Check out this very short description of some superheroes that served under King David! "...the sons of Issachar, who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do (1 Chron. 12:32)" Man, that's pretty much all it says about them, but they were so necessary. What they had can be summed up in one word - VISION!
I don’t consider myself a “son of Issachar,” nor am I a “prophet,
or the son of a prophet,” and my prognostication skills have never been my
strong suit, but I would like to look at an important trend facing the future
church.
The Shift from “non-Christian” to “Anti-Christian”
Culture
Most people living today in America do not remember Bible
reading done in their public schools. They may have heard about it but have no
personal experience of a thoroughly Judeo-Christian ethic being the norm of all
of society. It dictated how the family lived, how the “village” operated, and
it was all directly connected to the church. Our society was a moral haven, not
that everyone was a Christian, but the acceptable bar of behavior centered on
the precepts of Scripture and especially the Big Ten. That is why the French historian, Alexis de Tocqueville
made the famous phrase in 1840, “America is great because Americans are good.”
Well, Lexi, times have certainly changed!
For
the last half century our common struggle has been the world’s encroachment on
our children, the humanistic philosophies stealing the hearts and minds of our
future. We have watched a non-Christian world slowly bleed out our sons and
daughters spiritually, leaving them morally incompetent and inept. Although you
may still see yourself in this fight, the times have changed yet again. No
longer are we living in a non-Christian culture, we have changed the address to
an “Anti-Christian” culture. Today we are considered wrong, nay I say, evil,
for having Judeo-Christian principles that guide our lives. We are boldly and
loudly called names like intolerant, homophobes, Neanderthals, flat-earthers,
and “hate-criminals” if we hold to the basic ethical doctrines of God’s Word. Any
moral challenge we give to an aberrant behavior from a Biblical perspective is
met with vicious outrage, even borderline violence, which is considered a just
reward. Our Christian students are not only fighting the immoral onslaught of
secular hedonism and rampant sensuality, they are fighting for their lives. One
reason most are very timid about sharing their faith is not the embarrassment,
it’s because of the popular opinion that Christians are the new Nazis. We are
no longer at odds, we are at war, and the culture is the one waging it! What
used to be a line drawn in the sand has become a rampart with bludgeoning
repercussions. It’s no longer the 90’s!
If a man makes a poorly produced “YouTube” video that
portrays Mohammad in a bad light he will spend over 3 months in jail. Would he
have been given the same treatment if he had done the exact same thing defaming
the person of Jesus Christ? Think about it. On April 7, 2009 in an unclassified
Department of Homeland Security report, “right-wing extremist” were considered
a major homegrown threat to national security. It goes on to clarify groups
such as Christians, returning US
Soldiers, supporters of far-right candidates, homeschoolers, and NRA members
should be assessed as a high level of threat. The outcry was deafening and because
of that they have since pulled this report, but the fact is our government sees
us, Judeo-Christian ethic, Bible believers, as a national security threat! Because we stand for something holy we are
now guilty of hate-crimes! How long before they issue another such declaration
and there is no outcry? The new culture is Anti-Christian!
