Systematic Theology: An Introduction

The subject of Theology has in these latter times fallen upon dark days. In my own experience in speaking and dealing with people from day to day, it is becoming increasing clear that the church is now experiencing a dearth of biblical knowledge the likes of which have not been seen since the dark ages. Though it is true that there have been times throughout its history where the church at large has for a moment descended from her high and lofty place, these descents were for the most part only temporal, and not at all as they appear to be now.

Systematic Theology: An Introduction

It has been said with much truth that time proves all things. And it seems daily that Christians the world over are awaking to a stark new reality that the church as an institution is no longer the pillar of the community it once was. That this institution is in decline, and will no doubt continue in that decline till our Lord's return, stands as a silent rebuke to those within the church who still hold to the longstanding yet erroneous maxim that God is “all through with the Jew” the church has taken the place of Israel as Gods chosen elect earthly people, and that its main purpose has ever been to convert the world to Christianity prior to His return.

Growing up as I have within the confines of the deep south, and in what is commonly referred to as the Bible Belt, there is a clear line of demarcation in the condition of the average Church today as opposed to those even a decade ago. There was a time when the men of God, adverse to their own personal denominational bias, held each other up. Though it's true, there may have been differences or even peculiarities as to a denomination's basic structure, its administration, and perhaps even the number of ordinances held, they nonetheless for the most part read from the same Bible, sang roughly the same hymns, and preached relatively the same gospel message. But sadly, today, this for the most part is virtually nonexistent.

John Wesley: The First Great Awakening

Anyone even remotely familiar with the history of revivals of religion the world over, are aware that those revivals in general had a few things common. 1. They were generally born from or in connection with corporate prayer. 2. They typically crossed denominational lines. 3. They were, in general, characterized by large scale additions to the local assemblies in the towns and cities in which they occurred. 4. They were wrought of God (they were unplanned).

Now I do agree as others have noted that the very existence of revivals of religion themselves indicates to us that there is something innately wrong within the church at large. A sort of leaven if you will. Though it may be true that when operating as our Lord intended, that revivals of religion are or should not be necessary. This, however, does not negate the fact that their existence is still an indication to us that this institution tends toward decline, and is not as the majority of Protestants and Catholics have traditionally taught. The simple truth is that without divine intervention the church would no doubt have already been cut off, and Israel “who are by nature the natural branches” would have already been “grafted in again.”

Now, for the record, none of my previous statements concerning revivals of religion are in any way an approval for this ecumenical mess the church currently finds itself in. It is my personal belief, and those of countless other saints of God that anything that tends towards the unification of religion (apart from the fundamentals of the faith) and the unification of global commerce and governance under one corporate head is not of God. One world government and one world religion are the hallmarks of the god of this world. Who through subtlety has ever been working silently behind the scenes toward one purpose: the manifestation of that man of sin who as the Prophet Daniel foretells, “shall be broken without hand.” No matter what any Pope, Priest, Cardinal, or body of self-righteous do-gooders (like the U.N.) would have you to believe, there will never be world-wide peace on this earth without the Prince of Peace.

If we know anything at all concerning the word of God, we know how every dispensation in the Bible ends. If there is one thing the Bible teaches, it teaches that man in every age is an absolute failure; that every age ends in total apostasy. We know how the first dispensation ended, it ended with man's expulsion from the garden. We know how the second dispensation ended, it ended in a world-wide flood. We know how the third dispensation ended, it ended in the complete apostasy of human government. We know how the fourth dispensation ended, God calls Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees and his descendants wound up spending 430 years in Egyptian captivity. Every age in that Book ends one way, and not a one of them ends with things getting better. They all end in apostasy. If we know anything at all, we know this. And this dispensation will not end any differently. To deny this truth is to deny nearly 6000 years of human history. This notion that many erroneously teach that the church is somehow preparing the world to receive the Lord prior to his second advent and that the world is becoming a better place is simply not true. At least not according to the Book, it isn't. And not according to laws of science, either. Not that I put much confidence in “science, falsely so-called.” It is, however, interesting to note that not even science itself agrees with this mindset. Nothing in this world is moving from any lesser to a higher state. And nothing fixes itself. There is no such thing as evolution.

A broken watch cannot fix itself

Take for instance a broken watch. Heck, or even one that's in proper working order for that matter. If I were to take that watch and break it down into its principal parts (springs, gears, screws, etc.), and I were to place those items into a plastic bag and wake up every morning and shake that bag. What do you suppose the chances would be that all those component parts were to somehow miraculously align in order to make a working watch again? The answer is zero. There are absolutely zero chances out of any number that those parts would align in such a way as to assemble themselves into a working watch again. And it doesn't take a degree in quantum physics to figure that out.

You see, the problem is this evolutionary mindset, this belief that as technology advances, that as the things around us improve (i.e., advancements in technology, science, medicine, et al.), that somehow man's nature improves with it. But nothing can be farther from the truth. The evolutionary mindset on its face is fundamentally and diametrically opposed to what the Bible teaches. Now, I can understand why many a good Christian during the Philadelphian church age believed in the church triumphant. With the advancement of the Christian religion and its values the world over, it seemed at the time that Christianity would keep “marching forward to Zion.” But what's the reason now? It's a known fact that at the date of this writing, that Christianity is not the fastest growing religion the world over, that's Islam. So if it were true—which it's not—that the church were preparing the world for the return of the King, wouldn't you say they were doing a pretty awful job? Two World Wars, Vietnam, Korea, two Gulf Wars, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, India, Pakistan. And that's since 1995. I mean, who's kidding who here? Even the Lord's ministry ended with only twelve in His inner circle, and even one of them was a devil. For three and half years God Himself spent doing all the miracles He did, healing the sick, making the lame to walk again, making the def to hear, the dumb to speak, casting out devils. With all the crowds constantly thronging Him about. Only to turn around and have that same generation in which He did all those things crucify Him. Even the Millennial reign (the 1000-year earthly reign of Jesus Christ) ends in apostasy. Like Ricky Ricardo used to say, "Lucy, you got some splainin' to do."

"Lucy, you got some splainin' to do." — Ricky Ricardo

You know, “I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed,” but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that it is not in God's plan and purpose for the church to usher in the Kingdom. I mean, what do those people say that believe in this Reformed/Catholic nonsense that the church is marching forward “from victory unto victory” as the ole hymn writer wrote when we are currently witnessing the death of western civilization as we know it. That this age will end as every subsequent dispensation has ended—in complete and total apostasy—is now beyond reproach.

Now, I know the questions some of you might be asking. If all this is true, why then make such a fuss? I mean, if every age only ends in total apostasy, and there's really nothing that can be done to stop it, why then do anything at all? Why in this late hour in which we live should we even care? Why put forth the time and the effort for something that seemingly does no good and for the most part seems to bear little if any fruit at all? Why not just eat, drink and be merry? Why is it necessary to keep fighting the good fight of faith? Why take up the cross? Why endure hardship? Why should I care about my testimony? Why pray for others? Why go through all the hassle and heartache, the ridicule, the stigma of not always fitting in? Why die daily, as the Apostle Paul did? Why is it necessary to crucify my flesh daily? I mean, why not just buy a piece of land in the middle of nowhere, start our own community like the Amish, and just let the world around us go to hell? It's going there anyway, right? Why stand in the gap? Why be burdened for lost souls? I mean, wouldn't life be much easier, and wouldn't things be much simpler if we just forgot all this stuff and got on with living as everyone else does? I mean, aren't we troubled enough with doing that anyway?

And these are indeed good questions. One's I hope, Lord willing, we will attempt to answer in subsequent posts.

To be continued...