Come Now, We Don't Have to Do a Thing to Get God's Attention!

An American pastor who made news in April by studying NASA's eclipse calendar to speculate on the return of Jesus Christ to Earth is now planning a worldwide blast of trumpets this fall to get God's attention.
--- opening statement of article posted at WorldNetDaily on July 3, 2008

Big plans are in the making – trumpet blast time synchronized at same moment in time zones all over the world and compared to the “wave” which takes place at sporting events in stadiums.

The head of El Shaddai Ministries, Mark Blitz, is calling for a world-wide observance of the Feast of Trumpets on September 29, 2008. This will involve lots of shouting and blowing of shofars, trumpet-like instruments made from the horns of what are considered Biblically clean animals such as rams.

Blitz has issued an invitation at his web site for participation – in his words, “Let’s have an around the world shofar assembly in every time zone on the Feast of Trumpets at sunset announcing to Messiah we are awake and anxiously anticipating His return.”

Some things to bear in mind before we purse our lips and prepare to sound a blast:

• First, we don’t need to do anything to get God’s attention – we’ve been under constant surveillance on a 24/7 basis ever since Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden! Just as a reminder, consider what God Himself has revealed about it:
  

  
  The LORD is in His holy temple, The Lord's throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. (Psalm 11:4). "For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes.” (Jeremiah 16:17).
  

  
  
• Second, in regard to “anxiously anticipating His (Jesus’) return,” among professing Christians the number has to be rather limited. We now have “scholars,” theologians, seminary professors, church leaders and pastors who either totally deny Jesus’ personal return to earth or question whether it will ever happen any time soon. Therefore, so far as that bunch is concerned, it is best to forget about the whole thing!
  
  
• Third, ethical, moral and spiritual conditions will continue to deteriorate to the extent that on one occasion Jesus asked a most unsettling question – “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). He also said such deterioration would lead to a duplicate of conditions as existing at the time of Noah prior to the judgment of the universal flood and the time of Lot when he and his family lived in Sodom before that city was totally obliterated.
  

The vast majority of this world’s 6 billion + inhabitants is making its contribution to the chaos as described by Isaiah: “The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.” (Isaiah 24:5).

No, no announcement, shout or trumpet blasting is needed to let the Lord know we are anticipating His return – since He knows completely what is in our hearts and minds, He knows if we are really expecting His return.

But of far greater importance, He knows to what extent we really believe He is returning to earth by how we now invest our time, talent (gifted abilities), and treasure (material goods) on a daily basis as witness to the truth of His promised return as King of kings and Lord of lords!

"But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing." --- Matthew 24:36-46

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" --- Revelation 11:15

Don't Blame Me -- It's Jesus' Fault -- He Taught Me to Do It!

"...it is written..." --- Jesus in Matthew 4:1-11

Why do I do it? How did I get into such an awful habit? It has actually become an addiction in my life over the years! It is what "anonymous" of W. VA referred to as "spouting off Bible verses." See comments on my post of April 5, 2008. I'm not sure if "anonymous" is male or female or something in between. As mentioned in reply at that time, it sure takes a lot of guts to make your statement and then refuse to identify yourself!

Anyway, about this addiction -- it was immediately after Jesus came into my life and did a major make-over from top to bottom -- inside and out! And so, as I began to read and study the Scriptures, portions began to be etched in my memory. I noted that Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come and teach me -- He would guide me into the truth and show me things to come. (See John 14 - 16 on that).

I also observed that Jesus was a "Bible verse spouter" on many occasions starting with an encounter with someone out in the middle of nowhere. Oh, I almost forgot -- unfortunately there are persons within the ranks of what claims to be Christianity (theologians, seminary professors, pastors and laity) who don't believe that Satan and demons actually are real and literally exist! So just whom was Jesus talking to out there in that waste land?

Jesus' most lengthy time of "spouting Bible verses" took place when He was talking with Cleopas and a companion. He engaged in conversation with them after His resurrection from the dead. At one point He gives them a mild rebuke and then starts "spouting:"

Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. --- Luke 24:25-27

How long do you suppose the "spouting of Bible verses" continued on that occasion as a couple of pairs of eyes were suddenly opened and the realization set in that Jesus was no longer in the grave, but very much alive!

There were a lot of other "spouters" of Bible verses also -- Matthew did it -- Paul and Peter -- in fact, there was quite a gang who did it. Some of those fellows in the Old Testament did not start their statements with, "It is my opinion or I think..." but a "Thus says the Lord..." An interesting way of "spouting off," is it not?

So it's Jesus' fault plus the example set by a number of others that I do it too. I find myself doing a lot of it in my sermons and teaching!

Now then, what can be done about this addiction to "spout off Bible verses?" For starters, how about a BVSA (Bible Verse Spouters Anonymous)? Hey, they have such groups for alcoholics, gamblers and people who eat too much, so why not such an organization for those of us who are addicted to "spouting off Bible verses?"

To show there are no hard feelings about this, I nominate "anonymous" of W. VA to get this thing up and running. Maybe over time our culture will be purged of all tendencies to "spout off Bible verses" and "anonymous" of W. VA will no longer have to go through trials and tribulations of such a practice on the part of persons such as I!

So the next time you hear someone "spouting off Bible verses" just remember it is not likely his or her fault -- the blame has to be placed on Jesus, Who showed us how it is done!

To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Indeed their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot give heed. Behold, the word of the LORD is a reproach to them; they have no delight in it. --- Jeremiah 6:10

Should Obedience to God Be A Top Priority National Issue or Not?

But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. --- Deuteronomy 28:15-19

Should obedience to God be a top priority national issue or not? On such a question as this, the overwhelming response is bound to be an excessively loud "No!" -- so loud that vocal cords are strained to the maximum, windows might shatter, and walls quiver as though an earthquake is starting to crank up!

Much of the negative response would be interspersed with cries of "We need to maintain the 'wall' of separation of church and state!" It is true that some in their ignorance have abused, misused, perverted and distorted a statement attributed to Thomas Jefferson about this thing of "separation" of church and state. As many influential people bought into this deceptive doctrine we have opened a Pandora's Box resulting in court decisions being handed down that are paving the way to a disaster which we cannot begin to imagine due to the magnitude of it all!

In effectively drawing a boundary line around all government functions and our public school systems we as a nation have given God an obscene gesture and told Him those properties and all that goes on within those confines by all persons involved are strictly off limits -- He dare not set foot in those forbidden areas!

With such a development, anyone with a touch of common sense, the ability to do some serious thinking and possessing a spiritual sensitivity to God's special revelation will quickly recognize that a culture which has its beginning rooted in that special revelation given by our Creator will ultimately experience calamities beyond human ability to understand when the majority of its citizens and leaders (political and church) choose to deliberately defy Him!

Deuteronomy 28 is one of the clearest points of reference on the issue as to whether obedience to God is simply an option or an absolute must if blessing, future security and survival are to be experienced.

In light of recent financial chaos among other things which this nation has been experiencing and the feeble efforts to try to "stabilize" financial activity, perhaps a look at one small portion of what God promised by way of calamity due to disobedience -- seems that "aliens" will become involved:

The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail. Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. --- Deuteronomy 28:43-45

There are any number in the interesting group of theologians, seminary & college professors, pastors and teachers who would insist that Deuteronomy 28 has absolutely nothing to do with the United States -- but then again, if you take some of that bunch seriously, the Bible doesn't have much to do with any of us one way or another -- we live in a time of "buffet religion" -- pick and choose what suits your fancy in religious matters, or for that matter, if you don't want to relate to any religion, that's OK too!

So, if you are not afraid to do so -- take a slow walk through Deuteronomy 28 -- maybe repeat a couple of times and consider whether at any given time when a nation has had access to God's special revelation ever since its beginning over 231 years ago, that such a nation is responsible (leaders & citizens) to be obedient to Him in all manner of behavior and relationships!

Further, one might consider God's personal statement in regard to His claim to bring down a nation for massive disobedience or to establish such a nation on condition of its obedience to Him.

And to what extent are all those "wannabe" president people really addressing this, the most critical issue our republic has ever faced in its entire history? And can anyone say our republic is now healthier, ethically, morally and spiritually stronger than in those days before God was confronted with "No Trespassing" signs as applied to His presence on government property and in public schools? We all know the answer to that one, do we not?

"The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it." --- Jeremiah 18:7-10

I Like Milk, But.....!

I grew up on a farm in my younger years until I left to work for Uncle Sam for three years at the age of 19.

We had a small herd of Guernsey cows. They had a reputation of having high quality milk with high butterfat content -- sometimes the expression "golden Guernsey milk" was used by dairies in promoting their milk.

We had lots of milk to drink each day and my mother made butter. My dad drank the buttermilk -- he was the only one in the family who would!

I averaged at least a quart of milk a day and sometimes more -- especially if my mother had just taken a chocolate cake out of the oven. You will find it hard to beat this combination -- warm chocolate cake just freshly baked and cold Guernsey milk to go with it!

But my desire for a drink of cold milk is totally annihilated if I become aware that someone has dropped a few drops of arsenic into it -- it may be just as white as before and just as cold as I'd want it to be -- BUT it's the few drops of arsenic which will keep me from drinking it. The last I had heard, arsenic is not a booster to better health -- in fact, the stuff will kill you!

For decades in this country there have been persons who have been slipping a few drops of spiritual arsenic into the diets of Christians in quite a number of places.

You may ask just who these person are -- and what is the nature of this "spiritual arsenic?"

The perpetrators come from all strata within those groups claiming to be Christian. They can be theologians, seminary professors, teachers in a variety of schools, church leaders, pastors, and lay persons holding offices in a church.

This group which dispenses the spiritual arsenic has one thing in common though the nature of the arsenic dispensed may vary a bit. The common thread is a denial of something revealed in the holy Scriptures (Bible) -- God has made a lot of things plain to us such as spelling out the basic root problem of the human race, what laws apply to all human behavior and relationships, what He has done to bring healing and wholeness to sinful human beings, the performing of many miraculous acts during the history of the human race, and what He has planned for the future.

Since the Holy Spirit (the greatest Theologian in existence) authored the Scriptures and Jesus promised that this same Holy Spirit would teach us, guide us into the truth, and would show us things to come, then we can be absolutely certain of a number of things, starting with positive assurance of sins forgiven on condition of our repenting of all sin and receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of our lives!

But here's the problem -- Jesus warned of what He described as "wolves in sheep's clothing" making their dreaded appearances. He also warned of false teachers and prophets coming on the scene and this would be a worsening problem as we get closer to the moment of His personal return to this world.

So now the church at large more than possibly at any time in its 2,000 year history is plagued with those who deny the authenticity of the Scriptures, deny the moral standards which God has put in place, deny the miracles He has done throughout human history, deny the existence of a personal devil and a huge host of demon spirits, deny the significance of Jesus' atonement for the entire human race, deny He was literally resurrected from the dead following His crucifixion, and deny that He is going to return to this sin ravaged planet to take charge and rule the entire world at some point in the future!

It behooves Christians more than ever to spend much time on a daily basis searching the Scriptures and seeking to be spiritually sensitive to anyone who would try to convince you that something which God has made very plain in His revealed Word is not really so -- watch out for the subtle droplets of spiritual arsenic! And when such an individual attempts to lace your spiritual diet with the poison of unbelief you can write that person off as being as phony as a three dollar bill!

By the way, I do have a three dollar bill in my collection of unusual "currency" -- it has a picture of Bill Clinton on it -- but it could just as well have the pictures of some theologians to which I have been exposed over the years -- some pastors --some teachers -- even some United Methodist bishops and also some lay persons as well!

And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand."
--- Matthew 24:4,5,11-13,23,24

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. --- 2 Peter 2:1-3