Listen to Music That Matters while you browse (opens in a new tab)

Just a pawn in the game

download

The early Christians believed in, talked about, and leveraged their faith on the imminent return of Christ. That was 2,000 years ago, and they believed just like we believe, that His coming was right around the corner, in fact, they probably believed it more than we do. That’s because it was an integral part of the message. It wasn’t a postscript, or a “by the way…” like it can be with us. It was the resurrection, the forgiveness of sins, and the return of Christ — in that order and that level of importance. One of our readers wrote after yesterday’s Catch, “this Catch kinda slapped me in the face and made me want to acknowledge Him more throughout the day.” That’s the idea. That’s what it should do — simply make everything about our faith move up a notch in importance. Maybe more than a notch.

Things are pretty crazy in the world right now, and there’s a good chance it will get worse before it gets better. I am fully convinced that our study in Acts at this moment in history was inspired. I’ve read the book of Acts before, but right now words seem to leap off the page. It’s like I’m reading the newspaper when I’m reading the Bible. I urge you not to miss any of this, and tell your friends. Sign them up for the Catch.

Almost 40 years ago I wrote an end times song. It was a few years after the height of the Jesus Movement, so some of the “end times” talk had sort of died down. That’s when it’s a good time to bring it up. This song is a reflection on one of the facts gleaned from the prophetic passages in the Bible. In Revelation 16 there is a discussion of the last battle known as Armageddon. One thing jumped out at me when I was studying this: When the major powers on earth at that time converge on the Middle East (it will end where it started), there are strong national powers mentioned as coming from the north, east and south, but the west is conspicuously absent. It was around that fact that I wrote this song and I offer it to you now for your reflection. It is undoubtedly more relevant now than it was 40 years ago, and more easy to imagine.

Pawn in the Game

by John Fischer

Two hundred years ago

When our nation was starting to grow

Life, liberty and happiness

Were the things we wanted know

But happiness became the king

And took over everything

And in pursuing happiness

We lost the very thing that would make us blest

We lost the Lord

No wonder we’re so bored

We’re just a pawn in the game

The West is not to be

In the book of prophecy

We sold our crown to the pleasure clown

For an inexpensive fee

And it isn’t very far

From a plastic credit card

To a number on your head

Before you can be fed a loaf of bread

Keep looking to the east

And watching for the beast

We’re just a pawn in the game

Many years from now

I can hear them saying how

America came and America went

Turned under by the plow

While other nations stand

With orders in their hands

To turn the course of time

Under the force of the evil one’s command

We gave away the right

To be a nation of the light

Now we’re a pawn in the game

Just a pawn in the game

And nobody can afford

To not be reaching for the Lord

We’re just a pawn in the game

Keep looking to the east

And watching for the beast

We’re just a pawn in the game

Just a pawn in the game

Click here to stream or download the song for free

So what do you think? Talk to me. Check out our Study Guide.

CLICK HERE 
for this week’s free 
NEVER ENDING STORY STUDY GUIDE 
to help deepen your experience with this series.
Note: This document now contains 2 weeks of study. If you’ve already done week 1, scroll down to week 2.

10 responses to “Just a pawn in the game”

  1. kfd&p (@kfdpcom)

    Another way to look at it, that really hits home for me, is that basically, for each of us individually, Christ “comes” the day we die on this earth. Although in Romans it still says nothing can separate us from the love of God. If we’ve got a relationship with Christ before death, our destiny is sealed. And if we don’t, it appears it might be sealed also. But that will be up to God at that point. So, given 59 people, including the murderer, passed away in about 10 minutes’ time this weekend…we need to be ready. Christ will come in a big way some day, maybe today. But for each of us, He comes as soon as our allotted time is up with this world.

    Reply
    1. drewdsnider

      Excellent point: as I’ve heard it put — this may not be “the” End Times, but they’re “our” End Times.

      Reply
    2. jwfisch

      Someone asked Billy Graham once when the world might end. Billy said, “Young man, yours might end tonight.”

      Reply
  2. drewdsnider

    Love your lyrics there, John: dontcha hate being right? 🙂

    Reply
  3. Andrew P.

    Just curious, John. What passage are you actually thinking of? There’s nothing about north, east and south in Rev. 16. The only thing in all of Rev. that has three directions has all four, and that’s the gates on the various sides of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21).

    Reply
    1. jwfisch

      I’ll have to check but I believe it’s in Daniel. Check out Daniel 11 especially the last few verses.

      Reply
  4. Sandie

    I have so many mixed feelings about our country, and its place (or not) in the end times. Even with so much wrong here, there is still so much that is right. There are many ministries (including) The Catch that spread the Gospel far beyond our borders – no other country can match the money and manpower that are poured into these endeavors. Having been involved with Christian motorcyclists Association for many years, I know that the majority of their fundraiser supports The Jesus Film (translated into more than 1000 languages) so that people can hear the Gospel in their own language, no matter where they are. They provide transportation for pastors of multiple churches in third world countries. And the provide funds, bibles and sometimes manpower to bring bibles into countries where they are prohibited. So I guess I have hope for us as a nation, if we believers get off our collective spiritual butts – if we believe 2 Chronicles 7:14 and go about the business of making that happen.
    Here’s another thought …. maybe the population of this country is seriously depleted because of The Rapture? When that happens there will be gaping wholes throughout society here and around the world….

    Reply
  5. Sandie

    Please excuse my poor punctuation in the third sentence! I need to proof-read!

    Reply
  6. bobnearseattle

    First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
    “Where is the promise of His coming?” they will ask. “Ever since our fathers fell asleep, everything continues as it has from the beginning of creation.”… 2 Peter 3:3,4

    Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron… 1 Timothy 4:1,2

    The time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry… 2 Timothy 4:3-5

    Beloved, remember what was foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ when they said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow after their own ungodly desires.” These are the ones who cause divisions, who are worldly and devoid of the Spirit.
    But you, beloved, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God as you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life.
    And indeed, have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; and to still others, show mercy tempered with fear… Jude 1:17-23a

    First off, let me make myself clear; I am NOT scoffing, mocking, or doubting the fact that the end times are “nigh”.
    However, I am intrigued to know how much of our interpretation of the End Times (according to Scripture) is being skewed by an American or westernized viewpoint.
    While it appears the physical manifestations of true prophecy – ecological catastrophes, global dysfunction, international acrimony, political and religious impotency, human tragedies, increasing moral depravity, extra-terrestrial events, etc. – are falling into place and making daily headlines, I wonder if our “alarm” is being rung by powers that have all the tools and resources necessary to spread fear, distrust, hate, division, and, ultimately, eventually a unified compliance with a “new world order”.

    I say this because, we in North America tend to “sensationalize” everything and really do believe that the world revolves around us – just as did the ancient nations that once “ruled the world” in their heyday and, yet, eventually crumbled apart. (It must unsettle many American Christians – and even anguish our pride somewhat – to realize that we’re not really mentioned or considered significant in the End Time prophecies).

    It’s easy to get caught up with the belief that, “Surely, this must be the end” when we’re constantly being “informed” (assaulted) by “breaking news” available everywhere 24/7. Therefore, it is not a very large leap to conclude that, as a nation, we’re developing irrational fears and conditioned mindsets so that we believe we see terrorists or murderers lurking behind every shrub, every person as suspicious, other societies or communities as a threat to our quality of life, every eclipse or meteor shower as an ominous omen, and even nature herself lashing out at us in retaliation for the millennia of abuse we’ve wreaked upon this old planet. Like a California wildfire it is very easy to ignite the tinder of fear and fan the flames with winds of grave portent. And, oftentimes it appears that many well-intentioned American Christians come laden with buckets – filled with gasoline – to douse the fire.

    While many of our thoughts and responses may or may not be justified, they can be so easily thrown out of whack and severely fall out of balance if we’re not careful to guard our minds and resist against the anxieties that attempt to ingratiate themselves to our predilections.
    Mayan calendars, immature youthful prognostications, false prophecies, or other auguries are obviously alluring and are the fanciful “stuff that dreams are made of”.
    Hollywood, the tabloids, and even legitimate news sources capitalize on these “signs” and we Americans LOVE it !!! It tickles our ears and sets our imaginations atwitter.
    We’re probably not alone from the rest of the planet in enjoying and embracing stories of purported eschatology.
    But do those stories hold up under close unbiased scrutiny?
    Are we impartial enough anymore to make sound judgements?

    This is what I would like to find out:
    I would love to hear the viewpoints from Catch subscribers living in other parts of the world: Asia, Africa, South America, Australia, Europe, Antarctica, Atlantis(??!!)…
    What is your perspective on how world events are unfolding right now?
    Did circumstances around the planet seem as dire to you and your fellowship community as they seemed to the American Church back in the past (40-years ago and beyond)?
    Do they appear as dire now as the American Church seems to think?
    Do you think we Americans are blowing things way out of proportion and perspective?
    Do you feel too many American Christians are drunk with self-absorption in their own beliefs or more sober-minded and realistic in their world-view?
    Are we Americans more a part of the problem or a part of the solution in accurately presenting Jesus’s imminent return to the rest of the world?
    Are we helping or hindering the spread of the Gospel throughout the planet?
    What is happening in your own continent or country that lends credence to the idea that the seven trumpets are about to sound and all hell is about to break loose?
    How can we help one another in our respective countries to filter out the dross of false prophecies that ignite unnecessary fear and, instead, build upon the firm foundation of Truth, Sound Doctrine, and Encouragement?

    I have a lot more questions but I’m gonna stop here.
    Shalom, my friends! 🙂

    Reply
    1. John A Fagliano

      I live in America but I’m responding because you raised a lot of issues. I think that believing Christ’s coming is very soon can be “ear tickling” in a lot of ways. Who wouldn’t want to leave this troubled world behind and live in a paradise free from pain? There are so many conspiracy theories out there it’s hard to know what’s true. Is their really a New World Order? A secret society plotting the rise of the anti-Christ? It’s either very believable or utter nonsense depending on what website your reading. And how can we know how biased what we’re hearing really is? This calls for wisdom on the part of the Christian and yet when we try to read the Bible and put it all together it gets very confusing. Why do the last verses of the book of Daniel mention 1290 days and then go to 1135 days without any explanation? No one knows. And is this all in the future or was it, as some say, all fulfilled in 70AD? All I can do is not act like a know-it-all if I believe something is a sign of the times because I might be wrong and just trust God who knew the future before any of the past happened.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Powered by