Newsletter
One Night That Changed
Everything!
Wings of Healing, P.O. Box 900, Whittier, CA 90608 , 626/448-3873
December 2011
Merry Christmas:
During this season we have shared the tale of the Bishop of Myra, we now know him as Saint Nicolas, and we have shared other uplifting stories of a boy to surprise his best friend with a Christmas gift runs into an electrified fence, but the shock will heal his deaf ear, of an old lace table cloth purchased to hide rain damage behind the altar for the Christmas eve service by remarkable “chance” brings a loving couple separated by war together again. We have shared these and many such stories, because Christmas is that kind of “magical” season. It is special in so many ways because of what we celebrate, a birth of immeasurable significance, which has simply and irrefutable changed everything.
We may not always get things just right, we often place the Wise Men at the manger, when clearly the Magi came later and found Jesus and His parents in a house (Mt. 2:11). Many Bible translations tell of taxation, when it more correctly an enrollment, probably a forced loyalty oath for the 25th anniversary of Caesar Augustus as Emperor (Lk. 2:1). We hear that “there was no room in the inn,” (Lk. 2:7), but the word should be translated as “guest room” or “guestchamber” as it is in Luke 22:11, for it is the same Greek word. This would be an extra room with a distant relative, only now it would be crowded with other relatives of the linage of David. They required more privacy as we know Mary was expecting. On this one night the savior of the world, the king of kings would be born, as traditions has long held, in the shelter for the neighborhood animals. It is believed to have been an excavated portion of the hillside with overhanging wooden supports, a site now beneath the Bethlehem Church of the Nativity.
We will celebrate all this on December 25th when surely it occurred earlier in the year. If you have read my study on the “Advent of the Christ,” you will appreciate the reasons. The 25th was a sincere, and perhaps necessary efforts of the early church, particularly in Rome, to counter the effects, and popularity of the pagan celebrations surrounding the Winter Solstice, known as the Saturnalia. We have continued this tradition, which now will pretty much dominate our globe. Ancient pagan celebrations are forgotten, even if some of the reasons for this celebration seem mere background to other things. Yet this season is a time of rejoicing, giving of our time, sharing with friends and family, and those moments of “wonder and magic.”
Sharon will decorate our home with pine boughs, many lights, candles, Magi and camels in abundance, several crèches, and other Christmas items. She will be aglow with anticipation, not so much for what may be wrapped in colorful paper under the tree, but for the many gatherings of family and friends. It is what makes this time of year so special, and this year will be our first with a grandchild, Christian Thomas Wyatt. Now, if at all possible, it will be even more special.
We want this season to be special and filled with “wonder and magic,” for all of you. It is a time of joy, praise, and healing. A time that celebrates one night in which in an animal shelter, a birth occurred that changed everything. God now touched the earth in a unique way. He entered human history, for a very special and profound reason, and as a result it would CHANGE EVERYTHING. Everything for mankind is different because of this birth, and because of the Lord’s presence in our lives I am more convinced than ever that God is preparing once again to do wondrous, even frightening things in our midst. Some events will be drastic, both natural and manmade, there will be violent uprisings, unyielding disagreement which will tear at the fabric of our world. This too is in God’s hands, and as a result God’s people will be inspired to greater effort. Bible believing churches will experience astounding spiritual renewal, with even prophetic words and abundant miracles. Even in small and seemingly insignificant things God will be mightily at work. As He prepared Israel, for the birth of the Christ child, so He is preparing this world what He desires. As He changed everything that one night, Still He is not finished changing everything.
Rejoicing and praising our Lord,
Thomas R. Wyatt
New Beginnings!
www.thomasrwyatt.org
January, 2012
My good friend:
The New Year is upon us; perhaps a pivotal year what with elections, hopeful and positive changes economically, and even great changes spiritually. The New Year is a time that many see as a chance to start again. It is why many make “New Year Resolutions,” and will attempt to make those serious improvements in one’s life. The New Year will always denote the chance at a fresh start, a new beginning.
It is such new beginnings that have always marked Christianity. Our’s is a faith of getting a new start, of repentance, forgiveness, of people finding reasons to try again and succeeding. It is a faith, as we all know, of wretched sinners made new, of fallen creatures finding grace, those lost being found, and the chance for any one to be born again. We believe that anyone can see the light, find Christ, and be given a second chance.
I believe this fundamental Christian truth. Any of us can be renewed, redeemed, born from above, and this does include, I believe, our churches, our nations, our cultural mores, and our direction as a people. Our respective republics are secular in structure; as such they will stumble ultimately into ineptitude, and corruption, unless we as a people are so renewed in God. John Adams, the second president of the United States wrote, “it is religion and morality alone, which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our pople in a greater measure than they have it now, they may change their rulers and the forms of government, but they will not obtain a lasting Liberty. They will only exchange tyrants and tyrannies.” Adams is saying that a republic will survive only as long as her people are virtuous, and moral, for without such we cannot rule ourselves.
Christianity, our faith, is to bring about such virtue in people. In this way they may live free, happy, and pursue their life’s goals. It is not possible if at every turn barbarity, heartlessness, and violence abounds. Such incivility, when it hounds the faithful, pushes them away from the public arena will only destroy our way of life. This is why we are committed to the fervent defense of our faith, and the bold perpetuation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. To that end we can tell you we have found, at last, the facilities needed for The Wings of Healing International Ministries. We have been blessed to gain a large, central located building, with room to grow. There is more work to be done still, and my son Jeff and I have already done a great deal of the work to readily this building for our needs. We only ask that you pray with us that God continue to bless this effort, and with it even greater things shall be seen and done in the name of Jesus Christ.
This is for us a new beginning, but I would be remise if I did not mention again, and now provide you with a picture, of the addition to our family. Christian Thomas Wyatt is indeed a great joy. Sharon lights up every time she sees him. I hope you have already read her article, for it is obvious.
This time of new beginnings is I pray contagious. I firmly believe this year of 2012 will be such a time of new beginnings for this ministry, and the family of The Wings of Healing. Such a pivotal year will see many changes; some will not be for the better, and yet others will be a great blessing. But know, in it all God is at work. Regardless of the efforts of others, especially by the enemy and his minions, God’s people, His church, will always be more than able, and always victorious. Those that believe in His Word, and trust Him, will, believe me, see remarkable things occurring in their midst. God is not done with North America, with us who have for so long done all we can for God’s Kingdom. He will cause increase, new life, and strength, despite all the nefarious efforts to silence and dismiss Christianity.
We will as always be a faith based prophetic ministry, one of prayer, with evidence of God answering and changing lives. A ministry with renewed outreaches worldwide, and always an outstretched hand to those in need. I do so want you, my good friend, to be a part of what The Wings of healing will be doing in this upcoming year. Pray for us, write with encouragement, and provide us with your own insights, and reports of what God has, and is doing in your life and ministry. I want this to be a special year for many, a new start, a new beginning.
Anticipating great things,
Thomas Randolf Wyatt
An Exceptional Nation
November 2011
My gracious friend: (USA)
As you read this I hope it will add a urgency, and further importance as you gather for your Thanksgiving celebration in a couple of weeks. Thanksgiving is a celebration that I have frequently stated is my favorite. It is not just the food, which Sharon prepares in such mouth-watering abundance, not just the fellowship with family, which has now grown to include my daughters-in-law and their families, but the special, central, and indispensable place of God in all this. As such, Thanksgiving celebrations for God’s goodness have been part of our culture since our inceptions as a Christian nation.
Yes, a Christian nation, for this was the unique perception of the earliest settlers from Europe. They believed this land was to be the “light on the hill,” a beacon of hope, peace, in their Christian faith. These early settlements that clung to these hostile shores were born of that faith, and it is said that their efforts actually saved Christian civilization. The republic that has arisen from this history is indeed meant to be a “light” to the world. All this was made very relevant by Senator Marco Rubio, at least for me, in a recent speech. Allow me to share a poignant portion of that speech.
“My grandfather loved being Cuban. He loved being from Cuba. He never would have left Cuba if he didn’t have to. But he knew America was special. He knew that without America Cuba would still be a Spanish colony. He knew that without America the Nazis and Imperial Japan would have won World War II. When he was born in 1899 there weren’t even airplanes. By the time I was born, an American had walked on the surface of the moon. And he knew something else. He knew that he had lost his country. And he knew that the only thing preventing other people in the world from losing their land to communism was this country – this nation.
It is easy for us who are born here – like me – and so many of you, to take for granted how special and unique this place is. But when you come from somewhere else, when what you always knew and loved, you lost, you don’t have that luxury. My Grandfather didn’t know America was exceptional because he read about it in a book. He knew about it because he lived it and saw it with his eyes. That powerful lesson is … our legacy as a people. And it is who we have a chance to be again. And I think that it is important for all of us because being an American is not just a blessing, it’s a responsibility.
As we were commanded to do long ago, ‘Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven’ (Mt. 5:16). Well, as we gather here …we are reminded that for our nation, being a light to the world, that is not just our common history, it remains our common destiny.”
We should appreciate the exceptional blessings of this land, and also appreciate that freedom, the liberty we enjoy, is not the usual condition of humanity, it hasn’t been for Cuba, nor many other lands. The blood stains upon our human history, the centuries of oppression and enslavement, expose for all to see what has been the typical human experiences. Our unimaginable blessings of freedom, our rule of law, and open political discourse is actually an aberration. It is simply not the normal condition of humanity. Its survival is then not guaranteed, but requires the passionate embrace of our responsibilities to this fragile thing we call liberty. This is required all the more because injustice, abuse, slavery, and slaughter have their own forces behind them, evil! America must remain an exceptional land, a bulwark, the “Light before men,” that our “good works be seen,” so that God is glorified. This is our “common history,” and yes, think about it, our “common destiny.”
We as a nation, as a people are joined together, not just by our history, and this mutual heritage, but by who we are, and what God has wrought in us. Together, with like-minded nations, we have in the past raised the banner against the hordes of dissipation, and barbarity, and we will have to again, believe me. Our nation was born of the Judaic-Christian faith, and this exposes the truth of who we are as a people. What we enjoy in our lavish and multiple blessings is because of our faith in God. Do not imagine for a moment that these bountiful and gracious things we enjoy are the results of accidents of history, geography, or luck. It is God’s doing, and we need to pray that He will continue to bless us!
So as you gather around a laden table with family and friends, remember what is our responsibility, our “common destiny.” Let the light of this exceptional land shine, proclaim the truth that God is living, and true, and we should, at the very least, give Him Thanks.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving unto our God,
Thomas R. Wyatt
THE FEAR OF GOD
October 2011
My good friend:
In many places, quite a few seem to be engaged in but another struggle for the soul of our Western or Christian civilization. Forces are a foot that denigrate and would destroy what they perceive as the heart of who we are as a people. Atheism, anarchy, hostile and fanatical forces attack; they burn Christian hospitals, attempt to tear down our basic institutions, our churches, and even the benign efforts of good organization that want to feed the starving. These attacks do not come from poverty; they are not because of capitalistic oppression, supposed imperialism, financial folly, or even foreign policies errors, these are efforts to simply destroy, to lay waste, and remake what these people despise as Christian civilization.
However, we know what they seek to destroy is not what lies at the heart of who we are, or our civilization. Regardless of what most in the media believe, what ill informed crowds, or leading academic centers contend, the heart of our civilization remains our faith; faith in each other, faith in our institutions, and above all faith in God. That there are certain elements and movements within our institutions, even our churches that disdain any such expressions of real faith is what is really disturbing. It is this that will, if left unchecked, destroy our civilization as we know and love it, far quicker than any attacks from outside.
However, all this only reveals a profound misunderstanding by those intent on destroying any semblance of faith, and thereby remaking our civilization. Our civilization has been strong, prosperous, even great at times, only because of God. Without God, and His truth, there will be nothing to remake. Attempts to eradicate God will result in “wallowing in ashes,” and “ruin” (Ezek. 27). They overlooks one basic truth, “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom” (Psa. 111:10; Prov. 9:10). This is more than merely being reverent; or some playful dread, but the realization that God is not to be toyed with. We need proper respect, a sense of terror as we approach Him, for when one realize who He truly is it should evoke fear. He is The Creator, He holds all, everything in His hand, including us. It is this knowledge that is the prerequisite to wisdom.
“The fool says in his heart there is no God” (Psa. 14:1; 53:1). Although we are inundated with facts, bombardment with information, but when the world dismisses God it only reveals a serious lack of wisdom. This profusion of information has not enabled the world to answer the real questions of life. To remove God resulted in nothing making any sense. How does reason and intelligence come into existence without God? If everything, as current scholarship assert arises from non-intelligence, if life evolves from lifelessness, and the complexity of our world comes from the collision of simple atoms, plus time, meaning billions of years, plus chance, meaning a lot of luck, then we are confronted with nonsense. It is a farcical proposition, and reveals the true motives of these academics. They would remove the need of God! So for them any proposal, any theory, no matter how bizarre, or empty will be proposed and embraced.
Without God what is the answer to who I am? Is there any meaning to life? If everything began as an unthinking, unconscious, lifeless compressed mass of energy, billions of years ago, of what value is any single human life? The real answer to such questions requires God to be included in the discussion. Without God, life, morality, even love makes no sense. The existence human personality, self-awareness, especially those moments of human nobility and genius, cannot be answered by an impersonal, unintelligent explosion of mass and energy, plus those billions of years, and all that luck. The answer is a personal and intelligence being involved in everything from the beginning. And, in fact, only the Judaic-Christian revelation provides the answer, the only answer to these age-old questions.
No other construct, religion, or belief system provides the answers to the existence of life. The diversity of life, human intelligence, our ability to develop language, and think and imagine beyond our experiences, requires more than unprovable theories. There is only one philosophy, one religion that fills our need for meaning and purpose. Creation by a personal and intelligent God is not only the best answer to existence, intelligence, and all the whys of life, it is in fact the only answer.
GOD EXISTS! It is an answer that means more than God is out there somewhere in the vastness of space. He is a God that speaks, and more even moves in our midst. He has left us His Word, revealed Himself to mankind, and more, has provided the means to know Him. That God exists, is again the only answer, and it means that what He has said, declared, and promised also exists. It means Biblical Christianity is true, and as we will explore this further in days to come, it includes all that He means for our life, health and well-being.
It is an awesome and fearful thing to know the living God, but it brings wisdom,
Thomas R. Wyatt
Let Us Not Forget God!
Wings of Healing, P.O. Box 900, Whittier, CA 90608 , 626/448-3873
August 2011
My wonderful friend:
I recently ran across this quote, it is old, but could have been written yesterday. “We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power, as has few other nations, but we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which has preserved us, multiplied and enriched us in peace, and have vainfully imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own…we have become too self-sufficient to feel the need of redemption, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us to humble ourselves before the offending power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”
The speaker was Abraham Lincoln, and it was April of 1863. Things were not going well for the Union, and it would be over two months before the fall of Vicksburg, and the victory at Gettysburg. His words struck me, however, as particularly poignant as I was assembling so many different items for my “Notes on the Apocalypse.” Often, John’s visions as he relates them in his book, do seem to even now stare menacingly back at us: in the nightly news, our newspapers, or as we view about us the vulgar gathering of ever more iniquity. Yet Lincoln remained firm in his cause, and so must we!
We need not now or ever meekly accept as inevitable the “gathering darkness.” Our generation, or any generation to come, need not acquiesces to such growing spiritual feebleness, and moral ineptitude. We have been called to be “salt” and “light,” to a decaying and darkening world (Mt. 5:13-14). As well, commanded, “to be a light to the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 13:47). And we are to, “stir up one another to love and good work, not neglecting to meet together…but encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Heb. 10:24-25).
Yes, “all the more as we see”! Even John in his Apocalypse constantly admonishes his readers to be steadfast, and faithful, bearing “testimony to Jesus” (Rev. 12:17). That, “the brethren,” which means all believers, will, “conquered him (the accuser) by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony (Rev. 12:11). Paul, after telling the Thessalonians what will lead up to the Lord’s return, will appeal for, “our Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, and God our Father…comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word” (2 Th. 2:16,17).
We are to establish ourselves, and encourage one other, especially when things seem the worse. We always need to stand firm in the truth, and provide for every good work. Which is to help each others, but also we are to witness to the word. It is our testimony of the Lamb, speaking the truth of our faith that will topple the accuser of mankind, bring God’s purpose to a triumphant close, and provide us each with a victor’s crown. There is no time for those that forget God., and we should have no desire to just wait as the world succumbs to deception.
God is in control, and will be victorious. He has awaken the hearts of tens of thousands in Iran, untold others throughout the Muslim world (if the emerging stories are true and there is no need to doubt them), and reports continue of millions in China, and now a tide of revival sweeping India, and there will be even more unbelievable stories to follow. Please do read the enclosed report from India.
Clearly we should not forget our God is advancing. His Spirit is reaching beyond the narrow confines of any regime trying to prevent the gospel, and all false dogma. Perhaps, the long awaited world wide revival is near upon us; don’t you want to be as much a part of it, as I? Of course, you do! Join with us, for the testimony of the Lamb can, and will bring down the very “gates of hell!”
Committed to the WORK and WORD, of our Lord,
Thomas R. Wyatt
Answers to Questions: “If the world is only going to get worse, what is the role of Christians?”
Our role is not to submit, or meekly accept the deepening abominations, but fight back. As Christians we should contest every inch of ground the enemy of mankind desires to take from our communities, regions, nations, or societies. Remember He is actually a defeated foe with limited time. It is divinely decreed that Christ and His own are the ultimate victors. However, obviously it will come down to North American Christians. This will be the final bulwark against the onslaught of Satan. Here will be the focus of his deceptions. However, we need not be alarmed, nor do we need to acquiesce to any of Satan’s efforts, as we can see in Asia, Africa, and elsewhere we are not alone in this battle.
A Bit Messy, But Thank You LORD!
July, 2011
My faithful friend:
It is July, and summer is upon us, a time for barbequing, and that lemonade in some leafy glade. July is as well our traditional time of reflecting upon our national beginnings, whether with fireworks, parades, family gatherings, or all of the above. We do remembering as well, in Philadelphia with the heat of rebellion in the air, hot enough to match the heat of the summer of 1776. The Second Continental Congress had met to wrestle with the future of thirteen separate and contentious colonies that hugged the coast of a vast wilderness. It was a meeting that would alter their lives, and would change history.
The richness of our national journey was made all the more real as Sharon and I traveled to British Columbia recently for the Wings of Healing Society annual board meeting. We were in time to witness the vibrant working of Canadian democracy. Television that night was filled with the results of the various contests, with pundits endeavoring to explain the sudden surge of the National Democratic Party, and the surprise of a Conservative majority government. I was fascinated with the differences, but even more by the similarities to our elections here. Realizing just how rare and special are such absolutely vibrant, robust, and fair elections. It was to see in real life what Winston Churchill, in a moment of ironic humor said, “Democracy is the worse form of government, except for all the others.”
A Democratic Republic is indeed at times messy, especially in the midst of cantankerous debate, or uncertainty, but would we really prefer to live in a theocracy like Iran, an authoritarian dictatorship like Zimbabwe, or totalitarian ones like Cuba, or North Korea? I doubt any of us would willingly exchange our lives for the “clean utopia” of Kim Jong-il, or the agrarian “paradise” of Robert Mugabe. The dreams of a manmade perfect society have been tried for centuries, even well meant Christians have tried. All such efforts have, and will, always fail. It will take God’s direct hand. So we make do with the messiness of campaigns, debates, heated rivalries, and elections, and thank the Lord for it all.
The last century saw the repulsion and failure of those ideology that oppose democracy and Christianity, whether Fascism, Marxism, socialism, hedonism, secular materialism, or a myriad of “new” religions. All the alternatives were dismal failures, often at the cost of millions of lives. Yet there will be those who will dress these old failures in new disguise, trying anything again, except what is natural to mankind, real faith and liberty. It is God that has instilled this in us all. It always comes down to Biblical Faith, and the Revelation of the One Living God. Here was revealed human worth, dignity, equality, our limitations and frailty, our dependence, compassion, and our true aspirations.
We enjoyed our trip, and will do so again next year. But now I wish all a great time of celebration, and reflection upon our very special heritage, which has made this continent a wonder in our world, and a destination of so many seeking a place where they can worship and live in peace and security. It is the wonder of our Republics.
Thank you Lord, for the obvious providence of your hand in it all,
Thomas R Wyatt
THINGS THAT MATTER:
Elections matter, often more than we realize. I knew of the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, and was intrigued as I watched his party sweep to what appeared to some, a surprising victory. Then I was to hear how at the Group of Eight Summit (the G-8) in Deauville, France, Prime Minister Harper stood alone against increasing pressure, particularly by our administration. Pressure to insist that Israel negotiate a Palestinian state, based on the 1967 borders. Canada alone made sure that the resulting communiqué would make no mention of the 1967 borders.
This issue was in the headlines recently with a Presidential speech, made while the Israeli Prime Minister was in flight to the United States, and was followed by a surprising “history lesson” provided by the Israeli Prime Minister in the White House. This is the cauldron that our administration continues to stoke, and will, if not this year, soon, culminate in unilateral action by the UN General Assembly, proclaiming a Palestinian State, based on those 1967 borders. How the UN Security Council acts will determine, whether Israel, will be isolated and then coerced into accepting borders that have invited four previous wars, or stand strong, as the situation implodes into what may be a catastrophic war, one that may engulf us all.
Sealed and Secure
June, 2011
My good friend:
As promised, we continue the effort to bring possible light to the maze that seems to gather around the topic of the Lord’s return, what our New testament usually refers to as the Parousia. Many of the popular perceptions puzzled me, and have since I was quite young. The confusing of the Lord’s prophecy “that not one stone will be left upon another,” and His telling all those present “that this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Mt. 24:2,34), just how does one mistake this for a prophecy of His return? He even says this specifically to, “those who are in Judea…,” adding, “alas for those who are with child,” and “pray that your flight not be in winter, or on a Sabbath” (Mt. 24:16-20). None of which can have any relevance outside its fulfillment in “the great tribulation,” the carnage following the Roman invasion of 66-70AD.
Jesus, follows His prophecy saying clearly, “but of that day and hour no ones knows…” and will add, “as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man.” He will then describes these days as if it were a wedding feast, “They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark… and then they were all swept away” (Mt. 24:36-39). Jesus is using the popular image of the great Messianic banquet to redirect the frantic expectations of His day, and hopefully the same kind of frenzy today as foolish men put a date to the Lord’s return. The reality of His coming is more than a celebrating of “the marriage supper of the Lamb,” but it is also entails judgment (Rev. 19:7-9; 21:2-3,9-10; 2 Cor. 11:2). Many will not be ready, and will be “swept away,” in judgment.
This banquet, and the marriage is a reoccurring Biblical theme (Mt. 22:1-14; 25:1-13; Lk. 14:15-24: Hos. 2:19-20; Isa. 62:5; and Isa. 54:5-10). The last passage from Isaiah is of particular interest. “Your maker is your husband…the Lord has called you like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit…with great compassion I will gather you…for this is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth…the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you…”
Our Lord uses this language of Isaiah, to tell us His Parousia will resemble the days of Noah. Centuries ago many expected one thing, and were instead swept up in judgment. Yet He come always, in love, to gather His elect. Scripture is to encourage and inform, and certainly John’s letter to the seven churches is no exception. Filled with Old Testament images, it is all meant to help us understand what to expect and prepare for. Yet many avoid, or would miss what John says to the “churches.” Instead they expect the sea to literally become blood, and the sky to fall to earth, they and as a result confuse, and unnecessarily muddle John’s amazing and profound message.
Yet scripture is clear, despite all the muddling. Paul, as we know, left us two obvious and unmistakable signs of our Lord’s coming. First, there is to be a rebellion (apostasy in the Greek), and then the man of rebellion, the Son of perdition is revealed (2 Th. 2:3). The word apostasy implies an extensive rebellion in all spheres of life, literally a rising against all divine authority. This will be very hard to miss, as societies, every nations throw off all restraint and law, rejecting all Godliness. Paul will tell us “this mystery of rebellion is already at work,” meaning this rebellion against God has always been with us, and will only grow in intensity (2 Th 2:7). So why should we be surprised at the growing degradation about us?
This man who is to come, is more than lawless, he is the son of perdition, one destined for destruction. He reeks of arrogance and godlessness, as he exalts himself against all that is called God (2:4). So he, too, when revealed, will be hard to miss. Yet in this picture of societal breakdown and national instability, still we find God at work. So when we are presented with plausible rationales for necessary changes, “for the well being of society,” when certain rights freedoms are “suspended, just for a little while,” Christianity is persecuted all the more, and Israel, who will become the flashpoint for a worldwide conflagration, is pressured unrelentingly to “do what is right and fair,” understand that forces are coalescing for a “new world order.” Preparations are well under way for a realignment, as the will call it, “for world economic stability and social justice.” But the chaos will only grows, watch as the media, and many world leaders clamor for someone, a new “messiah,” to bring order out of the cataclysmic mess they have made. At the height of this mess the true Messiah will come to redeem and judge. Maranatha!
However, we do not abide in darkness, that any of this should catch us unaware. Just, “watch therefore…You must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Mt. 24: 42, 44; see also 24: 50; 25:13). We have the necessary information, and also His promise, “whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward” (Mt. 10:42). Giving to even the most insignificant disciple, the smallest, the most minuscule of gifts, just “a cup of cold water,” our reward in God is assured. He promises the same in the parable of the sheep and goats, for as the faithful ask in puzzlement, ”when did we see thee hungry, and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee…or sick or in prison and visit thee.” He responds, ”Truly I say to you, as you did it to the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt. 25:37-40).
So have no fear, one of our greatest blessings is that we are sealed as His own, with His name (2 Cor. 1:22; Rev. 7:3; 9:4). And as Paul claims, so it is for us all, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for His heavenly kingdom (2 Tim. 4:22). “The Lord loves justice; He will not forsake His saints. The righteous shall be preserved for ever” (Psa. 37:28). Through all and any difficulties He is always there. Just continue to do unto all, even to the least, as He is our Lord, Savior and Protector, and we will not lose our reward.
In service to all,
Thomas Randolf Wyatt
Why Do We Listen?
May 2011
My gracious friend:
One would have to have been completely oblivious to the world around us to be unaware of the catastrophic effects of recent earthquakes, or that a sizeable portions of the world is engulfed in conflict and blood shed. This chaos has even touched the Christian church, as pastors, simple congregants have been burned, mutilated, or simply brutalized. Compounding this is the continuing nuclear disaster in Japan, so it is no surprise when respectable Christians speak of the possibility of the coming Apocalypse. One man has even predicted the Lord’s return on May 21. Of course, that Christian “leader” predicted the same thing in 1994.
We all should be aware of our Lord’s admonishment, “of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Mk. 13:32). Still we are inundated, now for over a thousand years, by the well-meant, but frantic cries of “He’s coming.” There are some Christians to which the year 1844 is still known as the “Great Disappointment.” That was when a pastor by the name of William Miller persuaded a large number of people of the Lord’s return no later than March 21, 1844. The date would pass, Miller’s prediction, and theology discredited. Yet others quickly put forth the date of April 18, and then October 22, all despite an entire nation laughing at them. It will happen again, when on May 21 there is no rapture. A segment of Christianity will be ridiculed, and it will adversely affect all Christianity. So why do we listen? Why do we give such men any credibility at all? Why are there legions who use every little headline, every imagined Old Testament passage to outline current events, and then try to fit it in their perception of Revelation?
The simple truth is, He is coming, but we are not supposed to know when, nor are we to guess, calculate, or predict. What good would it actually do if we did know the exact date? We couldn’t change anything, nor prepare ourselves any better, or could we? (Do read Sharon’s “by the way!”) This same problem confronted Paul in Thessalonica. Believers there had become confused, despondent, and others had just quit working, believing that the Lord would return at any moment (2 Th. 2:1-2; 3:6-12). Paul has clarified things, by stating that some events must occur before we can even begin to expect the Lord’s return. There is to be a rising apostasy, or rebellion against God and all civil order, which could be an accurate description of our present world (more on that next month). Then someone whom Paul will call “the man of lawlessness, the son of perdition is revealed, who opposes and exalt himself against every so-called god or form of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Th. 2:3- 4). There is much to say about this, but I must save it for next month.
There seems to be three basic errors, which are constantly perpetrated by those who frequently cry, “He’s coming.” They use the words and descriptions of our Lord’s prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, as if they referred to His “Parousia,” or second coming. They ignore, or perhaps are unaware of its fulfillment in 70AD (Read about this in my primer, “Prophecy,” pages 3-5, see below). Jesus does introduce His prophecy by providing some vital and important insights, but even these are often misunderstood. “Many will come…saying I am the Christ…you will hear of wars and rumors of wars (meaning wars near and far away) … “don’t be alarmed, such things must take place,” and then Jesus will add, “the end is not yet” (Mt. 24:5-6). Jesus will repeat this for added emphasis, “nation will rise against nation… there will be famines and earthquakes… but this is only the beginning of the birth pangs” (Mt. 24: 8).
Jesus is saying that all such events are not signs of the end, but what is common to every age. Wars, famines, earthquakes, are part of our struggle, part of mankind’s tormented existence in this age. There will always be “tribulations…you will be hated…for my name’s sake…many will fall away…false prophets…and wickedness will multiply.” But Jesus adds a concluding revelation, “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then will the end come” (Mt. 24: 9-14). Against all such severe tests we are to remain steadfast, and faithful, proclaiming against all odds the gospel.
Others have abused Daniel’s prophecies, forcing their own perceptions on what is so obviously symbolic. (Read my primer on “The End Time,” see below). This has affected how one reads the book of Revelation, and why it is the most misunderstood book of the Bible. There is more to say about John’s amazing and vital letter to the seven churches, but that too must wait for next month newsletter.
There are obviously those who like William Miller just have to calculate the Lord’s return. As a result there are those who have predicted the return of Jesus in 1981, 82, 88, 89, 92, 93, 94, 2000, and 2001, and now 2011 and 2012 have been put forth by still more. So why do we listen? Our call as Christians is to be faithful, put our trust in Him, and to witness to His truth of His gospel. To not, in the words of Paul, “ be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word or by letter…” (2Th. 2:2). Such frantic fear mongering is not the gospel, nor is it to be our message. We have something far more vital, and relevant, again as our Lord Himself said, “the gospel of the Kingdom must be preached throughout the whole world, as a witness to all nations …” (Mt. 24:14). There is a great deal left to do. As for His Parousia, it is in His hands. It is up to the Lord to take care of that, and Oh yes, one day He will!
Serving the One who will return, Maranatha,
Thomas Randolf Wyatt
There is Nothing Like This!
April 2011
My dear and faithful friend:
I would like to take you with me on a journey to a place that represents the very focal point of our faith. A place, that especially at this time of year, does come to mind as one reflects on the meaning of Easter, and what it must have been like to have been a witness to these momentous events. So, at this Easter season allow me to take you to a place half way around the world, but which is never far from our hearts.
I have traveled the world, and have seen many religious sites in exotic and mysterious places. I stood near the stupa, which is the traditional site of Mahatma Buddha’s burial. I have read of the Al Masjid de Naboui, where Mohammad is buried, and non-Muslims are not permitted to visit. I have seen the Golden Temple of Amritsar, where the remains of the Sikh’s ten Gurus are interred. Near Haifa, there is a lovely garden where the Baha ullah is buried. All these places are identical in a way, for each holds the earthly remains of revered founders of worldwide religions.
I have also stood in the rotunda of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a much repaired and expanded structure, but it still retains the feel and antiquity of the church built in 10992AD by the crusaders. There beyond the Chapel of Calvary, beneath the vastness of its dome stands a small stone building. What one might wish to see, the original site undisturbed, is gone destroyed by Roman conquest, and excavating the hillside to make room for centuries of pilgrims. Still as you draw closer the stone structure becomes a captivating with its carved façade and ancient adornments. You enter through a small doorway, and the powerful aroma of incense from scores of censers, and candlelight reflecting off countless golden embellishments, will leave a lasting impression. Then, just to your right, is a plain stone slab, worn smooth by the countless caresses and even kisses of nearly two millenniums. Here is where tradition, which long predates this ancient and venerated church, holds that Jesus was laid in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (Jn. 19:38-42).
It is this place, where is revealed the major difference of our Christian faith. It is not the ancient and adorned buildings; all religions have erected such structures on their sacred sites. It is not in the veneration of the founders of a religion. All these places, where the remains of such revered founders lie, reveals this difference, THIS TOMB IS EMPTY. There was, and there is nothing like this! I do so hope all Christians realize just how unique and profound, how magnificent and amazing is this central creed of our faith. “He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, died and was buried, and rose on the third day living from the dead…” Yet these simple words have aroused more questions, doubts, been more scrutinized and speculated over than any other event in history. Oddly enough even among those that purport to be, of all things, Christian leaders and scholars.
However, it remains impossible to explain the recorded events of our gospels, and events of human history, without the reality of that empty tomb.
How does a rag tag, disheveled, disorganized, and frightened group suddenly become the staunch defenders of this newfound faith in Jesus? How do they stubbornly refuse to be silenced by the religious authorities, insisting that they “cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard (Acts 4:20). Imagine the courage as they face death to proclaim throughout a hostile Roman Empire “… the word of God without fear” (Phil. 1:14). How does the church continue to grow facing the same kind of hostility, and in so many nations of the world? How do thousands of Christians face martyrdom without flinching, and in numbers that exceed any persecutions of ancient history? The Christian church will always overcome every obstacle, resist every effort to destroy it, all while adding believers; the answer to why and how, is indeed wondrous!
What assured the success of this new movement was not the quaint and insightful little sayings of Jesus, not His profound parables, not even the reports of His marvelous signs and wonders. No, not even His excruciating death on Calvary guaranteed His place in history, or that this movement would thrive. There is only one thing that has made Christianity a reality, has made the world a better, brighter place, made civilization and advancement possible, made benevolence, world hope and eternal blessedness a divine promise. Only one thing…THAT EMPTY TOMB, and that Jesus rose from the dead, and was seen alive by many.
Without the resurrection, as I concluded my Easter sermon, Jesus would be perhaps remembered as another prophet murdered, another messianic hope crushed, another tribal king executed by the Romans, all forgotten, like so many to history. No, the culmination of our faith, the very reasons for the existence of Christianity, and why it will NEVER be snuffed out, crushed, or ever overcome, no matter what the forces arrayed against it. There is only one thing, JESUS IS ALIVE! Here is the pinnacle of all ancient hopes, the climax of prophecy, and the crowning achievement of God’s purpose for all mankind. HE IS RISEN INDEED!
Thus ends our journey to the Holy Land, to visit a place where events occurred beyond human comprehension, to a place that reflects all that Our Savior means to us. Where the hope of all creation began, that astonishing place….THAT EMPTY TOMB!
Praising God and a risen Savior and Lord,
Thomas R. Wyatt
Answering Questions: What of the Garden Tomb?
Many Christians when visiting Jerusalem will go to the popular “Garden Tomb.” Not far from the old Turkish Damascus Gate is a site made popular in 1883, by the British General, Charles Gordon. Gordon was a larger than life character, and a dedicated Christian. He became famous during the Taiping rebellion in China, and then added to it by suppressing the slave trade in the African Sudan. In 1884 he returned to Sudan to deal with Mohammed Ahmed, a self proclaimed Madhi, who raised a fanatical army bent on establishing the world Caliphate. Gordon would fortify the city of Khartoum, and after a siege of eleven-months the city fell, and with it Gordon. It was this Gordon, who on a visit to Jerusalem was disenchanted with the ostentation he found in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. He would discover among other ancient tombs, one that was empty. It was found near an outcropping that resembled a skull (or Golgotha in Aramaic). This has become known as the “Garden Tomb,” a popular site for visitors to Jerusalem. There is much to recommend this garden site. It is natural and preserved as one might wish all such sites were, however centuries of history, and archeology do favor the traditional site as the actual burial place of Jesus.
The Wit and Wisdom of Paul
March 2011
My gracious friend:
To our faith, the apostle Paul holds a special place. His efforts for the gospel and his epistle are considered invaluable because of their obvious impact and revered value. There are those who find Paul harsh, judgmental, and fixated on certain negative issues. But I would have us appreciate one who can use language so effectively, perhaps unlike any other, even devising his own words. He uses irony to defuse potentially destructive situations (Rm.2:22; 1 Cor. 2:2; 3:18-19; 4:20; 14:8; 2 Cor. 11:4), has a caustic wit that disarms his detractors (1 Cor. 4:7-13; 2 Cor. 11:4; 12:13; Gal. 5:12; Eph. 5:18), and with extravagant flair can lift us on wings of divine inspiration to unimagined heights with just words.
He is, for me, always refreshing, inspiring, and constantly challenging. He did not drag, as some claim, this new “Way” (which is how the early church described itself, see my note below), into some theological maze far from some imagined simple faith in Jesus. Paul instead, with profound depth, an intense faith, and total devotion to Christ, would lead “The Way” where it could “make disciples of all nations” (Mt. 28:19).
For Paul, everything changed when he was overwhelmed on the road to Damascus. Here everything he thought he knew, EVERYTHING, was changed (Acts 9:1-9). He referred to himself “as the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle…but by the grace of God I am what I am…”(1 Cor. 15:9-10). And always he would stress that his apostleship, the gospel he proclaimed was “not received from man, nor was he taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:12, also 2 Cor. 12:12). His was a message “to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).
Jesus spoke of the Kingdom as at hand, and Paul could speak of its reality. That the kingdom existed not in meat, drink, or mere words, but “in the Spirit,” and “of power” (Rm. 14:17; 1 Cor. 4:20). Jesus endeavored to prepare His disciples for His divine destiny, and with remarkable words and great signs and wonders revealed that He was more than another prophet, healer, more even than just the Jewish Messiah. And Paul would give expression to that astonishing reality, “He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth….all things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together…For in Him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross” (Col. 1:15-20).
Jesus befriended, brought liberation, healing, and forgiveness to all who sought Him out, which irritated religionists. Paul would speak of the “riches of His grace, which He has lavished upon us,” irritating more religionists (Eph. 1:7-8). Jesus prophesied of “other sheep not of this fold” (Jn. 10:16), and Paul with gifted inspiration writes “there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28). Jesus’ mission was first to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” for He would be limited by time, nature, custom, and God’s purpose (Mt. 10:6; 15:24), but Paul, constrained only by God’s purpose, would take the story of Jesus to Greece, Rome, and perhaps even Spain (Rm. 15:24), even as the Lord commands us (Acts 1:8).
Everything Paul knew was wrapped up in, and revolved around Jesus Christ, and the life of the Spirit. The gospel was that powerful and real to Paul, which meant the mere hint of compromise, to dilute, or alter the gospel resulted in his passionate denunciation, using even absurdity to strike home his point, “Even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8). His extravagant use of words will even sing of great truths, as “who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Surely not “tribulations, distress…peril, or sword…” Instead he will declare that “in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” He will conclude this soaring hymn proclaiming that nothing “in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rm. 8:35-39). What a profound and stirring prophecy!
There is so much more, so I am offering, free, some sermons on this theme, because we need to share with Paul his uncompromising passion for Jesus, and the gospel. As Jesus performed great signs and wonders, Paul expected such signs and wonders to continue as the expected consequence of our life in the Spirit. Are we then too afraid today of such a message? One of fire, passion, full of a burning love and wonder in the things of God? Would we understand and appreciate the likes of Paul in our pews, or even in our pulpits? Do we shy away from the Spirit’s true empowerment for our lives? Is it easier to be unruffled, undisturbed, and unchallenged by the truth of who Jesus is, and what He came to do in and through each of us? These are demanding questions, and require a truthful answer.
Would we embrace all the Spirit can do, or are we a little timid, and unsure? I know what my answer is! And I pray yours is the same, for by it will depends this ministry, and actually as does all of Christianity.
Serving an undefeatable God, and Savior,
Thomas R. Wyatt
Answering Questions:
Believers were first called Christians in the Syrian city of Antioch (Acts 11:26). However, this was not what the followers of Christ first called themselves. In the book of Acts we find that believers were first known as “The Way.” When Saul, soon to be known as Paul, embarked on his fateful journey to Damascus, he was determined that, “if he found any belonging to ‘the Way,’ men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:2). It is by this term, “The Way,” that Paul will refer to the “Christian” movement throughout his ministry (Acts 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22). This makes wonderful sense, for it was the “way of God” (Jn. 18:26), the way of salvation (Jn. 16:17), and was built upon the one who said “I am the way…” (Jn. 14:6). The term “Christian” was attached to a young church in Antioch, in derision. We will always be known as “Christians,” we can’t change history, but actually there is nothing wrong with being called “Christian,” is there?
