Individual Responsibility and Capitalism

Our cultural foundation includes the economic concept of capitalism. Capitalism has at its core the necessity of individual responsibility. For individuals to act responsibly there must be some level of ethics and morality. Before an individual or a cultural can identify right from wrong so that ethics and morality can be established there has to be some standard that is recognized as absolute. Thus, the sequence for establishing a capitalistic society:

1. Absolute standards
2. Ethics and morality
3. Responsible individuals
4. Profitable and beneficial capitalism
5. A Successful society

In Hope for America's Last Generation I closed the book with the following statement in the epilogue:

The other, and perhaps most important, thing you can do is change yourself. Begin to do what is right in every area of your life - taking personal responsibility for all your choices. If you change the one institution you have control over, the rest of the institutions will fall in line. (page 251)

The five institutions established by God for the well-being of mankind and man's societies are: individual responsibility (free will), marriage, family, nationalism and government. We know that nationalism, family, and marriage are under attack in our culture today. Could it be that due to the failure of individual responsibility being kept in perspective the institution of government is also being forced further out of line? The need for the bailouts is a sign that our new principles are false and failing. We have neglected Truth and reality for false philosophies and vanity. Are we following our idols to judgment?

Read Hope for America's Last Generation online in .pdf or request a copy at gw@generationword.com

Galyn Wiemers
http://www.generationword.com

Why Do Children Suffer?

Jan, a longtime listener and promoter of Generation Word who lives in Australia, emailed this morning and asked this question:

Hi Galyn,
Hope you and Toni and boys are all well, all my best wishes for your holiday season.

I am enjoying your teaching on Ephesians and I am also doing Romans (from the blue tabs). I was asked a question by a new believer (friend) and I didn't really know enough to answer her sufficiently and wondered if you could help me. I know you are very busy and I don't want to encroach upon your time, but if you could send a reply I would be really grateful. Her question was "why does God allow little children to suffer e.g. being born with aids or drug addiction or being abused by adults" my friend is a nurse and works in hospitals where she sees the suffering of small children and wonders why these things are allowed by a gracious and loving God.

Jan,
Thanks for the email. It is always encouraging to hear from you and know you are still using the website. I have attached an audio clip from the series "30 Questions and Answers". In this message I answer the question "Do science and the Bible conflict?" then in the second half I address the question you are interested in: "How could God allow suffering and evil?"

http://www.generationword.com/on_line_audio/q_a_3_4.ram

This message may also be of interest: "What do I say to my patients? How did Satan come to be?" It can be heard at:

http://generationword.com/on_line_audio/q_a_16_17.ram

The basic answer to the question is that God created a perfect world for man and then God told man that he was free to eat from any tree in the garden but advised him not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

"You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." Gen. 2:17

In summary:
1. God made a perfect world.
2. God told man he was free.
3. Man choose to corrupt the perfect world.
4. The result: we live in a fallen world.

Adam choose to live outside of God's will back then which still effects us now. Today men, including me, often make choices that are in rebellion to God's will which continues to compound the problem. Realize though that even if we choose to do everything in perfect agreement with God's plan (live a sinless life) we would still face suffering since we live in a fallen world.

Galyn Wiemers
http://www.generationword.com

The Rapture and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3

A key verse to the time of the rapture (harpadzo) referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is found in Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians in verse 2:1-3. I teach that this event, the removal of the church, will occur before the beginning of Daniel's last "week" or the seven year tribulation. Friends of mine who attend one of my Bible studies hold to the mid-tribulation rapture that occurs at the 3 1/2 year mark or the half-way point of the tribulation. Still many others believe the church will continue on the earth through the entire seven year tribulation. This is an interesting study that has drawn good, Bible-believing Christians to the defense of any of these three positions of interpretation.

In 2 Thessalonians Paul writes to correct a mistaken understanding and application of his previous teaching. He writes:

"Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction."

Several key phrases need to be correctly identified to keep Paul's comments in context. Again, the views Bible teachers have here will vary. These are some of the phrases:

1. "coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him"
2. "easily unsettled or alarmed"
3. "the day of the Lord"
4. "the day of the Lord has already come"
5. "that day will not come until: A) the rebellion occurs, B) the man of lawlessness is revealed

Number 1 - "coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" is his appearing to take the church and "our being gathered to him" is the rapture itself.

Number 2 - "easily unsettled or alarmed" is from the Greek words "εἰς τὸ μὴ ταχέως σαλευθῆναι ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ νοὸς μηδὲ θροεῖσθαι" and is translated in the NAS as "that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed" (notice the NIV translates the thought of the Greek but the NAS translates the words) . The key words "unsettled" means "to shake, to cause to move to and fro, to cause to waiver like the shaking of a foundation." This word "unsettled" is used beside the word "mind" in the Greek meaning the shaking is being done in their mind, the faculty for reasoning or understanding. This is followed by the word "alarmed" which in the Greek means "to be disturbed, to be frightened, to be inwardly aroused." The report the Thessalonians had accepted had not changed their outward circumstances (there was no increase in persecutions, plagues, or marks of the beast, etc.) but the trouble was on the inside caused by unwarranted fear of something that had not yet manifested.

Number 3 - "day of the Lord" is an Old Testament term for God's Day, or period (Daniel's 70th week) of judgment on the earth and Israel's testing.

Number 4 - "day of the Lord has already come" tells us what they were so unsettled and alarmed about in the mind and inward being. They were anticipating the tribulation and its accompanying events.

Number 5 - Paul says that day worthy of fear will not come until "the rebellion occurs" and "the man of lawlessness is revealed".

The Thessalonian believers wrongfully feared they had missed the rapture that occurs with the appearing of the Lord before the tribulation begins. The tribulation is a seven year period that includes judgment on the nations, but also, a time of testing for Israel in order to bring them to a place of repentance when God pours out on them "a spirit of grace and supplication" mentioned in Zechariah 12:10 (12:10-14:21).

This is the order of events presented in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3:

1. Coming of the Lord to gather the church (rapture)
   
2. "The Rebellion" and "revealing" of the anti-Christ
3. The period of judgment known as the Day of the Lord, the seven year tribulation

Watch and listen to Galyn's teaching on End Time Basics in RealPlayer:

• End Time Basics 1
• Daniel's Prophecy
• Daniel's Weeks; Matthew 24; Luke 21
• Rapture
• The First Half of the Tribulation
• The Second Half of the Tribulation

Or, listen online to these entire audio sets:

• Verse by verse through the book of Revelation
• Overview of Eschatology
  

Galyn Wiemers
http://www.generationword.com

Book Details

I began in January of 2008 attempting to write and organize notes, thoughts and general information that I taught in our Generation Word's 50 week Bible School. During the next five months I found myself too busy with work, teaching Bible classes, following my boy's activities, updating the websites, etc. to make any progress on the book that I wanted to call "Generation Word's Bible School Notes."

But, when summer came I spent every possible minute between June 9 and August 12 writing and drawing maps for 61 chapters. The editing process began right away with many people reading through sections of the book. Tim Vaniman edited the portions that were turned in until sometime in October when we handed the book over to Clint Hansen to set the book for printing and add his illustrations.

Then over Thanksgiving break Jennifer Ruisch, Tim Vaniman and myself read through what Clint had put together. Today the final copy of the book was sent to the printer. The final page count was 550 pages.

When I asked about the shipping cost of the final product I was amazed to find out that the 3,000 books that will be delivered to my house for distribution will weigh over 6,500 pounds. So, sometime in the next 2-3 weeks we will be unloading 3 1/4 ton of "Framework for Christian Faith."

It has been called extensive by Steve Deace of WHO, comprehensive by Joe McGee of Faith for Families, a useful tool by Chuck Grassley of the United States Senate and a valuable reference tool by Mike Swaim, a leader of the men's Cross Trainers group.

I have dedicated this book to people who have spent years sitting in church but have never had the privilege of hearing teaching from the Word of God.

We have already had request from Pakistan, Finland, England, Australila, Nigeria, South Africa for this book. A church in Birmingham, Alabama is planning on using the book for developing Bible teachers and general Christian faith for their people.

We will start another weekly class in Urbandale, Iowa early in January to go through each of the 550 pages of what I call a textbook.

Galyn Wiemers
http://www.generationword.com