Are We Coming to the End of the Age of Grace?
“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28
Church, get ready. As time goes on, the cost of being a Christian is going up. Sheep will be divided from the goats, real saints from the sunshine patriots, and truth from falsehood. We have been living in a cozy, comfortable bubble. In the world at large, our convictions have gone unchallenged, our doctrines undisturbed and our lifestyle tolerated. Change is coming. We will not be ignored by the world much longer. Enemies of the cross are moving into the power and control rooms of our society. Bible prophecy warns us that we are on a narrowing pathway to the end time and the fulfillment of all things.
One of these prophecies concerns a very interesting gap of time that appears between 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel’s prophecy. (Daniel 9:24-27) After this gap will be a final seventieth week (week of seven years, not days). This leads up to the second coming of the Messiah. The first sixty-nine weeks terminated with the first coming of Messiah. The seventieth week will terminate with His second coming. The times of the Gentiles will then be over, signaling the end of the Age of Grace. (Luke 21:24). When the door in heaven opens to receive the church, the door to grace will close on earth.
Yes, people scoff when they hear “the end of the world.” But, we cannot dismiss the parables of Christ which foretell this very thing. In Matthew 13:39-40, Jesus describes a scene which he declares is the end of the world. “The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.” Neither can we deny the event of the rapture. “ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
Other events of the end of time establish the church in heaven, the judgment seat of Christ, the marriage supper of the Lamb, the church as the Bride of Christ, the Great Tribulation on earth, and the revelation of the Antichrist. As we march toward the fulfillment of these events, we are given signs and indications along the way. Just as a house is not built without excavation and a foundation, these last days will not come upon us without a period of preparation It will not be business as usual. The balance of power is shifting in America and the world.
In the world, China and India are steadily gaining geopolitical power. The price of gasoline will continue to climb as we compete with these nations for oil. The encroaching influence of radical Islam is a worldwide phenomenon. In America, freedom continues to erode. In fact, freedom itself is being redefined as a concept. Reams of legislation designed to strip us of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the right to bear arms are now in the hopper. All of this is in the name of diversity, tolerance and minority rights.
History is full of examples of tyrannical governments persecuting Christians. Some think that if we just do our own thing while our country falls into the depths of anti-Christ paganism, they will leave us alone. We must not be blind as we go about our daily lives, or be so taken with temporal things that we render ourselves incapable of seeing the spiritual battle at hand. All around us we see the increase in anti-Christian behavior. The only group of people that it is found acceptable to speak against are Christians. The spirit of anti-Christ is growing in America while at the same time there is a call for “understanding” when it comes to every other religion imaginable.
Look at this is a critical statement made by Jesus: “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:19). This is now reality. After a constant barrage of Christian-intolerant teaching in the public school system, academia and media/entertainment establishments, Bible believers are now seen as narrow minded fools. An increased drumbeat for “hate speech” legislation may now be heard. This legislation is a precursor to fully outlawed Christian speech. The day is almost here when we cannot speak against homosexuality, abortion and same-sex marriage. No public stand against sin will go unpenalized.
According to Christian minister and author, David Berman, there will be an increase of the following: We will be called the worst vile names. We will be marginalized and seen as holding back “progressive ideas.” We will be persecuted physically for our stand. The government will try to increase its authority over our children. Parents who stand for their faith and teach it to their children will be accused of child abuse. There will be increased employment discrimination. Tax exempt status will be threatened based on a church preaching so called “hate speech.” There will be government regulation of churches and Christian schools. Confiscation of church property with bogus eminent domain claims will happen. There will be selective application of the law without due process.
What should our response be? “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” (Matthew 5:11.) The time is near when standing for truth may cost you privilege, friendship, money, job, property, status and quite possibly your very life. Unless we as a nation have a revival through repentance, the future will not be Christian-friendly in America.
I am compelled to sound the alarm. As the Apostle writes, if the trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who will show up battle-ready? When the Lamb becomes the Lion, when the Savior becomes the Judge, when the throne room of grace becomes the court room of eternal justice, a seismic shift will change the message of grace which the church now preaches.
The most moving photograph in my possession depicts a scene which took place moments before the Berlin Wall officially shut off the escape route to freedom from East Berlin into the West. A guard, anxiously looking around, spread the strands of barbed wire for a child to join his family in the West. I call it the “Moment of Mercy” picture. Today, the church, as ambassadors for Christ, holds back the judgment of the end times, desperately hoping that more souls will be saved. At some point, however, the barbed wire will close and the opportunity for grace will disappear. Salvation is time-sensitive. “Today is the day of salvation; now is the accepted time.”