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“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 24:12-13

The confusion and chaos in our country and world are undeniable—and overwhelming. A football coach is fired for praying with his team. College students are being kicked out of clubs and sororities for having conservative views. A member of a popular band tweets a simple compliment to an anti-Antifa author, and he’s kicked out of the group. Perspectives differing from the Pravda—I mean, mainstream media—narrative are, well, simply canceled. Children in my city are being pressured in school to “choose where are they are the gender spectrum.” Churches around the nation have remained closed through a year of crises, during which time another million babies have been exterminated through readily available “healthcare.” I could go on and on. Right is wrong, and wrong is right. Like me, you may be looking around in astonishment thinking, “Things are falling apart.”

But, sisters, none of this should come as a surprise to us. The Bible is very clear that everything in this world will get worse and worse before Jesus returns for His bride. In fact, since the Fall, the perfection of Creation has been collapsing, decaying, dying. Even during the Apostle Paul’s time, Nero (the most powerful leader in the world) married several people, one of whom was a man. Unwanted babies were left outside to be eaten by wild animals or to be stolen for temple prostitution. And there were more slaves in ancient Rome than citizens. We can follow the horrors and madness through the years to today. The enemy, Satan, has one goal: destruction (John 10:10). He is defeated, but he will continue to prowl around with his cronies looking to devour us until his time is up (1 Peter 5:8).

As Americans, we are truly blessed. Our nation was founded on religious liberty—to keep the government from controlling the Church. And for hundreds of years, we have enjoyed the freedom to worship when and how we want, without government intrusion. Our cultural underpinning has always been freedom and equal opportunity—that’s why, since its inception, people around the world have been risking everything to live here. American Christians are feeling a shift in our historical liberty, but let’s not forget that, since the first century, most of the world’s believers have been at risk of being beaten, jailed, and executed for professing their faith in Jesus. Christian persecution and martyrdom are happening today in record numbers globally, so is a ramp-up of American persecution really that shocking?

Well, it’s all quite alarming when our focus is purely political and cultural—as are many of the insane things happening in our nation today when viewed through the lens of our unique Constitution and history. But we are not citizens of the U.S or even this world. We are citizens of heaven (Phil 3:20). We are in the world, but we’re not to be of it (John 15:19). We are to keep an eternal perspective. And based on the Bible and God’s promises, we can know what’s really happening: Nothing is falling apart at all. It’s all falling together. 

“Lord, when I look around at the mess of the world, our nation, or even my own life, help me to shift my focus to You and Your promises. Keep me rooted in Your Word and standing firm on my faith.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Ministry