LAST GENERATION THEOLOGY

LAST GENERATION THEOLOGY

                Mary mentioned on Facebook yesterday the subject of LGT or Last Generation Theology. I presumed at the time that this was talking about the great falling away from the faith that I have mentioned from time to time. This upcoming generation in many places, especially in some of the emerging churches, does not live by the doctrines of the faith that we grew up with. There is little talk about being born again, or taking up our cross, or dying to self in order to live for Christ, or walking in the Holy Spirit, or operating in the gifts of the Spirit or even repenting. Christianity has become ME Centered and as’ ME’, I am free to choose whatever path I want to because all roads lead to heaven.

                To me this is a dangerous theology that is perfectly suited for the worship of Antichrist as the False Prophet seeks to bring all religions into unity and equality. But if Jesus is the Word of God, the Son of God, The Creator God through whom all things have been created, as well as being the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world (As John 1 describes Him)… then there can be absolutely no comparison between Jesus and any other god or philosophy. Everything in “Christianity” is founded undeniably upon who Jesus is.

                Now, as I looked it up on the internet, nearly everything connected to LGT had to do with Seventh day Adventists and Ellen White’s statements that there must be a final generation to perfectly reflect the character of Christ before He returns or even before He can return and that our present Laodicean state is what is delaying His coming.

                And of course this is absolutely true because just as Romans 8:29 says that we have been predestined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son and this is not an obscure sentiment, but is a New Testament theme and goal.

                There was a good deal of criticism concerning the Evangelical movement in these internet articles and in part I would agree, but you almost have to take them on an individual basis. Some are drifting away from sound doctrine and some are not. My general criticism has been against those who have gone to Rome to line up for the coming global religion of Pope Francis as well as those who today are becoming politically correct rather than sticking with and preaching the Bible and the Bible only. Surely this is just good common sense to decry those parts of the church that are turning away from the foundations of our faith. Many main stream denominations as well as Evangelical and even some Pentecostal religions have taken the bait. The church is being pulled in two different directions and some are conforming to Jesus Christ and His word, while others are conforming to the religion of the Beast.

                However, the Church of God and Pentecostalism in general has always been known as a holiness movement. But, true to the Bible they don’t base their holiness on what they eat or drink or what they wear or what days they keep, but rather on the basis of living by the Spirit. (Col .2:8-17) This is why I see Romans 8 as sort of ground zero for the Christian life. “Those who live by the Spirit will not carry out the deeds of the flesh. And it is those who live by the Spirit of God that are the sons of God.” This is the general theme of Romans 8… and indeed the entire New Covenant, and it is by the Spirit that we are being conformed into the image of God’s Son.

                We must take Paul’s instruction not to base our perfection on the keeping of the Law… however, as Paul says in Romans 8:1-4, the Law will be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit and that fulfillment of the Law will be manifested in the fruit of the Spirit which is godly love in all of its aspects and love is the fulfillment of the Law for righteousness.

                Jesus Himself confirmed love as the fulfillment of the Law when He repeated the Sh’mah which is to love God with all of our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus stated that upon these two principles hang all the law and the prophets. Mt. 22:36-40. And Jesus also told us that a new commandment He gave us that we love one another even as He has loved us that we also love one another and He stated that by this all men will know that you are My disciples if we have love for one another. So when Jesus says as in John 14:15, “If you love Me keep My Commandments, He is not establishing a law based system for He is the High Priest of the New Covenant and He commissioned Paul to explain the details to us. We are in a new covenant that is not like the Old Covenant for it is made possible by the indwelling Holy Spirit of Christ, rather than an external law on stone..

                So there are two different views of perfection… one of them is legalistic, or Law- centered and one of them is Spiritual and we know where Paul stood on the subject. He was dead against legalism, having been called out of it himself and He was all about living in the Spirit. And lest anyone think that living by the Spirit is a cop out… the Holy Spirit, if lived by, does a much more thorough job of putting to death the deeds of the flesh than the Law ever could. Legalism, as it turns out is the real cop out because it gets you focused on everything but the life of Christ, or actually learning how to live by His Spirit so that the flesh doesn’t rule over us.

                In the New Testament, the legalism of the Scribes and Pharisees is held up in juxtaposition to what Jesus came to bring to us in the New Covenant and the Bible makes it clear that the New Covenant was not to be like the Old Covenant that they received at Sinai. (Jer. 31:31) It is a New Covenant with a New priesthood and where there is a change of priesthood there is a change of Law also (Heb. 7:12) and Paul calls this new law, “The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:2, 3

                So if there is a perfection to be reached in these last days it will not be based upon legalism, but upon learning to live by the Spirit so that we will no longer carry out the deeds of the flesh… and the Bible tells us what the deeds of the flesh are in many places such as Galatians 5:16-21, 2Tim 3:1-7 and elsewhere throughout the whole of Scripture.

                We as Christians are being called out of a world system that is run by Satan and overseen by his principalities and powers. Our only escape from this present darkness is to die… and Jesus provided that death for us so that we may, by faith, enter into His death. And when we enter into that death we cease to exist in (spiritually) Satan’s kingdom and we are born again into the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. So to be born again by the resurrection power of Christ is to live a completely new life under new power in a new kingdom. We are IN the world for the time being, but we are not OF the world.

                This is why Paul was so astonished in Galatians 3. He is gasping in effect over the fact that they have somehow lost the whole point of Christianity and he blurts it out in agonizing tones”

                “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publically portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you, did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law or by hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit are you now being perfected by the flesh? Gal. 3:1-3

                And so to this very day, we are being offered two ways of perfection… one through the Law and one through the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. One ends in death and one ends in eternal life, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Core 3:6)

                Just as in Jesus’ day, those who live by the Law tend to think themselves superior to those who live by the Spirit. Jesus lived every moment by the power of the Holy Spirit just as we are called to do… but the legalists, the Pharisees could not stand this life that was a rebuke to their hidden sins. They came to the conclusion that Jesus must be killed at all costs.

                I think that in the last days the antichrist is going to offer us a form of radical legalism that is just as opposed to Jesus as were the Pharisees. It will be a form of satanic “righteousness” and global legislation based on things like environmentalism and equal rights for all who adopt lifestyles in complete disregard for the Word of God. In their own way they will “righteously” defend people’s right to sin and this form of satanic “righteousness” will eventually demand the deaths of everyone who will not comply with Satan’s form of righteousness. Even now we see true Christianity being shoved aside and judged as intolerant and even terroristic because we preach the plain unadulterated Word of God and that is not tolerable to those who have embraced the religion of the antichrist.

                Paul warns us in 2 Tim. 3:12 saying: “And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. So we can count on it. As the antichrist kingdom is being built, the so called righteousness of Satan is going to be pitted against the real righteousness of Christ and we will find ourselves in the midst of a life or death battle over our souls. We see this twisted ”truth” even now where good is being called evil and evil is being called good. Isa. 5:20. Christians are being slaughtered in other countries, so chances are we will face it here too. Even so… come Lord Jesus!