Topic: Religion and Government
The Future, Pessimism or Optimism? What happens in the world is very dependent on what Christians believe God requires of them.by Lou Poumakis
(libertarian)
Sunday, October 5, 2008
In a previous article, "God's Law, Obsolete or in Force Today?" I stated that "All the cultures of this world will one day be Christian; God's law will be obeyed and every knee will bow to Christ as King (Phil. 2:10). That day is yet future but the process that will bring it about is in place today." I would like here to provide some substantiation for that assertion.
Scripture very clearly and in many ways tells us that God is working (through His people) to subdue all Christ's enemies and make them a footstool for His feet:
32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool. (Acts 2:32-35)
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. (1 Cor. 15:24,25).
Notice that these verses tell us that all this subjugation of enemies takes place while Christ sits at God's right hand and that when the end comes, all rule authority and power shall already have been put down and all enemies put under His feet. This does not say that the world will get worse and worse until Christ returns and then He will defeat all His enemies. Rather, when He returns it shall already have been subjected to Him. In contrast to what is being taught today, this is an optimistic eschatology (doctrine of last things). It depicts a victorious church and the coming of a Christian world, a world that is subjected to Christ and obeys His law. It is the fulfillment of the Lord's prayer, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." The pessimism characteristic of both Dispensational and Amillennial eschatologies is not found in Scripture. It is derived from the newspapers rather than the Bible.
Because the Christian faith has weakened and Christians have abdicated their responsibility to be salt and light, much of western culture has become humanistic. Europe has only traces of Christianity remaining and America is ruled by atheists. Seeing the visible weakening of the faith and the perceptible growth and strength of humanism, Christians have lost heart and faith in God's power to accomplish what He promised. Nevertheless, history is in God's hands; the Scripture cannot be broken and one day these things will come to pass. The question before this generation of Christians is whether we will believe God and act in accordance with that faith or deny His word and do nothing.
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The views expressed in this
article are those of Lou Poumakis only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Lou Poumakis is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
Sorry, but this article does not seem very appropriate for the Nolan Chart. You don't seem to respect freedom of religion, especially when that means no religion. Also, by predicting the fallacy you predict, it is stengthening the religious wall between Christians and Muslims. Religion is, and always has been, the main problem...it's not the fix. Rational thought is the fix...
I said nothing in the article about religious freedom, including the right to hold to no religion. As a Christian, I think I have the right to believe that Christianity is true and I can also believe that, in time, everyone else will agree with me. I could be wrong about that but I personally don't think so. I didn't and don't advocate the imposition of Christianity on anyone. I think that, through rational thought, it will eventually become universal by choice, not by force.
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