JD: David, what do you think will be the ultimate result of all of this for the United Methodist Church? And for the new more conservative denomination if this split does actually take place?
DJ: One reason this issue is important is just the sheer size of the United Methodist denomination with some 7 million members in the United States and 12 million worldwide making it the second largest Protestant Church after the Southern Baptist convention.
On January 3rd the denominations leadership announced plans to split the church over what were called fundamental differences over the homosexual issue as you noted. This all involves a process that's been going on for some time and it isn't over yet. It won't be until there's a vote at the annual convention in May that this will be settled. But what happened a couple of weeks ago is another major step. The split would result in the formation of a new denomination for those United Methodist Churches holding to the traditional and we would say the Biblical view of marriage is only between a man and a woman.
While the moral trend of society continues downward as we move deeper into the last days and we talk about this every week there could be temporary swings of the pendulum back toward Biblical values at least in some places and some degree. But Biblically I think both you and I agree we don't see a wide spread revival taking place on a global scale. But the fact is Jimmy the gospel is still the power of God of salvation as Paul wrote in Romans 1. And then later in Romans 10 Paul wrote that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. This was true 2,000 years ago and it remains true today.
JD: David James with his Bible in hand explaining the account of a split in the worlds second largest denomination over the issue of homosexuality.
We report this information because it is setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.
Dave's report supports the headline that we are living in the last days. The apostle Paul wrote in the pastoral epistles II Timothy 3 that in the last days mankind will live in a day without natural affection, that's II Timothy 3:3. And that actually means homosexuality will be rampant in those days. Also Paul said they'll have a form of Godliness but deny the power there of, that's II Timothy 3:5. Pauls word to the pastors then from such turn away. This major denominal split in fact is tangible evidence of where this world is today. Just prior to the Rapture.
