December 3, 2015 Member Letter

Dear Brethren,

This will be my final member letter of 2015. If your schedule is like mine, then you probably feel as though you just left the Feast of Tabernacles! But the reality is that Thanksgiving has now come and gone and December has begun. It has all gone by so quickly!

Most recently, the major news here in Dallas has been the rain. We just endured the wettest Thanksgiving weekend on record, with almost 10 inches of rain. So far in 2015, with one month to go, we have received almost 60 inches of rain, officially making this the wettest year on record for the Dallas area (records go back to 1899). And just a few months ago, we were in the midst of one of the worst droughts in history. From one of the worst droughts to the wettest year in a period of a few months is enough to give you whiplash.

It seems that strange and unusual events are becoming so common these days that they aren’t even newsworthy. The recent terror attacks in Paris once again brought home how unstable the world is and how much hatred exists. This isn’t the first time human beings have reacted out of animosity toward others. It actually began shortly after Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden when Cain killed his brother Abel. This unthinkable act happened after mankind, through Adam and Eve, chose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil instead of the tree of life. It didn’t take long for evil to overcome good. God warned Cain that if he did not control his anger, “sin lies at the door” (Genesis 4:7).

Shortly after Cain murdered his brother, he was questioned by God: “Where is Abel your brother?” To which Cain responded, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9). Even though the account doesn’t give God’s response, we know from Scripture that we are indeed our “brother’s keeper.” But the world at large continues to ignore this golden rule of human relations: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matthew 7:12).

Now let’s fast-forward to the time of the end when an angry spirit roams the earth (Revelation 12:12). This fallen angel is described as the father of those who lie and those who commit murder (John 8:44) and is the same one who influenced Cain to kill his brother and lie about it.

Watching or reading the daily news confirms that our world is engulfed by deceit, lies, hatred and murder. The taking of a human life, whether through abortion, war or a terrorist attack isn’t really news these days. It has become, sad to say, commonplace. Consider Chicago, a city in the Midwestern United States, where some neighborhoods have a higher murder rate than the country of Honduras, rated as one of the most dangerous countries in the world. The murder rate in these neighborhoods is 116 per 100,000. In Honduras it is considerably less, at 90 per 100,000 (thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/08/america-s-mass-shooting-capital-is-chicago).

Many nations are at war with other nations. According to one website, there are 10 major wars and five serious armed conflicts currently in progress (internationalrelations.com/wars-in-progress). This does not include the many “minor” conflicts around the world. In speaking of the end time, Christ foretold in Matthew 24:7 that “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” You may ask, But hasn’t there always been hatred and war, beginning with Cain and Abel? Of course, but there has never been a time when the risk of human annihilation was so great.

Consider the Middle East, where there has been no peace for generations and conditions continue to get even worse. By every standard, it is a muddled mess. Zechariah prophesied that Jerusalem would be “a cup of drunkenness” and a “very heavy stone” and that “all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces” (Zechariah12:2-3). The Palestinians are fighting against the Jews, and the Muslims are fighting against the Christians. Many Arabs believe that only the annihilation of Israel will bring peace to the region, causing the Israelis to fight every day for their very survival. These are long-standing animosities, traceable back to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Esau and Jacob. Similar to Cain and Abel, these descendants of brothers and half-brothers are trying to kill each other.

On top of these troubles, we have a culture clash between the Muslim world and the Western world. Weeks before the Paris attacks, the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, said: “Even today, after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, [and] destruction.” King Abdullah of Jordan was quoted in The Jerusalem Post as saying: “We are facing a Third World War against humanity.”

Daniel 11 describes a major conflict in the end time, a conflict between the king of the North and the king of the South. The Church has long believed that this end-time king of the North would come out of Europe, from the Western culture, if you will. The king of the South will be from the Arab and Muslim world, a very different culture from that of Europe. Revelation describes this northern power as 10 kings that are given authority with the beast for one hour and “are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast” (Revelation 17:13).

Unusual things are happening, but that is not surprising to God’s people. It isn’t only the weather here in Dallas that is chaotic. How strange it is that world leaders are now gathered in Paris to discuss whether mankind can survive climate change, while the world is exploding with animosity, hatred, and murder! It is a surreal picture! A third world war is coming, brethren; and in fact, has probably already begun. The good news in all of this, however, is that God will not allow humanity to destroy itself. But because an angry spirit is loose in the world, hatred, destruction and death are increasing everywhere.

So brace yourselves; it will be a rough ride! But God has promised to deliver His people and save mankind from destruction. That is the happy ending for which we must pray every day.

Sincerely, your brother in Christ,

Jim Franks