And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" --- Revelation 6:15-17
It is one of the most notorious organizations ever spawned in recent times -- a putrid mix of lawyers who are resolved to save us from ourselves! Under the deceptive banner of "Separation of Church and State" this blinded (blind to what truth really is all about) group has launched very effective assaults against Christianity continually.
It is known as the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) -- but it is much more accurate to have the initials represent Anti-Christian Lovers (of) Ungodliness! By way of definition, anything or anyone that advocates and encourages conduct and policies which defy the will of the Creator of this universe and which hinders the revelation of Who God really is, is more than qualified to be placed in the category of ungodliness.
This group is dedicated to the absolute elimination of any reference to Christianity in public settings such as schools and government. This mad dog approach to this issue has come about due to a mistaken interpretation of a statement made by Thomas Jefferson about a "wall of separation" between church and state in our republic.
One cannot say that spiritual, moral, and ethical conditions have greatly improved in our republic since God has been "officially" banned by court ruling from a lot of places including public school classrooms.
But the day is coming when even the members of this infamous group will find themselves praying desperately -- even if they have never uttered a word of prayer before in their entire lives! Further, it is quite possible that they will urge others to pray, even in public places!
Perhaps it will be in the spirit of a sign a student in one of my churches told me about at the time the Supreme Court ruled that Bible reading and the Lord's Prayer were no longer acceptable practices in public classrooms. This student informed me that someone put a large sign on the bulletin board in his high school which read, "In the event of nuclear attack, the ban against prayer in this school building will be temporarily suspended!" The sign was on display for a little while before a school administration official quickly removed it.
Isaiah the prophet also mentions this time of a world-wide crisis of a different kind -- when God has made the decision to directly intervene in the flow of human history. It will be a time with which the nations of this world are completely unprepared to deal, and it is obvious that material wealth will not be of any significant use in bringing relief from the impending judgment. And as noted in the frantic praying recorded in Revelation 6, for the first time ever, millions will discover too late, that now Almighty God is calling for a personal accounting from each individual!
Their land is also full of silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is also full of horses, and there is no end to their chariots. Their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made. People bow down, and each man humbles himself; therefore do not forgive them. Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up; and it shall be brought low;........ They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily. In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which they made, each for himself to worship, to the moles and bats, to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the crags of the rugged rocks, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily. --- Isaiah 2:7-12, 19-21
I would be the first to admit it -- response to what has just been written will involve a high degree of mockery and skepticism on the part of a majority. Similar in a sense to what Noah likely experienced before God shut him and his family inside the ark! But as has been noted in the past, "There are no atheists in fox holes!" So, to the few of you who do believe that God means precisely every word He has recorded in that inspired record known as the Bible, hang on and be prepared in order that you will not be joining them in that last great "prayer meeting" where the shouts are totally in vain and there is no response from the other side!
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." --- John 8:12
2 comments:
I wonder how we could get more people 'in the boat'?
Jesus said that we are to be "light" and "salt" in this world (Matthew 5) -- as you may recall, He did not have a majority following Him when He was here in the 1st Century. His emphasis regarding His followers was on witness -- show by a transformed life that He is real and alive -- speak words which testify to an experience of total forgiveness, peace with God, and hope for the future in terms of time and eternity. This doesn't mean grabbing people by the neck and demanding they listen to us -- it is the life and vocal responses when inquiry is made that are of utmost importance. Familiarity with God's inspired Word is an absolute must -- under guidance of the Holy Spirit, be able to use the Scripture in personal witness -- a for instance -- when people (including some pastors) insist that any form of religion is good enough as long as you are sincere (Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc) you don't argue -- just quote Jesus' "I am" statements -- the issue is not between you and the defender of the "many ways to get to heaven approach" -- it becomes an issue between that person and Jesus Christ Himself -- encourage them to talk to Him about it -- He's always available! It is necessary as we begin each day that we seek to be that "light" and "salt" as Jesus said we ought to be -- a channel through which the Holy Spirit can do His work of drawing people to repentance and the receiving of Jesus into their lives as Savior and Lord -- it's not our business to "get more people in the boat" -- but it is our business to show everyone we possibly can how to get on board and to provide evidence that we have already obtained our own "boarding pass" which is inscribed with the name, "Jesus Christ," and underneath the words, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." (John 6:37)
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