More than thirty years ago, I believe the Lord allowed me to see a future time in history when America would experience great upheaval and chaos--followed by the rise of a totalitarian regime.  I felt, short of a dramatic shift in our course, such events could take place in my lifetime.  Though these scenes were dark and disturbing, I believe they were shown me for a purpose.  As I wrote SWORDSMAN, GATEKEEPER, and SOJOURNER these events played out in the fictional lives of their characters, I came to believe that purpose was to: demonstrate the fruit of people’s response to choices, awaken the complacent, and strengthen the fainthearted.

GATEKEEPER describes a future election in an environment of unsettling distrust and disenfranchisement when America’s long slide of selfishness, wastefulness, and greed have resulted in a financial collapse--leaving most of the middle class struggling to meet day-to-day needs.  Frustration and fear rise as government social programs unravel and tightening “safeguards” have increasingly unpleasant consequences.  As SOJOURNER opens, the election of an uncharacteristically honest politician has many breathing a collective sigh of relief--believing they have stopped the hijacking of the American dream.  But a rapid succession of cataclysmic events shatters that illusion and brings an end to man’s experiment with self-government.  SWORDSMAN is set in the aftermath of these terrible disasters.  Citizens are beginning to accept a new reality:  third-world living conditions with limits on movement, communication, energy, medical care, and food.  Authorities gradually squeeze off the population’s access to cash, black-markets, and bartering.  As neutral ground disappears, will people choose survival or life?  

Three decades after I began this series, those in prophetic and intercessory ministry are currently sounding a warning of calamity ahead.  In addition, a growing number of the world’s political and economic pundits say America (and possibly the world) is on the verge of financial collapse.

What are we to do when so many say the sky is about to fall down around us?

The first thing is to stop focusing on our fears and look to the Lord. If you haven’t made a decision to trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, now would be a good time! If you do believe in Jesus, determine in your heart every single day that you will trust in Him.  Remind yourself that every fear-inspired plan to hoard, hide, hedge, or escape will eventually fail.

Let me be clear -- Christianity is NOT a one-size-fits-all blanket that guarantees no pain or suffering.  It is a unique, personal relationship with God and it is the ultimate gift. When we acknowledge that Jesus Christ purchased this gift for us via giving His life for ours, we are adopted into God’s family for eternity. With that relationship comes the guarantee that Jesus will never forsake us, that He will live IN us, He will walk through life WITH us, and that He will give us strength, wisdom, and courage to face whatever comes.

If the Lord lays it on your heart to store something, store it.  If He tells you to buy or sell something, do it, but don’t think that merely copying what others are doing or mindlessly following what “the experts” tell you to do will grant you safety.  If your motivation is saving your stuff, your position, or your 401K, you may not be able to hear God’s plan for you.  I’m not saying you will lose it all, but such things cannot be the focus.  God cares about your life -- isn’t it better to trust Him who has the vantage point of eternity over your limited view?

Luke 12:22-31  Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.  Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.  Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?  Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!  And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.  For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.   But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well." [NIV]

Matthew 16:25-26 [Jesus speaking] For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? [NIV]

On several occasions, my family and I have pretty much lost everything.   The most recent time was when Hurricane Andrew swept away our entire home and nearly all of its contents.  We were not only deprived of personal property but privacy, and any illusion of control over our own circumstances.  The toll on us and the entire community continued to mount for a couple of YEARS.  We suffered losses of fellowship and friends and familiar ways.  Was it sad? Yes.  I’m not going to pretend some false religiosity and say I didn’t suffer or care about losing my stuff.  Of course I cared! There were some days of deep mourning for me.  However, I can also say with complete honesty that the Lord saw me through it, that He comforted me, that He showed me a way beyond the losses.

My husband and I believe that God called us to be where we were in the days of Andrew, that He led us to the address where we lived -- for a purpose.  If we had been focused on preserving our processions or flight from the neighborhood, we would NOT have fulfilled the plan of the Lord for that season of our lives.  You cannot have true fellowship with the Body of Christ in an imagined bubble of “safety.”  Rarely (if ever) will you reach someone in a valley if all you want to do is stand on the mountaintop, basking in the glory.  We must be willing to walk where the Spirit of Jesus is leading us -- and sometimes that place is a personal Calvary.

I’ve learned that loss in this world is not easy, but the only thing that is eternal is life.  Everything you can see, smell, touch, taste, or hear today will eventually pass away.  Our bodies will pass away, our great monuments will eventually fall down or decay.  Even those things which seem “permanent” (gold, mountains, the Earth itself) will one day pass away.

Could America have a meltdown?

Yes, it could.  But let’s not blame it on pagans or nonbelievers.  If God’s people had been the salt and light we are called to be, there wouldn’t be such decay and darkness.  We must begin to care about more than what disturbs our little surroundings.  God wants us to serve as ambassadors of His peace even in the midst of the intense storms of life.  How we act in times of panic and loss will bear witness to our faith or the lack of it.  The generosity and mercy of those who are in Christ will speak volumes about the goodness of the Lord when the world would say “every man for himself!”  In the midst of disaster, those who know their God will be storing up treasures in Heaven where there is no rust, no storm, no thief.

We all need to be aware, whether soon or centuries from now, there will eventually be a “last day.” Whether we are part of that final generation or not, Jesus warns that in the meantime kingdoms will fall, there will be wars, famines, disasters in diverse places . . . and that we will have tribulation in this life.  We must train ourselves to drown out the clamorous voices the world and learn to trust the Lord to faithfully lead us, give us wisdom, and supply what we need when we need it.

No one can serve two masters.  No one can love two saviors. 

Jesus longs for the day when the Bride will say (with a heart filled with yearning) “Come Lord Jesus!”  There are so many Christians who talk about the Rapture, saying, “He could come tonight,” yet they live their lives in such a mediocre (or self-absorbed) way that the world knows this statement is not real to them.  There is no passion to see the Bridegroom.  “He could come tonight” is a slogan they’ve been taught to repeat but, there is nothing in their life that says “Yes!  Come Lord Jesus!  I want to see you face to face!”  There is no longing in their hearts, and it shows.

Sadly, we often spend our time digging in and collecting all the things this world has to offer, getting entangled in the cares of this life instead of seeing our existence here as temporary, our time in this body as fleeting.  We are but sojourners here, called to love God and love others into eternity.

Are Christians in the Western world exempt from a time of great hardship and persecution? 

No, we're not.  What scares me is a large number of Christians in America who think they will be swept up by the Lord before anything severe happens here.  Why is it believers in other locations and in other eras have suffered the most extreme forms of persecution, loss, and even death while affluent Westerners continue to believe they have a special place of privilege that will excuse them from tribulation.  We cannot defend such thinking.  It’s not what Jesus taught and it’s an exploitable vulnerability, begging to be tested.  At the first sign of major calamity, fair-weather Christians could be caught off guard and begin to question everything . . . including their faith in God.

I would be happy to live out my days in quietness and plenty.  I’d be glad if this recession ended without further losses, if we all could live at peace with our neighbors, and could learn to be good stewards of this planet without being required to worship it . . . but I want to follow the Lord no matter what.

The scenarios presented in GATEKEEPER, SOJOURNER, AND SWORDSMAN were never meant to be a template for end times.  Rather, they are a parable projecting future possibilities that His people might allow themselves to see the fruits of various choices before turbulent times force poor decisions.  Further, my intention was to demonstrate what I have experienced:  that God never forsakes his people.  No matter what. Whether life’s circumstances work out how we expected or not, He is faithful and will sustain us through every hour.  We may not be able to see the value of our small contribution of obedience from our current perspective . . . but some day we will know the combined significance of all our parts in God’s great plan.  Whether these books ever bring fame or fortune is not important.  For me (and the other people who worked so hard and gave so much to help produce these books), it’s truly not about “selling” something or promoting ourselves.  It’s about sharing Christ and the peace and assurance we can have in Him.

Selah!
Terry Craig

Copyright © 2009 Terry L. Craig

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Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

 Scripture quotations marked TAB are taken from the Amplified® Bible,  Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)