One of the hallmarks of the last days is the Apostasy, or the "falling away" from the faith. Specifically, this means that things will sound good to the ears of most even though we all know that "A LITTLE LEAVEN LEAVENS THE WHOLE LUMP" (GALATIANS 5:9).
Interestingly enough, something we're seeing a lot of in national politics these days is also emblematic of the fulfillment of this prophecy simply because it's a secular mirror image of the same type of prophesied phenomenon.
Yesterday, I saw a sad and sickening story that made me think of this verse...
MATTHEW 24:12 (KJV) "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."
What story am I referring to exactly? This despicable one (thanks Christine H)...
"COUPLE HOLDS WEB VOTE: GET ABORTION OR HAVE BABY?"
(NEWSER) -" Minnesota couple Pete and Alisha Arnold say they're letting the Internet decide whether or not they get an abortion. The couple-who have been posting ultrasound pictures at birthornot.com-say the move is an exercise in democracy. They plan to keep the poll open for as long as Alisha, now 17 weeks pregnant, can legally get an abortion, and claim the results will be the deciding factor in whether they keep the fetus or not. "Give Birth" has 46% of the vote at the moment, with "Have an Abortion" at 54%."
That prompted me to go back and take a look at how those voting for social conservatism fared in the 2010 mid-term elections. This was due in large part not only to the above story and my own failure to follow-up, but because I heard next to nothing about the subject in the election post mortem.
Surprise! Surprise! Pro-life organizations such as the SUSAN B. ANTHONY LIST and AMERICANS UNITED FOR LIFE targeted all the candidates who deserved it and then aggressively attacked them with multi-million dollar ad campaigns (like radio ads), billboards against vulnerable Democrats for their vote in favor of taxpayer-funded abortion, and grassroots events.
ULTIMATELY, 15 OF THE 20 DEMOCRATS TARGETED BY THE SUSAN B. ANTHONY LIST LOST AND 11 OF THE 12 DEMOCRATS TARGETED BY AMERICANS UNITED FOR LIFE LOST! PRAISE THE LORD! THAT'S SOMETHING THAT SHOULDN'T BE VIEWED LIGHTLY.
Yet, the message is always the same it seems: "Social Conservatives -- conserve your energy. "I'm sorry, but as I've plainly stated time after time, no, Conservative-Liberal / Right-Left / Republican-Democrat, it doesn't seem to matter anymore I'm afraid because they're operating like two sides to the same sinister coin.
Besides, no politician, political party, or political philosophy is ever going to save us or this nation. That job was already been taken over 2,000 years ago and it's a task reserved for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, I'm a Christian first and foremost with no allegiance to anything (much less a politician and/or a political party) except the truth. But humor me for a moment. Let's examine the current state of affairs.
The truth of the matter? It's so simple really. You cannot be a fiscal conservative without being a social conservative and vice versa.
A REDSTATE article titled "ABORTION AND THE 2010 ELECTIONS" summed up the whole sordid mess that exists in this country's political arena...
It is a sincerely regrettable fact that less than three weeks after a monumental election for the GOP we have found it necessary to repeatedly engage in fratricide with some of our whilom coalition partners. However, some of some of our libertarian brethren have been feeling their oats since the election and have taken to throwing around wild and unsupported ipse dixits about how they won the election all by their lonesome and if the GOP wants to win in 2012 it better throw all the ugsome social conservatives under the bus where they belong. It is important to realize that they brought the fight to us; social conservatives did not stand up after the election and loudly proclaim 2010 as a referendum on abortion and declare that everyone who wants to talk about the flat tax or social security reform should sit down and shut up.
We have already addressed that this contention is completely unsupported by, you know, facts. Erick has also written a great piece about the folly of the argument as a philosophical matter. I think it is necessary to point out, however, that the suggestion that social issues did not play a role in the GOP's victories this year is also completely untrue.
What libertarians conveniently forget is that abortion - particularly taxpayer funding of abortion - was a huge issue in the fight over Obamacare.
The point, however, is that to suggest that abortion played no role in GOP victories is deeply dishonest. It's just as dishonest as viewing the elections as vindication of hardcore libertarianism. Politics is a complicated business and although everyone likes to pretend that elections went a certain way because voters across the nation suddenly believe in all their issues, it's seldom true. Although abortion without a doubt was not the biggest issue on election day, there is no doubt that it made a measurable difference in a number of key races, and that social conservative activists played a key role - as they always do - in Republican victory.
Tough to put it any better than that, isn't it?
As ONE BLOGGER put it...
As a Christian, I recognize that the smallest possible government is in my best interest because all men are sinners and the less of them in charge of me the better off I will be. I just wish the secularists would understand that no society can survive undermining the traditional several thousand year old preference for the heterosexual nuclear family and life.
Now, I know many of you disagree with that and I cannot persuade you otherwise, but I do think there is common ground in this disagreement. It goes back to the idea of federalism, recognizing it no longer exists, and committing to restore it
That brings me back to my concerns about the Tea Party Movement and why we must be careful about how much we, as Christians, engage in culture and politics. I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO VOICES A SIMILAR CONCERN. THERE ARE MANY OF US ACTUALLY. And please, when you're done reading that, please take a few extra minutes to read ANOTHER VERY BRIEF COMMENTARY ON RELIGION AND POLITICS.
In case you think I'm "overreacting" here, remember that following the recent election it was the Tea Party who sent a formal letter asking Republicans to, in effect, shut up about..."social issues". Translation? "Social issues" is translated to mean "social "conservative" issues" or those things always of great importance to us Christians.
Their sheer hypocrisy is exhibited by the fact that they don't want to ignore social issues, but they do want to ignore socially "CONSERVATIVE" ones. That's a big problem folks. Do you see the unnatural disconnect there? Yet, we're expected to believe that this is the party that will help to "Restore America" (or "Restore Honor In America"), right? Not likely.
How does any of this connect with a study of end times Bible prophecy? Personally, to hear any self-proclaimed "Christian" (which should be synonymous with the label "Social Conservative" if we're trying to adhere to the Word of God in all things) publicly express their desire to shy away from "socially conservative" issues when it comes to national politics instantly makes me think of things like this (emphasis mine)...
2 TIMOTHY 3:1-5 (KJV) "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS, BUT DENYING THE POWER THER: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, EVER LEARNING, AND NEVER ABLE TO COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all [men], as theirs also was."
Does anyone else see a definite similarity between politics and Christianity today in the sense that within both camps we find two subcultures that actually compete with the very group they say they want to advance and promote?
How is that, you ask? "By saying one thing when doing another." Bizarre, huh? Well, maybe. It's not so bizarre when you consider the times we're living in and filter things through the prism of prophecy.
2 TIMOTHY 4:3-4 (KJV) "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
Yes, I fully realize that those verses are being ripped out of context since they were not describing a political future to come, but a religious one instead. But how uncanny is it to read those verses and think of it's application to modern society -- both as it pertains to religion and politics?
I began writing this piece with the intention of highlighting the role(s) of Social Conservatives in these prophesied last days from a Christian worldview. However, I ended up identifying the link(s) between politics and Christianity, or politics and prophecy.
What we have in the world today in clear view for all to see is Christian Apostasy as well as Political Apostasy. How else do you explain the current trend of replacing our first love with the love of this nation by prioritizing life in such a way that it's "USA, God, Family" as opposed to "God, Family, USA"? That's a big problem folks.
To reiterate, no politician or political party is going to save you (or this nation). A day is coming when this country will have to face fierce, righteous judgment from the Lord in response to her (to our) unrepentant sins and to fulfill His plan for humanity.
To think that we can stop that process by political means is foolish at best, sinful at worst. Man is not sovereign -- only God is.
