Obstinate Anti-Christs leading our Cities of Destruction
U.S. Presidential Politics seem to offer us daily portraits of obstinate stances poised against godliness.
Are these last days of the 21st century after Christ so different from in Jesus’ day? Are politics and leadership in the U.S. and other powerful countries not just as corrupt as ancient Rome and captive Jerusalem?
I want to retell a somewhat familiar story of an encounter with God. The main character believes God. He worships God. He leads his family in worship of God. And, like everyone else, he struggles with all of the day to day issues of work, community and dealing with strangers as a witness to the Lord. In fact, he has a heart to save others and lead men to living more godly lives.
Genesis 18
And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth 3 and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant…
16 Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way…
20 Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”
Abraham Intercedes for Sodom
22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?
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What is Abraham trying to do?
Sodom is the city where his nephew’s family lives. Further, Abraham likely would have done business with travelers to and from Sodom. Abraham shows a love and concern for his neighbors that asks the Lord to save their city. (Wouldn’t you try to save your family and people you work with?)
Abraham’s negotiation with the LORD continues:
25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”26 And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
Negotiations continue…
(UN-united nations of today also delay the inevitable by negotiations.)
32 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” 33 And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
Abraham’s nephew Lot and some of his family were the only ones saved from the judgment of Sodom. Yet they hesitated to leave their comfortable life in this sinful place.
16 But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 And as they brought them out, one said,
“Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.”
18 And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords. 19 Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die.
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Yes, even Lot, beloved nephew of Abraham seems obstinate enough to stay in Sodom and die by the judgment of the Lord.
I will suppose that you are now past this resistance, but like Abraham you would like to save other beloved friends and family.
Other than yourself, who would you most like to be saved?
Whose soul is so beloved that you cannot bear eternal life without them?
A family member? Your brother or sister? A dear friend? Even your beloved wife or husband?
You may have turned toward Christ, having one foot out the door of this world while looking back toward one who holds you in your place of hopelessness.
“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62b
In fact, you want this beloved person to change… to follow Jesus with you. Why will this beloved one not join you in looking to Christ for forgiveness and eternal joy?
They are obstinate to remain in their sin. Our beloved old friends of this world (including beloved family members) seem to become more of an anti-Christ, than a tolerant one of every other religion and sin at the mere mention of the Name of Jesus Christ, who is now our Lord.
Therefore, we have a difficult personal choice to make which is not different than the hard choices of those first follows after Jesus who witnessed his miracles, sat on the hillsides and experienced the love of God Incarnate first hand.
Luke 14:
The Cost of Discipleship
25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
What does this mean? For Jesus seems to be saying to hate those who love me.
It means that your salvation is a personal choice. You choose Jesus alone. You choose Jesus above all others.
My wife cannot carry my cross for me. My dear friends whom I have known for years cannot save me and regrettably, I cannot save them.
Only Christ can save sinners like you and me. Only Christ can save sinners like our family and friends.
One cost of discipleship is that obstinate anti-Christs will turn against you
You love them. They are beloved family and long-time friends. Mention Jesus Christ and they accuse you of all kinds of things which go against the world of the flesh they crave. It is nothing new. The Messiah of of the Jews was rejected, as were the Prophets before Christ Jesus.
I have become a laughingstock all the day;
everyone mocks me.
8 For whenever I speak, I cry out,
I shout, “Violence and destruction!”
For the word of the Lord has become for me
a reproach and derision all day long…
10 For I hear many whispering.
Terror is on every side!
“Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
say all my close friends,
watching for my fall.
You think, ‘I don’t want to spend eternity without these obstinate beloved friends and family.’ Yet they will not listen; in fact, they oppose you. Your choice is between a beloved one and our loving Father God who has saved you through the grace of the only Son, Jesus.
We must obediently turn our backs on this world of destruction and the perishing flesh of many beloved obstinate souls.
To be continued
NEXT: Pliable ‘christians’
