A Letter To Erin - Aug 3

Who's Erin you ask? Actually, that's a darn good question. I don't have a last name or even a picture! Of course, even if I did have a picture I wouldn't post it here. Erin is a woman I met on eHarmony. Yes, yes, insert groan here if you wish. I typed out a lovely response on the eHarmony website but the stupid bloody thing timed out on me, leaving my response forever lost in cyberspace. So I came up with the brilliant idea of posting to my blog and forwarding the link to her for her perusal. Naturally, any comments made by Erin to me are for personal and private viewing only. But I will post my letter to her in the public domain. I'm a sucker for punishment, what can I say? Here goes:

Dear Erin,

Thank you for your response. I do stand by what I say when I talked about taking the Bible at face value. There is a problem in the church today in teaching end-time theology. This goes for Protestantism as well as Roman Catholicism. It's also true of every denomination under the sun. We have Christians who are politically unaware as well as prophetically unaware. And that's just the pastors! In the congregation the problem is worse! This is something that grieves me greatly. Who will give proper guidance to our young people? That is why I think many of the traditional churches are losing parishioners. The charismatics are attempting to fill the void because the 'respectable' churches won't or can't (Take your pick).

So who will lead us from the darkness? Who has the Biblical knowledge and the financial wherewithall to engage the world about Christ's Second Coming? Not too many! Pastors like Dr. Adrian Rogers and J. Vernon McGee have passed on. Those still with us like Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye, David Jeremiah and Charles F. Stanley are now senior citizens. I reckon we have maybe 10-15 years or so before the Lord calls each one of these loyal soldiers home. Who will step forward and take their place? Me? You? Anybody? Do you sense the urgency here? You see Erin, it's not the War on Terror that worries me, it's the War on Error. That's why we study scripture lest we fall into disfavor with God. There's just so much misinformation out there that many good Christians simply don't know where (or who) to turn to. Those who allegorize and deconstruct end-time prophecy risk becoming a lightning rod for God's wrath. Yikes! The physical, visible and yes, LITERAL return of Jesus Christ must be the 'Blessed Hope' for every Christian who longs for Him.

What does the Bible teach then about end times? Again understand this: God's word is infallible. He cannot lie and He cannot fail. God means what He says and He says what He means. Off the top of my rather large head, I would say the following are clear end time teachings:

1) The re-birth of Israel. (Eze 37)
2) The war of Gog and Magog. (Eze 38-39).
3) Deception (Mt 24:4)
4) Wars and unrest. (Mt 24:6,7)
5) The persecution of Christians. (Mt 24:9)
6) Tribulation that will kill many. (Mt 24:21-22)
7) The Anti-Christ who will exalt himself. (Dan 11:36-45)
8) Not to mention his sycophant, the False Prophet (Rev 13:11-17). Please note that these are real people we are going to be dealing with. They will have a name and a face. Adolf Hitler was a real person. So too was Joseph Stalin. The Anti-Christ and False Prophet will make those two look like amateurs.
9) The Battle of Armaggedon. (Rev 16:16)
10) The physical, literal and visible return of Jesus Christ at the end of the tribulation era. (Rev 19:11-21)

Erin, let no-one deceive you that these somehow are not literal events. We can be confident that those future events prophecied will come to pass in their proper time exactly as foretold. I would distrust any Christian who distorts, deconstructs, allegorizes or trivializes the Bible, especially concerning end time activity.

Finally, I would love to keep up our communication. I think you're a good person who deserves happiness in all its glory. We can discuss the fine details later but if we cannot agree on the basics then we must be honest with each other and close communication. I look forward to your next letter. Do explore my humble little blog. You may be surprised!

With Love,
Johnny Cash
(Not my real name. But you already knew that.)

(Insert weepy music here.) Will Johnny find his June? Will the lovely Erin find Johnny to be a stud or a dud? Will this post ever come to an end? Stay tuned!