What have Changed in Contemporary Christendom: An Outlook

I am here publishing one of the last chapters from my book, The Forsaken God: Woe of the Prophet, looking on contemporary Christendom living in this doomed world.

If we as Christians believe that living in the society described above will not impact us in any way, then we lack true insight. We have been affected by this society in so many ways. We have swallowed the worldly wisdom and science of this world, people in the church no longer believe the Bible, its creation story is tales and myths. The biggest threat to Christianity today is its disdain against the Word of God, and the consent of internal revelations. The Bible is not seen as literally true anymore like it has been since its Canon was established. Yes, since Origen we have had people that have interpreted the Bible symbolically or allegorically. The Bible is mostly very clear when to read it literally or when to read it symbolically or allegorically. Usually shall you read the Bible as is, that is the natural and right way. To read it as it says, in a literal way. Why shall we make it so hard?

The churches in Sweden have forsaken so many doctrines that there is only air left. They say that the Bible is the foremost, and once the Bible was viewed as fully inspired, God-breathed; today it is not viewed in that way. And if fantasy would be a grant to heaven, they would all end up there, because when they are reading God’s very clear Word they discard it with fantasies that are astonishing. Let us start from the beginning.

Many years ago the Bible was viewed as God’s clear Word, it was literally true, that meant that the offices of the church were given to men, that they had separation between the church and society, that they had church discipline, that heaven was real, that the Millennium was a literal Millennium, that the Bible was sufficient in all, that the whole Bible should be read and venerated, that salvation was by faith alone, that fornication and cohabitation was sinful, that homosexuality was sinful, that abortion was sinful, that drugs were sinful, that you should refrain from alcohol for the one weak, that creation was of God in six days, that man and woman was created in God’s image and outside of male and female exist no other non-binary gender, and that meant something, even millenniums later, this was God’s created order for man.

Most of this is today discarded. Hell is abolished, heaven is not heaven, it is here on earth, everyone will be saved or maybe annihilated, separation is not taught, church discipline is since many years abolished, fornication and cohabitation is not sin anymore, homosexuality is not sin anymore, some seems to be ready to also destroy Gen. 2:24 and the whole marriage covenant to include what the LORD forbids, what is an abomination, divorce for any cause is accepted, and remarriage always accepted, elders have no longer any qualifications, it can be a woman, a divorced man or woman, the qualifications that Paul lined up is buried deep, as are the qualifications of the pastor, the congregation is not exhorted to read and study the Bible, sanctification is a forgotten word and reality, the worship services are so regulated that no one would never argue in the service even if the pastor taught heresies, worldly wisdom is used everywhere, in counseling, in teachings contributing to the continuing disdain against God’s holy and eternal Word. This is the trait of a modern congregation in Sweden. This is clearly against God and his Word and his Law; they do not care, and I cannot understand why.

Christianity behaves like king Ahaz, Joash and Amaziah. Let us view them. King Ahaz was twenty years old when he started to reign and he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD, he walked according to the kings of Israel, he made his son pass through the fire according to the abominations of the heathen that God had driven out of the land (2 Kgs. 16:1–3). His belief was syncretistic, just like many of the Christians today that confess that the god of Islam is the God of the Bible, or that every and any belief will lead to saving faith if you are good enough. He worshipped all the false gods, it did not help, he was like the figure Beni in the movie The Mummy, that have necklaces with symbols for every god in case of; and when king Rezin of Syria threatened him he bribed the king of Assyria who delivered him from Rezin, and when he went to meet the king of Assyria in Damascus did he find an altar and he sent “the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof. And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz came from Damascus” (2 Kgs. 16:10-11). We have an apostate king and an apostate priest, and when the king returns this altar of idolatry is what he is using daily to offer on to all his idols, the real altar he did move and used for divination (2 Kgs. 16:15). Contemporary Christianity sees things in the world and incorporates it in its worship, in its doctrine just like Ahaz did. They believe they are true to the LORD; they believe that they serve him, some pastors do not even believe that: you have the whole spectrum. The thing is that they incorporate false gods, false truths, what is false into their doctrine, into their worship, into their life, into their congregation, and they do not see it. They are completely blind, just like Ahaz and Urija.

Joash and Amaziah maybe are easier relating to. The godly priest Jehoiada was an example to the young Joash. Joash’s family was killed by the queen mother Athaliah, but Joash was hidden by Jehosheba for six years in the temple of God and then when Joash is seven, they crown him king and the evil queen mother Athaliah is slain. “And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest” (2 Chr. 24:2), the right thing in the eyes of the LORD is to be obedient to him: “And Jehoiada made a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the LORD’S people. Then all the people went to the house of Baal, and brake it down, and brake his altars and his images in pieces, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars” (2 Chr. 23:16-17), and he repairs the temple of the LORD. But when Jehoiada is 130 years old he dies and the princes of Judah comes to the king and says that they now will return to idolatry, and Joash consent to this, then the Bible says: “And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass” (2 Chr. 24:18), but they do not stop, God sends prophets to them to bring them back to the LORD, but they do not listen. Then came the Spirit of God upon the son of Jehoiada, Zechariah, and he says to the people, “Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD” (2 Chr. 24:20-21). The sad thing is stated in the next verse, that Joash did not remember the kindness of Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, but he was killed at Joash’s command. The king was a complete apostate. The murder of Zechariah is testified of by our Lord Jesus Christ in Matt. 23:36 and Luke 11:51. God in his sovereignty is sending the host of Syria against Judah and they are destroying all the princes of Judah, the ones that wanted to return to idolatry, and God executed judgment against Joash, because they had forsaken the LORD and Joash being diseased were slain by his own servants (2 Chr. 24:23-25).

Joash’s son was Amaziah, and he reigned in Judah and the Chronicler states: “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart” (2 Chr. 25:2). And when the children of Seir (Edom), is coming against him he is hiring 100 000 soldiers from Israel, but God sends a prophet to him and is saying that he shall separate himself from Israel since, “the LORD is not with Israel” (2 Chr. 25:7), and he says that God has “power to help, and to cast down” (2 Chr. 25:8), and Amaziah is obedient to God and the LORD brings him a great victory. Then happens the unthinkable, Amaziah takes the gods from the children of Edom, and he sets them up to be his gods, and he bowed himself down before them and burned incense unto them (2 Chr. 25:14), and God, though full of anger, sends in his mercy a prophet to Amaziah to warn him, and is giving him an apparent question: “Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?” (2 Chr. 25:15) Why would he bow down before gods that could not protect Edom? But the king is full of himself and asks spitefully if the prophet is given to be royal counselor? He should stop before the king would strike him down. This prophet is very courageous, he says to the king, “I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel” (2 Chr. 25:16). Amaziah that is appointed to destruction because of his rebellion and disobedience is going against Joash, king of Israel, which took Amaziah and brought him to Jerusalem where he takes every vessel, and all gold and silver that belonged to the temple of the LORD and brakes down parts of the wall of Jerusalem, he takes all the treasures of the king’s house and hostages and brings it to Samaria. But the LORD is not finished with Amaziah, “Now after the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the LORD they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent to Lachish after him, and slew him there” (2 Chr. 25:27).

Both Joash and Amaziah started well with the LORD, they followed him, they did what was good in the sight of the LORD and both apostates fell away from the LORD. I have been thinking a lot about Joash and Amaziah. Amaziah’s heart was not perfect (שָׁלֵם) with the LORD, which can explain why he fell away from the LORD, but Joash why did he fell away. It is very clearly said that as long Jehoiada lived that Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD. Christendom should take warning from these two examples, it can start well and still end up in destruction, and in apostasy.

When I was reading this, it seemed clear to me that these two kings are perfect examples of contemporary Christianity, that started with God, were obedient to him, were loving him, in everything his, and then something happens, they turn their back to the LORD, they do not have a perfect heart, or a true leader is out of the way, and they are falling away. Joash was never the LORD’S, he was just a follower of Jehoiada, when he is dead, he throws all away, idolatry is introduced into the king’s life, into the society, into the congregation, God is only a nuisance, a historical point in times past, a meaningless blip on the radar, who can put up with him? And when God sends his prophet, he even kills him, the son of Jehoiada that had saved his life and given him everything. That is the dividing line, the point of no return. Does there exist a return from idolatry, from denying God and his Word for contemporary Christianity? I hope so, and I pray for that.

Amaziah on the other hand, that never had a perfect heart, never a perfect obedience, but he knew enough, he listened to the LORD and sent away the apostate Israel according to God’s commandment, and he won a great victory by God’s providence, and in the next moment he forsakes God, throws him behind his back, and starts to worship false gods. Idolatry was the sin of Amaziah, like Joash, like everything in the OT. But contemporary Christianity has no wisdom to warn against idolatry, like they would be immune to the temptation of being autonomous, of saving themselves, immune to the deeds of the flesh, immune to the depravity of original sin, since they no longer preach separation, sanctification and transformation, obedience to the LORD, the Law of God. A good start would be to acknowledge their lack of a perfect heart, the truth of depravity, their need of mortification of the flesh, their need of obedience, their need of throwing out their haughty mind that believe it knows more about man than God, that they have by evolution come forth to a perfect understanding of the Bible, and past generations were fools to ever believe in a perfect Word of God, because today we know so much more about man.

Paul was a fool, he did not know that every man must choose his own gender, or that homosexuality is given by God, and since he did not understand this, he was not enlightened, like the modern Gnostic Christianity, therefore is he discarded, and Jesus he never talked about anything but love, they are reading the Word they disdain with very blind eyes, taking their pick wherever they want and call it good hermeneutics, making meaningless every truth given, emptying Scripture of its holiness, of its authority, of its fullness, of its sufficiency. And they believe that the judgment of God is fables, they scorn at his prophecies and Word, believing that they are above judgment, above God himself, giving him no glory or praise but dishonor and derision making judgment irrevocable, it will come, it will fall, like it did on Joash and Amaziah, because God always punishes the one forsaking him, especially when people have known and still forsake, still turn their back to the God of all glory worthy of all praise, and only praise and honor, “Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak” (2 Chr. 12:5), “The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you” (2 Chr. 15:2).

Saul did not hearken to the LORD but did according to his own wisdom, treating God as a fool, just like contemporary Christianity, he thought that obedience to the LORD was meaningless, something God did not care about, he thought himself being a law to himself, as king, that he could follow his own heart and will, and Samuel is not mincing words, “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king” (1 Sam. 15:22-23). The LORD he delights in obedience to him, what Saul was guilty of was rebellion (מְרִי | mri), as serious as witchcraft, and a witch did not survive in the Law of Moses (Exod. 22:18), and the stubbornness (פצר | patzar) of Saul, his arrogance was as serious as iniquity and idolatry, all idolatry required that the idolater were cut off, and he had also rejected (מאס | maas) the word of the LORD, meaning he showed despisement and abhorrence against God and his word, and the LORD he shows the same rejection (מאס), despisement and abhorrence against Saul.

Saul was a weak king listening more to the people than to God, first he tried to persuade Samuel that he had obeyed the voice of the LORD, later he was saying that the people were at fault, then he said that he feared the people. Saul has no excuse. Already in Deut. 25:17-19 God is saying that they never shall forget what Amalek did to the people, that they smote the weakest and did not fear God, and when God has given them rest from their enemies, they shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek, and they shall not forget it. God does not forget, many years later the time came for Amalek to be destroyed and that was Saul’s assignment, given to Saul by the LORD through Samuel; and Saul he failed to do it, he did not care about the LORD, he cared about what the people thought about him. He had spared king Agag and the best of the spoils, and king Agag is forever a symbol of sin, evil, and rebellion.

A little later in the same chapter the Bible states that “Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal” (1 Sam. 15:33). Agag the king of the Amalekites symbolizes the sin we must destroy in our lives. You cannot cuddle sin, you cannot try to forget about the sin, to put it behind you, to entertain it, you must hew your sins in pieces before the LORD. Christ died for our sins, God could not have shown in a clearer way what sin is and how to deal with it, it must die, it must be destroyed.

You see, Saul did not completely destroy Amalek, and when Samuel had hewed Agag into pieces it seemed like there still was some of Amalek left, of that we can read in the book of Esther. There still exists a true enemy of God and his people in Haman, the Agagite. And remember, the LORD said not to forget to destroy Amalek for its evil deed, and God does not forget. This time will God destroy Amalek through Esther, Mordecai and the dispersed Jewish people in King Ahasuerus’ vast kingdom. This book is filled with the sovereignty of God, and it shows a very active God that prevails through all, and where nothing escapes his providential care and decree.

Haman the Agagite hates the Jews, and he most of all hates Mordecai that refuseth to bow down before Haman, and he is full of wrath, because of this he would destroy all the Jews. And Haman sits at home and is casting lot for the right day and month to destroy the Jewish people, but as we know, “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD” (Prov. 16:33), God appoints the right day for his revenge of his own enemies and his people’s enemies, because “God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies” (Nah. 1:2). And right after this Haman goes to the king to put his plan into motion, to destroy all the Jews, everything goes his way until it does not. It really looked bleak for the people of God. Haman was loved by all, and he thought himself invincible. Then something happened. God must also have humor, Haman puts up gallows at his home where he is planning to hang the hated Mordecai, and it gives Haman much pleasure to dwell on the thought of Mordecai’s gruesome death, because how much glory Haman even has, how much riches he has, how much power he has, how much influence he has, it “availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate” (Esth. 5:13), that is true hate; Haman is full of unrighteousness, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, murder, malignity, proudness, evil inventions, foolishness, lovelessness, mercilessness. And when God sets his plan in motion everything goes against Haman the Agagite. It does not depend on man; it depends on the LORD.

So Haman has put up gallows to hang Mordecai on, at the same time has the king trouble sleeping, and they are fetching his chronicles and are reading for the king and he gets to hear about how Mordecai has saved the king’s life by exposing a conspiracy against him and the king is wondering what have been done to Mordecai for his contribution, saving the king’s life, and nothing has been shown to him. At the same time is Haman the Agagite outside in the king’s court and he comes in and the king asks Haman, “What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour?” (Esth. 6:6) Haman the Agagite is full of himself and believes that the king has Haman himself in mind, little he knows, and says that such a man shall be clothed in royal apparel that the king himself has used to wear, and to be put on the king’s horse and the crown royal upon his head proclaiming his honor (Esth. 6:7–9). As I said, God has a sense of humor, when Haman is ready to be honored in this way says the king that Haman shall do exactly this to Mordecai. After this returns Haman the Agagite home with his head covered, in shame and grief.

The day after is Haman together with the king invited for the second time unto queen Esther for a banquet, and when the king asks Esther what it is that she wants, what is her petition. Queen Esther has only one petition, that she and her people shall be allowed to live, because she and her people are being sold to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. And when the king asks who are responsible for this, she says that it is the wicked Haman. Haman is terrified before the king and queen, and Haman has fallen on the couch where queen Esther was to seek his life, and when the king returns, he misunderstands Haman’s pursuit of trying to win back his life as an act of trying to violate (כָּבַשׁ| kavash) the queen, which does not make his situation any better. The king has been deceived by Haman, and when he hears from his advisors that Haman has built gallows to hang Mordecai upon gives he order that Haman himself shall be hanged on the gallows he had made for Mordecai, “Then the king’s wrath was pacified” (Esth. 7:10). In that way was Haman the Agagite destroyed.

Then the king sends out another decree where the Jewish people are allowed to defend themselves and take up the spoil. And so were God’s people saved from destruction.

Again, what Saul showed against the LORD and his Word, is what contemporary Christianity shows against the LORD and his Word, and we believe that we shall be treated any differently. We will also be rejected. Because we are disobedient, we are rebellious, we are stubborn and arrogant. We are rejecting Scripture, and if we are rejecting Scripture, we are rejecting God himself. Nothing is clearer than that.

And we can see that when godly teachers come and teach God’s true Word they are being mocked. It is like when Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah and wrote letters that they should return to the LORD God of Israel, the letter said:

Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see. Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him. So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun (2 Chr. 30:6–10).

What was the result of this? “But they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them” (2 Chr. 30:10). When godly preachers preach the message of repentance and doom this is what usually meets them: Scorn and derision. No, God does not treat us like this anymore, this was only against Israel, it does not concern us, but Paul is saying to the Corinthians that what happened to Israel could just as easily happen to them, because all these things happened to them and are examples to us that we shall not repeat their rebellion, their sins, their idolatry, their murmuring against the Lord (1 Cor. 10:1-11), “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12).

And God, he did overthrow and forsook Saul, Jeroboam, Ahab, Joash, Amaziah, Samaria, Judah, Assyria, Babylon, and Rome. And when he did it with Judah and Jerusalem Jeremiah had to write the book of Lamentation, let us look at the judgment of Judah.