Sunday, September 23, 2012

A Blaze of Gospel Glory

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Is God concerned about European politics, culture, life? Yes, if Daniel and Revelation are understood with common sense. There are three main basic understandings: (1) Preterist, which means the prophecies were all fulfilled millennia ago, forget them; (2) Futurist, they'll all be fulfilled beyond history, forget them for now; and (3) Historicist, they have been, are being, and will be fulfilled within history--common sense. Wake up, pay attention! DDB is all for #3.

According to #3, both Daniel and Revelation depict European history since the time of the apostle John as an intellectual stage on which the great controversy between Christ and Satan is being played out, two principles at deadly war: the law of self-renouncing love (agape) versus the "law" of me-first devotion to self. Satan supports the latter.

Within history, the former was making great headway in Europe through the zealous devotion of the early Christian church; it appeared on the way to "conquer" the world for Christ's principle of love (agape). No more wars, no exploitation of the poor; liberty and justice for all; Christ has redeemed the world; pure Christianity will fulfill God's promise to Abraham, "in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:3), "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Isa. 11:9).

The Enemy of Christ was alarmed; both Daniel and Revelation penetrated, discerned, his evil strategy: get within the Christian Church, corrupt it from within, destroy liberty of conscience, join church and state; create oppression, give rulers a perverted idea of the "divine right of kings"; attempt an "ethnic cleansing" of that little remnant of people who faithfully follow Jesus and believe the Bible.

Thus came the 1260 years of the Dark Ages when millions were slaughtered for their faith under the tyranny of "the beast" of Revelation 13 and "the little horn" of Daniel 7 (identical; the infamous Spanish Inquisition was an example of the persecution foretold). But Daniel says there would finally come a "time of the end" when that horrible persecution should cease, a nation would arise with twin principles of religious and civil liberty ("two horns like a lamb," Rev. 13:11), and again the glorious pure gospel of Good News must be proclaimed to all the world (Rev. 14), ending with a blaze of gospel glory (Rev. 18). If #3 above is correct, we are right now on the verge of Revelation 18. Good News? Yes!
--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 23, 1999.
Copyright © 2012 by "Dial Daily Bread."

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