Articles
How to Accelerate Christ’s Return
When people are harming and killing animals they are denying God’s Word and are hindering God’s intentions: both original and future! Jesus could do no miracles in His own town except heal a few sick folks. Jesus could not do much in His hometown because of the people’s unbelief. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. The first time we read something in God’s Word it may as well be snoring but God’s Word is alive. It becomes powerful and grows in our life. The trouble is that today we have multitudes of Christians who only know a scripture or two not the contents of the entire Bible. And if they know it, many still don’t really believe it because they have never meditated upon it. It was just like these unlearned and unenlightened people ignore what God said about the creatures crying unto Him and Him answering them. Even sparrows cannot fall without God being with them. (Matthew 10:29) C.S. Lewis said something to the effect that most Christians are only exposed to the truth enough to make them immune to the real thing.
Most of us Christians believe man was made from the dust and that God
breathed into him the breath of life. (Genesis 2:7) In many minds this means
for them, man is totally distinct from the animals. They have never
considered the other text that indicates that God gave this breath of life
to all His creatures. Genesis 7:15 says, “And they went in (the animals)
unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of
life.” See also Genesis 6:17.
The gospel of Mark tells us to preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark
16:15) The English translation creature comes directly from the Greek word
ktisis meaning the original formation or the way something is built. In this
case the way something is put together was God, man, the animals and the
environment which were all wound together in His loving purpose and plan.
The original formation which we read about in detail in Genesis chapter one
included the animals.
Unbelief was the main problem that hindered Jesus Himself. On some occasions
Jesus or His disciples even had people of unbelief leave the house where
some grand situation was being prayed for because of the negative effect of
the unbelievers. Faith comes by hearing. Look at what the scripture says in
Romans 10:14-15, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not
believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And
how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except
they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that
preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things!” Don’t you
think stopping the harassment of animals who wish to live in peace, ending
animal cruelty and stopping the slaughter of countless animals for food and
sport is a good thing? I’d say it’s even better than a good thing! It’s what
God has promised to them and what all creatures are hoping for. (Romans
8:20)
God did not create all the animals and place man in a close relationship
with them through Adam so they could eventually die at the hands of an
exploiter and destroyer like Nimrod! Did you know some people actually
consider Nimrod to be an ideal leader and example? Like Darth Vader in Star
Wars, Nimrod was only a master of evil. If you knew who Nimrod was I doubt
that you would give him your ear for one moment. He certainly was a mover
and a shaker and a money maker at the cost of all the creation, but he was
far worse than that. He was part of the giants who were part human and part
fallen angel. They eventually became the demons at the time of the flood.
Satan is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, but he is not alone. All
the fallen angels are his assistants in destruction. God made innumerable
angels. Two-thirds of them stayed under Heaven’s control. It seems to me
that one-third of an innumerable group is still most likely innumerable.
One-third of an innumerable host are Satan’s helpers and are fallen and were
cast down to earth. As to the exact number, you go figure.
The thoughts of the crossbreeds were only continually evil. (Genesis 6:5)
Genesis 6:11 says, “And the earth was filled with violence because of
them.” The Apostle Paul wept for the space of about three years
warning people what kind of messed up state the church would be in during
the time we are living in.
This leads me to speak about a man I recently saw who claimed to be one of
God’s spokespersons. He was talking about how he and a friend blew up beaver
damns with dynamite. They were guffawing at what fun it was to keep the
stream from being turned into lakes and ponds by the beavers which invites
all types of animal life. The reason his friend wanted to blow up the damns
and keep the streams flowing was to facilitate the harvesting of an enormous
tract of trees. It was all about money. The host of the TV program laughed
with him as he told of the enjoyment of his damage to these poor animals’
homes and habitat. Surely the percussion and the blast itself could damage
the hearing of beavers or kill them. It could also leave their kits starving
to death or killed by the blasts. Follow the money to find the source of any
evil. Paul saw the coming evil of this age and wept. And I must weep with
him. How far are we from God’s desire for the hope of the creatures and
creation to be fulfilled with people like this who obviously refuse to obey
the word?
God says that He has subjected all animals and all creation to hope and that
we are supposed to be hasteners of Christ’s coming and speeding it along,
not hindering it. (Romans 8:20 & 2Peter 3:12) We don’t encourage the
creatures to develop a reason for hope or Christ to return for a “church
without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and
without blemish,” if we hurt, harm and kill God’s creatures. (Ephesians
5:27) Isn’t it awesome that we are supposed to be speeding and hastening the
coming of the day of Christ? God’s Word teaches that Jesus did not die for
mankind alone; Jesus the Creator died for mankind and all creation. To save
the first and not the latter is to infer that Jesus died for just one
species (man) and to dismiss the fact that He died to reconcile every
species! (Colossians 1:20)
How can we encourage the creatures hope by our ignorance and violence?
Scripture says, “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book
of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and
out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
(Revelation 22:19) I am not going to explain the prophecies of Revelation in
this article. Let it suffice to say that to have your name erased from the
Book of Life means you will never rule and reign with Christ and you will
know that you do not know Him. Your actions will prove that you have no
desire to please God even though; we were born again to be joint heirs with
Christ and to please the Father, not our flesh.
We see Christ in the scriptures sitting on the right hand of the Father yet
when it came to St. Steven laying down his life for his convictions, Jesus
stood up for the pleasure He was taking in Steven’s actions. When we please
Jesus who gave us the new birth, wouldn’t it be wonderful if He like the
father in the story of the prodigal son would come running to us because we
have pleased Him so much? God says, “Jesus is my beloved son in whom I am
well pleased, hear ye Him.” (Matthew 17:5) As sons of God, we are to be like
the Son of God meaning we also are to take our delight in pleasing God. His
teaching is clear: we are to do all of our things with love.
How do you drown kittens, blow up the beaver’s home or say you love your
heifer, then smash her skull with a sledgehammer or kill her with a gun or a
knife. Any little child can quickly tell you, “You don’t!” You might
be too busy to slow down and consider what you are doing before you slit the
cow’s throat or perhaps you are so uncaring that it is easier for you to
drown the kittens than to adopt them out but God expects us to please Him in
His pursuits that shows forth His love. We do not obey God so He will save
us, but we appreciate His saving grace and so, want to please Him because we
are thankful for our redemption and adore Him.
In Romans 12:1-2 in the New Living Translation of the Bible the Apostle Paul
says, “And so dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your
bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and
holy sacrifice – the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to
worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and traditions of this world (like
hunting for sport or dynamiting beaver damns), but let God transform you
into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know
God’s will for you, which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Even the
tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. (Proverbs 12:10) I deplore listening
any longer to creation’s cry, and would rather accelerate Christ’s return.
Seeking to please God,
Minister David Prather
The Church in the Green