The Handwriting Is On The Wall!
The Handwriting Is On The Wall!
Within the past five or so years there have been a considerable number of worthwhile political efforts to combat what we Christians consider to be un-American activities in our country. Numerous pastors have made valiant political efforts to combat the slide into economic programs that are contrary to our capitalism, and also into what we consider immoral behavior and programs.
I have only good to say about these faithful men and women who are endeavoring to maintain the American way of life.
Right at this time, at least in California, the focus of attention seems to have turned from the same-sex marriage issue to the bizarre "Bathroom Bill." The "Bathroom Bill," if I have read the reports correctly, mandates that public-school children must have access to bathrooms designated for boys or girls regardless of their own physical gender.
This is a K-12 bill, meaning it goes from Kindergarten up to seniors in high school. How do they expect children and young people to learn modesty; or is modesty a thing of the past?
To the best of my knowledge, this bill is ready to be signed by the Governor.
Any parent in California who sends a child to a public school, while the "Bathroom Bill" is in force, has only himself or herself to blame for the mischief that will follow.
Our political leaders must have their heads in the clouds. Their decisions no doubt reflect some sort of "progressive" reasoning. But putting boys and girls in the same bathroom, given the sexual pressures in our country at this time, is not close to being sensible.
Male-female bathrooms would not bear good fruit even for adults!
Being 88 years of age, and a rock-ribbed New Englander, Yankee, and patriot (I enlisted in the Marine Corps at the age of 17), I cannot imagine the speed at which our nation is abandoning its original values and way of life.
I was born in Maine and raised in Connecticut. My wife, Audrey, was born and raised in a small town in upstate New York. So we are about as American as one can get.
As various issues have arisen in America over the past several years, I have been tempted to participate somewhat in political activity. Being a pastor, and having a web site on which I express my thoughts, I could make my voice heard.
However, I have learned, being a fervent Christian from the age of eighteen, to ask God about everything. As nearly as I can tell, the Lord advised me to continue to preach the Kingdom of God rather than becoming involved in politics. This I have done.
I am not suggesting every Christian should adopt this attitude. Those who believe Christ wants them to be politically active should take whatever actions that are before them, and do so fervently.
I think the Prophet Jeremiah was in somewhat of a similar situation. God told Jeremiah that Israel already was defeated and to tell the captives to live their lives in Babylon, because the captivity was of Him.
I said a somewhat similar situation! There are two great differences. First, our enemy is not composed of human beings. Our enemy is Satan. Also, we are not to surrender to him, as Jeremiah advised the king of Israel, but to press closer to the Lord Jesus.
I would say about five years ago, as I could see the moral rot operating in the United States, I felt God tell me that we of America had crossed the line and He is about to send judgment on us. Imagine that! We do not like to think that God has turned away from America. But He has told me that His judgment is on the way and it can no longer be stopped.
You may not like this thought. I do not like it either. But I have to tell the truth and be a true "prophet," if you will. The Lord knows we have enough false prophets in America with their "lawless grace" and "Jesus did it all" teachings.
Because I am convinced that we have crossed the line, just as Israel had done in the days of Jeremiah, we need to hear from the Lord what we are to do.
What I have done over the past five years is to try to prepare people for the moral and physical chaos that is on the horizon.
This is what I have been preaching: get as close to the Lord Jesus as you can. Learn to live by His Life. Ask Him about everything during the day and night. Take nothing for granted. Talk to Him all the time, whether or not He speaks clearly to you. Some people hear the voice of Jesus; others do not. But in every case, if we will commit our way to the Lord He shall direct our paths.
If we wish to stand and help others to stand in the days to come we must learn to live by the Life of Jesus. Every time we gain victory over sin we are fed in the spirit realm with His body and blood. In this way Christ is formed in us and we become increasingly able to gain victory over sin.
The reason God is going to pour out His judgment on America is not the fault of some politician, or political party, or anyone else. It is because of the sin that is rampant throughout our country. There is no use our fighting the Democrats or the Republicans. Our adversary is Satan.
Abortion-on-demand may be the primary reason God has turned away from us. In God's sight, killing a youngster without good and sufficient reason, just to prove the mother has the "right" to do this, must be from God's point of view a heinous crime.
Unscriptural sexual behavior is another important reason. A third is the pursuit of money. Money is god for many Americans.
Something else is true. We Americans are leaving Christ. It is getting so people are afraid to mention the name of Jesus publicly because of the negative consequences. Can you imagine this in the United States? We are afraid to stand up for our Lord who has redeemed us by His blood from the hand of Satan.
Perhaps we are afraid of offending Muslims. The Muslims are not afraid of offending Christians, they murder them!
Here is a recent occurrence. We have had several disasters in America, including hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and massive flooding.
I have listened carefully to the news. Can you believe this? I never once have heard an official, from the President on down, refer to God or ask for prayer, except in some offhand manner. There has been no call to prayer, as there used to be in America, by our governmental leaders.
The idea seems to be that if we all join together we can rebuild.
Why do the leading politicians refuse to acknowledge that God is behind these disasters; and if we pray earnestly He will help us? Do they honestly believe they can run the world without the help of the Lord?
Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? (Amos 3:6)
It appears our leaders think they are wiser than He who sits between the Cherubim of Glory, to whom the nations are but a drop in the bucket.
They boast themselves against the God of Heaven; but their hopes and plans shall crumble like sand.
Such unseemly arrogance!
God forgive our stiffnecked pride!
We do not enjoy having a flood destroy our home. But the proper response is to go to the Lord and humbly ask His help, not to stiffen our neck and declare we are going to build again.
One time when in Jerusalem I walked all around the Old City. God spoke to me. He said to me, "I have not forgotten My people, Israel."
Americans are not all God's people, in this sense. But the devout Christians, who are a minority in America, indeed are God's people and He has not forgotten us.
Honestly, I think people are afraid to mention God publicly. And this in the United States! The Lord Jesus said if we deny Him, He will deny us before the Father. We certainly do not wish for this to happen.
I guess it would not do our political leaders any good to give glory to God as long as they are supporting abortion-on-demand.
These thoughts have been stirring in my mind for some time now. But recent events are bringing them to a boil.
Yesterday, Saturday, September 28, 2013, a brother came over to our house and helped me with some electrical work. As we were talking, he told me something I did not know.
He said that in some major retirement accounts, the money of the workers is not held in their name but in the name of the brokers who are holding their money. The workers may believe their money is safe; but what they actually have is a sort of promissory note.
I did not realize this.
The brokers use this money, which is not rightfully theirs, to invest.
Not being well versed in economics, I cannot know for certain that what John told me about brokers is true. But he is a very intelligent and knowledgeable individual, so I suppose what he told me is accurate.
Now, if the brokers go bankrupt, the money may be lost to the retiree. The first claimants on the money salvaged by the bankruptcy court are those to whom the brokers owe money, not the retirees.
My friend said to me: "Can you imagine the riots that will occur if hard-working people discover suddenly that they have no retirement funds!"
Given the way things are going, it is not impossible, according to those who are knowledgeable about such things, for our economy to collapse. Then there will be rioting in the streets.
I have wondered why our government is stockpiling assault weapons and hundreds of thousands of hollow-point bullets. Could this possibly be the reason? Nothing else seems to make sense.
Anyway, Saturday night as I was trying to go to sleep, the terrible danger facing our country depressed my mind. We may be in more serious trouble than I thought.
The next day, Sunday, September 29, our Assistant Pastor, Stanley Josephsen, got up in church and said: "God is impressing me on me the seriousness of the hour."
I had not spoken to him about my concern.
I followed Stan up by saying to the congregation, "Stan is hearing from the Lord. God last night impressed on me how serious matters have become."
I said, "But we are going to rejoice and praise the Lord. We are not to look to our government for help but to Jesus. Our government may fail us, but Jesus is faithful and true."
We have another King and another Kingdom!
So you know what we did? A lady has come from Israel and is teaching us some Jewish dances. There simply is nothing as joyful as Jewish dances.
She taught us the Horah. So we did "Awake, O Israel" and "Hine Ma Tov." You can see on YouTube, Israelis dancing the Horah.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXLl_LEDGtU
We also did, "O House of Israel, Bless the Lord." I could not find on Google the music that goes with it. I played it by ear on the piano. I think it was composed by a brother in the Bay Area of San Francisco. But maybe Bill put it on our site.
So we danced away our depression.
They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord—the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. (Jeremiah 31:12—NIV)
The joy of the Lord is our strength, by which we will surmount the pits into which our leaders are bringing us.
The enemy increasingly is having his way in America. But as surely as Christ is faithful and true, the time shall come when the true Christians, Jews and Gentiles alike, shall sing and dance on the heights of Zion. Then will our enemies be ashamed, because they will see with their own eyes that God indeed is with us and loves us.
The congregation knows well my emphasis on learning to live by the Life of the Lord Jesus, in order to prepare for the horrors that are on the horizon for our beloved country.
God may permit Satan to wreck our country. But he cannot in any manner wreck the individual who is filled with Christ and has his or her eyes on Christ. In this manner we can save ourselves and our loved ones throughout whatever the Divine judgment brings upon us.
Well, as I said, I had a time of depression after my friend told me about the possibility of economic collapse, and the chaos that certainly will follow.
Then, as I mentioned, Stan, the next morning, said that God had impressed him about the seriousness of the days in which we are living.
If that was not enough, unknown to us the lady from Israel, days before, had had a prophecy in which God told her America had crossed the line and great judgment is about to fall on us.
This is why I am sitting at the computer when I am supposed to be resting after the service. Three witnesses! What more do we need! I know now we have crossed the line and judgment is on the way, and it cannot be averted any more than it could in the days of Josiah.
Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read: Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched. (II Kings 22:16,17)
Over the previous three years, every time I asked the Lord about the future, I saw blood. I have been wondering if we are going to be attacked by some foreign country, or have a civil war.
But when my friend told me about the danger of people losing their pensions, for which they had worked many years, I understood how readily America could be filled with bloodshed.
I think the Lord told me that America is going to become a third-rate nation after God is through purging the wickedness from our midst, and the leadership of the world will pass from the Western nations to the Eastern nations.
So what are we to do? We are to live close to Jesus. Nothing can harm us when we are in Jesus. We have the 91st Psalm; the 34th Psalm; and the 37th Psalm to support us.
We always have trusted the government to assure us that we and our children will have enough to eat. Perhaps in the future we will have to look to the Lord for our food.
Remember the manna in the wilderness. Remember the loaves and fish.
Remember the tax money in the mouth of the fish.
I heard an account one time in which Pentecostal Russian people traveled all across Russia at the time of the Communist revolution. They were directed by speaking in tongues and interpretations. As they were waiting to cross safely into China, the Lord created food in their stomachs. I heard a young man who was a son of one of the people involved in the flight, give this testimony.
And you probably have heard other accounts of the Lord providing food for people.
So we are not to get all excited and fearful in the days to come. We may not be able to stem the tide of moral filth and governmental foolishness that certainly will increase daily. Public nudity will become a major issue, I fear. We will do the best we can. But, as God told Jeremiah and Josiah, the problems of Israel were coming from Him because of the sins of God's people.
One thing we can do. We can search the Scriptures for promises that will help us realize that our Lord Jesus Christ has all authority and power in Heaven and upon the earth. He will preserve everyone who looks to Him and trusts in Him.
America has been weighed on the scales and found wanting. There are at least five major reasons why this is so:
Abortion on demand.
Unscriptural sexual practices.
The worship of money.
The rejection of God and His Christ from public life.
The defiling of the minds of children in the public schools.
We have behaved treacherously toward the Lord who has blessed us with so many good things.
If you are not aware that America is found wanting in God's eyes, dare to ask Him for yourself!
Christ alone is Faithful and True.
Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. (Proverbs 14:34)