Anne Graham Lotz on the Wake-Up Call of 9/11: 'Signs of the Times' Revealed
Anne Graham Lotz, like her father, the legendary evangelist Dr. Billy Graham, has hope that God’s people will stop sleeping through the obvious signs of the times and realize the 9/11 terrorist attacks were one of the many clues to the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Lotz says the tragic attacks of 9/11 woke her up from a deep spiritual nap and has spent the last decade with an increasingly urgent conviction to evangelize and spread the Christian message about how we are in the midst of the "signs of the times."
She released her new book, Expecting to See Jesus, last month in honor of the upcoming 10th anniversary of 9/11.
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“I’ve been convinced that 9/11 was our wakeup call. If that wouldn’t wake up the church, what would it take?” Lotz told The Christian Post. “We’re looking at the end. I have such a strong conviction and compulsion that I cannot just ignore it."
Lotz and a group of evangelicals will host a global simulcast on Sept. 11 starting at 7 p.m. EST aimed at telling God’s people that it is time for a new world order. Lotz told The Christian Post that she wants the public to know they are invited to watch the program from their home computers or from a participating church.
“Setting things right on earth is not the most important goal of the Christian life,” she said. "You can work all your life and make all the waters in all the rivers on Earth drinkable, but if, when you die, you are not ready to meet God, it doesn't matter. It is time for God's people to stop sleeping and realize how to tell time."
Lotz said she believes Jesus will return to earth during her lifetime. She was born in May of 1948, the same month and year as the state of Israel.
"Not only have I seen the signs but I have observed the local, national and global ‘birth pains’ increase in astonishing frequency and intensity in our national headlines,” Lotz said.
Using the book of Matthew in the Bible, Lotz breaks down the signs of the times in four categories proving that the second coming is close at hand.
She warns that God’s people need to know how to tell time, not just in the real world, but also in the spiritual world.
In the Bibile, Jesus predicted the destruction of Herod's massive temple (Matthew 24:1-2), his disciples asked him, "what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" (v. 3). Jesus responded with "signs," each of which has been fulfilled to a remarkable degree in the last century.
Lotz breaks down the signs into national, personal, spiritual, and environmental categories evident in the world today.
National signs include the endless wars raging in Iraq and Afghanistan and the war on terrorism spreading to nearly every corner of the globe. For years, America has been mired in conflict in Sierra Leone, Yemen, East Timor, Afghanistan, Philippines, Cote d'Ivoire, Iraq, Liberia, Georgia, Haïti, Pakistan, Lebanon, and Somalia.
There is an increasing scarcity of food on a worldwide scale, she says, due to increased consumption in growing countries such as China and India and rising fuel costs. These shortages have caused riots in some places and some predict the future outbreak of wars. There are also millions starving in other countries and many going hungry in America.
Spiritual signs include the coming of false messiahs and prophets, persecution of Christians, and a spirit of confusion in the church during the last days.
Personal signs include an indifference to God, pride, lustfulness natures and unclean relationships.
“We are trying to build a peaceful world, but there is no peace within people's hearts,” Lotz said.
Lotz says so-called Christians have pushed the self-destruct button. "Foundations of godliness have crumbled; things sacred have come unraveled. We have also embraced pagan teachings while rejecting the Bible in our schools, courthouses, and government institutions," she said.
Lotz also says she is convinced that the environmental signs are firm evidence of the times.
The Bible speaks of a roaring of the seas as an event happening before Jesus. Tsunamis, earthquakes, fires, and violent storms are hitting the region with more frequency. She says that there are many problems happening around the world in which there is no human solution.
Other evangelists agree with Lotz and her interpretations of the times and that, as Christians, we should live each day as if Jesus was going to return soon.
Ten years ago, President George Bush asked Dr. Billy Graham to give a sermon at the National Cathedral’s memorial service, just days after the 9/11 terrorists attacks.
Her father said, back on Sept. 14, 2001, “I have been asked hundreds of times in my life why God allows tragedy and suffering. I have to confess that I really do not know the answer totally, even to my own satisfaction. I have to accept, by faith, that God is sovereign, and he’s a God of love and mercy and compassion in the midst of suffering.”
Lotz and her father say God uses horrific things to bring about his purpose. "I do not believe evil men are led by God. I believe there are plots of evil. We live in a sinful world and there are a lot of things that happen as a result of sin,” Lotz said.
Jim Denison, the president of the Center for Informed Faith and theologian for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, says more than 70 million people died in famines during the 20th century, the most ever.
"The 20th century witnessed a significant rise in the popularity of world religions and alternative spiritualties,” Denison said. “More than 39 million people died in World War I, 51 million in World War II, and 16 million in the 150 wars since. The 20th century was the bloodiest in history and the National Earthquake Information Center tells us that the number of quakes is not increasing today, but they are far more catastrophic as populations in earthquake zones escalate.”
Denison also refers to the documented persecution of Christians. More than 25 million Christians died for their faith in the first 19 centuries after Christ; more than 45 million have died for Jesus in the 20th century.
“If we live each day as though it were our last, one day we'll be right. And each day we'll make Jesus our Lord and King," he said.
Jesus was clear: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (v. 36). No human should claim to know more than Jesus. The Lord could delay his return by a decade, a century, or a millennium. At the same time, Jesus taught us to be prepared for him to return today: "keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come" (Matthew 24:42). We are one day closer to eternity than ever before in human history.
For information about the Wake-Up Call for God's People airing on September 11 at 7 p.m. EST visit:
http://www.annegrahamlotz.com/events/wake-call-church-simulcast/wake-call-church-simulcast/
To watch Anne Graham Lotz talk about the signs of the times visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAvkI3MiSiw
