Three Deadly Decision That Are Paving the Way for Judgment to Be Poured Out Upon Our Republic!

NOTE: The following was a major part of a commentary posted when Justice Scalia died and speculation ran rampant as to whom former President Obama would nominate to be the new justice to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court.

There are 3 solid reasons why it really no longer matters who the next Supreme Court justice will be. As of this writing, a new Supreme Court justice is now sitting on the court who was selected by President Trump. The 3 reasons are based on past SCOTUS decisions and are still in effect with nothing indicating they will be changed any time soon, if ever! And so our republic races on with the growing possibility that God will demonstrate that we cannot massively reject His standards for a sane, sensible, stable, serene, and secure nation and expect to get away with such rebellion without paying a very high price! See the price that the ancient Israelite kingdom of Judah paid as graphically described in 2 Chronicles 36! And we have chosen to travel the same road as did those people centuries ago!

Reason #1: The Supreme Court in 1963 handed down a decision that literally kicked God out of all public school systems throughout the entire United States. No more prayer and no more Bible reading will be permitted. Obviously the justices did not consult God as to whether this was acceptable with Him! A few of us are convinced that this has helped to pave the way to a future disaster which is of the first magnitude in scope and inconceivable to the human mind! There is a refusal to face honestly the fact that conditions in our public schools are much, much different than they were at the time of the 1963 decision – and not for the better either!

Reason #2: Just a short ten years later the Supreme Court handed down a decision that declared a female has a “constitutional right” to have her unborn child murdered, if she so chooses! This has been about the most dividing issue ever to take place within our republic. And obviously we can no longer point the finger at Nazi Germany and accuse them of being savages by the intentional murders of at least 15 million people in death camps, with this including 6 million Jews! Our version of “holocaust” far exceeds that number – our total number of unborn children intentionally murdered is moving toward 60 million since January 1973 when some justices said it is ok to dismember and murder unborn children – the U.S. Constitution gives its approval!

Reason #3: In 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision regarding marriage. As a nation for a long time since our beginnings back in the latter part of the 1700’s marriage was based on clear Biblical revelation that marriage was a covenant entered into by one man and one woman. That revelation started at the beginning of the human race as God revealed that a man would leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the two would become one flesh. (Early chapters in book of Genesis). This was further confirmed by Jesus in the New Testament as He made reference to the Genesis statement. Now some individuals holding the title of “justice” on the U.S. Supreme Court have nullified God’s design for marriage and say that sodomites can marry each other and lesbians can marry each other in the United States! God’s position on human sexuality and the boundaries He has drawn for sexual expression and experience are crystal clear with nothing left to the imagination – it is one man and one woman within the covenant of marriage! Anything outside of that is regarded as sinful immorality and condemned by the Creator! In fact, same sex intimacy is not merely regarded as sinful – it is labeled to be an abomination in God’s sight!

These 3 decisions have brought us to the threshold of experiencing the pouring out of God’s undiluted wrath in judgment! God has been speaking in various ways – issuing the call to repent and turn back to Him, but is anybody really listening? That means among other things that those decisions have to be reversed, but reality tells us that it likely will never happen! And whoever is appointed to the Supreme Court will make no difference in the ungodly and very deadly decisions made over the last half century!

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God………..The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. [Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 12 (KJV)].

But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me………..[Deuteronomy 28:15-20 (KJV)].

The Third Time Was Not a Charm, Nor Were Two Previous Ones!

…….The ruling is the latest milestone in the gay rights movement. In 2010, Obama signed a law allowing gays to serve openly in the U.S. military. In 2013, the high court ruled unconstitutional a 1996 U.S. law that declared for the purposes of federal benefits marriage was defined as between one man and one woman.

Reaction came swiftly. James Obergefell, the Ohio man who was the lead plaintiff in the case, told a cheering crowd outside the Supreme Court, "Today's ruling from the Supreme Court affirms what millions across this country already know to be true in our hearts - our love is equal, that the four words etched onto the front of the Supreme Court - equal justice under law - apply to us, too."

Obama telephoned Obergefell to offer congratulations…… [Partial news release on Supreme Court ruling legalizing marriage between sodomites and marriage between lesbians – Friday June 26, 2015]

Same-sex marriage is not the final nail in the coffin for traditional marriage. It is just another road sign toward the substitution of government for God. Every moral discussion now pits the wisest moral arbiters among us - the Supreme Court, President Obama - against traditional religion. -- Ben Shapiro

Over a period of 52 years the U.S. Supreme Court has handed down three decisions that assure us that as a nation we will face judgment at the hands of a holy God Who holds persons individually and nations collectively accountable for their actions!

The beginning of the end took place on June 17, 1963 when the Supreme Court ruled that it was no longer permissible to have Bible reading and prayer in the public school systems throughout the United States. In effect God was shown the exit door and ordered never to set foot on any public school premises ever again.

The lone dissenter in this decision was Justice Potter Stewart who said in reference to the majority opinion, “It led not to true neutrality with respect to religion but to the establishment of a religion of secularism.”

The fact is that in those days even unchurched students had a brief exposure to the Scriptures and to a simple prayer which was originally given by Jesus Christ, Son of the living God. He exhorted us to employ its use in prayer.

The deadly result of that decision is that we are now raising generations, the majority of which are raw heathen in their outlook in life. They have no exposure to Biblical teaching concerning God’s revelation and certainly are not instructed in the practice of prayer. One statistic of a few years back indicated that on any given Sunday only about 46 to 47 percent of our population can find its way to a place of worship on Sunday morning! That number is likely less now.

The second very deadly decision on the part of the Supreme Court took place on January 22, 1973 in which the Court declared that it is a woman’s constitutional right to have her unborn child murdered and removed from her body! No, they did not use the word, murder, in wording of the decision. But what do you call the act when one person ends another person’s life intentionally? Ah, yes – the argument continues as to whether that mass of cells growing in a woman’s abdomen is really a person – the preferred impersonal term is “fetus!” Well, you have to admit – it is different to get rid of a fetus than it is to get rid of a person. But Almighty God identifies us even before we are conceived and gives us the status of being persons in His sight, as well as revealing that He has a purpose for us. Check out Jeremiah 1:4,5 on this and after that schedule an appointment with God and tell Him He is wrong about giving unborn children the status of personhood and identity!

At this point in time we have murdered over 58 million unborn children in the United States which has been regarded as the “land of the free and the home of the brave” and a nation which in its founding documents stated that all persons should have the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!”

And no, the third deadly decision by the Supreme Court will not prove to be the charm that so many are so excited about. The celebration of course continues with rainbow flags flying all over the place plus a blatant mockery of the raising of the flag by Marines and a Navy corpsman on Iwo Jima during WW II. An image shows some characters in a similar pose as the Iwo Jima image raising a rainbow flag!

God clearly revealed early on what marriage would be – a one man and a one woman arrangement with the two living in a committed covenant with each other during their entire lives. This is found in the early chapters of the book of Genesis and later confirmed by Jesus during the 1st Century when He was here on earth. There has been no change in that decree over the centuries, except when humans have tried to usurp God’s place and authority and establish their own standards! The Scriptures do not present a pleasant picture when it comes to those who pervert doctrine, distort and twist Scriptures into something God never intended, and spread false teaching. This kind of thing only has one outcome – a Devil’s Hell for eternity – a very high price to pay for listening to the wrong people!

Another way of looking at this situation is to remember that in a ball game it is this standard rule – 3 strikes and you are out, no ifs, ands, or buts about it – you are out, finished, done!!

For the United States – the Supreme Court has given us our strike three on June 26, 2015 by giving God the obscene gesture and telling Him that marriage now involves sodomites marrying each other and lesbians marrying each other! And in the future with this kind of mockery set in motion they likely will approve a further expansion of marriage – a guy wants to marry 4 women. And don’t forget there are those who enjoy sex with animals and wouldn’t you know it – here comes Jane Doe who now wants to marry her German Shepherd, Rodney!

Since we are walking the very same path that the ancient Israelite kingdom of Judah did centuries ago, take a look at what eventually happened when they thought they could ignore God's laws and set their own standards as they saw fit to do. One of the things they adopted was child sacrifice -- they would throw an infant or a very young child into a burning fire as an act of worship! A wise person would conclude that such acts did not sit well with the mighty Creator of the heavens and the earth!

Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord. And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel. Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy. Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. [2 Chronicles 36:11-21 (KJV)]

Losing Our Religion in the United States? Oh, Surely Not!

The U.S. has become significantly less Christian in recent years as the share of American adults who espouse no systematic religious belief increased sharply, a major new study found.

For what is probably the first time in U.S. history, the number of American Christians has declined. Christianity, however, remains by far the nation’s dominant religious tradition, according to the new report by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center.

The erosion in traditional religious ranks seems likely to continue. Among Americans aged 18 to 33, slightly more than half identify as Christian, compared with roughly 8 in 10 in the baby boom generation and older age groups, the new data show. --- opening statements in news release by Los Angeles Times

Well, well -- looks like things are not going very well religiously in a republic known as the United States of America! There has been a feeling that the religion "business" has been in a decline mode for some time. There are a few exceptions as some groups experience a measure of growth as are some mega-churches. But as the studies and surveys are showing, the bottom line is that the total number of people involved in churches that profess to be Christian is shrinking. The United Methodist Church in which I am an ordained elder has been in decline for years. Again, in a few conferences there has been some gain in membership but that is wiped out by a larger number reporting losses!

Perhaps one thing summarizes the issue as well as it can be stated and that is the fact that God is withdrawing His blessing from this nation which He raised up over 238 years ago! Note some of the reasons why this has happened:

1. At about the beginning of the 20th Century corrupted theology was being imported from the European continent, with Germany being a main contributor. The holy Scriptures were held up to scrutiny and criticism and presented as a fallible human collection of writings. Miracles were commonly denied and the Person and work of Jesus Christ questioned. The seeds of unbelief began to be sown and as the 20th Century rolled along the seeds eventually began to produce bitter fruit! As we entered the 21st Century we had churches engaged in "warfare!" One issue at the forefront and it continues to be is that of sodomy and lesbianism -- morally legitimate or not, with "marriages" now taking place in states that have said such are as legal as heterosexual marriages!

2. As time passed in the 20th Century the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that forever changed the whole nation. In 1963 the basic ruling was that the Lord's Prayer and Bible readings could no longer take place in the public school systems throughout the nation! Strange as it may seem there were even church leaders that praised this decision, declaring it to be a good thing! Was it really? Even children from unchurched families had some exposure to prayer and portions of God's Word each day of the school year. But now we are raising generations of raw heathen -- parents are not in church and the kids aren't in church and we wonder about the terrible things that happen in our schools on a rate that is increasing weekly! No expert living can state that evidence indicates conditions in our public schools have greatly improved since the infamous Supreme Court decision of 1963! We've progressed from earlier problems of gum chewing, whispering in class, and running in the hallways to violent assaults, property destruction, and even murder! And how about this one? The mother of a 6th grade daughter was highly disturbed when the school authorities called her to report that her daughter was in trouble. What kind of trouble? Seems the daughter was in competition with another girl as to which one could give oral sex to the most boys before they arrived at school on the bus! Yes, sir -- get rid of the Bible and don't do any praying in school -- that could have a negative influence on the little tykes, could it not?

3. Then 10 years later the U.S. Supreme Court in the epitome of ignorance handed down another decision. In this one the black robed individuals stated that a female has a constitutional right to have her unborn child murdered and removed from her womb! The trail of innocent blood started in January 1973 and continues unabated to the present time. The tally of victims as of this writing (May 13, 2015) is over 58 million! And we still have persons who point a self righteous finger at Hitler's Germany for having killed about 15 million people, 6 million of whom were Jews! In a letter sent periodically to the president I have a picture of an unborn child who was a victim of intentional homicide and all torn to pieces. I remind the president that the Nazis did not get away with their version of Holocaust and we will not get away with our unique version either! An artist captured the issue very simply by drawing a picture of a man on his knees praying and calling on God saying, "O God, send us someone who will help us find a cure for all these deadly diseases such as cancer and others!" A voice from Heaven responds, "I did, but you aborted them!"

It is not a pleasant thought to consider what contributions the murdered victims could have made for the improvement of our nation and our churches, but we will never know will we? The oldest of the victims would have been in their early 40's now, living productive lives -- that is, if the decision had not been made to intentionally murder them and dispose of them in much the same way one disposes of the weekly garbage!

Corruption in church doctrine over time and massive corruption in the political process have not contributed to a stronger, healthier, and more secure republic. God has been calling the nation to repentance but who is listening. As time passes it is becoming more obvious that we are standing on the very threshold of judgment at the hands of a holy God! Perhaps a few will do some honest heart searching, seek to do what God wants them to do, including sounding the trumpet warning, and bear witness to His eternal truth at every given opportunity!

Here is a summary as to how a nation paves the way to judgment -- think U.S.A. walking the same path as you read this!

Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord. And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel. Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy. Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. --- 2 Chronicles 36:11-21 (KJV)

A Call to Prayer out of Washington DC, Perhaps?

And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Pray now unto Jehovah our God for us.” [Jeremiah 37:3 (American Standard Version)].

Things were not going well in the ancient Israelite kingdom of Judah around 600 BC. The Babylonian Empire was threatening to invade and conquer the kingdom just as it had been victorious over many other kingdoms in previous times. God over time had raised up prophets to call the nation and its leaders to repent of their many transgressions against Him, and in so doing avoid military defeat and destruction. But due to corrupt leadership, deceptive religious teaching, and a desire to do things “our way” the nation, its holy city, Jerusalem, and its magnificent temple were totally destroyed in 586 BC. Just prior to this disaster King Zedekiah asked for prayer, but it was too late!

Which brings us to a speculative question – is the day not far off when an appeal to pray will be issued from Washington DC? That appeal may come from the present resident of the White House, or leaders in the U.S. Congress or perhaps a blended combination of both!

Just about everyone in our republic has become aware that things are not going well for us at the present time.

The word “crisis” is being employed more and more in news releases and applied to certain happenings. We have the Ebola issue with persons infected within the borders of our nation. We have the ISIS issue and the question as to what extent these highly dedicated Muslims are within our boundaries and planning a series of attacks!

But for some time highly critical issues have been taking place with no real serious action taken to correct such abominable practices.

First, the ongoing practice of mutilating and murdering unborn children since January of 1973. Thousands are victims of intentional homicide each week – never forget, when you deliberately kill a person, it is a homicide! We are moving toward the number of 58 million victims since the Supreme Court made the very unwise and deadly decision that it is a “constitutional right” for a female to have her unborn child murdered!

Second, we have a pandemic condition of sexual immorality taking place which is encouraged by a lucrative pornography industry and the Hollywood and TV productions also giving assistance. Persons of all ages are pressured to adopt the philosophy that “Sex is fun with anyone (or more than one at same time) anywhere and at any time, day or night!” Sexually transmitted diseases are flourishing in spite of the campaigns stressing the need to have “safe sex!”

Third, we have accepted in growing numbers the abomination of same-sex marriage – sodomites can now legally marry each other in a large number of states and likewise lesbians can marry each other. Even churches, church leaders, and pastors are going along with this declaring it to be a good thing!

Fourth, we have become an idolatrous nation, setting up numerous idols, although it would be denied. But when less than half of our population can make it to a place of worship on a Sunday morning, it is a sign that we are in serious trouble, although from time to time the misleading erroneous statement is made that the United States is a Christian nation!

Fifth, the church (general term applied to all groups professing Christian faith) has become an institution of great confusion due to infiltration by those who deny the integrity and sole authority of the holy Scriptures. It is not that unusual to find pastors denying the miracles of the Bible, the Person and work of Jesus Christ – that is, His atonement for the sins of the entire human race, His victorious resurrection following crucifixion, and His promised return to this world for the purpose of controlling and ruling it! Further, as mentioned earlier, churches with pastors and people are capitulating to the demands of the sodomite/lesbian cartel. To resist is to guarantee that you will be labeled in the most negative terms possible – in fact, it is practically regarded to be criminal in not accepting sodomy and lesbianism as normal and that it is normal for such persons to marry!

Our nation has been experiencing increased calamities of various kinds. There has been an increase in violence erupting in many different places, from privacy of a home, to public places, and in schools and colleges. An unstable weather system is such that we never can be quite sure what a day will hold – many lives have been lost due to violent weather in some places.

With a national debt increasing like a cancer out of control it is guaranteed as well that we are going to experience trouble that is beyond the ability of the human mind to comprehend. Government leaders at the federal level have not done a single thing to address this problem much less to take steps to pay off the debt!

Now, having said all the foregoing, again the question – in light of the increased pace of calamities taking place throughout our republic, will the appeal soon be issued for citizens to pray and call on God? And when it is issued, one thing for certain – no mention will be made about seeking mercy in a spirit of repentance – no desire to forsake our sins and abominations and set things right in relation to God – and this being done through His Son, Jesus Christ. In fact it is more than an outside possibility that the name of Jesus Christ will be intentionally avoided when such an appeal is made!

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. [2 Chronicles 7:14 (King James Version)].

How to Be Effectively Involved in Middle East Affairs!

I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest, till he establishes, and till he makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. [Isaiah 62:6-7 (KJV)].

We hear something every day about things happening in that part of the world known as the Middle East. The present resident of the White House in Washington DC makes his comments on a regular basis about what our republic is doing and how it will be involved as conflicts seem to be ever expanding in different locations. Other nations are getting involved also in one way or another now that ISIS has moved to the forefront and is considered to be a threat to world stability!

As noted in comments in another place, world leaders have yet to realize they are dealing with the most dedicated Muslims you will find anywhere in the entire world! The United States and Israel are certainly priority targets as ISIS seeks to purge the world of infidels and usher in a “purified” world where Islam is in full control of all nations. That means complete eradication of all infidels—all who are not Muslim by way of a practicing religious faith or who refuse to convert and become Muslim when given the choice! The holy book of Islam, the Quran, specifically directs that Muslims not take Christians and Jews for friends. The reason is simple – Christians and Jews along with all other non-Muslims are identified to be infidels and pose a corrupting influence to the Muslim who wants to be faithful to Allah!

However, in spite of what ISIS and other groups of dedicated Muslims are doing, a dedicated Christian can exert influence on Middle East events that will have greater and longer lasting results than all the Muslims together will be able to accomplish!

God has revealed a lot of things about the future of Israel. The nation and its prominent city, Jerusalem, are in for dramatic changes. The original covenant God made with Abraham was far reaching in its scope and the end is not yet. The Old Testament prophets gave explicit details as to miraculous changes that would take place according to God’s time table for the Israelite people. Here are just a couple or so to show what a different world it will be at some point in the future:

The word which Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw about Judah and Jerusalem. And it will come about in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord will be placed on the top of the mountains, and be lifted up over the hills; and all nations will come to it. And the peoples will say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob: and he will give us knowledge of his ways, and we will be guided by his word; for out of Zion the law will go out, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will be the judge between the nations, and the peoples will be ruled by His decisions: and their swords will be turned into plough-blades, and their spears into vine-knives: no longer will the nations be turning their swords against one another, and the knowledge of war will be gone forever. [Isaiah 2:1-4 (Bible in Basic English)].

Again the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury. Thus saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain. [Zechariah 8:1-3 (KJV)].

And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. Zech 14:8-11 (KJV)

These are but a few statements of the great changes in store for the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. They are more than enough to stir the emotions of those who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and who believe that God will fulfill all His promises regarding the Israelite people.

But there is a way by which we can be directly involved in the affairs taking place in the Middle East rather than sort of sit on the side lines, witness what takes place from day to day and shake our heads in dismay and say, “Something ought to be done about that situation!”

Consider this:

We are clearly instructed to pray for the peace of Jerusalem – how else can you interpret such a command as found in Psalm 122:6-9: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good.” [Psalms 122:6-9 (KJV)].

Second, we are to be persistent in “bothering” God about this matter until He takes the action necessary: “I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem. They will never be silent day or night. Whoever calls on the Lord, do not give yourselves any rest, and do not give him any rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it an object of praise throughout the earth.” [Isaiah 62:6-7 (God’s Word)].

What is your response to God’s challenge to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and to keep insisting that He will make Jerusalem to be an object of praise all over the world? Yes, it is your golden opportunity to be directly involved in the affairs of the Middle East and not simply a frustrated observer!

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. [1 John 5:14-15 (KJV)].

Lesson from a Bulldog!

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets. Luke 6:26

I have participated in the famous social network known as Facebook for quite some time and have a few hundred persons known as "friends" on the network. Over time there has been a lot of interaction and many responses to things I have posted.

In dealing with responses I have tried to learn a lesson which was revealed through the experience one pastor had many years ago.

The pastor was walking down a sidewalk toward the home of a church member he wanted to visit. Before he reached his destination, he noticed some distance away an English bulldog coming in his direction in the middle of the sidewalk. As the two got closer to one another there was a sudden barking from a small dog in the yard of one home as the bulldog passed by. But the bulldog never so much as gave a glance in the direction of the one making all the noise. It was one of those "yap" dogs - small in size, but big in the mouth and always yapping all the time about something. But the bulldog would not be distracted. He continued to lumber along at a steady pace looking straight ahead.

The pastor reports that he too had been walking in the middle of the sidewalk and now this bulldog was getting close -- he was still in the middle of the sidewalk and gave no indication that he was going to change his position. So the pastor said that he stepped to the side of the walk and the bulldog just kept going with not the slightest hesitation, passing by the pastor without glancing a bit at him -- same response as he had made to the yap dog just a short time earlier.

The pastor turned and watched as the bulldog continued on his way -- it was obvious that the bulldog was headed somewhere and was not about to be detoured or distracted regarding his destination. After a bit as the bulldog got further away, the pastor said he bowed his head and prayed, "God, give me what that bulldog has!"

Due to posting subject matter related to my website and my blog as well as a wide variety of images with comments, there have been numerous responses. Some have been complimentary and express in one or another agreement with the posting. But others have been quite negative and in some cases those responding have been extremely upset to the point of labeling me in not very flattering terms! I do not respond to such -- yes, I could engage in the art of trying to set them "straight" but I won't -- I have more important things to do. The bulldog had a destination toward which he was moving and he was not about to be distracted from that by a yap dog with its noise or a pastor standing in the side walk. I also have a destination toward which I am moving -- and I have to be careful that I do not allow myself to be distracted and/or detoured along the way.

That bulldog was a good teacher! I am grateful for his example, so, "Lord, give me what that bulldog has!"

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." --- Matthew 5:10-16

Only One Nation Has a Bright Future Absolutely Guaranteed!

Thus says the LORD of hosts: "In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'" --- Zechariah 8:23

A large number of U. S. citizens along with their leaders, political and church, hold to the United States having a great future in spite of some aggravating issues in which the republic presently finds itself. The grand deception lies in the fact that a majority sincerely believe we as a nation can successfully work through all the issues, solve the problems, and usher in a time of great economic prosperity. This in spite of God's revelation showing us with crystal clarity that without God's grace, mercy and guidance we cannot possibly succeed in our efforts.

But there is a time coming when one nation will achieve all that others have failed to gain through centuries of time. And among the nations who have failed is one known as the United States of America! Israel is that nation which is destined to have that very bright future, standing all alone in the glory which God has reserved for it.

Isaiah 60 is but one of a number of chapters in Scripture that speak of Israel's future and that of its prominent city, Jerusalem. God is going to bring about some very shocking changes at some point in the future regarding the Israelite people and their nation.

First, there will be a time of paramount prosperity for Israel and that coming about in a most unusual way:

Arise, shine; For your light has come! and the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. "Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me; and the ships of Tarshish will come first, to bring your sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them, to the name of the LORD your God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because He has glorified you. The sons of foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in My wrath I struck you, but in My favor I have had mercy on you. Therefore your gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day or night, that men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles, and their kings in procession." --- Isaiah 60:1-5, 9-11

Second, there will be a time of prominent prestige with foreign nations being in servitude to Israel -- seems impossible that it will ever happen, but when God has said it will be, then when the time is right it will happen exactly as God has planned:

"For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, and those nations shall be utterly ruined. The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the pine, and the box tree together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; and I will make the place of My feet glorious. Also the sons of those who afflicted you shall come bowing to you, and all those who despised you shall fall prostrate at the soles of your feet; and they shall call you The City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, so that no one went through you, I will make you an eternal excellence, a joy of many generations. You shall drink dry the milk of the Gentiles, and shall milk the breast of kings; you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." --- Isaiah 60:12-16

Third, it will be a time of stable and solid security for a people described as being "righteous:"

"Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; but you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended. Also your people shall all be righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation. I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time." --- Isaiah 60:18-22

Israel will continue to go through very difficult and trying times for a while. For the most part the nation is in a state of unbelief in regard to Jesus Christ being the Messiah, the Savior and Hope in regard to the future. But the time will come when eyes will be opened and hearts will earnestly seek Him in a spirit of repentance. A nation much despised and hated to the extent that some wanted to totally destroy it will be the only one to arrive eventually at world prominence and to be dominant over all other nations!

For Christians, the responsibility remains as always -- to be involved in every way possible in carrying out the command of Jesus to take the Gospel into all the world, bearing witness to the fact that He is exclusively the only way of forgiveness, and reconciliation to God the Father. If one is going to experience salvation, it will only be through Jesus Christ and no other!

But there is another thing Christians can also be doing -- praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6, 7) and giving God no rest until He makes Jerusalem a praise throughout all the earth:

I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem, who shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. --- Isaiah 62:6, 7

I am fully aware that there are various interpretations regarding reference to Israel in the Scriptures and the church having in a sense "replaced" Israel so far as future events are concerned. Personally, I prefer to take it the way God has spelled it out and that under the terms of the covenant made originally with Abraham, Israel is the only nation to have a very bright future! And why is this? The answer is very simple -- because God has promised it will be so!

Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."..............On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates; the Kenites, the Kenezzites, and the Kadmonites; the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Rephaim; the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites." --- Genesis 12:1-3; 15:18-21

Too Late to Pray for Our Republic?

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, "Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD!'".......... Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you." --- Jeremiah 7:1,2, 16

There are two very common assumptions about prayer.

One, that God always hears every prayer. That is, when anyone prays, then God is going to hear and respond to that prayer no matter who is doing the praying and no matter the nature of the request that is submitted.

Two, that God will always be around in a crisis when the time comes in which we need to be "bailed out" -- after all, is God not a God of love and He would never leave us stranded in a time when He is so greatly needed, would He?

Tons of books have been written on the subject of prayer. Further, there seems to be no end to a listing of persons considered to be "specialists" in the realm of prayer in times such as these.

And certainly there has at times been an emphasis upon praying for our republic and its leaders. There are solid Biblical grounds for engaging in such a practice.

However, the Bible also reveals that there are limitations regarding prayer. It's sort of like the proverbial "line drawn in the sand." There can be times when God Himself makes clear the fact that it is useless to pray any longer!

It happened in years just prior to 586 B.C. in the ancient Israelite kingdom of Judah. For the most part God's commandments and standards had been rejected by the religious and political leaders in the kingdom. With that kind of leadership it was simply a matter of time before the majority of the citizens followed the ungodly examples set before them. There was a small remnant which still held to the true faith but the influence of this group could not bring about a miraculous change so that the kingdom again was under the favor and blessing of Almighty God.

Now then, how about the United States of America -- the "land of the free and the home of the brave?" Are we in a postion to effectively call on God with assurance that as a nation we will be abundantly blessed and secure or have we "crossed the line" and if there is a response, it is worded something like this: "Therefore do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble." (Jeremiah 11:14).

There is more than a tad of evidence to suggest that it could be the latter scenario! We continue to destroy thousands of unborn children every week of the year. As of this writing we have mutilated and murdered more than 54 million unborn children since the infamous Supreme Court decision in January of 1973. We are a nation of fools of the first magnitude if we believe that God is not going to respond to this massive shedding of innocent blood for which we are solely responsible!

We continue to follow our idols at a fervent pace with money being the #1 "god" and the pleasure "god" being a close runner-up. Idolatry can take many forms and certainly has done so in our republic over decades of time. It can be an object, a person, or a type of activity and involvement in the same.

Our sexual immorality is practiced at an unprecedented rate and the philosophy that "Sex is fun with anyone, or more than one anyone at the same time, anywhere and at any time!" is being adopted by all ages in U.S. culture. God has in His special revelation to us explicitly shown where the boundaries on human sexuality are drawn. The sacred gift of human sexuality is to be shared and experienced within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. Search all you want to -- you will not find even a hint that God has enlarged the boundaries to include additional sexual activity of different kinds involving males and females, same gender persons, adults with children and/or animals, or whatever bizarre perversion may enter a person's mind.

We are teaching millions of our young every year that we have evolved from lower life forms over millions and millions of years in time -- go ahead, insert however many millions of years you want to -- does it really make any difference? Perhaps the big difference in the millions of years is whether the forehead is sloped 3/4 inch backward or a mere 1/4 of an inch! Of course this also means that you have no need of a Creator and you are free to make your own "rules" in life with no real accountability after you die. Since it was convenient to ban God from the public classroom, it was also very convenient to deny that we are the focus of an act of creation in the past with a divine purpose and plan for each conceived human being. A godless theory filled the resulting vacuum and we are producing millions of young people who wander about day after day with no meaning to their existence!

And the church at large that claims to be "Christian" in faith has become corrupted over decades of time. The Bible is under assault and its truths denied by apostate renegades. Just a couple of many examples is denying the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead following His crucifixion and that Jesus was indeed God appearing on earth in human form in the 1st Century! The United Methodist Church stresses that it is a "connectional church" due to its organized structure. What isn't recognized is the seriousness of the "infection within the connection." When a church leader says that we need to forget about going to other nations and converting the people to Christianity because they have their own religions and we ought not to interfere with that, then something is terribly wrong in light of Jesus' command to take the Gospel into all the world and confront all nations with His claims and call.

Pray for our republic and expect to be heard? It could happen if certain conditions are met. The main one is that the majority (including political and religious leaders) are willing to pray in a repentant spirit as did Daniel who found himself being carried away from his home and placed in a raw heathen environment known as Babylon! Consider the opening statements of his prayer: "Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, 'O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land.....'" (Daniel 9:3-6).

Anyone up to admitting that we are badly out of step with the Creator of this mighty universe and we are guilty of commonly accepted practices which have caused Him to pour out His undiluted wrath in the past on cultures that committed similar transgressions?

And what is this thing that is said about history repeating itself?

Then the LORD said to me, "Do not pray for this people, for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence." Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, the prophets say to them, 'You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.'" And the LORD said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart." --- Jeremiah 14:11-14

So Now It Is Time to Pray, Is It?

After the tragedy of the shootings in Tucson AZ there were calls to pray coming from many quarters, including the Congress of the United States, moments of "silence" etc. --- as reported by various news releases throughout the nation

It never fails to happen -- each time there is some kind of a tragedy in the United States in which a number of lives are lost under certain conditions, then there is quite a bit of attention given to the subject of prayer. And having been a pastor for over 50 years, I not only attempt to respond by praying myself, but also urge my congregational members to pray as well.

The last few days have seen the media dominated by the tragedy in Tucson AZ. Terms such as "thoughts and prayers" are often stated. The president and his wife were featured as leading the nation in a "moment of silence" -- you know, a generic term that no person should find offensive as opposed to an announcement, "And now the president is going to lead us in a time of prayer to Almighty God through His Son, Jesus Christ!"

But have you ever considered what God's response might be in these incidents as many say, "We need to pray!" This is especially an interesting phenomenon in a nation that has "officially" placed "No Trespassing" signs up so that the Creator of this universe -- the One Who gives and sustains all life will know clearly where He is permitted to be present and acknowledged and where the off limits territories are located!

Nearly 50 years ago God was informed that He was no longer welcome in the public school systems of this country nor was His inspired Word (the Bible) to be read in the hearing of students attending public schools. I state it this way because the infamous Supreme Court decision on the issue amounted to exactly that! This debacle of the first magnitude was further broadened as years passed and in a sense "refined" as students in graduation exercises were told to make no reference to God or Jesus Christ in the course of delivering their remarks, etc. Many hailed the decision as a great advancement and a very good thing -- there were even a number of thoughtless church leaders that praised this decision!

I remember well a high school student in one of our youth groups telling me that someone put a sign up on the school bulletin board after the Supreme Court's major blunder -- the sign said, "In case of nuclear attack the ban against prayer in this school will be temporarily suspended!" He further told me the sign was not up very long until a member of the school administration quickly tore it down and presumably placed it in the notorious "round file!"

While very few are recognizing it, we are duplicating the behavior patterns of an ancient kingdom which existed over 26 centuries ago in the Middle East. It was known as the kingdom of Judah, inhabited by Israelite people. For some time they were on a course leading to disaster due to persistent ethical, moral and spiritual corruption. Faithful prophets in those times sounded the warning of impending judgment if there was not widespread repentance on the part of the people and their leaders, religious and political. But the prophets for the most part were written off as a bunch of wild-eyed religous fanatics who were candidates for the insane asylum, if there were such an institution -- or better, execute them and feed their bodies to the dogs!

Eventually judgment did come, but not without ample warning by means of calamities of various kinds as well as the faithful appeals right up to the end stated by the prophets. And when a rather universal appeal for people to pray was made throughout the nation, here is how God responded --

"As the thief is ashamed when he is found out, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they and their kings and their princes, and their priests and their prophets, saying to a tree, 'You are my father,' and to a stone, 'You gave birth to me.' For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they will say, 'Arise and save us.' But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble; for according to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah. Why will you plead with Me? You all have transgressed against Me," says the LORD. (Jeremiah 2:26-29).

In light of the preceding quote and a look at the present ethical, moral and spiritual condition of our republic at the present time, will you dare to ponder a bit on how God is viewing us and what kind of response or lack thereof might be taking place?

"Therefore do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble." --- Jeremiah 11:14

Got Rust on That Weapon of Prayer? Clean It Off and Start Using It!

Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. And let him reprove me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.--- Psalm 141:5

If asked whether they consider prayer a "weapon", most folks would probably say that they don't regard the practice of prayer in that manner. To these prayer is mainly the issue of making confession, submitting petitions to God for help and seeking blessings with perhaps a little thanksgiving thrown in here and there. But viewing prayer as a weapon with visions of warfare is more than a bit of a stretch!

But here is how it is:

We live in a world that is dominated by a spirit that is hostile to God and this hostility is greatly intensified when it comes to His Son, Jesus Christ, Whom He sent into the world to redeem every human being from his/her sins. Every human being ever born into world comes under the scope of God's love and mercy, but at the present time the vast majority has chosen to reject that love.

God has revealed much about the practice of prayer, recorded numerous experiences people have had in prayer, and urged those who claim to have faith in Him to engage in the disciplined exercise of praying.

And since the Christian life is described at times as being engaged in warfare, it stands to reason that one of the weapons available in fighting this war is that of prayer!

Psalm 2:1-5 provides a graphic backdrop and reminds us that we are in a vicious conflict with the souls of human beings at stake. Notice it is the governing authorities that are at war with God because of attitude and at the present time those who head up the United States federal government more than fit the description given in the opening statements of the Psalm:

Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us." He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure..."

Consider some examples:

Arise, O LORD! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble. Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, "You will not require an account." But You have seen it, for You observe trouble and grief, to repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; seek out his wickedness until You find none. The LORD is King forever and ever; the nations have perished out of His land. LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may oppress no more. --- Psalm 10:12-18

Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things, who have said, "With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?" --- Psalm 12:1-4 [Note: we see the aforementioned attitude as being on display constantly in Washington DC by elected officials in high places, hence the need to pray that God will deal with it in His way and time!]


Stir up Yourself, and awake to my vindication, to my cause, my God and my Lord. Vindicate me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me. Let them not say in their hearts, "Ah, so we would have it!" Let them not say, "We have swallowed him up." Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion who rejoice at my hurt; let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me. --- Psalm 35:23-26

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they have dug a pit before me; into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah --- Psalm 57:5, 6

There are numerous other statements in the Psalms which have to do with praying against the wicked, even those who sit in high places of power and influence. While there is much talk of the impact of ObamaCare on the republic and the change that may come about during the elections this coming November, don't wait for some political "process" to take place, but be praying now "against the deeds of the wicked" and all who leading our nation on a path toward sure and certain destruction!

Clean off the rust and start using that weapon! "Return upon their heads the fruits of their deeds, O Lord!"

LORD, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells. Do not gather my soul together with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands is a sinister scheme, and whose right hand is full of bribes. But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; redeem me and be merciful to me. My foot stands in an even place; in the congregations I will bless the LORD.
--- Psalm 26:8-12

Talking to God While Blowing Snow!

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. --- James 5:17, 18

So we got hit with 2 major snow storms within a few days of each other, as did much of the eastern U.S. Our amounts were not as much as some, but more than others. Grand total for us in the Laurel Highlands of south central PA was about 30 inches give or take, depending on where the wind whipped it around a bit.

In all this, I had to resurrect my snow blower which had not been used in over two years. My faithful 4-wheeler, Suzi, with her snow blade just wasn’t up to pushing that amount of snow. Fortunately, Mr. Simply (snow blower built by Simplicity), fired right up and was ready to go to work. He cut through the stuff like the proverbial hot knife through butter!

But I did something else while Mr. Simply was moving snow. I did some talking to my Lord. I often do this while I am engaged in certain tasks and even while driving down the highway -- ah, I do keep my eyes open in that situation. And so, as always I began with some praise and thanksgiving. God had given me another day and sufficient strength to get out of bed and to move about. And there was thanksgiving for His mercies to me and members of my family. We have all been blessed with a good measure of health. And I am thankful to live in a nation where I am free to worship and to join with others in giving public expression to our faith.

But then as my attention turned to the nation in which I am a citizen I did some confessing. The first part of the confession was that we deserve the wrath of God to be poured out upon us for the many abominations and sins of which we are guilty. There is nothing I can point to and say to God, “For this reason or that – or look at this – for these we do not deserve to be judged!” There is simply nothing that we can appeal to and say to God, “We are basically pretty decent people and deserve blessings rather than judgment!”

The confession continues with the admission that we are guilty of the abomination of millions of unborn children destroyed for whom God had a purpose in life – for this alone we stand deserving of the outpouring of His fury. Our national leadership is not the least bit remorseful and our president gives wholehearted approval to this ongoing slaughter!

But that is only the beginning – our widespread idolatry with money being one of our prominent deities! There is our pandemic practices of sexual immorality in many forms. And we have trashed the day of worship with less than half our population finding their way to a place of worship on what some consider to be the “Lord’s Day.”

And so we talk – the Lord and I about such things. And I, as I admit that we deserve His judgment right now, ask for mercy and that He might arise and increase His chastising actions upon the nation and its leadership (both state and church) – that if possible, the nation might be brought to repentance – not just in pretense, but for real – seeking God in sorrow and regret – confessing and asking for forgiveness and national healing

And a part of the conversation involved the weather – yes, even these snow storms that brought havoc to much of the eastern United States.

“Will people realize that you are the God of storms also? Will you work in such a way that all this massive amount of snow will suddenly melt in the future and create even more problems? Speak clearly through these events, Lord, that even the most hard hearted person will pause and give thought to his or her relationship with You.....Nevertheless, Lord, not my will, but yours be done – in my life, my family, my many friends – throughout our beloved nation and to the ends of the earth. Even so, come Lord Jesus!”

"Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God......... 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.....--- Deuteronomy 28:1, 2, 15, 16

The Other Tragedy at Ft. Hood, Texas!

It was a tragedy of the first magnitude which took place at Ft. Hood, Texas. Thirteen persons died as a result of a shooting rampage by a Muslim terrorist who wore the uniform of the United States Army. A special service to honor the victims of the shootings was held on November 11, 2009.

The picture below says it all as to the real attitude President Barack Hussein Obama has regarding the flag of the United States of America. Those of us who are older in years were taught to respect the national banner. We held our hands over our hearts when we pledged our allegiance to the republic in our public school years and the flag which is its national banner. We stood at attention when the National Anthem was played and placed right hands over our hearts.

In the U.S.M.C. we were taught to salute when the honor guard passed by carrying the flag such as in a parade. If one was in civilian dress then one stood at attention and placed one’s right hand over the heart.

Notice the posture of the president in the below photo in contrast with the military persons who are standing at attention and saluting as the honor guard passes by with the colors – good example by the “Commander in Chief” (term used very loosely) wouldn’t you say? And notice the gentleman in civilian dress who is standing at attention with hand placed over heart.


What do you suppose his rabid defenders would have to say about this situation? It is very likely they would hail him as a hero in spite of the fact that citizens who do respect the flag and have a sense of decency would consider this a most disgraceful example on such a solemn occasion. But then his devotees share in his “values” and would demonstrate the same posture in such a situation. It is a further indication that the nation has sunk so low that we are going to have to use the Hubble telescope to look up to see the navel of a black snake – yes, black snakes bear their young – they don’t lay eggs as do some reptiles.

It is most fitting and very necessary that prayer be made that Almighty God will do whatever in His infinite power and wisdom is necessary to bring this man and the members of his administration to their knees in repentance soon before the republic is brought to total collapse!!

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. --- James 5:17, 18

Playing the Devil’s Advocate for Just a Moment!

For the leaders of this people cause them to err, and those who are led by them are destroyed. --- Isaiah 9:16

Ooooh! Howls of protest are intensifying as it has been learned that the Muslims are having a prayer time on Capitol Hill in Washington DC later today! There is a web site (http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com) which focuses on the event. The home page has a close up of the U. S. flag. Imposed over a part of the flag is a banner which says “Islam & America” and a graphic of two arms with a handshake taking place plus some other stuff on the banner. Another eye catcher on the page is, “IN THE NAME OF ALLAH…..”

Coinciding with this has been the news release with a lot of attention given by Fox News reports as well as on its web site to the incident of small children in a school in New Jersey singing the praises of President Obama. Here is just one stanza of what the little tykes were singing – “He said red, yellow, black or white, All are equal in his sight. Mmm, mmm, mm! Barack Hussein Obama.” This is, of course, a take off on the Sunday School song titled, “Jesus Loves All the Children of the World!” But then it is not “legal” to mention Jesus in school and besides, Barack Obama rates much higher than Jesus by choice of a lot of U. S. citizens anyway!

Do we not claim to be a nation that is one of rich “diversity” and ought we not to honor our leaders – is that not a keystone in our democratic way of life? At least that is the sentiment we are often told by those in high and powerful places (both religious and political) in our republic these days. So if the Muslims want to have a prayer meeting on Capitol Hill and if a bunch of little kids with strong urging by their teacher want to sing lyrics that exalt Barack Obama to the status of a new “deity” in our nation, who is to say they shouldn’t?

Such developments should be of no surprise – this stuff has been in the making for decades. It started as we closed out the 19th Century and entered the 20th. Something subtle and sinister was taking place. It was the importing of theological garbage from the European continent and disseminated in a number of seminaries in our country. Basically this junk questioned the integrity of the Scriptures and information as reported therein. Reported miracles were questioned or outright denied as ever taking place. The Person and work of Jesus Christ were looked upon with great skepticism – especially His atoning death on the cross for the sins of the human race and His literal resurrection from the dead immediately following His crucifixion.

The opening years of the 20th Century witnessed a war of a kind erupting known as the “Modernist vs. Fundamentalist” controversy. As time dragged on the labels sometimes were changed and pastors became known as “liberal” or “conservative” or something sort of in between or maybe more extreme on one side or the other.

Seed was sown over the decades with skepticism gaining the upper hand and the whole culture was impacted. Our system of morals and values saw a major shift over time. Powerful influences further underscored the fact that the Bible no longer is to be taken seriously, except for a small minority that often is labeled in the most negative terms.

A recent survey not all that long ago came up with the fact that only about 51 per cent of Protestant pastors hold to a Biblical world view. That means that about 49 per cent have problems with believing what is revealed in the Scriptures! Don’t want to risk being called a “fundamentalist” you know! Added to this is the troubling fact that less than half of our population can make it to a place of worship on a Sunday morning. Sunday is now clearly established as a day of business, pleasure seeking and spectator sports events -- that is the priority, and horror of all horrors -- "pray" and hope it doesn't rain to spoil our fun!

No, in reality I am bothered by Muslims having a prayer meeting on Capitol Hill – you can see why in my earlier post on Christianity being the only TRUE faith and the only way to God’s Heaven.

And the little kids singing the praises of Obama brings to mind the effective tactic of indoctrination employed in Nazi Germany in the 30’s and early 40’s that resulted in something called the Hitler Youth. They were taught to sing the praises of their Fuehrer and that he was “The One” who would lead them to Germany’s Promised Land! They learned too late that Hitler led them to an indescribable hell.

There are moments as human history churns along that God will allow the rebel spirit of a culture to prevail for a time and permit certain people to influence that culture in way that is not good – that is, until He eventually intervenes and does something that makes the ears of all who hear the details tingle more than just a little.

It is becoming more obvious as time passes that we shall learn lessons in the same way as did the ancient Israelites of long ago!

They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul. --- Psalm 106:13-15

Don’t Let Our Most Powerful Weapon Get Rusty!

Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. And let him reprove me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked. --- Psalm 141:5

One of many issues hammered into the members of Platoon 511 many years ago at Parris Island, South Carolina was the care and use of our M-1 rifles. They were to be cleaned, maintained and ready for use at all times.

One of the greatest and most offensive acts of which a Marine could be guilty was to allow rust to accumulate on his rifle – even more serious than having unpolished shoes worn with an unpressed uniform, which was considered a serious offense in itself.

The wrath of a U.S.M.C. drill instructor upon discovering rust on a recruit’s rifle is beyond description – no words in our English language can fully define it!

How beneficial it would be if we would maintain a similar vigilance regarding rust gathering on a most powerful weapon made available to every Christian. It is the weapon of prayer -- never forget, it is precisely that!

Sadly, there is too often failure to recognize prayer at times is to be utilized as an offensive weapon in the battle against evil in its many forms of expression – one of those being in the misuse of power and influence in a system of government.

Review again the words of a man who knew what it was to pray in regard to the threat of evil – “For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.”

Our republic is embroiled in controversy due to the greatest power grab attempt in its entire history! We are plagued with political leaders who want to control every aspect of our lives. It began with control of financial institutions and the auto industries. Now there is an all out open assault to force us to accept government controlled health care!

Those in open opposition and who are making their objections know through town hall events, personal contacts with legislators and communications with the executive branch of our government are being labeled in the most vicious ways. They are called un-American, mobs, AstroTurf, compared to Nazis with swastikas, etc. There is also hard evidence that ACORN, unions, and other Obama supporters are attempting to infiltrate these gatherings and mute the dissent.

If you believe miracles can take place through prayer, then clean the rust off the weapon that may have been neglected for too long and begin praying against the deeds of the wicked who sit in high and powerful places in this republic.

Pray specifically that God will return upon their heads the “fruit of their doings!” This is a Biblical expression by the way, and it is demonstrated from time to time in ancient Israelite history. God does bring upon a person or a group the “fruits” of their actions when they are resolved to disregard the standards God has laid down in terms of responsible conduct – especially when you are in the powerful position of governing!

Since the evidence is overwhelming that Obama & Co. (his chief of staff, his V.P., his appointees at the Cabinet level, his multitude of “czars”) are not the least concerned about seeking and doing the will of God, nor seeking the blessing of God upon our republic, then it behooves us to pray that God will deal with them in such a way that all will know this one thing – you cannot defy God and reach a fulfilling and satisfactory goal!

So get the rust off that weapon and use it – and see how quickly God does something that will put the fear into the hearts of all, leading to full scale repentance – including elected officials!

We are long since past the point of simply praying, “God bless (name of elected official).” It is time to pray that God will deal with them according to their deeds and their words -- promises made but not kept. Worst of all, and you can sink no lower than this -- to agressively sanction the mass destruction of unborn children is such an abomination that no culture and its leaders can ultimately survive! Further, if they will not bring themselves into compliance with His divine will, then may God remove them from their positions in whatever way He sees fit!

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. --- James 5:17, 18

A Desperate Prayer of Last Resort!

'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' --- Jeremiah 33:3

A majority of people claim to believe in the experience of prayer. Attempts have been made to determine whether there are differences in circumstances where prayer has been exercised versus similar situations where prayer has not been uttered.

In the Christian faith there is a strongly held conviction that prayer is an experience of communicating with God and that God does respond to the prayers of those identified as His people.

The Scriptures speak much about prayer, relates the experiences of many people who prayed, and establishes clearly the fact that God indeed is One Who does great things in response to the pleas of those who give Him praise and thanksgiving as well as sharing the burdens of the heart.

Over many years I have seen and experienced in a variety of ways answers to prayer. The concerns for which prayer has been uttered are likewise widely varied. It is a demonstration that God is far more concerned about us and our circumstances than we can begin to imagine.

Recently a new burden was laid upon my heart unlike one I never experienced before. It involves the president of the United States. I have always prayed for our leaders and for those holding the office of the presidency. I will not detail here how I pray for those persons, but I do remember to pray for them on a regular basis. I will say that such prayers are not a generic "God, bless the president -- the members of the Congress...the members of the Supreme Court..."

But due to the policies advocated by President Obama, especially his very low view of human life in its formation stages, I have been praying in a specific area. The substance of that prayer is that God will raise up a prophet with the anointing of His Spirit upon that person. Further that such a prophet will confront the president face to face concerning the grievous error of his ways and call him to repent in order that the will of God will become a priority in his daily life!

Such confrontations have happened in the past. Elijah confronting Ahab, Micaiah confronting Ahab and Jehoshaphat, Nathan confronting David, and John the Baptist confronting Herod, to name just a few. These were personal and direct face to face encounters.

You have the names and you can look up the details as to how each encounter turned out. The important thing is that God had expectations of those leaders and He arranged for a prophet to be His instrument/messenger in each instance.

So, will you pray that God will raise up such a person to come face to face with the president and relay clearly what God expects of Mr. Obama as he holds what some consider to be the most powerful position in the entire world? This is not to suggest some big name TV preacher or the distinguished pastor of a large and famous “mega-church” out there somewhere, or a world renowned “pastor” who has a “make people feel good” ministry.

Rather, an Elijah or John the Baptist type of prophet is more appropriate – one who comes thundering out of some little known place in the wilderness – one whose message begins with a note of authority – “Thus says the Lord God……!”

The main uncertainty is just how that prophet in such a moment will be treated by the president, if it actually happens. As you review the many prophets God raised up over centuries of time, they were not treated very well in a majority of those confrontations! Again, I leave it to you to more fully investigate the circumstances.

How many will rally to the challenge to pray, “Almighty God, may it please you to raise up a prophet to confront the president and make plain to him what You expect of him, our elected officials at all levels, our nation, and…”

The destiny of our republic may well hinge on how many pray in faith that God will raise up a prophet to directly and personally confront the president about the issue of God's will for this nation, its leaders (political and church) and its citizens!

So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. And all things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." --- Matthew 21:21, 22

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive,….--- Ephesians 4:11-14

The World War II Memorial Controversy!

DECEMBER 7, 1941, A DATE WHICH WILL LIVE IN INFAMY... --- opening statement of Franklin D. Roosevelt's address following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

On this Memorial Day it seems fitting to give some consideration to a bit of controversy swirling about the WW II Memorial in Washington DC. Emails have been circulating drawing attention to an alleged intentional omission of Franklin Roosevelt’s statement near the close of his speech that he gave following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Perhaps some assume that the entire speech was engraved on the WW II Memorial in Washington DC.

The actual statements taken from FDR’s addess as appearing on the memorial are:

The accusation is that the phrase, “So help us God,” was intentionally omitted. Since most of us were not in on any discussion concerning what would be used or not used from FDR’s address, we don’t know for sure how the selected phrases which appear were chosen and why.

Certainly the last phrase before asking Congress to declare a state of war would have been most meaningful and appropriate -- and it should have appeared on the monument in light of the president's reference to the armed forces -- after all, it is a memorial to those who served in WW II, is it not? FDR said, “With confidence in our armed forces – with the unbounded determination of our people – we will gain the inevitable triumph – so help us God.”

If the preceding phrase would have received any consideration at all as to possibly being engraved on the monument, it likely would have been rejected instantly. A lot of us have a growing suspicion about government in all its facets and how it operates, especially as we see with alarm its intrusion into private organizations and recent efforts to control corporations!

The growing anti-God and anti-Christ spirit is spreading like a vicious malignant out-of-control cancer. So if FDR’s phrase, “So help us God,” had been given a brief consideration, it would have been rejected on the basis of being “offensive” according to warped and idiotic reasoning we hear today in those arenas where God may be mentioned! And we wouldn’t want to risk offending some people who may view the WW II Memorial and see the name of God engraved on it would we?

Anyone out there want to speculate a bit as to how God is going to respond when in an unprecedented crisis in the future the president, along with political and church leaders, issues an appeal to pray and call on God for help? And remember, the nation can be plunged into such a crisis that suddenly masses of people who never gave it a thought previously now decide that praying to God is “the thing to do!”

Take a little walk through Jeremiah 2 and see how one nation of people fared when it was decided that maybe the time had come when they should call out to God for help in a moment of crisis!

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, and the people whom He has chosen as His own inheritance. The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His habitation He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works. No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. --- Psalm 33:12-19

Ending the AIG Crisis – A Modest Proposal!

The wicked prowl on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons of men. --- Psalm 12:8

As more details became available about happenings at AIG since the big bailout costing U. S. taxpayers billions of dollars and millions of dollars in bonuses given to persons who made a substantial contribution to the insurance giant’s financial woes, the resulting outrage was like a powerful volcano erupting, spewing lava and ash everywhere.

It is a subject that has dominated the news and the Obama administration being pressured to reveal its involvement or lack thereof through Treasury Secretary, Timothy “Turbo Tax” Geithner. It seems just as some questions are answered by someone in this monster fiasco then more questions are raised.

How to get this thing resolved? There is a “weapon” that has been available down through the centuries of human history, but very few view it as such. It is called prayer and it is an exercise in which one can engage and see some amazing things take place as Almighty God hears and responds to the appeals of His people.

The assumption too long has been that prayer is limited to doing things such as expressing thanksgiving, confessing sin, interceding on behalf of persons in need, and submitting personal concerns. But prayer is a weapon employed by a Christian on the offensive against evil, of which we have a substantial amount in our country and our world at the present time!

Note a statement made in Psalm 141:

Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies. Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness. And let him reprove me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked. --- Psalm 141:4, 5

Did you notice the last statement? The “weapon” of prayer is deployed against the wicked! So here is the proposal for those who are on praying ground in relationship to God.

Pray in the following way:

• that God will rebuke those guilty of selfishness and greed – a visitation of calamity upon them and their families until they repent and make full restitution and that they will receive no satisfaction whatsoever from those millions unjustly received.
  
  
• that God will return upon their heads the fruit of their doings – this is a Biblical term and it works both ways – for those who desire to obey and honor God, there will come blessing and benefit – for those who are defiant, concentrate on themselves and pursue greed, to them will come chaos and eventually disaster of some kind!
  
  
• the ideal would be that all would truly repent and make things right, but that is highly unlikely in a time when selfishness and greed, especially at the higher levels in the government and the corporate world have the preeminence.
  

That same prayer can be applied to the federal government since highly questionable antics with careless and irresponsible use of the tax payers’ money is standard procedure. Whatever you do at this stage, you don’t pray, “God bless….” We’re dealing with a situation that requires desperate action if effective healing is to take place and our nation is be improved as a result. A surgeon doesn’t gently massage a cancerous tumor when he finds it inside a patient’s abdomen -- quickly he grabs his scalpel, cuts it completely out and removes it so the patient will live!

One does have to wonder – if God cut off all who are driven and dominated by selfishness and greed in the corporate world and in government at the state and federal levels, how many would be left?

So pray – God’s solution is always the best in the end of it all!

To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: do not be silent to me, lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary. Do not take me away with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors, but evil is in their hearts. Give to them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors; give to them according to the work of their hands; render to them what they deserve. Because they do not regard the works of the LORD, nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them and not build them up. Blessed be the LORD, because He has heard the voice of my supplications! --- Psalm 28:1-6

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. --- James 5:17, 18