Doomsday Determinism

In the last few years we have heard all the doomsday predictions regarding this year and probably seen the movie 2012.  With the economy on a collision course with disaster and strange signs happening everyday it is not hard to imagine why so many people are stock piling weapons and food.  There is a strange anticipation that all things are coming to a conclusion…but are they?  There is also a common underlying mindset that we are only part of some predetermined events that cannot be changed and that these events will bring this whole world to a disastrous end in which we can only be spectators.  I will call this fatalistic determinism.

Determinism is humanistic philosophy that every event, including human cognition and behavior, decision and action, is causally determined by an unbroken chain of prior occurrences.  Fatalism is the philosophy that free will does not exist, meaning therefore, that history has progressed in the only manner possible.  Is also the belief that actions are free, but nevertheless work toward an inevitable end, which believes that acceptance is appropriate, rather than resistance against inevitability.  When taking an in-depth look at these philosophies nobody would ever admit to thinking in such a manner.  The truth is that these humanistic philosophies have been cleverly disguised behind end time doctrines.

What emerges then is the feeling of why should we pray, or do anything since it is all coming to an end anyway.  It also gives rise to feelings of apathy, lethargy and pessimism.  As people get focused on all the possible disaster scenarios, fear sets in, making the future look so bleak that faith gets pushed out of any conversation.  After all, what can our efforts do if God has already written the final chapters of our lives here on earth?  Maybe the there are some of us who may be secretly delighting ourselves in the final destruction of our enemies since we have our own escape plan in place.

In many ways this generation has been like the prophet Jonah; unwilling to tell our enemies that they will be destroyed unless they repent and unwilling to see God extend mercy to people we feel are deserving of His wrath.  Many of us see the story of Jonah as a fish tale when actually it an enduring lesson of God’s mercy and sovereignty.  It teaches us that even though God had scheduled Nineveh for destruction he had the power and right to relent of his anger.  In God’s great mercy He sent an unwilling prophet to preach the message of repentance.  Jonah went through tremendous discipline because of his rebellion to God’s cause.  To Jonah’s chagrin the people of Nineveh repented which upset him tremendously.  But the LORD said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹ And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?” Jonah 4:10-11  In other words, Jonah, why are you upset that I decided to extend the lives of a people who don’t know me. 

In a similar way God is speaking to us about His ability to extend our lives here on earth.  Think about it if EDD and the IRS can grant an extension to whomever they will, how much more can God do this for us here on earth.  Then God saw their works that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. Jonah 3:10  No matter who prophesies disaster God can change his mind.  He doesn’t even care that Jonah looked bad in the end.  It didn’t mean Jonah was a false prophet it just meant God has the right to give anyone an extension as long as they meet His criteria.  His criterion is always repentance.  Look at the king Hezekiah.  In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’”2 Kings 20:1  So what did Hezekiah do?  He turned His face to the wall and prayed.  The Lord extended his life 15 years.

Some of us may feel limited by our economic and governmental state but remember that God chose Jesus to be born during the Roman occupation.  The Jews were heavily taxed and under tremendous economic strain.  They had no freedom except what was granted to them by the government.  It was also during the Roman occupation that the greatest outpouring of God’s presence poured out on Pentecost.  God is not limited by earthly government, economic crisis or disaster scenarios.  He is sovereign.  He will raise up Josephs and set them up in government positions during a famine to preserve a people.  He will bring an Esther to influence the highest person in government to keep His people from being destroyed.  Even in captivity he will set up a Daniel to speak to governmental leaders.  God will always deliver and preserve His people.

While in time of prayer and fasting the Lord gave me a vision of soil that had been turned over. The dirt was dark and fertile from being worked.  Out of the dirt I could see green tender shoots growing out of the ground.  The Lord showed me that the very thing that has been meant to oppress America can be the very catalyst for a great revival.  Why?  In our poverty we can now receive the riches of heaven.  In our natural hunger we can now become spiritually hungry.  In our brokenness we can now receive the comfort of our God.  In our humility we can now seek God’s greatness.  America has long lost her attractiveness to God but in this season He is busy working the fields of her heart by uprooting the idolatry of materialism, self, immorality and self righteousness.  God has a plan for this nation and it is of good not of evil.  Why would Jesus pay such a great price and allow the souls of this nation to go to hell in a hand basket?

Which brings me to the question at hand, will it all end in ( insert the latest doomsday date)?  This is the same question that disciples asked Jesus on the Mount of Olives.  The disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will all these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” Matthew 24:3  After this Jesus gives them the usual end time scenarios.  He who endures to the end shall be saved Jesus explains but still one more thing must be done for the end to come.¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.  Oh wait, the gospel must be preached first?  Yes.  How do we know that all this testing is only preparation for the greatest harvest ever?  It would only make sense that God would want the sacrifice the Jesus to bring in the maximum amount people into His kingdom.  That would make Him the winner over the devil wouldn’t it?  I’m praying that faith is now stomping out all fear in your heart.  Remember we are on the ark of God not in the waters of judgment waiting to get washed away.  Noah preached to several generations of people “Get on the boat people, a flood is coming.” There he was day after day working on God’s plan of salvation and he never gave up until the hand of the Lord shut the ark door.  How much more shall we who are heirs of salvation be diligently preaching “Get on the boat this world’s judgment is coming but you can be saved.” Can we not be like Abraham and plead for God’s mercy over Sodom?  We must remember that, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”  Let us now declare a different outcome over the future of America…all things are possible to those who believe.  Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him— A grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God? Joel 2:14

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Are You An Angry Prophet?

For every natural disaster we have seen, there is always that one person that makes God out to be a homicidal maniac and tells everyone that He meant to judge the nation through disaster. I am sorry but Jesus paid a great price so that ALL could be saved. Why would God send something so horrific that it would take the lives of children? I am not saying that God does not send judgment because it is obvious that He does from reading the story of Noah but...He always sets in place a rescue plan. Even Sodom and Gomorrah had a shot at God's mercy through Abraham's intercession. So, if God always has a rescue plan then where is it some might ask? My friends only look in the mirror and inside a church. The rescuers are sitting comfortably on the pews every Sunday, deafened to the cries of the broken because of their judgmental attitudes. Yes, my friends we are the spiritual rescue team looking for survivors under deep piles of religious doctrine, blind from the dirt of sin, groping around in the darkness and looking for shelter from the storm. What is sad about these attitudes that are seen in some Christians is that they are actually reinforcing the beliefs that many atheists have. I have heard this from many of them they believe that God is some kind of bully and homicidal maniac. Yes, I know they say they don't believe in God but most of them are just offended with the idea that God would kill innocent people. They mostly cite Old Testament scriptures to support this idea. Then to hear Christians confirm to them what they already believe about God is sickening. Some of us run around like angry prophets and to our chagrin it is the very reason the grace movement has gained so much momentum. They got sick of the angry prophets making profits from their pockets; using the commandments of men to manipulate people to do their bidding.

Then we see Jesus. He is confronted with a decision to stone a person caught in the act of sin. There she is awaiting her punishment that she so justly deserves. She was probably trying to cover herself up the best she could and looking away in shame. Then Jesus passed his sentence, "He who has no sin throw the first stone." With no accusers left to condemn her, Jesus just let her go with this exhortation, "Go and sin no more." What a relief she must have felt when she heard those words. She could now be free to love God without fear. Mercy had triumphed over justice.


As I saw the most current natural disaster unfold, the Lord led me to read the book of Jonah. We often dismiss this book as a children's story with little or no relevance to our adult lives. However, we couldn't be more wrong. Jonah hears the call of God to go to the city of Nineveh and warn them. ¹ Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ² “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” ³ But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD....Jonah 1:1-3

Many of us don't understand why Jonah was avoiding his commission to rescue those living in a depraved city. What people don't understand is that Jonah had a biased view of the people of Nineveh. He refused  preach to them. If you read 2 Kings 19 you will find out that Nineveh was the city of the Assyrians. They were Israel's enemies and were often at war with them. Nineveh was built by Noah's grandson Cush, son of Ham. Genesis 10:8-12 They were long distant relatives who over the course of time had become quite wicked and God was fed up with their sin. Jonah's disobedience of course causes problems for everyone on the ship he is fleeing on and finally they toss him out of the boat he gets swallowed by a fish to be spit out on the shores of...you guessed it Nineveh. God has a very persuasive way about Him doesn't He? Lesson for all of us is this: Our disobedience not only affects us but everyone around us.

Jonah finally relents warns Nineveh and to his surprise his enemies repent! Jonah 3:10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
Now Jonah is angry because really deep down he was secretly wanting to see the destruction of his enemies. How can God have mercy on such a perverse and wicked people? Jonah then explains why he didn't want to go to Nineveh in the first place. "I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness, One who relents from doing harm" Jonah 4:2 Wow! Jonah knew that if preached his message that there was a possibility that Nineveh would repent and be spared. Instead of rejoicing Jonah sulks all day in anger.

So that Jonah could see things from God's perspective he raises a plant that shelters Jonah then dies over night. Jonah of course is sad that the plant died as it no longer was there to provide shelter for him; so God uses it to explain his heart to him. ¹⁰ But the LORD said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹ And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?” Jonah 4:10-11

After reading the story of Jonah I realized that many of us have an angry prophet attitude. Some of us are like the disciples that Jesus exhorted long ago when they wanted to call fire down on their enemies. Jesus rebuked them when he said, "You know not what spirit you are of." The truth is many of us secretly wish for our enemies to be destroyed rather than to see them saved and delivered from destruction. Our bias towards certain groups keep us from reaching them. We often think well "they deserve what's coming to them." I think we forget sometimes where we have come from. Some of the people we see in church today were some of the people we look down upon now. In reference to our world now; many of us would rather see the end of the world rather than preaching repentance to our nation so that God would relent from His anger. This Jonah complex keep us from interceding for the lost and preaching the messages that would have them turn from their wickedness. Some of us have no concern for the lost because we are already going to heaven so we feel that our job is done here. Worse, some of us are so convinced that we will not go into the tribulation that we have not prepared ourselves or bothered to prepare the people who will stand before the Judgment seat of God. This is a selfish attitude. This is not God's heart. We need to have Jesus' heart.

Let us pray: Father forgive us for being angry prophets and having bias in our hearts. For disobeying the call to go into the highways and byways. For allowing our anger towards certain groups; to keep us from reaching them for you. We choose to forgive those who have come against our nation, who are being used by the devil and those who are in authority who are pushing the agendas of Satan. We choose to pray for those who are hurting us God. Please reveal our hearts and remove any attitudes that our contrary to the love of Christ. We pray that you would relent in your anger towards our nation for turning away from you. We pray that our nation would return to it's Godly heritage. Give us a plan for reaching those we don't understand and that perhaps we fear. Help us see those around us the way you see them. Holy Spirit shed the love of God in our hearts, in Jesus name. Amen.

Overcoming Apathy and A Defeated Mindset

The meaning of Apathy in the Greek apatheia, from apathēs without feeling, from a- + pathos emotion
1 : lack of feeling or emotion : impassiveness 2 : lack of interest or concern : indifference

One of the things that plague the body of Christ more than anything is apathy. What I mean about apathy is our lack of interest in prayer or evangelism. Go ahead, call a prayer meeting at church and see how many people show up. Ask the local church to go out on a weekly basis to win the lost and few faithful members will show up. Tell everyone you are having a potluck and people will show in masses. We live in the fish and loaves generation. As far as diligence goes the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses have us beat.

So what happened between the early church and today's church? What did they have that we don't? They were being threatened, beaten and dragged to jail; yet no one could keep them from sharing their faith. They would spend hours and days praying for the Holy Spirit to pour out. They spent a lot of time in fellowship being of one mind, one heart and shared all things in common. Now or days it's difficult to get churches to agree to participate in an evangelistic event. Just recently I talked to a brother that had gone to a group of pastors to ask for support in his evangelistic event but they just simply told him "it was too soon." In other words, we aren't going to help you. This my friends are apathy at it's best. Don't bother me about the lost souls of this city. I'm having a potluck that same day. I am being cynical but you know what I mean. For those of you who think I'm being critical just think about the last time you had a problem and you told your fellow Christians in your life about it. Did they offer to pray and fast for you? Did they stop what they were doing and minister to you?

The main point I'm trying to make is that it's hard to get Christians to pray. There is an overall apathy when it comes to prayer. I really think that this has to do with the philosophy of Determinism that has infiltrated the church. This is a secular philosophy.
This is how it is described:
Determinism necessarily entails that humanity or individual humans may not change the course of the future and its events (a position known as fatalism); however, some determinists believe that the level to which human beings have influence over their future is itself merely dependent on present and past.
Fatalism generally refers to several of the following ideas:

1. A flawed perception of the consequences of exercised free will, ignorance, and forgetfulness.
2. That free will does not exist, meaning therefore that history has progressed in the only manner possible. ^[1] This belief is very similar to determinism.
3. That actions are free, but nevertheless work toward an inevitable end. ^[2] This belief is very similar to compatibilist predestination.
4. That acceptance is appropriate, rather than resistance against inevitability. This belief is very similar to defeatism.

So when we don't pray it's because deep down we have a fatalistic view of our world and believe that our resistance to the inevitable is a waste of time. If all events have been predetermined then why bother to pray. This is why I believe why there is so much apathy in the church. We don't believe that our prayers will change the outcome of our circumstances or God's dealings in this world. Determinism has only disguised itself as submission to sovereignty and covered up for our unbelief. This is why many of us don't pray for the sick or the people we feel God is judging. Yet, Abraham prayed to stop the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. He was able to spare a few people through his intercession. Jeremiah wept and pleaded with Israel to return to God. James 5:15 Elijah was a man with like passions but he ended the drought in the land through prayer. Jesus prayed that Peter's faith would not fail even though he knew Peter would betray him. The Godhead is in constant intercession for us. Why would they do this if the outcome of our life can't be changed? Romans 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Like many of you I had that same mindset but this scripture broke that over me.
Joel 2:12-14 ¹² “ Now, therefore,” says the LORD,

“ Turn to Me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
¹³ So rend your heart, and not your garments;
Return to the LORD your God,
For He is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.
¹⁴ Who knows if He will turn and relent,
And leave a blessing behind Him—

Brothers and sisters it's never too late to turn around the circumstances in your lives. It's not too late to shake things up before his return. Let's get rid of this apathetic, fatalistic, defeated attitude that has kept the church from being the true salt in this world. Let's rise up to the influence and blessing that God has always intended his church to be in this world.

If you find this article helpful or would like to leave a comment or visit our website:
Jaziz Gutierrez
http://www.jazizgutierrez.com
Facebook: School Of Impartation and Living