What do you do when someone is speeding down the road and does not realize the bridge ahead is out? Do you affirm them in the course of their actions, or try to warn them? Stop! Turn around! Turn back! The bridge is out! A true friend would tell the truth, and not allow the driver to plunge headlong to their fate.
It is with trepidation that I write this column this morning. I have put it off for about two weeks now. The idea initialized from an interview Randy Kay did with a gentleman named Mark Nelson who had a near death experience, and in conjunction with a study of Isaiah. I will post this interview below.
Scripture says that all sin except for blasphemy of the Holy Spirit can be forgiven. One prerequisite is repentance. Many years ago, I was incredibly impressed with a young man who called himself College Jay, who posted many columns of his trials. His website can be found at www.collegejay.blogspot.com. Jay was a Christian who struggled with Calvinism, self-doubt, and the uncertain time of young adulthood when trying to begin a career and social interactions. Jay also had to deal with same sex attraction. At one point in his desire to follow Christ, Jay wrote of abstaining from romantic relationships and the temptation that goes with them in the pursuit of following Jesus. I was so very, very impressed by this. To give up this important part of his life, in order to follow Jesus is a great sacrifice, placed on the altar of love of what has been done for all of us. What faith! I don’t know in the time that has passed if Jay has been able to keep his commitment, but I admire his attempt all the same.
A while back I wrote a column called The Gay Question, and in it (which was inspired by my discussion with Mike Sharp) I stated that the foremost thing that those of the gay community must see from Christians is love. I still believe that. Truth and love must walk hand in hand. One cannot truly love while also misdirecting truth. Yes, I love you but I will not speak of an approaching danger. My heart goes out to many friends, acquaintances and colleagues I have known, in fear, trepidation and concern who have had to deal with same sex attraction. Thus, the motivation for this column.
Truth comes from scripture, God’s word, and has been settled in heaven, just as the Living Word, Jesus, has. We must turn to scripture which is fully sufficient to answer life’s questions. Truth can exist outside of scripture, but it must be weighed in light of it, lest one be lead astray.
The mind is truly a battleground. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers and rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (roughly, from Ephesians 6:12.) The world is filled with sin and broken, as are we. Despite attempts to live a good life, we all struggle with brokenness, pain, heartache, and wounds of the heart that go deeper than what can be seen. I write as one who is worse than most, for it was my sin, mine, purposefully done, that put my savior on the cross. A novel which I wrote over the course of seven years was an attempt to reconcile the issues I was facing. What does one do when they find themselves a vampire, not by choice, but stuck with this horrid situation they neither wanted nor desired? Cut off from God and humanity itself? This situation was symbolic of the place I felt myself to be in. Ultimately, God used this to slowly do a healing work in me.
I’ll start with the interview and then go to my study of Isaiah, from chapter 24.
With regards to Mark Nelson’s testimony, it concerned me greatly to hear about his situation. In his teenage years he began to entertain bad thoughts in his mind after a negative experience at church. This led to sinful actions, drug abuse, and to same sex attraction in college.
Mark states that the Enemy told him in his mind he could attend an affirming church, live for Jesus, and still be engaged in a homosexual relationship. He says the church lied to him about what scripture says about homosexuality.
Mark caught HIV in 2007, which developed into AIDS. He was misdiagnosed with an infected gall bladder and had it removed. He began to be fatigued, continuously. When he went to the urgent care, he discovered he had double pneumonia, and that he had to leave for the hospital immediately. He was told at the hospital his viral load was so high, he was going to have an uphill battle, and spent two weeks at the hospital with a negative prognosis. “There’s nothing more we can do for you, all your organs are failing,” his doctor told him. “The only thing we can do now is induce you into a coma so your body can rest.”
A supernatural force pushed Mark’s mother back from his bed when she went to pray for him at the hospital. Mark was in a coma for 22 days. At the end of that time, Mark flatlined, and he witnessed his body being worked on by nurses. Then he was surrounded by complete darkness.
Then the screaming began, many voices getting closer. Randy called out as hard as he could, “Jesus!” And a voice responded, “I’m here.” Mark woke up and there was an actual physical wind in the ICU.
On the day Mark woke up, every organ that was failing was either healed or began to heal rapidly. The doctors and nurses were amazed.
Mark was given a new lease on life. He was moved to a rehab facility where he had to learn to walk and talk and eat again. Mark has insights on his experiences which are unique and powerful. In fact, he made a statement towards the end which I had forgotten and is nearly the same one I wrote above. “We all want to love well, but we want to resist any kind of agenda that has come against the word of God. We want to be moving in love and in truth.” That was kind of a small affirmation for me. I thank God for Mark’s testimony.
Isaiah 24 speaks of the end of the world. It is a chilling passage. Verses 5 and 6 say:
5 The earth is also defiled
under its inhabitants,
Because they have transgressed the laws,
Changed the ordinance,
Broken the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore the curse has devoured the earth,
And those who dwell in it are [b]desolate.
Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned,
And few men are left.
When we listened to the message from Pastor Chuck Smith, he was able to tie some connections between old and new testaments about this prophecy. He also elaborated on the reasons why it will occur. The earth is defiled, from verse 5 above, for 3 reasons.
The first is that we (all on earth) have transgressed the laws of God. It’s not even a thing anymore to even consider it. The ten commandments have been removed from the grounds of courts. God has been removed from our society in the interests of “not offending.” The only real repercussion is breaking the law, and even then, murderers, rapists and violent people are being released at a greatly increasing rate. Truly we have, as individuals and as a society transgressed God’s law. We need to repent.
The second reason for this prophecy of destruction is that we have changed the ordinances of God. We redefine the meanings of words to satisfy a segment of society. I view marriage as a sacrament. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. And yet, is it not imprudent to put aside what has been instituted by God, to change it and remake it into our broken, hurting image? The rainbow is a symbol of God’s promise to man. It is a covenant, a holy promise. That too has been co-opted. The rebuke is coming. I bow my head in shame as part of a nation that has kicked a righteous and holy God to the curb. Our very Creator, our Redeemer- ridiculed even now as he was then.
The third reason for the prophecy of destruction is that we have broken the everlasting covenant. A covenant is a contract between God and man, where we agree to abide by certain terms and conditions. The five covenants are the Noahic covenant, the Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant, the Davidic covenant and the New covenant. I don’t think we need to go too deep to see that mankind has broken his covenant with God by embracing sin and defiling His holy name as a common and unthought of occurrence. Curses, crude epithets and vile speech pepper our language so frequently, we barely give it notice.
I do not want anyone I know to go to eternal torment. The very thought makes me recoil in distress. I am being very serious now, and very honest. It is my prayer that someone, anyone, might listen to the words of Mark Nelson and take heed. If anyone has taken Jesus for granted like I have most of my life, I hope you might consider a new start, not by your own power, but by His. For God’s strength is greater and made perfect in our weaknesses. I know this to be true in my own life. May God have mercy on us all.
