Rev. Brian M. Abshire

The worst nightmare of my life happened in February, 1973. After six weeks of Air Force basic training I had finally graduated and was awaiting orders. Casual squadron was a great relief after boot camp. No one yelling at you, cursory inspections, and you could actually eat in relative peace without some sloped headed, beetle browed, fanatic suffering from an undiagnosed but obviously serious psychopathology standing behind you screaming “Move it! Move it! Move it!”

The nightmare happened my first night. I woke up about 3:00 AM trembling in fear and sweating through my bed-sheets. I had dreamed that I had not really graduated from boot camp, but still had another six weeks to go! Arrrrrgh!

What makes this anecdote even more pathetic was that boot camp was hardly arduous. I should have known better because my Dad and one older brother had also been Air Force vets. But I really did think that the military was going to turn me into a hardened, steel eyed, cold blooded killer, something I thought would be a nice change of pace from being a long-haired, sandal wearing, peace loving freak (OK, we’re NOT discussing MY psychopathologies here). Instead, the only difference between Air Force basic training and Boy Scout summer camp is that the Boy Scouts got adult supervision. Instead of becoming the airborne commando ready to fight and die for my country, I discovered a world of petty bureaucracy, silly regulations, blind eyes and pencil whipping. Even worse, I wasn’t very good at it. I failed both the physical conditioning examination and the rifle qualification (how utterly devastating for a country boy to admit) but I did get extra points for neat penmanship!

Even more amazing was that out of the forty-four men who started training in my flight, fourteen of them gave up because it was too “hard.” I would have quit too, except the Air Force was my final hope. I had no place else to go, no skills to find a job, no money to go to college, nothing back in Maine except long winters and having to admit I had failed. So, by God’s grace (even though I didn’t know what that meant at the time) I stuck it out, and learned one of the most valuable lessons of my life. Tough times make for tough people. While I wish I could share war stories about how armed only with a rusty pocket knife, I won undying glory against impossible odds by sheer force of right, instead I spent six years doing hard, unglamorous work, for low pay, under sometimes appalling weather conditions. But I did learn how to keep my mouth shut (not always practiced), how to take orders (even dumb ones), submit to authority (even when the authority had IQ points roughly equivalent to room temperature) and do my job as unto the Lord.

I treasure my Air Force memories because they were a tempering process. They forced me to do things I would never have done, they stretched me in ways I never knew I could be stretched. The Air Force, through the grace of God, helped transform a lazy, insolent, self-oriented young punk into a responsible citizen. Yeah, it was tough, and humbling and much better to remember than it was to live. But it was necessary.

God in His sovereignty uses many things in our lives to create the character of Christ. Hardship, affliction and sometimes, even persecution are all tools in His hands. God is always in control, God always knows what He is doing. God is always working to advance His kingdom in history through the work of His people, and a large part of that work is preparing us for dominion. He purposely put enemies before Israel to prepare them for war. He scourges us when we fall into wickedness to bring us to repentance (Hebs 12:7ff). He shapes and molds our experiences to prepare us for future glory (Rms 8:28-29).

Hence it astounding that a great number of people in our camp seemed consumed by fear of the future. Whether it be the conspiracies of evil men in high places, nuclear missiles pointing at our cities, the growing federal deficit, fractional reserve banking, Y2K, etc., many, many people who claim to be postmillenialists seem to live their lives in fear of the immediate future; fear that colors their work, worship and ministry. Some retreat to the hills, stock their survival retreats with MRE’s and assault rifles, fearing the day when the BATF comes a’calling. Others are consumed with uncovering the latest conspiracy. Neither is really dominion oriented.

Not for a moment am I blind to the dangers of living in this present world. Crime is rampant, the Federal Government IS out of control, evil men ARE conspiring against the Anointed. Certainly, wise men WILL take certain precautions to protect their families (see my essay, Y2k and Disaster Preparedness). But, and this is an important “but,” God is in control. Granted, this nation deserves judgment, and unless she repents will receive judgment. But we do not have to live in fear. God is in control, and God is a whole lot more gracious, kind and forbearing than most of us realize.

Israel repeatedly apostasized but God did NOT bring His judgment against them for almost FIVE hundred years; from the time of David to the fall of Jerusalem. Then, He gave them another five hundred years before destroying them by Rome. Rome was certainly an evil, tyrannical and Satanic empire fully worthy of divine judgment. But God postponed their judgment for FOUR hundred years until His fledging church was ready.

Yes, we deserve judgment, but God reveals Himself as slow to anger and abounding in loving-kindness. Of course we must not presume upon His mercy, of course we should be calling from the roof-tops for widespread repentance, of course there are many institutional evils that must be rebuked, and in God’s timing, replaced. But God will not bring His judgment UNTIL He is ready, and more importantly, until we are ready.

One of the ways that He prepares us for future dominion is through giving us small tasks to handle that toughen us up for greater works down the road. Hence, with all due respect to certain brothers, the doom, gloom and BOOM! Scenario that some seem so enamored of is unlikely. Life has always been tough. God’s people have always been surrounded by death, disease and disaster. Millions died in World War One but millions more died in the Great Influenza Epidemic that came soon after. In the nineteenth century, women routinely died in childbirth while men routinely died of old age in their forties. In our own history, we fought one war to gain our independence, another to preserve it, still another to free it, all while building the freest, most prosperous, most godly nation in history. Our ancestors were men and women who had been tried by God. They were not pessimistic about the future even amidst circumstances that most of us would find unbearable today. The problem is, we are too soft. Does anyone deny that the great appeal of a pre-tribulation rapture is the fear of persecution? Is it any wonder that our brothers in Mozambique, Angola, Uganda, Zambia, Sudan, China, Romania, Albania, North Korea, etc., all scratch their heads in bewilderment of this doctrine of escape? No rapture prevented their persecution and suffering. But they survived. And they thrived!

Conclusion
Instead of giving into fear, Christians should be preparing for victory. Granted, we may not see that victory, and neither may our children. But our grandchildren just might. And it is certain that each generation brought into the world grows closer to the day when the whole earth is full of the glory of God. Therefore, we ought to be focusing on preparing for long term dominion by learning the lessons now that our descendants will need.

We need to become self governed people, industrious, diligent and conscientious in our labor. We must restore the Biblical family, making men into elders of their homes, women confident of their calling, covenant children who embody our values and priorities. We must reclaim a sense of genuine Christian community and establish churches that work, learn how to persevere through problems, trials and difficulties until we establish a genuine counter-cultural movement. We must discard the transient values of apostate America and rebuild a genuine Biblical concept of relationships. We need to learn how to handle authority when it is given to us, and how to submit lawfully when it is given to others.

Whatever comes, comes from the hand of a sovereign and gracious God. If there are things we can do, or our families can do, or our churches can do, to have a prophetic witness against evil, or stem the tide of wickedness, then we must will dedicate ourselves to them. But we do not have to give into fear. We do not have to become paranoid. We do not have to frighten others. By God’s grace, we can survive, we can grow, we can flourish, and we will conquer in Christ’s name.

“’For I know the plans that I have for you,’ says Jehovah, ‘plans of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. And you shall call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And you shall seek me, and shall find me, when you search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 20:11-13