Last time we looked at some rudimentary information on the
end times and how that may relate to the place of the United
States as it comes to Biblical prophesy and
end times events. I felt it was important to look at that because I know many
people who believe it’s just too late; that we are too near the end of history
and that the nation is too far adrift too ever restore the founding principles.
It may well be true but then again I tend to have a different opinion, I
believe that like Judah in the dark days of King Ahaz (II Chronicles 28 and II
Kings 18) when hope seemed lost, that the nations greatest revival and in many
ways best days (though relatively short in light of their overall history) were
to come.
There are at least five reasons that lead me to my hopeful
conclusion, here they are.
First there is something happening in the culture beneath
the surface. When Hezekiah assumed the throne of Judah (Judah is the portion of
Israel that stayed loyal to the House of David when the nation was divided
following the reign of Solomon, it included the tribe of Judah and part of the
tribe of Benjamin and some of the tribe of Levi who were the priests and
attendants to the house of God in Jerusalem which was Judah’s capital) he
immediately restored the worship at the house of the Lord. It took eight days
to cleanse and repair the temple of the abuse and neglect of the previous
years, and then the sin offering was made to atone for the sins of Israel .
Unlike most Biblical revivals, we do not see sackcloth and ashes and men
beating their chests in anguish before Almighty God. Why? Revival does not come
without repentance, but among the people of Judah
and especially among the Levites dispersed among them, God was already at work.
While we know that idol worship was rampant and that the former administration
had imposed so many ungodly decrees, within the hearts of many was a
discontent, a solemn belief that their beloved country was headed the wrong
way. Perhaps not a silent majority but certainly a significant number of the
Judean population was distraught by the immoral and unpatriotic bent that their
culture was assuming. I believe the Tea Party is the American equivalent, men
and women striving to change the course of the mighty nation
It is a spontaneous uprising reacting to the policies and
decisions that have lead us so far from the principles of our founding. The
constitution may not hold the eternal significance of the Jewish Torah but certainly
no other governing document in the world today is comparable.
Second, I think it important to note that the most egregious
wrongs in our country are largely imposed not chosen. I believe that King Ahaz
imposed upon Judah
much of the Idol worship and child sacrifice rather than the people simply
choosing it themselves. In the Northern Kingdom of Israel there was a man named
Jeroboam who convinced the 10 tribes to rebel against the house of David
following the death of David’s son Solomon. This man is referred to throughout
all eternity as “Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel
to sin”. How would you like that on your tombstone? Does this mean the people of Israel
were blameless? Of course not. Did God
ignore the sins of the people of Judah
since they were only following the lead of their king when they bowed the knee
to Molech? Hardly! The essential truth is that man is an independent moral
agent, and even in the most oppressive of regimes the choice of right and wrong
is still in the heart and mind of man and
even God Himself c will not violate that free will. If those individuals in Judah
and Israel were
responsible for their actions how much more are “we the people” accountable
before God? Our leaders are chosen by us from among us. No king rises to power
by virtue of heredity, we get the government we choose and that we deserve. How
are we doing in that regard? Rather poorly I’d say. Having said that, the
original point is still relevant. Despite the polls that show same sex marriage
to be supported by a majority of Americans, every single time the voters in a
state go to the polls and decide the issue the people vote in favor of
traditional marriage. This is true even in liberal California .
Gay marriage is only legal where courts and legislatures go against the will of
the people. Prior to Roe V Wade, only a handful of states had legalized
abortion and the pro-choice movement was struggling from a string of defeats
before the court stepped in and rewrote the constitution for them. Americans
did not vote to remove prayer from schools or crosses or nativity scenes from
public parks. We don’t want the Ten Commandments stricken from our courthouse
walls or lawns. We have made the mistake hitherto for of letting the courts and
the legislatures get away with what they’ve done to our country but we have
already begun to fight back.
The next reason for my optimism is education. If you have
ever read my blog you know how hyper critical I am of public education, so why
do I say what I am saying now? Simple, there are between 1.7 and 2.1 million home
schooled kids in the US, not to mention those on private and Christian schools .
The vast majority of them are learning the founding principles of our country,
they are learning moral absolutes and creation science. They know the Ten
Commandments and the Bill of Rights and what each of them means. They are the
best and brightest among us and they are the future leaders and statesmen. What
might Almighty God who delivered Israel from the innumerable hoards of the
Midianites with a mere 300 men by the “sword of the Lord and of Gideon” do with
an army of free, determined young men and women numbering in the millions? Why do I think there is hope? My kids, that’s
why.
Fourth, “Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always
been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them” (George W Bush Sept. 20, 2001 ) I do not always agree
with President Bush but to this point I say amen. Remember there was a time
when men and woman were prosecuted imprisoned and tortured in the name of Jesus Christ! What did the founding of America
mean? That men and women could worship God in freedom. Let is look back at the
words of Jefferson again: Whereas
Almighty God hath created the mind free; that all attempts to influence it by
temporal punishment or burthens, or by civil incapacitations, tend only to
beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of
the Holy author of our religion, who being Lord both of body and mind, yet
chose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as was his Almighty power to
do.” These freedoms are being sorely
threatened, no they are no longer threatened they are being openly attacked. I
refer you to the case of Phil Caminiti (http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/pastor-sentenced-to-2-years-in-prison-for-teaching-that-parents-should-spank-their-children)
as perhaps the most egregiously un-American case ever imposed by a court. We also have the much more highly publicized
order of the Secretary of HHS that will force religious institutions to pay for
contraceptives against their sincerely held beliefs. We truly are pushed back
as far to the wall as we can be. Now is the last hope to stand for freedom. I
believe we will. Decades ago when the Hugo Black court began to reinterpret the
separation of church and state and our freedoms were nibbled at, we were
complacent, if that complacency continues we will pay a horrible price. Today
we have an alternate media that keeps us apprised of facts, we have the
internet, where some old farmer like me can hope to influence hundreds of
people around the world, and we have liberty based institutions to answer
groups like the ACLU. We have a lot of people “as mad as Hell who aren’t going
to take it anymore.” More importantly I
do not believe God wants this free nation to fail. Freedom of choice is not an
American invention, it is from God and no nation has ever come so close to that
Godly idea than this one so long as there are men who pray and fight for
freedom I think it will be hard pressed to be removed from the Earth.
Fifth we have not completely
lost our way. When tragedy strikes anywhere in the world America is there, when
there is a tornado in some Midwestern town we never heard of people will come
and aid their neighbors, though they be complete strangers, from miles around.
We give more to charity, feed more hungry people provide more medicines send
out more missionaries print more Bibles than any nation in the world.we remain Israel's one true ally, our current administration seeks to pull back from that friendship, the American people do not.Our military fights all around the world not merely to protect our self interest, but to protect the freedoms of men everywhere including tens of millions of Muslims. Does this
excuse our sins? Absolutely not! However if the Lord sought in vain to find 10
righteous men for whose sake He would have spared Sodom and Gomorrah, why
should we think He will turn a blind eye to the thousands if not millions of
decent men and women who are the soul of a great nation. Nations are not judged in eternity nor do they
know redemption of the soul through grace, and well should we “tremble when we
recall that God is just”. Yet if nations are judged by deeds and their works
weighed in a balance, then does God not also weigh our just and selfless deeds just as much as our sinful ones? Perhaps there is enough simple common decency
left outside of the media and political worlds that God will stay his hand to
see if we will return once again to our founding principles.
Finally, I was having a
conversation lately with a friend, a rather intense one I might add. We are
blessed to attend a church where our pastor deals out the unfiltered in
non-sugarcoated truth about the state of our culture and the threat we put
ourselves in if we continue to ignore the natural law of God. My friend however
lamented that few (he may have even used the word no) other pastors do this.
I could name 5 right off the top of my head that I either knew or knew of in
our little corner of God’s country in the Eastern panhandle of WV. Is this the
only place in the nation where this is true? In the end of it all the Bible
teaches in II Chronicles 7:14 “if My people who are called by My
name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their
wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal
their land.” Are his people turning? Are
they praying? Are they scattered in pockets all across the nation praying and
repenting looking at the media thinking no one else is doing the same? Will a
day come soon when God will call them out and we will be amazed at how many of
us their really are? Will this lead us to pass an even stronger more decent and
freer nation on to the nest generation than we inherited? Are we on the cusp of the greatest revival
this land has yet seen? Is this the day of Hezekiah? I believe so. One night at a sparsely attended
prayer meeting many of our nation’s problems were brought before the throne of
Almighty God and I was seated near the flags. I looked over at the American
flag flanked by the Christian banner and the Israeli flag and I do honestly
believe the Lord spoke to my heart and said. “I’m not done with that flag just
yet.” Am I a prophet? God no, but do I
believe the Lord speaks to men, absolutely yes! Did he speak to me that night,
let us pray so.
There are many people smarter than me, and many of them disagree
with my conclusions. God alone knows the beginning from the end. I tell you
this though Satan is real and he is a whole lot smarter than me as well. I believe God is not neutral but neither is Satan. I don’t think Satan wants men to be
free, to share openly the Gospel of Christ, nor to see justice and prosperity. If I were Satan and I knew the danger to my
unholy cause that a revived America
poses, and if I was prevented from openly attacking God’s people what would I
do to stop them. I would discourage them, I would tell them its too late, don’t
vote, don’t pray just accept that its all over and prepare for the worst. Give
up the battle before it is even fought.
Yes if I were Satan that is exactly what I would do.
Just sayin’.
Last time out I mentioned a pre- wrath view of the rapture-
if your interested check out: http://prewrathministries.org/index.php/prewrath
Until next time where I will give you the Father’s Day
sermon you should hear but never will- keep on the firing line!
No comments:
Post a Comment