Letter to Editor About that Fiscal Cliff!

The letter printed below was sent to editors of the following newspapers: The Indiana Gazette in Indiana PA, The Punxsutawney Spirit in Punxsutawney PA, Mainline Newspapers in Ebensburg PA, and The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown PA.

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Friday, December 14, 2012

Editor:

At present time the news arena is dominated with one subject that is summarized in the expression “fiscal cliff.” As the president and the Congress attempt to maneuver for positions of great influence in this debacle, the image of a 3-ring circus quickly comes to mind.

The tragedy in this is the failure to realize that the real crisis is not the possibility of falling over a fiscal cliff but the hard reality that we have already fallen over a moral cliff!

Our version of Holocaust has resulted in over 55 million unborn victims. Our idolatry is on a level comparable to the ancient Roman Empire. Our sexual immorality is now pandemic in nature. We continue to brainwash the majority of our young with the deadly doctrine that we have evolved from lower life forms, hence, there is no personal need for God if He really does exist.

Mounting evidence suggests that it is simply a matter of time until Almighty God, Who is calling us to repent of our personal and corporate sins, deals with our nation as He has dealt with others in the past whose ruins now pique the interests of archeologists!

Clayton D. Harriger, Pastor

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"You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious. But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you." --- Ezekiel 2:7, 8

Jesus Is More Than Just Another Slice of Pizza in the Box!

"There are many paths to the top of the mountain!" and "There are many ships that cross the ocean!" are ancient oft quoted statements that claim all religions are equal and no one superior to any other.

I and my family enjoy eating pizza. We have done our share in helping pizza establishments in our area stay in business over time. We have patronized different pizza outlets within a radius of about 10 miles. The common pizza we usually get is one with pepperoni. Once in a while Jean and I will take advantage of Pizza Hut's buffet where you can get a wide variety of stuff for one price and really pig out by choice!

Enough of our personal experiences with pizza and on to the subject at hand. Never has there been a time in which there has been more intense insistence that all religions are legitimate in the claims which each makes in addressing the issues of human life, responsibility, morality, death, and destiny.

It is as if one said that Jesus is just another slice of pizza in the box. I have noticed that when we get pizza in a box that there are some minor differences -- some pieces are a little larger than others and some may have more pepperoni on than others. So you can choose a bigger or smaller piece and if you are really into pepperoni, you pick the piece that has more on it than others.

There are those, including persons within the ranks of professing Christianity, who say that it is up to you to decide the "religion" with which you want to identify -- one is as good as another. And that, of course, includes Christianity. Just pick and choose and should you become dissatisfied, just come back to the religion box and choose another one!

There are still a few of us around who are quite radical on this issue. We maintain that true Christianity is distinctly separate from and far superior to all other religious expressions found in today's world. Another way of saying it is that only Christianity is the true faith and all the others, whether the devotees number but a few dozen or into the millions, are totally false!

The determining factor making the difference is none other than Jesus Christ Himself! While His uniqueness is mentioned repeatedly throughout the New Testament Scriptures, it is in the Gospel of John that His absolute claims concerning Himself are made known and the fact that either He is genuine or if not, then He qualifies as a first class candidate for admission to the nearest institution for those who are mentally deranged!

All the claims He made are very well summed up in two: first, the claim that He is the way, the truth and the life and that no one can come to the Father except through Him and second, the claim that He is the resurrection and the life and those who believe in Him will not die but will live. Critics will jump on that by saying that even Christians die, so Jesus is wrong. The fact is that Christians do not die -- it is a simple experience of moving out of their earthly bodies (described elsewhere in Scripture as a tent) and going into the presence of God. In some cases God has permitted some Christians to tarry a bit at that moment when they are leaving and speak some words of what they see -- past departed loved ones, angels, and even the Lord Jesus Himself! Those two claims of Jesus can be read at John 14 and John 11. But as you go through the Gospel of John, note every statement of Jesus which is preceded with the words, "I am...."

Christianity in its purest expression is uncompromising in stating that Jesus is God revealed in human form Who demonstrated the perfect life lived on earth. But the most significant act in His visit to the planet which He created a long time ago is seen in His sacrificial death on a Roman cross. His death was on behalf of every human born into this world as He paid the penalty for every sin committed by every human being (yes, even for those who follow the many false religions of this world) and made possible total forgiveness and acceptance in the presence of a holy God!

Three days after the crucifixion Jesus was resurrected from the dead and appeared to many people over a 40 day period. Some of His followers saw Him ascend back to Heaven and heard angels declare that this same Jesus Who had been taken from them would return in like manner at some point in the future. We are now a little over 2,000 years closer to His return than when that statement was first made!

No other religion outside of Christianity has anything that even begins to remotely resemble what the Christian faith is all about and the One in Whom it is centered -- a Savior Who paid the price of the sins of the entire human race through the sacrifice of Himself willingly ("No man takes my life from me -- I lay it down and I take it up again!" - also found in Gospel of John) and His subsequent victory in resurrection from the dead!

Becoming a Christian is, however, a conditional experience. We are called to repent of our sins -- that is, to abandon our sinful ways, and to receive Jesus into our lives by invitation with the intent that we seek to be obedient to Him for the rest of our lives here on earth. This results in being "born again" as mentioned in John 3 of the Gospel. It is a new and transformed life that results. One has moved from concentrating on self and the "What I want" way of life to what is it that Jesus wants of me -- how might I please Him each day that I live?

Again, no other religion in the world has anything that begins to compare to this -- it is only experienced in Jesus Christ and nowhere else!

One can be choosy when it comes to the pizza in the box -- you can pick a big slice, or a smaller slice -- one with lots of pepperoni or one with not so much, or even choose to remove all the pepperoni as certain members in our family choose to do. But when it comes to the religion issue -- be sure to choose the one that is centered in Jesus Christ and be assured of a place in His Kingdom forever -- choosing any other is a sure guarantee of ending up in a Devil's Hell! And that is not an opinion on my part, but what Jesus Himself said about the destiny of those who reject Him! Yes, Jesus is more than just another slice of pizza in the box -- He is Savior, Lord, and our soon returning King!

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." --- Jesus speaking in Matthew 7:21-27

Jesus Crucified? It Only Means Something If It Goes Beyond the Head!

Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS. With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with the transgressors." And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!" --- Mark 15:25-30

Today is a very special day in the lives of a limited number of persons in this world of confusion, conflict, and fear. I say “limited number” because for the majority it holds no significance and Good Friday is just a combination of two words, stirring no emotions nor memories in which life has been dramatically impacted and transformed!

Earlier this AM in my daily journal I noted some things about Good Friday and why my life is different because of what happened in the city of Jerusalem a little over 2,000 years ago.

I knew about God and Jesus dying on a cross at a very early age due to having been brought up in the church by my God fearing parents. I learned a lot of facts about the Christian faith in worship services, Sunday School, and Bible School. Those items were stored in the memory bank of my brain, but that was as far as it went for a few years.

The teen years and early 20’s were what could be appropriately called the “rebel years” – graduation from high school, a year of college, some time in employment, and three years in the U. S. Marine Corps. It was the experience of a “prodigal” in a far country – but I could still tell you there is a God, that His Son was crucified on a cross and came back from the dead three days later! But it didn’t mean a thing to me in terms of my way of life.

But the day came when God in mercy began to deal with me about my way of life and opened my eyes to the fact that I was guilty of countless sins. My final destiny because of this was a horrible Hell. But God did not stop at that point leaving me suspended with a sense of hopelessness and condemned – He went on to show me that when Jesus was crucified on that Roman cross He took all my sins upon Himself, satisfied the demands of God’s justice, and paid the penalty of those sins in full so that I could be totally forgiven!

I received Jesus as my Savior and my Lord – my life was transformed and I experienced peace with God for the first time and had the positive assurance of possessing eternal life! The knowledge of Jesus’ crucifixion moved from my head to my heart, and my life was miraculously impacted by that. It’s never been the same since that day many years ago.

Today, Good Friday, will not pass by without those few who follow Jesus Christ remembering and again giving thanks that He was willing to leave the splendor, purity, and serenity of Heaven, come into this sin-saturated world, and ultimately be nailed to a Roman cross on behalf of each member of the human race.

The tragedy is that the vast majority of the members of the human race living in the world today do not realize that nor do they in the least bit appreciate it!

How about you? Has the reality of Jesus’ crucifixion moved beyond some facts in the head to the heart and life is radically different and most hopeful because of that experience?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. --- 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

For Christians Only!

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what advantage is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?".......... "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." --- Luke 9:23-25; 14:26, 27

Huge numbers of people consider a bunch of resolutions upon launching into a new year. Even Christians consider how they may do some things diferently as they start off a new year. 2008 will certainly be no exception.

How about adopting the following conviction as powerfully expressed by an African pastor two years ago?

December 31, 2005

I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problems recognizing me - my banner will be clear!

Anonymous African Pastor – Statement Nailed to his wall.

This is a most challenging statement and leaves no doubt as to where this Christian stands, does it not? It requires more than a tad of soul searching for us who are used to soft living in these United States and where at times we may drift all too easily into a Laodicean way of life in our profession of being Christian in our faith! (Read through Revelation 3 for more defined details about the Laodicean way!).

I suggested to the members of my congregation this past Sunday, December 30th, that we place the above statement in our Bibles and that we intentionally read it time after time as we move through 2008.

If you are not a Christian, the above statement as well as the quote from Jesus at the very beginning has absolutely no meaning to you whatsoever. But that can be changed by a deliberate decision on your part. Review How to Become a Christian! -- a link at the bottom of that area will bring you back to this place. If you have questions please email me at cdharriger@hotmail.com

Don't forget.....only a Christian can live each day with the assurance of ALL sins forgiven, the living presence of Jesus with him/her, and in possession a solid hope for the future -- not just in terms of time, but for all eternity!

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. --- 1 John 3:1-3

What Will Al Gore and His Friends Do When the Planet Goes from Warm to a Blazing Fire?

OSLO, Oct. 12 — A news release reported that former Vice President Al Gore, battle-scarred veteran of a bitter 2000 presidential election, was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, sharing it with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations network of scientists.

“I will accept this award on behalf of all the people that have been working so long and so hard to try to get the message out about this planetary emergency,” said Mr. Gore in Palo Alto, Calif., as he stood with his wife, Tipper, and four members of the United Nations climate panel.

Al Gore and those who are in sympathy with his crusade on the issue of "global warming" show no concern about the fires of evil that are consuming the nations of this world, nor the plain fact that God is calling all peoples of all nations to repent of all sinful practices, relationships, attitudes, and desires. Mercy and forgiveness are being presently offered through Jesus Christ, Who is God revealed in human form and Who personally visited this planet 2,000 years ago.

It is the extensive rebellion against the Creator of this universe by the vast majority of this world's population which will bring ultimate destruction. There is not a nation anywhere on earth, the United States included, that provides clear evidence of being Christian in its every day affairs.

Isaiah 24 cites three significant actions taken by the masses which invite the undiluted wrath of God. His response to the persistent rebellion is a mighty shaking of the earth itself. And why is this? Read a few statements for yourself:

The earth mourns and fades away, the world languishes and fades away; the haughty people of the earth languish. The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left. --- Isaiah 24:4-6

But that's not all -- God's dealings with this rebellious planet in the final stage of human history speak clearly of fire -- for those who like to make an issue of "global warming" consider how God will turn up the heat more than just a few degrees!

For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in store by the same word, reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. --- 2 Peter 3:5-7

At least for right now there is still opportunity for those living in rebellion to repent of their sins, receive Jesus Christ into their lives as Savior and Lord, and commit to serving Him obediently so long as they live in this present world. But the days of grace and mercy being offered are definitely numbered! What has been your choice in regard to Jesus, the Son of God, Who died for your sins on the cross?

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. --- 2 Corinthians 6:1,2

The One Bridge That Will Never, Ever Collapse!

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." --- John 14:6

A major catastrophe occurred with the collapse of a bridge on I-35W during rush hour traffic in Minneapolis MN. A large number of vehicles were on the bridge at the time it crumbled and fell into the Mississippi River. There were fatalities and injuries. Divers continue to struggle in searching the murky waters for more victims. Some of the vehicles lie under tons of broken debris from the bridge. The Navy is bringing in a small unmanned submarine to check areas which are too risky for divers to explore.

News media people have focused intensely on this event and out of it have arisen questions about not only the safety of the bridge in question but bridges on highways all over the United States.

Local media in our area in central Pennsylvania are jumping on the coat tails of the national media and asking questions about the safety of bridges in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The state does rank pretty high when it comes to the grand total of bridges within its boundaries.

We have been shown video clips of bridges with crumbling concrete and badly corroded structural steel which is supposed to hold those bridges steady while we citizens travel over them.

The PA Department of Transportation has never made a serious effort to use materials in winter time which do not have a corrosive impact on bridges, a deteriorating effect on highways, and a major polluting effect on the environment. Rather, toxic substances are used to hasten melting of snow and ice. In the application of those substances our bridges suffer an accelerated process of corrosion and weakening to the point of eventual collapse. But this toxic junk tossed on PA highways in the winter time also does a major assist in shortening the life of highway surfaces. And it is impossible to measure the negative results the release of this stuff has on the environment – vegetation, water streams, etc.

D.E.R., where are you when we need you, or do you just turn your eyes the other way and pretend you don’t know what is happening?

But alas! I digress! The point of this little discussion, as the news media folk and politicians go all out to get a few sound bites in on the bridge issue, is to let you know there is one bridge in existence – and one bridge only which is absolutely trustworthy – it will not collapse, ever!

But you have to cross it by an intentional choice on your part, just as large numbers of persons chose to cross that bridge in Minneapolis day after day until it fell into the Mississippi River recently.

However, this bridge is not really a physical structure made of concrete and steel. It is spiritual and supported by the cross upon which Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for us sinners. He bore our sins upon Himself and satisfied the demands of God’s justice completely on our behalf.

Sin must be and will be punished – either we bear that punishment or we make an arrangement whereby someone else takes the punishment for us! By honestly acknowledging that we are guilty of having sinned against God and our fellow human beings, sincerely repenting (turning away from our sins – quit practicing them) of our sins, asking God’s forgiveness, and by faith receiving Jesus Christ into our lives as Savior and Lord, we are forgiven and experience peace with God. There is clear recognition that our forgiveness is possible because Jesus died for our sins on the cross and was later resurrected from the dead.

The above illustration, crude as it may be, is an attempt to depict the fact that it is possible to abandon a life which leads us down a path to condemnation and destruction, and to get on the “bridge” of God’s grace and mercy, traveling to the other side where we are accepted as citizens of His eternal Kingdom!
Details of the experience of becoming a Christian as revealed in the holy Scriptures are given at How to Become a Christian A link at the bottom of that area will bring you back to this place.

So, the big question is this – have you crossed over on the “bridge” which assures you that you have been forgiven and Jesus is real in your life as Savior and Lord?

Only 2 persons really know the answer to that question – you and God!

Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."
--- Jude 1:14,15

Like It or Not, He's Alive and Will Return Again to Planet Earth!

He Is Risen!

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. --- Philippians 2:5-11

It has been one of the most bitterly contested and opposed events in human history -- the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, the One Who was brutally crucified and Whose body was placed in the tomb of a wealthy man from Jerusalem. Three days later He came back from the dead and appeared numerous times to quite a few people over a period of 40 days. As a chosen few assembled with Him on that last day He gave a few instructions and then visibly ascended up in the air as He returned to His heavenly Father.

A bit of a shock set in as a couple of angels appeared and reassured those followers of Jesus that the moment would come when He would return to earth, "in like manner" as they had seen Him go from them.

For a few of us, this Sunday will be yet another time to celebrate the greatest victory ever won over the greatest enemies of the human race -- the enemies of sin, death, and Satan and his vicious forces of evil!

We celebrate because we know:

• On basis of repentance of our sins, He in mercy has forgiven us.
  
• We now experience His peace -- condemnation and guilt have been removed!
  
• We experience His presence with us on a 24/7 basis!
  
• We experience His power to overcome the world with its many pressures and tempations -- that is, the promise of His Holy Spirit to dwell in our lives.
  
• We experience His purpose on a day by day basis -- life is not a "fate" whatever will be will be kind of thing -- Jesus Christ has a customized plan for us!
  
• We experience His promises, which are many, including His intention to return to this earth and establish His Kingdom -- this is referred to as the "blessed hope and the glorious appearing" -- see Titus 2:11-15 -- the Gospel in a nutshell and the responsibility of every Christian as he or she lives in expectation of Jesus' return to earth.
  
  
  
  • He will put down all opposing forces -- an international military machine which will be obliterated faster than a mosquito hitting the windshield of an 18-wheeler rolling at 80 MPH on Interstate 80 in Clarion Co. PA (I mention that due to traveling that section of I-80 from Brookville to Clarion occasionally and have nearly been blown off the road as those guys flew by me!).
    
  • He will judge all nations -- that is why it is good news that one of these days all politicians will be out of a job -- Jesus Christ will be in charge of the affairs of this world!
    
  • Jerusalem will be the "world capitol" -- another reason for reading the prophets of the Old Testament to see promises about the future glory of Jerusalem -- e.g. Jerusalem will be called a city of truth, a city safely inhabited, where nations will assemble to be instructed in the ways of God, etc!
    
  • Peace will be universal -- the dismantling of all military weapons -- no need for a military anywhere nor all the implements of war -- totally eliminated!
    
  • Even the animals will be at peace with one another -- the lion will eat straw like the ox, the wolf lying down with the lamb in peaceful co-existence! This isn't fairy tale stuff, folks -- it's promised in the Book -- see for yourself!
    
  • Just lots and lots of good things to look forward to -- because Jesus loves us, died for our sins to make forgiveness possible, rose again from the dead, and He's coming back again to earth -- AND no one will delay His return by even 1/10 of a second!
    

Yes, we will be assailed and the hostility coming from the world and sometimes from within the ranks of those who profess to be "Christian" will increase as time moves ahead. Jesus guaranteed that His followers will be hated and persecuted -- you can review that in John 15 and into John 16!

BUT there is one thing those who hate and despise us can never do -- they can't put Him back into the grave as much as they would like to -- and they can deny He is alive (and strange as it may seem, some preachers and church leaders even entertain this streak of raw unbelief) but when "He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own..." let the fools ramble on -- they won't be dead more than 2 seconds until they realize He is none other than King of kings and Lord of lords and the One Who will ultimately judge every human being born into this world from the time of Adam and Eve!

So, if you know Him personally as Savior and Lord of your life, celebrate that mighty victory anew this Sunday -- and rejoice with fellow believers -- we are a distinct minority, but numbers aren't the real issue -- the real issue is to be right with God, seeking to fulfill His purpose for our remaining days on earth while He tarries in His glorious return!

If you don't know Him -- ask His forgiveness and repent of your sins, in whatever form that rebellion presently exists -- ask Him to come into your life as your personal Savior and Lord. In the right column in this BLOG near the top is an area devoted to becoming a Christian and statements from God's Word as to how that can happen in your life, if you have not yet made that very critical decision.

He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. --- John 1:10-13

Can You Come Up with Even One Good Reason?

"Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time I punish them, they shall be cast down," says the LORD. Thus says the LORD: "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.' Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, 'listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But they said, 'We will not listen.'" --- Jeremiah 6:15-17

In a previous post reference was made to this nation possibly experiencing the wrath of God in judgment. The subject has been discussed in certain areas of my web site, Circuit Rider's Range. In the right hand column of this BLOG you can scroll down to an area that provides some links to additional information on that rather unpleasant subject.

In my morning conversations with the Lord and mentioning the needs of our beloved republic, I can't come up with one solid reason as to why He shouldn't bring judgment upon this nation in that very moment in which I am talking to Him! I can only plead that He delay yet a while longer and increase the chastising actions and calamities upon this country as He sees fit in His infinite power and wisdom -- with the hope that just maybe our leaders (political and religious) and we citizens will see the urgent need to seek Him in a spirit of humility and true repentance.

And so I put the question to you -- what reason or reasons can you give as to why God should not bring judgment upon this nation without any further delay?

Because this is a Christian nation? Oh? On what basis? Because there are good people in this country and we have a lot of churches and a lot of good things are being done in many places. But there were a lot of good people in the ancient Israelite kingdom of Judah in 586 BC -- they claimed to be God's people -- they did a lot of good things and they had the magnificent temple which had been built centuries before by the very famous King Solomon. And we can identify some of the very good people who lived at that time including one named Jeremiah who was in constant communication with God.

In spite of all the claims which the people of the kingdom of Judah might have made in 586 BC about being God's people etc. judgment still came after years of warning as well as pleading for them to repent of their sins and return to God.

The statistics related to our own rebellion against God and a prevailing national spirit of defiance are shockingly parallel to that which existed in the years in which Jeremiah lived.

We cannot even get half of our 300 million population into a place of worship on Sunday mornings. You know what goes on during Sundays, do you not? While the vast majority of U. S. citizens would claim to believe in God (another shallow reason for saying God ought not to bring judgment) they demonstrate that they are "practical atheists." A "practical atheist" is a person who claims to believe in God but lives each day as though God does not really exist!

On top of all that you have a 50 per cent or better casualty rate in marriages, with professing Christians having about the same failure -- all of which has contributed greatly to breakdown of the family and an ever growing number of problem children and youth!

Of course a lot of couples don't bother to marry -- they just set up house together in what has become known as a "relationship!" This arrangement doesn't have an impressive survival rate either.

Add to this mixture the bloody record of tens of millions of destroyed unborn children, entrenched idolatry, and pandemic sexual immorality and you have a formula for destruction at the hands of the One Who put this great universe together by spoken command!

Whatever appeal one feebly tries to make that God ought not to bring judgment on the United States, it has all been said before in years prior to 586 BC when a nation of people discovered too late that God keeps His promise when He says judgment will come if there is not universal repentance from all sin!

Want to read the best summary ever recorded as to how a culture finally crosses the line and experiences first hand the wrath of an angry God? Just read on -----

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He also did evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD. And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD God of Israel. Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the LORD which He had consecrated in Jerusalem. And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy. Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. And all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon. Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions. --- 2 Chronicles 36:11-19

An Email Which Really Made My Day!

I receive a lot of emails. The volume has increased over the years since the establishment of my web site, Circuit Rider's Range, back in 1998.

Due to the content of the Range, there are some very negative emails which come my way from time to time -- the kind which I cannot and will not quote to you due to language used. Sometimes I almost feel bad that I have caused some people's blood pressure to reach the mortal danger level -- note that I said, "almost!"

But there have been the supportive and encouraging kind as well. With Bob's permission, I am printing his email here as I received it:

Hey Clayton----Just a note to say, because I have so much idle time on my hands, I have been exploring your web site everyday and sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. Have read many of the articles and find them very interesting. There is one place in there where you ask the question, Will you meet me in Heaven? I can, with absolute
certainty say, that I will meet you in Heaven someday. Because of a very precious Mother who led me to the Cross of Calvary, I was able to settle that account with the Lord many years ago. Mother told me many times, beware, because Satan is still active upon this earth and will constantly be reminding you of your past. She always told me to be like that old mule dad had. We didn't need a line on him, but he had to have blinders on to keep him from being tempted from going to the right or left when we plowed corn. He could only see straight ahead. We have to be the same way, and keep our eyes and mind focused straight ahead on Jesus. She said, being a christian will not be easy, but knowing that the Precious Blood of Jesus has washed away your sins and they will be remembered no more. Never look back and let Satan tempt you. And believe me, he tries very hard. Past and present !!! I have been through many trials in my life, as you already know, but God has always sustained me. And for that, I give Him all the Praise and Glory. And thank Him every day. I just wanted to share this with you. Sometimes these winter days get pretty long. And yes, I will meet you in Heaven some day. As a matter I'm looking forward to it. And if for some reason I would leave this old earth before you, just remember, I'll be watching and waiting for you, and hope you will do the same for me. We have been good friends for nearly 35 years and been through more things than you could shake a stick at. Sometimes when I'm just setting here thinking, I start to laugh. If someone seen me they would think I was loosing my marbles. Well, keep up the good work and the faith. God's speed to you.

Take care, old friend,
Bob

The question to which my friend refers about meeting in heaven is discussed in detail at Meet Me in Heaven!

Another related subject is discussed at Reminders When Mansion Shopping! This one is important from the stand point of getting distracted (and maybe a bit envious) when we see the elaborate mansions people of wealth and influence have accumulated and lavished upon themselves over time.

Strange, is it not, that a majority of persons in our republic when making plans for the future limit those plans in terms of a few days, weeks, months, years, or to the point of retirement, but do not make any serious plans for that moment of crossing the great divide from time into eternity! The average rate of death is still one per person!

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." --- Spoken by Jesus Christ in John 14:1-3