Why does Anne Graham Lotz call the Sept. 11, 2001 attack a "wake-up" call in her new book Expecting to See Jesus? Anne shares why in this interview, then answers controversial questions such as, Can we really know when Jesus is coming back? And What about the doomsday predictions for October 21? Find out why Anne is convinced "the kingdoms of this world are about to give birth to the kingdom of God."
| See Anne Graham Lotz on FOX NEWS: Huckabee on Saturday, Sept. 17, and Hannity Monday, Sept. 19. |
ZBLOG: Why do you believe Sept. 11 was a wake-up call for America? Has America slept through the alarm?
ANNE: I believe that September 11 was an alarm that should have served to wake us up to God. While many of us did give Him our attention in the weeks immediately following 9/11, we seemed to go back to sleep in the busyness of our day-to-day routines and responsibilities. I believe as a country we have pushed God farther and farther out of our government, businesses, marketplace, and schools, and it's time to repent and invite him back. If 9/11 didn't wake us up, what will it take? It's time now to get right with God.
ZBLOG: How did the attack on Sept. 11 affect you personally?
ANNE: After the initial emotional trauma of realizing I was watching many people step into eternity, or run for their lives, or make desperate attempts to contact loved ones — after trying to make sense of the senseless — on that day, God woke me up and set my heart on fire to tell other people that God has given us Hope even on the most horrific of days. Especially on the most horrific of days! Because God has given us Jesus. And Jesus gives to all who believe in Him eternal life.
God woke me up in a fresh way to the glorious good news of the Gospel. While the war on terror is an absolute necessity, terrorism is not the primary problem our world faces. The primary problem is sin in the human heart and a broken relationship with God. The primary solution is to place our faith in Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross for forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God, that we might receive eternal life. Eternal life is a personal relationship with God here and now, and the certainty of Heaven when we die.
ZBLOG: Looking back 10 years, how do you think Sept. 11 changed America? What about the Church?
ANNE: While we can all see some changes, good and bad, in America, my primary concern is for the church. I don't see much change in the average, individual church member. Which is astounding to me. So I ask myself, what will it take to wake up God's people? To wake up the church? To wake us up in our relationship with God? In our love for others?
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ZBLOG: In Expecting to See Jesus you divide the signs Jesus gave of his return into five categories. Can you tell us what those categories are? How are they being fulfilled?
ANNE: I have divided the signs Jesus gave His disciples into five categories: religious, personal, national, environmental and global. Jesus described the signs in each category as "birth pains," [Matthew 24:8] meaning that they will increase in frequency and intensity as the end of human history approaches. These are now taking place all around us. For instance, there have always been wars, famines, earthquakes and the persecution of His people, but these signs are occurring much more frequently and more intensely as many are record-breaking.
The signs that Jesus gave and the headlines in the news are coming together in a dramatically sobering way. I have held the conviction with intense focus since I was in my early 20s that if I live out my natural lifetime, I will live to see the physical return of Jesus to earth! Within my generation, I have seen the fulfillment of the signs Jesus gave His disciples 2,000 years ago, including the reestablishment of Israel in the family of nations, and the preaching of the Gospel to the whole world. Jesus specifically told His disciples that the generation that witnessed these two phenomenal signs, plus the others He gave, would be the last generation. Not only have I seen the signs but I have observed the local, national and global "birth pains" increase in astonishing frequency and intensity. I am convinced that the kingdoms of this world are about to give birth to the kingdom of God.
ZBLOG: What are your thoughts on Christians who believe the world will end on Oct. 21, 2011?
ANNE: Jesus was very clear. No one, not even Himself, knows the exact day or the hour of His return. Only God the Father knows. Christians who speculate are not only foolish, I believe they are dangerous because they confuse the issue by making a joke of the truth. And the truth is that there will be a last generation. There will be an end to human history as we know it. Jesus is coming! While we cannot know the day or the hour, He specifically told us not to let His coming catch us like a thief in the night. That's why He gave us signs, so that we could know the generation.
ZBLOG: Anne, what if you're wrong?
ANNE: If I'm mistaken about what time it is in human history ... and I readily concede that I may be wrong ... if I have lived every day of my life expecting to see Jesus in the next five minutes, and I don't ... what have I lost? Nothing! What have I gained? Everything! Because my faith will become sight in one of two ways ... either at His physical return to earth, or at the moment of my own death. Whichever way it unfolds, I am expecting to see Jesus! He's coming!
To hear more from Anne Graham Lotz on these topics, look for her on FOX NEWS: She will appear on Huckabee with Mike Huckabee on Saturday, Sept. 17 (8pm ET), and on Hannity with Sean Hannity on Monday, Sept. 19 (9pm ET). You can also view Anne's Sept. 11, 2011 webcast with Joel Rosenberg on her website annegrahamlotz.com. View Webcast (Special thanks to Robin Barnett.)
About Anne Graham Lotz
Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of Billy and Ruth Graham, is the president and CEO of AnGeL Ministries (www.annegrahamlotz.com), a nonprofit organization that undergirds her efforts to draw people into a life-changing relationship with God through his Word. She an award-winning author whose most recent works include Expecting to See Jesus, a new and expanded edition of I Saw the Lord; the Expecting to See Jesus Video Curriculum; and the upcoming children's curriculum Heaven, God's Promise for Me.
Here's the video of Anne Graham Lotz being interviewed by Mike Huckabee http://zndr.vn/nlnrOX (YouTube link).
Posted by: Adam | September 20, 2011 at 11:56 AM