Introduction: I think the Lord may be trying to get His people’s attention.
John MacArthur died in July of 2025. Now Voddie has died in September of 2025. R.C. Sproul died in December of 2014. Charlie Kirk was murdered in September of 2025, on live TV. These men were giants of Christian witness in their lifetimes.
Question: Who will fill their shoes? Or if you’ll old enough to remember George Jones’ great song in his plaintive cry, “Who’s Gonna’ Fill Their Shoes?”
Possible Answers: There are several ways this could shake out, of course.
First, maybe no one will rise to carry on the mantle of Christian witness, but I have serious doubts about that. Elijah felt that way, too, in his day, but God had a word: “Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18, ESV).
Second, maybe there’ll be some heel-grabbers who’ll try to slither their way to evangelical prominence. There’s no paucity of such characters. Wicked King Saul was such a character (1 Samuel 19), as is the devil himself: “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ (Isaiah 14:14, ESV).
Third, maybe some Christians are waking up because they’re being stirred by the Holy Spirit to do God’s will God’s way. That may take the form of finding and/or building a biblical body of believers in a home somewhere or starting a house-church. Maybe it’ll take the form of a revivial in Scripture reading and not just Sunday morning notetaking. Maybe there’ll be a groundswell of repentance. Maybe new biblical seminaries will be formed to train men for biblical depth and not corporation-building.
It Bears Asking Again: “Who’s Gonna’ Fill Their Shoes?” I tend to believe it’ll look something like a combination of traits in the third course of action listed above, but I’m just one man among what I hope is a Christian army, one who longs for God to use me and this generation to show forth His saving sovereignty.
Voddie, I finished reading another of your books this a.m., and I miss you already, dear brother. You have come into your reward now, but I just want to say what many are feeling: Thank you for your courage and commitment. It was all more than worth it, wasn’t it? Tell R.C., Johnny Mac, and Charlie, we’re pressing on.
Here’s a YouTube link wherein I speak on this theme:
MIND & MATTERS 