Last week we addressed how crucial it is to not just know the truth, but to love the truth. This week we are going to take it one more step to walking in truth. Knowing the truth is important, but not enough. Loving the truth is important, but not enough. We must live what we believe if we are going to be true. Jesus did not come to just be the Way or just be the Truth, but He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. If we are going to truly know Him and follow Him, He must be all three to us.
As we have discussed earlier, the harvest that is the end of the age is the maturing of everything that has been sown in man, both the good and the evil. This is why it will be the fulfillment of Isaiah 60:1-2, "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples, but the Lord will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you.” Here we are told that at the same time the great darkness is coming upon the peoples, the glory of the Lord is appearing upon His people. This is the time that we are coming to, and to walk through the great darkness that is coming, we are going to need the greatest light.
Before the very end of this age it will require both the character of Christ and the power of Christ to prevail. This is the Lord’s intention—to compel us into the Light. The lukewarm will not make it through what is coming. The clear differences between the light and darkness will continue to increase. For this reason it is inevitable that increasing division will come all over the world. The lines are being drawn, and the sides chosen by all who live on the earth. This is the great “valley of decision” (Joel 3:14).
As we also recently addressed, it is for this reason we should all be committed to the truth of Proverbs 4:18 in our lives, “But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.” If we are still on “the path of the righteous” we should be experiencing more light and understanding each day. Those who are on the path of the righteous will have a hunger for the truth and a conviction to obey the truth and will walk in it. These are two basic issues that we should always be watchful of in our lives. This becomes increasingly important as we proceed toward the end of this age and see Hebrews 12:26-29 coming to pass:
"Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven. "
And this expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;
for our God is a consuming fire.
Everything seems to be getting less and less stable. The long trusted institutions are showing great cracks in their foundations. Even the governments that once seemed so strong are beginning to totter. This is because of the shaking that is already beginning to take place. The Lord in His mercy and patience is allowing it to come upon the world gradually, in increasing waves just as contractions come upon a woman in labor. As we get closer to the birth of the new age in which Christ will reign over the earth, the contractions will become more intense and more frequent.
However, we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and if we are building our lives on it we will not shake either. This is leading to a place where Christians will become the only stable ones on the earth and all others will be increasingly disconcerted and fearful. Every life will become either full of increasing light and faith, or filled with increasing confusion and fear.
We are coming to the time when the economy, schools, banks, police, and even some of our most trusted governments are going to become less and less stable. This is not something that should surprise us, but something for which we need to prepare. This is in fact already the case for most of the world. There are many countries where it is hard to determine who will be in power from day to day. Police departments are corrupt, supporting the ones who offer them the most. The economies of these countries are based more on the black market than on the stock market. However, these are also the places where some of the strongest Christians are found in the world. In some of these places the Christians are turning their shaky, national governments into strong, stable ones. These still may not be up to the standards enjoyed by some countries over the last few centuries, but great progress is being made. This is from the Lord.
The nations that are stable today are mostly the ones who are benefiting from strong Christian foundations. These too will be tested, but to the degree that they are built on the right foundation they will stand the test. Therefore, it is one of our purposes as the salt of the earth and the light of the world to help steer them to that which alone can stand the testing that is coming.
It is for this reason that if we are blessed to live in a democracy where we cannot only speak the truth, but also vote for righteous leaders, we are failing in our purpose if we do not do so. Many well-meaning, but deceived Christians think that it does not matter who they vote for because God is going to put His people in office regardless. This is not the case. As we are told in Psalm 115:16, “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He has given to the sons of men.” This means that He has given man the authority for what happens on the earth. As it has been well said, the only thing required for evil to prevail in a place is for the righteous to do nothing. If it happens on our watch, then it is us who have allowed it.
It is because the Lord has given the authority over the earth to men that He will not intervene on the earth until we pray. He knows what we need even before we ask Him, but He will even Himself comply with our authority, and only give us what we ask for. That is why the Lord Jesus continually referred to Himself as “the Son of Man.” He could not redeem the earth as God, but had to do it as a man. Until He returns and sets up His throne on the earth He has given the earth His church as the salt that preserves, and the light to show the way.
Because prayer can move the hand of God, there is nothing more powerful that we can do on this earth than pray. Therefore, an intercessory prayer meeting can accomplish more for the good of the earth than the United Nations and all congresses and parliaments combined. However, this does not mean that we are wasting our time voting or participating in the political process. As we are discussing walking in truth, walking involves touching the earth. If we are going to walk in truth, we are going to stand for truth in every way that we can touch the earth. This is one way that we can effectively be the salt and light we are called to be. To not take advantage of such an opportunity is a dereliction of our duty as citizens and Christians.
As Christians we should be far more devoted to our duty to the church and the kingdom of God, but that does not negate our duty as citizens. In the next United States Presidential term there will likely be many judges appointed, including Supreme Court judges that can have a very basic impact on the moral direction of the nation. Not only will the President, but the Congress as well as many state officials have a major say in who these judges will be. It was not the Congress but the courts that removed prayer from schools, legalized abortion, and have in many other ways flagrantly opposed the standards of righteousness and justice established in the Scriptures. In most Western nations it has been proactive judges who were used to try and remove the Word of God from having any influence in our culture. We should be praying for all government officials and using our vote to put in office those who will not only lead well, but place in other appointed positions the ones who will be righteous. This is part of our responsibility on earth that has been given to us.
There will be nations that have been built upon a strong foundation according to God’s standards of righteousness and justice that will stand the shaking that is coming. If our nation does not pass this test, it is because the Christians in it were not the salt and light that they were called to be. To be the salt and light that we are called to be, we do not want to get overbalanced in our devotion to the natural, but neither do we want to neglect anything that we can do. Vote, and vote according to the Lord’s standards of righteousness and justice.
