There has been a lot of philosophical discussion regarding the concept of “collective salvation.” The premise being that no one will achieve salvation on his/her own. But that it will be achieved all together with someone who will be able to lead us to that fulfillment. The assumption is that it will be achieved, that man with his own ingenuity and effort will be able to accomplish it all together, and that man doesn’t need God.

If man is so capable and so intelligent to accomplish this then why, for 6000 years has he not been able to do so. In fact, the world is getting worse regarding conflict and wickedness, not better. We see wars all around us and violence within us. God gave us some insight from His Word that the world cannot see.

“In the last days there will be difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents and ungrateful… They will be cruel and hate what is good, they will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride and love pleasure rather than God.” Does that sound like we can achieve salvation and solve all of our problems?

The fact is that we need someone beyond ourselves to take us out of the mess we created. The fact is that someone has already done this for us. He was sent by our creator just for that purpose. His name is Jesus! He did what man could not do, to change our very nature and give us hope and peace that all people are longing for. The only salvation that will transform culture is “personal salvation.” Only God can change the human heart. Jesus said, “I am not willing that any should perish but that all come to repentance.”

Here is another confirmation of the authenticity of the Bible from the book of Daniel. In the eighth chapter God used him to predict what was going to happen 400 years in the future and, following history, every part of it came true. The vision was that of a ram and a goat, the ram referring to the Medo Persian Empire and the goat referring to the Grecian Empire. The goat stiffly smashed the ram and became very powerful. Alexander the Great conquered the known world at that time within three years.

The prophecy went on to state that the goat’s large horn was then broken off and in its place grew four horns pointing in the four directions of the earth. History has proven this to be true. Alexander’s kingdom was divided into four parts and ruled by four kings.

The Bible went on further to state that “From one of the prominent horns came a small horn whose power became very great.” From one of the four rulers who was Seleucus came a man by the name of Antiochus Epiphanes who emerged as a world leader and conquered Seleucus’s territory including Epypt. When he came back into Israel he forced the Jews to worship his god called Zeus and built an alter on top of the Hebrew’s alter where a pig was offered to this god.

That happened exactly as Daniel prophesied when he referred to ending the daily sacrifice and truth was overthrown. This was known as the rebellion that causes desecration. How long would that be? The answer was 2300 evenings and mornings. It was exactly that period of time when Judas Maccabeus finally overthrew the Greek rule in Israel and cleansed the temple.

It is just another detail proving the prophesies of the Bible to be true and confirmed from history.

I want to get back to reflecting on the changes that have taken place over my fifty years of ministry and this one if focused on the family structure. Some years ago I read the classic writing entitled, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. I don’t remember the author since it was years ago, but his thesis was that there were three things that caused Rome’s demise: high taxes, the break down of the family, and a “me’ism,” what’s in it for me without regard for anyone else. The Roman government, realizing that the family unit was the backbone of their culture, ended up giving major tax credits for couples to stay together, but it was too late.

Need I say anything more about our country?! The divorce rate has reached over fifty percent and the tragic thing is that it is the same rate in the Christian community. The millennial generation has tended to disregard the sacred vows of marriage for living together without a life-long commitment. Even statistics have proven that this type of relationship will end sooner than the Biblically-based marriage.

The communication and bonding in the family has also broken down. Supper time, which used to be a priority family ritual where family members connect with each other, is no longer important. All the media and video attractions have pulled the family in many different directions. These are just a few factors that have led to basic demise of the family structure in America.

So how can it be turned around? It must start by personal repentance with God, admitting that we have become so selfish and reaching out to our spouses with “agape” (selfless, unconditional) love and then resetting our priorities to put family first and refusing to let our culture detract from the basic ingredient that makes our culture healthy and strong. Our culture is weak and sick today. Those who refuse to learn from history are destined to repeat it.

Yesterday we had our monthly luncheon for our seniors at The Chapel. I decided, since being trained in oral interpretation of literature, to do a rendering of a forgotten classic, The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. This allegory is a pilgrimage of a man named Christian who flees the city of destruction in search of meaning and fulfillment in life. He encounters many things along the way, especially with those who try to lure him off the path with legalism, money, and different philosophies. He encounters many characters along the way such as Mr. Worldly Wiseman, Appollyon, Giant Despair, Hypocrisy, Ignorance, and Atheist.

He also finds companionship with Faithfull and Hopeful and is encouraged by people such as Help, Goodwill, Evangelist, Watchful, Interpreter, and the Shining Ones as he ends up at Mt. Zion.

This book is a very clear description of life and the encounters that we can identify along the way with all of its conflicts and conquests and encouragements. It was written originally in the traditional King James English but has been updated to our present vernacular. It used to be required reading in all grade schools many years ago but unfortunately has been forgotten in our post modern culture. I highly recommend that you obtain a copy and enjoy a book that hits you right between the eyes.

As a part of the series of reflections regarding changes that have happened through the decades of ministry as I look back on many my years, there has been a major philosophical change in the attitude of our culture. When our nation was founded the underlying premise was that man was basically flawed and he needed to rely on his creator for wisdom and guidance in managing the affairs of society. Built into the system were guidelines that allowed man to pursue his destiny without interference of those responsible to govern that culture. Our founders learned from the corrupted practices in former European cultures.

Wherein there was much reliance on a higher wisdom that came from his creator, I have seen a definite shift that elevates man himself to that position, thinking that he can solve all of the problems regarding his culture. There is even an attitude that the “intelligent” leaders of our society know what is best and can manage the affairs of the rest. We have seen this especially with our present administration. It has been labeled as the “progressive movement.”

But that totally contradicts the Bible and it denies the whole purpose for which Jesus came to this earth. He came to redeem man from his sinful and selfish nature. It really gets to the bottom of it all which is pride. That is what separated man from God in the first place when he said, “I don’t need you. I can handle life all by myself.” That has resulted in war and crime and corruption. We could go on and on! The Bible is right when it says that “the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.” What we need is a transformation of the heart and reliance upon a higher wisdom that can only come from the one who created mankind in the first place. Let us never forget that we will answer to Him.

Time moves so swiftly! I’m sure you have heard it before. But for those of us who come to the later time of life and are able to look back, it literally has flown by. Now that I can look back and see things from a different perspective, especially as a pastor, I have noticed many changes in our culture that are rather alarming.

One of the grave concerns in this post-modern culture is that there are no absolutes regarding life. Everything has become “relative.” Each person wants to do their own thing and it is all right as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. This philosophy leaves a society without any roots or foundation on which to build meaning and purpose and I see a culture that has no direction or fulfillment. We have lost our way and have become so self absorbed. Life, in a secularist humanistic culture replaces God with self and believes that man can solve the problems of the world. But look around us and see that our world is in worse shape than it has ever been.

The answer is not found within us but in our commitment to a greater cause beyond us. We have found that we are our worst enemy. That greater cause is only found in the one who created man in the first place. The great philosopher, Paschal, of many centuries ago said, “God has placed with man a spiritual vacuum that only He himself can fill. Man has tried to fill that vacuum with so many other things and has come up empty every time.”

I believe that answer to the mess that man has made of our culture is to fill that void by placing our lives in God through Jesus Christ who came to “give us life and have it abundantly.”

I have just completed teaching our Pathfinders’ Adult Bible Fellowship for the fall quarter which focused on Bible prophecy. We ended up with what Jesus said would happen at the end of the age. Along with other biblical writers, here is a summary of what we discussed:

• Wars and rumors of wars which has brought chaos to our world.
• Increase of wickedness which has been evident in this “post modern” culture with the onslaught of secular humanism.
• A great apostasy which is referring to denominations that, at one time were strongly evangelical, have departed from the truth of the Bible and have become very liberal in their theology to accommodate the trends of culture.
• The rebirth of the nation of Israel which has happened in our lifetime and predicted in the Book of Ezekiel some 2,500 year ago with the description of the valley of dry bones coming to life.
• The development of a coalition between Russia and Iran along with other militant groups that eventually want to wipe out Israel.
• Many false teachers arising like David Brown’s DaVinci Code. And the “new age movement.”
• A federation of a European Union known as the “Common Market” which had emerged in our lifetime.
• The movement towards a one-world government which is now discussed and promoted by the United Nations.

This sets the stage for an eventual world dictator to take control of the Western World which ends up in the final and great battle with the powers of the East called Armageddon. Most of this has happened in the last 60 years, so we had better pay attention to what Jesus and the prophets predicted many centuries ago.