Yesterday I caved into a friend and watched one of those terrifying videos about America being “Babylon the Great mother of harlots” soon to be thrown into chaos by an EMP attack. (Better act now if you want to survive). I normally avoid those sorts of things on the premise that they disempower our hearts and produce a panic over the “inevitible” rather than a hope for the future. Some end-time presentations carry the silent message, “There’s little you can do apart from tightening your seatbelt and preparing for impact.”
Of course that’s contrary to everything Jesus is, and everything he taught. We have a clear part to play, and we don’t fulfill our destiny by “surviving” in fallout shelters and holes in the ground. Any preacher, author, or YouTube video that leaves us running for the hills or stockpiling food and ammunition carries a distorted message of the Kingdom at best. God’s word encourages us to prepare for troubled times, but there’s never a hint of fatalism and helplessness. While religion is waving the flag of doom, God’s children are manning the bullhorn of hope: “These are exciting times!” “Darkness as black as night covers the nations of the earth, but the glory of the LORD arises upon you.” (Isaiah 60:2)
Animals, on the other hand, seem to becoming “kingdomized.” Videos by the boatload are surfacing of species playing together: Orangutangs with cheetahs, lions with bears, and dogs with leopards. My friend, Beth, calls them “millenial animals.” These furry friends are aligning themselves with the Kingdom of God and offering a glimpse of the future . We ought to be doing the same.
“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6).
As much as we Believers need to recognize the darkness, ours is the honor of pointing the way forward. “Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.” (Isaiah 60:3) Regardless of what may come, it’s time to turn from our fatalism and boldly proclaim the Hope of God’s Kingdom.
Dispatches from the Shadowlands 
Thank you for posting Don! Another blog post of yours that has deeply encouraged me. I saw this article the other day:
The title is “Billy Graham’s daughter: God’s judgment is coming and it’s going to be ugly.” In the article Anne Lotz says that the rapture is coming soon, She believes this will be a good time for believers but a time of torture for the rest of the world. This narrative has been in my ear since I was a child because my grandmother thinks this way and reminds me of the coming apocalypse every chance she gets.
Nothing about this narrative encourages me or gives me hope. Am I to rejoice at the idea of all my non-christian friends being burned alive in some divinely-inspired cosmic disaster? I feel like that is what the proponents of this narrative are asking of me.
What brings me hope are men and women who have been moved to action by the Gospel of Grace. Men and women who show unconditional love to their fellow man regardless of the state of that person’s soul.
It seems to me that their is a growing divide between Christians who would lock themselves in their churches and wait for the coming of Christ and Christians who are leaving the safety of their churches to bring the GOOD NEWS to the world. I’m with the latter.
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Wow! Thanks Scott! That’s exactly what I’m trying to say, and you’ve said it so well. I’m especially blessed that this has encouraged you with your tender heart for people and passion to bring hope to the struggling.
By the way, Scott, I really have been noticing how well you write. Perhaps you should consider blogging!?
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Love, love, love the post AND the photo! Inspired to ponder how my life can be an engaging trailer of the millenium!!!
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Thanks, Beth, for both the inspiration and the encouragement. “An engaging trailer to the millennium!” That’s powerful. Do a photo search for animal friendships. Oh my…
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Amin!
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