An Urgent Admonition for America

I'm deeply concerned about the suffering of people in the Middle East and Africa who are caught in the crossfire of radical Islamic organizations hell-bent on precipitating the apocalypse and the coming of their Mahdi to judge the world. While I pray that these evil forces are brought to a hasty and final demise, I would also give an urgent admonition to America to wholeheartedly return to God before engaging with hubris against this kingdom of fear. Here's why:

Joshua was regarded as a great spiritual and military leader of Israel. His initial conquest of the land of Canaan resulted in the defeat of the heavily fortified city of Jericho in the most miraculous conquest ever recorded. In the very next chapter of the book of Joshua we see what happens when the people become complacent and lax with respect to their covenant with God.

Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, "Go up and spy out the land." So the men went up and spied out Ai. They returned to Joshua and said to him, "Do not let all the people go up; only about two or three thousand men need go up to Ai; do not make all the people toil up there, for they are few." So about three thousand men from the people went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai. The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of their men, and pursued them from the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them down on the descent, so the hearts of the people melted and became as water. (‭Joshua‬ ‭7‬:‭2-5‬ NASB)

Swollen with pride following their miraculous defeat of Jericho, Israel not only underestimated their enemy, but overestimated their own power and their relationship with God. You see, Israel was commanded to have no part in the customs and possessions of the Canaanites, but at least one Israelite had taken spoils from Jericho and hidden them. This sin had broken Israel's covenant relationship with God and made them spiritually weak. The "JV team" at Ai was ready for them and easily defeated the "B team" Israeli troops, instilling terror in all the camp of Israel.

In a desperate petition to God, God explained why Israel was not defended by the armies of God.

Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things. Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst. Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus the LORD, the God of Israel, has said, "There are things under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst." (‭Joshua‬ ‭7‬:‭11-13‬ NASB)

The American Covenant

Like the nation of Israel, America has entered a covenant with God and received his abundant blessings and mercy. But now we see a very different America and her western allies. America no longer boasts in God but in her military might, and in her libertine freedoms. Instead of righteousness and justice, America has chosen a foundation of tolerance and moral ambiguity.

Instead of defending Biblical families, we not only accept but promote alternative lifestyles and use the power of government to bless those lifestyles and force all to accept and condone it.

Instead of defending innocent unborn children we use government funds to pay doctors to murder them in the womb.

We use the power of technology to produce and distribute graphic entertainment to pollute the minds of young men and boys, and we use our God-given constitution to defend the rights of these sex trafficking predators who profit from their trade around the world.

We borrow from future generations to squander our wealth on debauchery and allow our black markets to finance the gangs and terrorist organizations that seek our destruction. Now we have even opened the door to produce our own drugs and become intoxicated with the delusion of our own sorcery.

We experience drought and severe weather but blame industry and global warming instead of repenting and asking for God's mercy. Think about the words to this patriotic poem and song.

O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,

Whose stern, impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America!

God mend thine every flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved

And mercy more than life!

America! America!

May God thy gold refine,

Till all success be nobleness,

And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

America, America, did not God shed His grace on thee? What ever happened to "thy good crowned with brotherhood?" Why have we turned our backs on Him now in this time of darkening clouds?

We must turn back to God if we wish to see our children and heirs inherit this land of blessing and liberty. We must neither ignore the threat, nor cower in fear, nor rush to war without first seeking purity and national unity under the God of our fathers. The time is short and the mountain is high; please pray with me that we will see revival in this land and around the world, starting with me, my family, and the body of Christ!

The Final Apostasy

At church this morning our interim pastor followed one of his deep theological bunny trails into the book of Romans and landed on chapter 1, wherein Paul describes the process of falling from the grace of God.

I memorized about half the book of Romans about 40 years ago and if you ever memorized that much scripture you might know that I have recited the first chapter of Romans in my mind more than any other scriptures, just to keep those memorized verses from slipping into the dust bin of my distant memories.

At any rate, I was inspired to tie these verses starting with Romans 1:18 to scriptures I have been studying most recently in the second letter of Paul to the church in Thessalonica.  Specifically,

Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the day of the Lord) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

I wondered if the apostasy to which Paul referred here would look like the process he described in the first chapter of Romans.  When I got home I got this confirmation from research of the Greek text on the Bible Hub web site.

Apokalyptetai gar orge theo ap ouranou... (Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is revealed from heaven...)

After studying prophecy so intensely, I am starting to recognize prophetic language I didn't see before.  The first word of this section of Romans is the same Greek word as the beginning of the book of Revelation (Apokalypsis).

So there are two ways of reading this section of Romans, one in a historical sense, in which the wrath of God revealed from heaven could be seen in the sun, a lake of fire hotter and larger than anything one could imagine on earth, perhaps like the one that awaits the devil and his followers.

The other is in a prophetic sense; Romans 1 describes the apostasy that is to come before the antichrist is revealed at the end of time.  OF COURSE, where else in the Bible is the wrath of God coming down from heaven to punish the ungodly?  I NEVER SAW THIS BEFORE!

We have refused to honor God or give thanks, we have become futile in our speculation, we have accepted a form of earth-worship in place of God, we have accepted and embraced unnatural sexual behavior and are plunging headlong into a state of societal depravity which can only be paralleled by Rome at its worst or by Sodom and Gomorrah.  As I recall both of those eras ended in flames.

When the times of the Gentiles come to full fruition, God will suspend His wrath one final time(Rev 7:3) to fulfill His promise to the descendants of Jacob.

Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. (Matthew 24:22)

The elect are those predestined for salvation from the tribes of Israel, who will finally see and embrace their Messiah:

...and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
“THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION,
HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.”
“THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.”
(Romans 11:26-27)

I am excited to see these prophecies fulfilled, but as I said before, we Gentiles will be watching the final act from heaven.  Oh! What a glorious day!