This past weekend, a pastor friend of mine posted the following on his Facebook page:

They said it would not affect me, my family or friends.They said it was none of my business. They said it would not negatively impact our society. But…Now it’s legalized. Now it’s flaunted in commercials, on the television, and in the movies. Now those screaming tolerance are intolerant of any who oppose. Now it’s affecting our health care costs, schools and everything in between. Now it’s demoralizing and seeking to redefine the family. Now it’s attacking men and demonizing men for being men. But…Now, as always, is the time to stand for Truth. Now is the time to live out righteousness, holiness and justice. Now is the time to promote all that is wholesome, good and moral. Now is the time!

Of course he wrote these words in reference to same sex marriage, which has opened a Pandora’s Box of anarchy throughout Western civilization. As you can see, however, the rebellion goes far beyond LBGTQ issues. The ideological left is successfully dismantling every aspect of Judeo-Christian values in America and in other countries.

Most evangelicals thought Trump’s presidency would slow the deterioration. Admittedly, part of me thought so too. But the last few months have pretty much destroyed that fantasy. In fact, the unbridled hatred of President Trump has probably poured gas on the fire. Defying conservative values has become a mandate for academia and Mainstream Media.

As a rule, I try to avoid making political statements, particularly online. And actually, my intent in writing this article is not primarily political. I don’t think we can vote our way out of the mess that engulfs us. I don’t think the left will accept anything outside of their rebellion against God and His standards. They’ve come too far in their agenda to stop the momentum.

Neither do I think we ought to decisively declare that the Tribulation is knocking at our door. Perhaps it is. But Christians in the 16th Century believed that the Black Plague (which made COVID-19 look like the common flu) signaled the apocalypse. Therefore, too much eschatological speculation probably isn’t the best idea.

I’m writing about my friend’s Facebook message because it reinforces my original intent in starting this blog five years ago. When the Obergefell decision legalized same sex marriage in June of 2015, I pretty much knew that the cultural left wouldn’t tolerate Christians standing for Scriptural sexuality for very long.

Many professing Christians believe that we can turn America back to Jesus, largely by putting other professing Christians in positions of power. Or at least people who align themselves with Judeo-Christian values. They ignore what the Bible teaches about the direction that humanity will always take — especially as Christ’s return gets closer.

 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ² For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. ⁶ For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, ⁷ always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. ~~2 Timothy 3:1-7 (ESV)

Dear sisters, are we not seeing that sort of rebellion now? Even in the defiance this past weekend of people setting off illegal fireworks, we see a refusal to submit to authority. We’ve been taught by psychologists to love ourselves, and now we can’t escape the rotten fruit of our self-love.

Self-love means silencing Christ’s mandate of self-denial and obedience to Him. So we’ve begun seeing YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms pull videos and posts that challenge the leftist narrative. And the June 15, 2020 Bostock ruling has now made it illegal to discriminate against LBGTQ people in any way. Translation: churches cannot refuse employment to someone who identifies as LBGTQ.

Let that last sentence sink in.

We will, in no uncertain terms, be expected to abandon Biblical standards and conform to society’s immorality. If we refuse to comply, we will suffer consequences.

In the immediate future, I suspect that the consequences will be relatively mild. I may lose my blog. Others may be banned from Facebook and/or Twitter. In time, many of us will face legal penalties, including prison.

These past five years, I’ve been trying to prepare my readers for coming persecution. I believe that knowing sound doctrine will give us discernment, so that we can withstand persecution in a manner that honors the Lord.

None of us wants to think that American Christians will suffer persecution. I certainly don’t! We prefer popular teachers who encourage us to feel good about ourselves or who tell us that we can fix our country. Some of us want a gospel that lets us embrace sexual libertarianism, while others want a gospel that makes America great again. We flock to a variety of false teachings that offer us sense of control.

Jesus, on the other hand, plainly tells His sheep that we can’t control life. That He is sovereign, and that persecution is part of His sovereign plan. My pastor friend is correct that the LBGTQ agenda and other liberal agendas are rapidly plunging America into chaos.

My pastor friend is also correct that now is the time to stand firmly on the Gospel. The Gospel will inform how we vote, of course. But it also helps us look beyond earthly politics and beyond false teachings that promise earthly comfort. We stand on God’s Word, throughout the persecution, knowing that our Savior will reward us.

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