Blogspot Message #3
A MESSAGE TO THE WORLD
December 7, 2005
Today is “Pearl Harbor Day,” on which Americans remember the 7:55 a.m. Sunday morning December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. My point is not that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor or to stir up xenophobia (fear and/or loathing of foreigners), but to instead point out that America was sound asleep when death and destruction arrived.
So it is for the church in America and much of the world today—sound asleep and oblivious to the fact that the events foretold by Jesus Christ in Matthew 24 are happening on an ever increasing and more frequent basis every day.
The attack came to Pearl Harbor on Sunday morning, when people should have been preparing to go into the house of the Lord to give Him worship, glory, praise and honor and to hear His word. Some people undoubtedly were, but many were either still asleep, preparing to play a game of golf, hung over from drunken debauchery the night before, or something of the like.
The warning signs of impending war had been going forth at least since the Nazi blitzkrieg (lightning war) against Poland on September 1, 1939, not to mention the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, Mussolini’s aggressive expansion into Africa and other tell-tale signs that world war was about to erupt. However, Americans to a large extent had retreated into “splendid isolationism.” They did not want a repeat of WWI and their involvement in what many thought was someone else’s war. The America of late 1941 wanted primarily to recover from the Great Depression, buy a new Ford, Chevrolet or Plymouth and dance to big band swing music.
Recall that Belashazzar, the king of Babylon, a successor to Nebuchadnezzar, was found having a drunken spree when judgment showed up. Take a look at Daniel chapter 5. Belshazzar knew better than to have a drunken party. He surely must have known what God Almighty did to humble his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. The story of Nebuchadnezzar, who thought that he was sitting on top of the world, is well-chronicled in Daniel 4. Not realizing that the Lord had allowed him to reach the stunning heights of regional empire that he had, he took personal credit for the grace and favor that God had shown him. The cure for that delusion was to have his mind taken from him for 7 years, during which time he acted as though he were a beast of the field.
Should not the fearful words of Daniel 5:24-28 bring us sobriety: “Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances , and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Americans, yes, even American Christians, do not seem to be able to read the “handwriting on the wall.” For that matter, many other inhabitants of planet earth cannot or will not, either. Let’s briefly review the events of the 20th century and the first few years of the 21st:
War was a central feature of the 20th century, like never before. Earth had two world wars—slaughter on a grand scale not seen previously. The advent of machine guns and automatic small arms in the early part of the century heralded a progression in lethal killing power not previously seen in the age of single-shot and after that, bolt-action rifles holding typically at most 5 to 10 rounds. Mechanized warfare then took slaughter to a new level with the arrival of tanks, armored cars and other armored fighting vehicles. The airplane and helicopter further increased the efficiency of slaughter, as did many other weapons. Man even learned to harness the dreadful power of the atom. Now tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or even millions of people can be incinerated in nuclear fireballs and their aftermath in just seconds.
To make matters worse, the “genie” is out of the bottle in the sense that Earth no longer enjoys the relative “stability” of the US and USSR having but not using nuclear weapons because of the doctrine of “Mutually Assured Destruction” (MAD). In other words, though these two super powers had nukes, it was implied that if one of them attacked the other with nukes, the nuclear retaliation would be on such a grand scale that life on earth would be annihilated. If we face grim reality soberly, we must conclude that the proliferation of nuclear weapons in other countries outside the super powers will inevitably lead to nuclear war somewhere on earth before it’s all over.
It is a little publicized fact that in 1992, Pakistan and India almost had a nuclear war with each other. Diplomacy and the grace of God prevented that, but the tension between those two countries continues.
Israel possesses nuclear weapons and has for some time. The Israelis have the mindset, and understandably so, that there will be no more Holocausts. There will be no more Dachau’s or Auschwitz’s. You should read up on what the Israelis call the “Samson Option,” which is simply this. In the event of an attack by the Arabs that threatens to annihilate Israel, the Israeli military would nuke as many Arabs as possible, akin to Samson pulling the temple down on top of the Philistines in Judges chapter 16. Consider that many Arabs are dedicated to the total destruction of Israel. This is a bad idea. Please see Genesis 12:1-3. God’s promise of blessing the Jews is for all time, and any who bless the Jews will be blessed. Conversely, those who curse them will be cursed. Trying to commit genocide against the Jews is sure enough a good way to get yourself put at the top of God’s list of those to be cursed.
It is reported that in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when things were going badly for Israel, some A-4 Sky Hawk strike fighters of the Israeli Air Force were nuclear-armed, fueled and sitting on the tarmac, waiting to launch on short notice, to implement the Samson Option. We may never know how close we came to WW III in October, 1973. The US and USSR were waiting in the wings during that brief Middle-Eastern war, apparently ready to jump into the fight. This is commonly reported by historians of the event.
Consider also that in Ezekiel 38 the prophet speaks of a time in which a number of nations will come together in a coalition against Israel, in an effort to annihilate that nation. Many Bible scholars think that this coalition consists of Russia and various Muslim and Arabic nations. Many also believe that the fire that rains down on the coalition in verse 22 is the use of nuclear weapons
In short, the history of the 20th century was one of increased and multiplied wars and armed conflicts, including, but not limited to:
Japanese-Russian War
WWI
Spanish Civil War (Russia and Germany used the competing factions within Spain as their surrogates, with Russian and German aircraft utilized and even Russian and German pilots participating)
Italy’s incursions into Africa
Various outbreaks of war in Central America and the Caribbean, at times involving US intervention by such forces as the United States Marine Corps
Pancho Villa’s incursions across the border from Mexico into the Southwestern US
The various “brush wars” in Africa and Southeast Asia
WWII
Korean “Conflict” (i.e., war, which technically still has not ended, but is instead at an armistice or cease-fire, with no formal declaration of peace)
Viet Minh revolution against French rule in French Indochina, culminating in the siege of Dien Bien Phu, the “swan song” for French colonial rule in SE Asia
Vietnam War
US invasions of Grenada in 1983 and Panama in 1989
Persian Gulf War of 1991
U.S. Invasion of Iraq in 2003
U.S. “War on Terrorism,” with invasion of Afghanistan, etc.
Arab—Israeli Middle Eastern Wars of 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973 and 1982
I am sure that the list goes on and I have forgotten some. Perhaps the Red Horse of the Apocalypse, spoken of in Revelation 6:4, was set loose in the 20th century. To me, it surely looks that way. The 20th century witnessed many of the “wars and rumors of wars” spoken of in Matthew 24:6, with still more to come in the 21st.
The 20th century saw dramatic increases in famine, drought, earthquakes, tsunamis and other “natural disasters,” all referred to in Matthew 24 or in Revelation.
Immorality and ungodliness in
European governments and societies are openly hostile to Christianity and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Only a small percentage of Europeans even claim to be Christians anymore. Prostitution and illicit narcotic drug use have been legal in Amsterdam for decades. Europe has turned its back on Jesus Christ. Consequently, it will suffer unimaginable horrors. The recent waive of violence by Muslims in
American parents are delinquent, sound asleep, allowing their children from the mid-20th century on to emulate evil entertainers and singers such as:
Little Richard --admitted homosexual
James Dean-- cinematic icon and symbol of restless, youthful rebellion, died in an automobile accident while speeding along in his sports car in 1955
The Beatles--introduced our youth to drug use, eastern pagan religion, rebellion, etc. Consider that one of its members, John Lennon, was an open God-hater, calling for the abolition of all religion in his song Imagine. He was killed by a mad assassin’s bullet in 1980. His fellow band member, George Harrison, died three years ago of cancer, still professing adherence to eastern religion. The Beatle’s drummer, Ringo Starr (actual name: Richard Starkey) is famed for his prolific alcoholism
Jimi Hendrix—gifted guitarist, but sadly, yielded his God-given gift to Satan, singing about drug related experiences and the dark side of life (“purple haze is through my mind…Manic depression, taking my soul…I’m going down town to shoot my old lady, I caught her messin’ around with another man…). He died in 1970 of a drug overdose
Madonna—pop icon involved in music and film. Sexually immoral, both heterosexually and as a lesbian.
Brittany Spears—scantily clad musical pop star from
Rap “music artists” routinely spew forth lyrics laced with the vilest and most profane language, demeaning women as sex toys and labeling them as “f_ _ _ ing b _ _ _ _ es,” while also glorifying violence, especially with firearms, and every form of self-indulgence.
Most country music, while masquerading as a patriotic American art form for the common man, is really about illicit sexual fantasies, fornication, adultery, drunkenness and violence. Country music is, by and large, sin trying to hide behind the Stars and Stripes, pick up trucks and the county fair.
Racial hatred and bigotry have run rampant on planet Earth, despite man-made efforts to curb it. Any human solution to racism or any sin is doomed to failure. Sin is a spiritual problem, needing a spiritual remedy.
This leads us into the current issue: New Orleans, Louisiana and its message to America and the world. Thank you for being so patient in reading this inordinately long letter, but the nature of the problem requires thorough treatment.
Consider this: WHAT HAPPENED TO NEW ORLEANS AND THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST IS A MESSAGE FROM GOD ALMIGHTY TO AMERICA AND THE ENTIRE WORLD! IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOUR TOWN, CITY OR COUNTRY! Carefully consider this scripture, Isaiah 9:10-21:
The bricks are fallen down, but still we will build with hewn stones: the sycaomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars (v. 10). This speaks of a people who have experienced God’s chastening hand of correction and judgment, but they are proud, stubborn and rebellious. Instead of falling on their faces in repentance, they proudly proclaim that not only will they clean away the destruction, but they will make things bigger and better than they were before. That is what many people in the New Orleans/Mississippi Gulf Coast areas are saying and thinking. It was no coincidence that Hurricane Katrina struck one of the most wicked cities on earth—New Orleans—a place that openly welcomes every sin and abomination in the book. Consider that New Orleans is home of the French Quarter, known around the world for its wanton debauchery, prostitution, homosexual festival known as “Southern Decadence,” and drunkenness. The Mississippi Gulf Coast was fat with numerous gambling casinos. Instead of turning from its sin, Mississippi has purposed to rebuild and reopen its casinos as quickly as possible, now allowing them to come on shore from their former moorings, where they floated just off shore. I have been to Waveland and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi a few days ago. Practically everything south of the east-west railroad tracks (which sit atop an earthen berm about 15 feet high) was demolished. This devastation extends from Pearlington, at the extreme western end of Mississippi, to Pascagoula, at the state’s east end. Someone in Mississippi does not understand or accept that because of fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence and covetousness (one of the prime motivating factors behind gambling!), “…the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.” Colossians 3:5-6.
Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together (v.11). The Lord Himself takes notice of the lack of repentance and change in New Orleans and coastal Mississippi and will arrange for additional adversity to come to those areas, in order to break stubborn wills and reinforce the message of God’s call to repentance.
The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still (v. 12). This is similar to verse 11, but provides more specific detail. God has appointed further specific and severe judgments to New Orleans and Mississippi in the event that the message of Hurricane Katrina is not heeded.
By the way, “Katrina” means “cleansing.” Think about it. That is what the storm did! The murder, crime and drug use rates in New Orleans have plummeted since Katrina. Why? The criminals almost all left or were driven out by the storm and flooding afterwards. Interestingly, crime rates in large cities like Atlanta and Houston are up. These are places where many New Orleanians evacuated to after Katrina.
For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts (v. 13). Further judgment, chastening and correction will result from lack of repentance. People need to see that God’s supernatural hand operates frequently through natural means, both to bless and to curse, to reward and to punish. Storms, floods, earthquakes, famines and diseases can only go where He causes or allows them to. Pay raises from your employer, increased income, gifts from people to you, and the like, can also be expressions of God’s love, favor and rewards for faithfulness and obedience. The Lord can instruct people to bless you. Please see Luke 6:38.
Therefore the Lord will cut off Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day. The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed (vv.14-16). No one, I repeat, no one, is immune to chastening and correction. The Lord chastens his own children. He loves them. See Hebrews 12:6 and Deuteronomy 8:5. Don’t think that you can hide behind your age, social status, ministry position, or anything else. The Lord will hold accountable all who were supposed to provide spiritual leadership but did a poor job of it. Sadly, those who follow deficient spiritual leaders often suffer for it, but many of them want to follow such leaders, so, they are really getting what they want.
Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hyporcrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother. And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm: Manasseh, Ephraim, and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still (vv. 17-21). This describes the current situation in New Orleans and coastal Mississippi, but also its future if there is not adequate repentance. New Orleans is still largely dark at night. It has a small fraction of its pre-hurricane population. Focus on the repeated phrase, For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. The Lord’s hand of judgment, correction and chastening is still stretched out over coastal Mississippi and the New Orleans area. Whether or not His hand must strike again depends upon the people, especially those who are “born again” (see 2 Chronicles 7:14) turning to repentance.
SO, WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE REST OF AMERICA AND THE WORLD? I am glad that you asked. Know and understand this. What happened to the New Orleans area and coastal Mississippi from August 29, 2005 on (when Katrina struck, and its aftermath) was God’s chastening, correction and judgment. Instead of crying out to the Lord, New Orleanians are looking to FEMA, insurance companies and the government to make things right. They lack humility, meekness or repentance, and instead are angrily blaming the government, etc. for their plight, rather than considering that if they cry out to the Lord in sincere repentance, He will hear and send healing and deliverance. I hear very little of acknowledgement that the Lord sent or allowed Katrina. I hear very little of a turning to the Lord for help. I hear many angry voices bringing accusations against others and demanding help. People in the storm-ravaged areas are, for the most part, not getting the message.
Judgment will come again to the New Orleans and coastal Mississippi areas. The next time, as the prophet Isaiah illustrates, it will be much greater. God will not allow pride to stand unchallenged.
What of America and the rest of the world? Recall that a devastating tsunami struck the Indian Ocean area last December 26th, killing, I understand, approximately 300,000. The terrible earthquake in Pakistan of a short time ago reportedly killed somewhere in the vicinity of 100,000 and many survivors are trying to determine how not to starve or freeze to death in this harsh winter. There is no area or place on earth that is immune to the judgment of the Lord.
Many Americans do not consider that there are dormant volcanoes in the west that will erupt, kill and bring much destruction. They have forgotten the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens, a sneak preview of things to come. They do not consider what happened to San Francisco in its great earthquakes or the fact that California and much of the Pacific Northwest is precariously perched on geologic fault lines that will shake mightily again and kill many, bringing destruction of property and economic ruin. They have forgotten the existence of the New Madrid fault and the fact that when it last quaked mightily, it caused church bells in the Northeast to peal and the Mississippi River to both alter its course and temporarily flow backward.
The citizens of America and Planet Earth should consider what Hurricane Katrina did to be illustrative of what the Lord can do anywhere, at any time. However, encouragement comes to us in this scripture: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. I John 1:8-10.
The choice is ours. Now what will we do?
Yours in Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord and Savior,
Pastor Ben
posted by Asst. Pastors Ben & Lisa Clayton at 6:55 PM
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