The Middle East is a tinder box one spark away from erupting in flames, and all the participants in Psalm 83, Isaiah 17, and Ezekiel 38 are now in place. The weather is unpredictable and becoming more extreme. Natural disasters are on the rise. The economic problems we face are world wide in scope and require the kind of solutions only a one world government can implement and enforce. This means a leader will have to be found who can quickly gain world wide popularity. The quote attributed to Paul Henri-Spaak, former Prime minister of Belgium, is becoming more timely by the hour. “What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the alliances of all people and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man, and be he god or devil, we will receive him.”

Thy Kingdom Come
It doesn’t matter whether you favor the western leg of the Old Roman Empire or the eastern leg, they’re both in the advanced stages of preparation to become the last Gentile empire before the Lord comes to establish His Kingdom. This is an urgent sign because the revived Roman Empire will have a short duration, perhaps as little as 7 years, and then the Lord will come to establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed or given to another (Daniel 2:44).

As has been the case in the past, this kingdom will exist in three components, Jews, Gentiles and the Church. The main difference, at least at the outset, is that all will be believers. The Jews will dwell with God in Israel, which will be expanded to include all the land He originally gave to Abraham. Believing Gentiles who survive the Great Tribulation will repopulate the rest of Earth, and the Church will inhabit the New Jerusalem.

Most of what the Bible contains in relation to the Kingdom Age on Earth is found in the Old Testament and is limited to descriptions of Israel, which will be the headquarters of the Kingdom on Earth. From them we can see glimpses of a creation liberated from it’s bondage to decay (Romans 8:18-21), with fields so fertile the farmer can barely complete the harvest of one crop before it’s time to plant the next one (Amos 9:13), of people living in peace and joy to an age well beyond what man currently experiences (Isaiah 65:20), of children no longer doomed to misfortune playing safely in the streets while the elderly look on happily (Zech. 8:4-5).

We can only assume that life in the nations will also be a much improved version of what we currently experience, but it seems clear to me that Israel will be the most favored nation on Earth.

Life in the New Jerusalem is even more sparingly described. But what is there is mostly contained in Rev. 21. From there we can see obvious differences. There’s no mention of fields, crops, or other earthly endeavors because after the rapture the Church will consist of immortals of the royal class, and royals don’t work in the sense that you and I do.

1 John 3:2 says, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

John’s statement means it’s impossible to know in any detail the kind of life we’ll be living after the rapture. All we know for sure is that it’s beyond our imagining. Paul said, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9).

So if you’ve heard stories about us sitting on clouds playing harps all day, or having to endure an endless worship service, or looking with envy on another person’s mansion and wishing we’d worked harder in life, you know those things can’t be true. Those ideas were conceived by human minds, and are not supported in Scripture.

Just as you have the faith to believe you are saved, you also have the faith to believe your next life will surpass your current one to an extent you can’t imagine. You only have to step outside the boundaries of your earthly perspective to exercise it.

End Times prophecies tell us God is working to bring His Kingdom to pass. These prophecies say this will be accomplished in several steps. First He will remove His Church from Earth to the place He’s prepared for us (John 14:2-3). Then He will turn His attention to Israel for the seven remaining years He promised them (Daniel 9:24-27, Acts 15:13-18). During those seven years He will accomplish three things in preparation for the Kingdom. Through the End Times judgments, He will 1) completely destroy the nations among which His people have been scattered, 2) discipline Israel (Jeremiah 30:11), and 3) bring about the restoration of His creation (Acts 3:21, Rev. 21:1). Then the Lord Jesus, having established His Heavenly Kingdom in the New Jerusalem seven years earlier, will return to establish His Earthly Kingdom, headquartered in Israel.

This is God’s plan for us, and I believe the signs tell us He’s already well into the final stages of implementation.