Pastor Thomas Ray Floyd graciously permitted me to publish this article. I wanted to do so for two reasons. First, the timing seemed appropriate. I’m three days late, but this is still the week we celebrate our nation’s independence. Brother Floyd’s article encourages us to consider our vision for what we want the United States of America to become.
Second, his view of Biblical prophecy (postmillennialism) shares a vital element with my view (inmillennialism)—an optimistic view of the kingdom of God in this age.1 This optimism affects our view of politics and government, including how our leaders promote godliness or ungodliness among our citizens.2
Please consider the points Pastor Floyd makes.
— Mike Rogers
“It is time for Thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void Thy Law” (Psa 119:126).
“For the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold (i.e., “suppress”) the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Rom 1:18-21).
“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:5).
There is no consistent stopping place between theonomy and autonomy. Whenever people reject the rule of God, they are headed for certain disaster. God’s perfect law will rule us, or we will attempt to be autonomous and establish our own human standard of law. This is true for each of us as individuals, and it is also true of nations.
What you are presently witnessing in our country is the certain result of America, and of Americans attempting to be autonomous. The infallible standard of God’s law has been completely rejected, and America, for the most part, has made man the measure of all things. This is true of both “conservatives” and “liberals.” If you listen to Fox News or NPR, Republicans or Democrats, you will see that they generally hold the same presuppositions.
This is, of course, why today’s conservatism conserves nothing. Both “conservatives” and “liberals” are abolitionists, egalitarians, and feminists. They both agree that an autonomous State can solve the nation’s problems. They may disagree somewhat on how far to go with their humanistic schemes, and of course they disagree on who should actually be in control. But they agree we will not have God to rule over us.
This was Satan’s lie in the beginning, which bought about the Fall of Man. Satan was the first advocate of equality. He desired to be equal with God (Isa 14:14), and he promised Eve and Adam if they would eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, “Ye shall be as gods.” People who advocate for “equality” are parroting Satan’s lie. Of course, egalitarians ultimately desire to dethrone God and put themselves on the Throne. Satan’s lie was, and still is, that man can be autonomous.
Of course, autonomy always has disastrous results as we are presently witnessing. When people refuse to glorify God and be ruled by Him, He finally leaves them to themselves. God is long suffering, but after many calls to repentance and man’s refusal to heed, He turns them over to a mind void of judgment. This is certainly what is happening before your very eyes in this nation.
When civil authorities stand idly by and watch thugs burn down cities, kill innocent people, and rape and pillage, they have been turned over to a reprobate mind. When the nation makes a hero out of a serial felon and refuses to give a fair trial to the peace officer attempting to protect law-abiding citizens from him, the nation (as a nation) has been turned over to a reprobate mind.
A nation that attempts to quarantine healthy people and make everybody wear a mask nation (as a nation, not everyone in the nation) has been turned over to a reprobate mind. When the government deliberately puts people out of work and thus into poverty, government has been turned over to a reprobate mind. When the leaders of both parties put the nation into hopeless debt to “solve” the problems they created, those “leaders” have been turned over to a reprobate mind. When you hear “leaders” advocating for the abolition of the police, God has left them to themselves to do those things not convenient (as the Holy Spirit saith further in Romans 1).
Autonomy will never work, and it will never succeed. That is the reason we chose the title, “The Disastrous Results of Attempted Autonomy.” Unsaved man may attempt to be equal to God, but he never can be. The only people who can be truly happy and content are those who will bow to King Jesus and submit to His perfect Law.
Sadly, the modern professed “church” is complicit in this rejection of God. Most preachers, even so-called “conservative” ones, do not preach the law of God except to lie to people and tell them they are not under the law of God. If you listen to so-called “conservative” preachers, they are generally parroting the same lies as the unsaved world. The “church” in your day and mine generally holds the same presuppositions as the unsaved world. The “church” in your day and mine is advocating for equality, abolitionism, civil “rights”, feminism, and autonomy for man, all unbiblical philosophies.
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven, and you can be sure it will get worse before it gets better. But now, dear interested and serious reader, I want to address you personally instead of the “church” or the “government” are the “culture.” Have you attempted to make void the law of God for yourself? Are you trying to be autonomous? Have you said in your heart, “I will not have God to rule over me?” Then I warn you strongly God’s wrath shall forever be poured out on you except ye repent.
Footnotes
- Please consider becoming familiar with the inmillennial view of prophecy. You can read a summary version here or tackle the full book-length version here. The title of the book—Inmillennialism: Redefining the Last Days—hints at the reason for my suggestion. This model says the “last days” are identical to Peter’s “these days”; both terms refer to the “last days” of the Mosaic age. It says Christ will overcome all His enemies in our age.
- The image in this post is a display of the LGBTQ pride flag at the White House in Washington, DC on June 10, 2023 authorized by President Joe Biden. —Emily Singer, Republicans call flying LGBTQ pride flag at White House a ‘disgrace’ and ‘shameful.’
