Alas, For the Great City!

This is the culmination of a heart expanding and ready to burst.

My heart is heavy for the church of Jesus Christ in the United States of America. We are religious, meaning we have knowledge of God but no power to back it up. We punch it our time cards every Sunday, "putting in our time" in the house of God, leaving the same way we came in, returning to the same sins, masquerades, and terrible attitudes of the week before. Unchanged because the presence of the Holy Spirit is not there. Where are the miracles existent in the early church of the Book of Acts? Where the "having all things common," the miraculous displays of love and selflessness for each other? Where the unwavering commitment to God, to the point of laying down one's life for the Gospel? Instead, the divorce rate in the church is the same as the divorce rate in unchurched peoples; we bicker and fight amongst ourselves in the form of demoninationalism; and Christians engage in the same sins as the disbelieving world around us.

I unloaded all this on my girlfriend the other night. She furthermore mentioned the corruption in many churches that is the object of ridicule in the press. I expressed that it must be that ministers simply do not teach the Word of God; people are not taught how to live for Jesus. I asked her, "Well how is God going to fix this?" Her reply was that she thought we will see a church operating under the Chi Alpha model. (Chi Alpha is a campus ministry we are both involved with, which stresses discipleship, small group meetings where worship, prayer and Bible study are preeminent, and students are active in the community.) Specifically, she said that discipling of individuals will rise. "Just like the Book of Acts," I replied.

Today my friend Jacob and I were discussing denominationalism. I reached a fervent point of discussion where I bashed denominations, declaring this is not what Christ envisioned for his church. He created one church, not a Lutheran church, a Pentecostal church, a Catholic church, a Nazarene church, a fill-in-the-blank church...Ephesians 5:27 says he is returning for a holy church without spot, wrinkle, or blemish. ONE church.

Of course, then you get to the problem that while there are individuals in each denomination serving God, combining them all into one will not work. Enter conversation with my good friend John, sitting next to me as I type in my dorm room right now. I am not happy with "charismatic" churches because of the ostentatious nature of worship in which there is no reverence for God but merely a "show" where people can be entertained. Nor do I approve of liturgical worship services where the ritual of the mass or the preprinted program/liturgy replaces the vibrancy of the Holy Spirit. (For example, in the Book of Acts, there was much "laying on off hands" in prayer. The apostles were never so determined upon the order of a church service that they could not break from the normal flow and allow the Holy Spirit to spontaneously move. What comes to mind immediately is the man lowered through the roof of a house in which Jesus was preaching. Jesus did not say, "Get him out of here, I'm busy preaching!" He broke from his sermon and prayed for this man's healing.)

So I turned to John and cried out, "So what is it going to take for God to bring this whole thing [his church] together?!" John said something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. He simply said, "Maybe what needs to happen is for everything to fall apart, to break down."

Wow.

I pondered this for a moment without speaking. Get the import of this idea. The whole modern religious system must fall apart. Denominations collapsing. The separation of the real from the false. Churches becoming filled with heresy so that those who truly want to serve God come out of organized religion into what we see in the Book of Acts: Acts 4:32ff, "Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold. I see no evidence of a Vatican, a deacon board, or any other manmade, synthesized government structuring the church, but simply people abiding by the Word of God.

Anyone recall scriptures about the "great falling away"? About Jesus "separating the sheep from the goats"? As John reminded me of these things, into my mind popped this scripture, which seems an indictment against the religious system in America: II Timothy 3:5, Having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!"

So there you have it. God is going to rescue his weak American church by bashing in our comfort zones, our incorrect theologies, our manmade rituals and traditions.

The more John and I talked, the more something else took the forefront of my thoughts. I have had a recurring dream over the years of the church in America becoming persecuted for its testimony. In many other nations, Christians are killed and persecuted for their faith. I believe that persecution will eventually come to this country (and be worldwide) before the return of Christ. Look at the Book of Acts again: every time the apostles are persecuted, the church grows even more. I believe this is it: the church needs to suffer. We have lost the meaning of taking up and carrying the cross of Christ. We no longer understand the glorious value of our salvation. Jesus must allow us now to partake in His sufferings so we can draw near to Him.

In the Switchfoot song, "The Blues," lyrics like these come to mind:

There's nothing here worth saving,
Is no one here at all?
Is there any net left that could break our fall?

It'll be a day like this one
When the sky falls down and the hungry and poor and deserted are found
Are you discontented? Have you been pushing hard?
Have you been through and down this broken house of cards?

It'll be a day like this one
When the world caves in
When the world caves in
When the world caves in

Is there nothing left now?
Nothing left to sing
Are there any left who haven't kissed the enemy?
Is this the New Year or just another desperation?

Does justice ever find you, do the wicked never lose?
Is there any honest song to sing besides these blues?

And nothing is okay
Till the world caves in
Till the world caves in
Till the world caves in
Till the world caves in
Till the world caves in
Until the world caves in
Until the world caves in
Until the world caves in
Until the world caves in
Until the world caves in
Until the world caves in

[bold text, emphasis added]

Maybe what we need is for our world to cave in.

And then our conversation wandered to the downfall of this country. There is a prophecy in Revelation 17-18 about a certain "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." It is obviously not a city literally named "Babylon," as there is no great city named Babylon on earth today, though apparently this city will have same characteristics of the ancient Babylon of Bible times (which God judged similarly). (See also Jeremiah 51, which is a direct parallel to Revelation 18).

Basically, upon looking at this chapter, the United States of America is the only nation that could fit the profile of this "city" in Revelation 18, whose eventual destruction is prophesied. There are allegations in the chapter that this "Babylon" is the economic center of the world, an integration point for immoral acts and entertainment on an international scale, and a political unit that has influenced all the other rulers of the world. Sounds like America to me. See for yourself:

REVELATION 18

1And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

2And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

3For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

5For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

6Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

7How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

8Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

9And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

10Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

11And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

12The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

13And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

14And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

15The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,

16And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

17For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

18And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

19And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

20Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

21And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

22And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

23And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

24And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

[emphasis added]

Call me a "doom and gloom" prophet if you will, but these are the words of God, not mine. Like Gandalf says in The Fellowship of the Ring, many who live to see such dark times wish they had not been destined to live then...but all we can do is to decide what to do with the time that has been given to us.

I believe that God had a purpose for me being born on August 5, 1986. God has a purpose for me to fulfill in calling his church back to Him. This isn't about hate. It is everything about the love of God, Jesus wrapping his arms around his people once again.

For what purpose were you born?