Is America Part of the End Times Prophecy?

Is America part of the End Times prophecy? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of CORE Christianity. Well, hi, this is Bill Meyer with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. Our phone lines are open right now, and you can call us for the next 25 minutes or so at 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. You can also post your question on one of our social media sites, including Instagram and YouTube, and you can email us anytime at questionsatcorechristianity.com. First up today, we had this YouTube question from Linda a couple of days ago, and I know Adriel wanted to get a chance to address it. She says, Linda, thank you I know you gave a follow-up also, sharing a little bit more information, and one of the things that I said was it is clear in Scripture that if two people are not divorced, you know, with biblical grounds, that in God's sight they're still married. I mean, that's Jesus's point in Matthew chapter 5. It was also said, whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce. But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. So what I said was, look, there are biblical grounds for divorce. Namely, you have adultery that's described there.

You also have Paul's discussion on abandonment in 1 Corinthians chapter 7. You said, and mentioned to us as well, that this person, your husband, was a Christian. Now he's entered into another relationship, and so it seems to me like there has been abandonment. Maybe, you know, depending on the nature of this relationship, maybe also if it was a sexual relationship, then that could also legitimately dissolve the marriage.

But in terms of how long should you wait for something like reconciliation to take place, what you need to know is, and this is where it's really important for the church to step in and to be able to walk with you and to say, okay, look, you're no longer married. This person has left you. They've entered into another relationship.

So I don't think this is a decision that you should make in isolation. I know that there's a desire and a longing to be reconciled, but it seems to me like if your husband has abandoned you or left the marriage, divorced you, and then gone into this other relationship, that even though maybe the initial grounds for divorce weren't legitimate, that now, you know, he's actually gone a step further. He's entered into another relationship.

He's no longer caring for you as his wife, and so I do think that there is freedom on your part to pursue another relationship with a Christian man down the road, but this is where the church being with you and walking with you and guiding you should provide some of that wisdom and insight in terms of, okay, how long do I wait around? And so, sister, we are so sorry to hear about these circumstances. May the Lord Jesus be with you and comfort you and strengthen you in your faith if you continue to seek to walk with him and to honor him. Such a difficult situation, and thank you for that, Adriel, and for your care and compassion for her. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. We'd love to hear from you. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life, feel free to give us a call at 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. I mentioned that we have an Instagram page, and you can send us your question through Instagram and often watch Adriel Live on Instagram, and here's a question that came in from Jennifer. She says, my friend is now attending church and wanting to love God, but he sees that Satan is more in control than God. How do I turn this around for him? I'd be curious to know precisely what your friend is seeing that's causing him to think that Satan is more in control than God. I mean, it could be just you turn on the news and it seems like there's so much death and destruction and injustice in the world that you start to feel like, oh boy, God has really lost control. But one of the interesting things, I just not too long ago preached through the book of Revelation, one of the things you see over and over again in the book of Revelation is Jesus is on the throne. God is continuing to reign. Even though the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain, as Psalm chapter 2 says, even though there's death and destruction and famine and disease and war, God is still sovereign. And sometimes these are judgments that God brings upon a sinful world.

Sometimes it's just a part of the brokenness that we see all around us. But one thing we can't lose sight of is the fact that Jesus is the ruler of the kings on earth and that he is in control, that he is reigning. And that ought to be a comfort for us when we see all of these terrible things happening because we recognize that God has already purposed to resolve all of the death and destruction that we see and that's already begun in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We're looking forward to the great day when the consummation of his redemptive work takes place, where Christ comes again to judge the whole world.

But with regard to your friend, Jennifer, and wanting to encourage them, I think just saying, look, we don't always have the answers as to the why, why terrible things happen in the world, why there's certain death and disease and destruction and war and so forth. We can point to sin and the reality of sin, but we do know that God sent his Son into the world to experience great injustice, death, murder so that we might be redeemed. In other words, God is able to take even the horrible things that we see around us and somehow turn them around for good. And we don't always know how that works, but we know that God is able to do that because when we look at the cross of Jesus Christ, that's precisely what God did. And so there's comfort in knowing that Christ sympathizes with us in our weakness, that he knows what it's like to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. So you can go to him and receive that comfort that you need in the midst of whatever it is that you're struggling with and questioning and know that definitively he has conquered Satan and the forces of darkness through his death and resurrection. And so Satan is not the one who's in control. He's not the one who's all powerful.

God is, and God is the one who reigns. And so may God be with you, Jennifer, and grant you wisdom and much grace in talking to your friend. I hope that your friend is comforted by the reality of Christ's redemptive work.

Amen. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Love to hear from you if you've got a question about the Bible, the Christian life doctrine or theology, maybe you have some doubts about the Christian faith.

Maybe you consider yourself to be an agnostic or an atheist and you really don't buy this whole Christianity thing. Hey, we're open to your calls as well. Here's the number. It's 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. Let's go to Eric, who's calling in from Iowa. Eric, what's your question for Adriel? My question is, in Luke chapter 8, starting in verse 22, Jesus is in a boat and he's asleep. And the disciples apparently got really scared and they woke Jesus up and said that they were perishing. My question is, what should they have did differently? I know they were lacking in faith, they thought they were going to drown. What should they have said to Jesus? How should they have acted differently in that situation?

Eric, thank you for that question. Well, one, it's easy to look at the disciples and to say, boy, I would have made that same, I would have been afraid, too, on the boat. And in part, what was their fear rooted in? Jesus says it's a lack of faith. They didn't truly believe that God was going to take care of them there in that moment.

Let me just read the text. One day, he, that is Jesus, got into a boat with his disciples and he said to them, let us go across to the other side to the lake. So they set out and as they sailed, he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake and they were filling with water and were in danger.

So of course, I mean, it makes sense why they're terrified. And they went and woke him saying, master, master, we are perishing. And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves and they ceased and there was a calm. And he said to them, where is your faith? And they were afraid. And they marveled, saying to one another, who then is this that he commands even winds and water and they obey him? It was an opportunity for Jesus to demonstrate his power over nature to the disciples. And part of the issue is the lack of faith, but really the lack of understanding of who was in the boat with them.

This is the one who has power over the wind and the waves. And so what should they have done? Maybe it's not so much what should they have done differently, it's what should they have believed? They should have believed, recognized who it was that was with them. And of course, so many times the disciples had a hard time seeing that, that this was the sovereign Lord who they were walking with and talking with.

And it took time to really grasp that. And so for each of us, I think in terms of a big takeaway is do we really recognize who it is that we serve, that he cares for us, that he loves us, that he's going to watch over us and provide for us. You think of what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, you know, don't worry about your life, what you'll eat, what you'll drink, what you're going to put on. This is what the Gentiles seek after. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Oh, you of little faith.

There it is right there. It's recognizing who it is that we serve so that even when we're going through difficult times, when the waves are crashing and the wind is blowing, as it were, and we experience the storms of life, resting in the fact that we serve a good God, a merciful God who cares for us and watches over us. And so that's what the disciples were missing in that moment. And that's what so many of us miss in those moments where we're experiencing difficulty. God help us to fix our eyes on Christ and to rest in him even when it seems like, you know, the waves are crashing around us. God bless you, Eric.

Thanks for reaching out. And that's such a challenge, isn't it? I mean, when we are dealing with an extremely stressful situation, we can't see maybe God's, you know, full picture and we're anxious and we're worried and a lot of times we're not really trusting God at that point.

Yeah. And, you know, it doesn't mean that we're always going to be spared of great difficulty in life even as we trust the Lord. I mentioned earlier how, you know, preaching through the book of Revelation some time ago, one of the insights that I received was just like God is sovereign over the whole world. Even when, you know, wild beasts seem to be raging and the nations are persecuting the people of God, God is still sovereign. And he sealed his people. He protects them.

He guards them. And yet at the same time, many of them suffer immensely. Many of them were martyrs. You have in Revelation chapter 6, the souls of the martyrs beneath the altar calling out to God, how long until you avenge us, Lord? And so just because we're sealed by the Lord with the Holy Spirit doesn't mean that we're kept from great difficulty and persecution and so forth. And so we trust that Jesus is the one who is going to continue to keep us even in and through great suffering. That's also Paul's point in Romans chapter 8. You know, what can separate us from the love of God? Persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword. He lists all these things and then he goes on to say, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. And so we can't lose sight of the fact, you know, if we think that because I'm a Christian, God is going to protect me and that means that nothing bad will ever happen to me. That's a misunderstanding of the biblical text. The way God has demonstrated his love for us is in sending his Son to bear the penalty for our sins, justifying us, filling us with his Spirit, and promising to never leave us or forsake us even though we experience great difficulty in life. Amen.

So well said. Thanks for that, Adriel. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. We have a whole bunch of free resources available on our website, corechristianity.com. One of those resources has to do with the difference between Protestant and Catholic theology. Yeah, it's a great new booklet called What Still Divides Us? And as you know, we get a lot of questions on the broadcast about the differences between Roman Catholicism and Protestant Christianity. And so a while back we decided to put together a resource like this.

It's only about 70 pages long. But it will get you into the main differences and some of the important doctrinal issues there. Get ahold of What Still Divides Us over at corechristianity.com forward slash radio. And by the way, while you're at our website, we would encourage you to check out our donation link. If you're a regular listener, you believe in what we do here at Core Christianity. We are listener supported. We don't play commercials. We don't get money from a church or denomination.

We actually count on people just like you to make donations to keep us on the air. So you can check that out at corechristianity.com. Well, we do get voicemails here at the core, and you can call us 24 hours a day and leave your voicemail on our system. Here's the number. It's 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. Here's a voicemail from one of our listeners named Angela. My question is, is America mentioned anywhere in prophecy about the end times?

Thank you. Angela, thank you for that question. It's my view that, no, not specifically. So, you know, there are instances in scripture where it's clear that the prophets are referring to a particular kingdom or nation. You think of Daniel's prophecies, for example, or in the book of Revelation as well. I think that there are some clear parallels to both the Jews and also the Roman Empire, but you do see that in Daniel as well. And so you see at times, you know, the prophets referring to the Assyrians or the Babylonians or the Persians or the Greeks as well.

And I think that there's, you know, clear reference there. And in the book of Revelation, these world empires are sort of jumbled up into one great monstrous beast that persecutes the people of God. This system of idolatry that points in the book of Revelation. It seems like all the nations of the world are participating in it, and it's characterized by lust and greed and a hatred for God.

And I think we see that throughout the world and among the different nations of the world. And of course, we're all called to repentance, to look to Christ, to trust in him. But I don't think that, you know, you're going to find a prophecy in scripture that's referring to the foundation of the United States of America or something like that. The focus of biblical prophecy is really Christ and his church. And the Church of Jesus Christ is Catholic. And what I mean by Catholic, when we were just talking about the differences between Roman Catholicism and Protestant Christianity, the word Catholic just means universal.

So in one sense, all Christians, we're not just talking about Roman Catholics here, all Christians who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, believing in him sincerely, they're a part of the universal, quote unquote, Catholic Church. And that's the focus of really biblical prophecy as well, when Revelation is talking about the persecution that the saints experience. It's not just talking about the persecution that the saints experience in one place or one corner of the world. It's talking about the saints throughout all time in history, throughout the whole world. And so I think that there is a temptation, you know, that every generation faces and experiences to think that we're the center of the story, that it's all about us, that this is what they were, you know, it was really focused on us.

But I don't think that that's the case. Now, what we do read in scripture relates to us. And as Paul says in 1 Corinthians, the things that came before us were written for our instruction so that we would know how to follow the Lord and to serve him. And we do have so much in God's Word that we can look to and say, okay, we see parallels with our current situation right now. Romans 1 comes to mind.

You think of people exchanging the truth of God for evil and for sin, suppressing the truth of God and unrighteous. We do see that in our world and in our nation as well. And so that's relevant for us. I mean, we should listen to that.

But it's also relevant for so many others as well. And so God help us to receive God's Word where we need to hear it and to listen to it and to listen to the voice of Christ and turn from our sins and to follow him. God bless. Thanks for that, Adriel. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez.

Just a programming note for you. We're going to be recording a second episode of Core Christianity after our live program ends here in just a couple of minutes. So if you weren't able to get through and you still have a question for Adriel about the Bible, the Christian life, doctrine, theology, you can still call us for the next 30 minutes or so. Here's the number, 833-THE-CORE. That's 1-833-843-2673. We would love to get your question.

Here's a voicemail from one of our listeners named Andrea. My question is this, there's a lot of Christians who know the actual date of when they got saved and they experienced a physical transformation. However, I do not know the date in which I got saved. I am saved.

I do believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. However, I don't have a date of when that actually happened. So I wanted to know, should a Christian have a date, because I don't want to be one of those Christians to think I have it and I really don't and go before God. And he says, depart from me, I know you're not, because I don't have an actual date. Thank you. Andrea, thanks for that question.

You know, I also don't have a specific date. I can remember, you know, a month where it seemed like God was really at work in my heart and I was praying and seeking God, but I don't remember a particular day or even one moment. And then when I think about my life, and I know this is true for so many others, you can see, as you look back on your life, maybe that wasn't the moment where you were saved, a particular moment, but you can see where God was working, providentially paving the way for you to meet an individual who's going to share the gospel with you or give you some particular insight into the truth of God's word. You can just see God at work. So I don't think that you have to have, you know, well, it happened at 3.52 p.m. on October the 12th, you know, this year.

No, you don't need to have that. I think we can marvel at the fact that as we look at our lives, we can see the hand of the Lord in various ways leading us and guiding us and calling us to himself, that sense of conviction that we experience as we heard the word of God and then received it. And so, no, you don't need to have a particular moment. It's kind of unfortunate, but, you know, we focus so much on our own personal testimony, and it sort of feels like I have to have this crisis moment where, you know, I was going through this terrible thing, and I was so bad, and then Jesus transformed me in that moment.

That's not how it is for everyone. Yeah, that is how it is for some people, certainly, but for some people, you know, they're brought up in the church, and they don't remember a time where they had that sort of crisis moment where they, you know, accepted Jesus into their heart after, you know, a time of great difficulty. They could see the hand of God at work in their lives.

They don't remember a time where they just first believed. I sort of think of David in the Psalms. He says, From my mother's breast you have been my God, you've caused me to trust in you. In other words, ever since I was a little kid, you've been my God.

That's how I remember it. And so I don't want you to be discouraged by the fact that you don't have that. Instead, just marvel at God's goodness and kindness and drawing you to himself.

You know that you believe. And your confidence is in Christ, in what He has done for you, not in some moment of crisis where you came to Him. Now, I do think that there is a moment in the past that we can point back to as Christians to get comfort from that.

And it's not so much, you know, that lightning bolt moment. It's when we were baptized. And the apostle Paul, you know, he does this in the book of Romans, in Romans chapter 6, as he's writing to the church in Rome, and he's encouraging them. He's basically telling them, Remember your guys' baptisms.

Do you remember what God spoke to you there? How by faith in His name and through, you know, this ordinance that Jesus gave, you've been brought from death to life. You're a new person, and that was sealed, signified in your baptism. And so I think one thing that you can do is if you've been baptized, you can say, I'm a baptized Christian. I have been washed by the blood of Jesus, by faith.

I'm a new person. I'm not who I used to be because of what God has done, and I get to live in light of that great reality. And so we ought to be comforted by that, and may God bless you and encourage you as you seek to walk with Jesus every day, growing in Him.

Andrea, God bless, and thanks for reaching out to us. You know, you mentioned in your own life there wasn't a particular day or hour where you can look back on that, but I know, and you've mentioned this before, your childhood was not the easiest. You grew up in a single-parent home. Was there someone that invited you to church or shared the gospel with you when you were a teenager?

Yeah. Well, even though I grew up in a single-parent home, I mean, my mom was a rock star who did so much to provide for us and make sure that we had everything that we needed. And so I feel really privileged in some ways. And she did talk to me about God and faith and teach me the Lord's Prayer from a young age, but it wasn't until later in high school where a family did begin to invite me to church and talk to me about the Bible that I really, at first, began to understand my own sin and my own need of a Savior. And I hope that that's something that every single one of our listeners has also come to see in their own lives, is their own sin and their need of a Savior and the fact that that Savior is Jesus Christ. God bless. Thanks for listening to Core Christianity. To request your copy of today's special offer, go to corechristianity.com forward slash radio, or you can call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833-THE-CORE. When you contact us, let us know how we can be praying for you. And be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's Word together.