I just finished a book by Billy Graham entitled Storm Warning. It was written several years ago and then recently updated by Rev. Graham. It discusses the events leading up to the end times as predicted in the Bible and leaves little doubt in my mind that we are fast approaching or may even already be moving into those dark and dangerous days.
He discusses the four horsemen that will be unleashed in Revelation. The white horse brings false peace and deception, the red horse unleashes war, the black horse wipes out food supply and spreads disease, and the last horseman mounted on a pale horse unleashes death on the world and 25% of our world population will perish.
Billy describes the pale horse of death dilemma as follows: “Death is an accomplished master of destruction and his credentials precede him: abortion, abuse, addiction, adultery, brutality, conflict, crime, disease, drugs, hatred, idolatry, irreverence, jealousy, lies, lust, murder, neglect, pestilence, racial conflict, rape, rebellion, revenge, starvation, stealing, suicide, violence, and war. These are satan’s calling cards, and his record of achievements swells with each passing year. All of these are victims of the dread stalker.”
Contrary to what some may believe, in both my long career serving as a CEO and in my personal life in general I’ve tried my utmost to be objective and to evaluate things fairly. Instead of singularly and steadfastly maintaining to a certain ideology I insist on taking into consideration the ideas and thoughts of others before drawing firm conclusions myself.
This morning I’ve been mulling over this subject of abortion and I’m trying to evaluate it from all perspectives in order to either solidify or rethink my position. I’ve never considered myself a radical fundamentalist, but have often been accused of being one. I’m routinely assailed by readers of Words for the Day that are militantly opposed to my viewpoints on a variety of issues not the least of which is abortion, (listed first above). I believe in most cases that it is morally wrong and equivalent to murder; that is because I believe that the Bible teaches that life begins at conception.
It really isn’t that difficult for me to consider it from the “pro-choice” position, because at one point, (before I became a believer in Christ), I saw nothing wrong with abortion. In fact I deemed it as a convenient way to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy, particularly one that was the result of premarital sex.
Back when I was growing up it was considered a major embarrassment for someone to get pregnant and not be married and there was big-time stigma for unwed mothers. Abortion was all underground and illegal and more often than not the privacy and secrecy afforded by sending the daughter off to an “unwed mother’s home” was the option of choice utilized by mortified parents to avoid any embarrassment to the family or unwed mother.
Today it’s as easy to obtain an abortion as buying a pack of gum and it’s an enticing way to solve problems. In 1960 there were 100,000 abortions a year and today 1.6 million. Billy Graham states: “There have been well over thirty million babies cut off from life while still in their mother’s wombs. As the staggering death toll rises, so does the sound of hoofbeats”.
It is nearly impossible to find out how many people regret having abortions and live with regret and guilt. Pro choice folks say it’s near non-existent; pro life say it’s widespread. There are those difficult cases when mom’s life is in danger and you have the contest of who do we save baby or mom. Pregnancies created by rape or incest are also perplexing; and then there are struggling parents who cannot afford more kids; and parents who just don’t like kids; explosive population growth in third world countries; and perhaps most common of all, those abortions that ensure no one will find out that our precious little daughters and sons satisfied their burning lust for each other in the back seat of a car and she got pregnant.
Hasta la vista baby.
Hmmm… I consider this a travesty considering all of the would be parents who cannot have children themselves and have to wait years for the chance of adoption and spend a small fortune in doing so. Those precious little children could make plenty of homes happy.
It’s too late to ask the children who were aborted how they feel, but there are plenty of examples of those who are happy their parents opted for life. One famous mother was advised to get an abortion for health reasons, but she refused. No doubt her son, famous NFL star quarterback Tim Tebow, sends mom a big thank you for that decision.” And so do I…
According to a Gallup poll our nation is sharply divided and polarized concerning this subject (and judging from my e-mail, indeed so are the readers of WFTD). The latest poll I found indicated that 49% consider themselves to be “pro-life” and 45% of our population is currently pro-choice. This is a sharp divide.
Interestingly 51% think it is morally wrong and 39% think it is morally acceptable. I don’t understand why these figures don’t match the pro life/pro choice figures unless some of these folks have willfully decided upon being immoral as a viable alternative.
When I make important decisions in life these days I like to ask myself, “What would Jesus do? Billy Graham puts it like this: “Scripture makes it clear that God sees the unborn infant not as a piece of superfluous biological tissue, but as a person created by Him for life.” He lists Psalms 139:13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb; Psalms 139:15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…”, Luke 1:44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy”
I cannot read these verses without knowing that these are children of God and not lumps of fetal tissue. It is obvious from the above Scripture that God is at work in the womb watching over these children and engaged in forming them. How it must break His heart to see them utterly destroyed for the sake of convenience. All life is sacred and created in the image of God.
It is impossible for me to think that the unborn child is not worthy of our protection and love. Billy states “There are admittedly isolated cases where abortion is the lesser of two evils such as when the mother’s life is clearly at risk. However for many people today abortion has become little more than another means of birth control practiced for mere personal convenience with no regard for the fate of the infant growing in the womb – and from the Bible’s declaration.
I agree with him.
According to the Bible we are “dead”, (spiritually), until we undergo a spiritual birth, (born again), and that happens upon our acceptance of Christ as our Savior. To me this involves a spiritual awakening. Before I became a Christian I was a diagnosed and certified sociopath, defined as someone who was callous, devoid of a conscience, incapable of love, with absolutely no regard for anyone other than myself. Although the psychiatrists said I was incurable, I developed a conscience and a sense of righteousness, (knowing right from wrong), and became capable of love when the Holy Spirit came to live within my being.
Today I believe that abortion is wrong and I attribute that to the Holy Spirit and my concscience. Over the weekend I received an encouraging letter from a friend in response to Friday’s arguably negative WFTD concerning the state of affairs in our country. He wrote in part:
“One has to also consider that God ordained that Nebuchadnezzar be the ruler of Israel and he was sent for punishment and destruction. It is entirely possible that our current political leaders are a punishment for our misdeeds.
Just like the ancient Israelites, we need to become 2 Chronicles 7:14 people:
2 Chronicles 7:14 – If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
He went on to say: “If we are saddled with another four years it will be obvious our destruction was His intention and that we did not change our “wicked ways”.
It seems to me that the tide is turning against abortion in this country, albeit Obama and Sebelius are desperately trying their utmost to cram it down our throats; call me an optimist but I see hope. The hoofbeats can be held off for generations if we will seek the Lord and humble ourselves and turn from our wicked ways; I do fear that without it that bad things will soon be unleashed. Throughout the Bible there has always been consequence for sin and I believe abortion to be dark sin; Hitler style sin.
Rev. 6:8
I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him.