The Days of Lot

²⁸ Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, ²⁹ but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— ³⁰ so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.   

Luke 17:28-30

The Old Testament city of Sodom is synonymous with sin and judgment. While ancient Sodom may be a charred ruin near the Dead Sea, the spirit of Sodom is definitely alive and well today. As America continues to rot morally and spiritually, it’s clear that we are a nation that is slouching towards Sodom more and more every day.

During the 2020 election campaign, Joe Biden told a questioning voter that 8-year-olds should not face discrimination if the child decided to change gender.[1] I have an 8-year-old at home who can’t even decide his bedtime, much less his gender.

On January 4, 2021 Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver from Missouri delivered the opening prayer for Congress opting for an “inclusive / gender neutral” conclusion, “We ask it in the name of the monotheistic God, Brahma, and (the) God known by many names, many different faiths. Amen, and Awomen.”[2] What? “Awomen,” that’s not even a thing… But neither logic nor biology need not apply anymore.

As Biden took the White House, he wasted no time making waves appointing the first transgender health secretary, “Rachel” Richard Levin. This is also ironic because medical data reveals that transgenderism is the very epitome of unhealthy! In fact, transgenders have the highest suicide rate of any US group; 41% attempt suicide.[3]   

Some states (like Oregon) have already passed laws giving transgenders the freedom to enter a public bathroom of their preference, allow minors to get a state-subsidized sex reassignment surgery without parental consent and recognition of bizarre marriages like the “throuple” - a marriage of three people.[4]

In Luke 17, Jesus mentioned Sodom in relationship to His promised return, citing that the world’s spiritual and cultural condition would be reminiscent of Sodom just prior to earth’s last days. The West is defiantly moving that way warp speed. As we think about “the days of Lot” let’s take note of these five attributes.  

Sexual deviancy – One verse in the little book of Jude sums up Sodom’s sordid story: “7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.” Billy Graham once said, “If God didn’t judge America for her sin, then He would have to apologize to Sodom.” Of course, he said that in the 1960s, how much more does that statement apply to our evil situation now?

Selfish disposition - The prophet Ezekiel spoke of Sodom’s pride and smug prosperity, “49 Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them when I saw it” (Ez. 16:49-50). The sin that used to slink down the back alley now parades down main street. We have rejected God’s authority and God’s design, and most have a cavalier attitude about it. We no longer value life because we hate the author of life, so kill a baby, but protect the speckled dace minnow.  

Skeptical disinterest - Did you know that people who study religious trends have invented a new category called “the nones”? There are more than 72 million Millennials in the US – almost 25% of the population. In 2008, researchers noted that 31% of Millennials described themselves as “religiously un-affiliated” or “nones” when it came to God. By 2018, that number had jumped to 42%.[5] Jesus said it was a “business-as-usual” mentality right up to the hour that God sent angels into the city to get Lot and family out. We ought to expect many to remain skeptical and hard-hearted to the Gospel even as we try to warn them of Christ’s return and impending judgment, but some will believe!   

Supernatural deliverance - Lot was removed from Sodom before the fire and brimstone rained down. 2 Peter 2:6-9 says that God’s saving of Lot from Sodom proves that knows how to rescue His people. This is a picture of what is going to happen at the Rapture. Just as Lot was taken from Sodom before God’s wrath engulfed the wicked, the church will be removed before the Tribulation as she is not destined for wrath (1 Thess. 1:10, 5:9).

Sudden destruction - Like Chernobyl or Hiroshima, Sodom was flourishing one day and then a smoldering ash heap the next. Lot may have been saved, but he was singed. He was what you might call a “carnal Christian.” He lost his wife and sons-in-law, his riches and his standing when Sodom when up in flames. What a warning not to love the world which is destined for destruction, and to take serious leading our family in Christ so that when the day of judgment begins they aren’t left behind!

-DM

 

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[1] CHRISTINA ZHAO, “Joe Biden Faces Christian Backlash Over Transgender Children Remark,” Newsweek, 17 October 2020 <https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-faces-christian-backlash-over-transgender-children-remark-1540072>

[2] Josh K. Elliott, “‘Amen and Awomen’: U.S. Congressman mocked for gendered prayer finale,” Global News,  4 January 2021 <https://globalnews.ca/news/7553949/amen-awomen-prayer-congress/>

[3] Jaime Grant et al, Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, Washington: National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 2011.

[4] Erwin Lutzer, We Will Not Be Silenced (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2020), 165-167.

[5] David Jeremiah, Where Do We Go from Here? (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2021), 97.

Occultism on the Rise

 

I recently came across the story of Catherine Sanders, author of the book Wicca’s Charm. Cathy was raised in the church but rejected its teaching in her teens. She lived in Salem, Mass., a place with a history of witchcraft and many practicing Wiccans. “I was always kind of artsy, different and non-conformist,” she says, “Wicca attracted my interest because it appealed to those facets of my personality. It was certainly non-conformist, and I liked the mystery surrounding it.” So Cathy found a Wiccan high priestess who took her under her wing and taught her how to be a witch. “She told me it was all white magic, and that’s all I was interested in.” 

But after a few years, things turned sour. “The more I learned, the more things started to spiral downward, deeper and deeper into darkness and black magic. I became very good at what I was being taught. My teacher never acknowledged Satan but did say there was something called ‘the abyss’ that we should avoid.”

However, Cathy drifted too far into the darkness. “One hot summer night I was lying awake in my bedroom when all of a sudden the room became very cold. I started to shiver and broke out into a cold sweat, although it was the height of summer. A cold wind blew in through my windows, startling me. Now I was terrified. I hugged my knees to my chest and gasped as a legion of what can only be described as black demons encircled my head, all laughing at me. I started screaming out my Wiccan spells to rebuke them, hoping they would disappear. That only made things worse. The laughter escalated with each spell I tried.”[i]

We will hear more about what happened to Cathy a little later. Her skin-crawling nightmare sounds like something for a Hollywood B-horror flick, but it may be happening more often than you might think these days. The reason is because all the metrics indicate that interest in the occult has taken a steep uptick in recent years. For example, just consider some of these headlines.

·         In 2019, New York Congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), revealed that she regularly consulted with a psychic / astrologer. She also shared her birth chart on Twitter. (A birth chart is map used by an astrologer that shows the positions of the planets at the moment of someone’s birth.)[ii]

      According to a 2018 Pew poll, roughly six-in-ten American adults accept at least one of the following New Age beliefs – spiritual energy, reincarnation and astrology. Specifically, 40% believe in psychics and that spiritual energy can be found in physical objects, while somewhat smaller shares express belief in reincarnation (33%) and astrology (29%).[iii]

·        In 2018 A coven of Brooklyn witches publicly hexed Supreme Court candidate Brett Kavanaugh.[iv] Don’t forget the headline from left-leaning media outlet VOX a few years ago which announced, “Each month, thousands of witches cast a spell against Donald Trump.”[v]

·         CNN reported in Aug. 2021 on the phenomenon of astrologers garnering massive followings on TikTok, YouTube and other social media platforms. Videos of rituals, spells, healing crystals, Tarot card readings and astrology predictions rack up millions of likes, while drawing in untold numbers of curious viewers. The TikTok community in which such rituals thrive goes by many names: "WitchTok.” Jade Sykes, an astrological reader for R&B singers SZA and Kehlani, told CNN her subscriber count on Patreon grew by 5,000 since the pandemic began. Meredith Grubb, a psychic with multiple viral videos on TikTok, told CNN she's done thousands of readings and business has been so good she’s gone pro with her horoscopes. Moreover, the astrology app Co-Star has been downloaded over 20 million times, nearly every 3 to 4 seconds in the United States.[vi]

What does all this mean? Bottom line: there’s a renewed interest in the occult and paganism in the West. According to the Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics the term occultism is applied to “attempts to gain secret or forbidden information or achieve spiritual powers and control through supernatural means such as astrology, fortune telling, psychics, spiritism, Kabbalah, seances, witchcraft, magic, paganism and Satanism. From a Christian perspective, occult describes any attempt to gain supernatural knowledge or power apart from the God of the Bible.”[vii]    

It’s not difficult to understand why the occult has gained traction in the US and Britain, because both nations have grown increasingly secular, unchurched and biblically illiterate. There are more than 72 million Millennials in the US – almost 25% of the population. In 2008, researchers noted that 31% of Millennials described themselves as “religiously un-affiliated” or “nones” when it came to God. By 2018, that number had jumped to 42%.[viii] “Nature abhors a vacuum” the saying goes, and the spiritual vacuum created by the decline of Christianity has been replaced by neo-paganism.

According to the Bible, the growing interest in the dark arts is predicted as a sign of the last days. Paul wrote 1 Tim. 4:1, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.” Jesus also spoke in His prophetic sermon about spiritual counterfeits of all sorts memorizing the naïve, “For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray” (Matt. 24:5). Granted, there have always been witches and paganism on the earth, but when you see many other prophetic signs emerging along this one, it does raise an eyebrow of concern. 

Of course, Christians understand that dabbling in the occult is forbidden (Lev. 20:6; Deut. 18:9-14). Jesus cast out throngs of demons during His ministry (Mark 5:1-20). Paul encountered Satanic strongholds of witchcraft on the island of Cyprus (Acts 13) and in Ephesus (Acts 19). Today is no different, we must stand firm against the Enemy and be dressed for battle in the spiritual armor (Eph. 6:10-18). If you are fooling around with horoscopes, Ouija boards, crystals, and spells then stop immediately – you are opening the door to demonic oppression or possession. If you know someone who is enslaved to these practices, then you must dutifully share Christ and faithfully pray for their deliverance. Only Jesus can break the chains forged by Lucifer.

In fact, that’s exactly what Cathy Sanders learned. Recall her night of demonic torment. She said, “All of a sudden I remembered my days in Sunday school as a child and the teachings of Jesus. I hadn’t thought about that in a long time. In a loud voice I called upon Jesus Christ to rid the room of this dark presence. Instantly they were gone, and my bedroom was once again calm and warm. My life was never the same after that.”

Cathy was led to the Lord, repented of her sins and today attempts to rescue the perishing who are trapped in the occult. She warned, “A lot of women think that by practicing Wicca, worshiping this so-called goddess, that they are celebrating their womanhood. I am here to tell them there is a lot more to it than that. Lots of them haven’t had the experiences I have. But they can and will if they stick with it. It’s like the warning on a pack of cigarettes: ‘Wicca is dangerous and could be hazardous to your health.'”  -DM  

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[i] CATHERINE SANDERS, “The Hidden Traps of Wicca,” Focus on the Family, 31 August 2019 <https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/the-hidden-traps-of-wicca/>  

[ii] TARA ISABELLA BURTON, “The Rise of Progressive Occultism,” The American Interest, 7 June 2019 <https://www.the-american-interest.com/2019/06/07/the-rise-of-progressive-occultism/>

[iii] CLAIRE GECEWICZ, “‘New Age’ beliefs common among both religious and nonreligious Americans,” Pew Research Center, 1 October 2018 <https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/10/01/new-age-beliefs-common-among-both-religious-and-nonreligious-americans/>

[iv] Erica Y. King, “Witches to 'hex' Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh; exorcists pray in response,” ABC News, 18 October 2018 <https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/witches-hex-supreme-court-justice-brett-kavanaugh-exorcists/story?id=58585740>

[v]  Tara Isabella Burton, “Each month, thousands of witches cast a spell against Donald Trump,” VOX, 30 October 2017 <https://www.vox.com/2017/6/20/15830312/magicresistance-restance-witches-magic-spell-to-bind-donald-trump-mememagic>

[vi] Neelam Bohra and AJ Willingham, “'WitchTok': Amid uncertainty, a new fascination with astrology and the occult bubbles up,” CNN, 21 August 2021 <https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/19/us/witchtok-astrology-covid-19-pandemic-trnd/index.html>

[vii] Ed Hinson & Ergun Caner, The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2008), 367.

[viii] David Jeremiah, Where Do We Go from Here? (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2021), 97.

Dr. Benjamin Rush - Staying Faithful

 

Dr. Benjamin Rush has been called “America’s Forgotten Founding Father.” The reason is because he is usually overshadowed by the other important Benjamin (Franklin). Despite being upstaged by others of his generation, Dr. Rush was an incredible example of a godly, courageous, and eloquent statesman. He not only attended the Constitutional Convention, but he was one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Foremost, Dr. Rush was a committed Christian and was a founding member of the Philadelphia Bible Society, which sought to make sure every citizen and every home had access to God’s Word. He also began, “The First Day Society,” which started the Sunday School movement in the United States.[1]

Rush was the one who encouraged Thomas Paine to write the fiery pamphlet Common Sense, which fueled the American Revolution. Paine wanted to call his work, “Plain Truth,” but Rush suggested the title Common Sense and served as editor to the work.

Rush was the personal physician to many of the Founding Fathers and is known as the “Father of American Medicine” and as the “American Hippocrates.” He helped get 5 universities off the ground and running.  In 1791, Dr. Rush published one of his most popular works, A Defense of the Use of the Bible as a Schoolbook. He wrote, “The Bible contains more truth than any other book in the world.” Rush advocated education for women and free public schools for all children, believing that education should include a thorough knowledge of Scripture. He wrote:

“Let the children who are sent to those schools be taught to read and write. Above all, let both sexes be carefully instructed on the principles and obligations of the Christian religion. This is the most essential part of education—this will make them dutiful children, teachable scholars, and afterwards, good apprentices, good husbands, good wives, honest mechanics, industrious farmers, peaceable sailors, and, in everything that relates to this country, good citizens.”

If that wasn’t enough, his voice was among the very first to strongly champion the cause of the abolition of slavery. He hated the slave trade and devoted his life to opposing it. He crusaded for the reform of prisons and championed the cause of the mentally ill. He also became a peacemaker in the long-running feud between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. In fact, Rush had a vivid dream that the two old warriors would reconcile before their deaths. Awakening from his dream, he felt compelled to make peace between his two old friends, and he succeeded.[2]

There is one anecdote from his life that seems especially applicable today, considering the man-made pandemic which has ravaged the world. During the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793, Dr. Rush refused to leave the city, feeling God had placed him there for such a time. He told his medical students, “As for myself, I am determined to remain. I may fall a victim to the epidemic, and so may you, gentlemen. But I prefer since I am placed here by Divine Providence, to fall in performing my duty… then to secure my life by fleeing from the post of duty allotted in the Providence of God.”[3]

There’s at least a couple of enduring lessons in Rush’s words. The first is stay centered. Rush believed that despite the peril he was in God’s will. The safest place is always the center of God’s will. Psalm 91:5-6 encourage us, “5 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.” Plagues and pandemics come and go. Violence rises and falls. Evil goes from bad to worse. But when we are in the daily course of divine duty, we are shielded by our God—safe and secure from all alarm.

The second takeaway is stay committed. Rush kept on working for the Lord and he didn’t let the fear paralyze him into hunkering down or “playing it safe.” Remember what Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” Our churches, schools and business have been through an incredible strain since 2020, but one thing is certain – we cannot shutdown our lives because of the threat of danger. As the Brits would say, we must “keep calm and carry on.” There’s still work to be done, sermons to be preached, lessons to be taught, patients to be cared for, bills to pay, songs to sing, machines to fix, projects to be built and souls to be saved. God help us to keep soldiering on for His glory by staying faithful at our post, wherever he has assigned us to be. -DM

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[1] Robert Jeffress, Hell? Yes! And Other Outrageous Truths You Can Still Believe (Colorado Springs: Water Brook, 2004), 170.

[2] Robert J. Morgan, “Dr. Benjamin Rush: Our Forgotten Founding Father,” 4 November 2018

<https://www.robertjmorgan.com/uncategorized/dr-benjamin-rush-our-forgotten-founding-father/>

[3] David Jeremiah, “Only One Safe Place,” Turning Points, October 2021, p. 39.

Spiritual Treason

Whether its Brutus or Benedict Arnold, the history books are full of infamous traitors. One name that belongs alongside those mentioned is a Greek named Ephialtes. Not much is known of this mysterious character except what the ancient historian Herodotus tells us about his evil act of betrayal. It happened in 480 BC during the battle of Thermopylae when the Persian army, numbering upwards of one million soldiers, clashed with the stalwart Spartans, led by Leonidas, who numbered just 300. The Spartans bravely held off the Persians for two days until a local shepherd, Ephialtes, showed the Persians a narrow mountain path that gave access behind the Spartan lines. On the third day, the Persians used this path to encircle the Greeks and destroy the army.

Ephialtes is an example of what the Bible calls apostacy, which refers to a departure from the truth or “a falling away.” An apostate is someone who willingly defects from the truth and denies what they previously believed. They are spiritual traitors who betray the faith. There are several examples in the Bible of people who chose to do a 180⁰ turn from God. In the OT, Balaam the prophet was hired by Israel’s enemies, the Moabites, to curse God’s people (Num. 21). In the NT, Paul mentions a man named Demas who at one time accompanied him in ministry (Col. 4:14). However, in Paul’s final letter, Paul told Timothy, “Demas has forsaken me, heaving loved this present world” (2 Tim. 4:10). Of course, no one is more of an apostate than Judas Iscariot who betrayed Christ for a mere thirty pieces of silver (Mark 14:10-11).

The Bible says that as we drew nearer to the return of Christ apostasy will be on the rise (Matt. 24:10-11; 1 Tim. 4:1). Apostates will deny Christ doctrinally (1 John 4:3), morally (Jude 18) and socially (1 John 2:19). Keep in mind that an apostate is not the same as a backslider. An apostate is one who has willingly departed from the faith. A backslider will eventually return to the Lord because he cannot live happily in sin as a true born-again believer.

How can we prevent apostacy from creeping into our own hearts? First, we should do a heart check. “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Cor. 13:5). Most apostates were never really saved to begin with. They may have grown up in the church thinking they were a Christian or had only a shallow, emotional commitment. Second, we must be aware when we notice our hearts drifting from the Lord (Heb. 2:1). If we are cold towards worship, prayer and Bible study then its time to repent. If you notice that you aren’t as close to the Lord as you once were – guess who moved? Third, we must beef up on our doctrine and Bible depth. Those who are committed to the Word are like stable, well-watered trees that have their roots dug down deep (Ps. 1:3). They shall not be moved. As the old saying goes, “A Bible that’s falling apart, usually belongs to a life that isn’t.”

-DM