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Revelation2:20, “Nevertheless, I have a few things against you, because you allow (tolerate) that woman Jezebel …”   Jesus

 

Jeremiah 17:9, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?  My prayer is that you understand what is happening in our nation and world today.  God is not surprised by what is happening; He knew it before Creation.  His plan for the redemption of Mankind was His Son and His death on a cross.  He knew the condition of man’s heart and mankind would turn to selfishness and evil instead of His righteousness.

 

A common sin within the church of Thyatira was the tendency to tolerate sin, unrighteousness, and unbiblical teaching from its leaders.  Jesus calls out one particular person as Jezebel which was a name from the Old Testament woman named Jezebel.  “The name Jezebel was synonymous with idolatry, sensuality, and manipulative control.  There were some in Thyatira who were submitting to or tolerating a spiritual Jezebel who exhibited great charisma, along with manipulative and seductive influence.” (Life in the Spirit Study Bible notes).  In The Revelation, Jesus condemns this woman and what her teaching represents – the freedom to sin.

 

Here’s the problem: over time our sin nature redefines the good things of God to the point of trying to destroy them.  Have we not gotten to that point in these days?  When God is removed, right and wrong become a matter decided by each individual.  Pay special attention to what the newly inaugurated President does regarding the funding of abortion and sexual identity.  Be aware of what is placed into law by Executive Order what is done with diversity and harmony in the name of being open-minded.  I would ask you to once again read the last verses of Romans 1.  When God, the Creator is deliberately rejected by “exchanging the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25) there are consequences!  “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting”.  The consequences of spiritual rebellion is that God “gives them over” to judgment.

 

I would like to say one more thing related to this.  Be ware of those who want Christians to be tolerant of ideas contrary to Christian beliefs.  Christians are characterized as intolerant, narrow-minded, and outdated in their thinking.  Therefore, Christians are shamed, ridiculed, and persecuted for standing firm on their Bible-based beliefs.  To these people tolerance means being open minded to beliefs that are contrary to what the Bible teaches; they want Christians to accept those who are not like them.  My answer to this is to be patient with non-Christian family, friends, and others around us.  We pray for their heart to be changed to accept and live by God-ordained principles.  Think back to God’s patience in your life and pray they understand they can go to God just the way they are and He will accept them when they genuinely ask for forgiveness and repent of their sin.  We can be tolerant without compromising our belief in God’s Word.

 

I feel very strongly that we are in the very last of the last days.  Put on the spiritual armor of God every day.  When you do, stand in the strength of your faith in Him to guide and protect you.  Trust in Him for all things you need.  Never compromise your faith in Him and no matter what happens He will keep you on the narrow way that leads to His kingdom and eternal life!

 

 

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1 John 2:19, They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

 

The discussion the last few days has been about apostacy.  There is going to be a falling away from the professing church because of compromise.  William Booth (1829 – 1912) was the founder of the Salvation Army and was a strong follower of Jesus Christ.  Booth predicted that by the end of the twentieth century many would preach a Christianity that did not include Jesus Christ, hell and repentance.  I found this quote by Vance Havner (which I really like), “The biggest danger to the church is not woodpeckers on the outside, but termites on the inside.” These two men are saying that the greatest danger to the church is apostacy within the church rising from false teachers – those liberal teachers who deny and distort the truth.  Compromise! The result of compromise is the church looking no different than the world.

 

Compromise puts the truth somewhere between two extremes.  Compromise with the world often occurs when essential moral principles and doctrine is changed to be acceptable or non-threatening.  When compromise is done in these areas truth will become error and good will be called evil and evil called good”.  When your convictions, based on the truths of the Bible, become how you live, you must never compromise.

 

Why would a person within the church compromise the truth?  Let me reflect a little on my life and the lives of others that I have observed.  There are things I just did not want to give up; I wanted to do things that the Bible said were wrong.  Yes, I felt bad about them, but it took years before my love of God became greater.  Perhaps this was just plain rebellion – another reason for compromise.  I think this comes from the attitude that I am going to do what I want and ask for forgiveness later.  Others just do not know the Bible or misinterpret it to fit their life style.  I think of the parable of the rich young man who asked what he needed to do to be saved.  Jesus told him to go sell everything and follow Him.  The guy just could not do it; the sayings of Jesus were too hard, too narrow for him to live by. 

 

There could be another reason.  Jesus said those who follow Him will be persecuted.  Think back to the page of the blog about this in the Sermon on the Mount. If you follow the Bible’s teaching, you are going to be laughed at, mocked, and treated poorly at times.  Sounds like what Jesus went through.  I remember going back to the first community I taught at, walking down the street and seeing two former coaching colleagues.  We were there with a church group which they must have heard us.  The greeting was not a friendly greeting by them; it was one that mocked us for who we had become in Christ.  People do not want to deal with that.  They just go to church and do not allow the Word to change them.

 

Consider the various headlines today that talk of what the liberals and progressives want to do to conservatives and Bible-believing Christians.  They want to reprogram them, have labeled them as unloving, bigots, and accuse them of being some kind of phobia. 

Here is what I am getting at today.  If you follow the truth of God’s Word you are going to be persecuted.  To what degree, I do not know.  Sadly, this persecution is coming from those false teachers within the church itself.  In the last days, this will grow worse.  I am trying not to repeat the same things.  But open your ears to what is being taught from the pulpit.  This is what the verse above is telling us.  “They went out from us, but they were not of us”.  This is talking about antichrists, false teachers, that leave the fellowship of true believers; they were not in a saving relationship with Christ.  They have a hardened heart, reject God’s way, and continually reject the Holy Spirit’s nudging.  And, they want you and me to join them!

 

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2 Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.”  Paul

 

Some background is necessary to understand this verse.  2 Thessalonians 2 is a very important chapter concerning prophecy.  Because Believers were facing great persecution at this time, rumors surfaced that they had entered the time of tribulation that would happen before the return of Christ.  This is Paul’s attempt to tell them that Day (refers to the seven-year period known as the Tribulation) had not come yet.  Yes, as Christians they were being persecuted for their faith.  No, this was not the Tribulation and they had not missed the rapture.  Paul stated here for that Day to occur two things had to occur: 1) there had to be a falling away – apostacy and 2) the Antichrist had to be ready to offer a solution to the world’s problems.  I want to focus on apostacy today.

 

Apostacy literally means “departure” or “abandonment” will occur in the last days; many in the professing church will depart from Biblical truth.  “Both Jesus and Paul paint a dismal picture morally, spiritually and doctrinally as the present age closes (Matthew 24:5, 10-13, 24; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 4:3-4).  Paul in particular stresses that the churches will be invaded by godless elements in the last days.” (Life in the Spirit Study Bible notes).  In other words, this final apostacy will be a widespread falling away on the part of those who profess to know God.  Paul is saying this falling away has to happen before the Tribulation occurs.  How widespread? It will more than likely be worldwide.

 

It is pretty easy to affirm that the day we live in is different from the time Paul wrote his letter to the Thessalonians.  Consider the teaching from the pulpit today.  There are those teaching Christ was only a man, that He was not sinless, did not rise from the dead and He is not coming again.  They are teaching that the Scriptures are out of date, full of errors and teaching and even practicing what is not biblical.  Today we are witnessing false hope that involves easy salvation by works and the abandonment of God’s moral law and standards of righteousness.  The truth of God’s word is being corrupted and rebellion against God and His Word will be much worse than what it is now.  Then God’s wrath will be on those who reject His truth (see 1 Thessalonians 5:2-9). 

 

Where are we in all of this? I really do not know.  This has been going on for what seems to be a long time.  Perhaps we are near what some scholars I have read have called “the final, great falling away” that will immediately signal the arrival of the Antichrist – the second necessary happening before the Tribulation.

 

Stand firm in your faith. Know truth from what is false.  Do not be deceived by those who are teaching the Bible is full of error.  Now is not the time to be slack in your walk with the Lord.

 

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1 Timothy 1:19, “having faith and good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck,”

 

On April 10, 1912 the world’s largest cruise ship left Southampton and began its maiden voyage across the North Sea.  There were 2200 people on board. They had been gone four days without a sign of danger and people were doing all the fun and relaxing things people “used” to do on cruise ships.  On April 14 word was received that icebergs had been seen just north of where the course the Titanic was to take.  Several more warning were received during the day.  Several other ships sent messages about icebergs including one that said it was completely stopped and surrounded by ice.  That night the Titanic struck an iceberg that caused the ship to sink in two hours and forty minutes.    

 

There were messages received, warnings were given.  They were ignored and tragedy resulted.

 

We have also been given warnings regarding the end times through biblical prophecies.  They warn of dangers ahead and that all Christians must not ignore.  To use the story of the Titanic, we must be aware of all of the icebergs around us; to ignore the warning is to invite catastrophe.  My goal is not to create fear but awareness.  As much as I would like to be a Biblical scholar, I have to read God’s Word and study to understand it and then relate it to what I see in the world today.  I have to agree with biblical scholars and close friends that we are in a collision course with global calamity.  There are just too many moral, cultural, geopolitical and biblical evidences (icebergs) that are giving convincing indication that the end times are upon us.  Crazy?  It may be as crazy a thought as a man building an ark.

 

Remember the people of Noah’s day?  There were Godly people in the world but something happened over a long period of time that caused every person on earth except Noah to turn away from God and entertain nothing but evil in their minds.  Apostacy is a slow process by which people walk away from God.  The sad thing is most people do not consider themselves to be godless – there is just no God.  “Each person does what is right in their own eyes!”  Look at this nation today.  Violence is peaceful demonstrations to many.  Abortion is not murder to them.  Many see Christian views on sexuality as outdated and no longer realistic.  Any thoughts, such as this, on the end times is foolish and seen as a scare tactic meant to frighten people to turn to faith in “religion”. 

 

Let me put Revelation 4:1 into simple language that we can all understand, “all end times events must happen!  How can I be so sure?  I am betting eternity on the fact that the Bible is 100% correct!  Every scripture and prophesy about Jesus have come true leading up to the day we live in.  I have no doubt every word written about the last days will happen. 

 

What about you?  The Bible tells us that there will be mockers of the return of Jesus for His church (rapture) and His Second Coming to set up His kingdom on earth.  They mock because people have been looking for this since He ascended into heaven.  They are too busy living their lives to consider what will happen in the future.  The result will be they will simply be unprepared for what’s coming.  We are already seeing moral, spiritual, and economic conditions worsen.  Do you really believe this country can recover from the debt that has been piled up without some sort of collapse?  You can believe that things will only get worse leading up to the rapture of Believers.

 

The answer is to walk closely with the Lord.  Stay close to Him and understand the times we live in.  There is no fear for those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ – only hope and confidence that He knows what is happening on earth, knows who are called by His name. 

 

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2 Timothy 4:2-3, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from truth, and be turned aside to fables.     Paul

 

I use this Scripture to introduce another aspect in trying to determine if we are in the end times Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles wrote about.  Jesus gave signs of the end times and told John the Revelator in The Revelation 1:3 that “the time is near”.  

 

Throughout church history there have been people who have refused to love sound doctrine.  I believe I am safe to write that as the end draws closer the situation will grow worse.  I wonder what would happen if elaborate multimedia, the fast-paced music sung for worship, the technology used for the church service, and all the professionalism of the church service just disappeared.  My guess is people would stop going to church.  What would happen if churches stopped competing with each other for church attendance and church membership?  I just do not know what happened if coffee and donuts were no longer served.  I know that this is necessary for fellowship.  Jeff Kinney made this statement, “Simply put, we have become very good at doing church in our culture and have forgotten to simply be the church, specializing in the things that really matter.”

 

Apostasy – defined as a person who renounces a religious or political belief or principle; it is the abandoning a religious or political belief or principle.  One sign of the coming apostasy is departing from sound doctrine.  If you are following anything in the news today, it has to be apparent that people do not want Biblical teaching.  There will be greater pressure for biblical teaching/preaching to accommodate the thinking of the day’s culture (their own desires).  Sound doctrine will become more and more unpopular; churches will have to embrace this “tickling of the ears” in order to maintain their attendance.  I think there are already churches that are doing everything they can to always make people feel good when they leave.

 

These feel good, goose pimply churches will not be preaching repentance, sin, the judgments of God, demonstrations of power by the Holy Spirit and the need to live by holiness and separation from the world.  I cannot imagine them teaching about having a “hunger and thirst for righteousness” or “seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”.  Be aware of those preachers, teachers, and “bloggers” who call evil good and call good evil.  Be aware of those who promote doctrines that are different from what the Bible teaches. 2 Timothy 3:13 speaks of, “evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”  If we are in these times, we can expect deception to grow worse.  The teaching of these people will only lead to ungodliness.  They are evil and imposters according to the apostle Paul.  The problem lies in the desire of many to “have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from truth, and be turned aside to fables.”  All of us have to understand how subtly this has happened over the years.  People with itching ears have sought out pastors who conform to their own self-seeking and worldly desires.  They prefer preachers that entertain, have great speaking ability and speak messages that reassure them they can remain a Christian while living unholy lives.

 

What can we do?  Pick up that Bible and guard sound doctrine.  All of us must renew our relationship to the True King – King Jesus!  He cares deeply for His Church, His Bride!  Pursue Him and know how He expects us to live.  Then live that way.  Keep growing in truth found in Scriptures.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 is good to close this page because it is encouraging and helpful.  “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

 

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2 Thessalonians 2:11-12, And for this reason God will send them a strong delusion, that they should believe the lie that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

 

I’m using this verse again because it seems important to focus on the lies people have believed.  Anything that speaks against what the Word of God says is a lie.  We have chosen to believe many things that are being told to us by the media, told to us by people in the pulpit that are false prophets, and others who pretend to know the Bible but don’t.  The reality is too many are willing to believe those who sound convincing because they are not willing to take the time to study the Bible for themselves.  My advice is simple: Pick up your Bible, dust it off, pray for the Holy Spirit to open your understanding, and then read it for yourself.

 

What are the lies people have bought into over the years?  If you are honest with yourself, you already know what they are.  They have not suddenly appeared; they have been slowly eroding the truth of God’s Word.  People have been deceived into believing that abortion is a choice regardless of the age of the unborn baby.  We have been deceived to believe people can decide if they are male or female regardless of God making them male and female.  God’s Word stating that marriage is between a man and woman has been challenged because deception has caused people to believe the only requirement is that two people love each other.  Do you get the idea? 

 

And now the inauguration of a man who has said he supports all of these lies has taken place.  The Vice-President believes in even great liberal programs.  The liberal Congress has those within it who support the idea of taking away the children of those who supported President Trump, to be put in camps to reorient them.  Will it happen? We are in difficult days, days that could very well be the days termed the “last days”.

 

I would like to use a devotional I read this morning for my closing.  It was written by David Wilkerson years ago (He was killed in an auto accident in 2011).  “God described himself to Moses in this way: “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Exodus 34:6-7).  God wanted Moses to know He was merciful, gracious, longsuffering and forgiving.  We have taught much about these; indeed, from cover to cover the Bible speaks of the Father’s loving and tender heart toward us.  But when we are mired in the midst of trials and tribulations, we often forget about what God has said about Himself.  Scripture says over and over again that He is ready to forgive at all times (Psalm 86:5); patient with us, full of tenderness and mercy (Psalm 145:6, Psalm 119:156); slow to anger and wrath (Joel 2:13).  The Lord wants us to approach Him fully convinced He loves us.  And He wants us to know He is all He says He is.  For this reason, Satan will try to make us believe a lie about our Father.  If you have been adopted into God’s family through Christ, you must know how special you are to Him.” 

There is hope in these words for anyone who has fallen for the deceptions of these lies.  Reach out to Him who has the power and the desire to forgive you.  Don’t put it off; reach out to Him right now asking Him to forgive you.

 

Know truth!  Follow truth!  It is the only way to protect yourself from the deception so prevalent in our world today.  God is Love.  But He will not be mocked.  There is judgment coming to those who have pushed Him away and chosen to believe the lies of Satan instead of the truth contained in His Word.

 

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2 Thessalonians 2:11-12, And for this reason God will send them a strong delusion, that they should believe the lie that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

 

I realize the pages of the blog have probably not given you warm fuzzies and pleasant goose bumps that are caused by fun-filled, pleasant teachings.  They are not meant to.  This is meant to get you to make sure your relationship to the Lord is what it needs to be.  Be sure you have entered the narrow gate (salvation in Jesus Christ) and that you are walking on the narrow way to eternal life in God’s kingdom.  What I have been describing to you regarding the downward spiral of our society has come because people have ignored God and His Word!  There has been a denial of who God is and lies about the knowledge of God and His righteousness.

 

Problems come due to denying the truth of God’s Word.  “The mind can become numb to truth and the heart calloused to God’s love in the gospel.” (Jeff Kinney, As it Was in the Days of Noah).  What happens when the heart becomes hardened?  People then do not see the reality regarding the event happening around them.  Go back and read the downward spiral written in the last verses of Romans 1.   When we abandon God, idolatry and immorality continues to increase.  The result is God’s wrath and He leaves those who have abandoned Him to their desires and pursuit of sin.  And, “God was sorry that He had made man on the earth and He was grieved in His heart.” (Genesis 6:6).  In Noah’s day, the result was a flood over the entire world.  In our day it has to end in tribulation, the rapture of the Church, seven years of Tribulation, and eternity.

 

As the “body of Christ” we must understand Satan’s plan to influence people to ignore God, to have nothing to do with Him.  He is continually trying to create an environment of hostility toward Christians; do not be surprised to see increased intolerance expressed toward Christians as ungodliness increases in our nation and in the world.  Already Christianity is being removed from areas of the world.

 

Okay, here is the Good News.  Jesus said in Matthew 16: 18, “And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of hades, shall not prevail against it.”

You and I need a Savior to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves; we need a Savior to cleanse us of our self-reliance and sinfulness.  That Savior is Jesus Christ.  Jesus is telling Peter that the Church He is building is made up of those who accept Him as their Savior and follow Him as their Lord.  The Church is the “body of Christ” and cannot be overcome by Satan.  The true Church, the “body of Christ” will rise up in the power of the Holy Spirit to deliver people from the deception and darkness that we are seeing in the world today.  Be salt and light in this nation.  That’s what Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount.  Know the signs of the time.  Pray for our nation. 

 

I think it appropriate to close today by using a quote from Jeff Kinney’s book.  “Noah’s world didn’t begin without God, but it sure ended up that way.”  Look around. Which way do you think we are headed?”

 

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Romans 3:18, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

 

Psalm 14:1, Psalm 53:1, The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”  They are corrupt.  They have done abominable works.  There is none who does good.

 

One of the reasons for all the wickedness in Noah’s world was people chose to follow the ways of the world rather than follow God.  They rejected their Creator.  The Bible states that Noah was the only righteous man in the entire world.  I have read that the population of the world at this time was in the billions.

 

Jesus said in the last days people would be living in this same way.  What does the Bible have to say about the lifestyles of those living in the last days?  As in Noah’s day, people today ignore God.  Those who are walking on the narrow path to God’s kingdom are ridiculed and persecuted for their beliefs.  Expect that to become greater in the days ahead.  My question is – why?  Why do people regard the Bible as an outdated book and have no fear of God?  Because people do not want to live by the standards He has established (refer back to the Sermon on the Mount), they say the Bible is irrelevant and outdated.  Choice!  The psalmist said two different times, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”  They are corrupt.  They have done abominable works.  There is none who does good.”  The result of such thinking is to throw away everything pertaining to God and truth becomes whatever one says it is.  God has become a threat and the solution is to ignore Him and pretend He is not there.  Choice!  A foolish choice!

 

Can we agree that there is no fear of God in our world today?  I am not talking about those who have been saved through the blood of Jesus Christ at the cross of Calvary.  All people in their natural condition are sinners.  I am so thankful Jesus took my rightful place on the cross to forgive my sins.  However, for those who have not accepted Him as their Savior and Lord are guilty of turning away from the way of godliness to the way of self-centeredness and selfishness.  The terrible condition of humanity continues because “there is no fear of God before their eyes.”  If the fear of God was in them, they would seek reconciliation and peace that He only can give.  Proverbs 16:6, “And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.”

 

It gets worse.  God will give people what they desire. Think back to the election and how many voted for the ungodly platform coming into political power!  God does not force His way into people’s lives.  For those who do not choose to walk in His ways, He permits them to walk in their self-worship and to fall deeper into sin.  The people of Noah’s day would show this.  God also allowed the people of Israel to walk in their sinful desires.  Psalm 81:12, “So I gave them over to their stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.”

 

Romans 1:28-31 speaks about what happens to society when people walk in their own counsels.  “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all righteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful”.  And not to leave anyone out, Paul goes on to say in verse 32, “who know the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”  This list sounds a lot like the list found in 2 Timothy 3 regarding the things that will be happening in the last days.  Take time to go there and read them.  This descending spiral all begins with ignoring God.  Notice the underlined portion of Scripture above.  These godless people become really good at inventing evil.  And, there are those who are very enthusiastic about those who are practicing these sins.  Just as guilty!

 

Think about where we are today!  Are we there?

 

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Joshua 24: 14, “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away your gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt.  Serve the Lord!”   Joshua

 

The above verse caught my eye when I was reading Saturday.  It has to do with the choices we make regarding good and evil; the choice we make to serving God.  It has everything to do with entering the narrow gate and staying on the narrow road to eternal life in the kingdom of God.  If you have been reading the blog for a while, you might have noticed a change in tone this blog has taken.  Down deep within me there is a need to bring warning for each of us to seek righteousness every day.  We are living in times that evil is being called good and good is being called evil.  Each of us need to be considering the time we live in and what is happening before our eyes.  Is the return of Jesus near?  Is He coming for the His Bride, the Church, in our life time?  I do not know but the signs are sure clearer than in the past that He is coming soon.  Choose to serve Him and do not take a chance that you might miss Him.

 

The book of Judges has long been a favorite of mine.  Reflecting upon this book this past weekend, I believe the days in which this book was written are not unlike the days we are living in.  The people, under the leadership of Joshua had entered onto the Promised Land with instructions to remove the Canaanites and other people living there; it was God who told them to remove these people because they had come under His judgment for serving other gods.

 

The tribe of Judah (from which Jesus would come) was successful against the Canaanites and Perizzites. The house of Joseph found success as well. However, the other tribes either had difficulty driving out the inhabitants of the land or they just chose not to.  For some reason they chose to disobey God.

 

A second problem occurred after the death of Joshua.  In Judges 2:11-15, we are told that a generation arose that did not know the Lord and the work He had done for them.  This generation began to do evil in the sight of the Lord and served the gods of the people they had failed to drive out of the land.  They chose to allow these pagans or unbelievers to stay in the land and pay tribute to them.  The result was a generation growing up who did not know God nor His ways. 

 

What does this have to do with the world we live in today?  I’m so glad you asked because I have an answer.  We are living in a time where people have chosen to allow foreign gods (the belief in) to come into this country in the name of equality or whatever other name you want to give it.  Prayer has been removed from school but other religions are allowed to pray to their false god(s).   After 9/11 people packed churches out, but, it did not last.  Just like in the day of the Judges, those that came after them forgot the lessons of their fathers and “became even more corrupt in their lifestyle; they followed other gods, serving and bowing down to them; they did not cease from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.” (Judges 2:19).  Doesn’t that describe our situation today?  Here’s the really sad truth; God left them to do their own thing.  That resulted again in being oppressed by their enemies.  That became the pattern for God’s people during this time.  God has given us warning after warning.  There will come a time when judgment is coming upon us.

 

Regardless of what you think about the election results, half of the people voting voted for a godless political platform.  Were they tricked into believing they were right?  It seems to me that God has left us to do our own thing – we are going to get what many people wanted when they voted. 

 

One more observation from the book of Judges.  Even though God left His people to their own gods and left them to be oppressed by their enemies, He did not totally abandon them.  Eventually the people would cry out to Him for deliverance and He would raise up a judge to deliver them.

 

Joshua’s admonition to the people was to follow the ways of the Lord.  Choose today who you will serve!  Enter the narrow gate, the Lord Jesus Christ, and stay on the narrow way that leads to eternity in heaven.  God is always ready to extend His arm of mercy to whosoever would believe in His Son.

 

 

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