A River Without Water

posted in: Theology | 0

The Bible says that in the last days, humanity will have lost their sense of direction and be seeking but never finding, “always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 3:7.

There is no doubt that today’s post truth culture has no way of knowing left from right or forward from back, denying any wrongdoing, canceling history, conflating genders, believing critical race theory will heal racial tension and claiming morality is subjective.  This generation is witnessing the complete self-destruction of any responsibility or ownership for its actions.  From the absurdity of government leaders who facilitate abortion to the tune of 73 million abortions per year worldwide, to the social acceptance of the sex trade and pornography, society’s moral compass is badly broken and is beyond repair.

We must acknowledge that child trafficking, prostitution and pornography would not be viable businesses if there weren’t a massive consuming clientele.  Its basic supply and demand economics.  We live in an age where the tail wags the dog and any concept of God is treated as superstition infused with mysticism.  Religion is vilified as the worst evil known to civilization with extreme religious terrorism captivating the fears of society. Those that do believe in God attempt to reduce him to some all-accepting, fluid, spirit that tolerates all things, and is in all things and evolves with all things, in order to distance themselves from anything perceived to be fundamentalist groups.

Without absolute truth there can be no absolute morality.  Without absolute morality there can be no right or wrong.  Without right or wrong there is no meaning and no purpose.  And with no meaning and no purpose, sadly we become disillusioned and confused. It is an exercise in futility to think we can debate the existence of an objective moral code when our ability to debate is a result of that same moral code.  C.S. Lewis said, “When you are arguing with God, you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all.  It’s like cutting off the very branch you are sitting on.”

As our culture walks on eggshells in the name of political correctness, terrified of offending racial groups or genders, values have become blurred and revolution is touted as a catalyst for change without accountability.  Religion is a soupy mess that is viewed as intolerant and restricting so it must be adapted to the times, replacing priests and pastors with life coaches and motivational speakers as woke churches try to keep pace with the shifting sands of society.  Afraid to offend, the gospel has been replaced by the establishment of the all-inclusive genre of the progressives and prosperity preachers who attempt to shift the blame for sin from man to God. 

In a classic knee jerk reaction to the fire and brimstone sermons that used to make religion like getting cleaned up to take a bath, the pendulum has swung to the opposite extreme where anything and everything goes.  There is no city on a hill, no salt of the earth, no being chosen out of the world to be citizens of heaven.  In fact, blending in with the world seems to be the plan by reverse engineering the church, sin and all, to include heaven.  We are making God in our own image.

So what of the Christian Church?  The Pope has a political agenda of melding the theologies of Christianity, Islam and Judaism into one church of Abrahamic faith, an amalgamation that would comprise of over 4.1 billion people.  Will the watered down, lukewarm church of Revelation 3:14-16, so prevalent in western culture even notice?  Will the drowsy half asleep believers in the land of plenty remain silent thereby forcing the rocks to cry out in defense of the true gospel of Jesus Christ?  Or will Christianity cower in the face of radical climate activists and critical race theory?  Has the life been drained from the Body of Christ?

While traveling through Samaria, Jesus stopped at Jacob’s well near the village of Sychar.  As he was resting, a Samaritan woman came to draw water in the heat of the day.  Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”  John 4:8.  In early first century Judea, Samaritans and Jews despised each other, and a Jewish man speaking to a Samaritan woman was considered a societal taboo. 

“The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman.  How can you ask me for a drink?’ Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’  ‘Sir, the woman said, you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.  Where can you get this living water?  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?’

Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” John 4:9-14. 

Jesus never backed down from sharing the good news.  He never shied away political opposition, religious piety and in the case of the Samaritan woman, racial tension.  Christ never compromised the truth of God.  As our mentor, he was a faithful servant of the Most-High God.  Faithful to death, even death on a cross.

Will today’s Church rise to the occasion when its hour of testing arrives?  Will springs of living water well up into eternal life in the face of great tribulation?  The hour is late and the signs are everywhere that we are living in the last days.  When the Shofar sounds will the body of Christ be ready?  So many believers today are placing their hope in a pre-tribulation rapture to escape the unpleasantries of the Great Tribulation and the rule of the antichrist. What if the bridegroom is delayed? Will they have enough oil in their lamps? Will they have the religious fortitude to stand and be faithful to the end?

The bible tells us the rapture will not happen until the seventh trumpet (1 Thessalonians 4:16, Mathew 24:31, 1 Corinthians 15:52, Revelation 11:15-19) after the antichrist takes power of the earth. Is the true Church prepared to go the distance? No one knows the day nor the hour however, Jesus warned us with the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids to be ready to persevere. We all ought to pay attention to the full gospel rather than cherry picking the most promising parts.

Jesus Christ held nothing back when he laid his life down for us, while we were still enemies of God.  The Christian Church today must be of the mindset that we are prepared to do the same for him.  We must not conform to worldly values, be uncompromising in our conviction and loyalty to our Redeemer, and without doubt as we stand ready to defend the faith in the face of a generation that cannot discern good from evil, dark from light or bitter from sweet (Isaiah 5:20).

The Bible is the absolute truth and only moral standard. Apart from God’s truth there is no truth. Apart from God’s morality there is no morality. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” John 6:35.

It is time to put on the full armor of God and prepare to defend the faith as a warrior on the day of battle.  The harvest is ready.  There are more people alive at this moment than have lived in all of human history combined.  “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” Revelation 14:15.

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Clinton Bezan is a compelling and authentic Christian voice and published author proclaiming the truth of the Bible as God's word and the gospel of Jesus Christ. His unique appreciation and passion for Christ are evident in his answer to God's call to write.

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