David Jeremiah - People Are Asking... Is This the End? (03/04/2017)
In this interview Dr. David Jeremiah breaks down his new book on the end times. He’s basically asking if the chaos we see today means the clock is running out for America and the rest of us. He doesn't sugarcoat the moral decline or the social friction we're feeling, but honestly, he still finds a reason to be hopeful about the next generation. Between the stuff happening with Israel and Russia, his main point is that believers don't need to panic about the coming tribulation because of what Christ did. At the end of the day, it's a reminder that we’re here right now for a reason—to be a light when things get pretty dark.
Sheila Walsh: The title, how did you come up with that?
David Jeremiah: Everywhere I go, people are asking me these questions. They want to know what's going on in the world today and how does it affect us? And, Dr. Jeremiah, is this the end? I mean, we've got Israel in her land. We've got all these prophetic things that are happening. Where are we on the prophetic time clock? And so I wanted to find the issues that answer that question and write about them. And you divide the book into two sections. Is this the end for America? And then is this the end for the world?
Sheila Walsh: So let's just start with the first section. Is this the end for America? I wanted you to talk about the moral climate as you've seen it over 40 years of ministry. How have we shifted in our nation?
America's Moral Decline
David Jeremiah: Well, it's not a shift. It's not a sideways shift. It's a downward fall. If you do not believe you are a creature of God, you have no responsibility to live under his authority. And today, we've thrown out the creation issue. We don't believe that God created us. So we are our own gods. Instead of us living in the image of God as we were created, we've created God in our own image. We've made God the way we want him to be. And when you do that, just throw the restraints to the wind. Do whatever you feel like doing. Whatever makes you feel good, do it. That's where we are.
Sheila Walsh: One of the issues that I've heard a lot of discussion about, particularly this year as it being an election year, is the issue of immigration.
David Jeremiah: First of all, the immigration issue is supposed to be resolved in our country by Congress. Congress has ceded that right to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has nothing to say about immigration, but they say it anyway. So we don't have borders, and we have all kinds of problems. And I decided I'm going to write a chapter on immigration. You know, one of the things that I've heard some people say is that, well, the Bible doesn't say anything about immigration. That's a current issue. But you say in your book, no, that's true. The Bible does tell us how to address that.
Biblical Principles for Immigration
Sheila Walsh: Absolutely. In the Bible, immigrants are called strangers. In the Old Testament, they were everywhere. And the Bible speaks about how you treat strangers. And I learned three things that are very important. You assist them, you accept them, and you assimilate them. Now, we do these two pretty good. But the problem we're having right now is the assimilation of so many people who are coming into our country, not primarily to do any damage to us, but they come and they don't assimilate into our culture. Then you have all of this tension going back and forth. I can't fix the immigration problem. That's not my job. My job is to see what the world is around me and do something. And so we set out to minister to these people. And it has been the most incredible thing that's ever happened to our church.
Sheila Walsh: That's an amazing statement. And it's another example of where perhaps the church should be the ones taking the lead on issues, as opposed to just sitting back and saying, well, that's nothing to do with us because the Bible doesn't talk about it. I mean, you make that very clear. But you also go on to something that's perhaps a warning for some of us. You talk about the increase of intolerance. That's not something many people preach about. Why did you feel it was so important?
David Jeremiah: Well, you know, the Bible doesn't pull any punches with that. The Bible speaks a lot about the fact, the Bible says, if you live godly in Christ Jesus, you're going to suffer persecution. And Peter says, when you suffer persecution, don't think a strange thing has happened to you because it's not strange. Whenever you are in love with God, there are going to be a lot of people that won't be in love with you. And persecution comes. And it's more and more intolerance is more and more a problem in our day, Sheila, because all of the rules and regulations that were put into place to support us and protect us have been removed or at least violated.
Navigating Intolerance as a Believer
Sheila Walsh: What would you say to any of our viewers, our studio audience here, who are in a situation, perhaps they work in an office where it's not popular at all to be a believer, are you supposed to just be quiet? Yeah. Do you risk losing your job? How do you... How do you find the wisdom to know how to live in these days?
David Jeremiah: Well, one of the verses I often think about when somebody asks me that question is the Bible says, be ready always to give an answer to those who ask you. So maybe a good clue is wait till they ask you. You know? So if they ask you, if they see your life and they want to know what's this all about, then you can respond to them. But I think the best thing you can do as a person in an environment that's almost totally secular and you may be the only Christian, live your life for God and remember this little quip. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. And you need to reach out to them and love them and help them understand that you would love them if they were the worst pagan in the world because they're a person God created.
Sheila Walsh: Thank you for joining us. I'm Sheila Walsh, here again to talk with Dr. David Jeremiah about some crucial issues of our time. How would you define apathy?
Understanding Apathy
David Jeremiah: Apathy is an interesting word. It's made up of two little words, pathos and the little letter A, which negates the word. So here's the little language study here. The word pathos means passion. And if you put the A in front of it, it means without passion. Apathy is to live your life without passion. One guy said the beauty of apathy is you don't have to work hard to prove to people that you have it. How about that? Apathy is the lack of concern for the important things that are going on. You can be apathetic about your family. You can be apathetic about your church. You can be apathetic about your country. And I think for many Christians today, Sheila, they've become apathetic because they don't think there's an answer. Your hope is not in this world. Your hope is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the return of Christ someday to take you to heaven. Your reward is in heaven. Your hope is in Christ. And while we're fighting all of these cultural wars and doing our best to be good citizens, the one thing that keeps you from just throwing in the towel is to remember, as we used to sing when I was growing up, this world is not my home. Yes. I'm just a passing through. And one of these days, it'll get resolved. In the meantime, we do the best we can to be good citizens. And my goal is always simple. Provide as much time as possible for the preaching of the gospel. Extend the time as long as you can and get as many people to heaven as you can. And one day, that door is going to close. But in the meantime, we ought to be motivated with all of our hearts to take as many people to heaven with us as we can.
Sheila Walsh: Yeah. Amen. You wrap up this section on, is this the end for America, talking about revival. Now, I grew up in Scotland where they would have revival meetings or revival crusades. It almost sounds like an old-fashioned word today. Yeah. How do you define revival? And do you see hope for revival in our nation?
Hope for Revival
David Jeremiah: You mentioned something so interesting. My daddy was a preacher. And when I was growing up, we used to announce revivals. They would take place in August during this two-week period. That really wasn't what they were saying. That was a special evangelistic campaign, but they were called revivals. Throughout the history of America, there have been five major revivals, beginning with the Great Awakening back in the colonial days. And I read about all of those, and I was so encouraged, because here's what I learned. Two things, really. Number one, revivals always come when the country is at the lowest ebb it has ever been.
Sheila Walsh: Wow.
David Jeremiah: And number two, it always starts with young people. When I see that, I know God can do that again.
Sheila Walsh: Absolutely. And I believe Him to do that again. And I think that gives us a tremendous focus for prayer. Amen. That God would move on our young people. Right. Let's bring that part of the book to a close here and look at what you talk about, is this the end for the world? You talk about the isolation of Israel. Something I know about you is that throughout your ministry, you have continually prayed for, talked about, ministered to Israel when it was popular and when it was not.
Israel in the End Times
David Jeremiah: That's true. The last time I preached there was at the Southern Steps and I was leaving. Sheila and I was walking out to get with our security people and leave. And an old woman was standing there. She had been listening to my sermon. And I had been telling the people, this is my last sermon, how much I loved Israel and how I wanted to bring a thousand people there next time because I knew that when you bring people to Israel, it's not only to bless you, but it's to bless Israel. And she hollered at me and my security people tried to get me to go away. And then finally we went over and talked to her and I'll never forget what she said. She said, I heard what you said, mister. And I want you to know you Christians are the only friends we have left. So don't forget about us. Promise me you won't forget about us. And so I wrote that chapter and I'm going to keep writing chapters. God blesses those who bless Israel. I am for Israel and every Christian ought to be.
Sheila Walsh: And now let me move on. You talk about the resurrection of Russia. Now I would imagine during your lifetime you've seen the rise, fall, and what potentially looks again like the rise of Russia. How is that a sign of the end times?
David Jeremiah: Putin wants to reassemble the Soviet Union. He's like a bear who's been deprived of his cubs and he's out trying to get the cubs back. The interesting thing about Russia is that there are two chapters in the book of Ezekiel that tell the whole story of Russia's future. And it's one of the most profound sections of the Word of God and it is the most detailed description of war found in the Bible. The Bible calls Russia the king of the north and talks about the fact that in the end time they're going to bring a coalition of nations together and come after Israel when Israel's resting in the security of a covenant she's made with the Antichrist. And it's going to look like Israel is finished, dead, and then God is going to intervene. And if you read Ezekiel 38, 39, you're going to... It's unbelievable. One of the great stories in all of the Bible.
Sheila Walsh: Wow. And now we're getting to a section that I have to tell you. I mean, I wept as I read some of this. You talk about the rapture of the redeemed. And I have to say, I learned so much from the depth and the biblical detail, the biblical text you give us. But just let's start with what is the rapture for those who are maybe not familiar with the term?
The Rapture and Tribulation
David Jeremiah: I like to tell people it's not a perfume. The rapture of the church and the word rapture means caught up. And it means that one day the Lord Jesus Christ is going to come back and those who put their trust in Him are going to be caught up to be with the Lord. First Thessalonians chapter 4, First Corinthians 15, John 14, 1 through 6, all of those passages tell us that one day Jesus Christ is going to come back and He's going to come into the heavens. And if you're a Christian and you put your trust in Him, you're going to be caught up to be with Him. And you're going to be taken to heaven to be with Him forever.
Sheila Walsh: It would seem natural then in your book that you progressed to talk about the tribulation. How would you describe the tribulation?
David Jeremiah: Well, the tribulation is the worst thing that has ever happened or will ever happen on this earth. In Revelations chapter 5 through 19, there's a detailed description of what's going to take place during the seven-year tribulation period. I recommend you read it, but not before you go to bed at night. It's going to be a terrible, terrible time on this earth.
Sheila Walsh: Why did you choose to end your book with a chapter like that?
David Jeremiah: The Bible tells us in Revelation that He will save us. God is going to save us from the hour of His wrath. And here's something really important to think about, Sheila. If we are saved because God took His wrath out on His own Son on the cross so that all of our sins would be forgiven, if we have to go through wrath again, that means that what He did on the cross wasn't sufficient. Therefore, you read Romans 8.1 says, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. But the most important thing to know is this. Almighty God has promised us in His Word, I believe, in a very clear way that the believers, those who have trusted in Christ, are going to be resurrected. They're going to be raptured. And then the tribulation will happen on earth and we'll be in heaven with the Lord at the marriage supper of the Lamb. How about that?
Sheila Walsh: Sounds wonderful. You address so many current, strong, difficult subjects in this book. But through it all, do you see hope? Is there a scarlet thread of hope through the book?
The Ultimate Hope in Christ
David Jeremiah: Absolutely. The Bible teaches us these things are going to happen. You get ready for them. But in the meantime, God gives us the grace we need to live every day and be positive and make a difference in your life and make a difference where you work. Be positive about your church and realize that God has put us in this environment for a purpose. You know, people always say, I wish I could have lived in the good old days. Well, I'm not sure when those were. But I know this. Here's what I know. God put David Jeremiah on this earth at this particular time because he wanted me to be here at this particular time. In the book of Acts, Paul said that David served God and served God's will in his generation. That's what we're all here to do. And I believe that the darker the night, the brighter the light. And we are in a situation where we make a difference. And when people see the reality of Christ in us in some of these difficult things, they are drawn to that. We're seeing so many people come to Christ in so many different ways through radio and television in our own church. I think these are the most incredible days for evangelism we have ever known.
Sheila Walsh: Amen. Would you please help me thank Dr. David Jeremiah?