Silver Linings (?) On a Dark and Cloudy Day . . .

Editor’s Note: Written on inauguration day 2021.

By Bill Randles

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ( Romans 8:28)

Could there be some silver linings on this dark and cloudy day? As a Christian, I do believe there are, as long as we have the courage to see them and rejoice for them.

For instance, now that Biden has taken office, we can now let go of our faith in “civic religion,” once and for all, and return to our true religion (Christianity). I don’t blame anyone for being happy when Trump was elected. I was because I so dreaded the corrupt and ultra-leftist Clinton presidency, I felt like we had been given a reprieve by God. But I knew it was only a temporary reprieve.

Furthermore, I was one of the 75 million who voted for another four years for Trump. Like a large number of other Christians, I was happy for the direction Trump was taking the country. I have no regrets whatsoever voting for Him.

But politics can often take on a religious dimension, especially in America which has two souls (that of a Puritan or Pilgrim i.e. Plymouth and that of a self-seeking prospector i.e. Jamestown). Even the leftists made a great show of religion at Biden’s inauguration, singing “Amazing Grace” and praying to the “Collective” Faiths.

I could see this plainly in the recent events in American public life. Trump has been publicly and unfairly reviled, indeed; and the hatred for him by the “powers that be” has exposed the vicious nature of our ruling elite. I think one of Trump’s callings, if you will, was as an exposer of hearts.

The persecution of Trump and his followers is to the extent where in some people’s mind, Trump almost takes on a messianic status—despised and rejected as in Isaiah 53. Furthermore, since the election, there have been false prophecies about his eventual triumph, invoking martial law, and so forth. These predictions will continue into Biden’s reign, a kind of “Trump Redivivus” myth, like Nero’s.

Now a good many false prophets have been exposed, and I suppose that is another silver lining. But remember that Jeremiah also warned that “my people love to have it so,” meaning that false prophets only cater to the false lusts in backslidden people.

A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? (Jeremiah 5:30-31)

As we watched the pseudo religious ceremony at the inauguration by the promoters of abortion, gay marriage, and even transgenderism, we see that they had to salt their ceremony with the trappings of faith because there is still a great residue of Christianity, even on the left, in this country. It has been hollowed out, and there remain only the fumes for the most part, but America is a largely religious nation.

Let us face it, We on the right have been defeated—deeply and profoundly in the earthly realm.

How could there ever be another “fair” election when nothing was done and there was no recourse about the flagrant theft of this last one? Every institution of recourse has utterly failed to show up, and the “Capitol Assault” will be used as Hitler once employed the Reichstag Fire to annihilate any resistance to his domestic “enemies.” If the election was already “close,” what will happen when the Dems baptize eleven million illegals who know they will receive handouts from them?

We were defeated in a worldly arena. So we can now see what John told us by revelation, that “the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 John 5:19).

What we wanted was good, indeed: lower taxes, relief from oppressive government, freedom of speech, and support for the sanctity of life. We should always want and stand for good, as Christians.

But I have no faith in our system; it is worldly, corrupt, and rigged against righteousness. Perhaps, another silver lining is that we have been brought to this point of defeat so that we will instead put all of our faith in a “system” that will never fail us—the Kingdom of God!

The verse comes to mind:

But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. (Hebrews 10: 32-35)

We are now moving into company with most of the saints throughout the ages. We, in the West, have been living an anomaly, having lived under a system and government which hasn’t been overtly hostile to Christianity. Slowly and steadily that has been changing, as leftists have gained power to implement anti-Christian policies. One silver lining of this new coldness could be that some will become aware of the reality of the Gospel as they see Christians keep faith even under various pressures.

Another one that could possibly occur will be that Christians who are compromised and worldly will become more serious about their faith. Apathy has been the constant bane of those of us who plead for souls to wake up to their need for God and for their souls to be saved.

I pray that backsliders, compromisers, and even pseudo converts will wake up and realize how greatly we all need the Lord and to put our trust wholly in Him. I have to admit, that is more likely to happen when things in society don’t go our way, and when the darkness encroaches on our daily lives to a greater degree than before. Being a conservative is not the same as being a Christian. I pray that this becomes more obvious to more people.

It hurts, on so many levels. But sometimes pain is really helpful, and even heals. Let’s face reality and seek the Lord as never before. The respite was only a respite; I don’t believe that “better days” are ahead. We are, instead, heading into a labor of birth situation, and as the Bible says, the end of the world is as a woman who goes into labor and brings forth a child after labor and transition. Let us take comfort in these words of Jesus:

A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. ( John 16:21-22)

Jesus is coming; we will see Him, and our hearts will rejoice, and the world cannot take that joy from us. That is the greatest silver lining of all!

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(photo from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission)