The Bible tells us that before Jesus comes back, and even before the Rapture, things are going to get pretty bad for us Christians. There is a spiritual war going on, and for a while it’s going to look like evil is winning. There is no stopping it, it’s just going to happen. There are some Christians who want to go down fighting, even guns-a-blazing, to express their free rights and their belief in God’s Kingdom. But is that what Jesus wants from us? Jesus was kind, gentle, and loving, and even let people wrongfully torture and kill Him just to show them what God’s love looks like.
Besides, God and His goodness will win the war in the end. We don’t have to fight on our own, or technically at all. Yes, there is spiritual warfare, but let’s not get confused and fight physical battles. We don’t fight in God’s army the same way we fight in our own armies. We stand against Satan and evil, not against our fellow humans that God loves (Mind Your Attacks).
God lets humans make their own choices, and this means that part of God’s overarching plan for history is for evil to look like it’s winning for a while. Because God wants humans to make the right choice, He will give us as much time as possible to make that choice. But He will only let things happen as far as He can righteously allow, then He will suddenly sweep in and right every wrong. (See also The Time to Make a Choice)
Let’s not try to get in the way of God’s plan. We might not like it, but God’s plan is always better than ours. When Peter didn’t like God’s plan as told in Matthew 16:21-25 and Mark 8:31-35, Jesus turned around and called him Satan. Both accounts tell of this occurring right after Peter expressed his belief that Jesus is the Christ, showing that we can believe in Jesus and still need some correcting on our attitudes and views.
Am I saying we should just roll over and give up on the world? Am I saying we should hole ourselves up in the Christian castle, pull up the drawbridge, and flood the moat? No, absolutely not! Jesus has left us here to show people what He is like, and we can’t do that if we aren’t living with them and being kind to them, even and especially when we’re mistreated. Jesus will continue to leave us here for as long as is right. Will it get difficult? Absolutely, but Jesus promised God’s help through the Holy Spirit! We’ll be okay, even when we’re not okay.
For a few more things:
The Two Kingdoms
Just Passing Through